Chapter 399: Butterfly effect: The Painter and a War
There is a theory in regards to chaos that one small action on one side of the globe can have massive ones in another part.
This is known as the butterfly effect.
The common example is that if a butterfly beats it’s wings on one side of the planet, it causes a tornado to occur on the other side for no clear reason.
In essence, the smallest stone can cause massive ripples.
With this idea in mind, what happens when the butterfly in question is the walking embodiment of [Chaos]?
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“Almost…done…there!”
Hubert didn’t know what came over him after he saw that unexpected riding star, but it caused him, nay, forced him to pick up his brush and palette once more and begin painting on a piece of vellum he bought once on whim.
The seller said it was made from the skin of a Starry Nightskinned ox, but he seriously doubted that claim.
From what he read, Starry Nightskinned cattle were rare and the only known herd happened to be in the care of the Starweaver cult, and nobody sane would try to steal from the Starweaver cult.
‘Granted, if the seller wasn’t blowing smoke, then I have painted the image of a dancer made of starlight on a canvas made from the beast associated with starlight…I feel like there’s a poem somewhere in that, but I know my way around paint, not ink.’
This last statement was essentially an understatement, given what he had painted.
Across a vellum canvas, Hubert had painted a starry night sky over a stylized city. However, depicted amongst the night sky was the prominent figure of a dancing woman, who seemed to be made of the very stars themselves.
It was fanciful to be sure, especially how the woman depicted seemed a touch exaggerated with a face that seemed almost illusionary, but it didn’t take away from the fact that the art piece in question was no less than a masterpiece.
The fact that it radiated Luxarii aether was also a plus, since warriors around the world tended to buy up objects that radiated aether.
…
Hold up…
“Why is my painting radiating Luxari aether?,” Hubert asked aloud as he just realized that aether was indeed coming off of his recently finished painting.
Due to being in a strange, inspired state when he made the painting, Hubert didn’t really think about what he did to create the painting. So when he began to examine his own handiwork, he started to notice something strange about it.
“This feeling…this aura…it can’t be…”
Prior to becoming an artist, Hubert used to be a sellsword and a cultivator, granted he only ever made it as far as peak Acolyte due to his formula not being a high enough tier to facilitate anything greater than that without the use of medicines made from highly dangerous or incredibly expensive plants.
During his time as a mercenary, Hubert had been on many an expedition or escort job where the object of value was something that would appear ordinary at a glance, like a tile or a game piece, but when coaxed with the right type of aether, would divulge a deluge of secrets to the lucky recipient.
Formulas, arts, maps, profound insights, cultivators of old would lock away these tidbits of information and more into objects they deemed sentimental or ordinary enough to hide from enemies.
And when Hubert stared at this painting, this moment of inspiration, he realized it gave off the exact same feeling as those “mundane” items.
“[Star Dancer’s Path]…I made this painting… but why do I feel…there’s more to it than what I can see…”
Hubert didn’t know it at the time, but this painting, this flash of inspiration, had changed the trajectory of his life in a dramatic fashion.
The question of whether it would be for the better was to be determined.
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Thousands of miles away from Pearl Tusk Harbor, a strange purple ball of light was streaking through the air in a specific direction, flying towards a direction only it knew about. But if one were to follow along, they would soon find out that it’s destination was one where the sound of battle of bloodshed raged through the air.
…
“Fire!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chorus of explosions followed by the sounds of aether infused projectiles hitting a forecfield, echoed through a field of corpses that surrounded a majestic castle.
A war was taking place here, one between ancient noble houses, and when the sound of cannons finally silenced, the leaders of both sides communed with each other once more.
“Give up Duran! You’re only delaying the inevitable!”
“If you surrender now, we’ll make sure the Dunkelkriegs are fully integrated as vassals to both our houses!”
“Fuck you Karl! And you too Johan! The Dunkelkrieg Household will not fall this day!”
“Uh huh.”
“Keep telling yourself that while we tear apart your defenses!”
“Fire!”
BOOM! BOOM!
In the land between the Radiant Feather and Umbral Spider continents, in a place known as the Twilight Territories, a familiar tale of power usurpation and familial warfare was taking place.
The participants in this particular tale of conflict involved threehouseholds: House Moyuda, House Blitzblut and House Dunkelkrieg.
The aggressors of this conflict, House Moyuda and House Blitzblut, were houses of equal status to House Dunkelkrieg, maintaining baronies of their own within the Twilight Territories.
Over the years, however, after a certain incident befell House Dunkelkrieg, House Moyuda and House Blitzblut have been steadily using their influence to weaken House Dunkelkrieg in an attempt to wipe out their rival and claim their territory as their own.
All of these efforts finally culminated into an all out attack lead by Karl Moyuda and Johan Blitzblut.
That said, House Dunkelkrieg was not going to make this fight an easy one.
“Keep that barrier steady! The non-combatants and children are still undergoing evacuation, and we’re only halfway done!”
“Sir yes sir!”
Duran Dunkelkrieg, a third ringed Aether Lord, was the current patriarch of House Dunkelkrieg, as such, it was his job to make sure that the household was prosperous and that its members were well cared for. However, it should be noted that he wasn’t supposed to be the patriarch in the first place.
That prestigious honor was supposed to go to his older sister, a much more talented warrior than himself, who fell victim to some strange attack that essentially locked her in time. For her safety, they kept her body in the family mausoleum and told the world that she was dead.
As such, Duran Dunkelkrieg, the younger brother of the once infamous Alice Dunkelkrieg, became the patriarch. A role he took up reluctantly for over forty years.
“Incoming barrage!”
“Dammit, it’s even more than last time!”
“Quit your bellyaching and just focus your aether into the barrier, now!”
As another round of attacks impacted the barrier, and even more of his fellow warriors fell in this battle of attrition, Duran’s thoughts began to focus on their next course of action.
Evidently, so lost in his thoughts Duran was, that he failed to notice a presence suddenly appear in the estate’s airspace and fly directly towards a certain spot on the estate grounds, one where a certain body was being cared for.
‘The barrier should last long enough for the rest of the family to evacuate, but our lost at this point is indeed inevitable. I can suppress one of the house leaders, but if I put all my focus into one, the other can go on a rampage and…dammit! We need a miracle at this rate, if not to win but to-‘
“Patriarch! The enemy forces are bringing out a new weapon!”
“It’s a prism cannon!”
“What?!”
Using his aether, Duran focused his eyes on the location of where the enemy houses were coordinating their assault and see if what his men reported was true.
His heart sank once he confirmed the truth for himself.
In the distance, a giant war beast was pulling forward, a giant crystal covered in runes and embedded in a device made of brass and iron.
This device was known as a prism cannon, an aether weapon developed and employed by the Fallen Star Kingdom of Radiant Feather, that could hit as hard as a peak Aether Lord, or a first ringed Aether King when the safety is removed.
Warriors from both House Moyuda and House Blitzblut began to aim the device directly at the Dunkelkrieg stronghold and charge the device up with their own aether, causing a sharp disturbance to occur.
“No wonder those bastards were ready to attack us…they had backers!”
No sooner did Duran make this realization that the weapon fired, releasing a powerful blast of Luxari aether that was aimed dead center at both the barrier and the stronghold’s gates.
“If that blast hits the barrier we’re done for, unless…open the barrier, big enough for just me to exit,” Duran commanded.
His plan was to go out there and use his strongest defensive art to try and redirect the attack.
“What?! Patriarch, no!”
“If you try to block that attack, you could die!”
“If not that, then the other leaders will definitely take the opportunity to launch an attack on you!”
“There’s no time and no choice!,” Duran shouted as he summoned both his armor and his armament, “Open the barrier before it-”
“By the gods, baby brother! Don’t you remember what I said about taking the initiative?!”
“Huh?!”
“Where did that power come from?”
“Is that another Aether Lord?! Where, how?!”
“Big…sister?”
Before anyone could even comprehend what the hell was going on, a feminine shadow armed with a massive scythe suddenly sped pass Duran and his advisors and phased through the barrier above them.
Seconds later, an excited warrior appeared from the direction the shadow came from, carrying the most absurd news any of them would ever heard, had they not witnessed it firsthand.
“Patriarch Duran! Your sister…she’s back!”
“Huh…”
House Dunkelkrieg needed a miracle to survive this day, and they got it in a form no one saw coming.
