《Lyca: Rise of Asura》


 Prologue Part 1

    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was created in seven days, but this is not a story from the Bible. God created man to care for the earth after it was created and in the first universe. He then went forth and created ten more universes for his entertainment. Each universe was ruled by a god or goddess who did whatever they pleased with it. So, they went forth, and with the help of their Father, they created life in his own universe. When the god Raki of the sixth universe created the planet Talmoya, he also created what he called humans, elves, dwarfs, dragons, and other powerful and weak beings.


    However, upon seeing that the humans were inferior to the creatures he had created, he decided to intervene and gave them a power known as Heiki and knowledge on how to use it. After time, the humans became powerful and conquered lands belonging to dragons. Humans became obsessed with power and fought each other for territory. not as bad as animals, but still a lesser breed. But amidst all this, he saw a beauty he had never witnessed before. Her vibrant red hair flows down on her back, ending right above her buttocks. A tender and soft smile soothed his rage, and enchanting purple eyes could see through the many men who desired her power. Lady Liana was known as the Keeper of the Black Dragon and Leader of the God''s Hand Clan, a clan that sought peace throughout the world. No one could match her power. Raki saw her and fell in love with her beauty and her will to stop the wars between humans and the different races and clans.


    One fateful day her clan was attacked by two male individuals to whom she had denied her power once; they challenged her, but she defeated them easily, and now they have returned for their revenge. Lord Figod and his king, King Wilough Lady Liana''s power towered at the mythical level, while King Wilough stood just above the mid level of mythical status, and Lord Figod was a new mythical being.


    Both stood floating in the air in their best battle armor. Lord Figod was covered in metal armor that had a marble-like blue glow in the sun. The armor had an ocean blue lining on the outer edge of each part, which gave it its bluish glow along with intricate designs over it. The king''s armor was made of the same marble-like metal but dyed a golden color that gave off a rainbow glow in the light of the sun. He almost seemed divine. As they looked down upon Liana, the king spoke to her: "Give up now, Liana. "Join us, and the world shall be yours." in a loud and powerful voice.


    "I have already told you "No," have I not?" "If you wish to fight me, the outcome shall be the same."


    "Do not underestimate us. If you resist, this fight will not be like the last because you, oh lady, will feel thine anger."


    Lady Liana was unmoved by the king''s words, even though it had been a few years since their last battle. She couldn''t bring herself to believe that they had surpassed her in power; she was one of the world''s strongest warriors. Ever since birth, her powers were beyond normal, and going through God''s Hand training only gave her new prowess beyond that of any before her.


    Her many followers stood behind her as she faced the king and his arch knight. Not an ounce of fear could be seen in her. Preparing for battle, she whispered a few words and was engulfed in a blinding white light. When the light was gone, it revealed her standing in a most marvelous armor. It was her best, made from the skin of the dragon once known as Diomag the Reaper. a powerful dragon whose power towered somewhere around the mid-mythical level. The armor was dyed white, with different symbols painted black. The armor gave off an icy blue glow.


    One day it attacked their lands, and they had to defend against it. He had incredible durability; it took her and her dragon, Climica the Black Dragon, along with four healers and two other mage warriors to take down the dragon. If it weren''t for the constant healing from her healers, the quest would have been a waste. Upon its defeat, its bones and skin were taken to make different weapons, armors, and other equipment.


    And in her right hand, she held a magnificent blade. Made from Famot, one of the strongest and most difficult metals to obtain, the blade was an ice blue color, perfectly in sync with the armor running from the tip to the hilt, which was curved, forming wings on both sides, and in the center along the blade was an insignia written upon the dragon''s bones that were melted and infused with the blade. The grip and pommel were made of melted gold, which formed into the head of a dragon.


    "A most beautiful armor. ""It''s a shame I must destroy it."


    "I implore King Wilough to leave now and leave with your life. ""Fight, and this time I won''t be so merciful."


    The knight gave out a loud laugh, not feeling threatened by her words. "Leave with our lives," you say. You speak as if you know the outcome already. We''ve already stated that this will not be the same as the last." He released his heiki with a pulsing surge, and it hit the ground, destroying the earth, and forming a powerful gust of wind that sent giant debris from the earth in all directions.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Evacuate everyone," she told the men who stood behind her. She knew that whatever happened in the next moments was critical for the safety of her people. They immediately complied and went to evacuate the people. Living in the mountains won''t make this easy. She watched them go, and she prayed to the gods that the evacuation would be completed in time.


    Suddenly, the lord disappeared and reappeared behind her with a sword in hand. Liana could still see his movements, however, causing his attack to be less of a surprise. Figod swung his sword at her neck, which she was able to dodge by ducking. In that same movement, she swung around, also swinging her sword in an upward motion, and releasing a wave of energy, sending Figod a few hundred meters away before crashing into a mountainside. A shockwave could be seen in the distance. She then turned to look at the king, her face emotionless. She then released her heiki, a mix of all the elements¡ªearth, water, wind, fire, dark, light, and mystic¡ªthat had an unusual color to it, giving it a divine look, and it began flowing around her like a boundless ocean.


    "So let our bout begin!" the king roared out before dashing towards Liana.


    Their swords collided, causing Liana''s feet to sink into the ground and the earth to crumble. A shock wave was sent throughout the air, causing the rocks from the shattered earth to go airborne. The king then began a barrage of attacks, each one being blocked by Liana. Every time their blades clashed; a shock wave was sent throughout the air.


    This is getting nowhere. It''s time for a change. He thought before leaping into the air and raising his sword above his head. "Jugo''s Lightning Destruction": As soon as he spoke the words, a surge of heiki could be felt in the air as the sky darkened. He then swung his blade in a downward motion, and, as if at his command, the sky began to rain down bolts of lightning. Lady Liana, unable to avoid all the lightning, erected a barrier infused with earth and wind heiki to weaken the lightning''s power.


    Then the lightning ceased, and Liana flew out of the dust with incredible speed, striking the king in his stomach. A shock wave was seen exiting through the back of his body. almost cracking his armor. This caused the king to cough up blood. Suddenly, a blast of red light was shot down towards Lady Liana, who managed to dodge the attack by a split second. The blast hit the earth, causing a devastating explosion. Liana stood a few meters above them, as if she had just teleported out of the way, having dodged the attack with incredible speed, while Figod descended to stand a few feet above his king.


    "Damn bitch," the lord yelled angrily.


    "That''s no way to talk to a lady; how far hast thou fallen?" "I shall cut out your tongue for such insolent words."


    With that, she used her speed to reappear in between the king and his lord, who were now standing next to each other. Surprised by the sudden move, she caught him off guard and connected her fist with Figod''s face, but before she could attack the king, he was already bringing down his sword on her. She was able to deflect the attack but was thrown to the ground. The king then extended out his left hand as he clenched his sword in his right hand and spoke, "Jugo''s Lightning Barrage." After speaking the words, what appeared to be five circles began to form around his hand that looked like they were tearing through the fabric of space before a barrage of light was sent where Liana had fallen.


    Before the attack could reach her, she dashed out to the right; seeing this, the king moved his hand into the path she took. Behind her, the lightning tore through the ground, destroying anything in its path. Suddenly, the ground began to fall apart. "Taimat''s Eruption!" was an attack from Figod that caused flames to shoot up from under the ground, striking the opponent by surprise. A scream was heard coming from the flames. Lady Liana didn''t expect such an attack and was bombarded by the flames and the lightning. "I''m not done yet, Taimat''s Infinite Flames." Figod roared, and multiple balls of fire descended from the sky on Lady Liana. This caused a huge explosion in the area. Figod stood with a proud smile on his face.


    "I see now," she said, emerging from the explosion with minor damage. No wonder you are so confident in yourselves. You are using the spirit blade technique. a technique used by the Blade Masters. It allows one to draw energy from a spirit blade. But you have not mastered it. Once mastered, one can fuse the spirit of the blade with themselves, increasing their power tremendously; some say it even allows one to reach the status of a new celestial being. I wonder.." She paused with a smile on her face before continuing, "Ice Queen of Frosteria, Milla, the ice of carnage, I call upon your power to awaken and lend me your strength." The air then suddenly became cold, and the wind had stopped blowing. Snow began to fall upon the earth, now a land of ice that stretched out for a mile, covering the mountains. Those leaving the area could feel the cold even though they were a few miles away, traveling by Vitacons, horse-like creatures that have a connection with the wind and are incredibly fast.


    "I did not expect her to use this power." A man spoke from within the crowd as he looked back to see the dark sky and snow falling.


    Suddenly there was a thunderous roar that caused the king and his lord to open their eyes wide with disbelief and realization. The rumors are true. They were both convinced that a black beast was descending from the sky. The black dragon of the ice was covered in black diamond shaped scales that protruded from its body, with the tip of each scale an ice blue that was only visible up close. The dragon landed behind its master and expanded its wings before letting out another deafening roar with a breath of mist. The dragon stood about five stories high.


    Lady Liana''s armor has changed slightly, and all the damage has been repaired. The black paintings are no longer made of black; now a misty white protrudes from them and encircles her breast, going to her back, forming two wings made of ice. Her sword was now a thin ebony blade that had no reflection; only the insignia written down the middle shimmered a vibrant blue. Her silvery white hair now stood still in the breezeless air; her purple eyes had flakes of white and blue moving in a circular motion, and her lips were blood red.


    "Let me show you a Blade Master''s true power."

 Prologue Part 2

    He watched from a faraway mountain south of the battle. A black dragon was descending from the skies, and he could now feel an immense amount of power coming from the female warrior. This man sat cross-legged on the rocky mountain top, feeling the flow of energy as it moved through the air and observing the battle. Both hands were resting on his knees. His mid-length spiked white hair shuffled in the cold wind. He wore no upper body garment, just a single pair of long white pants with the words "Gokage" painted red going down on both sides and decorated with purple and yellow petals going down on both sides. He wore a beaded chain with the symbols of each element painted in its respectful colour. But these were no ordinary sized beads; each bead was about 5 inches in diameter. I can no longer resist the urge to find out who this person is; I must leave. He was taken aback because he had never felt such power before.


    A power capable of matching his own, Zachael the Dragon Emperor, King of Flames He had spent his entire life training and fighting anyone who would challenge him. After reaching the pinnacle of his strength and conquering his continent, he decided to travel the world and conquer as much as he could. However, this was boring and lacked amusement; instead he placed his focus on the dragon lands.


    Dragons are one of the few beasts known to have power levels of sage status and above. also said to be the only ones to exceed the legendary level. - They might be entertaining, he thought as he travelled the seas to their homeland. a journey not many sane men would take. But he was no ordinary man. Mastering all elements along with their sub elements at the age of 20 was quite a feat. He became a grand sage at age 25 and took over the throne after defeating the previous dragon king''s army single headedly.


    It took him 10 years to conquer the dragons. He could now summon any dragon he had defeated, which was nearly all of the dragons on the Dragon Continent. Only a few he didn''t like or found interesting, so he didn''t fight them. The more prideful dragons left the continent looking for their own place to rule. Being the Dragon King doesn''t mean the dragons will just politely bow to you. You still needed to show them who was more powerful.


    Now the power in front of him felt familiar. It appeared to be the first heiki he felt after arriving on one of the continent''s islands after nearly ten years. He had to summon the power of his fire spirit to keep warm on an island so cold.


    He travelled the island searching for the power he felt on arrival. He realized that the only other being on the island was himself and what he felt as he searched. It was when he came upon a cave hidden in the mountains and entered it. There he saw it¡ªa beautiful black dragon lying asleep on the icy plains. Its wings pressed against its body. a single white gem in the centre of its forehead. He called for the creature to awaken and fight him. He was defeated with a single blast of heiki. He had no choice but to leave until he achieved more power. In his eighth year, he had reached the peak of legendary status after constant battles with these dragons and taming the fire elemental dragon, which was also found on its own island. Dwelling in lava, a dragon made just for him He was able to defeat and capture this dragon in his seventh year. When he came back to search for the ice dragon, it was no longer there. He lingered around the island and trained himself in the cold for the next 2 years; however, the dragon did not return. He decided to leave and go back to his home.


    Now he felt that same power again¡ªa beast he had desired since the moment he saw it.


    ----------------


    Fear could be heard in the lord''s voice as he began to speak: "We have no chance against that creature, my king; we must evacuate immediately!"


    What stood before them could only be described as a demon. Lady Liana''s heiki has grown exponentially. Standing there in fear of their lives, the lady''s words rang through their minds: "Leave now and leave with your life. ""Fight, and this time I won''t be so merciful." -


    Now realizing the difference in power between them, a Blade Master and a newly awakened shaman knight, there were three types of warriors: a shaman knight, an elemental warrior, and the Blade Masters. A Shaman Knight was someone who had complete control over the spirit contained within a spirit blade and could freely control their heiki. They also had the power to communicate with spirits. An elemental warrior is someone who has mastered heiki and freely manipulates all forms of heiki, allowing them to manipulate the elements freely. A blade master is someone who has mastered the capabilities of a shaman knight and an elemental warrior. A blade master stood at the pinnacle of power.


    Then the earth beneath them began to freeze, and as it froze, they realized that their armor was freezing from the sheer cold where they stood. Their faces were filled with horror as they realized they would freeze to death. They began pleading for their lives, but their plea fell on deaf ears. Liana continued her slow stride towards them, leaving small spikes of ice where she stepped. Her eyes were cold and emotionless; her sword was held to her side, the thin blade surrounded by a flow of mist. She then came to a halt. Her gaze narrowed on a figure. There was someone standing behind the king and his arch knight.


    He approached the king and his lord with his hands on his hips, his head leaning backwards, and looking up at something only he could see, unaffected by the cold of her Ice Spirit and Dragon. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the figure, who began to walk forward in the same position he held. Each step he took melted the snow into an evaporating mist. "Who is this person?" were her thoughts. Someone who could bear her ice field was something she had never come across. She watched as the mist escaped from the ground and dissolved into the air. His white hair ever flowing in the wind, a body filled with scars from countless battles she assumed. The sword sheathed at his side gave off a mysterious aura¡ªa spirit blade? Is he a Blade Master?


    "Oye!" He had a mysterious smile on his face as he spoke. There was something about it that caused Liana to tense up and immediately take a defensive stance. This caused him to smile even more. "Hmm... Why so tense?" he teased. He was now standing between the two who had challenged her. They looked at him with both fear and confusion. "Help us, and all your wishes shall be granted, oh great warrior!" the king managed to force out his words. Zachael looked down at the king and then at the knight before speaking, "Pests." with a scornful look. Before either of them could react, the dragon emperor had already separated their heads from their bodies. Blood sprayed through the air, and their bodies fell limp to the ground. The red blood, so vivid against the white snow and ice "I''ve heard much about you, my lady. I have traveled the 7 continents just to fight with you. "Please don''t disappoint," he lied.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Who are you?"


    "I am just a man looking for someone to entertain me. Your legend has reached my domain, and I am eager to put that power to the test. I see you have the ice dragon in your possession, a beast I failed to defeat the first time I came across it, and now you have it as a pet. "This alone entices me," he said, "I shall not hold back." He then released a surge of energy mixed with his base heiki. Liana watched as a flame-based aura surrounded him and ate away at her ice. She could feel the intensity of his power from where she stood. Indeed, he was a Blade Master; looking in his eyes, they were green and had specks of red going around in a circular motion. He withdrew his sword, and her dragon, Climica, gave out a thunderous roar. This caused Zachael to smile before speaking. "Summoning of the Dragon''s Emperor" Upon doing so, the sky distorted, sand a portal was formed, and from this portal, a multitude of wyverns appeared.


    "Kill them all, Climica!"


    With the command issued, Climica took to the skies. She was more than three times the size of the wyverns that challenged her, and she took them apart mercilessly. ripping their heads, wings, and limbs from their bodies, freezing some with her ice breath, which caused them to fall to the ground and crumble to pieces. At the same time her dragon flew to the sky, Liana charged at her new opponent and slashed at him with her sword. He dodged, but she followed with a vertical slash, which he dodged again, and she followed with multiple attacks, which he managed to avoid for a while before having to block and push Liana back and go on the offensive. Liana could only block; each time their blades connected with each other, a shock wave was released, ripping away the pieces of the wyverns that fell from the sky. Liana retreated a few feet from Zachael and released one of her attacks, "Icicle Storm," and around her, ice spears about 3 feet long began to form. As soon as they formed completely, she sent them forward at incredible speed. She was able to fire off over 200 spears within a second towards the Dragon Emperor, leaving a cloud of mist where he stood.


    The ground around Liana suddenly rose up and clasped itself together to crush her in the middle. However, she was able to put up a barrier just before being crushed. Then the ground beneath her shot her up into the sky, much to her surprise. Regaining her focus just in time to see the multiple boulders coming at her, "Tempest Wind!" she yelled as she flicked her palm through the air, and a razor-sharp gust of wind sliced the boulders into multiple pieces that flew past her. The boulders then stopped mid-air and turned into sand that wrapped around her, and again she managed to conjure a barrier before being squeezed. With a flick of his hand, the sand around Liana pulled her to the ground with incredible force and collided with the earth with a thunderous sound; it left a crater where it hit the ground. He held out his left hand and started to move his fingers. The ground separated as giant roots burst forth, attacking Liana. So I was right¡ªhe is a blade Master. He can use multiple elements at his will, even sub-elements and his base fire; how else can he withstand my ice field? This is going to be harder than I thought. Liana was dodging and slicing the roots that came at her; whenever she tried to get close, more roots would push her back. In that case, "Ice Wilderness!" The ground instantly froze over, and a wall of mist was formed, concealing her.


    Zachael narrowed his eyes What is she playing at? Hmm? What''s this? I feel a chill. I haven''t felt the cold in a long time. Zachael looked around and used his abilities to see his surroundings. By doing so, he saw that Liana had reduced the distance of the ice field to a smaller area. - I see the ice field being released when she summons her spirit from her blade. This explains why her dragon appeared upon her entering the awakened form. - While thinking, he increased the temperature around him to get rid of the chill he was feeling. He looked to the sky and could no longer see the dragons fighting, but he heard the roar of the ice dragon and the cry of his wyverns. - The dragon, sensing the change in its master, uses its own ability to open a portal and summon itself to protect her. What an incredible bond they have. How long has she been in charge of it for this to happen? It has to be before I even meet it. But then hadn''t it returned to the island? His thoughts were interrupted, and he opened his eyes wide with disbelief and at the same time with joy. What he saw was Liana preparing a large energy blast, which appeared white with a blue hue around it. I see now that you used your ability to create a new home for him to keep him close and avoid anyone trying to capture it. You probably had it since you were a baby, or it was passed down to you from generation to generation.


    Zachael was right; Climica had been in their family for over a hundred years. She was still a young dragon, but an extremely rare one. Because ice dragons are said to have mythical status, he waited two years for it to return. To have it by his side along with the fire dragon would have made him impossible to defeat.


    He smiled blissfully as he saw Liana charging her blast with her attack, and he exclaimed, "Roar, King of Flames Nerion." He spoke to the spirit of his sword, and the moment he spoke, the ground around him for about 4 meters became magma, and he was surrounded by a barrier. Liana''s attack met the barrier head on, and there was an enormous explosion that expanded about 100 meters due to the blast radius being contained by her will. "Come forth, dragon of flames, Kimori."


    Everything fell silent as the sky turned a fiery red. As if sensing something terrible was about to happen, all of the wyverns flew back to the portal from which they had entered. The black dragon gave off a low growl, forming snowflakes around itself that exploded on contact, and prepared for what was to come. Then it came through the portal. a body that appeared to be made of red crystals but did not reflect light. It was the same size as the ice dragon, with black eyes, a single red line down the middle of its back, eyes locked on its master, and razor-sharp fangs and claws. A white crystal with a raging flame going about in it was perfectly set in the middle of its forehead. The mythical fire dragon Kimori


    It''s him. Liana''s eyes fluttered with the realization of who she was fighting. The dragon Emperor Zachael This is no time for me to hold back. She immediately took a defensive stance, and Zachael''s eyes widened with excitement¡ªbut not because she took a defensive stance; it was what she did next. Around Liana, there was a ring of lightning going around, followed by fire, wind, and earth.

 Prologue Part 3

    White snow against the red sky¡ªwhat a remarkable sight! This is truly something you do not see every day. One would take their time to admire such a sight but doing so now would make one crazy as the battle of two of Talmoya''s strongest warriors took place along with two dragons of equal power resting in the early mythical stage. The Fire Elemental Dragon and the Black Ice Dragon


    These attacks could easily destroy cities as these dragons clashed in the skies, releasing red and blue beams and balls of energy made from condensed Heiki. A loud explosion was heard each time their attacks collided, causing the earth to shake. Beneath them stood two of the strongest across Talmoya: Lady Liana, leader of the God''s Hand Clan, and Zachael, the Dragon Emperor, or the power-hungry lunatic. None the less, his power was second to none, or at least that''s what he believes, untethered against the magnitude each blast caused.


    The area where they fought was a land of destruction filled with fire and ice, a contradiction of hot and cold. This was a battle between Blade Masters. Throughout the world of Talmoya, a Blade Master was considered the strongest warrior in a region who was able to awaken a spirit within a spirit blade and had mastered Heiki. Beyond the battlefield, five figures watched and awaited the outcome of this battle. These were the remaining Blade Masters from the other five continents.


    "I''m guessing you all sensed the same power I did and came to investigate?" A man spoke, standing at the edge of the mountain as he watched out into the distance. "My beast indicated to me that the power I was feeling was similar to mine since he could also sense it. The aura they are giving off is similar to yours. For the first time in centuries, the seven Blade Masters have gathered. "Truly, this is a marvelous day."


    "Indeed," a woman said, standing to his rear left, "but we cannot let them continue. Zachael could go berserk and end up killing this girl. and you''re getting old, you might not be able to stop him."


    "Hahaha... Indeed, I am Queen Cambollia, but don''t let this old body fool ya''; I can still take on any of you."


    "Yeah, yeah." This time a younger male spoke, dressed in black, and said, "But why haven''t you invited that girl to our little group?"


    "Well, let me see." I guess everything takes time, Johnny, my boy. Hahaha." The old man smiled widely, believing that now was the time for all seven of them to assert their power and put an end to the chaos war that had been wreaking havoc on their planet for years. "Well then, shall we end this?" he stated, and all five figures flew surrounded by the physical aura of their Heiki.


    ----------------


    Liana appeared to be at her limit; her lack of experience was beginning to show. Her armor is broken in various places, with a dash of red amidst the white and blue. Zachael looked at her with glee; he hadn''t felt this good since losing to Renkai Himotu, the oldest and strongest living Blade Master, as well as the only person to ever defeat him. He had a few cut wounds over his body, which were going to add to the many scars he already had.


    Liana was preparing her remaining energy for one final attack. Condensing her Heiki into a ball of energy and infusing it with the different elements caused different colored lightning to travel around it.


    -Oh! You''re putting your all into this, aren''t you? As Liana prepared her attack, Zachael reflected. "Well, then, let''s see what you''ve got!" He yelled as he increased his power, enveloping himself in a ball of red aura that extended out six feet around him and was tearing through the ground.


    "Final Judgment, God''s Hand!" Liana shouted the name of her attack and fired it off. As the beam of energy moved through the air, the earth gave way, breaking apart in its wake. - If he stops this, then it''s all over.


    Before her attack could reach Zachael, five beams of light¡ªwhite, green, black, purple, and silver¡ªshot down from the sky and hit the ground in the center of the two. There was a thunderous boom followed by a large explosion. Liana narrowed her eyes to see if her attack landed through the smoke, but what she saw surprised her. In the smoke and dust, five figures were standing, and all of them gave off the aura of someone who possessed a spirit blade. She was astounded, for she had only heard of the other warriors capable of using spirit blades to their full potential from her grandfather and mother, and these other Blade Masters were from the other human continents. Her mother passed away from disease when she was seven years old, and her father died before she was born while traveling to aid those less fortunate villages. It is said that he and his men were ambushed by over a hundred men who were in the early master to peak grandmaster power levels. She was raised by her grandfather, who passed away and entrusted her with the power of the Black Ice Dragon and the Spirit Sword of Milla.


    Her grandfather told her that if she could harness the power of the spirit blade, she would be the youngest Blade Master since all the other continents have one and are the current Blade Masters of their continent. She learned to control the power of the sword at the age of twelve and was taken under her grandfather''s wing, where she learned to awaken the spirit in the sword and control all the other elements at the age of twenty-five. Her grandfather, the founder of the God''s Hand Clan and the Blade Master of the Spirit Sword No''pola, who could make the earth bend to his will as he pleased, died at the age of 105 of natural causes. The only other continent that did not have a Blade Master was the Land of the Beast since no humans lived there. The king and his arch knight first arrived three years ago, following her grandfather''s death.


    The dust was giving way, and she could now make out the figures. The first was a woman with long, golden hair, dressed in a revealing yellow dress with floral designs displaying her cleavage and a long split on the bottom right going up to her thigh. She had emerald, green eyes, and around her neck was a beaded chain similar to Zachael''s but made from smaller beads. The other was an average height man dressed in a tight black shirt that hugged his well-toned body and a long black pant. He also has a pair of golden earrings in his ears and short silver hair that complement his silver eyes; he also wears the same type of chain. The other was a tall, muscular, brown-eyed bald man wearing no shirt, revealing tribal tattoos and well-defined muscles on his chest and back. He wore green pants with a yellow sash around his waist and a beaded bracelet like Zachael''s beaded chain. The fourth was a female with a brown complexion. She stood about five feet four inches tall, and her black hair was braided in thin dreads with a tip dyed a golden brown. She was wearing long blue leggings and a tight light blue shirt that hugged her breasts perfectly, and she had curves in all the right places with a small waist. She also had her arms folded under her breast and wore a similar beaded chain. The last was an old man with a head of white hair wrapped in a bond, a beard on his chin, and a mustache that appeared to be too long. With a huge smile on his face, he was wearing a white shirt with short sleeves on the back; the shirt had the symbols of the different elements sewn on it, and long white pants with tribal designs on the side. He stood with his right hand held out in an open palm and had similar beaded anklets on both feet.


    Liana was terrified when she saw figures appear out of nowhere and wear something like Zachael''s chain. But what scared her more was that they all had specks of assorted colors in their eyes, showing that they were Blade Masters and already in an awakened state, and they all seemed as strong as Zachael. She immediately took up a defensive stance and called Climica to her, who was still fighting the fire dragon. The dragon immediately fled, stood behind its master, and gave a powerful roar as it landed. She was covered in the blood of the wyverns and the ash left by the fire dragons'' blast.


    "Easy there, granddaughter of Gutoro Sen." The old man spoke calmly to Liana, who opened her eyes in surprise.


    "How do you know my grandfather?" she asked in shock.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "That''s a long story, but to keep it short, you can say he was a good friend of mine once when he traveled to my city in the southern continent of Alph. We always stayed in touch. He said you would someday grow to be a powerful blade master, and it seems he was right. "You are indeed powerful."


    "Who are you people?"


    "I assume that by "you people," you are referring to Zachael as well; if so, then my name is Decor Jinx, and we are the six remaining Blade Masters." "Your grandfather spoke of a day when all seven Blade Masters would gather after he had passed, and when that day came, he wanted us to combine our forces and end this time of war." The old man spoke no longer with a smile on his face, for he knew too well how many lives these wars between the different nations of each continent had cost. The innocent lives taken by those possessed by greed for power and more land, the so-called "Kings," "We have come to know that you are the strongest amongst the ones who possess a spirit blade on this continent, and you also command your grandfather''s dragon, still as powerful as ever. ""I would appreciate your assistance in ending these foolish wars, my child." "Would you lend us your strength?"


    Liana thought carefully about what the old man said and whether or not to believe him. - He recognized Climica as grandad''s. He even knows of me, and his cause is most noble. How can I deny him even if he is lying? I can feel no ill will from them. She then spoke, "Is that man with you? And if so, why did you permit him to attack me? ""You seem like you''re the leader here."


    "Hahaha.." Zachael couldn''t help but laugh. "Leader? You must be crazy, girl. I follow the man. I make my own decisions. Rumors of your power reached my continent, and as I was traveling here, I sensed your fight from earlier. I was observing from afar when you summoned the Ice Dragon, which I have always wanted. Master Sen never summoned the dragon when we fought, so I never knew the dragon was his. Do not concern yourself; I was never going to kill you. I only kill those who I believe are unworthy of life. But what Decor said is true. We are the six remaining Blade Masters. Your grandfather was the most powerful of us, and I could never defeat him. I had no idea today would be the day when all of us would be gathered, you crazy bastard. "You are indeed strong, my lady, and it would be an honor to fight by your side."


    Liana was taken aback by what Zachael said; he had a weird sense of humor and believed he could choose whose life was worthy of being spared. "And how do you choose whose life is worthy?"


    "Easy, those who pick on the weak, I kill; and those who fight to protect others who cannot fight for themselves, I protect. ""So, what is your answer?"


    "Sir Decor, was it?"


    "Yes," the old man replied with a glint of exhilaration in his eyes.


    "I will assist you in ending this chaotic era."


    "Thank you very much, my dear. We shall begin in a few days, after you have rested and regained your strength.


    For the next few days, Liana and Zachael rested and regained their strength. Decor introduced the others to her. Zachaeel was fully recovered by the end of the second day. After a week had passed, Liana finally felt like she was 100% again. From there, they set out to end the chaos era, starting with Liana''s continent. They went to the nations that were there and spoke to the leaders, telling them that their foolish squabbles had to stop and that if their troops were not called back, force would be used. After waiting a few days, they saw that nothing had changed. The seven were standing outside on earth-manipulated buildings, looking into the distance, and what they saw surprised them, even though they were expecting something of the sort but not all the nations. The damned kings did not heed their warning but instead left their armies on the battlefield, and now the armies were marching to the location they had given the kings to meet them once they had changed their minds. On one side were the nations from the south, dressed in green and white armor, who allied themselves against the northern nations, dressed in red and golden armor. "A war for more land among different nations. "


    Your dare threatens us as kings of this land. "You want a treaty, then we shall give one at the cost of your lives." One of the kings spoke, sitting on a horse-like creature with the kings of the other seven nations to his left and right. The war horn was blown, and the troops charged towards the building where they were.


    "You damned fools, none of you shall leave here alive." The muscular man, whom she came to know as Alex, roared out.


    "Let''s have some fun, shall we?" this time the girl with dreadlock girl spoke who she came to as Aabrie, she had a sinister smile on her face.


    "You may not be used to killing young ones, but this is war, and I know you know the spirits in our sword crave a battle." It was Darius who spoke to encourage her, dressed in full black.


    "That''s encouraging, don''t you think, Dari?" The female named Cambollia spoke, still showing too much skin, "If you don''t want to, you don''t have to kill them, Lili." She always seemed friendly whenever she spoke.


    "No, I''m going. I owe it to all those from my clan who died in these pointless wars. ""Milla, the Ice Queen of Carnage, is the name of the spirit in my blade, so I think it''s time we unleash some carnage."


    "That''s the spirit, girly," Zachael teased as he tensed up his body, showing off his well-toned body, and everyone followed suit, and the symbols of the elements on the accessories they wore began to glow as it increased their strength; even Liana now wore a chain.


    Seven beams of light shot down from the sky and landed in the middle of the army. When the beams hit the earth, they caused the sand and debris to form into a cloud of smoke. When the dust cleared up, it revealed several figures standing in between the troops. These seven figures were none other than the Blade Masters. The soldiers looked at them in surprise before attacking.


    It was a massacre. There was blood everywhere, and bodies decimated and chopped to pieces littered the earth. Some died without arms; others without legs were left to bleed to death; and others without heads were killed where they stood. The kings watched as a gust of wind blew perhaps 100 men into the air and then sliced them to pieces by another gust of wind; they watched as the earth was raised from the ground, fifty of them in the air and of a 100-meter length; and they watched as mountains slammed together, squashing everyone in the middle before being swallowed back by the earth. Mountains of ice began to form from thin air, and in these they could see the lifeless bodies of soldiers dressed in red and green armor.


    Another area had a fire tornado ripping through the earth and fireballs raining from the sky, causing explosions whenever they hit the ground and sending bodies soaring through the air on flames. They could hear the screams of their armies from all directions; this was a nightmare, and they regret not choosing to heed the warnings of these warriors they were indeed gods among men. Only a few minutes had passed when they realized that half of their army was already dead or dying. Over a million men and women who were thought to be strong warriors of the master to sage status, even some on the grand stage, were easily defeated. They had lost all hope of winning.


    The war, if you can even call it a war, ended in fifteen minutes. The blood of the last king splattered through the air, a thick red splattering among the already red battleground. Darius put away his blade as he spoke: "What a shame! ""So many lives could have been spared. ""May the god Raki watch over your souls," he prayed.


    This scene continued over the other six continents, killing so many that could have been spared. Many young men and women could have become great warriors, perhaps even Blade Masters, if it hadn''t been for the greed of the royal families of each continent. always wanting more¡ªmore land, more men or women to enslave, more money, and more power. Finally, each continent was liberated from the clutches of its greedy rulers. After that, they assigned a ruler to each continent, and those who would have to answer to that continent''s ruler, or they would have to intervene again. The Blade Masters'' initiative was formed to avoid a future of more bloodshed. The Blade Master would remain together and protect the High Empress on the Ambidion continent.


    ------------------


    Over 500 years have passed, and the lands have remained peaceful. Humans now no longer train like they used to. After the Chaos Era ended, there was a period of peace. The strongest warriors have now reached the peak strength of a grandmaster due to fewer battles and the no longer necessary need to fight to survive.


    In the Alph region in the Kingdom of Sierg Hunter II. As part of his monthly routine, King Sierg had a psychic read him about events that had yet to happen to him or what would happen in the future. So far, she has never been wrong. He sat on a pillow on the couch across from his psychic, with just an empty table standing between them. The throne room was quite large and seemed to go forever into the distance, as the room was dark and only lit by a few purple candles. The psychic was chanting her spell, so the silence seemed eerie. With a gust of wind, the candles were blown out, and the room became as dark as night. Then purple smoke formed over the table and gave it a purple glow, illuminating the two. The king rubbed his beard, wondering what it was this time. The mage then spoke: "Darkness and greed shall once again take over Talmoya. Born from hatred and betrayal, its only goal is to devour everything in its sight. With the Blade Masters gone, who will protect its people? A child born with the mark of the dragon. With the birth of the child comes the first step on the journey to become a Blade Master: "With the death of this child shall come the birth of a god."

 Awakening Of Lost Souls

    Deep inside a cave in the Kalmor region stood a figure dressed in a dark cloak and holding a staff in his right hand. Standing before him was a stone with a symbol on it. This symbol is the seal to another realm that Gutoro Sen used to seal away strong warriors and monsters that he didn¡¯t wish to kill. They would be imprisoned in this realm for the rest of their lives. The symbol was a circle with a triangle in the center, and from each point where the triangle touched the circle, a line moved out about 2 feet and formed another circle with a six sided star in the middle. In between the outer circles, there were curved lines connecting them.


    The cloaked figure placed his staff on the ground and held a black book in his hand. He placed his free hand on the center circle and began to read from the book: "Once you looked away until a day untold in a realm of darkness, you slept. Until this day, you shall awaken from a slumber so deep as I speak your name and release you from such a burden. "Come forth, oh great warrior Septom, your new master calls. "Release God''s Hand Seal." Instantly, the symbol began to glow a dark purple, which then shot out behind him, and a figure emerged kneeling.


    This seal would be used to his advantage, releasing those warriors of old to do his bidding and exact his revenge; the kingdoms of this continent would fall, and the world would bow at his feet.


    ---------


    The sound of metal banging against each other could be heard through the mountain air. A girl was barely holding her own against a man as she managed to block a strike from above. The male then pulled back his sword and made a horizontal slash toward her, which she was able to dodge by stooping down, and she immediately countered with an upward slash, causing him to jump in order to avoid the attack. She didn''t give him time to rest, instead charging in with her black hair swaying behind her and her purple eyes locked on him, her sword flying with a barrage of attacks. The male figure easily dodged the attacks with little effort.


    ¡°Come on, Lyca, is that all you have?¡± With a smile on his face, the male said while blocking one of her attacks.


    This was one of their weekly trainings. Lucas, her brother, would always take her to the top of the mountain to train three times a week, ever since they moved to the nearby town.


    Lyca gritted her teeth against each other as she tried to push her brother back. He held his ground. Stepping back, he used his sister''s force against her, causing her to lose her footing and stumble forward Lucas drove his knee into her stomach, causing her to groan in pain and fall to her knees. He followed through with a right kick to her head, which she managed to block with her left forearm. Pushing away his leg, she immediately sprang to her feet and made two back flips to gain some distance between her brother and herself. Her dark, black hair was blowing across her face while she watched Lucas, waiting for him to make a move. She took a defensive stance with her slim body.


    "What''s the matter, getting scared? You know you''ll never defeat me like that," he said with a smile.


    I had to get close to him. I know I can beat him with my speed.


    "If you''re not coming, Ly, then here I come." He grunted. Lucas made two quick side steps and then a dash for his sister.


    "Here he comes; he''s predictable like this," Lyca thought.


    Lucas thrust his blade forward one, two, and three times, and he continued. Lyca parried them away with much effort. "How long can you block, sis?" Lucas smiled.


    "Don''t worry about me, brother; this time I''ll definitely defeat you." She replied.


    Lyca continued to block, waiting for the right time to strike. Her brother then switched his attack to a vertical swipe left and right, which Lyca dodged by falling to her back and rolling over to her feet.


    "Here it comes," she thought as her brother moved in with a downward slash. -Now Lyca.-


    She blocked his attack, throwing him off balance; she could see the surprise in his light brown eyes and mouth wide open, then Lyca executed a low sweep kick to his left foot, causing him to fall to the ground.


    I can''t lose to her yet. He thought Looking up at the blue sky with not a cloud in sight, he closed his eyes and took a breath. He could smell the cold air of the mountains and feel it as it went through his nostrils. He could also feel the grass in his free hand.


    "Astelisa!" he shouted.


    Lyca was just about to finish the fight when she heard her brother shout the words, and roots erupted from the ground, constricting her movements and wrapping themselves around her.


    "No fair!" she screamed, unable to move. "I thought you said you wouldn''t use any special techniques." "You know I still haven¡¯t unlocked my heiki."


    "Well, I can''t let you beat me now, can I? And besides, you can never trust your opponents in battle, no matter what they say. ""That''s another lesson for you." He laughed, seeing Lyca''s pale skin getting red with anger. She was only eighteen years old and already very skilled with a blade. He watched over her carefully; all they had was each other, and he would do whatever it took to protect her. Lyca watched as her brother approached her, his sword in his right hand, the silver blade glinting against the beams of the sun. She could almost make out the enchantment on it, but couldn''t understand why she was unable to read it. He was dressed in black pants that were torn at the knees from the various training sessions they had. His short sleeved shirt was pressing against his chest from the wind blowing against him; he was about five feet eight inches tall, while Lyca stood a mere five feet three inches. Her lips were as pink as the day she was born. "Maybe next time," he said, kissing her on the forehead and looking her in her purple eyes. He whispered and gently released her from the roots, placing her feet on the ground. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "You''re right, I''ll beat you the next time." Lyca said, laughing. Lucas couldn''t help but smile, removing his sister''s hair from her face and placing it behind her ears. "Let''s go, sis." They departed along the path down the mountainside towards the nearby town where they lived, and while departing, Lucas sensed a strange power and the distance of malicious intent.


    I sense something of great evil is coming, and no matter what, I must protect Lyca. I will stop whatever it is.


    He was staring over the horizon at the sunset, mixed with colors so beautiful he couldn''t even begin to imagine them. Seeing the way the pink and purple mixed with the red and orange, and how the yellow from the sun caused it to glow with such passion, he saw Lyca also admiring the sunset. The calm before the storm


    ¡°Is there something wrong, Lu?¡± Lyca asked, seeing her brother gazing out in the distance.


    "Oh no, everything is fine; I was just thinking about something," he replied with a smile.


    Lyca walked ahead of her brother. She watched as the townspeople shopped and gossiped about things she didn''t understand or didn¡¯t care about. The only thing on her mind was reaching home, stuffing something down her throat, and changing into something clean. She was all sweaty and dirty from training with Lucas all day. The grime on her skin was already hard. She was in need of a bath. Trying to navigate her way through the city of Liasha was a trial on its own, especially at this hour when the city was crowded. At this time, the masses of people came out to town to get what they could eat, while the more privileged people went to their homes, and this made it harder as the streets seemed to shrink with the crowd. They passed a tall building with a sign that said Maverick''s Paradise was made of a rather old material that looked like a type of dark-red wood that gave off a rather peculiar scent to hide the smell of the liquor coming from inside. She had always wondered where they had gotten it from.


    "Brother, do you know what this type of wood is called and where it comes from?" She asked her brother.


    "It''s from an old tree that''s said to be extinct now; it was said to be found deep within the forest of shadows."


    She saw her brother looking at it curiously.


    "Hey, Lyca, go on ahead; I''ll catch up to you." He smiled and entered the building.


    "Hey Lily, what are you doing just standing around?" Lyca turned around to see her best friend Emily grinning at her with an excited smile and two guards standing behind her. "So what''cha doing?"


    "Oh, nothing." She replied with a smile. ¡°I was just heading home to take a bath and change into something clean.¡±


    They began walking as Emily told Lyca about her day and how her mom had bought her some new clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my place. "I''m sure I have something that can fit you.¡±


    Emily and Lyca were almost nothing alike, except maybe for their height. They had almost nothing in common. Emily always had a smile on her face and was an energetic and friendly person. She didn¡¯t find it hard to make new friends where Lyca was and didn¡¯t like talking much, but once someone tried to befriend her or talk to her, she would talk back and try her best to be friendly. Emily always wore something extravagant when Lyca saw her. This time she had on a blue sleeveless dress made of silk with a line of red rubies running down the side of her torso and into a split starting a little above the knee to the length of the dress, which stopped at her ankles. She wore a gold chain around her neck and a pair of emerald earrings matching the color of her eyes. Lyca noticed two extra bodyguards not far behind them, hiding just in case something went wrong.


    "Not very good at stealth," she thought.


    They continued their journey to Emily''s house with no problems.


    ----------


    Lucas heard Emily yell to his sister from outside the building. Emily always seems to be happy. The air inside was filled with the smell of smoke and liquor. The smell irritated his nose. Lucas never liked to smoke or drink. He was wondering why he had even entered the bar. It was the ominous feeling from earlier, the feeling that something was wrong. A presence he had never felt before was coming. He approached the bar and asked the bartender if Devon was there. The bartender took him around to the back, passing a fat man with a thick brown beard and two girls who appeared to be in their early twenties dancing on him with their tops off, exposing their breasts and pink nipples. He couldn''t imagine his sister in a place like this. The well rounded man was squeezing one of the girls. Lucas turned his face away in disgust and wondered if the girls had any family and why they were even doing this kind of job. They continued walking towards the back, passing more topless girls.


    Why does he even stay here? That was the next thing he thought as they reached a black door that had multiple locks, a plaque in the design of a lion''s head with spikes going around its neck, and red rubies for eyes. Lucas felt like he was being watched. The bartender opened the door, and a slight gust of breeze came from the inside.


    "You may enter Lucas." A voice proclaimed from within as the bartender motioned him forward.


    I knew I was being watched.


    Lucas entered the dark room, and the door closed behind him. The room was suddenly lit up, with blue flames surrounding the bottom edges where the floor met the wall. In front of him was a desk and a man sitting behind it. a scar over the left eye and another in the shape of an X on his right cheek. There was nothing hanging on the walls, just a pale room. "How can he stay in here?" Lucas wondered as he stepped forward.


    "What brings you here, Lucas?" The man asked in a deep voice.


    "Forgive me for bothering you, Devon, but I sensed a strange power earlier and wanted to know if you knew anything about it." Lucas asked with a look of worry on his face.


    Devon began scratching behind the ear of the lion that lay next to him. Lucas observed as its tail turned into a blue flame. "Do you think I should tell him, buddy?" Devon spoke in a low tone as he questioned his lion. "Dark days are ahead, Lucas, and you must prepare her. You can not keep her from her true path. You have done well training her in the art of the blade, but you have kept her here for too long. My sources tell me about a mage to the west with powers comparable to yours, maybe even a member of the Queen''s Guards.


    Devon''s psychic abilities have never been wrong before. - I must protect Lyca at all costs; she''s the only family I have.


    ---------


    It was now nightfall; the sky was filled with stars, and the moon was just making its way up to the sky to shine its light on the planet. On the mountain where Lyca and her brother trained earlier, there was a flash of light, and from that light emerged six figures. ¡°So the child of prophecy is here in this city. "Bring her to me.¡± A figure in a dark cloak holding a staff spoke, and three of the other figures disappeared into the night.

 Unexpected Visitor

    The three figures emerged from a dark alley within the city walls. Seated in the darkness on a wooden crate was man dressed in a hooded jacket with sleeves torn off revealing a tattoo of a skull with other markings that were barely visible in the dark alley. He was placed in the city a few months ago after his leader heard about a girl in the city with a birthmark resembling a dragon. The leader had sent in him here after hearing about this girl with the mark to search for her and report back to him after finding the girl.


    He wanted to find her as he knew about the prophecy and the actions, he was about to intake were of no-good intention. He knew that one day this child may try to stop him, and he had to end her life before it was too late. It was a few weeks ago when he heard from his spy, confirming the rumours about such a girl. Learning the location of the child, he made his way to the forgotten God¡¯s Hand Seal, which is currently unknown to the current God¡¯s Hand Clan. Within this seal are hundreds, maybe thousands, of warriors, whom he can summon and control, making them do his bidding. Now that he knows where the girl is, it''s time to take his first step down the path of vengeance.


    "Oh, you¡¯re finally here!¡± The man sitting in the dark spoke, lifting his head to look at three figures standing before him.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± A male standing in the centre of the three figures spoke.


    ¡°You can find her at the house of the lords, in the centre of the city. "It''s the biggest building; you can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    With that said, the figures vanished in the darkness again. "Well, time for me to have my fun.¡± the man spoke with a sinister smile on his face. ¡°Oh Lucas, let''s have some fun, shall we?¡± he asked while walking towards the exit of the alley and watching the people as they passed by.


    --------------


    "So did you beat him this time?" Emily asked, her eyes searching her friend''s face.


    "No, I lost, but it was closer than last time."


    Lyca had already taken a shower at Emily¡¯s place and now wore one of her friend''s leggings and blouse. Two of them were now at Emily''s house. It was a stupendous structure, something like a palace. Emily¡¯s parents are of noble status and are the lords of this small town. The building had twenty guards on regular patrol around gates and walls surrounding the buildings 24/7. Lyca figured the house had about twenty bedrooms; she had never explored the entirety of the building, but Emily had told her they had about fifteen bathrooms total in the main building, which was five stories high. The structure was composed of five different buildings along the courtyard, two on each side, and the main building at the far end with a luscious garden in front of it. East wing and west wing.


    She knew the buildings on the east wing were called Avion, named after Emily¡¯s great grandmother; this was where Emily''s room was located on the second floor, and building two was Or¡¯yat, meaning knowledge for those who seek it. Within this building was a library with thousands of books. Lyca would spend most of her time there when she was training with Lucas or hanging out with her friend. Being the only daughter to her parents and a daughter of nobles, Emily was treated like a princess and was expected to marry one of the princesses someday, which she always hated the idea of. Lyca couldn''t quite remember what the buildings on the west wing were called. There was a walkway that led from the gate that branched off to all five structures, and in the middle of the courtyard was a most magnificent fountain. On it were perfectly carved angels and dragons. The master of such creation made sure that every detail on his or her masterpiece was perfectly carved into place. Each scale on the dragon seemed to have a life of its own, and the eyes burned with power. The wings of the angels were edged to perfection. Lyca was always mesmerized by how the angels and dragons seemed to be alive when the moonlight hit them. She could imagine herself flying on a dragon and dancing with the angels. She adored the view from the window of Emily''s room. Emily was still talking about her day and how she was going to meet the prince the following day. Lyca has never seen the prince but has heard he is handsome beyond words. Lyca watched as Emily picked out what clothes and jewellery to wear, asking her what she thought about them.


    "No matter what you wear, you''re going to look stunning." She said smiling at Emily.


    "I know, but I want to look perfect, you know." She replied with a sad face and continued going through her endless barrage of clothing.


    Unaware to them that as they spoke to each other three figures hiding its presence in the darkness were heading straight for them. All dress in black and carry swords at their sides. ¡°We must capture her alive,¡± the male in the front.


    ------------


    "Protect her if you may, but do not try to keep her from her destiny; the world needs her." He said the last words with a sternness that Lucas understood. "You must leave this place, for darkness is soon upon us." Lucas and Devon spoke for quite some time in the small room before Devon decided to end the conversation.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    With that, Lucas thanked Devon for his time and left, saying nothing more, for he knew what Devon said was true. He must begin Lyca''s true training. While walking to the exit, he noticed that the building was almost empty. All the girls and men who were there when he arrived have gone; only empty stools and tables littered with empty alcohol bottles and the bartender, and a customer remain. He sat facing the bartender with a cup of red liquid in front of him. He wore a hooded jacket with the sleeves torn, revealing a tattoo on his upper right that appeared to be a skull with a blade going through it from bottom to top and snakes colored red warping themselves around the skull. This was the same man who sat in the darkness. The stranger turned and faced Lucas. His eyes were purple, like his sisters'', but they lacked the purity and curiosity that had been drained from them; the life that had been drained from them had been replaced with a lust for blood. as their gazes collided with each other''s. "Hello Lucas, I''ve been waiting for you," the bald stranger said with a smile.


    This gave off an unpleasant feeling that Lucas did not quite trust immediately as his sense of battle kicked in.


    "Identify yourself." Lucas demanded. "What do you want with me?"


    "There is no need for introductions; you will not live to remember them." He replied to the stranger with a smirk on his face. Placing his hand on his sword that was set on the counter in front of him,


    "I suggest you go back to where you came before it''s too late." He advised the stranger. Instead, the tattooed man retrieved his sword from the counter. He unsheathed it and made a rush towards Lucas, thrusting his sword towards him. Lucas was surprised by his speed but was able to quickly dodge by twisting his body to the left. Seeing this, his attacker then swung his sword in the direction Lucas dove. Again, Lucas quickly dove, evading his opponent''s blade, and stepped backwards while ducking to get out of his attacker''s range. The stranger continued his attacks with thrust after thrust, followed by vertical and horizontal swings.


    Lucas managed to dodge all of the strangers'' attacks gracefully; it was like he was dancing to his own tune, side stepping, ducking, and stepping back, evading each attack with ease at the same time, evading and twisting his body around each of the stools and chairs, or jumping on and off a table when he was close to one in the room, before his opponent slashed through them. His hand was in the pocket of his pants while he dodged his opponent''s blade. He could tell just by the way the man moved that he was leagues beyond him; the way he held the sword, and the placement of his feet were all off. - He has gravely underestimated me. Why is he even attacking me in the first place?


    The stranger was now getting frustrated. He then held his sword to his mouth and whispered something Lucas could not hear. A purple cloud began to engulf the blade. The cloud seemed to have a reddish glow to it.


    -Dark Heiki. so he can control his heiki. But I''m sure that won¡¯t make a difference. -


    He looked at Lucas with an evil smirk. Swung his sword with an "argh," releasing an energy blast in the form of a crescent. Lucas dodged again, twisting his body to the left. The blast ripped through the forest behind Lucas, tearing it to shreds before crashing into the wall with a loud booming sound. Lucas narrowed his eyes on his challenger. I need to end this quickly.


    "I ask you again, who are you and what do you want? I implore you to act now, before it''s too late. I have not killed for a while now, so please let me keep it that way"


    "And I tell you again, you won''t live to remember; I¡¯ll be the one doing the killing today."


    The stranger then continued releasing his energy attacks with an "argh" sound after each swing. He saw he was getting nowhere as Lucas continued to dodge his attacks effortlessly. He then placed his open palm on the ground and said something Lucas could not hear. The ground around his palm began to glow. A snake made of the same type of energy emerged from Lucas, disintegrating the pieces of furniture in its path.


    Lucas, seeing the attack coming his way, caused roots to erupt from the ground around him, breaking through the wooden floor and shielding him from the energy blasted. The snake collided with the wall of roots, exploding with a thundering boom. Lucas decided it was time to put an end to this foolish squabble and took the smoke to conceal his presence from his opponent. He then dashed at the stranger from out of the smoke, having no time to react and being caught off guard by Lucas¡¯ speed. There was a flash of silver. Then the air was engulfed by the scent of blood. He saw Lucas looking into his eyes with such calmness and a glint of joy that it scared him. He has never seen this type of emotion in a fight. He could now see the difference in their strengths because he was so relaxed; judging Lucas'' ability solely based on spying on him while sparring with Lyca was a mistake. Then the pain came. His right arm was gone, replaced with a stream of blood. As he looked into Lucas'' calm green eyes, his eyes widened, and he shook uncontrollably.


    Lucas could see the fear in his opponent''s eyes. It seems he has realized the difference in power and now knows that he is going to die here. He then drove his knee into the man''s stomach. He coughed up blood. falling to his knees. Lucas then tilted his head with the tip of his sword and said, "I ask you again, stranger, who sent you?"


    The man just laughed¡ªI underestimated him¡ªand said, "You shouldn''t be worried about me; I''m just here to stall." Lucas, realizing what he was after, opened his eyes with fear and said, "Lyca." He said it with astonishment in his voice. The stranger laughed again and spat blood. Lucas narrowed his eyes on his opponent again. Eyes narrowed in determination, and there was another flash of silver through the air, and blood filled the air as he separated his foe''s head from its body; it fell limp to the ground. Lucas rushed to the exit, where he was greeted by the king''s men, who were tasked with assisting Emily¡¯s parents in protecting this town. Their armor gleamed in the light of the full moon.


    -Damn it. I don''t have time for this.

 The Assassins

    The night air was calm and had a soothing feel to it. Lyca sat at the window, enjoying the cool night breeze. She looked at the courtyard and watched as the fireflies danced majestically on the lawn. She watched the waves of water as they moved gently in the fountain. She listened to the water as it poured down from the shower. Emily was taking a bath, and she was left alone to enjoy the beauty of the night. She had always enjoyed the calmness that came with it. But she felt something was wrong; the night seemed to be a bit too silent.  The insects of the night were gone, and not a sound could be heard from outside, which she found a bit strange. She began to focus her hearing more diligently to see if she could pick up anything.


    -Footsteps!-


    The reason why these footsteps caught her by surprise was because they were moving stealthily throughout the building and were moving quickly to their location; from what she could hear, there were about 3 of them. Unbeknownst to her, these three figures were executing anyone who got in their way. Hearing the sounds outside, Lyca quickly grabbed her sword and went into the shower to warn her friend not to make a sound. She turned off the shower and left the bathroom. A shuddering sound was followed by a thud right outside Emily''s bedroom door. A sudden "bang" came from the room as the intruders stomped the door open.


    Three people wearing all black walked into the room and looked around until they saw Lyca standing in the middle of the room with her thin silver blade drawn and ready for battle. The two at the back wore long-sleeved tops with masks that appeared to be attached to their tops, revealing only their eyes. They seemed to have a bloodlust for her, almost animal-like. The outfit they wore was pressed tightly against the body. The one on the left looked at her and slanted his head. Lyca guessed he was smiling by the way his mouth moved under the mask, and without warning, he dashed at her. He was fast, and Lyca just managed to dodge the swing of his sword by stepping back as he swung his sword. He smelled of blood, and she could sense his intent to kill. He then began to swing wildly, laughing with every swing. Lyca blocked each attack. Her opponent was strong, and she could feel her arms getting weaker with each attack she blocked.


    Her arms were tiring; she could no longer afford to block for much longer; she needed to counter soon. She parried away the next attack; her opponent then made a thrust with his sword, stained with blood, at her. She avoided his attack by twisting her body to the left while drawing the dagger from her side. He couldn''t block her attack or get out of the way, so she hit him in the back of the elbow, tearing the ligaments and making the arm useless. Then she placed the dagger back in its sheath, which was attached to her left thigh. At the same time, she was swinging her sword at the back of his right knee as she twisted her body and came to a stop on her knees. Her movement was flawless. Her opponent tried to sidestep Lyca''s attack, but it was too late; the damage had been done, and his right leg was now useless. He fell to the ground, screaming in agony. He pulled himself back to the door where his comrades stood and yelled, " You fucking bitch!" while groaning in pain.


    The one on the right spoke "careless as always. Underestimating your opponent Reckless." It was a girl. She sounds frustrated at her partner''s ways of attacking. Lyca could now see the curvature of her body as she made her way out towards her. Lyca could tell she was different from her partner; she seemed to be more in control. "I have to be careful with her." The female assassin suddenly made two quick steps and was close enough to strike, so she swung her sword horizontally. Lyca immediately jumped back, dodging her opponent''s attack and almost catching her in the mid-section. The female assassin then thrust her blade forward at Lyca, who quickly sidestepped and closed the distance between them. Now standing next to the female assassin, she quickly cut the ligaments behind her elbow in the same manner that was done to her comrade before her, causing her opponent to scream as she dropped her sword to the ground. She then grabbed a dagger from her waist while still working and rushed in at Lyca, aiming for her head. Lyca immediately ducked the attack, and in that same instance, she withdrew her dagger, took a step forward while crouching, and came up behind the female, separating the ligaments behind her knees. The female made a pained scream before falling to the ground on her buttocks and quickly scurrying away with a look of surprise and anger in her eyes at Lyca''s swift movements. Now it was just her and the final assassin, who appeared to be the leader of the group.


    "Incredible, " he said, "I didn''t imagine you were this capable. My accomplices underestimated you. "Now you fight me." This man spoke in a calm manner. as if he was trying to make it seem that he was going to kill her without making a big deal of it. Lyca was now more cautious and took up a defensive stance with her sword held out in front of her. He seemed relaxed and had a slight smile as he spoke. He was the only one who did not have a mask over his face. He had thin eyebrows and red hair matching his blood red eyes. Lyca figured he was indeed strong, given his way of speaking. not wanting to underestimate her opponent.


    "My name''s Arvin, by the way.¡±


    With that, he seemed to vanish with incredible speed and reappeared in front of Lyca; her eyes widened at Arvin''s speed. She didn¡¯t have time to react; he then punched her in the mid-section, causing her to spit blood as she coughed up the air that was knocked from her lungs, falling to her knees.


    Such speed, she thought. -And power.- Suddenly, a scream was heard. They both looked in the direction of the sound. Lyca saw her friend, already dressed in black leggings and a yellow blouse, staring at her with fear in her eyes.


    She managed to shout one word to her friend: "RUN!" But before Emily could move, Arvin had already used his speed to appear in front of her and grab her by the neck, lifting her off the ground and choking the life from her body. Emily squealed and kicked her legs, struggling for her life under the man''s grip.


    No, not Emily I can''t let her die.


    as her anger flared at her weakness and her inability to protect her friend. Her thoughts began to race: "No, not Emily; she¡¯s the only friend I have. I can¡¯t let her die. Not like this; I have to do something; move, Lyca, move. Lyca¡¯s body began to emit a blue aura that Arvin felt and looked behind him to see lyca standing on her feet and the blue energy around her. It seems Lyca has found new strength. "Interesting." He said it softly, with a curious look on his face.


    "PUT HER DOWN!!! " She roared at him. He dropped Emily on the ground, and there was a thud as she hit the ground, already unconscious. Lyca could feel a new power coursing through her veins. "What is this power? It feels incredible!" she thought as a smile crept across her face. The other two assassins looked at her in awe, seeing the blue aura surrounding her. Lyca suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Arvin; her speed has almost quadrupled, and she fired a punch at him. Arvin was able to keep up with Lyca''s newly acquired speed and block her attack. The collision echoed a thunderous boom as her fist landed on Arvin''s arm, which he crossed as he blocked the attack to lessen the impact of the blow. And a shock wave was sent throughout the room, blowing away the stools, tables, and clothes that littered the room. Arvin couldn''t help but smile -Her strength and speed has increased tremendously, incredible.-  "Let''s have some fun," he whispered to Lyca.


    Lyca''s eyes flickered with anger as she focused on Avrin. She was going to beat him to death for hurting Emily. Her heart was racing as the adrenaline pumped through her veins, and her senses were enhanced as she could feel everything in the room. She could hear the nervous breathing of the two previous assassins she defeated earlier, hear the slow but steady beat of Emily''s heart, and smell the blood as the scent hung in the air. She could hear the water pouring from the statue in the center of the yard as the water landed in the pool and sent ripples throughout it. Feel the cool in the air; it was like everything just came to life. Her aura danced around, revealing its blue hue. It was dense, but it danced freely around her with no restrictions. Arvin looked on with excitement; the thrill of the fight littered his eyes. He could sense Lyca¡¯s killing intent.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "I see you have some tricks up your sleeve, but that won''t save you, little girl." Avrin said, pushing her a few feet away. With the space between them, he held up his right hand in front of him and formed a thin layer of gray mist about three inches thick and four feet long. After a second, it dispersed, revealing a sword with a thin black blade. "Pick up your sword, girl." He said it with a smile on his thin lips.


    Lyca moved to pick up her sword from beside the bed, not taking her gaze away from her opponent for a second. As she picked up her sword, Arvin immediately dashed at her with an overhead slash, but she managed to block the attack by raising her sword over her head. Arvin already saw this and followed through with a kick to her stomach. Lyca was sent crashing into the bed. She groaned in pain, but knowing she had no time to rest, she launched forward with a right horizontal slash. Arvin blocked with his sword, and sparks flickered through the room. However, she continued to twist her body in a full circle and followed through with a low sweep kick to his left foot. He simply lifted his leg and stepped back. Lyca then came up with an upward slash, which Arvin dodged by shifting his body to the left. Lyca then released a barrage of attacks, which Arvin blocked.


    He then countered, pushing Lyca back, and followed through with an overhead slash. Lyca was able to block it by holding her sword above her head with two of hers, but this Arvin attacked with more force than before, and she was sent to her knees, gritting her teeth from the pain that was sent through her body from the force of the blow. "At least you aren''t slow, little girl." He was taunting Lyca. She quickly moved her blade from under her opponent''s, causing him to lose his balance momentarily, giving her enough time to roll backwards and get to her feet. She took up an offensive stance and dashed towards Arvin with multiple attacks; he dodged, parried, and blocked all her attacks.


    "Brother, where are you? I need your help."


    -------------


    "Do you mind explaining to me what happened here, Lucas?" The captain of the guards asked with a more demanding tone. He knew Lucas was strong and knew he could not defeat Lucas so easily¡ªthat is, if he could defeat Lucas. He also heard the stories of these two, brother and sister. People say that Lucas was a member of the queen''s personal bodyguards on the Ambodian Continent. Only those with true strength and loyalty can be in this band. Even though the general of the king''s army personally asked him to ensure that nothing bad happened to these two, he was still a young man, perhaps in his late twenties, so he found the stories difficult to believe. - Lord Isaac de'' Cameron, the fourth. General of the king''s army, conquered the lands of Theria, Alabaster, and all the way to the Mountains of the Great Ones. Now housed by three lower kings all of whom are ranked at master level or above.- But he was not going to be belittled by a nobody, even if Lord Cameron saw them worthy of his protection. since the general has also told him that the two have no idea he is watching over them and to keep it that way. Cameron knew that if Lucas found out about this, he would be angry, and the trust Lucas had in him would be no more, so this had to be kept a secret.


    "Sir Matthew, I''m sorry about the ruckus caused here, but I had to defend myself."


    "Defend yourself?" "Defend yourself from what?"


    "An assassin," Lucas said bluntly.


    Matthew had a confused look on his face. There''s no way a common assassin can cause this much damage to a building. Looking at the structure now, it was a complete mess. Certain parts of the walls had holes  while others had cracks in them. Some of the holes looked like they were made by a sword cutting through the wall. "And where might this assassin be?"


    "You can find him dead inside. "But I must leave now."


    "I''m afraid I still have more questions for you. As a result, I''ll need you to accompany me to my headquarters."


    "I do not have time for this, sir Matthew. "My sister''s life may be in danger." He informed Matthew, managing to suppress the agitation building up in his blood.


    "Tell me where your sister is, and I will send my men to retrieve her immediately." He said it again, sounding again like he was demanding Lucas do so. Lucas knew he could take out these so called guards with little effort. He had no idea how someone as weak as Matthew got the title of sir bestowed upon him; maybe the warriors were just weaker than where he came from. Lucas knew if he did not comply with Matthew, it could be trouble later on. So he went and watched as the other guards, clad in silver armor lined with gold around the joints, were sent out towards Emily¡¯s house to look for his sister.


    Lucas started looking around for an escape route as he followed Sir Matthew while the other guards led him to the headquarters of the city''s protection team. He only hoped that those ¡°so called¡± knights Matthew sent would reach Lyca on time.


    Then he saw his exit, an alleyway between two buildings, and immediately made a run for it. He went through a dark alley between a row of concrete buildings.


    "AFTER HIM!" yelled Matthew.


    "Well, he seems angry," Lucas thought with a playful smile on his face. The alley had many twists and turns, which he found a bit annoying. It seemed that some of the guards weren''t as slow as he thought. It seems they caught up to me faster than expected. Only three.- They came from the rooftops, which explained why they caught up to him, ignoring the different twists and turns he had to make. One of them jumped from above, trying to land on him. Lucas easily dove and rolled forward, evading his hunter. The other two were already in front of him, rushing towards him. The first one grabbed at him, and he easily twisted his body to the left and used the momentum of the guard to send him flying to the ground with a simple hit on the back of his neck. The other drew his sword, expecting Lucas to stall, but Lucas simply hopped on the sides of the building, only a few feet apart, going left, right, and left, still moving forward, until he was behind the guard and landed on the ground. The guard let out a thrust to Lucas'' upper shoulder, trying to slow him down, but Lucas just pushed the blade aside with his open palm, moved in closer to the guard, and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the neck and continued running. The other guard that jumped at him stopped to check on his companions, giving Lucas enough time to escape. He saw an open door to his right and entered. I''ve got to get to the roof.


    He immediately went up the stairs and soon arrived on the roof after going up three flights of stairs. His eyes were set on Emily''s house, and he began running. While he was running atop the roof, he saw the guards that were sent after his sister taking their time walking. -Damn bastards. Hold on, sis, I''m coming.


    --------


    "If this is all girls, then you won''t be able to win. Hahaha!" Arvin exclaimed as he parried yet another one of Lyca''s attacks. and stomped her in the chest. She was exhausted and breathing heavily. She had multiple cuts to her arms and legs. Each time her opponent parried one of her attacks, he would cut her on a part of her exposed body and taunt her. Even with her newfound prowess, this guy was just playing with her.


    Stop playing with her, you fool. Hurry and bring her to me!


    Arvin heard a voice¡ªa very angry voice¡ªrun through his mind. "It appears our time has come to an end. "I must end our little bout." He said it in a calm voice. As he stood still, the sword in his arms dispersed into many tiny pieces, turning into a blue mist that formed around his right hand. Lyca just watched, preparing for the worst. "Viper''s Fang." Arvin said in a low voice, and the blue mist turned into what looked like a viper''s head with its fangs bared. He then charged at her. She could see everything in slow motion, but she couldn''t move as his attack rushed towards her.


    "Is this how I die?" She whispered under her breath.

 The Fallen

    Lyca just knelt there as she saw the world move around her in slow motion; she felt as if she were frozen in time, hands slumped to her sides. Even with her new power, she was unable to win. Arvin was getting closer to her, his right arm engulfed in a blue aura held at his side as he came at her. He was now in front of her, driving his viper like hand at her chest.


    "This is it, I''m going to die," I love you, brother."


    Where were the last words that came to her mind? But the attack never hit her. She looked up at Arvin''s arm, and something was stopping it from reaching her, holding him at bay. Where his viper like attack had stopped, there appeared to be a distortion in space itself.


    - A barrier? But how can she cast a barrier this strong? He was baffled by this. Suddenly something attacked him, and he was forced to jump back to evade the attack.


    Lyca looked at what had supposedly saved her life in awe. It was a creature she thought was beautiful. She could tell that it was about four feet off the ground while on all fours and that its length was about six feet. It was a lion, but this one was white, and it had a frosty white mane. On the tip of its tail was a flame that burned blue and was gentle like the ocean. It walked casually from left to right in front of her, staring down her attacker. Its eyes were Arctic blue. They also had a calming feeling to them; she couldn''t explain it, but she felt safe around this beast. It let out a soft growl, and a frosty white fog escaped from its mouth. Arvin was now standing in a defensive stance, preparing for the beast to attack, while the other two looked on in horror. "A white lion, also known as an Arctic lion, from Frostia The frozen lands It is said that the flame on its tail is what keeps it warm in the icy fields, and it wields incredible ice and fire abilities. "You''re a long way from home, beast; where is your master?" The white lion lowered its head and growled slightly louder, revealing its perfect, sharp, white teeth. White mist escaped from between its teeth. Lyca stared at the beast with awe and confusion, wondering why this creature would try to protect her from all people, and where did it come from and who sent it?


    "You will not take this girl''s life." A voice resounded in the room in a commanding manner, as if no one could oppose his will. Then, out of nowhere, a man appeared between them, his back toward Lyca. She guessed he was the owner of the voice they had heard earlier. He turned and walked towards Lyca. Arvin maintained his position and watched as the new sojourner kneeled next to Lyca.


    This was her first encounter with this male figure. He was incredibly handsome and looked no older than she was. He had dark black hair and dark brown eyes. His skin was flawless. He wore a white sleeveless jacket that had an insignia she had never seen before, a navy-blue T-shirt underneath, and Persian blue pants. He seemed to resonate with the same aura as the lion. With her newfound abilities, she was able to see the aura of this man and beast but was unable to sense Arvin''s aura. She found this strange. Arvin had changed the defensive stance to one for combat, seeing that his opponent was the master of a creature that is said to be of legendary status. "Are you okay?" he asked Lyca in a pleasant voice. She could only stare at him as he smiled at her. "Do not fear; a friend of your brother has sent me; he figured something like this was going to happen and told you to intervene if ever your life was at stake." He smiled again. "Take your friend and flee; Dol, my beast, will transport you to safety." "I will take care of this guy here," he said, indicating his head toward Arvin. With that, he vanished with incredible speed and reappeared in front of Arvin, catching him off guard and driving a kink into his stomach, knocking him through the walls behind him and out of the house into the yard surrounding the structure. "You must go now." He turned and looked at Lyca before taking off after his opponent.


    Lyca stood and felt her body ache with pain as she moved to her friend, not caring for the two assassins by the door since they were unable to move. "We¡¯re safe now, Emily," she whispered, lifting her friend and placing her on the back of Dol before climbing on herself.


    ----------------------


    "And who might you be?" He asked in a flat tone. The kick had knocked the ball a few meters away from the house and into the yard between the house and the surrounding walls. But as he looked closely at the person in front of him, he could see the insignia on his jacket, and he realized that the person standing in front of him was no mere man but someone who could be a real threat to him. This insignia belonged to a clan that has been around for many generations and was said to be extinct. But standing before him was a member of the God''s Hand clan. As he came to realize this, his expression changed as the fight before him became more dangerous. "Who the fuck is the girl, and why the fuck is a member of an extinct clan standing in front of me?" was all Arvin could think, but he wasn''t going out without a fight by any means. The man did not respond to Arvin''s question but instead asked, "Who sent you?"


    "So that''s how it is."  Arvin smiled and said, "With due time, my master shall reveal himself. "For now, you fight me. "Don''t think you¡¯ll land another cheap shot like before." I can¡¯t hold anything back."


    Arvin then took off with his speed, and as he and his opponent approached each other, they began exchanging blows. However, each attack was either blocked by the other or dodged. Arvin fired a right punch, which his opponent avoided by twisting his body to the left and countering with a backhand strike to his head, which Arvin avoided by ducking under the attack and countering with a full sweep to his leg, which his opponent avoided by backflipping.


    This is getting nowhere. "You asked who I was; my name is Michael. "That will be the last name you hear." He then clasped his hands together and declared, "Ice Spear Barrage." With that, the air around him began to form multiple ice spears. He then released his hands and thrust them towards Arvin, causing the spears to follow suit, whistling through the air as they approached with intense speed.


    Arvin¡¯s eyes widened with excitement as he dove for the ice spears as they came whistling past him. Clasping his hands together, he spoke, "Viper¡¯s Flame," and a vortex of fire surrounded him like a wall. The remaining spears shattered as they made contact with the wall''s flame. A few spears managed to cut him as they flew past before he was able to release his defensive attack. There were several cuts on his arms and body, but no serious injuries. Arvin then stretched his hands to the side, and the vortex of flame split in two and formed around his hands and legs "Fire enhancement," he said. This technique increased his speed and strength by 10%. He then dashed at Michael faster than before.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    a technique used to increase speed and strength. It seems I underestimated him, however.


    ----------- Lucas was running at full speed, and I never knew Emily''s name. The sound of an explosion coming from Emily''s house interrupted his train of thought. What the hell is going on over there? Hang on, sis, I¡¯m coming. As he neared, something caught his eye. What he saw was his sister and an unconscious Emily on a Frost Lion similar to Devon¡¯s but a bit smaller, showing that it was younger "Thank you, my friend," he thought.


    "Brother!" Lyca shouted as the Dol neared Lucas. "You must help him; he¡¯s fighting this guy that almost killed me and Emily. "He''s incredibly strong. "You must hurry, Lu."


    "You shouldn¡¯t worry about him, Lyca. "If he is the master of this lion, I bet he is strong in his own right." Lucas said he lifted his head, sensing a mysterious energy toward the west of the city.


    ----------


    The city of Liasha, surrounded by giant concrete walls, was a small and beautiful city. It was far south of the major kingdoms, encircled by plains and mountains. Only every few months will merchants travel to and from this city due to the dangers that lurk in the mountains and the distance one would have to travel before reaching it. From the nearby mountains, one could see that there were only two roads leading to and from them, south and north. Both roads stopped at the gates of the city, with two guards at each gate clad in silver armor and wearing the same insignia as the guards that were in the city. On top of the walls were forts built for archers, who were also dressed in the same armor. In one of these forts to the far west of the city, a man watched from the shadow with a disappointed and frustrated look on his face. Behind him stood two figures cloaked in darkness as well. He observed the people going about their business after Lucas had killed a member of his clan, The Hidden Viper; he observed the guards searching for Lucas; he observed Lucas holding Emily in his arm; and now some pretender bearing the God''s Hand clan''s insignia. He watched all this from a cloud he formed out of black smoke in front of him. This pretender seemed to be as strong as Arvin, one of his best assassins, or maybe even stronger. This man was the leader of the Viper''s clan, who was also the dark mage Metura, and he was the one who sent the assassins to kill Lyca, never expecting to run into such an inconvenience.


    "Should we go and assist him, leader?" The man standing to his right asked. He wore a hooded jacket over his head, the shadow from the hood concealing his face perfectly in the dark. "No, I have an idea. "Let''s see how they face off against Septom," Metura said with a look of pure evil on his face, and his eyes began to glow an ominous purple. Soon after, he began chanting in an unknown language to the men standing to his rear on both sides.


    ----------


    "Agh..agh...agh." Arvin shouted with each strike he made at his opponent, but the man just dodged them effortlessly, twisting his body left to right and right to left as Arvin thrust his flame engulfed hand at him. Even with his new speed, Arvin could not hit his opponent, showing the difference in speed. Using the flame as a boost, he jumped several meters in the air before stopping and using it again to propel himself toward Michael, increasing his speed.


    Michael then clasped his hands together and said, "I''ve played with you long enough to end this." "Ice Dragon Spear," he said, and the head of a dragon emerged from the ground beneath him, its mouth open; it was about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, before dashing at Arvin, who was unable to dodge due to the speed at which the ice dragon came at him, grabbing him in its mouth, lifting him into the air, and driving him into the ground. Causing a booming sound to be heard through the air, ice was sent flying in all directions, leaving a white fog where the dragon''s spear landed. Approaching where the dragon landed, Michael could hear Arvin coughing in the crater that was left. Reaching the crater with a wave of his hand, he dispersed the fog, revealing a broken Arvin.


    *cough* "You really are from the God¡¯s Hand Clan, aren¡¯t you? "There aren''t many *cough* strong people out there, and I can tell you weren''t going all out." A bloodied Arvin managed to say


    "I¡¯m afraid this is where you die; I have no intentions of answering that question. I¡¯ll make this quick." He spoke and extended his hands, forming a thin ice spear, and drove it into Arvin, but before his spear could connect with him, Arvin vanished. "So you decided to show yourself." Michael spoke to himself and looked up to the west of the city, sensing a mysterious energy. He focused his senses on the energy of Dol, and after finding it, he began to move towards the location.


    ---------


    "Lucas, there you are I¡¯ve been searching for you. ""Why''d you have to go and run off?" Sir Matthew was clearly irritated at having to search for Lucas. Standing in stone streets with houses and stores on both sides of the roads there was nowhere for to run. People were now gathered looking at them due to the attention drawn by the strange lion. That was Matthew, who also sensed the strange energy and turned his head to the west with a look of disbelief on his face. - "What a malicious energy," he thought before ordering the onlookers to go to their homes immediately. "So, you sensed it too." Lucas spoke, seeing the expression on Sir Matthew¡¯s face.


    "Yes, for now, let''s call it a truce," he replied.


    Soon after, a figure was seen running towards them in the distance. As he got closer, the lion began approaching him, and he patted it on the head. "Thank you for saving my sister." Lucas said as he bowed his head in respect.


    "Don''t worry about it; I was sent by Devon because he thought you might need help. I guess he was right; I sense a strange energy coming from the west; we must leave immediately. He explained this to Lucas as he looked to the sky and saw the dark clouds forming.


    Back on the walls inside the dark room, Metura had completed his enchantment, and dark clouds that appeared menacing began to take form in the night sky. And soon after, a purple and yellow runic circle appeared on the ground before them. This was two circles with one on the inside and one on the outside spinning in opposite directions, "a runic summoning technique." Lucas spoke.


    "What are they summoning here and what are they after?" questioned Sir Matthew as he prepared himself and ordered his men to prepare themselves for battle.


    "It''s not so much what they''re summoning as it is who." A runic summon is a rare technique that puts a lot of strain on the body and allows one to summon another person. This is only possible if that person is under some type of curse from the person doing the summon. And to answer your question," he paused, "Lyca, they¡¯re after Lyca; she¡¯s the child of prophecy. ""I was hoping this day would never come." Lucas spoke out. Sir Matthew looked at the girl with disbelief, and Lyca looked at her brother with the same expression, who just smiled at her and said, "Don¡¯t worry, your pretty little head sis, I won¡¯t let them take you."


    "Neither will I." said the knight "If you are the child of prophecy then there are dark days ahead of us, I will lay down my life for you child. Lucas, get her out here. "I will hold back whatever comes out of this seal."


    With that said, Lucas, Lyca, Michael, and Emily, who was still unconscious, left after wishing the knight and his men good luck.


    A few moments later, the circles stopped spinning and began to lift off the ground, leaving a copy of themselves. After reaching about 7 feet in the air, it released a purple and yellow light, connecting itself to the two on the ground.


    "Prepare yourself, men!" Matthew order.


    After the light had dissipated, it revealed a single figure standing in its shadow. The figure was male and muscularly built, wearing what appeared to be clothing from the days of old. He wore an upper shirt with just two metal shoulder pads connected by chains, brown pants, and what appeared to be a sash around the waist holding layers of strange cloth together. He wore no shoes, and in his right hand he held a sword that had a purple blade with yellow markings and an ancient language inscribed on it. He had a tattoo with black ink on his chest that resembled that of a bear. Looking at him Sir Matthew immediately recognized him from books of the old ages he read when he was younger and couldn¡¯t help but wonder how it was possible, he was looking at a man sealed away for all eternity: "Septom the Fallen."

 A Knights Resolve

    Their feets echoed in the silence of the night as they ran along the stone road. For some reason it seem too quiet knowing that the city was under attack by an unknown enemy. Lucas could do nothing but pray that SIr Matthew and his men could hold their own against whatever came through that runic summon.


    Lyca looked at the two male running in front of her sitting atop Dol with her unconscious friend. She wondered how far she was behind in power seeing that the other man didn¡¯t have a scratch on him and Arvin was just playing with her. And now her brother tells her that she is some child of prophecy, which is why Emily¡¯s family was killed because of her Emily had no home to return to. Even Sir Matthew placed his life on the line to protect her, and the thing is she doesn¡¯t even know what prophecy they were talking about. -But he said dark days were ahead. They expect me to stop that when I couldn¡¯t even protect my friend.-


    ¡°This way,¡± she heard the man who saved her called out as they came to an alley, ¡°I have a teleportation circle up ahead, it will take us to the mountains. My name¡¯s Michael by the way sorry we had to meet like this, Devon speaks highly of you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Thank you saving my sister.¡± Lucas replied following Michael into the alley.


    The alley was a dead end and on the wall at far end of the alley Lyca could see a glowing blue circle with lines separating it into four haves but the lines did not touch each other but ran parallel to the next leaving a cross in the middle and four quarter circles. Within the spacing of the lines where symbols she did not understood. The symbols moved around as if they were alive and the light from the circle seemed pulse out like a heart beating to its own rhythm.


    ¡°You can just walk through the wall and you be transported a few miles south of the city to a very familiar place. I¡¯m sorry I am not strong enough to transport you all to our village. It is quite the distance away and I am only able to transport myself and Dol there using all my energy.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lucas replied as he took Emily off Dol and carried her in his arms. ¡°This farewell for now and take care Michael tell Devon I¡¯ll be seeing him soon.¡± Lucas spoke with smile on his face and told Lyca to enter as he followed behind. Looking back through the alley before going into the teleportation circle he couldn¡¯t help but wish the old man good luck before he vanished into the circle of light but not before getting an ok from Michael. Michael then created a new portal and vanished into it.


    -------------


    The beast of a man gave out a monstrous howl after being summoned. ¡°Ah it feels good to be free of that damned forsaken prison.¡± He stood at 8¡¯3¡± with bulking muscles. He then threw the shoulder pad from off himself. Inhaling the fresh air.


    -Listen to me you fool. I did not bring you here to enjoy fresh air. Kill everyone here or I¡¯ll be sending you back to your prison.-


    -It seem this fool wants me to crush a few bugs. Whatever the case maybe being cursed to follow someone¡¯s command is better than being sealed away for all eternity I always say.- Septom thought before giving out a hefty laugh looking at the men surrounding him. ¡°What pathetic lot they are.¡±


    Sir Matthew looked at his men as they watched at the man standing before them. A monster in his own right. He even heard some of them ask the other what is that ¡°thing¡±. Little did know what stood before them was a man once a true warrior until he was place under an illusion that causes him to kill his family. When he came back to his sense and found out what he had done with insane and killed out his entire clan giving him the name ¡°The Fallen¡±.


    He then bellowed at his men ¡°Calm down!! Railou and Beseth you will fight with me but don''t underestimate this man his power maybe that of a master or greater. Jacob take everyone and evacuate this town. Yelot order the archers to retreat as well, now go both of you!¡± he gave his orders.


    Railou stood to the right of Matthew he was a bit shorter standing at 5¡¯9¡± with an athletic build. Also wearing the same type of armor as his commander with no helmet revealing his golden brown hair and eyes with a well shaven face. He was a man full of pride and confidence in his strength, he was known for his speed. Beseth stood to the left of their commander. He was as tall as Matthew both standing at 6¡¯2¡±. He was a larger man also clad in the same armor with no helmet showing his cement like face. A face that appeared to be made of stone and his silver hair with a full beard. He was known for his usage of defense enhancement techniques.


    Keeping his strongest two at his side and sending out the others to evacuate the town was the best thing Matthew could do. Not underestimating his opponent in a real and taking precautions to protect citizens.


    Septom seeing the other men retreat smiled before yelling out ¡°Where do ya¡¯ think go¡¯in?! I¡¯ll slaughter ya¡¯ all!¡±


    The looked back in fear but as soon as they turned they head to look at him he had already disappeared from where he was standing and closing in on them fast. He was near or the soldiers clad the shining silver armor and bring down his blade ready to cut the man in half before he could kill the man a flaming right fist connected with jaw sending him crashing into a nearby building. This was none other than Railou ¡°Your fighting us.¡± he spoke pointing his thumb to his chest.


    ¡°Oh.. That¡¯s the spirit ma¡¯ boy¡± Septom spoke as he got up. He seem unscathed by the attack. ¡°Show me ya¡¯ full strength, it¡¯s been awhile since i had a real fight ya¡¯ know.¡±


    -Good move Railou that bought the others time to escape and gave Beseth time to prepare an enhancement for us.- Matthew thought before calling out a single word, ¡°Railou.¡± with that Railou returned to his place. Beseth was already standing a spot where he would be behind the tow of them. As soon he reached his spot Beseth spoke out ¡°Divine Enhancement-Enhancement of the Earth Gaurdian- Body of the unmoving Mountain.¡± and then stretched out his hand to touch both Matthew and Railou. This was a technique that increase the durability of the caster and anyone he touches. This technique also used up a lot of heiki to maintain for long periods of time when using it on someone else. This was on his strongest defensive techniques.


    When his hand came in contact with the two there body and armor gave off a green light showing that the enhancement was a success before going back to normal.


    -A divine enhancement. It seems i may have underestimated them.- Metura thought to himself before speaking to Septom through telepathy -I¡¯m leaving now, don¡¯t disappoint me.- Metura then raised his hand opened a portal made of black mist which he and the other men entered before the portal dispersed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die quickly.¡± Septom spoke in serious tone as he stepped out from the hole in the wall and retrieving his sword from where it fell. He then dashed out at Railou and swung his sword at Railou¡¯s head.


    -He¡¯s fast for his size- Railou thought before dodging the attack by ducking at the same time preparing an attack of his own. His right fist became engulfed with flames and he spoke out ¡°Burning Talon¡± driving his fist into Septom¡¯s stomach causing an explosion as it connected with Septom. But this time he wasn¡¯t sent flying, in fact the only reason he was the first time was because the attack had caught him by surprise and was not expecting anyone to be as fast as he was. Taking advantage of his opponent not wielding any type of weapon and knowing he would not be able to block Septom brought his down on Railou with incredible force but the attack was blocked by Sir Matthew who moved just in time to intercept Septom¡¯s blade with his own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop attacking!¡± he yelled at Railou.


    Seeing his commander was able to defend against the attack and giving him an opening to attack once again Railou did as he was told and this time both his hands became engulfed in flames. ¡°Burning Talons.¡± he yelled out unleashing a fury of attacks on Septom pushing him back with each hit, ¡°Rising Burning Talon.¡± he finished his attack with uppercut jumping off the ground and hitting Septom¡¯s chin sending him flying in the air and crashing through the roof of a nearby house which crumbled from the impact. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Thank you commander.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me Railou if it wasn¡¯t for this enhancement I would not have been able to block his attack¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I doubt that was enough to finish him off.¡± Beseth spoke as he came up behind the two.


    ¡°Damn that actually hurt ya¡¯ little punk.¡± Septom spoke pushing the rubble from off him standing up. ¡°Ya¡¯ goin pay for that.¡± He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword he held in his right hand and swung it in an upward motion and roared ¡°Earth Clever.¡± A blast of white light in crescent shape about 15 feet high and 8 feet wide was sent hurtling towards the three ripping apart the stone street in it¡¯s wake.


    --What power!-- They thought.


    ¡°Devine Barrier-Earth¡¯s Guardian Shield!¡± yelled at the same time stomping his right foot in front of him causing a green barrier to rise 20 feet from the ground a few feet in front of them and was 10 feet in length, leaning forward on his right foot he then then brought both fist together causing a yellow barrier to emerge from both sides and slammed together in center. When they collided an image of a tree appeared in the center of the barrier.


    The formed formed not a second too late, for as soon as it was formed the blast of white light from Septom came crashing in. When the two collided there was a thundering boom and explosion of white light and gray smoke was formed surrounding the three. The barrier was able to hold against the the attack displaying a few cracks that only Beseth could. He now understood how strong their opponent was being able to damage his ultimate barrier which was able to defend against early master level attacks. But they did not have time to relax, Septom appeared to left running past the past the barrier with an vicious smile on his face with his sword raised ready to be swung.


    Beseth seeing acted immediately, while turn to face Septom he threw his hands backwards lifting the earth beneath Raikou and Matthew and throwing them a few meters away out of danger. The two looked at Septom and Beseth as they were flying backwards through the air with shock. At the same time releasing the enhancement on them and completely focusing it on himself, his body glowed green just before Septom swung his sword from the upward position and releasing another ¡°Earth Clever¡± towards Beseth who crossed his arms in front of him to block the attack. There was then another blast of light consuming the entirety of Beseth and wiping out a few buildings behind them. Beseth gave out an agonising roar which died out a few seconds later with blast of light.


    With light dispersed there was no sign of Beseth to be seen anywhere. What remained was a path of destruction that lead for about 500 meters. Along the path where debris from the destroyed buildings that were behind Beseth. Only Septom stood in the aftermath surrounded by destroyed structures for about fifty meters. ¡°Who next?¡± he asked, now it seems that he had begun to take things seriously, no longer smiling.


    ¡°Damn bastard. I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Raikou spoke clearly angry.


    ¡°Raikou calm down. I will need to ask to please hold him off for about a minute or two I need time gather enough Heiki.¡±


    ¡°A minute or two huh? If i don¡¯t kill him by then you can have him.¡± Raikou gave Matthew a thumbs up before walking off in the direction of Septom. -Your death will not be in vain my friend, we¡¯ve known each other since we were kids, always had each other¡¯s back.- The memory of him and his friend began to run through his mind flashbacks of when they first met, they both attended the training to get into the King¡¯s third army under the command of General Uhim at the time. He was only 18 then. This was was where they were spotted by Sir Matthew who was recruiting members to join his team in guarding Liasha, a town to the far south of the Great Kingdoms. He remembered the many missions they went on to protect to lords of the town based on intel provided by scouting agents of the city. This was ten years ago and overtime that time he and Beseth had become brothers and seeing him die infuriated Raikou to outmost limit. -Forgive me father but I must use this technique.-


    After walking halfway to Septom Raikou stopped and removed his entire armor and clothing he wore underneath it, leaving him in a full leather suit with no sleeves that hugged his body tightly. He then knelt to one leaning forward he had both hands balled up in a fist and pressed to ground in front of him. ¡°Secret technique of the Clan of the Phoenix, Burn everything and rise from the ashes, Fire guardian lend me your power- Burning Phoenix-.¡± Immediately after speaking the last word a beam of fire red light shot up towards the sky.


    -----------


    High atop a mountain a few miles south of Liasha in the dark of the a blue oval shaped circle appeared and in the center was just darkness like staring into an abyss, a female figure then made its way out and was followed by a male who was holding an unconscious girl in his hand. These three were none other Lyce, her brother Lucas and best friend Emily. After exiting the portal they looked around to figure where they were and immediately recognized it as the place where they train. They then looked back in the direction of the town and gave a final pray before Lucas stated to Lyca that they will rest here for the night or at least until Emily regains consciousness. Lucas then left to hunt food in the woods down the mountain side and arrived a few minutes later with a Grediour, this was a creature that looked almost like deer except its fur was white with powder blue lines like a zebra and had emerald green eyes. That¡¯s when they saw a beam of light shoot up to sky from the direction of the city.


    ¡°Brother, I wonder whats happening over there, is Sir Matthew okay?¡± Lyca asked worriedly.


    ¡°Me too sis but I¡¯m sure the old man will do just fine.¡± Lucas spoke ever so confident showing his reassuring smile. -I just hope he¡¯s okay too sis.-


    While this was happening a few miles north of the city was the remaining of the soldiers and the citizens of the city who were evacuating on horses and carriages who also saw the beam of light and began their prays for their knight.


    In the city were still a few soldiers searching the grounds of Emily¡¯s house for any survivors but what they found was the lifeless body of the nobles and severely injured assassins who they took into custody. While leaving the grounds of the noble they saw fire like beam shot toward the sky from the direction of where Sir Matthew and the the two where. And their line of vision they could some of the larger and tall buildings were no longer standing. ¡°We have to leave this place now.¡± one of them spoke and the remaining five agreed and they departed in the opposite direction with their prisoners.


    ------------


    The beam of light began to get smaller as it retracted back down to the earth and dispersed leaving a ball of fire in its place which also began to disperse revealing a kneeling Raikou who began to stand. His forearms and lower legs were now engulfed in flames. The armor and clothing he had taking off had completely melted, even the ground beneath him glistening red and smoking. Smalls streams of lava formed around him for about three feet. Only the clothing he wore did not burn being made from an inflammable material. Sir Matthew looked at him in awe -So this is the technique of the Fallen Phoenix, impressive his power seemed to have went from an expert to that of a mid master.-


    ¡°Now we begin.¡± Raikou spoke before vanish in a streak of red light and appearing in front of Septom with his arms bent and ready to strike, Septom was caught off guard by his speed and was unable to react to Raikou¡¯s attack. His fist came crashing into the abdomen of Septom causing shock wave which lift some of the debris from off the ground and sent Septom flying in the opposite direction causing him to lose grip of his sword. ¡°I¡¯m not done with you.¡± Raikou spoke before taking off in another beam of light and appeared above Septom who was stealing flying through the air about 20 feet off the ground. This time ramming his fist into Septom jaw sending him crashing into the ground. This caused a huge crater and another shock wave and a magnitude causing the nearby buildings to collapse. Raikou then landed just outside the edge of the crater and looked down at Septom who began to get slowly.


    ¡°Darn bastard. Ya¡¯ actually managed ta hurt me.¡± he spoke wiping blood from the corner of his lips.


    ¡°Sorry I wanted to kill you. This time I won¡¯t just hurt you.¡± -If I hadn¡¯t place my in heike into defence I would of been hurt real bad. Time to take this serious and use my full power.


    Raikou then lifted his arm and thrusted it in a forward motion sending balls of fire towards Septom.


    ¡°This fight has just begun boy.¡± Septom yelled, ¡°Try not ta die too fast.¡± his then emitted a white glow for a split second showing that he had released his full strength. He then raised his hand in fast motion lifting the ground in front of him and blocking the fireballs which exploded on contact. He then rushed towards Raikou and bombarded him with a shower of fist pushing him back a few feet before stopping. Raikou was able to block them but not without suffering damage. Septom was now showing the difference in power between a warrior of the old ages that of the new.


    ¡°Haha!! Ya were able ta block that huh but for how long, a technique that increases your power this much has ta be draining on the body?¡± Septom spoke inquisitively.


    -Darn he¡¯s right, my body¡¯s already beginning to fail, but even if it kills me I will avenge my friend.-


    Sir Matthew was sitting in a crossed leg position meditating with his sword in his lap, gathering his heiki, his body gave off a blue showing his affinity with water. He had already taking off his armor was now shirtless show the many scars on his well toned body. One could tell he has trained tremendously hard just by looking at him and the dangers he had been in. -Its been awhile since I had to use my full power, to think it would take this long for me gather my heiki. I am ashamed of myself haha. But Septom the fallen is my opponent, the power of a peak master maybe even early grandmaster even it kills me I must stop him here to protect the child of prophecy is my duty to not just the king but to the world. I have not yet learned your name spirit but I ask you lend me your power just this once even though my body may not be able to take it.-


    You¡¯re really prepared to die? For the sake of a child you¡¯ve only just met, what he is lying? What if that child is just a mere child? You know your body can not take such a power the last time I tried you almost died.


    -I know but this time..- A picture of Lyca flashed in his head. -I have reason. This is my resolve.-


    Well then say my name, say it out loud so i can hear it¡­.


    ¡°Prince of the waterfall ever so grateful I call upon you to lend me your power as i speak thou name- Hydrophion.¡±


    They spoke resonance and after the speech was finished Sir Matthew¡¯s heiki pulsed out without incredible force blowing away the debris around him another pulse of energy was emitted from the sword which engulfed him in a blue aura another beam light was sent through the air but this one was an ice blue beam that gave out another pulse and disappeared. When the light was gone it revealed Sir Matthew in the same position. Since he was not a blade master and unable to control the power of Spirit Blade properly he did not go under any transformation only the sword had transformed. What was just an ordinary sword now resembled a blade of royalty. The blade was an ice blue color sharpened on both sides. It was about 4 feet long and 4 inches wide. It had blue gem line the fuller and if you looked closely it lines drawn along the blade that formed into a bird on both side with the gems as it eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sir Matthew spoke to spirit with the sword.


    ¡°Now let us kill this behemoth of a man shall we.¡±

 Final Bout

    A blue beam of light could be seen in the distance. The spectators of this beam could not help but stare in amazement and curiosity, confused by the spectacle of multiple beams of light shooting to the air with a purpose unknown to them. Those who were already outside of the city and on route to the main city could not help but feel fearful of what was happening in the distance, while Jacob and Yelot felt concern for their comrades but knew they could had a duty to fulfil and but trust Sir Matthew and the others to defeat this enemy.


    The smell of smoked Grediour lingered in the air around the three of them, Lyca, Emily and Lucas sat around a flame the with three stakes over it with chunks of meat on it. The three of them were eating when blue light went to the sky. ¡°Another one huh?¡± Lyca spoke looking at the light as it disappeared in the distance.


    ¡°Guess things are getting interesting over there.¡± Lucas finished.


    Septom and Railou felt the incredible burst of energy and turned to face the direction of where the energy came from. What they saw was a man walking towards them surrounded by an ice white aura and each step the ground beneath his feet turned to ice. He then came into view Railou was surprised by what he saw. The power radiating from this man was surprising, this man was his captain Sir Matthew. -So you managed to control the power amazing now we have a chance.-


    ¡°Sorry it took me so long Railou, now lets kill this bastard.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha such bold words. Can you back it up, I wonder?¡± Septom spoke and lifted his right arm ¡°Ephicitos come to me.¡± his sword then sank into the ground where it was and then shot up from under his arm a second later and into his open palm. ¡°Lend me your strenght.¡± The sword the gave off a purple glow that changed to gold and the a mixture of both colors before dying out. ¡°Now you will see my true power.¡± The light died out revealing the blade in its true form. A golden blade with purple lines in tribal pattern that resembled a bear, the hilt curved on both sides with claws on the end and on the pommel was bear head made of gold with the eyes and teeth from a purple metal.


    ¡°Septom The Fallen, I don¡¯t know who summoned you or why you are even here but I will not let you slaughter my like you did to your own. Here will be your last stand, this will be your grave.¡± Matthew spoke in a bold and loud tone, this got Railou even more fired up.


    ¡°Oh so ya¡¯ know of me eh?


    ¡°Yes they say you placed under some spell by an enemy and killed your family and entire clan and when you came through saying the massacre drove you crazy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm how nice of the old guy to fabricate such a story. What really happened was I awakened the spirit of my blade but was unable ta control the power, in other words I lost control and it took over. Little did I know the spirit within my blade was once a bloodthirsty beast and his lust for blood was overwhelming. Being sealed away for so long only intensified its hunger. So when I freed it he killed everyone in its path. After that I had nothing to live for so I fulfilled its wishes and killed. I killed so many I lost count. A while after I encountered the Blademaster of my region. That old bastard couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill me so he sealed me away. Now I¡¯m free after how long, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°So what now that you¡¯re free you¡¯re just going kill again.¡± Railou inquired.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t have a choice, I¡¯m under a curse where I must obey the one who freed me and he wants everyone in this city dead. So after I¡¯m finished with ya¡¯ll I¡¯m going after ya men and everyone they took with them.¡± pointing his sword towards the two of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost at my limit commander if we¡¯re going to do this we have to end it quickly.¡±


    ¡°I understand. In that case let''s end this.¡±


    With the last word spoken they both rushed at Septom with incredible speed with Matthew reaching first striking with an overhead slash Septom was able to parry the attack and Railou came the right under the cover of Matthew¡¯s attack, fist engulfed with fire. Septom seeing Railou unable to counter or block braced himself for the attack as it came crashing into his ribs, grimacing with pain. The attack pushed him back and Matthew followed up with a horizontal slash which Septom was able to block. ¡°Flames of the Phoenix!¡± This time Railou came from above, Matthew anticipating the attack moved away.


    -Damn bastard.- ¡°Docedia!¡± Septom yelled out and doing so the earth around him shot up to Railou. His fist came crashing into the earth causing a loud explosion and a shockwave pushing him back. Septom smiled and prepared to launch himself at Railou but before he could do so ¡°Icicle Storm!¡± Matthew called out extending his arm and a barrage of icicle spears were launched at Septom forcing him to dodge jumping to the left and following through with an attack of his own swinging his sword at Matthew ¡°Spiral Earth¡± causing multiple rocks to shoot at Matthew in the form of cones spiraling towards him. ¡°Ice Wall¡± Matthew placed his hand on the ground bringing forth a massive earth wall which the rocks collided with and became lounged in the wall. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Argh, darn it.¡± Railou landed a few meters away just in time to see the exchange, seeing Septom¡¯s attack smashing against his commander¡¯s. Septom not wasting anytime and dashed towards Matthew. Getting back up to his feet could help but stumble back to his -Darn I can''t this form up much longer.- Cough cough, Railou was now coughing up blood the strain the form took on the body was beginning to show, ¡°I only have enough strength for one final attack. Gotta make it count.¡± Raiou closed his and began to generate as much heiki as he can, his body then began to glow a fire red focusing all his remaining strength into one final attack.


    Both swords slammed against each other multiple time and with each clash a shock wave was sent through the air causing the debris from the falling buildings to be blown away.


    ¡°Earth Clever¡± Septom¡¯s golden and purple clade gave a white glow.


    ¡°Ice Prince¡¯s Wrath¡± the sword of the knight began to glow an ice blue.


    Both blades collided with each other causing a massive explosion and sonic boom to sound through the air. The earth around them shattered and parts of the earth turn to ice as they flew through the air and both men was push back. Matthew landed on his back from the force of the blast and rolled a few times before stopping and lying on his back. While Septom landed on his feet and was able to stop himself by stabbing his sword in the ground. Not giving this opponent time to get to his feet he immediately launched himself through the air and came crashing down on Matthew driving his knee into the the chest of his enemy.


    ¡°AAAARRRRRGHHHH!!!¡± Matthew gave off an agonizing scream that rang through the air. This caused Railou to open his eyes and what he was Septom driving a kick to Matthew who was hunched over on all limbs. When the kick connected he was sent flying through the air a few hundred meters and came crashing into some buildings that still stood from the aftermath. ¡°COMMANDERRRR!¡± Railou called out seeing his commander flying through the air crashing into the buildings. ¡°This should do it, lend me your strenght ¡®Body of the Phoenix¡¯ everything shall return to ash.¡± his entire body then became engulfed in a vortex of flame.


    The rise in his power caught Septom¡¯s attention, ¡°Oh, ya just full of surprises ain¡¯t cha boy. But I can tell you''re at your limit.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. This ends now.¡±


    Railou dash at Septom at full speed creating a shock wave in his wake and line of flames on the ground dashing towards Septom. ¡°Ya¡¯ wanna die so bad, then be my guest. Ephicitos¡¯ Beheader!¡± Septom called out as he swung his sword in an upward motion towards Railou releasing a purple wave in a crescent form that rip the ground apart as it moved along its path.


    ¡°Burning Phoenix Fist!¡± Railou form a fist with his right and punch forward smashing his hand against the energy blast from Septom stopping it in its path causing them to come to stand still try to push the other back - I will not let you death be in vain my friend.- ¡°Burning Phoenix Burst¡± this technique increased Railou¡¯s speed giving him the power needed to break through Septom¡¯s attack causing the energy plast to scatter into little purple lights in the air. It appears as if millions of fireflies where in the air but instead of green lights it was purple. They appeared to moving in slow motion as Railou made his way to Septom who opened his eyes in surprise and try to swing his sword at Railou who was only a few steps away from him. But before he could hit Railou he disappeared leaving only an after image of himself that Septom cut through. Opening his eyes wide in disbelief as Railou appeared a few feet above him ¡°This is where you die, Burning Phoenix From Ashes to Dust Flame of the last Phoenix.¡± the flames around Railou began to take the shape of a Phoenix as came down through the air making his way to his target.


    Septom tried to move but before he could he felt a coldness at his feet and what he saw as he looked down was both feet were clutched in ice holding in place and a path of ice the led to broken building and there was a beaten, bloodied and battered Matthew with a smile on his face, ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°DIEEE!¡± were the last words Septom heard as he looked up before Railou came with his fist smashing against Septom¡¯s face and continuing splitting his body in half before crashing into the ground causing a powerful explosion sending vortex of flame into the air and creating a shockwave over 300 meters in each direction and crater about 100 meters in diameter. When the dust cleared there wasn¡¯t a sign of Septom left. His body was burned to ashes. ¡°We did it Beseth now you can rest in peace.¡± Railou thought as he lied in the center of the crater. He could feel his body was at its limit. His entire body ached from the strain he had just put it through. -Damn. Guess I¡¯ll be joining you soon my friend.- The Body of the phoenix technique exponentially increases one¡¯s power at the cost their life. A forbidden technique from the Phoenix clan. As states ¡®everything shall return to ash. As Railou laid there he could her footsteps approaching him and had to force his open, just moving his eyelids hurts. What he saw was a beaten, limping Matthew.


    ¡°We did it Railou.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but this is the end for me. I used the Body of the Phoenix technique.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would do something like that, but I understand. I don''t think I¡¯ll make either, my lungs are punctured a broken leg and broken ribs. Think I¡¯ll just lay here with you.¡±


    ¡°It was honor to fight and die by your side Matthew.¡±


    ¡°Yeah same to you.¡±


    Both laid there as their life slipped away from their body and Railou¡¯s physical formed turned to ash and was swept up to air flowing with the wind and into the sky. Looking down at the city which was about two miles long you could the destruction in multiple areas, about a quarter of the city was destroyed with just a whole in the center of chaos.


    ----------


    Lucas looked down at Lyca and Emily as they slept peacefully under the night sky as he thought of the future and the journey that laid before them. -They¡¯re finished. I can not sense any of their heiki. Thank Matthew your death will not be wasted.- He thought as he looked up to sky light up by millions of stars and the three moons of Talmoya.

 Refelection

    Lucas watched his sister and her best friend as they rested under the night sky. The sky tonight was littered with stars shining brightly overhead. The moons were full and filled with the promise of a calm night. As he watched the night sky he could remember his days in the army in the Ambidion Continent as he was quickly noticed by the Queen''s Guards. A group of warriors chosen to protect her majesty. He was now living in the continent belonging to King Reginald Maltique, king of of the largest army on planet Talmoya. And ruler of the largest continent, the Kalmor Continent.


    Lucas remembered back when his sister was born he was ten years of age and his father, Thomas Alberg, who was the chief of the small village they lived in. The village Kert. His father told him that it would be his duty to protect his sister no matter what. Since that day Lucas had dedicated himself to be the strongest person he can. His father and mother were killed by a group of mercenaries who attacked their village. It has been fifteen years since that day. He was too weak to protect them and had to flee the village as ordered by his father. Lucas vowed to never let anyone he cared about ever die again. While fleeing in the forest they were found by a man and his wife who took them in as their own. Lyca was only nine months of age when this occurred.


    He had to continue his training alone. He started in the nearby forest killing creatures of the peak trained and early intermediate level. Rumors were quickly spread of a powerful beast killing those weaker ones in the Forest near Scarlet''s City. This caused some of the people to alert the local authority. A few men came to find out what was actually going on to capture or the beast if possible. What the men found was young boy who appeared to be thirteen years of age training in the area. After speaking with him they learnt that he was the one killing the beasts. From there Lucas¡¯ future was set as they informed a general in the army. A few days later the general appeared at his home who saw great potential in Lucas, his power already exceeded that of an intermediate level person at such a young age and recruited him with approval from his adopted parents.


    But there would be another time for Lucas'' story for now Lucas watched the city of Liasha in the distance as he remembered his vow and was thankful that neither his sister and Emily did not perished this night thanks to Michael who seemed to be at the expert level and Sir Matthew


    -----------


    Lyca and Emily were awaken by gleam of the early morning sun. They both sat up and looked at each other remembering what had happened the night before. Looking around Lucas was nowhere to be seen and they wondered where he might have gone. As they felt the soft grass under the palms of their hands, still damped with with the morning dew, the wet grass glittered in the in the early sun and smoke rose from the wood the was burning through the night. It smelt of Ashberry wood from the forest near the city. They then turned their attention to the direction of the city.


    Lyca began to think of the knights who stayed and fight whatever that came through the portal. And Emily began to remember her family everyone was now dead.


    "I see you two are finally up." a familiar voice said from behind them. It was Lucas carrying two Jenspoe which are rabbit like creatures where the only differences was that these had longer tails, he then saw Emily was in shambles and she looked at him with red eyes filled with tears. All he could do was whisper "I''m sorry."


    A few moments after calming down Emily and eating the food Lucas had prepared for them he explained to them that they would be heading to an old friend of his which was only a few days walk but first he will need to go back to city for some items.


    "Okay girls this is going to be a long trip so let''s get going."


    As they walked down the mountain path Lyca looked around taking in the beautiful sight of the Fletchers flying around. They were a group of birds that can only be found in the mountain plains. They were small about six inches in length and stood about three inches off the ground with their light purple feathers on their body and having a slight hint of pink on the tip of the wings they look like they were glowing under morning sun as they flew above them. She listened to them sing as their gentle melody and the mountain breeze blowing against her face made her feel like everything was going to be ok. She looked beyond the horizon to north to where the city was she could only hope that the knights were still alive. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    She then began to think of the upcoming journey that laid before them. She was never one to travel much even though she urged for it her brother would never allow it, even the people she came to know as her parents, due to Lucas'' influence on them. The only time she ever travelled was when they left Scarlet''s City in the Ambidion Continent a few years ago to come to the Kalmor Continent. When they travelled on the ships she enjoyed the wind blowing in face the waves rocking the ship when the weather would get a little rough, the smell of the salty air, she would watch the Devlings dive for fish and soar back into the blue sky, she would watch as the Seaphrin a dolphin like creature would swim beside the ship and occasionally jump out of the water and droplets would glitter in the beautiful of the rays from the sun. She enjoyed every moment of it. They spent almost what felt like countless days at sea before reaching the Kalmor Continent only docking a few times in the Divine Continent and the Mercury Continent for supplies before reaching the Kalmor Continent.


    After arriving in the Kalmor Continent they were escorted to the great kingdoms west of the port city Devaya where Lucas spoke with a man dressed in a golden armor covering his entire body. He was about six feet eight inches tall compared to Lucas who was five feet eight inches. On the upper arm of his armor on his right hand Lyca could see the crest of the Kalmor kingdom. It was a lion with its mouth agape with two swords placed behind it in a diagonal form with a drop of red on the tip of both blades. This embedded on a blue background and the words Glory In Death below the crest . Attached to the shoulder of his armor was a blue cape which stretched out to his ankle. Lyca could see his face as he did not wore a helmet as the other guards that were next to him. She also noticed that his was the only one with the quote on his armor.


    He had full beard with strands of gray creeping out of the brown. His hair was shoulder length with some gray in his almond brown hair next to his temples on both sides. He had warm welcoming smile with a few wrinkles and heavy voice. One could see he was old but still had his handsome looks. This was the General of the king''s army Lord Isaac d¨¦ Cameron. They meet in a grand meeting hall filled with paintings and artifacts from all over the world, which was one of the buildings in eastern part of the great kingdoms. From there after Lucas had finished speaking with the general they left with a few guards escort and departed to Liasha which took about a week and a few days to reach stopping only at night to rest. Lyca had guessed that this may have been to Lucas¡¯ endeavour in the military back home that brought about their treatment. Ever since then she has been trapped in the city the only time she would leave was with Lucas to train.


    Back in Scarlet''s City Lucas would train her whenever he had time off from the army since she was six years of age in the art Nat Lur. A form of hand to hand combat that use the opponent''s momentum against him and the palm of the hand to strike and using the tips of the finger hitting the pressure points. But two years later when Lucas strength was discovered by Lord Fenyar Zyphon head of the Queen''s guards he recruited Lucas And took him as his student and to be a member of the Queen¡¯s Guard. Five years later Lucas returned for his sister and told his adopted parents he had to leave and he would a going to the Kalmor Continent which was almost on the other side of the world.


    It has been three years since Lyca had went on journey now a new one begins but not one of joy and sight seeing for what lies before her is a quest of power, purpose, death and destiny for the life she has come to know for the past sixteen years is about to change.


    -----------


    As Lyca begins her new journey in the mountains of the great ones lies a group of female warriors training in their way of combat with spears and swords. A female wearing elegant clothing and with matching accessories made from gold and other types of rubies, stands in her throne room around a small table leaving her throne bare. In front of her was a table and on that table was tub of water and another female wearing a black dress standing opposite the with both hands over a pool of water showing the events of the previous night. A girl whose power has awakened and a man brought back from the past. As the female watched Lyca, Emily and Lucas in the pool of water she thought to herself, -What will you do know Lucas. Your sister''s fate is in your hands.-

 Heiki

    "There''s something different about you sis, what happened while you were fighting?" And Lyca began to explain to him about the three assassins who easily took out the guards at Emily''s home and then came after them. She explained that how she easily took out the first two assassins.


    "But there was this other guy he was on another level. He might even be as strong as you." She said with a bit of worry in her voice.


    Lucas just smiled and said "That would''ve been an interesting match don''t you think?"


    "Are you crazy what if they come back and are stronger than you. I don''t wanna get beat up again or worst killed!" interrupted Emily with fear in her eyes. Her eyes looked like they were going overflow with tears as she looked at Lucas who now had a more serious look on face.


    "Don''t worry nothing will happen to you." he assured her with a look of confidence and absolute conviction, then said "I doubt he is stronger than I am." and smiled at her reassuring her she was safe.


    As she looked at Lucas in his brown eyes as they shined from the light of the day''s sun she felt all her fears go away. There was something about Lucas that made her feel safe was it his eyes or his smile maybe the way he looked at her but she knew for some reason Lucas was not lying so she could only smile back as she said " Thank you" in a small sweet voice.


    "Don''t worry Emily as long as my brother is here we''ll be alright. You know he was once a soldier where we came from." Lyca spoke to assure her friend that she would be alright. Lyca continued explaining to her brother about what happened "I thought he was going to Emily and I was all out of energy but seeing Emily in danger and I told myself I couldn¡¯t give up now and suddenly I felt something in me I can¡¯t explain, I felt stronger." She spoke with excitement as Lucas listened and Emily thanked her for saving her. "After feeling this new found strength or power, whatever it was, I became much faster and stronger I could also see the aura around him." Lyca continued with dullness in her voice. "But still I wasn''t strong enough and he was about to kill me. That''s this lion looking beast came and save me and then it''s master, Michael. He was awesome the way he saved Emily kicking Arvin through the walls. That''s when we left and met you.¡±


    "I see. Sorry I wasn''t there in time to protect you but preoccupied with a certain situation followed by the officers of the town trying to question me for defending myself." he explained to Lyca what had happened at the bar as they were nearing the southern road of Liasha. Emily was already getting tired as she was not the athletic type. "Can''t we take a rest?" she complained.


    ¡°Sure we have been walking for a few hours and the mountains are about five mile from the town, I think you deserve a rest. A mile to go¡± Lucas smiled "and as for you Lyca we will train." he continued as he spoke to Lyca. They went off into an open area where the grass grew low. There he began explain the basis of using Heiki to her. "Astelia." he spoke and roots began to emerge from the ground. "In the world there are many different types of energy which you refer to as magic. These are called either elemental attacks or spiritual attacks. Both consume that of the users Heiki and the more powerful the attack is the more Heiki it consumes. Magic is a completely different thing instead of controlling the elements it can do almost anything, however I am not a mage so i can not teach you about magic."


    "What is Heiki.?" Lyca questioned.


    "In every living being there are two types of energy. Heiki and Heiku. Heiku is one''s life energy or soul but for now let''s focus on Heiki. This is the energy that flows alongside the Heiku. It is what is used to create energy attacks." Lucas then snapped his fingers and a small flame began burn above his index finger.


    Lyca was amazed as she never saw her brother used fire attacks on her before. She only thought he knew how to manipulate the roots in the ground this was all new to her since not once before this day had he even bothered teaching her about Heiki and Heiku. She watch her brother with absolute focus as she sucked in every word he said like a black hole. Emily who was resting near under a tree near the road looking at the two she was amazed when Lucas first made the roots grew from under the ground and form into a small tree, was now sitting next to Lyca watching in astonishment as well.


    "Once one depletes their Heiki and try to use a spiritual or element attack it substitute the required energy with one''s life energy killing them slowly." Lucas continued as the two listened. "The control of Heiki allows you to manipulate and change it into different type forms of energy from thin air. Like just now I used my Heiki to create fire. And earlier I used it to manipulate the roots in the ground. There are four basic types are the elemental energies, such as fire, water, earth and wind. Each being weaker against the other respectively and from these elements are sub-elements. For example earth," after saying the word he stretched out his right hand to his with his middle and index fingers outwards and then raised both fingers quickly. Right after that small boulder about six inches in diameter broke away from the ground and was lifted into the air then to hovered gently as Lucas maintained control over it, "is a main element. And one of its sub-elements is," He then formed a fist with the same hand and the boulder crumbled to bits. After that he quickly opened his hand and moved it in a circular motion. As the pieces of the boulder fell they began to come together and form into a steel rod. "Metal. Before learning to control the different elements you must first learn to control your Heiki." he finished.


    -Wow.- Was all that to Emily''s mind as she watched. "Mister Lucas," she spoke a bit timid, which was uncharacteristic of her, "can you train me like Lyca?" her brown eyes shined in the sun as they awaited Lucas'' answer.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Lucas was shocked had he never imagined Emily would want to train. He pondered why the sudden change. He had known Emily since the came to Liasha and was introduced to her parents who were in charge of the town under the king. Emily had not once joined Lyca in her training with him. Lyca was also surprise as Emily never showed interest in art battle and only focused on how beautiful she looked.


    "Why?" That was his reply, simply put and straightforward.


    She looked at Lucas again and spoke, "After hearing how Lyca almost died trying to protect me and losing my entire family. I don''t want to be a burden to her ever again. I don''t want to lose her. If we ever get in a dangerous situation like that I want to be to protect her also or at least help!" she spoke with more confidence as tears began to flow down her cheeks. Still feeling down from the past events.


    She began to worry as Lucas remained silent for a few moments. They were all sitting down in the grass as he contemplated on what Emily had said he looked to sky the sun brushing against his face with a slight burning feeling to it. It was about ten o''clock in the morning now after eating and walking down the mountain for about three hours. He remembered when he had to leave his father and mother in village protecting the villagers. Since then he has never seen his father and mother again it was said that no one survived and the chief''s body was never found nor his wife''s. He remembered how he felt and could understand how Emily felt as well. He looked at Emily who had a perplexed look on her face. Lucas then showed her his smile a smile ever so gentle it calm the most rigid storms and spoke "Of course I will." This caused Emily to gleam with joy as she hugged Lyca who was happy to have a training partner.


    "Your training begins now for both of you. Your step will be to be able to find unlock to gate to your Heiki within you and bring it out. You will both meditate here until you can do so."


    "But how will we find it?¡± Lyca asked.


    "When you find it you''ll know." was his reply and they looked at each other confused. "Now begin."


    ---------


    As they closed their eyes Lucas used a technique to create house like structure from the earth with a roof around the girls to hide them travelers who may be passing by and the sun. After doing so he decided to go back into the city to find some of belongings. However all he wanted was his sword back. Given to him by his master Lord Zyphon. And his armor, the armor of the Queen''s Guards. An armor built just for them by the mightiest blacksmiths the Dwarfs of the Final Continent. The home of the dwarfs. As he we through the gates which were by a huge boulder from the battle. Once in the city he began to focus his Heiki to locate its whereabouts, it was in special scabbard that conceals its energy and same goes for the armor which was in a special chest designed to hide the armor as well both were linked to his energy.


    While going around he decided to check some of the building if any were still in them. He was some what dis-satisfied that he did not try to to stop whatever came through the portal.


    Shortly after he came up to their home, it was still standing. A small wooden house which was nicely built, just for the two of them, remain undamaged from the flying debris. He entered the house and felt a bit of nostalgia as this would be the last time he entered this house. He walked along the wooden floor and went down to the basement. There he opened a hidden door on the basement floor and retrieved to chest and sword that was hidden.


    After putting on the sword attached to the belt on his waist he left the house. Once outside the drew a summoning circle on the ground with a line going from the surface of the circle to the center of it then going back out at a 35 degree angle stopping midway to the surface and going down to the bottom. From there the same exact thing was done from the opposite side now separating the circle in half. The summoning circle was about seven inches in diameter. He then spoke out loud "Come forth Afelia." and Griffin like creature appeared which had two horns on its head. Around it''s lion like paws burned a red hot flame that didn''t seem to burn the ground. As it appeared it made a screening sound a stretched out it wings. Afelia stood about eight off the ground and had a wingspan of 16 feet.


    Lucas then scratched behind its ear as it brought its head closer to its master and he whispered, "It''s been a long time huh, girl." Afelia was pleased as Lucas scratched behind its ear. On its back was attached a saddle and open space where one can set items that need to be carried. "Now I will need you to take this Leona." He spoke to Afelia as he placed the chest in one of the open spaces to the side of the saddle. Afelia let out low screeching sound and spread out it''s wings and with a few powerful flaps it was in the air and off to fulfill its master¡¯s request.


    ------------


    Lucas was crouching next to Matthew looking at the man who had given his life to save his sister, ¡°Thank you.¡± he said aloud. The sadness and gratefulness could be heard in his voice. ¡°I am glad you could have died with a smile on face. I am only guessing this smile means you were victorious.¡± Lucas smiled back. He then got up and walked a few feet before stopping and crouching once again, now he was looking at the huge blade that laid just a few feet away, -I¡¯m guessing this was whoever¡¯s sword that came from the portal. It gives off a strong energy. Huh just in time- Lucas finished his thoughts after hearing the hooves of Tihor.


    ¡°You, what are you doing here?!¡± a voice yelled out from behind.


    It was a young man dressed in the same armor as Matthew. He had long red hair and dark red eyes with a few freckles on his face.¡±I mean no harm, my name is Lucas and you are?¡±


    ¡°I am Yelot Hortin 4th in command of the Liasha Police Force. So you¡¯re the man Sir Matthew risk his life for.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for your lost, but now is not the time to grieve. I will need you to take this sword to your general Lord Isaac, tell him find its origin and I will be seeing him soon. And one more thing, tell him the prophecy is upon us. Your commander''s death will not be in vain I promise you whoever did this will pay.¡±


    Lucas spoke with a fire in his voice and Yelot could feel his Heiki rising and could tell the Lucas was meant his last words spoken. With a nod of the head Yelot retrieved the sword and left after Lucas had promised to give Matthew a proper burial.


    .----------


    When Lucas returned to the house like structure he could sense two Heikes coming from the structure he created. These energies belonged to none other than Lyca and Emily. As he enter the structure a smile crept on his face as he was surprised by how both girls being able to connect to their Heiki and open the gates to a new power in only fourhours.

 Fear or Strenght

    Lyca sat cross legged across from Emily who also sat cross legged. She began her meditation slowly as she could hear the birds chirping quietly in the breeze as their songs brushed gently against her ears. She could feel how her ebony black hair brushed against her neck gently as the wind pushed it. She began her meditation focusing only finding her Heiki. -But I don''t even know what it is.- She thought to herself - but I got to find it.- As she began to drift into the depths of her mind the life around her began to vanish. The songs of the birds starting to fade as the she got deeper and deeper into the depths her mind.


    -Where am I.- She thought to herself as now she was floating adrift in darkness. -It''s so quiet here. Cold, why am I so cold.- She pulled her legs up close to her breast and hugged herself tightly. But it didn''t help. Even though she was wearing a plain blue long sleeve blouse that hugged tightly against her skin. And over that she had A sleeveless jacket that wasn''t buttoned up.


    As she floated there in the cold dark space. Pictures of the town folks came to here mind. Showing her the people flocking from store to store. Farmers rushing to sell their harvest and there best livestock. Bakers selling their freshly baked bread of all shapes and size. Fruit vendors, fishermen. The town of Liasha was a very busy place in the morning, however she did not recognize any of it. -Who are these people. What is this place. Why I am seeing this.- Despair began to creep into her mind as she was drawn back into the darkness. Then there was thumping sounding. It got louder and louder as it did so the sound became more clearer to her. -The sound of my heart, it''s beautiful.- She thought, -I could listen you play this beautiful sound all day.- The anxiety she felt began to leave her mind. In distance as her heartbeat pulsed it sent a pulse of blue light from the depths of the darkness. The coldness began to fade because with beat of her heart the light would pulse out further and come closer to her. She uncoiled herself and began to drift towards the light from the dark abyss she was in. With one final beat she was out of the darkness. -Crying. Why am I crying?- She thought. She then turned her head she was being held by a woman.


    Lyca was now in the form of her baby self. Looking around her eyes stopped on this woman holding her and smiling at her. This woman was beautiful. She had ebony black hair that seemed to radiate a purplish glow that matched her large dark purple eyes. Rose pink lips that complemented her smile. A small beauty mark on right cheek. She smelt sweet like some strange flower Lyca didn''t recognize. "I will always love you my dear Lyca. My beautiful daughter." the woman whispered and kissed the child on her cheeks and with a flash the scene changed.


    Lyca was laying in a bed and bit older wrapped in a warm cozy frost white blanket. She laughed to herself as she looked around the wooden house. But everything was not calm her mother was trying to fight off an intruder. This man was very muscular and wore an open coat made of fur that reached his waist. While her mother was slim built and a foot shorter than the intruder. She released a purple light from her palm and pushed them against the man''s abdomen. He was blown outside by the attack. A few seconds after a boy and man came in the room. This man had hair that reached his shoulder and was a tawny brown color. He had broad shoulders and she could tell he was strong by the way his body was built. His muscles were well toned. He wore a shirt that pressed gently against is chest and a plain black pants. She watched as they talked but couldn''t understand what they were saying. The boy began to cry and was then held by both parents. They came over to her and both kissed her on the forehead and smiled just before dashing through the door. The boy picked up Lyca in his hand ran through the door on the opposite end of the room and she began to cry for reasons unknown to her.


    And with that scene changed again to her out in the fields training with her brother. He was taking her through the steps of fighting. Teaching her the different pressure points of the human body. And different muscles and how they operated. It''s been eight years since that day. This was the day her brother would be taken away from her. After training she walked in front of her brother from the plains near the forest. As they neared their new home Lyca could see a man talking to Thomas, the man who took them in, and had two horse like creatures. These had a bone like material that grew over their forehead between and around the eyes going up from the nostrils, and also on the upper part of each. With their hair well trimmed and they were very muscular, ¡°What are those?¡± she asked her brother.


    ¡°Tihor, they are a form Mustle, and are used to travel from one place to the next due to their speed and endurance.¡±


    The man standing in front of their home was Lord Fenyar Zyphon, head of the Queen¡¯s Guard, strongest in the Ambidion Continent. Some say he might even be the strongest in the world. He wore formal clothing while out of the castle or not on a mission. He wore a plain purple shirt. But there was nothing plain about this shirt it was made from the finest cloth in all Ambidion. The shirt looked like it was too small for him the way his muscles bulged out from under it. He had the body of a blacksmith. His pants were made of Swaravian Skin. A creature said to be of the grandmaster level. When close enough she tried looking at his face but was called by her new mother before she get a look at the man.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    From there she left Lucas and the men to talk and went inside their house. It was of decent size and made of concrete that had a marble look to it with five bedroom. This was because of Lucas work in the army he had made enough gold to help the once poor family now become an established one. On the inside was also as huge with furniture in the living area in front of a fireplace that had two shelves of books on each side. The kitchen area had a place to cook meal. The stoves they used we''re powered by fire runes that were activated by saying a keyword and same as the pipes. Once this word was uttered then the rune would begin to work it''s magic until the command was given to stop. In the kitchen was Thelma, her adopted mother, preparing supper. Along the walls of the interior had paintings of past Queens and Kings. There were flower pots with different kinds of flowers each with a unique scent but none as sweet as her mother''s.


    ¡°Go take a bath and get ready for dinner honey.¡± she was told by Thelma. She took her time walking up the stairs which were made from the same marble like concrete. Upstairs was a bit less extravagant than the lower level. The walls were kept clean and only a few flower pots and flowers to keep the air refreshing. She walk to her room passing pink, red, purple and yellow flowers and pushed the single wooden door to her room. There was not much decorations. One flower sat on the table at her bed side which had a purple covering. Her room was painted lavender.. Thelma believed that each room should have at least one to give the room a lovely smell. With a single window at the end. She looked outside to see Lucas and Thomas heading inside but the man did not leave. She figured something was wrong. Shortly after there was a knock on her door and in came Lucas.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he smiled.


    ¡°Hi, who is that man?¡± Lyca asked her big brother.


    "He is Lord Zyphon.¡± Lucas explained to her who lord Zyphon was. ¡°He wants me to go with him¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡° I¡¯m Ly, I''ll be going away for a long time. Don''t know when I''ll be back. Just promise me you''ll keep training every day." He explained to her and lift his hand out to pinky swear. Like he always did whenever he left. A promise to return. And she did the same and interlocked her''s with his. Every time he would leave the fear of losing him and being alone would come back. She had a few friends she would play with whenever he left and would sometimes read to pass the time.


    And so a month passed and two and time passed slowly but no sign of her brother. She would train every day and practice what he had thought her but still there were no sign of Lucas and with each month brought worry to her mind every day. She would have nightmares of him dying left on the ground bleeding to his death, blood pouring slowly from the side of his abdomen. She would see him decapitated with his head on a stake several feet of the ground as the Barons would pick on his flesh. These were birds that resembled crows. They had ruby red eyes and feathers black as the night''s sky they were nine inches in length with sharp purple beaks about three inches. Blood, his blood, would drip from their beaks and they would look at her with cold red eyes. That''s when she always woke dripping in sweat.


    Five years had past and that''s when he finally came. She was ecstatic with joy as she hugged him tightly. She listened as he told their parents They had to leave and not sure if they would ever return.


    -Lyca she''s dying, fight, you must not give up here for you will not lose only your best friend but every thing you told dear.- She heard a voice saying to hear. She looked around and saw that the scene had changed again. -What is this?- She questioned. As she looked around her memories came back to her, -Anywhere but here.- Here of all places in the room she almost died. Arvin lifting Emily by the neck as he choked her. Emily barely breathing. Lyca began to feel a surge of energy flow through her body.


    All these events were occurring to her in an out of body experience. She watched herself as the blue energy emitted from her body and gave her a new strength. -That''s it my Heiki! I understand to connect to my Heiki I had to find the reason I wanted it. My reason to fight.- She thought and there it was again the scene shifted. She was now looking at two streams of energy flowing towards two separate gates. One was blue and the other was white. Lyca figured this represented the Heiki and Heiku. While the gate that had the Heiku flowing through it was open the other was closed. When the Heiki reached the closed gate that appeared to be made of gold with with seven orbs on the upper area of the gate. Each orb had a tube flowing down to another. Some had more than the others. These orbs represented the different elements of Heiki and their sub-elements. On this gate had seven types which confused her since Lucas only told them about four. As Lyca''s Heiki reached the closed gate instead of going through most would disseminate and the remaining would flow into the third orb which was blue, the only one with color, and gave off a blue sheen. -This the gate to my Heiki and its closed. Guess I should open it.- She thought to herself and began to move towards the gate. She then placed both hands on it and pushed it open and the flow of blue energy rushed through.


    As this occurred on the inside of Lyca''s mind on the outside of her body the same energy began flow around her.


    ------------


    A/N


    To locate the Heiki and Heiku one is sent on trip into the mind showing you past events that you were afraid and wished you could have stopped from happening, things you want to forget and some of your worst memories sometime it also shows you good memories that you have forgotten. Those terrible memories the mind hinds from you trying to protect you. Heiki is a source of strength and if you are unable to face fear and find a resolve how can you obtain strength. Emily also went through an experience similar to find the closed gate of her Heiki. This was when Lucas appeared and saw them. As he looked at them he saw that Lyca''s aura was blue and represent water while Emily''s was purple.


    -----------


    -I never would have guessed you had such a power.-

 Friend or Foe?

    Emily floated at the gate of her Heiki after coming to the end of her journey. The purple energy dimly flowing through the Gate of Heiki, she made the choice to pushed the gate open and purple energy rushed through. Both girls completed this task a t the same. Both girls opened their eyes to see Lucas standing in front of them with a smile on his face. They look at themselves and saw that aura of their Heiki imitating around them. Lyca''s was an azure blue and Emily''s was fucia pink. They looked at each other with amazement in their eyes.


    Lyca could feel that same power as before flowing through her body. Emily looked at the aura flowing around her with awe as she felt power in her body like she never felt before. A dormant energy was awaken inside of her.


    "Well done girls." Lucas spoke with a glorious smile on his face. "In four hours time you have found the gate to your Heiki and opened it. I''m impressed."


    "This feels amazing Mr Lucas." Emily said with a huge smile on her face as she moved her hands in front of her looking at the aura.


    "Yes I feel much stronger like when I was fighting Arvin." Lyca explained. "Why is our aura of different colors?" Lyca asked her brother with confusion in her eyes since she has yet to fully understand how Heiki works.


    "The reason is simple," he began in his normal calm voice, "the color of your aura is base on the affinity of your Heiki or type of Heiki. Looking at you I''d say you are of Water. And Emily''s is of Mystic."


    "Mystic, what is that?" Emily questioned. She was curious as Lucas only told them about the basic four.


    "Yes as I said earlier there are four basic types. Fire, water, earth and wind then their sub elements. Other than the basic there are three more. Light, dark and mystic. These are known as the advanced Heiki. If one is able to master it''s power they can become truly powerful."


    "That''s amazing Emily."


    "Yes it is amazing Lyca. But mastering these takes extreme focus, a lot of training and absolute determination. From here on Emily there is no turning back. Are you ready?"


    "Yes." Emily said while nodding with her eye set on Lucas to show him that she has made up her mind. She has never done something like this before but to be able to gain the strength to help her friend she would anything. After all she is the daughter of the Bill Husfia governor of the fallen town and Fiary Husfia his wife. Her father was said to once be a powerful knight in the king''s army and after retiring he joined politics and settled down. The king decided to reward his services by giving him the town govern after. Emily began to remember her parents and thought of how they must have died. Killed in their sleep a peaceful death.


    "Same goes for you Lyca." Lucas voice interrupted her thoughts.


    "Of course big brother. I''ve been training since I was six." she joked. ¡°But why have you never told me about this power?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t you were ready to learn this technique until now. I see an incredible future ahead of us.¡± Lucas explained not wanting to reveal to her sister about the prophecy of the child born with the mark of the dragon. "Well let''s get a move on girls we got a long way to go before the ruins."


    Along the way Lucas explained to them their Heiki and use of it. The mystic element is normally used for defensive and healing abilities. One can not use elemental attacks being of the Mystic class. They are only able to use spiritual attacks. This uses more Heiki than the basic elements which is why they are at the advance stage and much harder to master. Those with these types of Heiki normally have a greater pool of Heiki to draw energy from. Lucas thought that Emily would struggle mastering this ability. The mystic element is normally used for seals to seal off demons and disrupting  someone''s flow of Heiki by blocking or stopping the flow of one¡¯s Heiki momentarily. This is done by striking the different pressure points of the body. Learning to stop the flow sometime takes year of practice. It can also be used to open back the points. -If Emily isn''t a genius she would be if no help to Lyca.- Lucas thought as they walked down the dusty road.


    Little did Lucas know that Emily would be of great help to Lyca as their destinies are tied together. Emily was meant to have this power to save her friend from dying in her final battle or helping her defeat Asura in the end. She was a quick learner and very intelligent. Being the smartest child in your family can be bothersome. She would sometimes think her way out of studying with the scribes and using her smarts to trick her parents to do whatever she wanted. Which is why she wasn''t the athletic type. Whenever her parents would send her to train with the guards, her father mostly wanted to see what type of Heiki his daughter had, she would use some excuse to get out of it. If ever she failed she would find a way to sneak out of trainig.


    Lucas couldn''t sense any strong individuals around while walking so he had them practice on making the Heiki physical by transforming it into a ball of energy in their hands. He knew that they had no time to slack off and would have them train whenever he can.


    They were both having a hard time getting this right even though Lucas had showed then how it was done. He lifted his open palm to about the height of his waist as he began to emit his Heiki from the palm of his hand. It appeared with no specific shape. It floated above his hand and look like it was thin layer red fog. From there he move his wrist slight while moving his fingers up like he was holding a ball and the fog followed and condensed into a ball of energy. They would try and try but as soon the energy appeared in front of them they would both lose control and it would disperse into the air.


    This was the beginners way of doing this for Lucas this could be done with the flick of the wrist.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    As they continued to walk the high grassland a few meters in from the edge of the road began to disappear into a low cut field of grass. These field had a fencing around them to stop creatures from getting out and in. One could see different kinds of farm animals grazing in the fields. They were grouped off. One set had creatures that looked like a large bull but was of blue complexion with three horns on it heads and a spiked tail. Another had the horse like creature Lord Zyphon rode. I''m another area had creatures that looked like a sheep. However their wool were purple.


    "Ok girls that''s enough. It seems that there is a village up ahead don''t want to attract attention." Lucas stated.


    "Good, maybe we can find somewhere to rest. I beat. Sleeping five days outdoors no way for a princess to live." Emily exclaimed, as they all let out a slight laugh.


    At the entrance of the village there was a single man standing guard. He wore a hooded coat made of leather from one of the bull like beast and was dyed green with yellow threading along the seams. He had a hazel brown complexion and freckles on his cheeks. Our group could not see his eyes which were hidden by the hood. He sat in wooden chair with his legs out stretched and leaning back on the chair with his arms holding a longbow in his lap. Looking at him from this distance made it appear as if he was sleeping. They were about 100 yards from the village.


    The man in green suddenly stood and with is bow in hand, Lucas could as he reached for a bow in the quiver on his back. A whistling sound was heard through the air and Lucas quickly reacted and drew his sword from its scabbard at his side deflecting the flying projectile. Lyca and Emily watch in surprise as they saw an arrow drop to the ground. This was followed by multiple arrows coming at them one after the other with extreme speed and Lucas deflecting each one with a smirk on his.


    "Get behind me!" Lucas shouted to the both girls deflecting each arrow. These arrows were being shot by the guard who appeared to be asleep now standing shooting off his arrows at them. "It seems they do not want any visitors, but even so that is no way threat a stranger. Guess I¡¯ll have to teach him a lesson." The arrows left a stream off yellow light in the path they arrow.


    -Hmm.. Using Heiki. If it''s a fight you want, it''s a fight you''ll get.- Lucas thought before dashing forward at the archer with his speed he appeared in front of him with a few seconds, while still holding back. Once in front of the freckled face man Lucas attempted to cut the bow in half but was surprised when the man twisted the two halves of the bow slightly and lifted it revealing a shiny metal reinforcement which he used to block the blade. He quickly jumped into air and shot 2 arrows simultaneously.


    Lucas was able dodge and the arrows was followed by an explosion as they hit the ground. Dust covered the area. The man in the green coat landed on the village wall behind him above the dust and scanned the area for his opponent. He saw Lucas dashing out of the dust cloud to his right and looking straight ahead. He fired another arrow at him. Just before hit Lucas he vanished and reappeared behind him with a horizontal slash.


    The sound of metal colliding could be heard through the air. Followed by a shockwave that blew the dust away revealing a small crater left by the arrow from earlier. The archer was pushed back to ground by the force of Lucas¡¯ blow. -He blocked it.- Lucas was surprise that he was able block having attacking from his blind spot.


    -Guess I gotta it up a notch.- He thought before jumping back a bit. Lucas'' eyes narrowed on his opponent who''s head was still covered by the hood of his coat only revealing strands of golden blonde hair and a sharp nose. He drew a few more arrows and shot them at Lucas who dodged the first and reflected the next 2 that followed. -Being able to shoot off 3 arrows so quickly is impressive.-


    He tightened the grip on his sword and dashed forward as 3 more arrows came his way quicker than before but he was still able to dodge them and they hit the ground behind him with a slight explosion. Now he was in reach of his opponent he began his onslaught making multiple strikes at the man in green who was able to block with his bow and dodge a few by sidestepping the downward slashes and ducking the horizontal swings.


    While dodging he gained a few feet between him and Lucas and drew an arrow which he shot at Lucas. Lucas managed to deflect the attack just in time. This scene happened a few times over. And there was a loud ''clanging'' sound. The two then jumped back a few meters from each other. Lucas was now getting tired of playing around. All this time he was still holding -Time to end this.- he thought before gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands and rose it above his head. It began to glow a fiery red. The archer had put the dagger he had unsheathed from its scabbard that was hidden by the coat he wore. He was now also preparing a powerful attack. He had his bow drawn and arrow pulled pack. The arrow began to glow a golden yellow as he charged the attack with his Heiki. -Let''s see what you got..- Lucas thought as he smiled. Then with roar he shouted Scorching Flame while slashing through the air with his sword. Fire began to form itself around the blade before shooting off like a horizontal twister at the man in grren.


    At the same time the archer shout Diamond Arrow and released his arrow. There was a trail of golden light like a pointed beam behind the arrow head which was headed to Lucas'' twister of flame tearing the ground apart as it moved through the air. The two attacks collided with each other giving off a loud explosion. Debris from the the ground were scattered throughout the air and the air was once again filled with dust.


    Lyca and Emily watched with awe for they have never witnessed a battle of such power before, and fear for Lucas at the same time. The air was silent. Only the rocks could be heard as they hit the ground. -Who won?- Lyca worryingly questioned. As the dust began to clear only revealing a partial of the scene Lyca could make out the figure of the archer still standing with his bow held up in front of him. -Where are you brother?- As the dust began to clear away more two figures now stood next to each other. Lucas was holding his sword to the man''s neck just barely touching it.


    "I really don''t want to kill you." he calmly spoke towards the archer. Thin line of blood began to trickle down his neck.


    - Incredible what speed. I didn''t even saw him move. I was right the aura I sensed earlier belonged to them. This man truly is a master.- Then archer was truly amazed as he had never been bested at speed before. He was the fastest in his village and best hunter.


    "That''s enough Charlie." a croaked voice was heard from near the gate of the village. And an old man was seen holding a cane in his right hand. "Can''t you tell this man was holding back from the very beginning?" The two girls were rushing over to where Lucas stood after the dust had cleared.


    They saw an individual standing at the gate. It was a short old man with a decent length beard and mustache. The sides of his face were deprived of hair. His head bald and the moonlight from the early evening gave a shine. He wore a robe with gold, red and purple stripes. He had on a black pants and a sandal on his feet. His eyes were gray almost full of life.


    "I am sorry village elder." the man in the green coat said, who was now known as Charlie, in a boyish voice and removed the hood from over his face.

 In Aden

    No longer the sounds of battle could be heard throughout the air. The evening was now calm and early moon light shined bright above. The wind held a slight chill to it as it blew gently across the land. This would of been a peaceful evening if not for the battle that had just occurred. They were multiple craters in the ground a few inches wide, these were scattered around a larger a crater about 6 feet in diameter.


    As Charlie lowered his hood Lucas removed the blade from his neck revealing a small cut. Looking at Charlie Lyca could now see that he had golden blonde hair with thick light brown eyebrows and peanut brown eyes. His eyes radiated with life. He had a sharp nose and thin lips with pointed ears and a heart shaped face.


    "Apologize to this man and his friends immediately!" the old man scruffed at Charlie. Who in returned bowed to Lucas and his companions and apologized.


    "Don''t worry about it. It was a decent fight after all. It''s been awhile since I had one." Lucas replied with a cheerful laugh. "But why did you attack us?"


    "Oh that''s easy. I sensed 3 auras earlier and one of them felt very strange. All of a sudden they disappeared. Then you guys showed up. So I figured it must have been one of you." he smiled, "So I thought ''What the heck either I''m right or wrong you''ll block my arrow or die''" he finished with a laugh.


    "Are you crazy that''s not a good enough reason to shoot an arrow at someone!" Emily was red hot.


    "Hey, I''m sorry ok." he replied with his hands held up in a surrendering manner. "Besides I wasn''t really aiming to kill any of you." he then winked at Emily.


    "Urgh!!! You bastard I''m going to kill you." Emily grabbed Lyca''s sword and went after Charlie.


    "That''s enough you two." interrupted the old man. "Charlie close the gates behind us. You three welcome to Aden''s Village." he spoke as he gestured for them to follow him inside the village.


    People were already going back to their home after seeing that everything was ok and noise of a battle had ceased.


    As they walked along with with Charlie and the village elder Lyca looked around and saw some of the villagers watching them with curious eyes. She examined her surroundings and saw that the village was larger than it appeared, it had multiple streets leading in different direction. The street lights were already lit illuminating the road they walked. It was well made. She could feel that it was made from sort of hard stone and was infused with heiki to keep it sturdy. The houses were mostly made of wood. A few being made of the same type of stone as the streets. She figured those must be for the wealthier folks. She could see some of the signs of the stores but they were all closed. They walked for a while before coming to a closed gate a guard standing at the entrance. He wore plain leather armor made from a creature with metal plates covering the chest, forearm and shin.


    ¡°Welcome back elder.¡± he greeted the old man with bow and nodded at them.


    The old man acknowledged him by giving him a simple nod. They continued forward through the gate and Lyca notice a two story house at the end of the path. This also made of the some type stone like material as the street but had a marble like shine to it. They were two guards standing at the front wearing the same armor as the first.


    ¡°Not pretty strong armor they must confident in themselves.¡± Lucas commented as they walked in the house.The elder let out a soft chuckle before replying ¡°My men are indeed strong. The woods around here are not the safest as you probably noticed most of the villagers are already inside their home.¡±


    Inside the house was quite large with a three restrooms on the bottom the floor a kitchen area and a dining area. There was also an area for guest to relax and talk. The walls were adorned with paintings of past elders of the village. A few shelves advertising different vases with unique designs filled with followers of different kinds reminding her of home. A fireplace with the head of what was once a proud beast above it. Below the head was a sword with a silver blade with an inscription on it and a golden pommel. They, walked along the walkway leading to a flight of stairs going up to the second floor which lead to a path with multiple rooms and a double door at the end with intricate designs on it. Lyca was wondering why the old man brought them here. -Surely it wasn''t just because of the incident with Charlie.- The elder pushed the door open leading to a huge room with an oval shape table made of wood in the middle. There were seven chairs around the table one sitting at the tip of the oval and three on each side. She figured the one at the top must be his and the others at the sides must be for his advisors or council members.


    ¡°I have not formally welcomed you to our village have.¡± the elder stated with a smile, ¡°Welcome to my home Aden. I am the head of this small village Aden Fastin Krimor VII.¡± flashing a proud smile that deceived his age.


    Lyca, Lucas and Emily bowed in respect to elder and introduced themselves. -A bit late for introduction if you ask me.- Lyca thought.


    ¡°We don¡¯t get much visitors here being a farming and a hunting village, but mostly because of the woods surrounding us and being the village furthest of the kingdom most travellers go the other direction. For you gracing us with your presence and the incident with my grandson I hereby offer you my home to stay as long as you wish.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir offer most tempting, but we do not wish to impose on you. If you can point us to the nearest inn that will be fine.¡± Lucas humbly declined.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Aden spoke loudly with a large smile on his face, ¡°It is my honor having such strong warriors as my guest. It the least I can do for an attack on your lives.¡± he spoke more firmly and giving Charlie a stern look.


    ¡°When you put that way then we can¡¯t deny your wish.¡± chuckled Lucas.


    Few moments later Aden called for his maids who escorted them to their respective rooms. Lyca and Emily were placed in the same room while Lucas his own. Lucas stayed behind to talk with elder and advised the girls to practice controlling their heiki. The girls room consisted of two beds with its own bathplace. The floor was decorated with a beautiful carpet made of fur and dyed pink and red in circular design. Shelves of flowers adorned the the walls given the room a sweet scent.


    ¡°This room is quite beautiful. I never would have guessed this was a village If I didn¡¯t know.¡± Lyca commented.


    ¡°Yup¡¯ it¡¯s amazing!¡± smiled her friend. ¡°Too bad we have to train. I don¡¯t what made me want to do this.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Yeah I was wondering why you of all people wanted to train.¡± laughed Lyca.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rub it in.¡± Emily joked back. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to feel helpless again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok together we¡¯ll become stronger.¡±


    There was a knock at their door a maid had brought clothes for them to change. This was order Aden VII seeing that the group had no luggage with them. A few moments after they began they workout with Heiki. As they were told to do. Bringing the heiki energy to physical form and condensing it to a ball of energy was harder than it sounded. The girls kept this up for about two hours. Afterall they have been at it since morning leading up to their arrival at the village. On top of that maintaining a constant flow of exerting heiki puts a strain on the body and the mind causing fatigue easily. Lyca was surprised of how far Emily has came within only a few a days. On the first two days emily could only last about two to three hours before needing to rest. She could feel the strain on her body and was already nearing her limits. Looking at Emily


    She could see that the girl already at her limit, sweat dripping off her chin. That''s when she decided to speak up, ¡°Hey think we should rest up now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± replied Emily weakly.


    The girls then stretched their muscles before taking a shower and going to bed. -I wonder what brother and the old man could be talking about.-


    -------


    Bang* Bang* ¡°Wakey wakey girls!!¡±


    ¡°Argh, what¡¯s that noise.¡± moaned Emily as she covered her head with the pillow, ¡°I wanna sleep a little longer.¡±


    Bang* Bang*


    ¡°That''s my brother.¡± Lyca spoke as she sat up on the bed. ¡°Give us a few to change.¡±


    The banging stopped and they could her footsteps walking away from the door.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Emily yawned as she got out of bed.


    ¡°Who knows.¡±


    They changed off into a suit off clothes the maid had brought earlier the night. It was training garments Lucas asked for while speaking with the elder. It was a plain brown shirt that was made of an elastic material so it does not hinder the movements and a black leggins pants men normally wore under their armor for each of them. After showering and changing they made their way downstairs. They were greeted by the eager Lucas just itching to train them.


    ¡°Well it''s about time you girls got here, I was getting worried you might be lost hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Yeah funny, what time ist by the way.¡± Replied a tired sister.


    ¡°It''s a few minutes past 4 in the morning. Took you girls a while to get ready.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute 4 in the morning! I¡¯ve never been up so early before.¡± exclaimed a weary Emily.


    Lucas couldn¡¯t help but smile as he replied ¡°The beauty of training.¡±


    ----


    They made their way along the road to south of the village along a path leading to plain field within the village walls. This was an area Aden told Lucas about during their conversation. Lucas learnt that Aden VII was quite skilled with heiki and it was common in this village as most of the boys are trained at young age in the art of hunting and fighting. The area spread a few hundred meters before reaching the walls. He also learnt that the village was more of a self maintained community. Being this far away from the kingdom means they would get little travelers indeed. Only those who wish to travel to the forest that lies beyond the village and the ruins in the mountains would come this way. The creatures in the forest are said to be at the peak intermediate stage and early expert. But those in the mountains were between early to peak expert meaning he would have to train the girls to their limit everyday.


    ¡°This area seems good enough.¡± Lucas spoke to himself as they reached the center of the plains. ¡°This morning you will be strengthening the physical body. Meaning physical exercise. Controlling heiki means nothing if your body can¡¯t sustain the strain of constantly exerting it. As you both have probably already figured.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you should have at least gave us a heads up.¡± interjected Lyca.


    Lucas smiled before continuing, ¡°Well we''re going to push those muscles to their limits today. You¡¯re going to work out until you drop.¡±


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we be going somewhere?¡± questioned Emily.


    ¡°Yes. But I¡¯ve learnt that our journey won''t be an easy one. So I asked Aden if we could stay here for a week or two while I train you girls. By the end of the training you should be at the peak of a trained individual maybe early intermediate level. Currently you''re both at the early beginners level.¡± he finished flashing his mischievous smile.


    ¡°How comes were both at the same level, shouldn''t Lyca be stronger since she¡¯s been training longer?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Since both of you were unable to use Heiki you were just considered as a normal person. By unlocking your heiki this allows you to break through that barrier of a normal person and allows you to become have access to different classes of warriors based on how you use your heiki.¡±


    ¡°What are those classes?¡± question Lyca.


    ¡°Yes there are many but the most common are Warrior, Healers and Mages. Warriors use Heiki to strengthen their physical body giving them inhuman speed and strength. Healers as it states uses Heiki to heal the injured and Mages are the most skilled in Heiki control they use heiki to control the elements to their will. However neither has an advantage over the other. This is where skill comes in. Which is why, Emily, Lyca is stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± interrupted Emily, ¡°I¡¯ve seen your fight with Charlie earlier and it appeared that used your heiki to increase your speed and before you used it to manipulate the earth and bring fire out of nowhere.¡±


    -Hmm she noticed that? Very impressive maybe she does have a chance at mastering her heiki.- ¡°Yes not just because one is a warrior does not mean they will not be able to manipulate the elements. This goes to show never underestimate your opponent. It is also good to meddle with all sorts of abilities you never know. But do so when you¡¯ve learned to control your heiki. Now let us begin your training¡±


    -He just completely ignored my question!-


    And so training began with all three of them warming up by stretching the muscles with inhaling and exhaling exercise to stretch the lungs and get as much oxygen as possible. This went on for about 5 minutes of stretching and breathing exercise. From there using his ability to manipulate the earth with a wave of his hands Lucas created a track with a total distance of 100 meters in an circular shape. By the end of the first lap Emily was exhausted. She could feel the burn in her lungs and her legs ached for rest. But she pushed on through the pain. She was thankful for the few lessons she had back home, even though she would slack off some of-most of the time, she was grateful for the little time she spent in self defense class with her brothers. They ran 4 laps around it before stopping and repeating the series of stretches and breathing exercise again for another 5 minutes. From there they went to push ups. Lucas demonstrated a few different type of push ups to them since this was all new to Emily he sticked to basics. They completed 10 sets of 10s this time her arms were screaming with agony after after they completed the last set she was impressed with herself even though the pain was killing her she couldn¡¯t help but smile proudly.


    ¡°That''s good for now let''s take a rest and head back to the house.¡± Lucas stated as they completed the last set of stretches.


    The sun was rising and the people of the village were already out and about. The street vendors were just setting up shop putting their merchandise up for sale. Some displayed a variety of different fruits and veggies. Some displayed the names of different types meat for sale and seasonings. As they walked along they could smell the different aroma a different snacks being made to be placed on sale later on during the day. While walking Lyca noticed a group of men heading to end of the village. They were all dress in the same clothing as Charlie. Only the colors were different shades of green, some had a lush grass like color and some resemble dark leaves. This was one of the hunting groups of the village. This group consisted of 10 hunters. Lyca could not make out if any of them was Charlie. After turning a lane they came out of view and Lyca¡¯s focus returned to the road as the two story house painted white came into view.


    -------


    As they entered the house they were greeted by the aroma of freshly made breakfast. Arriving in the dining area they saw the table was already set for the three of them with wonderful looking spread laid out on the table.


    ¡°Welcome back, breakfast is ready for you as ordered by the elder.¡± they were greeted by one of the maiden as they entered the house. They all wore the same type of clothing, Lyca realized. A plain black dress covered the entire body from the neck down to the knee. It seemed to made of the same material as the shirt they were given, it was tight around the upper part of the body but gave way at wast giving free mobility of the legs. The sleeves were cut short and long white gloves covering most of the forearm. Their hair was up in a bond unlike theirs which was currently braided back. All seemed to be beautiful in their own right.


    ¡°Wow it smell delicious, what is it?¡± Lyca¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by her friends curiosity.


    ¡°Of Course what we have here is bread made from our finest flour mixed with Kimo berries, a small black berry with 2 seeds on the inside and are very sweet to the taste and Lasnmi berries a small red and orange seedless berry and has a bitter taste, with fried Jenspoe, a small rabbit like creature with plenty meat and there was mug containing Glimig juice. Made from Glimig a yellow fruit the size of a normal boy hand with a small seed in the middle. Also in the juice is Famis a type of herb to give you back your strength. Aden said you would be out training and to prepare something that would give you back your energy.¡± she smiled.


    ¡°Really?! That just made things easier. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to get you girls to where I want you now.¡±


    The maid smiled before replying, ¡°However the herb is not meant to be overused. Too much can destroy the body. It is recommended that you only take it once a day every other day if you''re using it to train. Since the continuous stress on the body from training and then recovering and going back to training can put serious stress on the muscles not having time to recover properly.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.. I see.¡±


    The food was indeed delicious they enjoyed the breakfast as Emily asked Lucas about his past and how strong he really was. Lucas informed her that he was once in the army from he was young but missed out the part of where he was a member of the Queen¡¯s Guard a most prestigious group and that he was holder of the fourth chair. Also leaving out how strong he really was just saying that he was vast in the art of fighting and adept with many skills. After enjoying their meal and recovering their strength it was back to training. The group made their way back towards the field where they were to continue training, receiving a few curious glance from the children in the streets.


    Upon their arrival in the area Lucas decided instead of going back to physical work out he should teach Emily how to defend herself in combat as well. So he sent Lyca to look around the village while he thought Emily the basics of their fighting style.


    ---------


    The village was a bit more busier that earlier when they first went out but being a village there wasn¡¯t much people walking around. Most of them were already out in the farms working. There were a few kids playing in the different parts of the village. As she passed them a few kids would look at her weirdly and some would wave to her and she did the same in return, waving back to them. While walking the different roads in the village Lyca came across a road that had no houses going along the side and at the end she saw a large fence in the distance and decide to follow it. Lyca made her way into another part of the village which had a fence about 12 feet high, as high as the one surrounding the village. Surprisingly the gate to this area was opened so she decided to enter and explore a bit. Within this area there were 5 large buildings about 200 feet wide and was built like a dome with a single double door about 7 feet wide and 10 feet high. It also had several windows for ventilation.


    ¡°Welcome to our training grounds young one.¡± a voice from behind her spoke and she swung around to find a tall male person dressed in a button down shirt with brown and yellow stripes in checkered pattern and a black pants.


    ---------------


    Somewhere in the Kalmor region hidden deep within the mountains stood a giant fortress hidden from the naked eye, by concealment techniques. Surrounded by guards clad in black armor made from a dark metal. On the upper right arm of the armor was painted a skull with a dagger going through the middle with snake wrapping around it. This was the fortress of the vipers clan.


    Deep inside the fortress in a large room only light by a few candles a man sat at his desk reading intently a book in front of him. This man man was the leader of the VIpers Clan the man who had caused the destruction of Liasha. ¡°Septom had failed me. I matters not I have an army of warriors of old at my disposal once I learn to release the seals on them, they¡¯ll be mine to control and this Kingdom will be mine.¡±