Wizard

Waaagh! came quickly and went quickly. The moment Black Husband's headless corpse hit the ground, everything was settled. Though the fighting would continue for a while, in the end all the Orks would "fight" their way to a consensus. Especially once the Bloodtooth Tribe's flag flying over the fortress was replaced by White Hand's red banner, the fighting between the boys would become brawls, the brawls would become beatings, until everyone was too exhausted to move. That was the ecology of Ork society.

Nothing was unchangeable. Though the Bloodtooth Tribe had existed for a long time, the boys were still happy to accept a stronger boss. All Orks were like that, Idea Bro included. Winner takes all was the rule of Ork civil wars.

As for the losses from this war, Guk did not calculate them, nor did he have the ability to. Though the armored boys who had charged alongside him had dwindled to double digits after the battle, he had no strange thoughts about it. To Orks, death was as ordinary as eating or teasing Snotlings. Only when he found Big Cleaver's corpse did something stir within him, raising strange questions in his mind.

Death? What was death like? Was it merely lying on the ground without moving? He was unwilling to think any further.

All Ork corpses were thrown into the wilderness and left to rot away. Their bodies would soon vanish without a trace. Some would be eaten by various creatures, while most would quickly return to the earth. Big Cleaver alone was an exception. Perhaps to calm the strange thoughts in his heart, Guk cut off Big Cleaver's head, smeared it with oil squeezed from Squigs to preserve it, and "stuck" it atop his battle banner, just as Big Cleaver had protected that banner in life.

Many boys and bosses also hoped to receive such an honor after death, but Guk refused them all. To him, Big Cleaver was special, just like Big Roarer. Perhaps he would have another Squiggoth in the future, but there was only one Big Roarer.

Irreplaceable. Guk understood the meaning of that word for the first time. Sometimes he wondered whether, to Big Cleaver, he too had been irreplaceable. And to the other boys, was he?

This battle had left Guk with more doubts. He was even distracted while drinking. Sitting upon the bone throne Black Husband had once occupied, he held a huge skull bowl in his left hand, his gaze drifting through the liquor within as all sorts of thoughts wandered through his mind. He did not even notice One-Ear holding up a huge piece of roasted meat for him.

"Boss? Boss?"

One-Ear called out twice more timidly, but Guk still did not respond. Feeling aggrieved, he glanced at Grak beside him. Ever since the celebration feast had begun, the boss had seemed off, but no one dared mention it.

"Boss! Why are you spacing out again? Come on!"

Grak, covered in blood, strode carelessly over to Guk and clinked the wine jug in his hand against Guk's bowl. Only then did Guk come back to himself.

"Mmh. Drink!"

Guk replied in a muffled voice, gulped down every drop of liquor in his bowl, then snatched the roasted meat One-Ear was holding and began gnawing on it in huge bites.

On the third day after the battle ended, Bloodfang Fortress finally quieted down. The boys had fought themselves tired, and the Bloodtooth boys obediently switched to White Hand markings. The moment Idea Bro woke up, he declared his loyalty to Guk's leadership. Turok, who had chased One-Ear through dozens of streets outside, also returned to the fortress with most of the war wagons and accepted Guk's leadership. He had always insisted on "having a talk" with One-Ear. Guk had no way of figuring out whether he had more boys under him or fewer now. Anyway, that was that. He had the Snotlings bring out the food and drink so the boys could have a proper good time.

"Boss, you're the strongest Ork I've ever seen. It's only been a few days, and your wounds are already healed!"

Idea Bro also sidled over. Unexpectedly, this fellow had the temperament of a Snotling, his mouth always full of praise. But Guk's waist wound still ached faintly, so he did not give him a pleasant look.

"Boss! Can I have all those Squigs?"

Green Tooth had been beside Guk the whole time, but he had not dared speak earlier. Only after sensing that Guk seemed to be in a better mood did he make his request. He meant the Squigs from the Bloodtooth Tribe that pulled the big carts. Most of the war wagons had been destroyed, but quite a few Squigs had survived. Green Tooth had originally planned to quietly steal them away, but Crooked Mouth caught him and reported it to Guk. Guk had then taught him with his fists what it meant for the boss's property to be inviolable.

But Green Tooth had helped tremendously this time. His Squig cavalry had been one of the keys to turning the battle around, and they had suffered serious losses too. Guk thought for a while before saying slowly:

"Fine. You can have them..."

"Ahahaha! I knew the boss had good eyes! Don't worry, Boss, I'll get you one ten times bigger than Big Roarer!"

Green Tooth had barely begun celebrating when Guk slapped him across the head.

"I ain't finished, so what the hell are you happy about? Half! Give the other half to One-Ear."

"Long live the boss!"

One-Ear leaped up from the ground in delight, jumping high into the air, while Green Tooth muttered resentfully with a disgruntled expression.

"Giving them to that black tax is such a waste..."

"Piss off! Stop whining!"

Guk kicked him away, then laughed and drank another bowl. After all that commotion, the strange thoughts in his mind had faded considerably. After all, he was still an Ork. The first thing about being an Ork was having fun, and the second was not caring about anything.

Life was short, but joy remained.

As Guk and his boys feasted and drank, a strange group arrived in the desert late at night. They wore bizarre robes of different colors and moved furtively among the rolling dunes.

"Damn it, I feel like a scorpion crawled into my boot!"

At the back of the group, a figure wearing a wolf-shaped mask spoke angrily. His ochre-red robe was hung with many ornaments that clinked constantly as he moved.

"Give it a rest, Will. You're still complaining? I feel like my whole body is crawling with lice..."

A taller figure ahead of him muttered in response. He removed his round white-and-green headscarf and shook it hard, scattering bits of sand from it. His deer-shaped mask hid his expression, but the sound of his voice alone made it clear he was not pleased.

"We've been wandering around this godforsaken place for ten whole days! Ten days! I gave up three salons and two seminars for this, and what did I get... Oh, my Lady Alyssa, I'm starting to miss her."

"I think... you'd be better off forgetting that heartless bitch. A few days ago, I found out she was sleeping with Steve again. You remember him, the Crow School bastard who argued with you at the symposium."

"What? That bastard!"

"Enough, you two. Master Kong has something to say."

The slender third-from-last figure wearing a crow mask turned around and rebuked them softly. Her voice was gentle and melodious, and paired with the fitted black robe that emphasized her figure, it was enough to set most males' minds wandering.

"Lianhua, everyone else, come forward and be quiet."

At the front of the group, a slightly hunched figure raised his right hand and gave it a light wave. He wore a fox-shaped mask and a plain gray robe. His voice was old and hoarse, yet everyone obediently shut their mouths and gathered silently around him.

"Lianhua, enter the third level of mental state and see whether there is any danger nearby."

"Yes."

The group hid beneath a weathered rock. The crow-masked figure sat cross-legged on the ground, crossed her hands over her shoulders, and lowered her head slightly. Behind her stood another slender but more gaunt figure wearing a cat-shaped mask, completely still.

From the moment humans kindled their first flame, a mysterious power had constantly surrounded this new race. Over the long course of civilization, humanity gradually came to recognize and understand that power. It was an interference from something beyond the material world, one that human beings could not experience through their five senses.

Thus, some turned to explore the even more mysterious spiritual world. Through meditation and contemplation, they discovered the Vast Ocean—Hanan—between reality and illusion. A secretive and dangerous door was opened to humanity, and those who opened it came to be known as [Wizards].

As the spiritual guides of early civilizations, Wizards used their wondrous powers to shelter weak human communities. But Hanan was by no means a treasure land for people to take from at will. At first, humanity did not understand Hanan's dangers or the indescribable horrors lurking within it. The abuse of its power eventually brought disaster...

The Beastification Plague, a pestilence that twisted people into monsters, spread madly throughout humanity's medieval era. Nearly one-third of humanity was either warped or killed. Wizards suffered first and worst. They suddenly discovered that their powers were no longer under control, while mutations of flesh tormented them relentlessly. Vast numbers of Wizards lost their minds and became hungry monsters.

In the end, the Kaimon Church brought this disaster to an end. Yet when Kainia Empire, humanity's greatest empire, made the Kaimon Church its state religion, a second disaster descended upon the Wizards. The Kaimon Church classified Wizards as evil creatures, and its frenzied hunters nearly turned over every stone in the civilized world. Wizards could only struggle on beyond the wild frontiers, until the Kainia Empire split in two.

The East Kainia Empire, now known as the Benedict Empire, had no choice but to draw upon the Wizards' power again in order to resist the aggressive barbarians.

Farnak I signed the Bosporus Edict, dividing Wizards into White Wizards and Black Wizards. White Wizards had their status changed from [evil creatures] to [heretics], and in the East Kainia Empire, heretics only needed to worry about paying more poll taxes. This act also planted the seeds for the future great schism between the eastern and western Kaimon Churches.

Wizards returned to civilized society. Remembering the lessons of the past, they became far more cautious in their use of Hanan. Discipline Theory was born in this context.

To prevent the tragedy from being reenacted, Wizards began tempering their hearts. They divided a person's will into five levels: Anger Restraint, Desire Elimination, Knowing Self, Discerning Self, and Emptiness.

Through the refinements of generations of Wizards, the powers corresponding to each level of mental state were continuously adjusted, eventually reaching relatively safe limits. To control their powers more precisely, Wizards later developed six schools: Deer, Crow, Cat, Wolf, Fox, and Badger.

Each school corresponded to a different method of use. The Deer School excelled at healing and guiding the mind. They were doctors of both body and spirit, and the main academic school among Wizards.

The Crow School excelled at foresight and divination. Most of them were women, catching inconspicuous fragments amid Hanan's scattered flowing radiance. They were the most mysterious of Wizards, and rumor spoke of powerful beings known as [Three-Eyed Ones], capable of controlling time.

The Cat School consisted of masters of transformation, infiltration, and disguise. They were what Wizards relied upon to survive in the wild world, and their greatest contributors to surviving the dark ages.

The Wolf School was one of the only two combat-oriented schools remaining among Wizards. They were aggressive attackers skilled in using flame, frost, and lightning against their enemies. But this also made them the most unstable Wizards, and mutations of flesh had still not fully left them.

To many uninformed people, the Fox School was nothing more than street performers who played tricks. But those who knew Wizards understood that what people saw was never reality. They were masters of illusions and mental interference. Everything you saw was what they wanted you to see.

The other combat-oriented school—the Badger School—was somewhat special. It focused on cultivating both body and mind. Its members believed that a resilient body could better withstand Hanan's influence. They were defensive masters full of tenacity, fond of raising barriers and fighting enemies in close combat. Most Wizards looked down on them, but the Imperial Army had always been their staunch ally. Their physical training techniques had also been one of the Imperial Army's basic recruit courses for hundreds of years.

"Master Kong, there's nothing."

After a while, the Crow School Wizard raised her head. Her voice was somewhat hollow.

"I told you. There isn't even a bird around here. What danger could there be?"

The Wolf School Wizard leaned against the rock and waved a hand. A small flame emerged from his fingertip as he prepared to light the cigarette hanging from his mouth, but the Deer School Wizard immediately came over and snatched it away.

"You said that last time too, and then a whole mob of Orks chased us for two days and two nights, all because of you, you damn chain-smoker!"

"You were the one who wanted to run. Actually, we could have..."

"Could have what!? You spent half the day and couldn't even light a single Snotling on fire. If I hadn't fired a shot, let's guess whose ass would have been chopped off by an Ork axe, hmm?"

"If there is nothing, then we have arrived."

The Fox School Wizard, Kong, rose from the ground and interrupted their argument. He was a senior councilor of the Three Witches Society, second in status only to the three Grand Wizards.

"Master Kong, why is the society involved in this matter?"

The Wizards emerged from beneath the rock. The Wolf School Wizard was famously curious. He had asked this question more than ten times along the way, but Kong had only shaken his head without answering. This time was different.

"It is indeed time to tell you..."

He stopped walking and fell silent for a moment. Master Kong's hoarse voice grew even lower.

"...You are all young people with great potential. The burdens of the future will need to be borne by you. The ancient dark secrets of us Wizards are also part of those burdens."

"Is it... the Beastification Disaster?"

The Crow School Wizard's voice regained its liveliness, but her words made every Wizard present sigh softly. The catastrophe from a thousand years ago still deeply affected them.

"No, it is far older than that... What do you think of gods?"

The question left all the young Wizards confused. They exchanged glances, then the Cat School Wizard spoke in a cool female voice.

"The Kaimon Church proclaims its god to be the only god, yet its followers still slaughter one another."

"Thousands of miles away, in Helans, the People of the Yellow Sands still worship their ancient god, Atum, Lord of Golden Light..."

The group walked beneath the moon, bathed in silver radiance. Master Kong looked slightly up at the sky and spoke like a bard recounting an ancient ballad.

"...The demon sun hangs high, venom burns fiercely, seas dry and stones crumble, all things wither and die. Only my god pities all living beings. With sword and shoe, we rise together, slaying evil and driving away wickedness."

"This is?"

"This is the prayer recited at the Great Temple of Atum during every Sun Reverence Festival. It has been recited for thousands of years."

"What does it have to do with us?"

"Do you know what we were called before we came to be known as Wizards?"

Everyone shook their heads. Master Kong sighed, crouched down, and gently brushed the sand on the ground with his hand.

"Keepers of Secrets. That was our ancient name."

With his gentle motion, the sand began flowing outward like water. A massive pitch-black stone, fully three meters in diameter, emerged from beneath the sand. It was covered in cracks.

"What is this!?"

The young Wizards all gathered around. The bold Wolf School Wizard even touched the stone, but its piercing chill made him immediately pull his hand back.

"A key."

"What key?"

"A seal."

"A seal..."

The Crow School Wizard seemed to think of something. She walked to Master Kong's side and said softly:

"Master Kong, could this be..."

"Yes, but now it is already..."

Master Kong shook his head, his tone heavy with grief. The Crow School Wizard turned and stared blankly at the stone.

"Who would do such a thing?"

"Master Kong, and then? What do we need to do?"

After circling the stone once, the Deer School Wizard could not make sense of it either, but Master Kong did not directly answer his question.

"And then... there is no then."

Master Kong stood with some difficulty, but his body suddenly swayed. The Crow School Wizard beside him hurriedly caught him.

"I'm fine. I'm getting old... There is no need to look any further. Everything is too late."

"Wait."

The Cat School Wizard seemed to notice something. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket, lightly licked it with her pink tongue, then rubbed it against one of the stone's cracks. The originally white paper slowly began turning pale blue.

"It's... filthy arcane energy!"

The Cat School Wizard cried out and turned toward Master Kong, but he merely let out a long sigh without speaking.