Aurafall: Fragments Of Power-Chapter 36: Countless Colors [1]

Leo had almost forgotten there was a war currently raging between Eldrath and Primoria—a war that had been brought to full-scale action by Elara Atlantis.

The Eldrath were fond of invading Earth through portals, just as Earth was fond of invading Eldrath with portals of their own. It was a war, after all.

What Leo didn’t understand was why a portal had opened in the Awakening Cathedral. It was common sense that every important location on Earth and across Primoria was well-fortified to avoid portal invasions, much like the Atlantis Fortress. For a portal to open in the Awakening Cathedral meant either the fortifications had been tampered with or the portal was simply too strong to be contained.

Considering that portals were created by living beings, their strength varied. There were different regions in Eldrath, and they all differed in power. Strength came from aura; fortifications also came from aura. Only aura on a similar level could contain its opposite.

The fortifications should have been able to stop the portal invasion—at least to a degree. There should have been signs of a portal trying to break through, which would have given officials enough time to handle the situation before it fully erupted. That could only mean the fortifications had been tampered with. No raw strength from Eldrath should have been able to break the defenses of the most important place on Earth.

Who had tampered with it wasn’t the main question now, though. There were other things bothering Leo.

"Huh?"

Taren was currently carrying both him and Mirage on his shoulders, running away from the portal. Leo saw Aura Farmers nearby moving toward the breach. The high officials weren’t in the vicinity; they were always busy, and most had left immediately after the ceremony was brought to a halt. The Aura Farmers available were those who lived in the city where the Awakening Cathedral was situated or those who were still enjoying the city before traveling back to their respective countries.

"Hey, Taren! Let go of me! Can’t you see an Eldrath portal?!" Leo yelled, hitting his friend with petty punches.

"Exactly! An Eldrath portal! Just because you just awakened doesn’t mean you can enter battle so soon. You both are essential for humanity’s future."

Leo sneered. "What?! That makes no sense. Come on, I have a Skill Tree called Weapon Will. Let me go and fight!"

Leo was almost crying. This battle that was going to be filled with gore, bloodshed, and roars... he was going to miss it. Why was the world so cruel?

’Whyyyyyy....’

Taren ran through the streets of the city, yelling at the civilians to take cover. The main objective was to evacuate the surroundings and move to the Refugee Building. These were buildings located in every major area for crises such as this, boasting the same fortifications as the cathedral—a safe haven until the crisis ended.

Leo frowned. "You can put me down now, Taren."

Taren stopped and hesitated for a moment before putting him down. Noticing the frown on Leo’s face, he raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong?"

"I’m just thinking... what’s the difference between the cathedral fortifications and the Refugee Building, since I’m guessing that’s where we’re heading?"

Taren scratched the back of his head and slowly set Mirage down. Countless civilians—both Aura Farmers who didn’t want to partake in the war and the Banished—kept running in one direction, with the active Aura Farmers ushering them forward.

"There isn’t much difference, I guess. But a certain region is known for only opening a single portal. Opening more than one would take more than the power of ten Sagittarius to bypass the fortifications of a whole city and its important buildings."

Leo sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about this, but okay, let’s go." He summoned the [Yielding Spine].

The Vestige coalesced like sparks in his hands.

The [Yielding Spine] was a long, slightly curved blade forged from a translucent, glowing crimson material. It tapered to a needle-sharp point, anchored by an ornate golden crossguard with a small red gem at its center. A matte black grip led to a pointed golden pommel, while thin wisps of red vapor constantly drifted upward from the base of the blade. Leo had simply scrolled past the description and summoned it the moment he saw it was a weapon; he hadn’t had time to inspect it properly.

Taren shifted. "Where did you get that sword from?"

Leo scowled. "What sort of question is that? It’s a Vestige. Even I don’t know how I earned it... yet. Oh, and I’m not going back to the portal, but who says we won’t be engaged in battle at the Refugee Building?"

"Nothing will happen, Leo. Don’t be stupid," Taren groaned.

"Uhm, Taren? Leo? What’s that?"

Mirage, who had moved slightly away from the two friends, called out to them. She was staring forward with a panicked expression.

Leo and Taren turned their attention ahead. Everyone had stopped running, and those who had tried to keep going were immediately thrown back by an invisible force. The wind had grown violent again.

Multiple blocks away from them stood a looming castle—the Refugee Building. Its spires poked the skies and its foundation swallowed the ground. It wasn’t exactly elegant, but it looked secure and safe.

Taren, Leo, Mirage, and the rest of the civilians soon realized that was a lie. The wind roared around the castle. Suddenly, reality cracked. The building’s spires shattered and exploded. The tear in reality kept growing larger and larger, forming a portal that would eventually destroy the entire structure.

Leo turned to the east; buildings exploded and reality cracked there, too. The same happened in the west and in several other locations. Portals—large and small—opened all around the city, destroying every hope of escape for the civilians.

Red, blue, green, black, white, and other shades of light bled into the sky. Even the vibrant colors looked dreadful. Why wouldn’t they? What lay on the other side of those portals—what would soon cross into Earth—was death.

Countless beings with enmity toward humanity would soon pour into the city seeking bloodshed and war. And today, they had decided to surprise this city with multiple portals.

A grin appeared on Leo’s face.

’Yes! Yes! Yes!....’