The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark Read Online Free Page A

he said. “I fear Amil might have given up all hope that I am still alive. But above all, I worry about Kirinki. I worry that he will take a wrong path. Perhaps even sell his services to someone who threatens everything we fight for.”
    “Your wife is a good woman, General,” Melot said. “She will wait until the very end for your safe return. And your brother may be many things, but he is nothing if not wise.” Melot placed his hand on Kraipo’s shoulder. “You need to show a little faith.”
    Nodding his head, Kraipo shifted his gaze to the God of Gods, still marveling at having the opportunity to fight in the presence of the Creator of all things. The thoughts of his beloved awaiting his return drove him toward what he believed was his destiny.
    With Noboros finally falling into place and Auphora’s army forming an orderly battle line, the God of Gods made his way to the front, closely followed by Feliath and the rest of his children, who had not yet entered the battle. Baran had returned to his human form, and Auphora noticed his son’s piercing eyes following him, as he reached the Monoroi and the men leading his attack.
    Shifting his gaze from the Red God, Auphora focused on the thousands upon thousands of human soldiers who stood beside and behind his eldest son, in what seemed like an endless sea of warriors. The look in their eyes hinted at fear, but they seemed willing to sacrifice themselves for the Red God. The Akarai soldiers interspersed with Baran’s humans were not too dissimilar to his own Monoroi. The black armor that covered their bodies did not reveal much of their true appearance, but their intense yellow eyes could be seen. A slight shiver crept up his spine when he saw the vast number of them scattered across the battlefield. There were far more than he had imagined, and he realized that much more blood would be spilled before the battle’s conclusion.
    Up in the sky, a few feet from Baran’s ground troops, the horde of Zoatans hid most of the light from the sun, their pitch-black eyes hungry for blood. Their wings flapped in a steady flow, and they occasionally exhaled fire as their screams increased. They bore a resemblance to Auphora’s Noboros, but were nearly three times smaller. With their great flying, the threat they wielded worried him.
    In a similar fashion to Auphora, Baran remained in close proximity to his children and their hyper lords. Standing next to Eclipse and engulfed in hellfire, the hyper lord Diavos drew his sword and exhaled smoke from his nostrils. The two horns protruding from his head were as sharp as they were thick. The hyper lord Levin, in contrast to the fiery glow of Diavos, remained a mass of water that outlined his gigantic ten-foot frame, while the sand that made up hyper lord Simus’s twelve-foot frame seemed to seamlessly mesh with the desert.
    “Enough of this,” said Auphora after a few minutes of silence. The screams from the hovering Zoatans began to quiet down. “Surely there is no need for yet more blood to be spilled.”
    The Red God looked to his side at the frame of Eclipse, who looked back at him. He held Eclispse’s gaze for a few seconds before facing Auphora. “You come to my planet, with the aim to take it from me, and yet now you ask for the war to end?” Baran edged forward. “If you really want to stop the spilling of blood, leave here now, and take your army with you.”
    “You know I cannot do that.” Auphora also stepped forward gradually, his every move mimicked by Feliath. “There has been too much death for me to stand by and do nothing. It all stops now, Baran. There is no other way.”
    “Then do not dare stand there, preaching to me, when you have no intention of leaving. More blood must be spilled, for I will not let any of you take my planet without a fight.” Baran’s hands trembled. “Have I not served you well all these years, Father? Have I not kept all of your secrets? This started as a feud between Feliath