Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Over the last three years, Rain and his group had meticulously conducted investigations into Joanis's wealth and possessions, thoroughly scouring every detail of his fortune. They hoped to uncover clues about the source of his knowledge and abilities. While they successfully gained insights into many aspects of his life, the true origins of his power remained covered in mystery.

Their investigations showed that Joanis had amassed significant wealth, which they claimed as their own to rebuild the kingdom. It was clear that he had crafted unique crystals used for the creation of potent anti-magic and anti-physical attack barriers. These crystals required a sinister component—blood, possibly from unwilling sources.

Yet, the exact process for creating these crystals remained a closely unknown secret, preventing Rain and his companions from replicating them.

The group found themselves at an impasse. Their pursuit of knowledge and power has reached a roadblock, leaving them to grapple with the tantalizing enigma of Joanis' knowledge and the means by which he had harnessed them.

"It is kind of troubling that Joanis didn't leave any traces of how he obtained his knowledge, but he was the type of guy who considered his fall and even prepared for it," Roan said while he was sparring with Rain. "But I guess we don't have time to think about that. What should we do next?"

Rain didn't know… so he just got silent when his father swung his sword, and then he blocked the weapon with a cross guard using his forearm guards before spinning his body and then kicking Roan's left side. Roan lowered his arm and blocked the kick with his elbow, but he regretted It a bit since the shin guards were too hard.

While Roan grunted, Rain stepped in then punched his wrists, making his father almost drop his sword, but when that happened, Roan kicked the handle of the weapon with his knee and then almost hit Rain. He jumped to the side and avoided the attack by a hair's breadth.

"Now, you are unarmed," Rain said. "That wasn't bad considering most people wouldn't be able to react to that in time."

"No, I am not," Roan smirked, and then he used a big of earth magic to Summon a sword made of the ground. It was heavy, but it was pretty solid and would do the trick. "Anyway, I guess even you don't know what is the next step. How about going home and waiting? No point in worrying here."

"I doubt that I would be able to relax there, but I still think that it would be good for the kids," Rain saying and then he saw a few times that Danny and Annie fought with Jori and Reca's kids, but I think staying here for a while will be good too, since they don't interact with other kids that much."

"It would be nice if you weren't teaching them things that kids don't understand or have no use for," Terra said while checking the papers that Rain used to make his kids learn new things.

"I bet that even Jori doesn't know what is nine multiplied by nine," Terra said.

"Of course, I know. It is...… eighty-one," Jori said.

"That was one hell of a long pause," Rain frowned.

Although Roan had a new sword, he tried to grab his old one, but Rain got in his way every single time and eventually broke the earth's sword.

"I admit my defeat," Roan said and then sighed. "That thing is too heavy, even though I use it to polish my form every day."

"My turn," Jori said and then jumped.

To kill time, Rain sparred with Jori and his father, but soon they had to stop because Seara eventually returned with some news from the capital.

"No news about this unknown guy until now, but Asche and Liss are still working hard on it. They are traveling around trying to find any rumors related to this guy," Seara said. "Aside from that, it seems that they are thinking of sending a force here for you guys to train. Around one hundred men."

Rain rolled his eyes… that will never work, as if they could trust an unknown one hundred people. At the same time, they didn't have time to make them useful. Even with Rain's support, it was unlikely that they would be able to fight the beast people.

"Some of them are the kids that lived in Terra's orphanage and had undergone basic training," Seara added. "The other half is the demi-humans that have been freed three years ago."

"That improves our odds a bit, but it doesn't seem enough… and I don't want to make those guys fight," Rain said. "It would be awesome to fight and train someone like Alion, though."

"There is also the fact that some of them have the blood of the beast people as well," Roan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That could complicate things more… but I still can't see other options."

The group found themselves in a difficult situation, with the absence of a standing army and a number of dependable allies to rely on. Their dilemma was rooted in the risk of escalating conflicts even further if they made hasty decisions regarding potential alliances. Things didn't go well in the past thanks to those and some annoying individuals, after all.

They were wary of the entire human kingdom, as lingering doubts from the war had soured their relationship with many of the humans. Joining forces with some of the magic people was also complicated, as not all magic people were willing to set aside their grievances against humans.

In their quest for answers Rain and his companions found themselves at a crossroads, acutely aware of their vulnerability and the limited options available to them. To make strategic decisions about their future, they would need to navigate the complex web of relationships and allegiances in this tumultuous post-war landscape, all while treading carefully to avoid triggering fresh conflicts.