Sanctuary: Safe Haven

Canna stepped through the red portal, emerging back in the sanctuary. Canna had only one person on his mind—Kael, the head of logistics and the sanctuary's rock-solid backbone. If anyone knew the details of their spoils, it was him.

He found Kael near the command center, buried under a pile of papers, issuing orders with an air of authority that few could match. Kael's expression shifted from concentration to mild irritation when he saw Canna approaching, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes. The battle may have been over, but the aftermath was just as crucial.

"Sup, Kael? So, what's our numbers?" Canna asked casually, though his tone carried a hint of excitement. Spoils were always a mixed bag—sometimes literal bags of gold, other times cursed relics or enchanted armor.

Kael glanced up, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Before I answer that, what's that thing on your head?" He pointed to the little creature nestled atop Canna's hair—a tiny, dark owl with gleaming eyes that seemed to absorb all light around it.

The owl shifted slightly, its feathers an inky black, speckled with small constellations of stars that gave it an ethereal glow. Its talons clutched lightly onto Canna's hair, and its head swiveled around, observing everything with an unnervingly intelligent gaze. The creature exuded a quiet, ominous presence, like a silent observer from some distant, shadowy realm.

"Oh, this little fella?" Canna grinned, reaching up to gently stroke the owl's head. "Kael, meet Noctis, my third born. He's basically the reason we went to war in the first place. Starting today, he's in charge of information gathering. Even as we speak, he's got tiny clones mapping out the whole sanctuary. Efficient little guy, isn't he?"

Kael's eyebrows raised slightly as he eyed Noctis. The owl's small, beady eyes seemed to glimmer with knowing amusement, and Kael couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine. "One and a half million orcs died for that tiny bird, huh?" Kael muttered under his breath, but he pushed the thought aside. There was no point in dwelling on it now. "Alright, moving on to the report."

Kael flipped through the stack of papers in his hands, organizing his thoughts. "In terms of spoils, we don't have much aside from the mana cores that were already harvested. There's no armor or weapons worth salvaging—most of them were charred beyond recognition thanks to you letting Stormbringer loose. Thankfully, Sylvanar offered to step outside and harvest the cores.

We still have three main tasks left: explore the orc settlements, look for any treasure, and burn the bodies."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Canna's expression shifted suddenly, his eyes widening in urgency. "Wait, don't touch the bodies! Just focus on the first two—explore and search for treasures. Leave the last one for me."

Kael blinked, momentarily taken aback by Canna's sudden interjection. But after a moment, he just shrugged. Whatever Canna had planned, Kael knew better than to pry. "Fine, we'll leave the bodies. As for the sanctuary's inhabitants, we've got some good news." Kael's face softened into a rare smile, a hint of pride glimmering in his eyes.

"None of our people, especially the kids, have shown any signs of trauma or negative experiences. In fact, some of them are eager to train harder. Thanks to the sheer number of enemies they faced, everyone has experienced massive growth in their levels. However, the treasury's mana stones are going to be drained fast once they start ranking up. I'd suggest you get more before we run out."

Canna was momentarily stunned. He had expected some casualties in morale or at least a few shell-shocked kids needing time to process the horrors they'd seen. But instead, they were flourishing, growing stronger, and embracing the warrior spirit of the sanctuary. He couldn't help but marvel at their resilience. "That's… incredible.

I'm honestly surprised no one came out of that with trauma or a phobia," Canna admitted, his voice tinged with genuine awe. "But I guess these kids have seen worse before they even got here."

Kael nodded. "They've been through hell before they ever stepped foot in the sanctuary. To them, this was just another step toward reclaiming their strength."

Canna took a moment to process it all. The battle, the victory, the sacrifices—it had all led to this moment. The sanctuary was thriving, and his people were growing in power. But there was still one task left on his mind, one final, crucial step he needed to take.

"Alright, thanks, Kael. Keep me posted on the rest. I've got one last thing to take care of." Canna turned, giving Kael a brief nod before heading back toward the portal. His next destination was the battlefield—the very place where he had claimed victory and received his most peculiar reward.

Stepping back onto the war-torn plains, Canna surveyed the sea of corpses that stretched out before him. Orc bodies lay scattered, lifeless and bloodied most of them burned to no recognition, their once ferocious forms now silent and still. But Canna wasn't here to mourn or to celebrate. He was here for something far more significant.

Canna reached into his bag, pulling out the Hydra Egg he had received from Tonitrum. The egg's blue surface shimmered faintly, pulsing with an eerie, otherworldly light. The requirement to hatch this monstrous creature was daunting—1 million corpses, all to fuel the birth of a low-calamity ranked hydra.

It was a twisted irony that the egg's requirement matched the exact number of lives taken in the battle.

Holding the egg aloft, Canna felt a surge of mana course through his veins. He began the incantation, his voice low and resonant, filled with power. Dark tendrils of energy spiraled from his fingertips, intertwining with the egg, feeding it with the essence of death that hung heavy in the air.

The corpses around him began to disintegrate, their forms breaking down into pure mana, flowing directly into the egg like rivers of light.

The egg pulsed violently, absorbing the energy with a hunger that was almost palpable. Canna could feel the creature within stirring, its life force growing stronger with each passing second. He focused all his power, channeling every last bit of mana from the battlefield into the egg, until finally, with a deafening crack, the shell split open.

From within, a serpentine head emerged, followed by another, and another. The newborn hydra unfolded, each head snapping and hissing, its scales shimmering like polished obsidian. Canna watched in awe as the creature rose to its full height, towering above him, a manifestation of destruction and rebirth.

The hydra's many eyes locked onto Canna, recognizing its master. It bowed slightly, acknowledging him, before unleashing a deafening roar that echoed across the battlefield—a declaration of its power and a promise of chaos yet to come.

Canna smiled, feeling the rush of triumph surge through him. The hydra was his now, a powerful ally born from the spoils of war. And as the creature settled beside him, Canna knew this was only the beginning of something far greater.

The battlefield was no longer just a graveyard—it was the birthplace of his next legend.