《INVICTUS》 Prologue A man was crouched near a small fire, its light illuminating the forest surrounding him. He stared into the flames, seemingly looking for something. The forest around him was eerily quiet, almost like it was waiting and watching in anticipation for what he''ll do next. As he sat there staring into the light, the campfire and the sounds of the forest traveled him back in time to a happier time. Memories of happiness and peace flew through his head, but he quickly dismissed those thoughts , trying to stay focused on the task at hand ...The man saw that the fire was getting low and threw a couple of dry pieces of wood onto the pile and used his knife to stir the embers. A crack echoed across the woods shattering the silence, the man spun around with knife in hand ready to face whatever lay in the darkness. The man tensed up, his body ready to spring into action at the slightest movement or sound from the forest. Coming from the darkness almost like a specter was a cloaked figure with a backpack, he shifted his body towards the figure " Who goes there, identify yourself now" He said with fire in his eyes. " Wait Marcus it''s me " the specter raised its hand in alarm at the threat and pulled back the hood and stepped into the light. As the hood was pulled back, Marcus relaxed and released the air he had trapped in his lungs. "Maya, you can''t be sneaking up on me like that and especially in a dark forest wearing a hood" he said while standing to embrace his friend. He looked at how much she had changed over these long years, her once bright blonde hair, now seemed darker and her olive shaped eyes now had a weight to them that caused her blue eyes to have a striking feature that in her youthful days wasn''t present in them. Maya moved towards Marcus and returned the hug" sorry Marcus I wasn''t sure if it was you and didn''t want to chance it if you were someone else" Maya moved closer to the fire and placed her pack gently on the ground and revealed what she was caring. As the backpack flap was pushed back It revealed a young baby with black hair and tanned skin, the baby was sound asleep and had a smile as it dreamed . Maya smiled at the baby and looked towards Marcus " I was able to avoid suspicion and grabbed him at the right opportunity and made a break for highwall, then I followed the hunter trails through the woods when I found your campsite" she said while warming herself near the fire. Marcus moved to sit next to maya and looked at the baby ,"he has his father''s hair"He said to Maya. "Yes he does and when he gets older he''ll probably be the spitting image of his father and probably get into as much trouble as he did when he traveled and adventures with you back in the days" she said smirking at Marcus, Marcus just sighed and leaned back on his tree stump. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. " If he''s anything like his father,then he''s going to go places and get into as much or more trouble then his dad and I ever did " Marcus said with a voice filled with a life well lived, but as memories of old came flooding back. Marcus looked towards the fire and his eyes took on a shade of sadness that Maya felt strike her very heart. " I would climb the tallest peaks, fight the most ferocious of beasts and the evilest of men just to share one more round of beer with him" Marcus eyes filled with tears and with a choking sob bit back the tears trying to overcome him. Maya reached across and grabbed his hand to comfort him. With a shaking breath Marcus was able to compose himself and returned Maya''s grasp with a firm squeeze, Marcus looked towards the baby that was illuminated by the fire and looked it over, it''s head had a good amount of black hair, it seemed to be not overly big or too small, and didn''t have any disabilities that he could see in the light. Marcus turned towards Maya and asked " so what is the little tikes name anyway if we''re going to be traveling together?" Maya looked at her baby and smiled and said his name" Cedric" and as Marcus looked at the baby. It opened its eyes for the first time since she arrived and Marcus was stunned to see That instead of regular eyes, the baby had piercing blue eyes,and his irises were different from normal,instead of round in the middle,they were in the shape of slits almost like the eyes of an ancient beast and the weight of these eyes seem to bore into Marcus''s very soul and as Marcus stared into these eyes,he saw for a brief moment a man in his twenties holding an axe in both hands glowing a bright blue , he stood facing a growing mass of darkness that sent a shiver through Marcus and seemed hell bent on destroying everything and anyone in its path, and as Marcus gazed upon this man he seemed to snort with laughter and jumped towards the darkness with no hesitation and fear in his eyes. No,their was only excitement and the knowing that what he stood for was right and worth dying for and as he moved towards the darkness , the heavens themselves seemed to open and come down to help him, a crashing wave of light came from above and helped push back the darkness. Marcus shuddered and looked back at the baby staring back at him with those blue eyes that stared right through him. The baby looked at the man and seemed to give some Kind of approval and then nodded back off to sleep. Marcus stared at the baby long and hard and looked at maya. " yep he''s gonna make his old man and i look like amateurs and he''s gonna cause hell wherever he goes" Marcus face broke out into a cheeky grin. Chapter 1 Cedric crouched in the forest, his eyes searching the trees for his prey. He took long and even breaths to steady his racing heart and he strained his ears to hear all that was around him. He could hear the leaves rustle and the scampering of the forest floor inhabitants moving across the forest. In the distance a slight rustle of bushes shifted his gaze. He moved towards the bushes , slowly drawing his bow and readying an arrow and taking aim, as he moved forward the forest seemed to become quiet , almost waiting to see what will happen, suddenly a snap of a tree branch above him. Cedric leapt to the side instinctively and faced the ambusher. Standing over the branch that was ripped from it springing from the trees, it stood at the shoulder height of a full grown man , its body lean and bursting with coiled muscle ready to explode. The length of the body at least 7-feet and covered in plates of hard bone like armor, the color of its fur like dark rock and its eyes an unnatural yellow.It seemed to radiate power and as it stared at Cedric, its eyes were cold and calculating and seemed to not yet have decided to rip him to pieces. Cedric froze, his hands gripping his bow and knuckles turning white from the pressure. He looked at this monster and only one thought came to his mind"oh shit" and with that he turned and sprang backwards. The stone lion growled and went bounding after him, its enormous body crashing through the forest, its body tearing through bushes. Cedric was running as hard as he could, his clothes snagging and tearing at the seams as low hanging branches caught the fabric. He pumped his arms, his mind full of panic and trying to find a way to make it out alive. As the sounds of greenery being destroyed got closer he saw ahead a rotten log with moss growing down the side, almost like a green curtain. He dove forwards his body slamming into the rotten log and the moss closing behind just before the stone lion came bounding through the trees, He held his breath trying to remain as quiet as he could. He moved as far back into the log until his back touched the wood, as he did he felt a warm sensation and reached back to touch. He brought his hand up to his nose and took a quick sniff of the liquid, the smell of copper coins penetrated his nostrils and as he pulled his hand away he heard the sound of crushing leaves inching closer to his hiding spot. His heart started pounding in his ears as loud as drums and with a growl of triumph the stone lion jumped on top of the log, the wood cracking and splinters raining down on him as it''s weight landed on the rotted wood, he twisted his body as a claw ripped through the wood , the claw nicking his right arm and tearing through the thin woodsman jacket he wore. Cedric felt the claw wrench deep through his arm and then felt his arm go numb.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With a cry of rage he stabbed his knife through the opening and felt his knife sink through flesh. He pulled his knife back and rolled out of the log as it collapsed. He rolled through the moss and staggered away from the log, the stone lion ripping into the log unaware that he slipped away. Cedric stood up and looked down at his arm, it now had a bloody gash moving downwards on his forearm. He tried to move his arm but was only able to slightly move his hand. He looked at the stone lion and looked at the sky, it started to darken and the temperature dropping. He knew that he wouldn''t make it back to the village in the dark with a stone lion chasing him. Cedric straighten his back and looked at the monster that now noticed him standing in the middle of the forest staring at him. He looked at the lion and spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth. He looked up with a bloody grin "Come at me bitch" and jumped at the lion. He ducked underneath its left paw and swung upwards with his knife and nicked its side but struck only hard bone. He rolled with his hit and came up behind it. The lion spun around and pounced towards him and caught a hold of his left leg in its jaw and bit down. Cedric screamed in pain and swung his knife at its head, the knife sinking a few inches into the head and striking bone. The stone lion whipped its head in pain and twisted the knife from Cedric''s hand and it spun into the forest. The stone lion bit down even harder in anger. Cedric with no choice left grabbed its head and tried to pry its jaws open, it was like trying to pry open a metal gate welded shut. The blood now pooling beneath him and by now he couldn''t feel anything but the pain from the jaws clamped to his leg. As his eyes turned hazy, he felt himself fall backwards and land on the hard forest floor, he gazed up wards to the now dark sky and stared at the stars, "so this is how it ends "he thought. The light of the moon and stars growing darkerwith each passing second, "somewhere in the forest by some dumb animal, well screw that I refuse to give up and till my dying breath I''ll fight this and I will win and spit into the eyes of death¡±. With blood clenched teeth he lifted his head and started kicking the lion and thrashing about. Suddenly a bright light came through the night sky and lit up the forest. As he stared at the heavens, and felt power explode into his body, he regained feeling in his right arm and felt his wounds start to knit together. He grabbed the stone lions head with both his hands he let out a cry of rage and snapped its neck. He watched as the light faded in its eyes and he pried its jaws open and moved his leg out. He rolled away from the corpse and sat up a few feet away and stared at his now healed leg and arms. He had a scar running the length of his forearm and his leg,the scars looking like they have been there for years. He stared towards the sky in search of the light that had pierced the darkness and saved his life. The sky was dark except for the stars and the moon, he gazed up for a few minutes to see if the light would return but he was answered with silence. He stood up on shaky legs and looked at the stone lion, it was huge and still fearsome even in death. He gave one look at it and then set off into the woods to find his knife. Chapter 2 The sun was cresting over the mountains and the village rose with it. A woman was in front of her house carrying a bucket she had used to draw water from the well in the middle of town, as she set it down and rubbed her sore back she saw a small shape walking along the path to the village, a makeshift sled dragging some kind of rock. She snorted" stupid kids these days, probably up to no good",but as the child came closer she could make out the form in the sled. " Oh sweet merciful holy saint!!!" She screamed and ran inside her house and slammed the door, leaving her water bucket. Cedric dragged the hulking weight of the stone lion behind him and walked towards the houses on the east side of the village. As he stomped through the village,people were going about their daily business and were trading in the village square. Cries of alarm rang out through the morning, men and women gazed at the enormous beast on the sled and the child that pulled it. Cedric oblivious to those around him grunted in effort and paid no notice and just moved forward to his house. As he saw his house come into view, he saw his mother standing in the doorway with a ladle in hand, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing an apron with flour across the front. "Uh oh"he thought, she only bakes when she''s happy or pissed, and by her face she was not happy at all. Cedric sighed and walked forward to his mom and prepared himself for a scolding. Maya looked at her son and as he came dragging that beast she was struck with deja vu. "How many times have I seen his father come home with cuts and bruises and how many times have I waited for him to return". Maya blinked and looked at her son, barely 14 years old but big for his age and hours of running through the forest and hard labor had made him well muscled,he had short hair that she trimmed for him and his skin was tan from the sun, but the most distinctive feature hands down was his blue eyes. Cedric made it to the doorway and with a grunt dropped the rope that he used to drag the sled. He sat down on the ground and looked up at his mom " sorry ma, I didn''t mean to stay over night but I kinda got distracted " he said while pointing at the stone lion. Maya gazed at her son " and why were you even in the forest to begin with, I forbid you from going into the forest because of the attacks on the villages herd" she said with anger. Cedric gulped and looked away from his mother''s gaze" I know ma but I couldn''t stand by and do nothing and While I was walking around the edge of the village I found a set of tracks that led into the forest¡±. " So why didn''t you go tell the village guards" she said " because mom they were fresh and it would''ve gotten to far into the forest by the time I got the guard" he said As Maya was about to rip into her son she looked at him sitting in the dirt, his eyes were trying to close and his clothes ripped and in need of restitching, she let out a sigh " ok, that is probably true, but you still should''ve brought someone with you and should''ve at least told someone else to fetch the guard while you tracked the animal" Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. " Sorry mom I wasn''t thinking and just reacted, I promise to not do this again." he said while standing from the ground and dusting off his pants Maya satisfied with his answer nodded her head" alright, now go drag that thing into the back and come inside and have some breakfast" she said while turning back inside the house. Cedric sat down in the kitchen and sighed in ecstasy as his sore body relaxed. After killing the stone lion, the energy that had filled his body had left him and in replace he felt his body become drained. He almost passed out but was able to fight away the darkness that was piercing his mind. After finding his knife he used it to fashion the sled out of sticks and some rope he had with him and rolled the body onto it and set home with the body in tow. His mother moved around the kitchen stirring eggs and frying bacon on the stove that sat on the side of the wall. Their kitchen was medium sized and didn''t seem to small Or overly large. To Cedric it fit perfectly and gave off a homey feeling. His mother had decorated the kitchen with flowers, and the table and window had green cloth adorning them. His mother moved towards him with a plate in hand, she set down the plate that was filled to the brim with bacon,eggs and two buttered biscuits. The smell of food made his stomach rumble in glee and he picked up a fork and started to scarf down the food. After scraping the last bit of egg into his mouth he stood up and washed his plate off with water and kissed his mom on the cheek " thanks mom" and he walked to his room and fell upon his bed, his eyes closing before touching the feather pillow. Cedric blinked his eyes open and stared at the ceiling, he relayed all that had happened yesterday in the forest and felt the new scar on his forearm. He sat up slowly in fear of straining his body to much, but found that he felt fine and even a little better then normal. He stood up from his bed and walked downstairs to hear his mother talking to someone in the kitchen. " Now maya I think it''s time-" " NO I WILL NOT HAVE HIS CHILDHOOD BE RUINED BY THAT DAMN PROPHECY" she screamed " now Maya we both know you can''t stop what is going to happen and he needs to be ready, if you shelter him and keep him in the dark, he will die.'''' Cedric moved down the stairs he could now make out the other voice, it was definitely a male. " No Marcus I can''t"she sobbed. Hearing his mother cry tore at his heart and he wanted to run to her and comfort her but refrained so he could hear the rest of the conversation. He heard a deep sigh. " Yes it''s hard, but in life we must make these hard choices even if we wish we didn''t have too, but Maya by denying him his birthright is taking his chances of finding himself in this world," he said" And this is what Thad would''ve wanted" As maya gazed at the window and looked towards the pastures and fields of crops she took a deep . Marcus leaned across the table and gave her hand a firm squeeze, " alright boy come down here,me,you ,and your ma need to talk" Cedric came down the stairs with an embarrassed grin and sat next to his mother and took her hand in his. As he comforted his mother he looked at the man across the table. He had brown hair and green eyes, his jaw square and his nose slightly crooked, probably been broken a few times. He was sitting but it was easy to tell that he was well over 6ft and was a solid built man. After his mom calmed down he looked at the man, Marcus " so what do we need to talk about," he said. Marcus looked at him and said something that shook his very core, more than the stone lion and the heavenly light could ever do to him" we need to talk about your father". Chapter 3 Marcus stared at the young boy sitting across from him. He was good looking kid and had his father''s hair and facial features, he stood at probably close to his chest if they stood shoulder to shoulder. As he comforted his mother Cedric said" what about my dad, I''ve never meet him before, he left my mom and I". Marcus could tell by the look in his eyes that he still held some resentment. Marcus took a deep sigh. "This might be hard for you to hear but your father didn''t abandon you" Cedric''s head whipped in his direction confusion across his face. " his name was Thaddeus cloven and he was murdered". Cedric looked at his mother and she just nodded her head "why?" He said to his heartbroken mother. "Because I was scared that if you knew the truth it would consume you" she said " you would spend the rest of your life looking for answers and I was afraid that you do something rash and get yourself hurt or worse killed" she sobbed. As Cedric looked between Marcus and his crying mother,he took a deep breath." so what does this mean, my father was killed and since you showed up this means that whoever did it knows about me". Marcus gave a slow nod. " Smart boy, yes they know and your no longer safe" he said " and now since they have discovered you I''m to take you somewhere far away". Cedric was overwhelmed by all this information and could barely speak. After all these years of thinking his dad abandoned him and his mom, all this rage against a man he has never met, all of it was misplaced. He looked at his mom still crying form and saw her shook her head in acceptance "ok I''ll go" and stood up from his seat and went up to his room to collect his things. Marcus watched the long boy walk up the stairs and turned to maya" I noticed as he we were talking that the boy has quite a few scars, just what happened to him". Maya gazed at Marcus and her face broke out into a grin " oh that, he got that from killing a stone lion". Marcus''s eyes almost popped out of his head as he looked at the stairs and back at maya" damn, I hate it when I''m right" Cedric moved across his room,collecting his things in a sack that he had hanging on his bed. He collected things like his knife and quiver, his bow left in the forest. He collected things that he couldn''t part with, a small green stone that his mother gave him on his 10th birthday, the pendant that he wore on his neck. It hung on his neck with a thin metal chain and linked to a blue stone that was clutched in a pair of wings. He clasped the lock and let it hang down his chest, he closed his eyes and took the last breath he would have in his room, he opened his eyes and grabbed his clothes and stuffed them into his bag and walked out. He met Marcus and his mom in front of his house , his mother had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red. He moved to hug his mom and she grasped him tightly " always remember that the darkness will never win if someone is their to bring the light" The words caused tears to streak down his face, he embraced his mother and held her tightly and breathed in her scent, honey and morning rain washed over him and he tried to imprint this smell into his mind. He pulled away from his mother and took a deep breath. " I will return" and with that he turned towards Marcus back straight and head up, he strode towards the end of the village. Maya watched her son walk away with Marcus jogging to catch up and as she looked at his back she thought of her husband " Dammit Thad he is your son" *** Marcus walked beside Cedric, they had been traveling for two days and have only stopped for breaks and sleep, even then only a few hours. Marcus suddenly stopped and dropped his pack on the ground and collapsed onto the ground. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. " Alright we have put enough distance between us and the village, we should be able to take it easier" Marcus looked up at Cedric " so Cedric how did you come by those scars on your forearm and legs". Cedric dropped his pack and sat down next to him." Well you see one day my mom told me to stay out of the kitchen because she was making pastries, but being little I had a bit of a problem listening to my elders" he let out a low breath " so I snuck in and tried to grab a few and my mom came at me with a wooden spoon" he shrugged. Marcus looked at him for a few seconds and then exploded with laughter" ahahahah your a cheeky one". Marcus stood up and picked up his pack, it was a big bulky thing and was greatly worn and had seemed to be ready to tear at any moment. Marcus reached around and unclasped the leather string that held it together. He flipped the flap and bound the sides and placed the bundle on the ground again. Cedric gazed at the items and his jaw dropped, inside the pack was weapons of every make and size , axes, swords, collapsable spears, clubs, and even a few staffs. He looked at each and everyone one of them, but what really called out to him were a pair of axes. The heads were curved and had a thick ending blade, the other ends were spiked and had grooves for catching blades, the metal was one he had never seen before, it had a dark blue hue to it and seemed to move across the metal, the handles were also metal with curving and intricate patterns that stopped short of a leather grip. As he looked upon these majestic weapons he sensed a feeling of familiarity with them and they seemed to call out to him.His hands drifted to the handles and he pulled them out of their leather straps, but when he moved to pull them he found that even though the axes were free, they wouldn''t budge, he struggled to move them even an inch but to no avail. Marcus gave a short burst of laughter" hah you wish it was that easy boy, those are special axes, they were made by the finest dwarf and human smiths in the kingdom and laid magic into the very metal,no one can pick those up without the wielders permission or " he grinned as he walked over and calmly picked up one of the axes" you have to be a total badass" and spun the axe in his hand and set it down. Cedric gazed at him" but aren''t those your axes, so wouldn''t you be able to pick them up anyway" Marcus looked down at him" who ever said they were mine to begin with" and with that he put the axe back and pulled four pieces of wood from the pack and threw two to him. He caught the two and inspected the wood. They had a deep red color and were light and seemed flimsy. " What are going to use these for, rub them together to start a fire," he said while tapping the two together. Marcus walked towards him with his two sticks" try it and I''ll shove them up your arse"he said. " No these are iron roots, they come from mountain trees that have been harvested by the gnomes, each one is strong as iron ,hence the name". Cedric looked at the sticks in a new light " so what are going to with these then". " Well, you see, we''re going to have a lot of time between traveling and at the places we stop at, so in the meantime we will train with every single weapon starting with these" .Marcus swung them in an arc, stretching his shoulders. Cedric looked up at Marcus and jumped to his feet, eager to do something else then walk all day. He gripped the iron roots and positioned himself in front of Marcus. " Ok, so how do we sta.." Marcus seemed to blur and the next thing he knew was that he was face down in the ground. " Well you see I thought we would go over the basics, first lesson, getting hit really hurts". Marcus was hopping back and forth grinning down at him. Climbing back to his feet he groaned and looked at the man. How the heck did he move so fast? He thought, we were easily 10 yards away, but it seemed that he just appeared next to him. Cedric positioned himself sideways as to better protect his weak points and raised his staff, Marcus gave a grunt of approval and nodded at his feet. " Move them a little farther ,and position your staffs and arms slightly tilted so you can block with both and counter" Marcus said while demonstrating. Cedric moved them to mimic him and looked up at Marcus. " Now what?" He said. " Now we practice lesson one" and with that Marcus''s arms seemed to disappear and Cedric was able to block one before the other crashed into his weapons and they were smashed to the ground. He looked back at Marcus and picked them back up from the ground. Marcus laughed and spun his staffs" c''mon now, again". With a groan he changed back to the stance he showed him. Chapter 4 A month has passed since they have left Cedric''s home village and every day they trained. Marcus was a good teacher and he learned many things not just fighting, he learned about the three kingdoms and the capital cities. " There are three major kingdoms and many smaller fiefs that are scattered around, The human kingdom is not really just humans", Cedric looks at him confused" well you see the name is just that because of who started it, but in earlier years it has been slowly been addressed as just the kingdom" Marcus took a swig of water and continued" the kingdom has four major races living in it, there are the humans, elves, dwarves, and the changed" he counted each one off his finger. " The capital is the city of Dawn and is home to millions of people, the royal family lives in the middle of the city inside the royal palace and is protected by the order of weapon masters" he said. " what''s a weapon master?" Cedric asked. " a weapon master is a person trained by the steel order, a person who has truly become one with his mind, body ,and soul. They are able to use anything as a weapon, but the more experienced ones can call forth their own weapons" marcus said. Cedric opened his mouth to ask more questions but Marcus ignored him and continued his earlier lecture. " Now we move onto the other kingdoms , the elves live near the coast and are ruled by a council of seven, next we have the dwarves who live in the outer regions and mostly keep to themselves and practice their trade, and finally we have the changed" Marcus demeanor changed and his shoulders went rigged " they are those who have been been born with abnormalities, some with the ability to talk to animals and nature, others are born with the ability to take on animal forms and the like,then their are those who are born twisted and cruel raised like animals and taught only to kill and become demons." Marcus seemed to be in physical pain just talking about this. " That kingdom is divided by hundreds of clans that constantly fight and kill one another, but there''s one clan that has a majority of land and power, they are a clan of murders and savages that are emotionless people, they rule over their land with an iron hand". Marcus was now leaking an almost physical rage. " Wait, but you said there are hundreds of clans, how is this one so much stronger than the others and are able to keep a hold of so much land" Cedric asked. " Good question, and the answer is just a simple one, each member is equivalent to ten foot soldiers and they have an archaic way of training that turns their warriors into monsters, they are separated into three classes, the claws are the foot soldiers, they average around the size of a grown man and covered in thick armor that''s bonded with their body and can never be removed" Cedric shuddered" next are the fangs, they are the captains and leaders of the claws, each one is comparable to an experienced hilt and are twisted with magic that makes their bodies lighter and faster" Marcus said. Cedric nodded his head and gestured for him to continue," and finally the serpents eye, they are the ruling elders of the clan and each one can decimate a legion of soldiers by themselves, they are 6-7 feet tall and have lean and muscled bodies that are red and black scaled, they are born in the middle of battlefields and created by sacrificing hundreds of lives". Cedric felt a cold shudder flow through his body at the thought of meeting any one of these monsters in real life. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. " So if these things are so strong, why haven''t they taken over the whole world yet?"he asked. " Well you see, they tried once and failed and now their is a barrier in place around that part of the land that no member of the cursed clan can pass through even if they tried, so now they are locked inside until the barrier is taken down, which won''t happen for a long time," he said. " So there''s a barrier that keeps them at bay, but how did such a thing even happen" Cedric looked at Marcus eager for an answer. " Well word got back to the kingdom that an army was amassing and would attack in a few days, so they sent what little they could of a group of volunteers and some elites from all around the neighboring kingdoms, they made their way to the center of the changed land, once reaching there they had to hold their position until the mages who were in charge of putting up a protective barrier were ready" Marcus eyes seemed to glaze over as he told this story. " For three days they held against the thousands that were sent to kill them, and yet they stood against that great darkness and prevailed". His eyes watered and a single tear slipped down his cheek" but at a terrible cost, out of the hundred that had left, two had survived and made it home to tell of their success." He spat that last part out as if it had a bitter taste to it. Cedric sat their, digesting this information before asking" so how did the mages put the barrier up". Marcus gave a snort " those pampered mages died in the first wave screaming and pissing themselves" "But if they died how did they make the barrier" he asked. " There was no they, there was only him, a lone weapon master who made the greatest sacrifice". Marcus took a swig of his flask that he kept tucked inside his jacket. " This one weapon master was the reason we held out so long, he moved across the battle, it was like a dragon had descended, and inspired us to fight harder and we were able to hold them back,but" he sighed" even a dragon gets tired, little by little they wilted us down and on the last day of the battle he made his last stand so the survivors could make it back and try to at least warn everyone" he took another swig" on that day as I ran with my tail tucked between my legs¡± Marcus''s hands started to,shake and tears started to run down his cheeks. ¡° I left my best friend to his death and as I ran for my life I could see his final moments, and by the gods it was a sight, the earth shook and you could hear his battle cries for miles, he vanquished thousands of the cursed and even killed two of the eye and he roared his battle cry, it was the sound of pure righteousness and good, it seemed to challenge all the evil and made it tremble in fear,then the light came down, it was if the very heavens had split open and sent down their wrath, every cursed for miles was eradicated and with the light came the barrier that now stands today" he said. " So the gods put the barrier up then?" Cedric asked " No something even more amazing, remember what I said about how some weapon masters can call forth their own weapon" Cedric nodded" well what i mean by that is that each weapon master will forge their own personal weapon so that they can merge soul and steel as one , effectively making a weapon apart of them that they can call forth." "So with his own sheer will power he made the barrier and saved us all, but sacrificed his life in the process, because once you merge your soul you can''t remove it and even trying to form it into something else was never tempted . "Marcus leaned back against a tree and took another swig of his flask. Cedric gazed at him for a few moments and his mouth opened and closed trying to find words" so your best friend saved everyone at the cost of his own life,..... wow". He laid down on the ground and gazed up at the sky, then suddenly sprung up" wait you said you were their and that he was your best friend then does that mean". " Yep, your pretty slow on the uptake aren''t ya, that man who saved the world was your father Chapter 5 " Wait so you''re telling me that my dad was a weapon master" Cedric felt pride swell within him and he broke into a grin. My dad saved the whole world, wow and mom kept this from he thought. " So what happened then, after the barrier was up?" Marcus shrugged" Isaac the other survivor and I moved as fast as we could, but with our injuries it took us a whole week to return to the capital, once we arrived we found that the city was in a month of celebration, but to me that was meaningless" he said " the king even gave me a medallion, but it wouldn''t bring my best friend back." " So what happened next?" Cedric asked " I later found out that the reason we few were sent was because a few influential members of the higher class felt that the weapon masters had become to strong and the power of the crown started to shift to a more ruling body and democratic, then a kingship, so they chose all those that held sway and were pushing to a more fair and less corruptible, they sent us to die" rage seemed to pour out of Marcus and his eyes seemed to glow green" they didn''t even care that the cursed would kill millions, all they cared about was their positions of power, so there you have it Cedric those are the people who killed your father and they''re the ones who also want to see you dead." Cedric looked at Marcus ¡° why¡±? ¡° Because before your father died he was one of the main driving forces against them and was almost successful before the war, and if you''re anything like your dad they are afraid you might pick up where he left off.¡± Marcus sat back leaning into his travelers pack. Cedric sat their in silence for a few minutes. "Who?". Marcus looked up at the boy and he froze. Cedric had blue waves of power radiating across his body and his eyes were completely blue and no longer had any white in them. Cedric was squeezing his hands and seemed to be crushing the air around him. Marcus slowly moved to him and let out a bit of his aura to touch Cedric. He placed his hand on Cedrics shoulder and used his aura to place Cedrics back inside. " Calm down, and I''ll tell you more but right now you can''t be having a fit" marcus said. Slowly the blue receded back into his body and his eyes returned to normal. After a few moments Marcus sat back down. ¡°I don''t know the names of the nobles who did this but I know who did play the biggest hand and who would know the names of the others"Cedric eyes sharpened a little and his eyes narrowed and he spat out "Who?" Marcus gave a huge sigh. " The bitch who runs everything behind the curtain and uses the king as a puppet, her royal majesty the queen Adeline". Cedric nodded his head and stood up and grabbed his staffs and started practicing the ten forms of the mountain. Outside he seemed calm and collective, but inside it was if a beast was roaring against the gates that held it, but Cedric kept his inner rage in check. Marcus watched the internal struggle and nodded in satisfaction at his self control. Marcus gathered his own staffs and faced Cedric. " You have come along way, at the beginning you would''ve raged and let your emotions run wild, good job you are now ready for the real training." Marcus began to trace lines in the dirt and each time he finished a symbol it glowed green for a moment then faded back to normal. He traced all around them until a circle of patterns twenty yards in diameter surrounded them. " this is the circle of masters , each and everyone who has entered the order has stepped in a circle like this, this is where you make your choice, a choice to become more than an avenger of your father but a person who will continue to do what is right even at the cost of ones life" Marcus stood in the middle and thrust both of his staffs into the ground and arcs of green energy spread around moving through the circle, illuminating the symbols. Marcus stared into Cedric eyes and motioned him forward " you now must choose, to follow the path of revenge or the path your father would want you to walk." Cedric gazed at Marcus for a split second before moving to the center near him " I choose to protect those against the darkness and the corrupted, I choose to give everyone the right to be free, and I choose to follow my father down the path of good " Marcus gave a nid of approval " good now repeat these words and the rite of passage is done".Marcus then brought his hands together and clasped them tightly almost in a religious posture. "I say this oath in the days of despair and darkness where all seems lost I shall prevail and cast out the dark, I will protect the people, the land, and the future. I will not cower nor flee but stand my ground and fight to my last breath, and in the last moments of my life I shall know that what I bleed and die for is righteous."Cedric repeated these words and felt his heart clench and a surge of warmth move through his body and settle on his chest. Cedric smiled and looked at the circle that now started to fade. Marcus pulled his staffs out of the ground and walked back to his pack and removed the two axes. Carrying both to Cedric. " Come here and kneel" without hesitation he moved in front of him and knelt." On this day you are now a pommel of the order and have sworn the oath, welcome brother" and with that Marcus used the axes to make two cuts on his cheeks, one on either side. Cedric gazed up at Marcus and took his hand and jumped back to his feet. Marcus pulled some ointment from his jacket and handed it to him" this will stop the bleeding and make sure they scar, they will be a reminder of your oath." He took the paste and rubbed it into the cuts, they stung a bit and the smell of the ointment made him gag. Cedric handed back the medicine. " So what is a pommel?" " A pommel is the first level of the order, next is the hilt,the guard, the blade, and finally wielder." Marcus rolled up his sleeve of his left arm to show a forest green sword that had an intricate pattern on the blade, the cross guard had two ends jutting out and with points pointing up to catch any blades, and finally the handle was long enough to hold two hands . This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Cedric gazed at the beautiful design and looked up at Marcus. " so what are you then?"he asked curiously " I was a blade and a captain of the order" Marcus said " each time you complete a mission and are recognized for your achievements you move up and are given part of your weapon, this is a symbol of your status and experience". Cedric nodded his head. " so what''s next then?" He asked " Well I''m going to train you as much as I can and then we''re going to the capital so you can go to the weapons school and integrate yourself within the city" Marcus stated " Why do I have to go to school, can''t I just train with you?"Cedric whined " Well you see, I can teach you to fight and protect yourself but you need to learn the ways of the political world and how social status works, because frankly you have been pretty sheltered your whole life." Marcus moved himself in front of Cedric and took position. Cedric stopped practicing and moved himself to face his master, he positioned his staffs and separated his feet. He grinned and motioned to Marcus, Marcus raised his eyebrow before smiling and then moving to him with his staffs swinging. Cedric sidestepped and blocked the first blows before swinging back at marcus, he blocked the staffs with one hit and countered with his free hand. Cedric saw the attack and stepped backwards to dodge. Marcus chased him and kept swinging his staffs in what seemed like random patterns, Cedric blocked maybe one out of three of the hits, each hit making him wince in pain, but made him double his efforts. The sound of their staffs hitting echoed across the forest, marcus was slowly increasing speed and Cedric was able to keep pace except for now then a hit would slip through his defense, a hit to the midsection made him grind his teeth and made him increase his speed, soon enough he was matching marcus with every hit and even now and then a few were slipping through and making contact. They were moving around the camp in a flurry of movement, after a few minutes Marcus called for a break. Cedric grabbed his water skin and drank deeply before tossing it to marcus. He took a quick swig before passing, Cedric chest moved up and down from the match and his hands were numb from the constant blocking, but his head was clear and he felt a deep satisfaction at finally making contact with Marcus. He gestured to Marcus" I think I''m finally as fast as you now." Marcus smirked" kid you don''t even know about speed". Next thing he knew was that Marcus was next to him with his staff placed on his throat. Cedric eyes went wide in fear and his throat locked up. I didn''t even see him move not even a blur , it was like he just appeared like a specter, a deep fear settled inside Cedric as he gazed at Marcus. "Your getting better but right now you are barely reaching the very beginning of your potential, you haven''t even learned how to channel your aura into your weapons nor are you even close to channeling it into your body." Cedric let this sink in and then slowly pushed the staff out from under his neck. He turned and faced marcus " teach me then" he said. "What''s the difference between channeling aura and merging your weapon with your soul?" Cedric asked "Well for one thing you have to be strong enough and have enough experience and control to actually pull your soul out and fuse it with a weapon, secondly aura is the natural energy that you gather in life from the moment you''re born, another name for it is life energy." Marcus raised his hand and a green flamed appeared in his hand. " Now the big difference between aura and soul is that to gain more aura you can train your body and by doing this you strengthen the container to hold more aura". Marcus formed the flame into a green figure " but your soul is a limited resource that once depleted its gone forever." The green figure grew brighter and brighter with each word but by the end it was starting to fade and finally extinguished. " Is that why we merge our souls with weapons?" Cedric asked Marcus nodded with a smile." Correct we do this to not only strengthen a permanent weapon that can handle our aura but to utilise it to its full potential." Cedric shook his head following along. Marcus nodded his head. " Alright I think your ready, now I want you to think of your reason, something that you can think of in the future in any situation, something that fills your entire being with a purpose." Cedric thought about it for a few minutes before closing his eyes and letting his mind relax. His mind was full of uncertainty over all that had transpired when finally he found it, it was like a light was lit and he was overflowing with the answer. What gives me purpose, why do I fight, is it for revenge no, is it for the injustice that this kingdom has no, I fight for the opportunity that everyone has the same chance and value, I fight so that future generations will never have to worry about their social status nor how much they own, I fight so that lives will never be wasted because each one is priceless. Like a wave, a blue mist moved through his body and filled him with a new feeling. He opened his eyes and looked at his arms and legs and noticed that their wasn''t a blue mist, maybe I imagined it he thought. Marcus looked at Cedric with disbelief.It takes years of meditation and training to find ones purpose and even then never this much aura at once. He stared at the boy as Cedric looked at his hands and looked up at him. Cedric felt a new sensation in his mind, almost like a rushing water that seemed to have been spread all over his body and rotated around his heart. This feeling came with a deep calming and peaceful feeling, like he was missing a piece of himself and now he was whole, he grasped on this feeling and like a trickle of water it moved wherever he thought, he moved the power to his hands and down to his staffs. Marcus sensed the power moving and watched as it lit up the staffs and turned their red wood into a bright blue. The power made the wood hum and filled the air with noise. Marcus was impressed, most people take at least a few days to be able to push even a drop of power into their weapons. Marcus grinned and reach for the power and let it flow into his staffs. Cedric felt the wood hum in his hands and squared off with Marcus. He spun his staffs and watched as a little bit of blue was left in the air. " Focus Cedric your letting your energy leak everywhere, contain it almost like your squeezing it, but not to tight you need to be able to direct it". He closed his eyes and mentally compressed the energy and felt the hum decrease but the light brightened. " Good,now you need to know that your aural well isn''t bottomless and you have limits, search in your mind and find it". He searched deep in his mind, it was like stumbling in the dark and after a while finding a small hole in the wall, he touched it and like door pushed it open to find a wall of power that came rushing through the opening. It felt like his body was on fire and his body started to spasm. Marcus ran to him and grabbed his arms" CEDRIC!!" He forced his aura into his body and pushed back against the wave of power, he gritted his teeth in effort. By the gods I''ve never felt this much energy in one body, let alone causes one to feel physical pain. He pushed against this tidal wave and was able to shut the door only barely. Immediately Cedric stopped shaking and he passed out. Marcus leaned back on the ground and let out a breath. " What the fuck was that." Chapter 6 Marcus was stirring the embers, every few seconds glancing over at Cedric''s sleeping form. Marcus had wrapped him in all the blankets and placed a wet cloth on his head to help with his fever. Why did this happen? Did I push him to hard and now may have crippled him or worse killed him? As marcus thought, Cedric breathing became calmer and his eyes fluttered open. Marcus jumped to his feet and moved to his side," Cedric boy are you alright?" Cedric eyes started to fill with tears and he started to cry. " I saw him Marcus, I saw him" marcus looked down at the crying boy and grasped his hand to try and comfort him. After a few minutes Cedric started to calm down and was finally able to talk. Before talking he took a few swings of water to relinquish his dry lips. " My father Marcus I saw him, he was standing on an open field surrounded by thousands of the cursed, and he stood his ground even though it was helpless he stood and smiled even." Marcus nodded his head and smiled" yeah that sounds like Thad alright, but how did you know all that, the way you talk it sounds like you were there?" " It''s because I was, I was dreaming about this lake and next thing I know I was there watching the battle." Marcus pondered this for a few moments before realization sank in. He grabbed his bag and reached in and handed him the axes." They won''t work for me remember", marcus placed the hands in his hands and to both their amazements he was able to keep them from falling. Marcus spoke " aura symbols can be left on objects and in places, their mostly used to send message, but their are a few who can create some only for certain people, I think your father placed a symbol on the axes and when we awakened your power yesterday it must have triggered the symbols on the axes." He looked down at the axes and felt a deep connection, his hands gripped them tighter. " But what about the lake I saw it was huge and there was this black tree next to it with blue leaves." Marcus eyes widened" wait, what!!?, you saw a lake with a tree, how tall was it ?" Cedric shrugged" probably 15-20 feet, but I don''t see how this means anything." Marcus jumped up." This means everything, the lake was your soul well, but I guess in your case it''s a soul lake, the reason I called it a soul well is because most people only have a few gallons of soul power , but if this is true you have at least a few hundred!!!" Marcus started pacing. " It all makes sense now, your body couldn''t take the power and so it started to overflow and cause you to suffer a soul back lash, but this isn''t even the most important part, each person after years of training starts to cultivate a tree in their soul. their soul feeds this tree and it represents the hours of hard work a person has put in and allows them to draw more power effectively, the color represents the element your closest too." Marcus stopped mid stride and suddenly his face turned pale. He slowly walked closer to Cedric and then crouched down to his eye-level. In a shaky breath he asked " wa ... what color was it?" By the serious tone of his question Cedric heart jumped in his chest and his mouth went dry" why?" Marcus''s hand lashes out and gripped his shirt and pulled him so close he could feel his breath. "What color was it" Marcus said in a tone that screamed danger. " a bright blue kinda like in a lightning storm" Marcus''s hand fell away and he fell on his butt. Clutching his head " nonononononono" he repeated" not so soon and not before we were about to reach the academy" Cedric sat up in his bed. " Marcus what''s wrong , c''mon tell me, your kinda freaking me out." Cedric had fear radiating from his body, after a few moments marcus sat up. "What''s wrong is that your at the level of a guard who''s been training for years, you''ll be the news of the capital and our enemies will hear of it and will investigate, they''ll search your background and discover who you are." Marcus''s face covered in worry." You''ll be killed almost immediately." Cedric swallowed hard " is there anything we could do, we could somehow get through the test by cheating it or by bypassing it all together?" Suddenly hope shined in Marcus''s eyes. " That''s it!!!" He pushed up from the ground and started to clean up the camp and gather there stuff into their packs." We need something that hides your soul aura, so others won''t notice it, what we need right now is a soul limiter." ¡­¡­¡­. They have been traveling for days, only stopping for a few moments. After awakening his soul Cedric has noticed his body has become stronger, he barely needs to sleep, eat, and drink. His muscles have become stronger and bigger, his clothes stretched tight against his frame. But the most pronounced feature would be his height, he stood at maybe marcus shoulders, but now he has grown taller than him and his body seems totally energized. They were traveling near some mountains that held some snow near their peaks, a few stray paths were etched across their sides. Marcus turned up towards one such path and started the long trek up.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. " Where are we going Marcus, you haven''t said anything since we broke camp a few days ago." Marcus just grunted and kept walking. Cedric just sighed and followed him towards the peak of the mountain. After hours of steep climbing they made it to the peak. Cedric dropped his pack and feel on the ground" THANK THE SAINTS" he yelled, Marcus stood above him and kicked his side. " Get up you pansy it wasn''t that bad, were here." Marcus pointed to the middle of the peak. Cedric raised his head and saw a small stone structure. Rolling onto his back he looked at the building, it was relatively small, a simple door and a glass window on the right side, there was a chimney that was billowing smoke, indicating that someone was home. Cedric followed marcus as they walked up to the door. Marcus raised his fist and gave a few sharp knocks on the wooden door." Who the hell is knocking on my door!!?" A voice yelled, followed by the sound of heavy feet stomping to the door. The door was whipped open" who the fuc...." " hey Isaac long time no see" Marcus said. Isaac mouth dropped open in a o-shape. "Marcus what, when, where did you?" He sputtered. Isaac looked past Marcus and saw Cedric standing a few feet back. " who the heck is this giant?" Marcus just laughed and grabbed Isaac, and pulled him into a hug." It''s good to see you too Isaac, and sorry I didn''t send word I was kinda off the grid for a few months, and this giant behind me is Cedric, he''s my new apprentice." Isaac moved back from Marcus''s embrace and gazed up at Cedric. Cedric looked at this new fellow, Isaac was probably 4 feet tall with his back straight, he had blonde hair with a few braids and a full beard that was trimmed. He had a few singe marks on his clothes and his hands were dirty, like he just stopped working on something to answer the door. A dwarf he thought. " Hey kid do I know you, you look like someone I knew way back." Isaac gazed at this boy and couldn''t shake this feeling of familiarity that he felt when he looked at this kid. Marcus gave a few coughs interrupting the two" Isaac this is Cedric, Cedric this is Isaac." Cedric moved towards Isaac and stretched out his hand. " nice to meet you, sir." Isaac grabbed his hand and shook, he winced when Cedric squeezed. " damn boy, don''t take my hand off, holy saint Marcus what have you been teaching this kid he feels like he''s as strong as Thad used to be when he was in his teens." Marcus gave a chuckle " I actually believe that Cedric here would give Thad a run for his money." Isaac shook his hand trying to regain feeling in it." Really huh, you know what he kinda looks like Thad when he was younger, heck even his aura feels like his" Marcus just smiled, after a few minutes Isaac''s brain finally clicked " holy crap!! " Isaac wrapped Cedric in a hug and gave a squeeze. Cedric''s ribs were crushed and he gave out a wheeze as the air was forced from his lungs. " I can''t believe it, after all these years I thought we would never find you." Isaac let go of him and turned to Marcus. "I thought once you found him you were going straight to the capital" He said. Marcus scratched his head and sighed " well that was the plan, but when we awakened his soul it lashed back out at him and almost killed him but I was able to force it back barely." " So what, he''s a little bit stronger then normal, so what?" Isaac said. "Well the problem is that he''s too strong, I guess he''s at the power level of a Guard." Isaac eyes seemed to pop out of his head and he yelled." Are you kidding me, what is he some kind of monster!!!?" Cedric just smiled sheepishly, and shrugged his shoulders at the question. Marcus smiled" so you see that is one of the problems we have, the other one is that I can''t go into the city, the guards will recognize me and it''ll be only a few hours before the queen knows of me." "So what, are you going to send him there by himself?" Isaac asked. " Well I was kinda hoping you would go with him." Marcus casually said. Isaac turned and stalked into his house. " hah you have lost your damn mind." " c''mon don''t be like that." " I will be like that, why do you think I live here on a mountain, I want some peace and quiet, not be pestered day in and day out by people." Isaac sighed" so I''m guessing that you also want something else as well, come inside." Isaac stomped into the house with a few grunts and a few choice words that made Cedric blush. Marcus grinned and followed him inside with Cedric in tow.