《The Draconic Lord Rises (Book 1)》


 Prologue: The Six High Gods

    When the world was first created,


    Six beings emerged at the same time.


    Pyrus, the embodiment of War and Fire.


    Aqia, the embodiment of Time and Water.


    Slyph, the embodiment of Weather and Wind.


    Gaea, the embodiment of Harvest and Earth.


    Driz, the embodiment of Afterlife and Night.


    Helos, the embodiment of Life and Light.


    These six beings became known as the six High Gods and began to create all the life forms in the world. Plants, microorganisms, animals; all were created with an affinity towards one of the six High Gods. Slowly, life began to fill the whole world and began to thrive.


    For the first couple millenniums, the world was peaceful as the High Gods and living creatures co-existed together in this new world. That peace, however, wouldn¡¯t last as conflicts began to rise among the animals. Even though the conflicts seemed small at first, it soon escalated and large scale battles between the six factions occurred, which lead to what was known as the first Great High God War.


    On one side was Aqia, Slyph, and Driz against Pyrus, Gaea, and Helos. It was a given that Aqia and Slyph would be on the same side as they were lovers. Once Pyrus, Aqia¡¯s rival, decided to join sides with Helos, Aqia and Slyph allied themselves with Driz.


    The war lasted for hundreds of years, with billions of deaths on both sides. The High Gods, mortified by the number of casualties, convened for a conference to bring an end to the war. During this conference, the High Gods agreed on the following:


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    They would no longer interfere with the lives of any of the beings on the world.


    They would create a new species based off of themselves to take care of the world: Humans.


    In remembrance to the fallen of the war, the souls of those creatures that had passed away in the war would be placed within the body of each human, allowing the humans to borrow the strength of the animal and also giving the animals another chance at life.


    With those agreements, the first High God War finally concluded. The six High Gods worked together and created the Human race. After they had taught them basic knowledge and the history of the first High God War, they slowly retracted themselves from humanity and the world so that they could watch from afar.


    Humanity, at first, was plunged into fear and chaos when the High Gods left. As time went on though, humans began to separate and settle down in new lands. Towns, Villages, Cities, and Kingdoms slowly began to rise and fall. Humans also began the process of understanding the powers that were given to them through the beast souls and to cultivate.


    This story is a tale of a certain man who lived in this world. It is a story about how the man overcomes numerous trials alongside his beast soul and would later be known as the Draconic Lord.

 Chapter 1 - Azurons Requiem

    ¡°Ryther! Hurry up, we¡¯re going to be late!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming Dad!¡±


    Immediately after his father called for him, Ryther rushed toward the main hall. At the door, he stopped for a moment to greet the two guards on either side before he opened the door and entered. Inside the room, there was a sturdily built man who stood at around six foot. He had long black hair and a goatee with hints of grey in them. The man was Ryther¡¯s father, Rosland.


    At the sight of his father, Ryther couldn¡¯t help but make a snide remark.


    ¡°Dad, how is it that you seem more nervous than I am? Sheesh, relax a little!¡±


    When he heard what his son said, Rosland didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.


    ¡°You rascal! Today¡¯s the day where we find out your soul strength and level! How can you be so relaxed?!¡±


    Ryther only laughed at his father¡¯s rebuke. In truth, he understood why his dad was so worried. For his whole life, Rosland had suffered bitterly due to not having a great soul strength or having a high grade beast soul.


    When he was young, all the other children used to make fun of him. None of the adults took him seriously and just ignored him. Even his parents seemed resigned to the fact that their son would not be a strong warrior.


    Being out casted by everyone, Rosland left everything behind and trained desperately as though his life depended on it. After decades worth of training and adventure, he grew strong enough and contributed enough to the Kingdom of Estrados to become a Provincial Lord.


    Even though he knew that soul strength and beast soul grade didn¡¯t matter much, Rosland still hoped for his son to get ranked high in both so that at the very least his son would not have to go through what he did in his childhood. No matter what though, in the end he made the determination to help support his son no matter what the results of the test were.


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re WAY too tense! Just look at Ryther. He¡¯s the twelve year old who¡¯s about to be tested, not you! It¡¯s not like it¡¯s your first time either; you were just like this for my evaluation too!¡±


    As the bell like voice reached them, a young lady entered the hall. The lady was very pretty, with short black hair that fitted with her oval shaped face. Her round blue eyes were mesmerizing, making people who saw them dazed. With a height of five foot six inches, she was neither short nor tall but seemed to match with her perfect figure. One could easily tell that all the boys would go crazy after her looks. It was Ryther¡¯s older sister, Raia.


    ¡°Yeah, like Raia noona said, relax dad! Everything will be fine just like when Raia noona went and got examined, just watch.¡±


    As he saw his two children, Rosland sighed. They were right, he was needlessly being too worried. There was nothing that he could do; he would just have to react to whatever happens later. As he thought of that, Rosland¡¯s mood slowly became better and he calmed down. With a smile on his face, he grabbed his son by the shoulder and started to head to the entrance.


    ¡°Alright then! Since Raia is here let¡¯s head out!¡±


    As the three headed out of the mansion, they were accompanied by a group of guards to protect them. As they walked down the main street, the bustling crowd respectfully parted for them and bowed to Rosland. In response, he would smile and wave at all the citizens in acknowledgement.


    Within the Haneul province, the tax rate was low and Rosland invested a lot of time and funds into making the life of the people better with canal projects, better irrigation systems, farming methods, and etc. Due to all of his effort, the Haneul province became one of the wealthier provinces in the Kingdom and many people lived better lives than others in the Kingdom.


    After they had walked on the main street for another ten minutes, the group finally arrived in front of a large white cathedral building. The building had a gothic look towards it with colorful images sketched onto the windows. The most distinct portion though, was the tall tower with the large silver bell within it at the middle of the building.


    At the entrance of the cathedral, there was a long line of children who stood in a line with their parents as they awaited their turn for their soul to be evaluated by the Kingdom¡¯s representatives. As they approached the line, Rosland dismissed the guards as he didn¡¯t want to cause too much of a scene and had them wait at a nearby pub.


    ¡°So Ryther, you scared yet? You know, you don¡¯t have to feel pressured about getting a high grade beast soul like this big noona!¡±


    As he heard what his sister said, Ryther rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Sigh, no need to brag that you have an A class beast soul noona. Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed being a sixteen year old and bragging to your ten year old younger brother?¡±


    The beast souls were divided into six ranks: E, D, C, B, A, and the very rare S class. As the ranks get higher, they become much more rare. It is said that only one in every hundred thousand people would have an A rank beast soul.


    ¡°This rascal! It¡¯s been awhile since this noona has taught you a  lesson huh?! Get over here!¡±


    After she heard Ryther¡¯s words, Raia put him in a headlock gave him a nuggy. At the sight of his children as they messed around, Rosland sighed before he knocked them in the head with a soft punch.


    ¡°Knock it off you two, you aren¡¯t kids anymore! There¡¯s people who are watching.¡±


    After he made sure they wouldn¡¯t continue their act, Rosland turned back and waited patiently.  As his head turned, Ryther and Raia glared at each other while holding their head and waited. After a few moments the line slowly moved forward and people began to exit the cathedral.


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    It was pretty easy to tell who did well and who didn¡¯t as they left. The children either left dejected, depressed, crying, or leaping up and down in joy.  The majority of the parents tried to console their children but unfortunately there were those few minorities that bashed their children for not being talented. At that sight, Rosland couldn¡¯t help but flinch; it brought back memories of his own childhood.


    After they had waited in line for over an hour, they finally entered the cathedral. Inside, there were numerous long tables where officials took down the names of the children and then had them line up in front of a row of orbs.  As the children walked forward, an official would guide them to an orb where they would place their hand on it.


    Once they put their hand on the orb, the orb would begin to brighten. The orb would always brighten to either red, blue, silver, green, white, or black. Depending on the strength of the soul, the orb would glow more brightly or dimly.  The weird thing would be that after that, the glow would move from the orb to the child¡¯s other hand and then condense into a weapon.  The weapon would vary for each person: some formed into swords, others formed into spears, halberds, lances, qatars, bows, crossbows, and etc.


    After the weapons would form, the officials would then state out the results loudly.


    ¡°Participant 241, soul strength medium, beast soul attribute wind, grade: D.¡±


    ¡°Participant 250, soul strength low, beat soul attribute fire, grade: E.¡±


    ¡°Participant 259, soul strength medium, beast soul attribute light, grade: B.¡±


    As the results were stated, adults who were in some official clothing would go up to the higher testing children and started to recruit them for their schools. Some children would just get enrollment while more talented ones would receive extra benefits such as a stipend, free tuition, not having to attend classes, and such.


    Ryther, however, wasn¡¯t really interested in that. He was more curious about how the officials were grading the beast soul grade.


    ¡°Hey dad, how are the officials deciding the beast soul grades?¡±


    ¡°You know how the brightness of the light in the orb determines the soul strength right? Well for the beast soul grade, the officials only need to determine how pure the color is. The more pure a color, the higher grade the beast soul is.¡±


    Once Ryther heard what Rosland said, he immediately began to focus on the orbs once again. Once he focused his attention more, he started to notice there was indeed a difference in the pureness of each color.  Sometimes the colors would seem murky or dull while at others they would be more bright and pure.


    As the line decreased and Ryther was getting closer to the front, he began to get excited. Even though he didn¡¯t show it, inwardly he was indeed nervous. He wasn¡¯t really worried about himself more that he didn¡¯t want to let his dad down. After waiting for another fifteen while he had those thoughts, it was finally his turn.


    ¡°Welp, it''s finally my turn. I¡¯ll be right back!¡±


    ¡°Good luck son! Even if your soul isn¡¯t strong dad will help you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about being a failure too much, this noona will take care of you!¡±


    After receiving encouragement(?) from his family, Ryther walked forward to the desk to register for the  evaluation.


    ¡°Participant 323, go to area 7. Once there wait for the orders of the officials. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°No sir. Thank you.¡±


    After he bowed at the official who was seated behind the table, he walked toward the area that was indicated as area 7. As he waited patiently for a couple of minutes, the official finally called him forward to take the evaluation.


    ¡°Participant 323, please step forward and put a hand on the orb. Stay still as the orb evaluates and awakens your beast soul.¡±


    As the official told him, Ryther moved forward and slowly raised his left arm to the orb. If you looked closely at the outstretched arm, one would be able to see that the arm was shaking ever so slightly due to nervousness. As his palm made contact with the orb, the orb released a huge brilliant light.


    Unlike with the other children, the orb released a pure and clear blue light and then a brilliant silver light, interchanging with one another as though they were chasing after each other. After a few moments the lights traveled through the confused Ryther and gathered in his right hand, condensing. Once the light faded away, there was a beautiful one handed sword in his right hand.


    The blade was a double edged one handed sword around three feet long with a width of three inches. On the sword guard, there was an top view of a dragon¡¯s imprinted onto it. What was most distinguishable about the sword, however, was the chilling blue aura the sword gave off and the words etched onto the blade.


    Azuron¡¯s Requiem.


    For some unknown reason when Ryther saw the words etched onto the blade, a surge of sadness ran through him, as though those words had some painful meaning for him. Slowly, a tear formed and fell from his eye.Surprised by the sudden tear drop he shed, Ryther quickly moved his arm and wiped it away before he once more studied his soul weapon.


    As Ryther was engrossed with his sword, he never heard the official¡¯s almost panicked announcement of his evaluation or the uproar it caused in the whole cathedral.


    ¡°Pa-Par-Participant 323, so-so-soul strength superb, beast soul attribute wa-water and wind, grade: S!!¡±

 Chapter 2 - Royal Beast Spiritualist Institute

    Once the official announced Ryther¡¯s evaluation, the whole room became deathly silent like the calm before a storm. Rosland and Raia could only stare wide-eyed at the back of Ryther as the whole room erupted in chatter as the children and parents talked, and the school recruiters dashed forward to be the first to invite him to their schools. It was quite a comical sight to see the old men pushing and shoving each other out the way.


    ¡°Dear child, we at the Devlin Institute would like to offer you a full ride scholarship to our school.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, just a full ride? The Devlin Institute has sure fallen! We at the Roswell Academy will give you a full scholarship along with a private tutor and a monthly allowance of 1 gold!¡±


    Within the span of less than a minute, Ryther had been completely surrounded by the group of recruiters who were screaming their offers out loud in an attempt to get his attention. After Rosland and Raia recovered from their shock, they noticed that he seemed to be out of it as he was just staring at his soul weapon. Worried for his son, Rosland forced his way through the crowd of recruiters and with much difficulty, reached his son.


    ¡°Son, you alright?¡±


    When Ryther heard the sudden familiar voice, he finally snapped out of his daze and saw the worried face of his father in front of him. Confused at why his father looked so worried, he noticed that he was surrounded by old men who were yelling out things he couldn¡¯t comprehend. He didn¡¯t understand where these people came from and why they were surrounding him.


    Rosland sighed in relief since Ryther seemed to be alright. Still, he was worried about his condition so he made the decision that it would be best if they could return to their home as soon as possible. After he took a short breath, he shouted out for all the recruiters to hear.


    ¡°Okay gentlemen. My son¡¯s not in a really good condition at the moment so we will be retiring early today. If you wish to speak about school enrollments, please come seek us out at the Provincial Lord¡¯s estate tomorrow. Thank you!¡±


    There was quite a few grumbles from the recruiters once they heard what Rosland said. One of the recruiters even had to gall to talk back to him.


    ¡°Just who are you to tell us what to do?!¡±


    All the spectators went deathly silent once they heard those words. They couldn¡¯t believe someone would have the gall to say that to Rosland. As the officials were about to come intervene, Rosland once more spoke.


    ¡°I am the father of Ryther if you haven¡¯t noticed! Also, I do have a position that is titled the Provincial Lord of Haneul. Now, do I have the qualifications to leave here with my son gentlemen?¡±


    Even though Rosland had kept his voice calm and collected, one could easily tell that he was not amused whatsoever by someone trying to stop him. The earlier recruiter, now terrified, quickly nodded his head and got out the way along with other recruiters, creating an open path.


    At that moment, guards also rushed into the cathedral. Behind them was Raia, who just winked at them. Rosland couldn¡¯t help but to admire his daughter¡¯s quick reaction to bring the guards just in case. As they moved forward, Raia walked beside Ryther and the guards surrounded them as they hastily left.


    As the spectators watched the contingent leave, they began to discuss what just happened.


    ¡°The Lord is so lucky to have such a talented child.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Also I felt a little moved seeing how worried he was for his son.¡±


    ¡°Of course our Lord was. There¡¯s no way such a great person as our Provincial Lord wouldn¡¯t love and cherish his children.¡±


    As they spoke, some even started to scorn the recruiters.


    ¡°Just because they¡¯re some representatives of some school, they act so high and mighty. How dare they challenge our Lord like that?!¡±


    ¡°They better be thankful that our Lord is so kind. It would¡¯ve been just for him to punish them!¡±


    The school recruiters could only gulp and wipe off the cold sweats that appeared on their forehead when they heard what the civilians were saying. They really had gone overboard this time. It was pure luck that they received no punishment.


    Inside the Provincial Lord estate, Ryther was inside his room alongside Rosland, Raia, and his mom, Leslie. After arriving back at the estate, Rosland had immediately brought the family over to Ryther¡¯s room and had called for the physician to come. Leslie, once she heard that Ryther was unwell, had immediately rushed over to check on her son. After consoling her for over ten minutes that he was fine, she finally calmed down.


    Leslie was a gorgeous lady. With her long curvy blond hair that reminded others of a cool summer breeze and those bright playful green eyes. At the  height of five foot eight inches and a slim S line figure, she was the envy of all women.


    After the physician had come by and declared that there were no issues with Ryther¡¯s body,everyone left the room except the family members as Rosland finally asked the question that had them puzzled.


    ¡°So Ryther, why did you blank out like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure, but when I looked at the sword and the engraving on it¡­Emotions just started to well up inside and a large sadness hit me¡­.¡±


    When everyone heard what Ryther said, they all had an ¡°Ah¡± expression on their face. At that sight, he couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head in confusion. At the sight of his brother¡¯s confusion, Raia explained the reasoning.


    ¡°Ah, whenever a person awakens their beast soul, they do experience its emotions. The first time tends to be the strongest moment, but it usually isn¡¯t as strong as what you experienced. Anyways, call out your soul weapon again~ I didn¡¯t get to have a good look at it because of all the commotion earlier~¡±


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    ¡°Raia! Let your brother rest. He just had all that happen to him not too long ago!¡±


    While he watched bemusedly as his mom began to scold Raia, he did think it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have his family inspect his soul weapon.


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s alright! You never know, you guys might notice something that I didn¡¯t so it might be a good idea to have you all look at it.¡±


    As he said that, Ryther thought of the image of Azuron¡¯s Requiem and willed it to appear. Once again, the blue and silver lights appeared around his right hand before they condensed into the shape of a sword. As the light disappeared, Azuron¡¯s Requiem and its chilling aura appeared.


    Rosland, Leslie, and Raia could only sigh in appreciation of the sword¡¯s beauty. It really was a masterpiece. As they looked at the blade, they could make out the etchings of Azuron¡¯s Reqium.    After he thought about it a little, Rosland spoke up.


    ¡°Azuron is most likely the name of your beast soul in their prior life. As for requiem¡­ it usually means hymn for the dead¡­ Maybe they lost a loved one and was out for revenge? Or they could have been a commander during the first Great High God War and have been in remembrance for his fallen comrades? Well, it¡¯s not like we can find out right now anyways. Once you¡¯re able to communicate with your beast soul you can ask them then.¡±


    Ryther nodded his head at his dad¡¯s words. He was right, he would have all the time in the world with his beast soul from now on so later on he could just directly ask about it.


    ¡°Well anyways, this is one fine weapon. It is probably the finest soul weapon I¡¯ve seen; even better than Raia¡¯s. Unfortunately, neither your mother nor I are trained in swordsmanship so I¡¯ll recruit a swordsman to tutor you okay? Anyways, the next topic we need to go over is about what school you will be attending. The recruiters were basically fighting for the right of you attending their school.  Thanks to saying you weren¡¯t feeling well and using my status we got away today, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯re going to come in force tomorrow.


    In my opinion, it¡¯d be best for you to attend Royal Beast Spiritualist Institute. It¡¯s the best school in our Kingdom and only accepts the brightest students. With your evaluations, I¡¯m confident you can even get into the Institute as a honor student. Also, your sister attends the same school so I can be more at ease knowing you two can take care of each other.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this noona will make sure no one bullies you, except for me that is. OUCH THAT HURT DAD!!¡±


    After he knocked his daughter in the head, Rosland continued.


    ¡°Anyways, excluding what your sister said at the end, what do you think? We won¡¯t force you I¡¯m just telling you what I think would be for the best.¡±


    Ryther stayed silent for a few moments and contemplated the question. It would decide his future after all. After mulling over it in his head for a bit, he nodded. It really wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea to go to the best school in the Kingdom along with his sister, even if it was only for a year or so.


    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯ll be for the best, dad. I have two years until I start school anyways. Oh yeah, I¡¯ve been curious, but what did I get on my evaluation?¡±


    When Rosland and Raia heard his question, they could only look at Ryther blankly. This kid, just how out of it was he?!


    ¡°You...you really don¡¯t remember?!¡±


    ¡°I told you noona, I was already engrossed in the sword at that time¡­.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­. What am I going to do with this child¡­ Son, you got a superb on soul strength and have the rare dual attribute beast soul..with an S grade¡­¡±


    At first Ryther thought his dad was joking, but when he figured out that his dad was speaking the truth, he could only dumbly stare at his family in disbelief.


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    The next day, the whole morning was hectic as the family had to entertain all the recruiters who came to the estate. Even though it was exhausting meeting with each and every recruiter and rejecting them, he finally completed the tasks around lunch time. Once the other recruiters knew that they had been rejected for Royal Beast Spiritualist Institute, they weren¡¯t even mad.


    Also just like his father guessed, he did receive a full scholarship and honor student status from the Royal Beast Spiritualist Institute. He would receive a stipend of ten gold a month and would be able to choose his own curriculum. The only course that he really had to attend was the weekly honor students class and that was it. After he signed a contract that stated he will attend the institute two years later, the recruiter left with a hop in his steps.


    It was common knowledge that people only attended school from the ages of fourteen to eighteen, a total of four years. The reason for this was that most children would learn all the basic knowledge from their households from a young age. Once they became more mature, they could attend the schools to learn more advance knowledge and techniques which took four years to learn.


    Even though he was depressed at the thought that he had to wait two more years, the thought of finally learning the way of the sword excited him and he pestered his dad non-stop about it. After a week, word that the position was accepted arrived. The next morning, he finally arrived.


    This would be the first meeting between the Draconic Lord and his diabolical sword master, Dylan.

 Chapter 3 - The Sword Demon

    A/N: Hey everyone! sorry it took so long for this chp to come out. My PR was really busy and never had time to PR it :( anyways, a couple things i wanted to say.


    First off, Sometimes there will be a few korean words in my story like noona in the previous chapters. Noona means older sister in korean. In the future when I use korean words, i''ll be sure to explain it in the A/N.


    Second, feel more than free to leave comments or reviews on how I am doing. Whether I''m doing something right or wrong, I''d love to hear from  yall. Well without further ado, hope yall enjoy the chp!


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    ¡°Ryther! Come greet your sword instructor!¡±


    Once he heard that the long awaited sword instructor had arrived, Ryther rushed out of his room and dashed toward the pavilion area. The estate was built over a span of fifty acres with around five buildings. Each building was wooden and would be one floor. The roofs were built in a triangular shape with tiles placed on top of each other so that rain wouldn¡¯t get into the homes. In between each building, there was a wooden walkway which lead to the next building.


    Inside the pavilion area, he noticed his father sitting down with a man that looked as though he was in late thirties or early forties.  His body type seemed to lean toward the more slender type, easily dwarfed by his father¡¯s burly body. Once Rosland and the new sword instructor noticed that Ryther had come, they urged him to join them.


    ¡°Son, let me introduce you. This is an old pal of mine, Dylan Silveris. By chance he stopped by a couple days ago and let me know to let me know he moved here. Once he told me that, I immediately thought of you and asked him to help you out by becoming your sword instructor which he agreed to for our old time¡¯s sake.


    You see, back when we were both in the military, he used to be known as the ¡°Sword Demon¡±.  Back then you could literally count on a single hand how many people were a better swordsman than him in the military.  You¡¯re very lucky that we were able to get such an outstanding instructor.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, Rosland, you overrate me. Also, we can¡¯t forget about your nickname as the ¡°Grim Reaper¡±. When you swung that damn spear of yours, the enemy would fight amongst themselves to get out the way. Anyways your name¡¯s Ryther right? It¡¯s nice to meet you. Like your dad said the name¡¯s Dylan Silveris. As you can see, your pops and I have been good friends for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you sir.¡±


    As Rosland and Dylan reminisced about the past, Ryther paid close attention to their stories. His father usually never told stories about his time in the military, except for the time when he met Leslie and how they fell in love. He sometimes heard bits and snippets from when the guards spoke but those times were few and rare. As Ryther was immersed in their talk, his mother came to the pavilion with a tray of drinks.


    ¡°Oh boys, talking about the military days again huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey Leslie, been a while! Thanks for the drink.¡±


    ¡°Hey honey.¡±


    As the adults greeted each other, everyone grabbed a cup of refreshing water.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Dylan. How have you been? Is Maria doing well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing great, finally got to retire from being the Sword instructor from the Knight Academy¡­ They kept on trying to keep me there. Sigh anyways Maria is doing well also, she was talking about bringing Silvia along to come see you.¡±


    ¡°Oh that would be wonderful! It¡¯s been such a long time since I¡¯ve seen Maria I miss her~ Also I have yet to see Silvia. I¡¯m quite excited!¡±


    After the adults talked for a couple more minutes, Rosland and Leslie left, leaving Ryther with Dylan to begin his swords training. Excited, Ryther eagerly awaited his first lesson as the two walked to the training area.


    Once they arrived at the training area, Dylan turned around and faced Ryther. After he had studied him for a while, he began.


    ¡°Let me tell you this up front. My training methods, are to say the least, not the most friendly. Just because you¡¯re his son, don¡¯t expect any leniency from me, okay? Let me tell you this from the start. My training will not be easy, there will be many moments you want to quit. I can guarantee you this though, if you don¡¯t quit and put all your effort into training, you will become an outstanding swordsman. Knowing all this though, are you still willing to learn from me?¡±


    Even though he was caught off guard by the sudden speech, Ryther earnestly shook his head. He hadn¡¯t expected any preferable treatment from the beginning. Dylan, who saw his resolve, nodded his head his in approval.


    ¡°Alright! That¡¯s the spirit. Well then, first thing first let¡¯s start with some warm ups. From now on while we¡¯re training you are to hold that wooden sword at all times. Doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re walking, running, eating, or resting, okay? Well then, we¡¯ll start off with a light jog follow me.¡±


    Without looking to see if Ryther was following, Dylan started to jog to the entrance of the estate. Ryther, surprised by the sudden action, frantically chased after Dylan and jogged beside him. The first mile wasn¡¯t too bad as they hadn¡¯t run that fast. When he thought they would stop though, Dylan continued to run. Not only that, his pace increased slowly also.


    The one mile slowly turned into two, which then turned into three. By the end of the third mile, Ryther could barely shuffle his legs forward. He was struggling to get oxygen into his body. The light wooden sword that barely weighed anything seemed as though it weighed hundreds of pounds as it raked the ground behind him.


    Dylan, who saw that, was satisfied and finally returned back to the estate. Once they were back at the training area, Ryther collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Dylan gave him a water poach and ten minutes to rest before he spoke again.


    ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re done with our warm ups and you¡¯ve gotten a breather, let¡¯s move on to the next phase!¡±


    In the future whenever Ryther thought back to his first day of sword training, he reflexively shivered. All those pushups, squats, sprints, and sword swings¡­. Even he¡¯s amazed that he kept on going and finished all those exercises that day. For the first month, every night he had to drag his body into the bath and stayed in there for hours.


    For the next six months, the physical conditioning and swinging training continued. When Dylan noticed that Ryther was getting accustomed to the exercise he would increase the difficulty. Once he was finally satisfied that his disciple¡¯s body was in good enough shape, they began to do more swordsmanship training.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Not only would Ryther have to swing the wooden sword a thousand times a day, he would also go through agility training. One of the more difficult training was when Dylan would continuously throw pebbles at him while he either dodged or knocked the stones down with his wooden sword. Even though the strength behind the throws weren¡¯t too strong, they were enough to leave bruises on his body.


    Even though every day felt like hell, Ryther noticed the visible changes in his body. His body lost all fat while his muscles became lean yet sturdy. His face and body frame became more chiseled and he grew to five foot six inches. His messy black hair seemed to shine more and his blue eyes were more distinct.


    Also, his familiarity with the sword had improved dramatically since he had carried it at all times. If there was anything slightly off, he would notice it instantly just by the weight. Also during that period of time, he had switched from his wooden sword, to a steel sword, and recently to Azuron¡¯s Requiem so that he would be familiar with it.


    What drove him mad throughout the whole thing,however,  was his parent¡¯s attitude. His father was always stricter toward him so he expected him to be fine with the training. The one he put his hope in the most, his mother, failed him however. Whenever she talked with Dylan in regards to his training, she would tell him he was doing a good job. She even laughed and said don¡¯t go too overboard when he talked about increasing the training level! Who are you and what have you done to my doting and loving mother?!


    Even though Ryther hated to admit it, the training really was effective though. Not only was he in great shape and his strikes clean, he was a lot more agile and was able to react much more quickly. He was able to read movements and make quick changes to his body to avoid the pebbles now.


    When Ryther heard that they would be going more in depth to swordsmanship, he was very excited. That excitement, however, disappeared rather quickly as the lessons began. Every time he learned a new form, Ryther had to practice it to the point where he be able to execute them at a moment¡¯s notice.


    It took Ryther another six months to learn the six forms to Dylan¡¯s satisfaction. Even though at first it was very repetitive and boring, as his form became more refined and sharp, Ryther became more excited and worked harder.


    Unfortunately for him, his parents didn¡¯t let him just practice swordsmanship. During that span, his parents also brought in teachers that taught him history, etiquette, science, and, writing. From afternoon until dinner time, he studied one of those subject every day.


    During the one year of training, a significant event also occurred within the family. The Regalia family added another member to their family as Leslie gave birth to Rem. Unlike Raia and Ryther, Rem followed their mother and had blonde hair and green eyes. The child really was adorable; he always smiled and laughed when you held him. To Ryther, who had exhaustive training and studies every day, his little time with his younger brother was his own stress relief time.


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


    A little over a year had now passed since Ryther began his training.


    One morning, when Ryther reached the usual training grounds to start the training, he found to his surprise that sixteen dummies had been set up in a box formation. Curious, he began to inspect the formation. The dummies were wooden and had two batons for arms. The average height for each was around six foot. What was most interesting was that all the dummies had a stick for legs that connected to the ground. While Ryther continued to inspect the formation, he heard an all too familiar voice.


    ¡°Great, you¡¯re already here. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious about what these dummies are here for.  Well this is going to be your annual test per say. You see, these sixteen dummies won¡¯t just stand there for you to hit. Once one of them gets hit, the rest will begin to move randomly. The objective is to not get hit and destroy all sixteen dummies. Simple right?¡±


    Once he heard his teacher¡¯s instructions, Ryther looked at him with disbelief. There was no way it was as simple as his teacher was saying! Those dummies more than likely would all be very quick and gang up on him immediately at the very least. While he let out a large sigh, Ryther moved to the center of the formation and once again imagined his partner. As the light disappeared, the majestic Azuron¡¯s Requiem once again appeared in his right hand.


    Without another word, a loud bang noise sounded throughout the area and the dummies began to whirl around while their baton arms swung furiously. Even as all the dummies surrounded him, Ryther stayed calm and analyzed his environment and the dummies. The dummies¡¯ movement speed, size, arm length, rotation speed; he analyzed all those factors. Although the dummies rotation speed was terrifying to see at first, once he got used to the speed he was able to trace their movements. After he had confirmed everything in his mind, Ryther let out a short breath before he sprang into action.


    Ryther¡¯s body started to tilt to the right until it seemed as though he was going to fall. Just as his upper body fell forward and he was parallel to the ground, he heavily stomped on the ground with his right foot and explosively dashed to his right. As he quickly closed the gap between him and the closest dummy, Azuron¡¯s Requiem thrusted forward and smashed through a couple of dummies.


    Constellation Arts Form One, Shooting Star. Using the momentum of falling down, one would explode forward with increased speed and use the force to stab through your target. It was an excellent move to close the distance with the target or as a first strike.


    As Ryther crashed through into the middle of a crowd of dummies, he released a slash in a crescent shape from his right side to his left, before he spun one hundred and eight degrees and released the same slash from his left side to his right. This move was the second form in the Constellation Arts, Reflection of the Cold Crescent Moon. Using two crescent slashes to cover all three hundred and sixty degrees, it was made for use in a one against many fight.


    Just from those two moves, Ryther destroyed around half of the dummies. With the numbers greatly reduced, he made short work of the remaining eight dummies with simple slashes and thrusts. Dylan, who had watched everything from a distance, nodded his head in approval. Even for soldiers older than Ryther it would have been difficult to calmly assess their environment and handle the situation as well as he had.


    Even amongst the thousands of students that he had previously taught at the Knight Academy, Dylan doubted many would match Ryther¡¯s feat. It¡¯s true that they didn¡¯t receive nearly as much personal instruction from him but they were all two to six years older and learned over a four year span. Inside his mind, he decided to up the training level once again and to begin the sparring sessions in order for Ryther to gain real experience.


    Thankfully (?), Ryther wasn¡¯t able to read his teacher¡¯s mind because if he did, he could only inwardly cry and bemoan his poor fate of having such a devilish teacher.

 Chapter 4 - Sparring

    A/N: Shout out to Shenfara, Zirix, and Loli Shotacon for PRing the chp! Hoping to have a chp out tomorrow so you guys aren''t left hanging from the cliff for too long :P Sunday at the latest. Enjoy!


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    ¡°Alright, for today we¡¯re going to do something different. Today, you will spar against both your father and mother. Leslie, if you would do us the honor and go against him first.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Dylan~ Honey, make sure to be careful while we fight okay?¡±


    While the two casually spoke, Leslie walked into the sparring area. As usual, she looked gorgeous. It¡¯s just that today, instead of her usual dress, she wore a tunic with some pants. The clothes were tight fitting and showed all her curves.  Ryther, who stood across from his mother, couldn¡¯t help but show a bitter expression on his face.


    ¡°Umm¡­. Teacher? Is it really alright to go against my mom? Can I just go against dad first?¡±


    *Snap*


    ¡¯Eh? Did I hear something just snap?¡¯


    ¡°Oh lord, he just did it. Rosland, don¡¯t you think we need to stop this fight before your wife kills your son?¡±


    ¡°We have healers on standby, he¡¯ll be fine~. He needs to learn how scary his mom is anyways. She¡¯s doted on him way too much. Just thinking of how loving she was to him¡­Kuh¡­. This should be a good lesson huhuhu¡­.¡±


    Ryther¡¯s senses began to roar that his life was in imminent danger.


    ¡®OI!! I think I just heard something very dangerous?!?!¡¯


    ¡°Oh dear beloved disciple~ Just to give you a clear warning, but do you know what your mom¡¯s nickname was during our time in the military?¡±


    ¡¯Shit, I really have a bad feeling about this now¡­.¡¯


    ¡°Um¡­.no I don¡¯t teacher¡­ Wha¡­What was it?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­. Nothing too extravagant or anything, just, the Berserker.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    As Ryther slowly turned back to his mother, he noticed that she had already materialized her soul weapon. In those delicate hands of her, a mammoth of an axe was gripped. The axe was double edged, with intrinsic runes around the edges and a large ruby in the middle. The shaft of the axe was about a foot and a half in length with some leather wrapped handle.


    What was most frightening, however, was the blazing aura that emanated from Leslie.


    ¡°Oh dear honey¡­ It seems like momma has failed in correctly teaching you¡­.It looks like I¡¯m going to have to start the lesson from the beginning..hu hu hu¡­¡±


    ¡­..At that moment, Ryther made the most logical decision that the majority of people in that situation would have chosen: Run for dear life.


    ¡°OI!!! TEACHER!! DAD!! SOMEONE CALM MOM DOWN!!!¡±


    As the two adults watched Ryther run for his life from Leslie, hints of a smile appeared on both their faces.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ this reminds me of the day the three of us first met Rosland. I think you said something similar to young Ryther and then got beaten up so badly no one could recognize your face for a week.¡±


    ¡°I think I was more afraid of Leslie that night than when we fought outnumbered against those damn Haegoons in the borderlands. Ah, also remember that time you snuck into the female bathroom to peak at the girls and got caught by her?¡±


    ¡°Oh man¡­. I think I was in the hospital ward for two weeks because of that. The torture training we received was nothing compared to it¡­ Oh there was also that time we met those thirty orcs while on a squad patrol remember?¡±


    ¡°..That was the first time I¡¯ve ever felt sorry for orcs¡­.  The commander didn¡¯t even send anyone else to get rid of them once they made fun of Leslie¡­¡±


    At that moment, a thunderous boom sounded throughout the area. When the two turned to the area the sound came from, all they could see was a large sandstorm in the area. With a sigh, Rosland motioned toward the personnel who had been waiting off to the side and watched as they rushed forward with a stretcher.


    ¡°Well it looks like I¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow to spar lil¡¯ Ryther. Anyways, since you¡¯re free now, how about we go get some drinks?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good man. You sure you can drink right now though? You should be working.¡±


    ¡°Baah, screw it. When do we ever get the chance to grab a drink? The providence won¡¯t fall apart if i¡¯m not working for a couple hours and even longer for Ryther to wake back up.¡±


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


    After his teacher graciously (?) let him rest for a day, another exercise was added to Ryther¡¯s training regime: spars. Each day, he would have to face a different type of weapon. Sometimes it would be a spear, other times it would be a halberd; he even fought against a whip user. Every day, he would have to learn the hard way the strengths and weakness of each weapon and the best way to handle them.


    The opponents would also differ each day. Sometimes it would be his parents, other times some of the guards. Dylan even invited some masters that he knew over to spar with his disciples. At first, many of the guards and guests were hesitant to attack the child, since he was so young and the son of the Provincial Lord, but once they saw his eyes, all those thoughts faded away and their respect for him grew.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    If anyone asked Ryther whether he enjoyed this period though, he would answer in absolute certainty that it was the most hellish of times. Indeed, every time he sparred there were determination and resolve in his eyes; they were just to survive and go to bed as soon as possible. Every night he would discover a new muscle in his body as it protested against him in pain every time he moved. His only comforts during those days were his relaxing baths and playing with his younger brother Rem.


    On the fateful day that changed Ryther¡¯s life, he had finally received a rest day. At that moment the estate was bustling with activities as people ran all over the place carrying several things. All the staff were hurrying to make sure everything was perfect for the event this evening. Later on in the day the whole estate would be packed with important dignitaries as the celebration for Rem¡¯s first birthday was held so Ryther headed out early with a couple of guards to buy a birthday gift for his brother.


    In the Estrada Kingdom, it was a custom to throw a huge celebration for a child¡¯s first birthday as the majority of infant deaths occurred within the first year of birth. It was thought that if a child could get through this phase, there was a high likelihood that they would grow up to be adults without any incidents. With how common people who had healing capabilities are, there was a low death rate due to injuries and disease.


    Even though the sun had risen not too long ago, the streets were crowded as people went about their business and the merchants sold their wares. Even though the people wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the celebration, many were in a celebratory mood and spoke amongst themselves about it. As Ryther saw so many people happy for his little brother he was also in a good mood and thanked the High Gods for Rem¡¯s good health silently in his head.


    For the rest of the morning, Ryther strolled from merchant stall to merchant stall while looking for an appropriate gift for Rem. A couple of the civilians recognized him as he walked around and would both greet and congratulate him for Rem¡¯s first birthday and he would, in response, smile and thank them.


    It was just around noon when he finally found a suitable gift. At one of the open stalls Ryther spotted a necklace that had a pendant that was shaped in the word family. Even though it wasn¡¯t the most fancy of necklaces in regards to design or materials, it immediately caught his attention. The merchant, noticing that he was looking at the necklace, immediately brought it forward and showed it to him in closer detail.


    ¡°Young master, this necklace was created by a renowned artist in the East. It took me months of waiting just to get this from him. As you can see, the artist put great emphasis and effort into the design of the pendant and it came out flawlessly. If young master desires, I could sell this to you at a jaw-dropping price of two platinum...¡±


    Ryther couldn¡¯t help but shake his head when he heard the price. In their world, the currency system went from gold, to platinum coins, to jade slips. Twenty five gold coins equaled a platinum coin and fifty platinum coins equaled a jade slip. Two platinum coins was quite the sum of money as it could feed an average family of four for a month. Even though there was indeed great detail made when carving the pendant, the material itself wasn¡¯t that great and wouldn¡¯t fetch nearly that much. Still, he had indeed taken quite a fancy to the necklace and decided to buy it.


    ¡°Two platinum? Are you kidding me sir? You think I¡¯m some idiotic noble son that knows nothing?! This thing isn¡¯t even worth eight gold coins! You dare try to swindle me?!¡±


    ¡°You-young master, how would I dare?! Ho-how about this, just for you I¡¯ll sell it for fifteen go-gold coins!¡±


    Even though the merchant¡¯s panicked reaction amused him for a bit, Ryther still felt guilty for messing with him.


    ¡°You know what, since I do feel bad for accusing you let¡¯s do this sir. If you can get these four words carved onto the pendant and back here right now I¡¯ll give you a platinum coin.¡±


    The merchant immediately nodded his head and rushed off with the necklace. After only a fifteen minute wait, the merchant burst through the crowd and arrived back. Once he got his breath back, he straightened himself out and with a smile displayed the necklace for Ryther to see.


    ¡°How is it, young master? Is it to your liking?¡±


    On the back of the pendant, there was a character at each corner and in the middle. Ros, Les, Raia, Ry, Rem. At the sight, Ryther nodded his head in satisfaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect, sir. Thank you. As promised, here is one platinum coin.¡±


    At the sight of the platinum coin, the merchant eyes shown. It had only cost him eight gold coins even including the engraving just now but in the end he received a platinum coin for it. As Ryther and his guards left, he continued to bow and thank him for his business.


    While making his way back to the estate, Ryther whistled in a good mood and  inspected the necklace once again. It really did encompass his care for his family and his hope that they¡¯d always stay together, just like those four characters.


    As if to mock those thoughts of his, however, multiple bells rang. Startled, Ryther immediately began to count how many times the bells went off. Once, twice, three times. Immediately, his face along with the guards that accompanied him paled.


    At once, the contingent simultaneously sprinted back to the provincial lord estate. Even though it was rude, they yelled for everyone to get out the way and pushed those who reacted too late away. The civilians who had also heard the bells knew what they meant, and also caused a commotion as they gasped and started to panic. Three bell rings only meant one thing.


    It was an enemy invasion.

 Chapter 5 - Evacuation

    Sorry this chapter is so late. In apology I made it a really long chp! Hope you all enjoy. Once again please feel free to tell me how yall think im doing with the story!


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    ¡°Dad!¡±


    As the doors to the main hall were banged open, Ryther rushed in before he stopped with a confused expression. He wondered whether he had accidentally stepped into the wrong room. The view in front of him did not look like spacious and graceful main hall that he knew, but rather a battlefield.


    The hall was full of officers in their armor and the important provincial officials who were scrambling between reports and the numerous maps that had been laid out. Rosland, who was in front of the largest table in the hall, surrounded by many commanding officer and receiving their reports, raised his head at the loud shout and sighed once he saw the sight of his son rushing in. After he had excused himself, he went over to where his son was catching his breath.


    ¡°..Even though I can pretty much guess what you want to ask, go ahead and say it.¡±


    ¡°Are we really getting invaded?!¡±


    ¡°No, all the city¡¯s bells went off at the exact time for no reason at all¡­.¡±


    ¡°¡­How big is the enemy and how much time until they get.. Ouch!! Why¡¯d you hit me dad?!¡±


    ¡°You rascal, you think you¡¯re some kind of general? Anyways, hurry up and go pack only essential items. We¡¯re evacuating all the citizens right now so get ready to leave with Leslie and Rem.¡±


    Even though Rosland didn¡¯t say anything about the enemy, Ryther felt a shiver run down his spine at the severity of the issue. If it was bad enough to evacuate all of the citizens, then that meant¡­.


    ¡°¡­How much time do we have to evacuate the civilians?¡±


    ¡°Two hours. They¡¯ll arrive here by then. The reserves are already guiding the civilians to pack up their stuff and go to the evacuation tunnels. We¡¯re going to have to hold them off until then.¡±


    ¡°You know two hours isn¡¯t enough to evacuate everyone dad! Let me join you in defending the city¡±


    ¡°THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? IT¡¯S NOT LIKE AN ENEMY ARMY OF FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND WILL STOP FOR US TO EVACUATE EVERYONE! WHAT WILL YOU, A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD WHO HASN¡¯T EVEN TRAINED WITH YOUR BEAST SOUL, BE ABLE TO DO?!¡±


    Ryther flinched and took a step back at the sudden outburst from his father. The hall became silent as everyone looked toward the two. Rosland immediately noticed the silence and knew he had unnecessarily snapped on his own son.


    ¡°Ryther¡­.that.. I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have snapped on you. I¡¯m just stressed out because of everything happening..¡±


    As he looked at his father more closely, Ryther noticed the signs of fatigue on his facial features and how stressed he was. When he really thought about it, how could his father not know about all the issues he brought up? He already had his hands full and all Ryther did was to add to his stress. Still, Ryther felt as though there had to be something he could do to help. After a few moments, an idea popped up.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I can still help another way! Dad let me help the reserves evacuate the citizens at least!  Before you say anything, I¡¯m not a kid anymore and I should be doing all I can to help the people. Isn¡¯t that what you taught me?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right you know, Rosland. He¡¯s not a little kid who needs to be pampered anymore. This is a good chance to have your son get some experience. Ryther¡¯s also been training for over a year and is quite skilled in case something unexpected happened. We¡¯re severely outmanned and need all the people we can get. ¡±


    As those words rang out, a hand clapped Ryther¡¯s shoulder. When he turned around, he saw that Dylan had come. A bitter expression appeared on Rosland¡¯s face at his arrival. Dylan was right, they really were undermanned as it was and could use all the help they could get and Ryther really had progressed and was now a competent warrior who could handle his own in a situation. After he internally struggled over the decision as a parent and commander for a while, he finally relented and agreed. After he wrote an order for the reserve commander, he helplessly watched his son leave with Dylan.


    As the two exited the main hall and began to head toward the reserve command, Ryther spoke out.


    ¡°Thanks for helping me out back there Dylan.¡±


    ¡°What you talking about? I was dead serious about what I said. Better not disappoint me, boy!¡±


    ¡°Haha, anyways before we go you mind if we stop to see my mom and Rem? I should at least see them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Leslie would probably kill me for sending you off without seeing her. I¡¯m going to leave the explaining of it to you though..¡±


    ¡°Ha.. how are you going to leave such a difficult task to your disciple!¡±


    Leslie was not happy at all when she first heard that Ryther was going to assist in the evacuation. It took over ten minutes for them to convince her that it would be alright before she finally agreed. While he gave a goodbye to his mom, he remembered the necklace in his pocket.


    ¡°Oh yeah, mom. Also here take this.¡±


    ¡°A necklace? What is it for?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s for Rem¡¯s first birthday! Keep hold of it for me alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear¡­¡±


    After the farewell with his mom and Rem, Dylan and Ryther finally left. After they asked for and received directions to where the Reserve commander was, the two walked for another five minutes before they arrived at an open area where some soldiers were huddled around a desk and map and receiving instructions.


    ¡°Alpha company, you will go to the northeastern entertainment districts and help evacuate the citizens there. Bravo company, go to the central district. Charlie company, go to the residential area and make sure there are no stragglers. Delta company, you guys are in charge of the commercial area. Don¡¯t let the merchants block the damn roads with their goods. Echo company, you guys guide the civilians at the evacuation tunnels and make sure it doesn¡¯t turn into chaos over there okay? Alright, are there any questions?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡°Negative, sir!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Dismissed!¡±


    As the company commanders received their orders and left, Ryther and Dylan approached the reserve commander stayed in the same place and continued to inspect the map of the city.


    ¡°Hello there, commander. Can we take a moment of your time please?¡±


    ¡°Oh young master, Dylan. Of course, tell me what brings you two fine gentlemen my way.¡±


    ¡°Hey Rob. I¡¯ve brought lil Ryther over to help you guys out. Here¡¯s Rosland¡¯s orders for you.¡±


    As Dylan said that, he handed over the parchment to the commander.


    ¡°Hm¡­ the lord really did agree to it, huh.. Well then, not much I can say to that. Young master, it is a pleasure to work with you.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is mine, commander. Also I¡¯m not the young master anymore, just one of your subordinates for this evacuation. ¡°


    ¡°Haha understood. Captain Meeks, come over here!¡±


    ¡°You called sir?¡±


    ¡°The young master will be joining your delta company at the commercial area. Take him to the armory and get ready to head out.¡±


    ¡°Roger sir! Young master, if you will follow me.¡±


    ¡°Understood captain. Well then Dylan, thanks for guiding me. I¡¯ll see ya on the other side with dad and mom okay? Be careful.¡±


    ¡°You little punk, who do you think you¡¯re worrying about? Make sure to take care of yourself alright? You still got a lot to learn and Leslie would kill me if you didn¡¯t come back¡­¡±


    With those words, Dylan rustled Ryther¡¯s hair and left. After he watched Dylan disappear, Ryther also followed the commander. Once they had found a set of leather armor and helmet that fit him, the two met up with the company outside the estate. After he had given a brief instruction to his soldiers, Delta company marched out to the commercial area. What greeted them at the area, as expected though, was utter chaos.


    The civilians were running around everywhere in utter confusion. Some people were even breaking down on the road in despair. The merchants, on the other hand, rushed to pack all their wares and depart with their carts. Fights also began starting as people bumped into each other or some merchants blocked a route while moving their goods.


    ¡°Haa¡­. First platoon! Help guide all the civilians toward the tunnels and ensure order! Second platoon! Stop those damn merchants from congesting the roads and make sure they move in an orderly fashion. Alright men, we don¡¯t have much time until the enemy gets here. Be on the lookout for projectile fire once they do get here and protect the lives of the citizens! Any questions?¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±Negative, sir!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Alright, move out!¡±


    As the soldiers moved to their position, Captain Meeks turned around and also gave Ryther some instructions.


    ¡°Young master, please supervise the first platoon soldiers and help us calm the civilians. If anything occurs, I¡¯ll be with the second platoon moving the merchants.¡±


    ¡°Understood, captain.¡±


    The next couple of hours seemed like a blur to Ryther. He constantly moved around the whole time, making sure the soldiers of first platoon didn¡¯t have too much difficulty and stepped in when some civilians tried to argue back. The sound of battle after the first hour also didn¡¯t help as the people began to panic. At first, it seemed as though the chaos would never end as the soldiers had difficulty setting up, but slowly as time passed, the people were brought under control and slowly moved in an orderly fashion toward the tunnels.


    Just as the majority of the civilians had left and the company dealt with the final stragglers, the first projectile arrived and smashed into one of the buildings within the commercial area.


    ¡°Shit, enemy fire is coming! Men, hurry up and get the rest of the civilians out of here! Be on the lookout for enemy aerial forces! They may arrive at any moment.¡±


    As the captain ordered, the soldiers ran around and tried to get the rest of the civilians out of the area. Even though the majority had left, there were still dozens of civilians left. Even though the men of delta company tried their best, they simply didn¡¯t have enough time to evacuate everyone as the first batch of enemy appeared. At the sight of the enemy arriving through the air, Captain Meeks ordered his men to ready for combat.


    ¡°First platoon, call out your weapons! Second platoon, continue evacuating the rest of the civilians! We will fend the enemy off.¡±


    Without any hesitation, the members of the first platoon rushed forward and released their soul weapons. As Ryther looked on, none of the soldiers had any hints of fear in their face, but rather determination to protect the people and their own comrades.


    Ryther, on the other hand, felt quite nervous. Even though he had a lot of experience sparring with others, this was his first time in a real battle. Still, he gritted his teeth and brought forth Azuron¡¯s Requiem. It was finally time to see whether all that training had been worth it or not.


    The sight of the enemy was quite interesting to Ryther, though. As he saw the numerous people who had various types of wings on their back, he remember how his parents and Dylan had explained to him that as people strengthen their connection with their beast soul and are able to use more of their powers, they would also be able to materialize certain portions of the beast soul, for example wings, claws, tails,  etc.


    As the enemy neared them, some of the soldiers began to release ranged attacks at them with the help of their elemental affinity. Rocks, fire balls, wind blades, and water spikes began to fill the air as the enemies also released some barriers to protect themselves and their charges. Soon, the aerial soldiers released their counterparts who then rushed at the first platoon soldiers. First platoon, in response, bellowed in fury and rushed forward also to collide with their foes.


    The battle was chaotic as the soldiers hacked and slashed at each other. It was very difficult to fight as the people constantly moved and you had to pay attention to your surrounding even while fighting someone else. On many occasions, Ryther was almost stabbed by a parried attack and he also almost stabbed a comrade a few times on accident. To add to the confusion, some of the aerial soldiers stayed in flight as they launched elemental attacks at any enemy they could find.


    At the moment, the battle wasn¡¯t going well for first platoon. They were simply outmanned and, slowly, soldier after soldier began to fall. Even with their comrades from second platoon rushing in, the difference in manpower was simply too large. Captain Meeks also had been one of the first to fall so there was discord in the ranks also.


    With every turn, it felt as though Ryther either slashed at or stabbed one toward an enemy. There were simply too many nearby allies and the battlefield was such a mess that it was simply impossible for him to use any of the sword forms he was taught. As he pulled out his sword from an enemy¡¯s body, out the corner of his eyes he noticed a boy collapsed with the rubble of one of the buildings that broke down as it was hit. After he had fought over whether to stay or help save the boy for a brief while, the latter won and Ryther rushed toward him.


    As he rushed forward, he got a better glimpse of the trapped boy. The boy had a young face and looked about his age. He had silver hair and a refined jaw line. His face though, showed traces of pain as he tried to free himself from the rubble with very little success. When he noticed Ryther who had arrived and was helping remove the rubble, a flash of relief showed on his face.


    ¡°Thanks for coming to help.¡±


    ¡°No problem. My dad always taught me to help those in need, you know? Anyways you think you¡¯ll be able to walk once you get out of this mess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I broke anything, even though everything hurts like hell..Watch out behind you!¡±


    As the boy yelled out the warning, Ryther immediately slashed behind him while he turned and stepped back. As he looked, he noticed that three enemies had been ready to ambush him from behind.


    ¡°Whew, that was close. Thanks for the warning. Well then, you¡¯re going to have to get the rest of the rubbles off yourself. I¡¯ll stall them as long as I can.¡±


    With those words, Ryther charged forward. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t have much confidence in defeating the three of them at once. Still, if he didn¡¯t rush forward, he and the boy would both die, so with a furious roar he charged forward. At minimum, he was confident he would be able to stall for time, enough for the other boy to get out and run away.


    The three soldiers sneered at the sight of Ryther charging at them before they also ran forward. Seeing that the gap between them was closing, Ryther leaned his upper body forward, almost falling to the ground before he stomped his foot and rushed forward. Surprised at the sudden acceleration in speed, the men hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of the hesitation, Ryther aimed toward the one who was on the right and stabbed forward to his chest.


    Right as Azuron¡¯s Requiem was about to stab through the enemy¡¯s chest, a large impact erupted through the commercial area and shook the ground, which caused Ryther to miss. As he looked up to see what caused the shaking, his vision was met with large boulders and rubble that was falling down toward where he was.


    Panicked, the four all tried to flee from the dangerous area but they simply did not have enough time. As the rubble fell down around him as he fled, one finally hit Ryther in the head. As his vision slowly faded, the last thing he saw was the boy he had tried to save yelling.


    ¡¯Well at least those bastards won¡¯t get to that boy. I hope he makes it out of this alive.¡¯


    With that thought, the darkness finally overtook him and Ryther lost consciousness.


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


    The next time he woke up, the very first thing that came into his sight was a wooden roof. As he slowly collected his bearing, he tried to sit up only to yell in surprise as a short pain ran through his head at the action. After the pain subsided, he looked around to study his surrounding.


    He was currently on a bed inside a wooden room. The room itself was simply as it only had the bed he was laying in, a chair beside the bed, and a drawer under the window inside. As he was inspected the room, the door suddenly banged open and a boy with silver hair and hazel eyes took it¡¯s spot.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re finally awake! Grandpa come, he¡¯s awake!¡±


    Shortly after the yelled, an older gentlemen walked into the room. The gentlemen was around five foot eight inches. Traces of grey were present in his brunette hair and beard with some wrinkles on his skin. Still, the gentlemen had a solid body that could be seen even with the loose tunic and pants he wore.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright kid? Oh, you must be wonder where you are and who I am. My name¡¯s Shin Geum. I¡¯m the grandfather of this little whose life you saved. He told me that you had saved him and was adamant about bringing you to heal and repay you so that¡¯s what happened.¡±


    ¡°Yeah man, thanks for saving me! You could have left and saved yourself but you stayed which I really appreciate. Anyway we never got to introduce ourselves last night. My name¡¯s Chang man. How about you?¡±


    While Shin and Chang spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but make a complicated expression. After he had waited a few moments, he finally answered.


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember anything.... Saving you, who I am.... I don''t remember anything!¡±

 Chapter 6 - First Encounter

    ¡°Grandpa, what do you think we should do about him?¡±


    Chang and Shin had left the bedroom after they calmed Ryther down, and moved into the living room. Both the adult and grandchild donned complicated expression on their faces, while they sat across from each other in their seats as the situation had become complex.


    ¡°Hm¡­ It¡¯s not like we can go back to Taegook and look for his parents or anything, as everyone have evacuated¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not thinking about just dropping him off at some village or city are you? He¡¯s my life savior grandpa!¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do then?! We can¡¯t stay here much longer; your training period is almost over and we have to go back to the capital soon. It¡¯s not like we can take him with us.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take him and have him become a disciple too?¡±


    ¡°You brat! Do you think anyone could become a disciple within the Samjoko?! Only the most talented are just considered. You¡¯re lucky that you are my grandson or your grade B beast soul wouldn¡¯t have been enough to qualify for a disciple spot.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­excuse me, but what is this Samjoko?¡±


    As the two relatives argued over what to do, they both leapt in surprise to the voice behind them. When they turned around, they saw Ryther had come out of the room and walked in from the hallway. When he saw their reactions, Ryther scratched his hair and spoke in an embarrassed voice.


    ¡°Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t intend to eavesdrop in on the conversation, but I could hear you two from the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Ah no, you can¡¯t be blamed for that, lad. Well since you¡¯re here, I think it¡¯s for the best that we talk about what to do next. As you just heard, Chang and I are here for his training. Even though we will be here for another year or so, we will have to go back to the capital by then. I¡¯m fine with you staying with us for that time period. Hopefully, during that time you can recover your memory. If not though, the best we could do is drop you off at a town or city on our way to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Elder Shin, what about the other option Chang was talking about? Something about the Samjoko?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ about that. Well first off let¡¯s start with an explanation of Samjoko. They are the private army of the Estrada Kingdom¡¯s ruler. The Samjoko are in charge of protecting the royal family, along with conducting special operations for the sake of the Kingdom. Of course, the members within Samjoko are the best of the best, and only the elite will be enlisted. Anyways, we have a disciple program for the young men who show extraordinary talent and martial skills. The program usually lasts between fourteen to twenty years of age; about six years.¡±


    ¡°So If I¡¯m talented enough, I could also become a disciple?¡±


    ¡°Well technically, yes. Although, the chances of you having enough talent is¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there any way you could test me, Elder?¡±


    ¡°Testing you isn¡¯t a big issue, but, why are you insistent on joining the Samjoko? There¡¯s no saying that your memory won¡¯t return shortly and you could change your mind, you know?¡±


    ¡°Elder, I can¡¯t place all my hopes in regaining my memory some day. I would rather decide my future through actions than waiting.¡±


    ¡°Haa, your way of thinking is truly admirable. I wish Chang would grow to have that type of personality too. Still, the Samjoko isn¡¯t an organization you can join just because you aspire to. Let us first test if you have the qualifications. Chang, go get the soul inspection crystal.¡±


    ¡°Alright, grandpa. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Not even a minute after he had left to retrieve the crystal, Chang returned with the crystal in his right hand. The crystal had a clear gray color and had a circular shape. As Ryther glanced at it, he found that the crystal looked rather familiar to him.


    ¡°Alright then. The testing process is quite simple. All you have to do is place your hand on the crystal and it will tell us your soul strength, beast soul attribute, and the level of grade. I will warn you in advance though, please don¡¯t be too disappointed if you don¡¯t meet the requirements. It¡¯d actually be weirder if you did, since it¡¯s so rare to meet people who do meet them. Now then, place your hand on the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Elder. No matter what the result, I would still like to thank you and Chang for saving me, and giving me this opportunity.¡±


    Having said that, Ryther bowed toward Shin. He truly was genuinely thankful toward the two. Even though they said that they saved him because he had helped Chang out; they could have easily dropped him off anywhere with people, or just left him there. They had no obligation to help, but they did.


    ¡°Aww man! what¡¯s with this depressing situation. You two make it sound like we¡¯re about to depart from each other or something! Don¡¯t worry man, I have total confidence that you¡¯ll pass! Also, that swordsmanship you displayed against those soldiers wasn¡¯t a joke either man!¡±


    Shin¡¯s expression indicated that he really didn¡¯t know what to do with his grandson. The sight of Chang being so energetic and throwing a thumbs up made him shake his head confoundedly. Ryther, on the other hand, just smiled wryly at the situation before he nodded his head. He had a favorable impression of Chang¡¯s outspoken and positive attitude. Without any further ado, he stretched his right arm out and placed his palm on the crystal.


    Brilliant lights of blue and silver interchanged with each other as soon as Ryther¡¯s palm touched the crystal. Shin and Chang both turned their heads and covered their eyes at the sudden brightness. Ryther, on the other hand, continued to stare at the crystal and thought about how familiar those lights felt. Slowly, the lights dimmed and the crystal went back to its clear appearance.  When he turned around to see how he did, he saw the expression of shock on Shin¡¯s face. After he took a few moments to get over the shock, he showed a much calmer expression while he spoke.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Ho¡­. A double attribute beast soul. That is indeed quite the rare beast soul. And it was one of the S grade ones huh? I wonder which water/wind beast soul you have..¡±


    ¡°Heh, so what about it being highly unlikely that he wouldn¡¯t be talented enough grandpa?¡±


    ¡°You little rascal! Since I haven¡¯t hit you in a while I must look like a pushover, huh?! Get over here!¡±


    As the grandpa/grandson pair played a game of cat and mouse around the living room, a smile slowly rose onto Ryther¡¯s face. Even though he hadn¡¯t shown it, he had been quite nervous about whether he would meet the qualifications. There was, after all, such a low percentage of people who did. Even though it would have been a year later, he had been afraid of being left alone without his memories.


    After he waited a few moments, the two returned to their original positions with Chang holding his head in pain.


    ¡°Anyways, before this idiot interrupted us what was I saying¡­ Oh yeah, you indeed have the qualifications talent wise to join. Regarding your skills¡­ I¡¯m not too worried as if you don¡¯t qualify yet, you will by the time we go back after some training¡­ Also, you haven¡¯t met your beast soul yet have you?¡±


    Ryther felt a chill run down his spine as he could have sworn that he saw a glint in Shin¡¯s eyes as he spoke about training. Still, the mention of meeting his beast soul intrigued him. He wondered just what type of creature would be inside of him.


    ¡°No elder, I do not think so?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re probably right. You would have most likely already spoken with it after you woke up by now if you had. Well, you look like you¡¯re around Chang¡¯s age so it should be time for you to anyways. Well then, if you want, we can do the ceremony here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you would please elder.¡±


    There was no hesitation at all as Ryther agreed to Shin¡¯s offer. Once he saw how excited Ryther looked, Shin simply nodded his head before he led them outside after he had grabbed a few stuff. What greeted their eyes outside was an open clearing that was surrounded by trees.


    The exterior of the house didn¡¯t look like much, just some logs that had been cut and shaped into a cabin. Still, the sight of cabin in the clearing was quite calming. Also, if Ryther had to guess, he figured they were located in some mountain area as they were on slanted terrain and beyond the clearing there weren¡¯t many marks of human movement.


    He couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath in appreciation of the view though. The setting of the sun above the tree line alongside the fallen leaves were quite a sight. As he appreciated the view, he felt a weight on his right shoulder and turned around to see Chang who had put his elbow on his shoulder.


    ¡°Quite the view, isn¡¯t it man? It¡¯s one of the perks about living in such an isolated area.¡±


    Ryther nodded his head in response. He couldn¡¯t find any fault in what Chang said. As the two enjoyed the scene, Shin created the formation necessary for the ceremony. After he had enjoyed the view enough, Ryther turned his attention to the formation and began to examine it.


    The formation was shaped like a star with six points. Lines intercrossed each other to make a small opening that was just large enough for Ryther to sit in. At each point, a strange symbol was drawn with a different colored powder. Shin, after he had finished his inspection of the formation, nodded his head his in satisfaction.


    ¡°Alright, the formation is fine. If you would head to the middle and sit down.¡±


    After he nodded in recognition, Ryther headed toward the middle of the formation while he was extra cautious to not mess with any of the lines. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if the formation went wacky because he had accidently screwed it up. After he had safely reached the middle, he sat down cross legged and awaited Shin¡¯s next order.


    ¡°Alright then. All you need to do is just close your eyes and relax. When I activate the formation, you¡¯ll feel yourself getting drowsy. After you do lose consciousness, this formation will help you and your beast soul form the final link which will also let both you and your beast soul to communicate with each other. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°No, elder. I¡¯m ready whenever you want to begin the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m starting.¡±


    After he had made sure that Ryther was prepared, Shin also sat cross legged right below the southern tip of the formation and began an incantation in a strange language that Ryther had never heard. Unknownst to him, the powdered symbols at each point began to light up as though they were charging while the lines lightened with a blue hue. Just as Shin had stated, Ryther noticed that his mind slowly grew hazy.


    Right when he felt as though he was going to fall asleep, the darkness in his consciousness suddenly brightened significantly. The blueish white light that took over the area slowly became smaller and formed into a shape. As Ryther tried to make out the shape and figure out what it was, a deep, solemn voice rang out in his mind.


    ¡°Human, I have waited a long time to talk with you. We finally meet.¡±

 Chapter 7 - Azuron鈥檚 Past

    ¡°Human, I have waited a long time to talk to you. We finally meet.¡±


    As those words echoed through his mind, the light had finally dimmed down. When Ryther saw what it was, a gasp escaped from his mouth as he looked in awe. The appearance in front of him was one only talked about in legends as a sacred figure after all. A dragon.


    The dragon was humongous with a length of forty feet and a height that easily reached over twenty feet. Its body was covered in white scales that seemed to reflect the light around it.  The aura around it felt majestic and overbearing; Ryther had to resist the urge to immediately kneel down in front of it.


    ¡°Are¡­ are you the beast soul that¡¯s residing in me?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, boy. I am indeed your beast soul. You may call me Azuron.¡±


    ¡°Azuron, huh¡­¡±


    Azuron had a deep baritone voice that sounded stern yet calming to Ryther. Even though the dragon¡¯s face was very fierce, for some reason, he felt as if Azuron looked at him with a caring face; just like when a parent looked at their own children. Even though the dragon released a terrifying aura, he felt like he was being looked at by his father.


    ¡¯How would I know how my father looked at me when I don¡¯t even remember his appearance? I can¡¯t even remember whether he loved me.¡¯


    While Ryther pondered this, Azuron once more began to speak.


    ¡°It is a pity that you cannot remember your past. Don¡¯t worry though, someday you will regain your memories. Just know that even though you can¡¯t remember it right now, your father did indeed love you.¡±


    ¡°You know about my past?!¡±


    ¡°Of course, child. I have resided in you since birth. I saw everything that you..¡±


    ¡°Tell me! Tell me about my past!¡±


    While Azuron spoke, Ryther wasn¡¯t able to help but burst in. The fact that he was able to learn about his lost memories was simply too exciting. Immediately afterwards though, he noticed he had stopped Azuron mid sentence and felt embarrassed; He had been carried away. As he looked at Azuron though, he felt the sudden emotion of sadness.


    ¡¯Eh? Why would I suddenly feel so sad?¡¯


    ¡°That feeling of sadness that you felt was from me. Since our souls are combined, after you went through the ceremony we are now able to sense each other¡¯s emotions.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­. Wait, you can tell what I¡¯m thinking?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, I can. This is also because of our souls are connected.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I tell what you are thinking then?¡±


    ¡°Because it would be too much for you to handle, I have blocked my thoughts from reaching you right now. Anyways, about your question before, I am not able to tell you about your past. My mother, the water goddess Aqia, has told me that it is your fate  to uncover it and thus I cannot tell you.¡±


    Ryther¡¯s shoulders hunched when he heard that Azuron wasn¡¯t able to tell him about his past. As he sulked about the news, he remembered who Azuron said was his mother.


    ¡°Wait, your mom is a goddess?!¡±


    ¡°Of course, child. All dual elemental beasts are born from gods and goddesses. I just happen to be the son of the two High Gods, Aqia and Sylph.¡±


    Even though they were inside his conscious, Ryther felt as though his jaw dropped when he heard the shocking truth. High gods were the first deities born from the world. They were the six beings who stood at the top and controlled all the other gods who had been born afterwards. While he thought about that, another question arose in his mind.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be a god then? How were you born as a beast soul??¡±


    ¡°Actually, before the six High Gods created humans, their children were born as beasts. It was only after they had created humans after their image that they started to form their children in their image. The beasts and human born children don¡¯t have any difference in strength though, so I guess you could consider us as gods and goddesses too.¡±


    Ryther was marveled by what Azuron had just said. That meant the dragon in front of him was basically a God!


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard or learned about that then?¡±


    He had noticed after the elder and Chang had left the room that even though he wasn¡¯t able to recollect anything about himself, he was still able to remember the geography and history of the continent. He had retained his knowledge. Basically, he had only lost his memories about himself and other people related to him.


    ¡°The High Gods have made it so that none of the human retainers were allowed to leak this information. They felt that if other humans learned about it then they would use this knowledge negatively. Also, we were forced to make a pact with our parents where if we were to deem our retainers had ill intentions, we wouldn''t be able to tell them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that does make sense. There might be some people with dual elements beast souls who would try to use that knowledge with bad intentions, so that was the smart thing to do.¡±


    Azuron looked pleased as Ryther figured out the reason why the High Gods had made that decision. Even though he had died thousands of years ago, he had not once chosen a host and had waited for the one he was fated to be with. He felt that he had been quite fortunate that his first host had turned out to be such a cheerful and smart child as him.


    ¡°Well then, child, since we have finally met, let me tell you my story. I was born during the period of the first Great High God War. Just like the other children of the High Gods, I was chosen to be one of the leaders of the army. During the hundreds of years that the war lasted, I was able to lead my army to numerous victories and was feared as the ¡°Frozen Death¡± by the enemy. Even the enemy dual elements beasts were afraid to meet me in battle.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Though, as I gained more fame and recognition for my strength throughout the years, I became cocky and thought I was invincible. I slowly grew more reckless, taking on enemies that vastly outnumbered us. Finally, right before the High Gods stopped the war, I was ambushed and fought against an enemy army that had five dual elemental beasts. Even though my officers pleaded with me for us to retreat, I believed I was invincible and decided to fight them. As my army was being decimated, I ignored them and recklessly fought against the five dual elemental beasts.


    Even though I was able to kill two of them, I eventually was overcome and killed.  After I died and returned to being just a soul, I learned from my mother that in my final battle, all my soldiers had been massacred and that it had also the last fight  of the war. If I had only retreated like my officers had pleaded, I could have saved the lives of many of my soldiers¡­¡±


    Ryther saw that tears formed and fell from the dragon¡¯s eyes while he spoke of his final battle. He also felt deep sorrow and regret from Azuron. It seemed as though even if he had gotten cocky, leading to his demise, he had truly cared for his soldiers and mourned for their deaths very much, even more than his own. Ryther couldn''t help but feel pity for the majestic Azuron at that moment.


    ¡°In memory and tribute to them, I decided to name the sword formed by my powers as Azuron¡¯s Requiem. I pray that you remember every time you use this sword that it was created in tribute of the millions of lives lost then.¡±


    After Azuron had finished his sentence, bright blue and silver light condensed in between them. As the light subsided, a beautiful sword appeared in its stead. When Ryther looked upon the sword, he couldn''t help but feel deep sorrow. He was able to tell how much pain Azuron had been in when he had forged that sword. Like he had stated, Azuron really had created it in tribute for his soldiers.


    ¡°This is the soul weapon that you can call upon. Before our souls had completely linked, you had to imagine the sword as you materialized it but now all you need to do is think of it and I will materialize it for you.¡±


    While Azuron spoke, Ryther stepped forward and grabbed the sword. The moment he had touched it, an incredible sense of familiarity arose in him. The sword¡¯s length, weight, and grip; everything felt comfortable and just right. It was as though the sword itself was an extension of him.


    ¡°Child, we do not have much more time left here, the ceremony is almost over. After you leave here know that we will be able to continue to communicate  mentally. I will also assist you as much as I am able to, but know that, in the end, the most important thing is your own strength and will.¡±


    As Azuron talked, his outline slowly began to blur and disappear. Still, Ryther felt warmth and care from his eyes. Even though a dragon couldn¡¯t  make any facial expressions, he could have sworn that Azuron had smiled.


    ¡°One final thing though. Know that I feel extremely grateful to have such a great child as you for my host and am very proud of you. Please don¡¯t ever lose that kindness or bright personality. Even though you are going through a difficult time now and will go through others, always know that I will support you and cheer for you.¡±


    With those final words, Azuron¡¯s figure finally faded away and Ryther felt his consciousness being pulled. Shortly after, he slowly opened his eyes to find himself back inside the formation. As he looked around, he saw the elder who was breathing heavily at the southern point of the formation. At that view, Ryther felt rather apologetic to the elder who must have expended a lot of effort to power the formation.


    Chang, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t able to wait as he excitedly ran up to Ryther when he noticed him opening his eyes.


    ¡°So, did you meet your beast soul? How¡¯d it go? Just what kind of beast is he?¡±


    At Chang¡¯s excited expression and bombardment of questions, Ryther just laughed and nodded his head. He then calmly explained what had occurred in the meeting. Of course he did not mention the portion about who Azuron or his parents were.


    When Chang and Shin heard that his beast soul was a dragon, they weren''t able to hide their awe. Even amongst all the beast souls, dragons were in the top tier and were generally very strong. The only beasts that could compare were the legendary ones. With just that information, they realized just how great Ryther¡¯s potential was.


    While he thought about that, the outer part of Shin¡¯s lips curled upward as he said some terrifying words.


    ¡°Ho ho ho¡­.. it looks like I got quite the unrefined diamond. Ryther, we will begin training tomorrow. Make sure you are well rested as you will need all the energy you have to sur¡­ get through it.¡±


    When he heard what Shin had said, Ryther¡¯s face paled. Just what kind of crazy training was that insane man going to make him do?! Chang, who stood beside him, only shook his head while he gazed at him with sympathetic eyes and patted his shoulders.

 Chapter 8 - First Mission

    ¡°Yo Yong Hwa, wait for me!¡±


    At that shout, a man turned around. The man in question stood at around six feet tall, and had a lean build. He was wearing a black shirt and long pants, with a long blue vest over the shirt. The man had long black hair and light blue eyes. Many women were already staring at him in longing.


    ¡°Damn it Chang, hurry up! We¡¯re going to be late and scolded by grandpa Shin again because of you!¡±


    As Yong Hwa spoke, he turned and looked at the man who had shouted earlier. The man was about five foot ten inches and in comparison to himself the other man had a more muscular build. Contrary to his muscular body though, his face seemed more childish with mischievous green eyes and long silver hair. Like Yong Hwa, Chang also wore a black shirt and pants with a long blue vest over them.


    After he stood still for a moment, Chang finally caught up to him and put his arm over his shoulder.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a rush man, we¡¯ve got plenty of time. Also relax and enjoy yourself. It¡¯s been over four years since you joined me and grandpa. We¡¯ve been so busy with training, that we haven¡¯t even had time to come out to a city. So you might as well enjoy it!¡±


    Yong Hwa wasn¡¯t able to help but shake his head at Chang¡¯s upbeat and charismatic personality. Still, he was right, it was the first time they had visited any large establishment ever since he had begun his training alongside Chang and under grandpa Shin¡¯s direction. As he thought back to that time, he couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful that they had taken him in, even though he had lost his memory. Grandpa Shin had even given him the name Yong Hwa due to the fact that his beast soul was a dragon.


    ¡°Haa¡­ its fine and all, to enjoy your time. Chang but don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re here to receive our first mission.¡±


    ¡°¡­Always the mood breaker, aren¡¯t you Yong Hwa.¡±


    At the sight of Chang¡¯s shoulder drooping at the mention of their first mission, Yong Hwa couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Chang¡¯s dejected face looked far too comical. Patting his shoulder, he pushed him forward to their destination.


    The two were, at the moment in the eastern port city of Saewol. A couple weeks ago, Shin had told them that their internship was finally complete, and that it was time for them to receive their first mission as members of the Samjoko. He had given them some money, a letter, and told them to go to the Millennium Inn to receive their mission.


    It took the two around twenty minutes to finally arrive at the Millennium Inn. It should have only taken fifteen, but Chang kept on stopping at various stalls to look at their wares. Each time Yong Hwa was forced to physically drag Chang away.


    As the two approached the gate for the Inn, a worker noticed the approach of the two and rushed forward before he bowed, and greeted them.


    ¡°Hello, dear gentlemen. Will you be staying the night?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, we will. Also is the owner in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is dear sir. May I ask for what business you seek him?¡±


    ¡°Please tell him that two pledging crows have arrived from the south. He will know what to do if you say that.¡±


    Just as Yong Hwa said that, the worker¡¯s jovial expression turned serious. He studied the two for a moment, nodded and rushed back in. Yong Hwa and Chang looked at each other with confused expressions at the worker¡¯s sudden change. They didn¡¯t understand why he changed so suddenly. Not five minutes after the worker had left though, they heard a thunderous sound as the gate doors were flung open.


    ¡°Yong Hwa! Chang! It¡¯s been forever!¡±


    ¡°¡°Uncle Ray!¡±¡±


    At the gate stood a large burly man who was near Yong Hwa¡¯s height. The man had a large protruding belly that was covered in an expensive green silk shirt. Ray¡¯s brown hair was cut short with traces of gray in it. His beard reached his Adam¡¯s apple and showed tints of gray. Still, the man¡¯s face showed delight at the sight of the two youngsters, he then immediately rushed forward and pulled the two into a bear hug.


    ¡°My, it¡¯s almost been two years since I last saw the two of you. How have you two been? Wait, this isn¡¯t the place to talk about it. Come, let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡±


    Even before he had finished speaking, Ray had starting pulling the two inside the inn. Yong Hwa and Chang looked at each other with helpless expressions as they laughed and were brought in. It seemed as though Uncle Ray was still the same.


    While the two were being trained by Grandpa Shin in the mountains, Uncle Ray used to stop by and stay for weeks at a time. Back when they were younger, the two supposedly had been in the same team and had been very close. Whenever he had business in the south, Ray would always stop by and visit with Grandpa Shin after he was finished. During those visits, he would bring gifts for the two youngsters and would joke around with them. The two of them had decided on calling him Uncle Ray in a term of endearment to which Ray himself was very satisfied with.


    ¡°So what do you think about my Millennium Inn? Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Yong Hwa and Chang could only nod their head in agreement at Ray¡¯s words. The Millennium Inn  was truly impressive after all. Inside the walls there were several buildings placed in a meticulous array, where people kept coming in and out of. Not only were there guest houses, there were also buildings for entertainment, massages, kitchen, and bath houses. What was most impressive, however, was the natural beauty that filled the inn. There were small ponds and cherry blossom trees placed everywhere. All throughout the premises of the inn, laughter and the smell of delicious food could be found.


    After the three had walked for a couple minutes, they arrived at a large building that was used for administrative purposes. Once inside, Ray immediately led them to his own office and had them sit down on the sofa. After the three talked about how they had been for a while, Ray brought up the main reason for being there.


    ¡°So anyways, I received the letter from the old geezer last week that you two were coming. You guys actually came at the perfect time; Seol Hwa just completed her training too and I was worried about sending her own her first mission. How about the three of you go on the mission together?¡±


    At the mention of Seol Hwa, Yong Hwa¡¯s heart fluttered momentarily. Every time Ray had visited before, he had always brought his daughter along with him. During those times, himself, Chang, and her had gotten along quite well and became close friends. At first he only considered her a good friend but Yong Hwa noticed that the more he met with her, every time they parted an ache would appear in his heart, and each time the ache would get stronger than the last time.


    ¡°Sure, of course Uncle Ray. Yong Hwa and I will make sure that Seol Hwa is safe, right Yong Hwa?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah definitely Uncle Ray.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Chang, Yong Hwa. Knowing that Seol Hwa will be with the two of you brings peace to this old man¡¯s heart. Anyways where is that brat? I already sent someone a while ago to bring her here. Ah, well she already knows about the mission, so let me get you two caught up. We have intelligence reports that some of Illbon¡¯s spies here are going to be meeting with some merchants in the mountains tonight.


    The mission is for you three to spy on the meeting and to figure out the content of the conversation. Remember though, gathering information is the main priority of this mission. If possible, don¡¯t fight against them as I don¡¯t want the spies to know that they are being watched.


    The meeting will be held tonight so the three of you should head out this evening before sunset. Seol Hwa already knows the location so she will guide you three. Now then as for the enemy¡¯s size¡­¡±


    As the three began to discuss the enemy and some strategies to use, some time passed. As they discussed the best method to attack, the door to the room was violently thrown open. Surprised by the sudden loud noise, the three simultaneously looked toward the source and saw a woman standing where the door was.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The girl was about five foot six inches. She had long shining brown hair that reached down to her shoulder blades. Her face was shaped like an oval with lively hazel eyes surrounded by long eyelashes. Her nose was small and she had bright red lips. Her body was slim and proportional. Overall, she was a beautiful woman that could¡¯ve easily caused countries to break out in war over.


    While that sort of woman stood in the doorway, she looked into the room and immediately saw Chang and Yong Hwa. Once she had seen the two, her face immediately showed her joy as she rushed forward and gave the two a hug.


    ¡°Chang! Yong Hwa! It¡¯s been forever since I¡¯ve seen you two. I missed you guys. How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing well, so stop choking us to death you crazy woman!¡±


    Chang fiercely fought to get out of Seol Hwa¡¯s grip as he pretended to be choking. Yong Hwa, on the other hand, was silent as he looked away. If one was to look closely, they would have noticed that a hint of red had appeared on his cheeks.


    After a few moments Seol Hwa finally released the two of them. She laughed a little, and looked at the two warmly before she spoke once more.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late. Had some business to take care of before we headed out tonight. Did the two of you hear everything from dad?¡±


    Once she saw that the two had noded their heads, she continued on.


    ¡°Alright then, that saves a lot of time. I got all the equipment and everything prepared. All that¡¯s left to do really, is head out after eating. You two ready?¡±


    Yong Hwa couldn¡¯t help but inwardly laugh at Seol Hwa¡¯s directness. Since they had met, she had always been one to take charge and rush forward, dragging him and Chang along. Beside him, Chang just shook his head in helplessness.


    ¡°You crazy woman, you decide on everything without even our say huh? Shouldn¡¯t you at least listen to our opinion first?!¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°First off, we should¡­¡±


    ¡°Great suggestion, Chang! I¡¯ll take it into consideration!¡±


    Chang¡¯s jaw dropped at Seol Hwa¡¯s brazen interruption before he jumped up and chased after her fleeing figure. Yong Hwa, on the other hand, just laughed as he watched the two play cat and mouse.


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    While that occurred within the Millennium Inn, two other figures were roaming the streets of Saewol. One of the figures was a tall man with a height of six foot four inches, who wore a gray shirt and black pants. While the other was a female who was about five foot five inches and was dressed in the same attire as the man. Neither¡¯s face could be seen as the two had on a black bamboo hat with shades.


    ¡°Lady Dal, we should return to the inn and rest soon.¡±


    ¡°Guem ah, it¡¯s been such a long time since we¡¯ve been to Saewol, let¡¯s look around a little more.¡±


    At the lady¡¯s words, the tall man fell silent and continued to silently follow the lady. Satisfied, Dal continued to roam the streets and looked at the interesting wares at the stalls. As they walked around, they came upon a monk who happened to be telling fortunes for others.


    ¡°Guem ah, that looks interesting! Let¡¯s go get our fortunes read!¡±


    ¡°Lady Dal, you should know those type of people are just con artists who lie and steal people¡¯s money.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ you always have to kill the mood, don¡¯t you Guem?¡±


    ¡°I was merely stating the truth, lady Dal.¡±


    ¡°Forget about the truth for now. Haa, well i¡¯m going to get my fortune read, so stay here okay?¡±


    As she said that, Dal got in line and waited for her turn. After she had waited for ten minutes, it was finally her turn. As she stood in front of the monk, she excitedly asked her question.


    ¡°Sir, I was wondering when I would meet with the one I¡¯m destined to be with?¡±


    As the monk received the payment and heard her question, he gently opened her right hand and began to study her palm. While he studied her palm, Dal noticed a momentary expression of shock on the monk¡¯s face before it quickly returned to it¡¯s normal calm expression. After a few moments, the monk looked up at the lady.


    ¡°Dear lady, let me give you some advice. I suggest you do not look for your fated one anymore.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why should I not? It¡¯s my fate to be with that person, right?¡±


    ¡°Even if you are fated to, I advise you don¡¯t. The reason why is if you strengthen the fate between you two, it may cause the his or your¡¯s death.¡±


    When Dal heard what the monk said, she couldn¡¯t help but open her eyes wide in shock. What does he mean that one of them may die? Isn¡¯t that such a ridiculous fate? Guem, who had stayed behind Dal the whole time gently tapped her shoulder at that moment.


    ¡°My lady, don¡¯t pay any heed to those words. They were just made up crap by a con artist anyways. Let us return to the inn now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh Guem...alright.¡±


    As the two left, the monk frantically stood up and yelled one final warning to Dal.


    ¡°Lady, if you ever meet a person by a cherry blossom tree outlined by the moon, avoid him! Do not let your fate with him deepen any further!¡±


    As those words echoed on behind them, Dal and Guem continued to walk away. After they had walked for another ten minutes, they finally arrived at their inn: The Millennium Inn. Once they had entered her room, Dal promptly fell on her bed and closed her eyes momentarily. Guem, who stood to the side and had been silent throughout the way back, spoke up.


    ¡°Lady Dal, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I am. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    ¡°Well, what the monk said..¡±


    ¡°Guem ah, wasn¡¯t it you who told me not to believe his words?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is, lady Dal.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you so worried I¡¯d believe his words? Of course I wouldn¡¯t take his words seriously. I was just caught off guard by his unexpected reply. Anyways, is everything prepared for tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes, lady Dal everything has been prepared.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Guem, you should go rest in your room now too. We have a long night ahead of us, after all.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I will see you this evening then, lady Dal.¡±


    With a bow, Guem left and returned to his room. Once he was gone, Dal slowly laid back down in the bed and closed her eyes. While she was about to fall asleep, she uttered one more statement.


    ¡°Illbon spies meeting merchants secretly in the forest, eh? We¡¯ll see what you bastards are up to tonight!¡±

 Chapter 9 - Pursuit

    ¡°Hurry up, you two! The meeting is about to start!¡±


    While the woman urgently whispered those words, she made small hand gestures toward the two males who were a couple feet behind her to hurry. Chang, who saw Seol Hwa¡¯s urgent movements couldn¡¯t help but sigh and lifelessly jog over to where she was. Yong Hwa just shook his head and smiled at the scene.


    ¡°Just who are you saying hurry up to?! The reason we¡¯re so late is because of you! Who is the one that lost their black outfit, huh?!¡±


    As Chang complained, Yong Hwa arrived at the location. The three were dressed in a similar fashion and wore a black outfit with a black bamboo hat with shades that hid their faces. In the middle of the night inside a dark forest, one would not be able to make them out if they stood still.


    Right at that moment, Seol Hwa rushed forward and smacked Chang in the back of the head without making any sound.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the saying:  ¡°a girl never makes a mistake?!¡± Shut up and quietly watch them, you idiot! Sheesh, why can¡¯t you be like our adorable Yong Hwa here?!¡±


    Yong Hwa¡¯s face blushed at the compliment from Seol Hwa. Chang, on the other hand, squatted down and grabbed his head in agony at the sudden assault. After he had mumbled a few words that the other two weren¡¯t able to hear, he joined the group and took up a position behind the tree to view the scene below.


    Even though it was the dead of the night, the three were able to clearly view the scene that occurred before them as numerous men bore torches to brighten the clearing that they were in. As the three viewed, the clearing was full of people who wore armor and were armed with various weapons. At the moment they were clearly divided into two different group as there was a distance of five feet between them.


    The merchant group had about twenty people present. The majority of the people on their side wore leather armor and were either holding a torch or their own soul weapon. All of these people had grim expressions as they warily eyed the other side. Yong Hwa and the others were able to comprehend that these people were hired mercenaries, in one glance. At the forefront of this group were three older gentlemen dressed differently from the mercenaries. They wore fine silk clothes that were in various colors coupled with tan bamboo hats.


    ¡°Those three in the front, must be the merchants who are selling the information.¡±


    As Chang spoke, Yong Hwa noticed that his hands had been clenched into a fist as he looked on in anger at those people. He didn¡¯t say anything as he was able to guess how his best friend felt. Chang did, after all, have a strong sense of nationality and wouldn¡¯t forgive those who betrayed the nation. After he squeezed his shoulder in understanding, Yong Hwa once more looked upon the clearing and examined the other group.


    The other group was much smaller than the merchant¡¯s side, with only five people. These five were all dressed in  black shirts and pants. Over the shirts, they wore gray vests that reached their knees. On their heads were black bamboo hats with shades just like the ones the trio wore that hid their faces. Even though they weren¡¯t able to tell much from their outer appearance, Yong Hwa could tell that these five were very confident in their skills, as they were relaxed in front of the merchants who had four times as many people as them. As he contemplated that thought, the meeting within the clearing finally began as one of the three merchants walked forward and greeted the other side.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, sir. I pray that you have been well?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut out the flattery and small talk. Why the large number of guards?¡±


    The merchant¡¯s smiling face twitched a little at the rude remark from the other side before it quickly returned.


    ¡°Ah, sir¡­ Us merchants are not very capable in regards to fighting so afraid of running into any beasts or ¡­unwanted people, we have to be prepared to defend ourselves which is the reason we have our guards.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, like these weaklings would be able to fight off any capable warrior even with their superior numbers. Merchant Wesley, I advise you to hire more capable bodyguards next time. These people with you are too lacking.¡±


    When the mercenaries heard the disdain in the other¡¯s voice, quite a few grew furious and seemed as though they wanted to say a few words. The captain of the mercenaries, however, threw a glance at them to silence them and they returned to their post. Still, Yong Hwa was able to clearly see the anger that remained on their face. The merchant, on the other hand, continued to smile and bowed slightly.


    ¡°I will take your words into consideration, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, anyways let¡¯s get straight to the point. Have you guys gathered any new intelligence in the past six months?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. There is word that there is discord at the capital right now. It seems as though the King is planning on abdicating the throne soon but has yet to announce who will be his successor yet. The nobles are now divided into three factions.


    The first faction is filled with nobles who back the first prince. As you already know, the oldest prince usually takes over as King when the previous one dies or decides to abdicate. Still, rumors say that the current first prince is snobbish brat who likes to abuse his power and lives a glamorous lifestyle so there are only a few who believe that he has the qualities of a King.


    The second faction backs the third prince. The third prince, while not very bright in politics is well respected as a warrior and brilliant general within the army. He is very popular within the military ranks as being a strict but passionate leader. I have heard that you can count on one hand those who are more talented in fighting than him within the continent.


    Finally, the last faction backs the sixth prince. The sixth prince isn¡¯t very skilled as a warrior but is rumored to be a brilliant politician and tactician. It is said that he can influence even the most stubborn of people to view things in his light and convince them to believe it. His power within the ranks of the noble and the senators is very tight, or so is the saying.


    Out of the those three factions, it is mostly a battle between the third and sixth prince as the first faction is made up of only a few minor nobles and none with any power. I have heard that both factions have already begun to act against the others. There are whispers of an upcoming blood storm within the capital.¡±


    While the merchant relayed the information, the man who had stepped forward and represented the five warriors stayed motionless as he seemed to ponder the information. A few minutes after the merchant had finished saying the information, he once again spoke up.


    ¡°Do you think any of the three princes would be willing to collaborate with us if we assisted them in becoming the next King?¡±


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    ¡°Well, you can count the third prince out immediately. He is said to be very nationalistic and is one who would never betray his country. I believe you could convince the first prince but he is very lacking. Your best bet would be the sixth prince. Not only does he hold a lot of power amongst the assembly, he is also rumored to be a very ambitious person. If you made contact with him and¡­.¡±


    As the merchant continued his explanation, the three who were listening in from a distance were in a state of shock. Even though he wasn¡¯t able to see his face, Yong Hwa was able to tell that Chang was gritting his teeth in anger. His fists were shaking in fury. Seol Hwa, on the other hand, stood motionlessly as she processed the shocking information. Yong Hwa himself was shocked. Who would have imagined that on their very first mission they would spy on a meeting about an uprising within their own royalty? As he tried to process that, Chang slightly shaking voice whispered out.


    ¡°Those bastards, they¡¯re actually helping a foreign country take over our country.¡±


    Even though he doubted that it would go that far, Yong Hwa didn¡¯t retort. He knew that even though they wouldn¡¯t be taken over by this, their nation would still suffer greatly as they would basically become a puppet nation that would do the bidding of the mysterious country behind the five warriors. At that moment, Seol Hwa¡¯s sweet voice also spoke out.


    ¡°We need to figure out what country those bastards belong to and head back to report this to headquarters. This information is too muc..¡±


    While Seol Hwa spoke, Chang moved his body a little and kicked a stone in the process. The stone, hopped a few time, causing rustling noises as it came in contact with the dead leaves that laid scattered among the forest ground. At the sudden sound, the three froze in place and prayed that the sudden sound hadn¡¯t reached the clearing that was about 15 feet away.


    It was, however, a vain thought as all five warriors immediately turned their heads to their direction.


    ¡°There¡¯s some uninvited guest here, it seems.¡±


    As the lead warrior said that, he tilted his head in the direction of the trio. Without any words, the four warriors behind him bowed slightly and rushed toward them. Merchant Wesley, who saw this, also gave a nod to the mercenary captain who then ordered his men to also rush toward them.


    ¡°Shit, we¡¯ve been caught. Let¡¯s split up and go back. We¡¯ll meet back at the Millennium Inn, okay?¡±


    With those brief words, Seol Hwa sprinted northeast. While he cursed at himself for being clumsy, Chang headed east. Yong Hwa, who had given up on secrecy, rushed southeast at his fastest speed without care that he made noises with the rustling of the leaves.


    ¡¯One, two, four, seven. Shit, there¡¯s seven people chasing me, huh? I don¡¯t really know the geography here too well and those bastards are catching up. Azuron, it looks like we¡¯re going to fight, get ready.¡¯


    ¡®I can tell that much by myself too, child.¡¯


    While Azuron¡¯s deep voice rang through his mind, lights gathered around Yong Hwa¡¯s right arm. As the light disappeared, what replaced it was a long single handed sword with the replica of a dragon¡¯s head as a hand guard. On the silver blade, there were ancient writing that was etched. With the soul weapon summoned, Yong Hwa stopped in his tracks and turned around. The pursuers immediately caught up and surrounded him in a circular formation.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty quick, you damn rat. You¡¯ll regret stopping though. While we¡¯re being nice, tell us exactly what you heard.¡±


    From the encirclement, a woman who had been part of the warrior¡¯s group stepped forward and spoke to Yong Hwa. While he disregarded her words, Yong Hwa inspected his pursuers. He found out that out of the four warriors who had rushed out, two had followed him.


    ¡¯Shit, why did two of those bastards have to follow me?! They should have chased Chang damn it!¡¯


    When the woman saw that Yong Hwa had no intention to speak, a hint of anger rose from voice.


    ¡°You choose silence, huh? Well then, we have ways to make you speak. Hamiya, let¡¯s do it. As for the rest of you, don¡¯t kill him. We still need to interrogate him, after all.¡±


    When he heard what the woman said, Yong Hwa grew alert as everyone slowly walked forward. The two warriors slowly approached from opposite sides. When they were only five feet away, both reached in toward their waste and threw powder forward.


    Caught by surprise, Yong Hwa tried to cover his nose and mouth with his arm but was not in time as he inhaled a small portion of the powder.


    ¡¯Child, watch out! That powder contains paralyzing and sleeping effects in it. I¡¯ll try to block some of the effects but I won¡¯t be able to block everything! You won¡¯t be able to control your movements as well.¡¯


    As Azuron urgently spoke in his mind, Yong Hwa noticed that his vision had become blurred and his body felt sluggish. While he struggled to move his limbs, the mercenaries approached more leisurely and began their assault.


    When the pursuers saw Yong Hwa desperately fighting against the effects of the powder and swinging his sword, they laughed. To them, the guy truly looked pitiful and funny. They all knew the terrifying effects of the drugs. Right when they were only three feet away though, a shadow appeared and swung a sword in a ninety degree arc. Surprised by the sudden appearance, the pursuers immediately jumped backwards. The two warriors, in particular, looked at the shadow in surprise; they hadn¡¯t felt any presence at all even when it had appeared.


    When they inspected the shadow carefully, they saw that it was a female who wore a gray shirt and black pants. They weren¡¯t able to make out her face as the shades of her black bamboo hat completely blocked off any views. The only reason they were able to identify her as a woman was because of the bulge at her chest. Still, stood confidently in the middle of the encirclement.


    Everyone was silent as they waited to see what the woman would do. As they watched, the woman inspected all the pursuers before she turned back toward Yong Hwa who was struggling to ward off the effects of the drug. Once she was sure that his life wasn¡¯t in any imminent threat, it looked as though she released a sigh of relief before she turned her attention back to the pursuers and finally spoke.


    ¡°Now then. Why would seven grown adults be surrounding a stranger with their weapons out in the middle of the night?¡±

 Chapter 10 - Fateful Encounter

    A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. Work has been hectic and life has been kicking my ass so haven''t had time to write this chp for a while. I''m hoping to have more time in the up coming future to write more often. Once again, i''d just like to thank all of you, the readers for enjoying my story and ask that you leave comments and reviews telling me what you think of the story. Thanks!


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    While Yong Hwa, Chang, and Seol Hwa had been caught and begun to flee, there were another two shadows who had been hiding on the opposite side.


    ¡°Lady Dal, I don¡¯t know who the idiot was who made so much noise, but we should take this opportunity to safely go back and inform master.¡±


    ¡°Guem ah, but those people might be from the Kingdom or another allied family. If they¡¯re our allies, we should help them out.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know if they¡¯re our allies or not, my lady¡­.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we should follow them! We need to find out their identity!¡±


    Guem sighed when he heard lady Dal¡¯s reasoning. Ever since they were children, he had been assigned as her personal bodyguard. Even though a woman is usually chosen to be a lady¡¯s bodyguard, he had been very talented since young and the master had given him the task to protect his one and only child. One of the things he had observed in those times was that the lady was very forthright and stubborn; she could never leave alone someone in need and would never back down, just like now. Knowing where the argument would go if it went further, he simply gave in.


    ¡°Then which one should we help, my lady?¡±


    ¡°You go northeast and I¡¯ll head southeast, okay?¡±


    ¡°I refuse, my lady. How am I supposed to protect you if we¡¯re far apart?¡±


    ¡°Guem ah, you know just as well as I do that even those warriors aren¡¯t a match for me, right?¡±


    When Dal said that, the words of dissent that were in Guem¡¯s throat disappeared. It was true that none of the people were able to pose a threat to her, not to mention himself. With another sigh, his shoulder drooped. At the sight, a bright laughter came out from inside the shades of Dal¡¯s bamboo hat.


    ¡°Haha, we¡¯ll follow and observe the situation to identify if the people being chased are an ally or foe, okay? I promise I won¡¯t do anything reckless so relax okay? Let¡¯s meet back up at that shed we saw at the base of the mountain in two hours.¡±


    With those words, Dal turned southeast and rushed forward. At the sight of his lady rushing forward so quickly, Guem once again let out a sigh. He didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry at the situation. After a few moments, he turned northeast and ran after the pursuers.


    The mercenaries froze in their place when they saw the sudden arrival of a new person. The two warriors, in particular, had looks of disbelief on their face because they had never noticed the mysterious figure¡¯s presence, and only noticed her when she had appeared. To them, that meant one of two things: Either the woman in front of them had trained in hiding their presence or she was a lot stronger than them.


    While the two thought about which one it was, one of the mercenaries got their wit back and spoke out.


    ¡°Miss, you should act as if you didn¡¯t see this and just leave. You shouldn¡¯t mind other¡¯s business. If you put your nose in places it shouldn¡¯t be, you¡¯ll get hurt you know?¡±


    ¡°That would be true usually, but do you really think that the seven of you could harm me?¡±


    When the pursuers heard what Dal said, they all felt as though cold sweat was dripping down their back. Even the dumbest one out of the mercenaries knew that the woman in front of them wouldn¡¯t have appeared unless she was confident enough to handle the situation.


    Dal, who saw their expression, let a smirk appear on her face before she dashed forward to the female warrior. The warrior, caught by surprise, raised her broadsword and slashed forward in an effort to keep her at a distance. Dal, however, easily deflected the huge broadsword with her rapier that had suddenly appeared in her right hand and then swung down hard and hit the woman in the temple with the handle. The woman¡¯s eyes immediately lost focus as she lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.


    Not even bothering to verify whether the warrior had collapsed, Dal swung her sword out in a large arc in front of her. As the sword completed its arc, a wall of flames erupted upwards in front of a group of mercenaries, causing them all to leap back in surprise and fear at the sudden blaze. Using the moment that the enemies were in chaos, Dal went back to where Yong Hwa was and pulled him up. She was about to ask whether he could run before she noticed how unfocused his gaze looked.


    ¡¯Shit, they drugged him somehow. Just how am I going to be able to get him out of here?¡¯


    As she worried about how she was going to escape with the stranger, she shook his shoulder and spoke.


    ¡°Hey! Can you hear me? Can you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Right as she was worried that he wasn¡¯t aware of his surroundings, Yong Hwa slowly nodded his head in answer. At the sight of the action, Dal let loose a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I know that you probably can¡¯t control your body much right now, but I¡¯ll lead you. Just try to keep up as much as you can, okay?¡±


    Once she saw the stranger nod his head, she turned around once more and verified that the rest of guards approached them with caution. After she made sure she knew where everybody was, she helped Yong Hwa slowly get up.


    ¡°On the count of three, we¡¯re going to rush forward, okay? One¡­ two¡­ three!¡±


    After she had counted to three, she rushed forward to the location where the pursuers had gathered closest at. Startled by her sudden approach, they quickly assumed a defensive position as they nervously watched her approach. A smirk appeared on Dal¡¯s face when she noticed their hesitant expressions, and so, she once more called upon the power of her beast soul.


    When the two sides were only five meters apart from each other, countless amounts of small fire balls suddenly appeared in front of each pursuer. Alarmed by the sudden light, all of them were unable to help but quickly close their eyes at the sudden brightness. Dal, using that quick moment, rushed past them and into the forest.


    ¡°Shit, that bitch got us. Hey! Stop dawdling like fools and follow after them! She couldn¡¯t have gotten far with that guy!¡±


    The remaining two warriors were the first to recover, and they quickly figured out her trick. Furious at being caught by surprise, they barked orders at the remaining guards who had followed them to rush into dark forest after them.


    Yong Hwa, who was trying to fight against the effects of the powdered drug, was in a state of confusion. Everything happened so suddenly, and felt dreamlike. Just who, and why, would someone suddenly appear at that moment to save him? Why would that person go through so much effort to save him? As those thoughts passed through his mind, his surroundings blurred as the two quickly ran to who knows here.


    Still, he knew that this was his only lifeline, and he ran as fast as his body would allow him to, so that he wouldn¡¯t be too much of a burden to his savior. For what seemed like an eternity to him, they rushed down the mountain, not even hesitating with all the trees ahead of them. During that time, even though the drug¡¯s effects hadn¡¯t gotten better, they at least didn¡¯t worsen either.


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    ¡¯Azuron, how¡¯s it going with getting rid of the drugs?¡¯


    ¡®Young one, even though I was almighty when I was alive, I am merely a soul now. I don¡¯t have much power. Even though I can suppress the drug¡¯s effects, there¡¯s not much more I can do. Still, don¡¯t use any powers since, when you do, I won¡¯t be able to hold back the drug anymore, and it will hit you all at once. Even though you won¡¯t die, you¡¯ll probably be unconscious for a day at least.


    Still, we should be very grateful toward the lady. Even though I don¡¯t know who she is, she helped us get out of a sticky situation. Sheesh, for you to be caught by such a cheap trick, you still got much to learn young one¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes, yes, I understand, Azuron. I¡¯ll work hard so that, in the future, I won¡¯t be caught by such a petty trick again. Okay?¡¯


    ¡®Hmph.¡¯


    While the two mentally communicated, the string that kept Dal¡¯s hat in place loosened, and the bamboo hat fell off her head. Surprised, she momentarily turned and looked back at the hat before she gritted her teeth and continued to run forward. While she moved her head, her hair, which had been held by the hat, flopped down to her shoulder.


    Dal¡¯s face was oval shaped, and had a small sharp chin. Her skin tone was pale, and looked flawless. Dal¡¯s brown eyes were large and round, giving people a sense of innocence when they looked at them. Her shoulder length black hair looked glossy under glint of the moon that was in the sky.


    If anyone had been there and seen her face, it was guaranteed that they would have stopped and stared in shock. They would swear right then and there that a goddess had appeared under the moonlight. She really was a beauty that seemed to transcend humankind, and would easily cause nations to go to war over. Unfortunately for Yong hwa though, his vision was still blurry, and he missed the view at that time.


    Dal, on the other hand, was silently cursing at herself for losing her hat. If the enemy saw her face and recognized her, it would cause trouble for her clan. All she was able to hope for at the time was that no one would be able to catch up to them and see her face.


    That hope, however, was quickly destroyed as Dal noticed a shadow jump out from behind a tree on her right. Startled, she released her grip on Yong Hwa, and immediately swung her rapier out to greet the enemy. The warrior, who had jumped out in ambush, quickly determined he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the attack in midair, and moved his katana to deflect the attack.


    When the two weapons met, even though he was able deflect the attack, the warrior was also pushed back ten meters by the force of Dal¡¯s stab. The warrior¡¯s expression showed shock at how this young lady was so much stronger than him. Sure, she had the advantage since she was grounded and he was in the air, but, for her to push him back ten meters while she stayed in the same place, just what kind of ridiculous strength was this?!


    ¡°Ho¡­.. for you to be able to catch up this quickly, and for you to be able to deflect that sudden counterattack, you must have a wind attribute, huh? Wait, it doesn¡¯t really matter anyways, since you¡¯ll be gone from this world shortly.¡±


    The warrior felt a shiver run down his spines when he heard what Dal said at the end of her sentence. He couldn¡¯t believe that such cold words would come out the mouth of such an innocent and beautiful looking lady. Feeling that the situation wasn¡¯t in his favor, he quickly turned around and retreated. As he took a step forward, if one looked closely they would be able to see transparent wind at the bottom of his foot which thrusted him forward. Still, after moving only twenty meters, a whisper sounded out from his right ear.


    ¡°It was your grave mistake in thinking that just because you were able to catch up to me while I was basically carrying that dead weight that you¡¯re faster than me. Sadly for you, I¡¯m not just fire attributed, but also possess the light attribute..¡±


    ¡°Dual Ele-?! Guuuakk!¡±


    Just as the warrior showed shock at the fact that she possessed a dual element, the rapier rushed forward and stabbed through his throat, cutting him off mid sentence. Just as quickly as it had entered, the rapier slipped out the throat and caused a fountain of blood to follow suit. After she had verified that the warrior had passed away, she swung the rapier in an arc and removed all the blood on the blade before she returned to Yong Hwa¡¯s side.


    ¡°Haa¡­ to think that they had a wind attribute fellow with them. What bad luck for him though, to see my face. If he hadn¡¯t I could have just knocked him out and let him¡­.Eh?¡±


    As she spoke those words, she had a face filled with regret and slowly helped Yong Hwa who had fallen down up. She really didn¡¯t enjoy taking away a life that could be spared, but unfortunately her face had been seen and she couldn¡¯t let him leave alive. Just as she was expressing that, Yong Hwa, who had stayed still until then, showed a sudden burst of strength as he swung her around. Caught off guard by the sudden action, she was quickly spun around, and saw that a shadow had appeared only a couple of meters behind where she had been. Just as she wanted to shout out a warning to Yong Hwa and attack, she felt a sudden chill descend upon her.


    As if time had suddenly slowed down, tiny specks of snow slowly and lazily descended from the sky. The shadow, as though he was in slow motion, was barely inching forward at a snail¡¯s pace. The descending sword over his head looked as if it was in slow motion, and was moving inch by inch. Dal, seeing the scene in front of her, couldn¡¯t help but show a shocked expression, as she had never seen such a weird scene before. Just as she was contemplating what was happening, a sword thrust backwards and stabbed through the abdomen of the warrior before it was once again quickly taken out. As the sword withdrew, blood spread out in slow motion, slow enough that even the average citizen would be able to clearly see each drop¡¯s movement.


    Just as if everything had been an illusion, the snowflakes quickly disappeared, and time returned to its normal speed. The warrior quickly fell down in place, and the blood spurted out like a fountain. While Dal contemplated whether everything that just happened was real, or if she had imagined it, a shaky voice sounded from her shoulder.


    ¡°Thank the gods I made it in time. You¡¯re not hurt, are you? That¡¯s a relief. Well then miss, I¡¯m going to¡­ have to trouble¡­ you¡­¡±


    While he was talking, his words slowly became slower before he collapsed into Dal.


    ¡°Eh? Hey, you alright? Oi, can you hear me?¡±


    Caught by surprise by the sudden turn of events, Dal tried to shake Yong Hwa to wake him up. Even though she shook him pretty forcibly, he didn¡¯t show any signs of being awake. While she was baffled, she looked forward and saw that, on a small hill in the clearing in front of them, there was a single cherry blossom tree.


    Behind the tree, the crescent moon seemed very close, and looked very large. From where she was, it almost looked as if the cherry blossom tree was sitting on the bottom portion of the crescent moon. As she marveled at the sight, she suddenly remembered the words from the monk earlier in the market.


    ¡°Lady, if you ever meet a person by a cherry blossom tree outlined by the moon, avoid him! Do not let your fate with him deepen any further!¡±


    Thus, the fate of two people who weren¡¯t supposed to have met began, and the fate of the world slowly began to change.

 Chapter 11 - Domain

    A/N: First of all, a happy new years to everyone! *Bows* Now, i''ll explain why I''ve been missing for so long. Actually i was contemplating whether i should or not but I decided you the readers should know. Not too long ago, I suddenly had heart failure. Due to that, I''ve been in and out of the hospital quite a bit. Thankfully, my heart has been improving alot and I''m slowly getting back to being healthy. Adding on to that work, I just haven''t had time to write. Now that all of the hospital stuff is mostly done though, I finally do have time to get back at this and plan to furiously push forward with this story, writing a chp once every two to three days. Also in apology, I plan to write another chp and post it tonight. Once again I apologize for the long wait and I hope you all enjoy the chp!


    -----


    Inside a small broken down cottage in the mountains, there was a female who was sitting down. In front of her was a man that was laying down, asleep. If people saw the scene, they would immediately believe that the two were a married couple, as the woman gazed at the man¡¯s peaceful face as he slept. These two were exactly Dal and Yong Hwa, who had finally escaped from their pursuers and hid.


    Dal couldn¡¯t help but inwardly admit that Yong Hwa was quite handsome. Still, she wasn¡¯t really paying attention to his face. In her mind, the words of the monk continued to echo and she pondered what she should do next.


    After contemplating over it for quite a while, she shook her head and tried to clear her mind of it. No matter how much she thought of it, no answer would come, so she decided to push the matter for later on. Instead, she began to think of what happened earlier.


    ¡¯Just what happened earlier? How can snow appear out of nowhere like that? More importantly, why did it feel as time slowed down? Was i just imagining things?¡¯


    While those thoughts ran through her mind, another feminine voice rang.


    ¡¯That was a domain.¡¯


    When Dal heard what the voice said, her expression changed into one of shock.


    ¡¯Eh?! A domain? Bool Shin, are you sure? I thought one could only set a domain if their beast soul was like you, a child of High Gods, and if they reached the level of one with the soul? There¡¯s no way that such a young guy could reach that level already!¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that surprising that Dal was so shocked. Domain, a high level skill that had a pre-requisite that one needed a dual element beast soul and reach the level of one with soul. Even though Dal was a genius that many considered to be seen only once in a thousand years, she had yet to reach the level of one with the soul.


    In this world, instead of ranking skill levels, one¡¯s strength was assessed by the strength of their soul. The rankings were as thus:


    One with the body.


    One with the mind.


    One with the soul.


    One with the earth.


    One with the sky.


    One with the heavens.


    Just to reach the level of one with the body, an average person would take five years of training. A person would considered a genius if it only took them a decade to train their soul to the level of one with the mind. Dal herself was in the late stages of one with the mind. Still, her beast soul Bool Shin was saying that the person before her had reached a higher level than herself?


    Dal never had been arrogant and thought that she was above everyone else. Still, she also firmly believed that no one was better than herself at the same time. That was the reason she was so shocked. It usually took people over three decades of training to reach the level of one with the soul, if they reached it at all.


    Still, even though soul levels was important to one¡¯s strength, it didn¡¯t determine the winner of a fight as one¡¯s skills were equally as important. In her clan that was renown to have the strongest sword techniques, only her father and Geum surpassed her.


    While those thoughts raced through her mind, Bool Shin replied.


    ¡¯There is no mistake about it. That was definitely a Domain¡­ and a very particular one that I know too well¡­.¡¯


    ¡®Do you know the beast soul that dwells in this guy then, Bool Shin?¡¯


    ¡®Oh, I know that beast all too well. It was my bitter rival, after all.¡¯


    ¡®Eh?¡¯


    As the two were communicating, a knocking sound rang out at the door of the cottage. Startled, Dal immediately focused on her surrounding and ran to the side of the door, ready to take action if anyone entered. Just as she was about to summon her rapier though, a familiar voice rang out.


    ¡°Lady Dal, are you here?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Geum ah!¡±


    When she heard Geum¡¯s voice, Dal¡¯s sharp expression changed to relief and she opened the door.Geum immediately went into the room and closed the door. Afterwards, he looked at Dal and let a sigh of relief out when he saw that she had no injuries.


    When he noticed Yong Hwa laying on the ground, however, his expression slightly twitched.


    ¡°My lady, I thought that we were only going to save those people. Why did you bring him here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, this guy was drugged by those warriors and passed out. I can¡¯t just leave him unconscious in the mountain, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    When Geum heard what she said, he began to stare at her. Dal, on the other hand, playfully let her tongue out. They both knew that she could have easily just found a safe location and dropped him off there. After staring at her playful expression for a few more moments, Geum relented and let a sigh out.


    ¡°Haa¡­ anyways we need to leave this area soon, my lady. We should hurry up and wake this fellow up so we can leave.¡±


    Knowing Dal¡¯s personality, he knew that she wouldn¡¯t just leave him alone in his unconscious state.


    ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s just wait a while, Geum ah. He¡¯s been drugged and only been asleep for a couple of hours, after all.¡±


    ¡°But my lady¡­.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, did your rescue of that girl go successfully? Did you find anything out?¡±


    ¡°Even though I was able to rescue her, I was not able to find out much, except that they do indeed seem to be from a force of the kingdom, my lady.¡±


    ¡°How was her skill level?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad, my lady. I feel as though she¡¯s specialized in intelligence gathering instead of fighting, however. How about this guy, my lady? Were you able to find anything out?¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°No, He was already drugged by the time I reached him. Regarding his skills, I didn¡¯t see much, but it seems as though he has very fast reflexes. He reacted to an enemy approaching even before I did and slew him. Also, he has a domain¡­..:¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    When Geum heard the word domain, he wasn¡¯t able to help but be startled. Even though he didn¡¯t have a dual element beast himself, he was all too familiar about what a domain meant. A long time ago, when he was studying about dual elements beasts so that he could protect Dal better, he came about the information and recalled how envious he was. Still, for this man in front of them to be like his lady, and also to reach such a high soul level while so young¡­.


    The two stayed silent as they were momentarily lost in their own thoughts. During that time, Geum also decided to sit beside his lady and wait. Only after the two had stayed silent for a couple hours, did Geum finally break the silence.


    ¡°My lady, we really do need to head back soon. The clan leader has made contact with one of his friends and made accommodations for us at the Millennium Inn. He told me that we should rest there for a week and that he will be personally coming also.¡±


    ¡°I know, but¡­¡±


    When Geum saw Dal¡¯s reluctance, he loosened a sigh before a katana appeared in his hand.


    ¡°Geum ah, why did¡­Ah! what are you doing!¡±


    Just as Dal was going to ask him why he summoned his soul weapon, Geum had already begun to thrust the katana down toward Yong Hwa¡¯s face. Just as the sword made it halfway to his face though, Yong Hwa¡¯s eyes immediately opened and he rolled to the side, effectively dodging the thrust. After rolling once, he hastily got up to one knee and looked alertly at both Dal and Geum.


    ¡°Who are you two?! Why did you attack me?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s awake now, my lady. We can go now.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­.¡±


    When Dal saw Yong Hwa¡¯s sudden movements, a dull expression as though she couldn¡¯t believe what just happened appeared on her face. Geum, on the other hand, acted as though everything was normal and as if nothing happened. Seeing the two, a confused expression appeared on Yong Hwa¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t able to comprehend what the situation was like at all.


    ¡°Oi, you bastards! I asked who you two were!¡±


    Even though he wasn¡¯t able to comprehend what was happening, he was still genuinely angered about how that guy had tried to stab him through his head. When Dall heard him call them bastards though, her expression darkened.


    ¡°Hey! Did your parents teach you to curse at your saviors?!¡±


    Yong Hwa¡¯s expression quickly changed from anger to confusion when he heard what Dal said.


    ¡°Saviors? Huh? Just what¡¯s going. Actually where am I?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­. I saw you on the mountains surrounded by some thugs so out of my kind intentions I decided to help you. Hmph, if I knew this was how you would repay me¡­¡±


    While Dal was speaking, Yong Hwa began to recall that he had indeed been saved earlier and how, when his savior¡¯s hat flew off, long hair did fall out, making him think it was a female. Still, his vision had been blurry so he wasn¡¯t able to see her face at that time. After he remembered that, the confused expression slowly disappeared and he got up from his alert position before he bowed in appreciation to Dal.


    ¡°Thank you for saving my life. I apologize for what happened earlier, I was just woken up suddenly and was confused about the situation. Still, why did that guy just try to stab me right now?¡±


    When Yong Hwa shifted his gaze toward the man beside Dal, Geum just shrugged his shoulders and lightly replied.


    ¡°Eh, I was just trying to wake you up as we need to leave.¡±


    Even though Yong Hwa believed that his temper was quite good, a vein popped up on his forehead when he heard Geum¡¯s response.


    ¡°Hey! Couldn¡¯t you use more subtler means of waking me up?! Like shaking me slightly or even pouring water on my face or something?!?! What if I didn¡¯t wake up and really got stabbed, huh?!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t be bothered to use those methods. This one was quickest, after all.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    When he saw Geum¡¯s indifferent expressions, Yong Hwa really wanted to stand up and go over and beat the guy up. Dal¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t able to hide the amusement she found in the situation. After letting it go on for a little, she finally broke it up.


    ¡°Eh hem¡­. what do you say about us starting this over again by introducing ourselves. My name¡¯s Dal. This bloke beside me is Geum. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Yong Hwa. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure is mine. Anyways, what are you planning on doing next?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­. I¡¯m planning on going back to Saewol¡­ but I¡¯m not exactly sure where we are right now...if you would be able kind enough to take me to the Millennium Inn, I¡¯m sure my uncle would be very grateful and would accommodate the two of you¡­¡±


    When Dal and Geum heard what Yong Hwa said, the two couldn¡¯t contain the hint of surprise that appeared on their face momentarily. After they looked at each other for a second, Dal finally replied with a curious tone.


    ¡°Why would we do that for? How can I trust someone who curses at his own saviors?¡±


    ¡°Eh, miss Dal¡­. about that, I really am sorry and ask for your forgiveness. Like I said, I was out of it and really was not clear about the situation¡­¡±


    Seeing Yong Hwa¡¯s panicked expression, Dal¡¯s eyes sparkled. When Geum saw her eyes sparkling, he inwardly shook his head as he knew that whenever his lady¡¯s eyes sparkled like that, she was up to no good whatsoever.


    ¡°Hu hu hu¡­. Alright, I understand the situation. We will take you to the Millennium Inn.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, miss Dal.¡±


    ¡°However, I was taught by my father to not trust those who curse at their beneficiary. Geum ah, you still got that rope, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    When Yong Hwa heard Dal say that they would take him to the inn, he loosened a sigh of relief and bowed in thanks to her. Just as he was bowing though, her next sentence surprised him and he raised his head in confusion. As he looked up though, he finally saw the mischievous smile on Dal¡¯s face and Geum who had already pulled out some rope and was already slowly approaching him with a evil grin on his face.


    ¡°Huh? Oi, wha- what are planning to do?!¡±

 Chapter 12 - Fairy Under The Moonlight

    A/N: As promised, here is the second chp for the day! I hope you guys enjoy it! Please leave comments or reviews on the your thoughts of how the story is going along!


    ¡°Pffft¡­.AHAHAHAHA!¡±


    Inside of Uncle Ray¡¯s personal office in the Millennium Inn, Chang was bent over and holding his stomach while laughing to his heart¡¯s content. Beside him, Seol Hwa at first showed shock before her expression changed into a look of amusement. In the main chair, Uncle Ray looked at the scene in front of him with a face that showed he didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry.


    The reason that everyone was like that was because in the middle of the office, were Dal, Geum, and the tied up Yong Hwa. As he saw Chang¡¯s behavior, Yong Hwa stared daggers at him before he hesitatingly looked toward Seol Hwa. When he saw her amused expression, his head drooped in depression before he angrily glared at Dal.


    Dal, on the other hand, pretended as though she didn¡¯t notice his angry glare. She just glanced at everyone in the room with a charming smile. Uncle Ray, on the other hand, put his head in his hands helplessly for a moment before he looked up and spoke.


    ¡°Dal ah, you sure don¡¯t change. Always making a grand entrance. Still, this one sure beats all the previous ones. You mind telling this uncle of yours what the current situation is?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe. Uncle Ray, it sure has been a while. How come everytime I see you, your belly seems to be getting rounder? You need to train more! Anyways, I met this suspicious person on the road. When he mentioned that he knew you, I brought him here. Still, since dad told me not to trust suspicious people, I decided to tie him up so he wouldn¡¯t have any weird ideas.¡±


    ¡°AHAHAHA! WEIRD PERSON! SHE SAID YONG HWA¡¯S A WEIRD PERSON! AHAHAHA!¡±


    When Chang heard Dal¡¯s explanation, he bursted out even more loudly in laughter. Even worse, he actually fell off his seat and rolled on the floor while holding his belly. Yong Hwa, on the other hand, felt as though he would die from embarrassment. If looks could kill, he would¡¯ve killed both Chang and Dal numerous times already.


    Uncle Ray, on the other hand, just shook his head helplessly. Knowing Dal¡¯s personality, he could basically picture what really happened. After he released a sigh, he looked toward Seol Hwa and spoke.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Seol Hwa, take those two knuckleheads out of here and guide them to their rooms. I have some things to talk about with Dal here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, dad¡±


    After Seol Hwa took both the pathetic Yong Hwa and hysterically laughing Chang out, Uncle Ray once again turned toward Dal and smiled.


    ¡°Haa, all things aside, how come every time I see you, you become even more beautiful Dal?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe. Why thank you for the compliment, Uncle Ray. Still the same smooth talker as always, huh?¡±


    ¡°This brat, even speaking like an adult now. Anyways, how¡¯s your father doing? I got his message that you two would be coming yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Father is doing well. He wished for me to relay to you that he would be arriving here in a week. He said he has some important things to speak with you about.¡±


    ¡°Ho, is that so? Still, i¡¯m looking forward to meeting that ol scrooge and having a few drinks with him. It¡¯s been too long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s looking very much forward to it also, Uncle Ray.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, you and Geum must be exhausted. I¡¯ll have some people come over and take both of you to your rooms.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡±


    Afterwards, Uncle Ray sent for two servants to guide the two of them to their rooms. Once both of them left, his smiling expression disappeared and was replaced by one that was serious. After sitting at his desk for a while, he wrote a message and tied it to the leg of his personal hawk, Shook. On the envelope that contained the message, was a black image of a crow that had three legs. As Shook took off, he stared out the window and watched it fly away into the moon.


    -----


    ¡°Ahahaha, I¡¯m never forgetting today. That was the most hilarious scene I¡¯ve ever seen in my life! I never thought I¡¯d see the day where the almighty Yong Hwa would be dragged somewhere tied up in ropes. AHAHAHA¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Chang! If you say one more word about this incident I swear I¡¯m going to tell Grandpa Shin about that time you peeked on those females at the hot springs last year!¡±


    When Chang heard Yong Hwa¡¯s threat, he immediately stopped his outburst of laughter and looked at Yong Hwa with a panicked smile.


    ¡°Yong Hwa, best buddy. You wouldn¡¯t stoop so low, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, see whether I do or don¡¯t if you say one more word about today.¡±


    ¡°Ca-calm down bro. I was just joking so please don¡¯t tell grandpa! You know he¡¯ll kill me!¡±


    As the two were bickering, Seol Hwa sat to the side and watched the scene with warm eyes. It had been too long since they last met and she missed that kind of environment. Within the Samjoko, Yong Hwa and Chang were the only people who were around her age, so the three of them hung out a lot and got along very well. After letting the conversation go on for a little longer, she finally entered the conversation.


    ¡°Alright you two, it¡¯s time to stop acting like children. Let¡¯s talk about what happened after the three of us split up. I¡¯ll go first. While I ran away, i got caught by the group of martial artists that chased me. While I was desperately fending them off, Geum came and helped me eliminate them. Afterwards Geum left and I returned to the Inn to inform him about what happened. What about you, Chang?¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°I was the one who drew the short straw of the stick. No one came to help me out, but I was able to kill all of them one way or another. Only reason it took me longer to get to the inn than you, Seol Hwa, was because I had to take care of them myself. Anyways, I¡¯m more curious about what happened to you, Yong Hwa. How¡¯d you end up in that situation?¡±


    While Yong Hwa listened to what happened to the other two, he nodded his head. When it was his turn to explain though, he slightly ruffled his hair before embarrassingly explained what happened.


    ¡°About the same as you two. While I was fighting those martial artists off though, I...uh¡­.got drugged.¡±


    When Yong Hwa said he got drugged, both Seol Hwa and Chang looked at him strangely. After a few minutes, Chang¡¯s shoulders began to shake as he suppressed his laughter inside of him.


    ¡°Oh man, Yong Hwa. If grandpa heard about this¡­.¡±


    Seeing his behavior and hearing what he said, Yong Hwa¡¯s face turned red from embarrassment.


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t you dare tell grandpa Shin! Don¡¯t think that the hot spring event is the only thing I can tell him¡­¡±


    Chang¡¯s face paled at Yong Hwa¡¯s threat. Once again with a shaking face, he smiled toward him.


    ¡°My-my man Yong Hwa, you know I was just jesting. Continue with your story. What happened afterwards?¡±


    Seeing Chang¡¯s expression, Yong Hwa became content and continued with his explanation.


    ¡°After I got drugged, that girl Dal appeared and helped me escape from them. After I regained my consciousness, we both came to the Inn with that guy Geum. That¡¯s about it.¡±


    Just as Chang was about to ask him about how he ended up being tied up, Yong Hwa glared at him. Smiling bitterly, he shut his mouth with the question stuck in his throat. After he confirmed that Chang wasn¡¯t going to ask, he turned around to Seol Hwa and asked her a question.


    ¡°Seol Hwa, it seemed as though Uncle Ray knew those two. Just who are they?¡±


    ¡°Dal is the daughter of the Crescent Moon Sword clan leader. Her father and mine are long time sworn brothers. He comes by every once in awhile for a few nights to share drinks and talk with dad. Geum is Dal¡¯s personal warrior and is rumored to be the strongest swordsman in the clan after the clan leader.¡±


    ¡°Long time sworn brothers¡­ does that mean..¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you guessed right, Yong Hwa. The Crescent Moon Sword¡¯s clan leader used to be a member of the Samjoko before he retired so that he could take over the position of clan leader.¡±


    ¡°*whistles* Bro, you¡¯re so lucky. Not only is the chick that saved you hot, she¡¯s also the daughter of the Crescent Moon Sword¡¯s clan leader. Man, why can¡¯t I be so lucky with chicks...Ouch! What was that for Seol Hwa?!¡±


    As Chang was speaking, a fist descended onto his head from Seol Hwa. Just as he was about to complain about it more, he turned to see Seol Hwa¡¯s fake smile. After shivering for a moment, he decided that it¡¯d be safer for him to remain silent. When Seol Hwa saw his tamed behavior, she nodded her head and spoke.


    ¡°Anyways, now that you two know who Dal is, you shouldn¡¯t bother her. It¡¯s late now, you two should go to your rooms and rest. I¡¯ll show you both around Saewol tomorrow.¡±


    -----


    ¡°Haa, it sure does feel good after taking a bath.¡±


    Late in the night, Yong Hwa walked out the bath house. After all that happened that night, he felt as though he needed to calm down and relax so even though it was late he decided to take a bath before going to bed. Just as he walking back, he saw a familiar figure walking in the opposite direction of him. Seeing her back figure, Yong Hwa¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°That damn Dal, how dare you make a fool out of me earlier. It seems that it¡¯s time to pay it back to you!¡±


    While he said those words softly under his breath, Yong Hwa began to trail Dal secretly. As they walked forward for a little while, he saw her go into a empty courtyard. Silently rushing off to one of the nearby buildings, he stood in it¡¯s shadow as he watched her.


    From his location, he was able to clearly see everything in the courtyard. As he watched Dal stop in the middle of the courtyard, he patiently waited to see what she would do next. For two minutes, she just stayed still there. Just as he wondering what in the world she was doing, a rapier materialized in her right hand. Right as the weapon completed materializing, Yong Hwa watched in amazement as she began to move.


    Under the bright moonlight from above, her movements appeared ever so graceful, enough to make Yong Hwa wonder whether she was a fairy instead of a human. Each movement seemed to blend perfectly into the surrounding, making it seem as though it had always belonged there.


    Every time she jumped into the air, he could¡¯ve sworn that he saw wind spirits rush under herbody to caress her and ensure she landed softly. Every time she struck out with her rapier, it seemed every so gentle and light, but caused the cherry blossom leaves that had scattered onto the floor to lightly fly up around her. The leaves that flew up never touched back to the ground and condensed around her figure as she moved. A couple of minutes into her practice, the cherry blossom leaves swerved around her, looking as though they were dancing with her.


    As Yong Hwa saw this scene, all previous thoughts of revenge dissipated as he appreciatively gazed at the fairy under the moonlight.

 Chapter 13: The Heavenly Phoenix Bool Shin

    A/N: Sorry that the chapter is a day late. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow! Leave comments and reviews on your thoughts please! Lastly, hope you all enjoy the chapter!


    -----


    For the next couple of days, Yong Hwa, Chang, and Seol Hwa toured through the city. Seol Hwa guided the two of them to various installations, making good of her promise to show them around the city. During those times, Yong Hwa was incomparably happy as he was able to spend time with the both of them while relaxing.


    The time was explicitly filled with laughter as Seol Hwa constantly scolded Chang who would cause trouble as he struck up a conversation to almost any pretty lady he saw. Those scenes reminded Yong Hwa of the past and made him reminisce of the earlier years.


    Ever since the first time the three met years ago, it was always like that. Seol Hwa would always end up scolding Chang for one reason or another while the latter would, in the end, crawl back to Yong Hwa to plead for help. Seol Hwa and Yong Hwa, on the other hand were a lot more peaceful and she felt like more like an older sister to him. As those times went on though, his feelings slowly began to grow to become infatuation.


    Yong Hwa knew that Seol Hwa had noticed his feelings for her, and wasn¡¯t willing to return them. Most likely, she just wanted to keep their close friendship and treat him like a brother. Even though it was like that, he was fine with it. Although he knew she wouldn¡¯t return his feelings, the times he spent with her were filled with bliss and he cherished every moment.


    As for Dal and Geum, he never saw them after the first night. It almost felt as though they were no longer at the inn. Still, it wasn¡¯t like he was intentionally looking for them, either. Even though he had been fascinated by her swordplay that night, it didn¡¯t mean he forgave her for the humiliation she caused him.


    Six days after they had returned though, walking around the courtyard at night, he came across a familiar scene on accident. In front of him, was a girl who seemed as though she was dancing with a rapier in her right hand. As he stayed still and watched the beautiful scene once more, Dal seemed to notice his gaze and stopped her movements. Turning around, she noticed Yong Hwa who was standing still in the open and watching her.


    ¡°Ah, sorry if I disturb you. I just came upon you practicing on accident.¡±


    When Yong Hwa saw Dal stop and turn around, he immediately apologized and turned around to leave. For some odd reason, he felt as though he had been caught peeping on a girl showering. At that thought, his face slightly blushed and he cursed at himself.


    As Yong Hwa turned and was leaving, Dal let a small smile appear on her face. She noticed that a slight blush had appeared on his face. Before he even took five steps, she called out to him.


    ¡°I was just getting tired of practicing by myself. You want to spar lightly with me?¡±


    Yong Hwa stopped where he was. After a moment of hesitation, he turned back and approached Dal. Truthfully, he was quite intrigued by Dal¡¯s offer. He wanted to test how strong his swordsmanship was compared to her¡¯s. Even though he had sparred quite a few times in the past, almost no one was near his level and it turned out to be quite boring. The only exceptions were Elder Shin and Chang. Especially when he fought against Elder Shin, he almost never had a moment to retaliate and would be in a pathetic state.


    When he was only ten feet away from Dal, he finally stopped. As he stood there, Azuron¡¯s Requiem slowly began to materialize. When the sword appeared, he finally spoke.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the rules for the spar going to be?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ since it¡¯s a light spar, let¡¯s just go with not using our beast souls. We¡¯ll only use our soul weapons, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡±


    As he said that, Yong Hwa bowed toward her. Dal, on the other hand, also bowed. After the two stood back up, they both went into their own poses. Yong Hwa placed his legs in a ninety degree angle while also slightly bending his knees. His sword was at a forty five degree angle behind his right foot. Dal kept her feet together while facing Yong Hwa. She put her rapier in front of her chest and held it in a one and eighty degree angle. After a few moments of silence, they both rushed forth simultaneously, without any signal.


    Once the distance between them had shortened to three feet, both of them struck forward. Dal thrusted her rapier forward, aiming for his chest. In retaliation, Yong Hwa swung his sword sideways to deflect it. Just as he was about to hit the rapier, though, Dal¡¯s right wrist changed angles. With that action, the trajectory of the rapier drastically changed and Yong Hwa¡¯s sword missed the rapier.


    Startled by the sudden change, Yong Hwa swung the left side of his body backward and barely evaded the rapier that was now aimed for his left shoulder. As the two passed each other, they quickly came to a halt and turned around. On Yong Hwa¡¯s forehead, cold sweats began to appear. He had never seen someone who was able to change their weapon¡¯s trajectory so drastically with a sword type.


    Rapiers were known for their quick thrusts and various angles of attacks. Even he knew that and had prepared accordingly. Still, never expected the girl in front of him to master her skills to the point where she could change her attack with a thought. Just how much bitter training does one have to go through to reach such a level? Although Yong Hwa prided himself in being a good swordsman, with just that one exchange, he was able to tell that Dal was a level above him.


    Although the majority of people would feel despair at the moment, there was instead a fire burning within Yong Hwa¡¯s soul when he noticed their difference. His fighting spirit, which was already high, seemed to burst forth in eagerness. His eyes couldn¡¯t hide his excitement and eagerness to fight.


    Dal, on the other hand, calmly looked at Yong Hwa. When she noticed that his eagerness, a smile crept up on her beautiful face. Without saying anything, the two once again ran forth to fight.


    Under the bright full moon, the two continued to clash against each other. Sharp clang sounds rang throughout the courtyard as their weapons clashed against one another. If a regular person came upon their fight, they would be wide eyed as both Yong Hwa and Dal seemed like blurs as they quickly moved their bodies to gain an advantage on each other. The only thing that was clearly visible were the white aura appearing from Azuron¡¯s Requiem and the soft red aura that surrounded Dal¡¯s rapier.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    If one looked closely, Yong Hwa¡¯s movements seemed fluid and connected, as if it was like a flowing river. Dal though, seemed to be one with nature. It felt as though her movements were natural and fitted perfectly the surrounding.


    Even though the fight looked close, Dal retained the upper hand throughout the spar. Although Yong Hwa continuously released one strike after another, none of them came close to Dal as she easily deflected or evaded them. Yong Hwa, on the other hand, would have been skewered quite a few times if this had been an actual fight instead of a spar.


    During one brief moment where the two stopped, a voice appeared within Yong Hwa¡¯s mind.


    ¡¯I thought that I felt something familiar from that girl, so it was that¡­¡¯


    ¡®Eh, that? What do you mean, Azuron?¡¯


    Yong Hwa wasn¡¯t able to hide his confusion. When Azuron felt it, he expanded upon his earlier statement.


    ¡¯I think I know what beast soul resides in that young lady.¡¯


    ¡®Oh? What is it?¡¯


    When he heard what Azuron said, Yong Hwa was surprised. If Azuron was able to tell who it was, it meant that the beast soul was very strong since he wouldn¡¯t remember any weaklings. While Yong Hwa was anticipating his answer, Azuron responded.


    ¡¯Remember how I told you that I used to lead one of the armies of my parents? Although there was no one who compare to me in strength from our side, there was actually one who could from the other side. The two of us actually countered each other and were bitter rivals back then.


    Bool Shin, the Holy Phoenix. Her father, Pyrus, gave her the name fire goddess because she was the one who had the strongest fire attribute out of all his children.  As her race expresses, she is both fire and light attributed. The two of us have fought on several occasions, but have never been able to determine which of us were stronger. Still, just because we are bitter rivals doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t respect each other. I was told later that when she heard of the ambush that killed me, Bool Shin was actually quite furious and killed the surviving generals. Still, to meet her here¡­..how unexpected.¡¯


    Shocked by Azuron¡¯s revelation, Yong Hwa wasn¡¯t able to maintain his expression. Seeing the change in his expression, Dal stared at him curiously. Ever since he stopped moving, she had been patiently waiting. As Yong Hwa got his bearing together, he stood up once more and looked toward her.


    ¡°Umm.. is your beast soul Bool Shin?¡±


    When Dal heard Yong Hwa¡¯s question, her eyebrows arched in surprise. There should be no way for Yong Hwa to know Bool Shin. After all, she was the very first person that Bool Shin had chosen. Just as she was contemplating how Yong Hwa would know, Bool Shin spoke.


    ¡¯There¡¯s no reason to be so surprised. Since I was able to tell that Azuron resided in that boy, he obviously can sense me from ¡®Heavenly Flare¡¯ also. Relay to Azuron for me that it has been a while.¡¯


    Hearing what Bool Shin said, Dal finally understood. Since her rapier, ¡®Heavenly Flare¡¯, was made from Bool Shin¡¯s soul, it naturally gave off her aura. Since the two souls were already familiar with each other, it was obvious that they could tell who each other was from their aura.Since both Yong Hwa and her soul was not strong enough, neither Azuron nor Bool Shin were able to communicate with each other and had to rely on their host to relay messages. After sighing once, she spoke up.


    ¡°Hmm, it seems we have quite the fate together, huh Yong Hwa? Bool Shin told me to tell Azuron that she says it has been a while.¡±


    ¡°Azuron really was right, huh? Like you said, it seems as though we really do have quite a particular fate.¡±


    Yong Hwa wasn¡¯t able to help but admit that they indeed have a weird fate. For their first meeting to be rescuing her, to now finding out that their beast souls were such amazing figures and rivals at that.  It really was a very unique. After thinking it over for a few moments, he shook his head.


    ¡°Anyways, we can talk about this later. For now, let restar¡­.¡±


    Just as he was in the midst of speaking, Yong Hwa stopped. His expression which had been calm, suddenly became dark. Curiosity was written on Dal¡¯s face as she waited for him to reply.


    ¡°Hm¡­. It seems like we¡¯re going to conclude our spar at another time.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    Dal was surprised when she heard what Yong Hwa said. Just until a moment ago, she was able to sense his desire to continue sparring and she thought he was going to say he wanted to restart it. Still, she didn¡¯t miss how his expression had darkened and become serious.


    ¡°We have some unexpected guest.¡±


    At those words, Dal turned around. Without her even noticing it, people had started to appear atop the walls and buildings that surrounded the courtyard. As she studied their figures, she counted at least ten people and could tell that all of them possessed strength that was superior to the average person. From just a glance of their outfits and from their demeanor, one could easily tell what they were here for.


    Without saying a word, both Yong Hwa and Dal rushed toward each other and placed their back against each other. From behind her, she heard Yong Hwa¡¯s mumbling.


    ¡°Assassins from Illbon, eh?¡±

 Chapter 14: Assassins

    A/N: Sigh, once again, I have to apologize for the late release. On sunday evening when I was planning on writing the chp, I suddenly felt sick and for the past few days been in the fetal position moaning in pain. I finally felt better tonigt and since I couldn''t sleep decided to write this chp. Once again, sorry everyone! and hope everyone enjoys the chp! We all finally get to see how the MC truly fights! Woo hoo!


    -----


    ¡°Eh? Really? How can you tell?¡±


    When she heard Yong Hwa¡¯s muttering, Dal couldn¡¯t help but open her eyes in surprise. From what she was able to see, there wasn¡¯t anything that would expose the assassins¡¯ identities. Just as she was wondering how he was able to identify them, Yong Hwa spoke up.


    ¡°If you look closely at their right ankle, you¡¯ll see fabric with the stitching of a wolf¡¯s head on it. That¡¯s the sign of Illbon¡¯s secret force, the lone wolf.¡±


    As Yong Hwa spoke, Dal focused her attention on the location he spoke of. To her surprise, there was indeed a barely visible stitching of a wolf¡¯s head there. If he hadn¡¯t pointed it out, there was no way she, let alone most people, would have saw it. Inside her mind, her impression of Yong Hwa improved as he was able to pick that out. Just as she praising him in her mind, Yong Hwa once again spoke out.


    ¡°Whew, this sure is one hell of a night. I¡¯ll take on the people on the left, you take the right, okay?¡±


    Usually, Yong Hwa wasn¡¯t someone who would easily trust anybody to protect his back. Due to the loss of his memories and isolated training with Elder Shin and Chang, he had grown to be more independent and rely on his own power. The situation, however, wouldn¡¯t allow for that as he was not confident that he would be able to against all ten assassins.


    Even though he was indeed still angry about the humiliation he received from Dal previously, he wasn¡¯t so narrow minded to refuse help from a powerful ally just because of a previous incident. With their spar, his impression of her actually grew a lot. With her skills, he felt as though he could comfortably leave his back to her.


    When he saw Dal nod her head, he immediately rushed toward to the group of people on the left as he said ¡°Now!¡±


    Yong Hwa didn¡¯t turn his head to see whether Dal had moved or not. All of his attention was focused on the five people in front of him as he quickly rushed toward them. With Azuron¡¯s Requiem in his right hand, he threw himself at the enemy.


    Dal, on the other hand, rushed toward the right side as soon as she felt Yong Hwa¡¯s body move. Her eyes, which usually were filled with liveliness, quickly turned cold as she charged at the other cluster of assassins. If Yong Hwa saw her expression right now, he would definitely shudder in fright due the sudden change. With Heavenly Flare in front of her chest, she got within five meters of the foes before she flung out the rapier in attack.


    The assassins were startled by the fact that other side attacked them first. As they regained their composure though, they rushed forward to meet them head on. In their hands, a variety of swords and daggers appeared and arced down toward their vital areas.


    When Yong Hwa saw the weapons approach him, a sneer appeared on his face as he swung his sword in front of him. As the sword arced through the air, ice formed in its trail as it flung toward the assassins. Surprised by the sudden appearance, the assassins eyes opened wide as they quickly tried to evade the ice. One wasn¡¯t quick enough, however, and the ice hit him squarely in the chest and flung him several feet away. After the assassin hit the ground and his body bounced from the impact a few times, the figure finally came to a still and didn¡¯t move.


    The assassins were well trained. Even though they didn¡¯t know whether their fellow member was dead or alive, they quickly pressed forth with their advantage of numbers. One of the members rushed forth ahead of the rest and slammed his fist into the ground.


    Yong Hwa, who had distanced himself from the enemy after the first attack, suddenly felt a tremor in the ground. Without any hesitation, he immediately jumped to his left side. Just as he moved, a spike made out of soil rose up from the spot he just was at. Just as he evaded the spike, the three remaining assassins appeared in front of him and attacked.


    Without any opportunity to retaliate, Yong Hwa constantly jumped backwards as he focused on blocking the furious assault of the three assassins. What made it even worse was that he had to also pay attention to the assassin in the back as he didn¡¯t know when the assassin would try to attack him again. All he could do was defend himself and silently await the chance to counterattack.


    After several clashes between the two sides, Yong Hwa finally saw a tiny opening and fiercely retaliated. On his left hand, ice formulated into a sharp edge two feet long, and he punched forward into the stomach of an assassin who overexerted his strength and lost his posture when he missed Yong Hwa. As the ice pierced through his stomach, a torrent of blood flew out from his back as the ice appeared through the other side.


    Immediately after, Yong Hwa pulled his left arm back and jumped backwards as another earth spike thrusted up from where he just was. As he came to a halt, blood trickled down the ice edge as it splattered down to the ground. With just a thought, the ice around Yong Hwa¡¯s left fist shattered as he rushed forward to meet the remaining assassins.


    -----


    On the other side of the courtyard, Dal was faring a little better. Even though she begrudgingly admitted her soul strength was lower than Yong Hwa¡¯s, she didn¡¯t lose out compared to the assassins. Even though their soul strength were similar, she had an edge when it came to swordsmanship so she was able to already eliminate two of the foes. Still, she was only able to make up for the difference in numbers by only so much and was only able to dispose of the two weakest ones. The three assassins that remained were the true fighting force of their group and besieged her from three sides.


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    While she defended herself and counterattacked, she saw that one of the foes retreated back and seemed to condense some of the darkness around him. As the darkness condensed in front of him, it slowly began to manifest into the shape of a blade.  Seeing the assassins¡¯ action, a cold smile appeared on her face as she jumped backward out of the reach of the remaining assassins, she focused the energy within her body to the tip of her rapier.


    Soon, a brilliant light began to appear on her rapier. Just as the assassins figured out what she planned to do and tried to rush forward to stall her, Dal pointed her rapier at the assassin at the back and the ball of light shot out. As the ball of light flashed forward, it lost its original shape and condensed into the shape of an arrow.


    Just as the enemy finished condensing the darkness into a weapon, he looked up to see the brilliant light rushing toward him. Frightened, he willed the weapon he created out of darkness to fly forward and make contact with the light. To his horror though, the light easily tore through the weapon and bore through his chest. On his chest, there was a small circle through which others could see the other side, where his heart used to be. As his body collapsed, his eyes which showed horror and shock, slowly dimmed and lost all light.


    With the death of the third assassin, the pressure that Dal dealt with, dropped considerably. With only two assassins left, she was now able to focus and use her energy more freely. Fire began to appear around her sword as she fiercely went on the offensive.


    The remaining two assassins quickly retreated and focused on their defense as the situation suddenly changed. Although they had the advantage earlier, with their other companion who was preparing in the back dead, Dal was now able to completely focus on just the two of them now. When they saw the fire around Dal¡¯s rapier and felt as high the temperature was, they didn¡¯t dare to use their wind attribute to attack. They feared it would only increase the strength of the flame so they could only rely on it to increase their speed to fend off her attacks.


    Slowly, wounds started to accumulate on the two assassin¡¯s bodies. As their bodies got in worse shape, they considered retreating, but immediately decided against it. Even though they were both wind attributed which was commonly known as the fastest attribute, light wasn¡¯t that far off in regards to speed and they would be immediately caught due to their body¡¯s conditions.


    With no other choice, all they could do was abandon all caution and attack. If they were lucky, maybe one of them would survive the ordeal. As they both came to the same conclusion, they stopped retreating and threw themselves forward as they thrusted their weapons forward at Dal¡¯s throat and chest.


    Seeing their all-out attack, Dal snorted and leaned her body to the right. As she passed by the two attacks, she stabbed forward with her rapier and stabbed through the neck of one. As the rapier came out through the other side, a fountain of blood poured out. Without being able to say a word. The assassins fell when Dal removed the rapier.


    Even though it takes a while to explain what happened, the action was done in a blink of an eye. Before the last remaining assassin was able to turn back around, Dal condensed the flames around her rapier at the tip of the blade and it exploded forth toward him. As the flame flew forward, it manifested itself into the shape of fire bird. When the flame was only a feet ahead of the assassin, it released a sharp cry before it plunged forward and smashed his back.


    The last assassin flew back several feet before he bounced on the ground a couple of times and became still. If someone were to look at him, they would see that his back had been charred black and his skin caved in. With the light in his eyes gone, the eyes stared up at the full moon in the sky.


    Finally killing the last assassin, Dal fell to one knee and used her rapier to support her body. The fight had taxed her body heavily. That last attack drained her of the last bit of energy she had. Even though she wanted to hurry and go help Yong Hwa, she needed to rest her body momentarily to regain her strength.


    After resting for a few minutes, she recovered some of her strength. Painfully raising her body, she was just about to turn around and head toward Yong Hwa when she heard him yell.


    ¡°Dal! Behind you!¡±


    Dal hurriedly turned around when she heard Yong Hwa¡¯s warning. When she turned, she could barely make out the outline of a shadow that was flying toward her. Seeing the shadow approach, she frantically tried to leap backward as she raised her rapier. Just as she tried to make the sudden movement though, her leg muscles weren¡¯t able to handle it and gave in. As her body started to fall to the ground, she could only helplessly watch as the shadow drew closer. Just as she was coming to terms that she was about to die, she felt a familiar feeling as time seemed to slow down to snail-like pace.


    As the shadow and his dagger inched forward to her chest, she saw snow suddenly appear all around her. With a speed that she wasn¡¯t able to catch with her eyes, a blurry figure suddenly appeared between her and the shadow. Just as the figure appeared, the snow disappeared as if they were just an illusion and time quickly returned to its usual pace.


    ¡°Pachi¡±


    When everything had returned to normal, she suddenly heard the sound of a blade ripping through flesh and the figure in front of her shook a little due to the force. Shocked by everything that happened so quickly, she looked at the clothes on the back that blocked out her vision. Seeing the familiar clothes the figure in front of her was wearing, her expression changed into one of horror as she couldn¡¯t help but cry out loud.


    ¡°Yong Hwa!¡±

 Chapter 15: Abduction

    A/N: In apology of the last chp, here''s a new one! Hope you all enjoy!


    Just as Dal had been finishing her fight, Yong Hwa was still standing off against three assassins. With the same formation, there were only two who were up front fighting him while the one in the back tried to find a chance to impale him. As they desperately fought, a bright light suddenly illuminated the night behind Yong Hwa.


    When the assassins who were fighting him up front saw what the situation was like on the other end, they both nodded their heads at each other as one fell back slightly. As that assassin fell back, he gathered the darkness around him and cloaked it around his figure, making it very difficult for anyone to see him. Afterwards, he jumped to the side and sped past Yong Hwa while the other assassin engaged him and the one in the back raised an earth spike behind him to block his path.


    Seeing their actions, Yong Hwa realized their plans. Kicking the assassin in front of him in the chest, he let out a roar as he slashed Azuron¡¯s Requiem upwards to the sky. As the sword slashed up, a large wall of ice rose up in front of him. The ice wall expanded for twenty yards in each direction and had a height of twenty feet.


    As the ice wall rose, Yong Hwa experienced severe dizziness as he expanded a large part of his energy. The majority of times he used that skill was only when he decided to flee since it consumed so much energy. Still, he shook his head a couple of times and rushed toward the assassin that ran off. As he saw the direction the assassin was running toward, he saw Dal, who was on sitting one knee. Immediately, he called out to her to warn of the impending danger.


    ¡°Dal! Behind you!¡±


    Right as he yelled out though, he knew it was too late. The assassin was too close and Dal wasn¡¯t able to move fast enough. Gritting his teeth, Yong Hwa hastily gathered all the remaining energy in his body and communicated with Azuron.


    ¡¯Azuron, I¡¯m going to need your help with setting up the domain.¡¯


    ¡®¡­With your current energy, you¡¯ll only be able to maintain the domain for a couple of seconds before your energy dries up.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯ll have to do. We have no other choice if we¡¯re going to save Dal.¡¯


    ¡®..Haa. You¡¯re right. Alright then, I¡¯ll start releasing the domain.¡¯


    As Azuron agreed, Yong Hwa poured all the energy he collected previously into Azuron. Even though he had indeed reached the level of one with the soul, he did so just recently so he didn¡¯t have many experiences of setting it up himself. At the moment, it was more effective if Azuron set it up so in true times of need, he would use it like that.


    Within a moment, Yong Hwa saw snowflakes appear around him and time slow down drastically. Without any hesitation, he immediately sprinted at the fastest pace he could. Soon, he arrived in between the slowly moving assassin and Dal. Just as he did though, he felt the last of his energy disappear from his body. Knowing he had only a split second left, he came to the decision to sacrifice his left arm so that he could slay the assassin.


    -----


    ¡°Sheesh, you¡¯re so loud. I¡¯m still alive, you know?¡±


    Hearing the familiar voice, Dal rushed forward. What greeted her sight was the assassin who was now impaled on Yong Hwa¡¯s sword in mid-air and the dagger, which was deeply stabbed into Yong Hwa¡¯s left forearm. From the wound, trails of blood started to stream down to the elbow, and drop onto the ground. Seeing the scene, she realized that he must¡¯ve raised his arm to defend his body from the dagger while he killed the assassin.


    With a painful grunt, Yong Hwa kicked the carcass in the stomach and pulled his sword back out. As the weight drastically decreased from his right arm, he released a sigh and loosened his tense muscles. Afterwards, he tried to make a few motions with his left arm, but flinched immediately at the pain. At that time, Dal¡¯s slightly shaking voice sounded out.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Hearing the concern in her voice, Yong Hwa felt  as though receiving such concern wasn¡¯t so bad. Looking at her with a smile, he tried to relieve her worries.


    ¡°Although it¡¯s a little painful, it¡¯s not that bad. How about you, how¡¯s your body holding up?¡±


    Relief flooded her when Dal saw Yong Hwa¡¯s smile and heard what he said. She really didn¡¯t know what she would do if he received a fatal injury because of her.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. My strength is returning a little bit, but I¡¯m out of energy. Other than that, I have no large injuries.¡±


    ¡°Our bodies are in a similar condition then. What to do about the last two assassins though¡­. The ice wall should hold fo¡­.¡±


    ¡°BANG!¡±


    Just as Yong Hwa was about to say the wall should hold for a little longer, an ear shattering bang rang out as an object smashed through the ice wall and then collapsed on the ground, staying still forever. Seeing the unbelievable sight, Yong Hwa stared wide eyed through the hole created in the wall. The outline of a male was visible and as it approached them, he saw a familiar face. Seeing who it was, he finally relaxed and summoned Azuron¡¯s Requiem back inside him.


    Dal, who also saw the person approach, shouted out in an excited voice.


    ¡°Geum ah!¡±


    ¡°MY LADY!¡±


    When Geum saw Dal¡¯s state, he showed a rare expression of emotion. Panicked, he speeded up and arrived in front of her in a moment before he carefully inspected her for injuries. When he saw that Dal only had a few scratches and no severe injuries, he let a sigh of relief out. Immediately, he kneeled down in front of her and lowered his head.


    ¡°My lady, please punish this servant of yours! Even though you were in danger, for the sin of not being there to protect you, I plead for you to punish me.¡±


    Seeing Geum¡¯s actions, Yong Hwa¡¯s eyes opened in shock while Dal only smiled bitterly. Moving forward, she tried to bring him up, but her strength wasn¡¯t able to hold out and she started to fall. Startled, Geum immediately stood up in a flash and supported her. With eyes full of worry, he tried to find out what was wrong.


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    ¡°My lady, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Geum ah. Thanks, my body¡¯s just not listening to me well as I exhausted my strength in that fight. Anyways there¡¯s no need to feel so guilty. Luckily Yong Hwa was here and helped me.¡±


    Hearing what his lady said, Geum turned his head toward Yong Hwa for the first time, and with a face full of gratitude, bowed to him.


    ¡°Thank you for helping my lady in the time of her need. Whenever a time comes when you need help, I will waste no time to come and assist you.¡±


    At Geum¡¯s sudden transformation, Yong Hwa¡¯s face twitched before his expression turned strange. He really didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry at the moment.


    ¡°I get it so there¡¯s no reason to stand on grounds. I¡¯m sure you ran into some trouble also for you to be delayed in coming to Dal¡¯s side.¡±


    When Geum appeared, Yong Hwa had noticed the cuts in his clothes. Even though there were no traces of blood or injury on him, he was sure Geum encountered assassins on the way too. Although he really couldn¡¯t stand him, Yong Hwa at least recognized him for his loyalty to Dal.


    ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t think this operation was so small that it only encompassed us. Let¡¯s find out how the situation is for everyone else. Geum, help support Dal.¡±


    With those words, Yong Hwa slowly started to walk toward the center of the inn. With just a thought, the ice wall crumbled upon itself and disappeared. Deep inside, he was worried about Uncle Ray, Seol Hwa, and Chang.


    -----


    ¡°Alpha group, create a perimeter around the inn, I don¡¯t want anyone coming close without us knowing. Bravo group, go help take care of the injured and get accountability of everyone! Charlie group, I want you to get rid of all the damn corpses! Move out!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    In the courtyard at the center of the Millennium Inn, Uncle Ray was giving out commands to a group of people who were in a formation in front of him. After receiving the command, everyone bowed and they rushed off to execute their orders. Thankfully, when the assassins arrived, the Samjoko members acted quickly and evacuated all the customers before they got involved in the incident. Thanks to that, no civilians got injured.


    Behind Uncle Ray, Yong Hwa was currently sitting in a pavilion with Dal and Geum. Even though he told her that it was alright, Dal had rushed to her room and retrieved a small container of medicinal powder to help treat his forearm wound. Right now, she was holding Yong Hwa¡¯s left arm out and spreading the powder on the deep wound. Although he wasn¡¯t pleased to see his lady do such work, Geum turned his eyes the other way this one time.


    Seeing Dal¡¯s face so close and her forehead creased in concentration, Yong Hwa¡¯s heart started to pace more quickly. Yong Hwa had to admit that Dal really was a world shaking beauty. With her beautiful face, jade like skin, and seeing her work so hard, he really thought there wasn¡¯t a more beautiful scene. Just as he was appreciating the view, a large commotion broke him out his trance like state and made him raise his head.


    ¡°Yong Hwa! Thank god you¡¯re alright.¡±


    Twenty feet away, there was a muscular man running to him. Seeing the guy run toward him, Yong Hwa¡¯s face flinched. To go from seeing such a nice sight to having to look at that, it really was looking at heaven then looking at the earth.


    ¡°Haa.. Yo Chang, it looks like you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    As Chang got closer and was planning to leap on Yong Hwa, he finally saw the full scene and stared wide eyed at Dal wrapping some bandages over Yong Hwa¡¯s left forearm. Awkwardly laughing, he started to turn around.


    ¡°Ah, ha¡­ I didn¡¯t see that you were also, Lady Dal. Well then, I just remember something I need to do¡­ I¡¯ll leave you all to yourselves¡­¡±


    At the sight of Chang¡¯s awkward acting, Yong Hwa could tell exactly what he was thinking. Baffled, he was at a loss for words. Dal also noticed what Chang was implying and blushed a little. Tying the bandage up, she immediately distanced herself a little from Yong Hwa. Geum, on the other hand, was staring daggers at Chang.


    ¡°Oi! You bastard! Get right back here, Chang! It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking you idiot!¡±


    Finally regaining his speech, Yong Hwa stood up and roared at Chang. Confused by Yong Hwa¡¯s angry voice, Chang turned around with a confused expression. Shrugging his shoulder, he started walking back to the pavilion.


    After Chang sat down in the pavilion, the two talked about their encounters. Hearing Chang talk about how he disposed of seven assassins, Yong Hwa nodded his head. Dal though, was shocked when she heard that Chang was able to kill seven assassins. She and Yong Hwa had struggled bitterly against five each. When Yong Hwa saw her face, he began to laugh before explaining to her.


    ¡°Haha Dal, it¡¯s because you¡¯ve never seen Chang fight. Out of the hundreds of times the two of us have sparred, I have not once defeated. The guy¡¯s become so monstrous with his damn spear that even grandpa Shin has a hard time against him.¡±


    Dal¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise at Yong Hwa¡¯s revelation. Even though she had defeated easily in the spar earlier, that was because they didn¡¯t use their beast souls or energy. With his higher leveled soul, it would basically turn into an even fight. Still, for this Chang to easily beat Yong Hwa and never lose to him? Just how monstrous does someone have to be?


    Yong Hwa and Chang laughed at Dal¡¯s expression. Yong Hwa never felt embarrassed about his losses to Chang, as he was just too far ahead and also his best friend. He was proud to have such a strong friend. As the laughter went on, a person sped forward and kneeled before Uncle Ray before he made a report.


    ¡°Leader, lady Seol Hwa is missing!¡±

 Chapter 16: Abduction(2)

    ¡°What?! Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. We have gotten accountability for all the people in the inn, except for Seol Hwa. We have sent various members to search the whole premises, but wasn¡¯t able to locate her. When we inspected her room though, there were signs of a struggle within it. Based off the findings, we believe it is most likely that she was abducted.¡±


    Uncle Ray hastily stood up when he heard the news. His face visibly became pale at the words of his subordinate. As he was hearing the report, Yong Hwa, Chang, Dal, and Geum rushed forth.


    ¡°Uncle Ray, what¡¯s this about Seol Hwa being abducted?!¡±


    ¡°¡­..I¡¯m not sure, Chang.¡±


    ¡°¡­Could it be?¡±


    While Uncle Ray and Chang spoke, Yong Hwa was lost in his own thoughts. After thinking of several possibilities, a sudden thought came to him.


    ¡°Geum. That day you saved Seol Hwa in the mountains. Did either of you check to make sure all the pursuers were dead?¡±


    Hearing Yong Hwa¡¯s question, Geum¡¯s expression twitched a little as he replied in a threatening tone.


    ¡°Are you questioning my ability?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I didn¡¯t mean that. I was actually referring more to Seol Hwa. As you all know, Seol Hwa isn¡¯t that skilled in martial arts or her weapon. Did either of you inspect the people that she killed?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Now that you said something, she did kill one person that night, but I didn¡¯t think to make sure they were dead. Are you trying to imply¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that one person didn¡¯t die that night and reported back to the Illbon emissaries. I was confused about why such a large number of assassins would come to the inn. Why would they come in masses to here? If they knew that Seol Hwa was here though, everything fits together.¡±


    When everyone heard what Yong Hwa said, they nodded their heads in agreement. There really was no reason for a squadron from Illbon to attack the inn if it wasn¡¯t for that reason. Although they finally solved that issue, they¡¯re expression remained serious as there was still a bigger problem left.


    The group was silent for a while. As they thought about ways to go rescue Seol Hwa, Yong Hwa finally spoke up.


    ¡°Uncle Ray, I think it¡¯ll be best if Chang and I follow them to rescue Seol Hwa. It¡¯ll take too long to get a rescue group together and with just us two, we¡¯d be able to travel more swiftly. Anyways, Chang¡¯s a good tracker so we¡¯ll be able to follow their trail and catch up to them.¡±


    Uncle Ray hesitated for a while on Yong Hwa¡¯s proposition. Even though what he said was right, Yong Hwa and Chang were still inexperienced and were raised by his old friend Shin. How could he just send the two off on such a dangerous mission? As he was antagonized over the idea, Dal stepped in.


    ¡°Uncle Ray, me and Geum will go along with them, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Yong Hwa was surprised that Dal volunteered to join the rescue team. Although her and Seol Hwa knew each other, they weren¡¯t that close, after all. He couldn¡¯t think of a reason why she would want to help look for her. Still, he wasn¡¯t going to refuse such strong assistance.


    ¡°Haa¡­. I sure am getting old too, huh? Fine. You four go and rescue Seol Hwa. I emplace my hopes to you all.¡±


    After exchanging a few more words, Yong Hwa, Chang, Dal, and Geum headed toward Seol Hwa¡¯s room. Seeing the youngsters leave, Uncle Ray let a sigh out before he started walking back his office. Inside the room, he pulled a piece of paper, ink, and a brush out. After writing a message, he rolled the paper up and put it inside a cylinder that was strapped to a hawk¡¯s feet. After making sure it was secure, he watched the hawk fly out into the night sky.


    Watching the hawk fly further and further away, he inwardly was having the thoughts that, it just might be time for the older generation folks like him to step down, and time for the new generation rise and take charge.


    ¡¯Yong Hwa, please bring my daughter back home safely.¡¯


    -----


    In the forest west of the city Saewol, four figures were rapidly advancing forward. If a normal citizens were to see them, they would mistake the four to be fleeting shadows. As they rushed forward, a voice rang out before being lost in the wind.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you volunteer to come with us, Dal?¡±


    Hearing the question, Dal turned her head and observed the male to her right. Even in the darkness, the male¡¯s face and blue eyes looked beautiful. After pondering about how to respond for a moment, she replied.


    ¡°I too, have a relationship with Seol Hwa. Also, it didn¡¯t feel right letting the two of you rush off to danger by yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Still, the relationship between the two of you aren¡¯t that close, right?¡±


    ¡°Does that matter? I¡¯m not the type of person who would just stand around with the knowledge that someone I know is in danger.¡±


    Yong Hwa inwardly nodded his head. Dal¡¯s replies basically solidified his impressions of Dal. She was the type of person who liked to make jokes or play pranks, but also had a strong sense of duty. She was someone who would rush forward and right any misdeed she saw.


    After the short stint of conversation between Dal and Yong Hwa, the four once again traveled in silence. With Chang in the lead, following the assassins¡¯ tracks and Geum in the rear, they traveled for ten miles  before they came to a stop.


    Five hundred yards in front of them, was an open plain. About a mile away, a fortress rose up from a cliff that overlooked a passage to the mountain. The walls surrounding the fortress were over forty feet tall and were made with wood, with a tower on each corner. All of them could tell at one glance though, the fortress had been abandoned a long time ago as patches of the wall were gone and the buildings looked ran down. Most likely, the fortress was the remnant of past wars.


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    While everyone looked upon the fortress and were lost in their own thoughts, the first to break the silence was Chang.


    ¡°The trail continues on toward the fort. The assassins probably took refuge within it. What you want to do, Yong Hwa.¡±


    Yong Hwa remained silent for a while as he continued to gaze at the fortress. After a couple of minutes, he finally responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to infiltrate that fortress. If anyone¡¯s patrolling those walls, they¡¯ll be able to see anything that moves on the plains in front of us. Thankfully though, it¡¯s dark out right now so it¡¯ll be easier to move around without being spotted. Still, we need someone to go reconnaissance the fort first¡­.¡±


    As Yong Hwa¡¯s words trailed off, he turned to look at Chang, who was silently nodding his head. Maybe due to noticing the glance, Chang raised his head and saw Yong Hwa looking at him. With his eyes opened wide, he started to retreat back slowly.


    ¡°O¡­Oi Yong Hwa. You can¡¯t possibly thinking of sending me to go, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re best suited for this, Chang, after all.¡±


    Yong Hwa shrugged his shoulders while he replied. Chang really was best suited for the reconnaissance mission. With his darkness attribute, he would be able to hide his movements with the help of the night and infiltrate the fort.


    ¡°Why does it have to be me? What about the other two?¡±


    As Chang looked at Dal, she raised her hand in front of her in a stop motion.


    ¡°You¡¯re suggestion a young girl like me go reconnaissance?¡±


    Hearing Dal¡¯s response, Chang¡¯s shoulders drooped. Still, he didn¡¯t give up and immediately pointed at Geum.


    ¡°What about him?! He might be even more skilled than me!¡±


    Geum, who had stayed silent the whole time, spoke for the first time.


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m scared of heights.¡±


    Chang¡¯s face went blank when heard he Geum¡¯s reasoning. A short moment later, he exploded.


    ¡°Oi! Just what kind of reasoning is that?! You¡¯re clearly just making an excuse up!¡±


    As Chang went off, Yong Hwa walked forth and patted his shoulder to calm him down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, man. Just use your legendary secret peeping skills! No one will find you. When we get Seol Hwa and go back, I¡¯ll treat you to some dinner and some drinks, okay?¡±


    Hearing his best friend¡¯s words, Chang¡¯s facial expression looked as though he wanted to cry. Slowly walking away from the rest of the group, he mentally prepared himself as he looked at the moon up above and sighed.


    -----


    ¡°Hurry up and go inside! Be a good child and stay silent, okay?!¡±


    As a rough voice spoke out, a girl was thrusted into a room that was filled with straws. After she was thrown inside the room, someone slammed the door shut and clicking sounds were heard as locks were placed on the door.


    After being un-ceremonially thrown into the room, Seol Hwa sat down and patted down her clothes, removing all the dust from them. Afterwards, she began to inspect the room she occupied. The room wasn¡¯t large, and beside the straw that covered the ground, there was only a small child within the room.


    Seeing the small child, Seol Hwa¡¯s eyes went soft. The child was a little boy that looked to be around five or six year old. The boy had black hair and large blue eyes. The boy looked so cute that Seol Hwa wanted to pinch his chubby cheeks.The way he was curled up in the corner and looking at her with frightful eyes pained her, though.


    ¡¯Just what did this child experience for him to become like this?¡¯


    While she contemplated that, she slowly approached the child. The boy, seeing her approach, tried to curl his body even more as though he wanted to become smaller. When Seol Hwa was only a few feet away from him, she sat down and smiled toward him.


    ¡°Hey, little one. It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to be afraid. Nuna won¡¯t hurt you, okay?¡± (A/N: nuna is the way younger men address woman who aren¡¯t much older than them and are close with. It¡¯s seen as a term of affection in Korea.)


    Hearing Seol Hwa¡¯s sweet voice, the boy looked up with doubtful eyes as he looked at her. After struggling with something inside his mind for a while, he quietly spoke up.


    ¡°You won¡¯t hurt me like those ahjushis?¡± (A/N: Ajushi means old man in Korean.)


    When Seol Hwa heard that, pain and anger surged up within her. Just how ruthless did one have to be to hit young children like the little boy in front of her? After spending a few moments to contain her emotions, she smiled toward the kid and nodded her head.


    ¡°Yeah, nuna won¡¯t hurt you like those ahjushis. Also, from now on I¡¯ll make sure they can¡¯t hurt you, okay?¡±


    The young boy¡¯s eyes sparkled when he heard Seol Hwa¡¯s words. He enthusiastically nodded his head.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s your name, young one? Nuna¡¯s name is Seol Hwa.¡±


    ¡°Hi Seol Hwa nuna! My name¡¯s Rem!¡±

 Chapter 17: Infiltration

    ¡°So how did you, Chang, and Seol Hwa meet?¡±


    Twenty yards into the forest, Yong Hwa and were using the trees as cover while they waited for Chang to reconnaissance the fort. Geum had positioned himself at the edge of the forest to keep track of the situation. For a while, Yong and Dal were silent while they were lost in thought. As they were silent though, Dal walked up to where Yong Hwa sat down and started a conversation.


    ¡°How¡¯d we meet, huh?¡±


    Hearing Dal¡¯s question, Yong Hwa looked up to the canopy of leaves above them. After spending a few minutes contemplating, how to answer the question, he finally replied.


    ¡°Well actually, a little over four years ago, I lost my memories due to an accident. When I woke up, the first people I saw were Chang and Grandpa Shin. Supposedly, I had been a soldier for the Haneul Province and lost my memories due to getting hit in the head by a large rock while saving him during some invasion.¡±


    Dal¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise when she heard what Yong Hwa said. When he talked about the invasion, she abruptly spoke out.


    ¡°Ah! You must be talking about Westeria¡¯s invasion!¡±


    Yong Hwa didn¡¯t say anything but nodded his head in acknowledgement. Seeing his response, Dal¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle. Excitedly, she began to speak quickly.


    ¡°Oh wow, I can¡¯t believe you were actually there at that time. My father told me about how even though they were vastly outnumbered, the Haneul Province¡¯s army, due to the Provincial Lord¡¯s bravery and leadership,  were able to save the majority of civilians and used a stalling method to buy enough time for the country¡¯s army to gather and repel the invasion later. Even though the Provincial Lord, Rosland Dragos, lost his right arm in the conflict, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Defense Chief due to his heroics that day!¡±


    Seeing how excited Dal looked while talking, Yong Hwa was lost for a minute. Seeing how confused he looked, Dal finally realized that she had been over-enthusiastic. Sticking her tongue out and scratching her head, she started to explain.


    ¡°Actually, Rosland became a sort of motivation to me when I heard about it. It¡¯s hard to find people who are valiant enough to lead their troops from the front and risk their own life to buy even a second more for their citizens to flee farther away. Even my dad respects him a lot for his actions. Someday, I want to become such an amazing swordsman, too.¡±


    As Dal spoke, her expression changed into one of determination. Looking at her, Yong Hwa felt that his respect for her grew. Looking up to the canopy once again, traces of a smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°Keep working hard. I believe that one day, you¡¯ll be able to reach your goal. Anyways, it feels as though I know nothing about you, except that you¡¯re the daughter of some sect leader.¡±


    ¡°My full name¡¯s Yoo Dal. Geum and I are from the Moonlight Sword Sect.¡±


    When Yong Hwa heard that they were from the Moonlight Sword Sect, his eyebrows arched up in surprise.


    ¡°The Moonlight Sword Sect? Isn¡¯t that the new sect that was founded by the previous King Guard, Sword God Yoo Hae? Wait¡­ you¡¯re Sword God¡¯s daughter?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one.  Hearing you call my dad Sword God though¡­. It sounds so tacky.¡±


    Sword God Yoo Yul. Renowned as the strongest swordsman in the Estrada Kingdom, he was awarded the title by the King himself after many years of meritorious service to the Kingdom. After serving as the King¡¯s personal guard for decades, he finally retired a decade ago and founded the Moonlight Sword Sect.


    Even though the newly founded Moonlight Sword Sect couldn¡¯t compare to the other top sects or clans in regards to their history, numerous amounts of people from around the continent swarmed to the sect to become disciples. The reason for this was that the sect didn¡¯t care about people¡¯s statuses and only took their skills into mind. The bigger reason though, was for the chance to learn the famous sword form that Yoo Yul created.


    ¡¯No wonder her swordsmanship is so amazing. It turned out to be the Moonlight Sword form.¡¯


    Still, knowing that Dal practiced the Moonlight Sword form didn¡¯t lower his opinion of her. Although some people might say that the only reason she was so strong was that she was lucky to be born as the daughter of the Sword God and learn from him personally, he wasn¡¯t that closed minded. He could tell that she put her blood and sweat into refining her swordsmanship to what it was. He actually respected her more for not being overbearing and haughty like some other children were.


    ¡°How does it feel like being the daughter of such a famous father?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I think he¡¯s just like any other father? Although he¡¯s really strict when it comes to training, he dotes on me a lot. Truthfully, I think he¡¯s just a normal father. He¡¯s strict when he has to be, but loves me nonetheless. Whenever I¡¯m out, he¡¯ll worry endlessly, and when I come back, delight will fill his face.¡±


    Hearing Dal speak about her father, Yong Hwa raised his head once more. He didn¡¯t want to make Dal feel bad because of the envy that his face expressed. Even though he considered Chang and Grandpa Shin his family, they weren¡¯t his biological family. In his mind, there were no memories of loving parents. He also didn¡¯t know if he had any siblings. From time to time, he always wondered whether his parents were still alive and if they were doing well. He didn¡¯t worry about whether he would meet them again though; if the heavens willed it, they would once again meet them.


    Afterwards, Yong Hwa and Dal talked about their training. Laughing while talking about how strict Yoo Yul and Grandpa Shin were and their own tales, time quickly flew by. A while later though, Geum came back from the edge of the forest and made a report.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. There is a lot of activity within the abandoned fortress. There were a lot of shadows moving around on the walls while fires have been lit up all around them. ¡°


    When Yong Hwa heard Geum¡¯s suspicions, his first thoughts were of his best friend, Chang. Worried, he looked at Dal and Geum while he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried for Chang. You two wait here while I go see if anything happened to him.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll all go together. If something did indeed happen to Chang, we¡¯ll be able to move together instantly to rescue him.¡±


    Yong Hwa looked gratefully at Dal and silently thanked her. Dal, on the other hand, just winked back at him in response. Geum though, looked disinterested. Still, Yong Hwa knew he would follow them if for nothing else than to make sure Dal was safe.


    Soon afterwards, the three ran through the open plain. Even though all Yong Hwa wanted to do was rush to the fort at his fastest speed, he silently endured it and they kept a moderate pace to ensure they wouldn¡¯t run into a trap. When they were only a quarter mile away from the fort, they finally understood what all the commotion was.


    ¡°So it turns out that the Kingdom found out that the assassins were here.¡±


    In front of them, the three saw a battle occurring. On one side were the assassins, while on the other were some soldiers suited up in metal armor. On the banner that some of the soldiers were holding up, was the depiction of a fox with nine tails. This was the symbol of the Estrada Kingdom: the Nine Tailed Fox.


    Seeing the chaotic scene, Yong Hwa¡¯s face became grim. Just how was he was supposed to find Chang in that mess? As if mirroring his thoughts, Dal¡¯s face turned more serious.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    Hearing Dal¡¯s question, Yong Hwa became lost in thought. After struggling over what to do for a while, he spoke out while he continued to look forward.


    ¡°This battle is actually helpful to us. Still, we can¡¯t do two things at once in this chaos, so let¡¯s split up. Dal, you and Geum look for Chang. I¡¯ll be counting on you two to help him out if he¡¯s in the any danger.¡±


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    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go free Seol Hwa.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous for you to go alone, though.¡±


    When Yong Hwa heard the concern in Dal¡¯s voice, he turned and smiled at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Also, it¡¯ll be easier to move around undetected alone. It¡¯ll be better for the two of you to stick together out here in this chaos to protect each other. ¡°


    Dal nodded her head. What Yong Hwa said made sense. Still, she couldn¡¯t let go of her worry.


    ¡°Be careful, there¡¯ll probably be a few guards left behind to guard her.¡±


    Yong Hwa didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead he lightly rubbed the top of Dal¡¯s head. Startled by the sudden action, Dal stiffened up momentarily. Geum, who had stayed to the side the whole time, put his hand on the hilt of his sword while glaring dangerously at Yong Hwa. Ignoring the glare, Yong Hwa rushed forth while waving his hand back.


    ¡°Alright, when we¡¯re both done, we¡¯ll meet back in the forest, okay? I¡¯ll see you two soon!¡±


    Not having to worry about stealth or traps anymore, Yong Hwa sped up as he raced toward the fort. Making sure to veer far away from the fight, he found an opening on the wall and jumped through. Once he inspected the area around him and found it to be empty, he rushed toward the closest building and inspected it.


    For the next thirty minutes, Yong Hwa searched from building to building, trying to locate where Seol Hwa was. Still, no matter which building he checked, he wasn¡¯t able to find any signs of life and was starting to worry that Seol Hwa wasn¡¯t in the fort. During that time, the sound of fighting was also dying out.


    Luckily though, there weren¡¯t too many buildings within the fort. There were only two buildings left that he hadn¡¯t inspected. Gritting his teeth, he ran to the bigger of the two buildings on the left.


    The building that Yong Hwa chose had four floors. On the first floor, there was only a large audience area and a kitchen. The second floor didn¡¯t have much either as there were only six bedrooms. As Yong Hwa walked up the stairs to the third floor, though, he found that there was light on the fourth floor.  Excited by the discovery, he silently went up the stairs while making no sounds.


    As he peeked onto the fourth floor, he found that there were two people that stood on either side of a door and were chatting. The two people were dressed in the same attire as the assassins that had attacked the Millennium Inn. The light that he had spotted was a small candle that was on top of a wooden barrel off to the side. Seeing that the two hadn¡¯t noticed him yet, Yong Hwa stayed where he was while he condensed an ice javelin. After his preparation was complete, he charged forward to the guards.


    The guards immediately reacted. When Yong Hwa saw them turn toward him, he immediately threw the ice javelin forward. Before the guards could react, the javelin pierced through the chest of the one furthest away. Due to the impact, the assassin¡¯s body flew backwards for five yards before it hit the ground and remained still.


    Even though everything happened so suddenly, the other assassin reacted quickly. As he neared Yong Hwa, a dagger materialized in his right hand and he thrusted it forward, aiming for Yong Hwa¡¯s chest. Seeing the quickly approaching dagger, Yong Hwa jumped back. In the place he was just at, an ice replica of himself appeared.


    As the ice, shattered apart due to the force of the attack, Yong Hwa materialized Azuron¡¯s Requiem in that short span and jumped forward while he stabbed forth. Due to density of the ice sculpture, the force behind the dagger dropped drastically and the assassin had slowed down. He wasn¡¯t even able to the see the Yong Hwa¡¯s attack until the sword was right in front of his chest. Before he could protect himself, the sword pierced his chest and stabbed through his heart. Without the ability to even cry out, the body collapsed to the ground as Yong Hwa withdrew the sword.


    After spending a few moments to regain his breath, Yong Hwa froze the locks on the door before he slashed through them and opened the door. Seeing what was inside the room, Yong Hwa let out a relieved sigh.


    ¡°Yong Hwa! How¡¯d you get here?¡±


    When Seol Hwa heard the sound of fighting at the door, she had immediately put little Rem behind her and summoned her soul weapon, which was a whip. Staring intently at the door, she was just about to pounce forward when the door opened until she saw who was at the doorway. Seeing such a familiar face, relief flooded her face and she cried out in joy.


    Seeing Seol Hwa¡¯s state, he first made sure there were no external injuries on her before he rushed forward and hugged her. Even though she was surprised by the sudden action, she didn¡¯t push back and also hugged back in relief.


    After spending a few quiet moments like that, Yong Hwa regretfully pulled back.


    ¡°Are you alright? Did those bastards do anything to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. All they did was throw me into this room and locked me up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a relief. Alright let¡¯s hurry up and head out of here. We have to find Chang and the others.¡±


    ¡°Chang¡¯s here too? Who are the others? Ah! Before that, Yong Hwa. Let¡¯s take this little child, too. He¡¯s way too pitiful.¡±


    When Seol Hwa mentioned the child, Yong Hwa finally notice the small figure behind Seol Hwa. The child seemed to be around five to six years old with cute chubby cheeks. The child was grabbing onto Seol Hwa¡¯s legs while peeking his head out to look at Yong Hwa. In his eyes, were the mixed emotion of fear and curiosity. Seeing the cute action, a smile appeared on Yong Hwa¡¯s face as he walked forward and crouched down.


    ¡°Hey kid. This hyung came to rescue you and nuna. How about we head out of here?¡± (A/N: Hyung is a familiar way to call someone a little older than you or your older brother in Korean.)


    Rem¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle when he heard Yong Hwa say he was rescuing him. After nodding his head enthusiastically a few times, he released Seol Hwa¡¯s legs and stood beside her. Looking up at her, he raised him arm and held his hand out, asking her to hold it. Smiling, Seol Hwa nodded her head and grabbed Rem¡¯s hand.


    Smiling at the cute scene, Yong Hwa was just about to stand up straight when he felt cold steel on the side of his neck.


    ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡±


    The voice was feminine and sounded bell like, but a hint of coldness were within them. Not daring to make any sudden actions, Yong Hwa spoke.


    ¡°My friend Seol Hwa was kidnapped by those assassins. I came here to rescue her.¡±


    Hearing what Yong Hwa said, she turned to Seol Hwa and asked.


    ¡°Is what he said true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was. He is my friend and just arrived here to help rescue me.¡±


    The room stayed quiet for a while after that. Once she was done contemplating what to do, the girl finally brought the sword that was beside Yong Hwa¡¯s neck back. With the sword gone, Yong Hwa finally let go of his breath. The next time she spoke, the coldness was gone.


    ¡°I apologize for my actions. I wasn¡¯t sure whether you were friend and foe and had to take precautionary measures.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no it¡¯s fine. My name¡¯s Yong Hwa. How should I address you?¡±


    While Yong Hwa spoke, he slowly turned around to look at who the person behind him was. The girl had short black hair that seemed to hug around her oval shaped face and bright blue eyes. Although her armor covered most of her skin, they parts that showed looked milky and pure. Overall, the girl made for a very beautiful sight. At first the girl was smiling, but the moment the girl saw Yong Hwa , her eyes opened wide as her expression changed to one of disbelief.


    ¡°RYTHER?!¡±

 Chapter 18: Raia Dragos

    ¡°Ryther? Is that this child¡¯s na¡­¡±


    Confusion was written all across Yong Hwa¡¯s face when he heard the girl¡¯s sudden scream. Just as he was wondering if that was the young boy¡¯s name, unexpectedly, the girl ran forward and tightly embraced him. Startled by the sudden action, he was just about to push her off, when he heard her crying. Through all her sobbing, she silently  spoke.


    ¡°Ryther, We were, *hic* so worried about *hic* you. It¡¯s been so long *hic* since we heard any word about you. Why didn¡¯t you *hic* come back home? *hic* We were even starting to *hic* think that *hic* you really did die. *hic*¡±


    Hearing the girl¡¯s sob, the hands that were just about to push her off, silently fell down to Yong Hwa¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t have the heart to push her away from him in that situation. After contemplating what to do, he finally decided to just let her cry everything out. He wasn¡¯t sure who that Ryther was, but seeing the girl''s break down, he must be someone very important to her.


    Seol Hwa, who saw everything happen from the side, was also flabbergasted. Who was Ryther? Why did that girl suddenly fling herself on Yong Hwa? As those thoughts raced through her mind, in her heart, she felt something rise up.


    ¡¯Am I being jealous right now?¡¯


    Feeling the emotion in her heart, Seol Hwa was shocked. She knew that Yong Hwa felt more than close friendship with her. Even though she knew that from a while back, she decided to purposely ignore it. She simply didn¡¯t have the same feelings for him and didn¡¯t want to ruin their relationship because of her rejection. For her to feel jealous now, Seol Hwa herself felt it was laughable.


    Without knowing Seol Hwa¡¯s inner thoughts, Yong Hwa remained still and let the girl cry everything out. A couple of minutes afterwards, when the girl seemed to regain some control of her emotions and was about to speak again, Yong Hwa put his hands on her shoulders and separated himself from her. Looking into her teary eyes, he began to speak.


    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m not sure who this Ryther you speak of is, but you have the wrong person. My name is Yong Hwa.¡±


    Yong Hwa felt that if he let the girl continue her misunderstanding, it would be worse later on. That¡¯s why, even though it may be a little cruel, he cut off that possibility right away. As he expected, the girl stiffened up when she heard what he said. Without a chance for her to reply, he continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure who this Ryther guy is, but there was no such person here when I arrived. ¡°


    The girl stood where she was and looked over Yong Hwa. Now that she looked closely, even though he indeed resembled her little brother a lot, there were also areas that weren¡¯t like him, too. Yong Hwa¡¯s aura was a lot heavier and darker than Ryther¡¯s pure and clean aura from the past. She wasn¡¯t able to picture her younger brother having such a aura. Also, people grow a lot and may look differently from how they did in their mid-teens.


    It wasn¡¯t like everyone''s looks were unique in the continent. Even though it wasn¡¯t as severe as this time, the same thing had happened once or twice before when she saw someone who looked familiar to him. If Ryther was still alive, there was no reason for him to not have returned home by now. Also, Yong Hwa¡¯s expression seemed as though he really didn¡¯t know who she was. There was no way that the Ryther she knew would have that kind of expression when he saw her. Thinking up to there, she finally came to a decision that the person in front of her wasn¡¯t the missing Ryther. Once she made that determination, she wiped the tears away from her face and bowed to Yong Hwa.


    ¡°I apologize for my earlier actions. I got carried away.¡±


    Seeing how serious the girl turned, Yong Hwa felt helpless. Shaking his head, he spoke.


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s fine miss. It¡¯s a mistake anyone can make. Anyways, now that I think about it, I have yet to hear your name. My name is Yong Hwa.¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Raia.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a pleasure meeting you, Raia. May I ask why you are here?¡±


    ¡°I am the commander of the troops that attacked here. The boy behind that girl is my brother, Rem.¡±


    Hearing his name, Rem finally came out from behind Seol Hwa and rushed forward to Raia, immediately hugging her. Earlier on, he had wanted to rush forward when he saw his older sister, but felt that the situation was weird and stayed where he was. Although he was young, he knew that the something was wrong and never saw his sister that way. Now that she was finally acting normal again, his hesitation disappeared and he energetically ran up to her.


    ¡°Nuna! You came for me!¡±


    Seeing the excited Rem, Raia¡¯s eyes softened. A warm smile appeared on her face as she crouched down and hugged little Rem. After affectionately rubbing his hair a couple of times, she turned her attention back toward the other two.


    ¡°I sincerely thank the two of you for protecting my baby brother. If anything had happened to him¡­¡±


    Yong Hwa didn¡¯t say anything, but a lonely smile appeared on his face. Seeing the two siblings show so much affection to each other made him envious of their bond. He wondered how it felt to have a family member worry for him like that.


    Right as Seol Hwa was about to reply that it wasn¡¯t anything much, she saw Yong Hwa¡¯s smile. When she saw that smile, she instantly recognized what Yong Hwa was thinking about. Every once in a while, she saw Yong Hwa show that kind of smile as he looked at a family.


    ¡°Yong Hwa! Seol Hwa! Are you two okay?¡±


    At that moment, a loud voice roared out as Chang sprinted into the room. Chang¡¯s clothing was a mess as there were tears all over his clothes and large spots of blood. His hair, which was usually pulled together into a ponytail, was now all over the place as the string was lost. Still, when he saw that the both of them were unharmed, he loosened a large sigh of relief. Just as he was about to speak again though, he finally realized they weren¡¯t alone in the room and noticed the other two. When he saw Raia, Yong Hwa could have sworn he saw his eyes sparkle.


    After trying to rearrange his clothes to appear more presentable, his voice became huskier as he spoke.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°I apologize for my previous behavior. May I have the honor to¡­OOPF!¡±


    At that moment, a shadow flew in and drop kicked Chang. Chang flew a couple of feet in the air before he hit a wall and slid down. After dusting her clothes and hands off, Dal stood up and smiled toward Raia.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. Just ignore idiots like him. My name¡¯s Yoo Dal.¡±


    Seeing the spectacle in front of her, Raia was startled at first but her expression changed to one of amusement after a short moment.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Yoo Dal. My name¡¯s Raia.¡±


    When Dal heard Raia¡¯s introduction, her eyes opened wide in surprise. Just like the previous person who stood where she was, her eyes began to sparkle. Just as she was about to explode into excitement though, Geum appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the back of her collar before he began to drag her away.


    ¡°My lady, please refrain from embarrassing yourself.¡±


    ¡°Bu..but Geum! She¡¯s that Raia Dragos!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­. Just what would the master say if he saw you like this, my lady?¡±


    Seol Hwa¡¯s face seemed blank by all the events that happened one after another. Even Yong Hwa, who was familiar with all of them, was shocked. He wasn¡¯t surprised much by Chang¡¯s actions since it fit into his personality, but he hadn¡¯t expected Raia to act so passionately. All he was able to do was watch Dal as she was dragged out the while shaking his head. The image in his mind of the graceful and elegant Dal was violently shattered at that moment.


    ¡°PFFT, AHAHA!¡±


    Startled by the sudden laugh, everyone in the room turned to the source of the laughter. At that location, Raia was holding her stomach as she leaned forward and laughed. If one looked closely, they would be able to see that she was laughing so hard that tears formed at the edge of her eyes. After spending a couple of minutes to laugh, Raia gained control of herself and saw that Yong Hwa and Seol Hwa were looking at her strangely. Even her younger brother Rem had a worried expression on his face.


    ¡°Ahaha, sorry about that everyone. It¡¯s been a long time since I saw such an entertaining scene. Even though there are times when my soldiers joke around, the atmosphere is usually serious as we¡¯re always training.¡±


    Yong Hwa nodded his head when he heard what Raia said. As a commander, Rair wasn¡¯t able to mingle with her soldiers and joke around with them. She had to set the example by being stern and professional at all times. If she didn¡¯t, she¡¯d slowly begin to lose her command presence and that would become detrimental in a battle.


    He felt a little bad for her. Although Raia seemed to be only in her early twenties, she wasn¡¯t able to hang out and joke around with her friends. She probably didn¡¯t have many opportunities to let herself loose like that and heartily laugh.


    Even though it was a nice scene to look out, Yong Hwa suddenly thought of Uncle Ray. He was probably worried to death about Seol Hwa and would be constantly pacing about his own room. Thinking that he should go back soon to relieve him of his worry, he said his goodbyes with Raia and Rem.


    ¡°Commander Raia, I believe it is time for us to part. It was a pleasure meeting you.¡±


    As Yong Hwa spoke, he bent his upper body forward from the waist a little. Seeing his bow, Raia smiled and tossed a coin at him.


    ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you and your friends too, Yong Hwa. If you or your friends ever find yourselves in Wenam, show that token to any of the soldiers in the city and tell them that you wish to see me. I¡¯ll show you all around the city.¡±


    After hastily catching the tossed coin, Yong Hwa opened his right hand and looked at the token. The token was made from silver and was made in the shape of a rectangle. On the surface was an intrinsic design of a dragon¡¯s head.


    Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Yong Hwa turned around and picked up Chang before he exited the floor. As she was leaving with the other two, Seol Hwa turned around and observed Raia once more before she too, left.


    Seeing them leave, Raia¡¯s smile disappeared and her expression became serious. She wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this chance meeting with that group. Also, the image of Yong Hwa kept bugging her. She needed to find out more information about him. Even though she met others who resembled Ryther in the past, Yong Hwa felt different. As she was lost in thought, she felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Rem who was looking at her worriedly.


    ¡°Nuna, are you okay?¡±


    Raia¡¯s expression warmed up as she heard the concern in Rem¡¯s voice. Since the disappearance of Ryther, her personality began to change. The youthful and fun loving girl disappeared to be replaced by one who became determined and power hungry. She focused all her attention on practicing while urging herself to become stronger so that she would never lose anyone else on her family. The only people she was still warm toward were her family and few others.


    She was especially protective of Rem. Raia put the safety of Rem above all else since she already lost Ryther. When she found out Rem had been kidnapped, she ran forward with abandon to rescue him. All through the journey, she had been worried something happened to Rem and was constantly blaming herself.


    ¡°Eung, nuna is okay. Anyways, let¡¯s go back home, Rem. Mom and dad are worried to death over you.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    After grabbing his outreached hand, Raia and Rem began to leave the abandoned fort too.


    ¡¯That man¡¯s name was Yong Hwa, huh?¡¯

 Chapter 19: Julian the Wise

    A/N: Theres quite a few things I wish to say before everyone starts reading the chp. First of all, I imagine most of you all have noticed the change in the story''s title. I have recently came to the decision to break the story up into a trilogy, hence the reason for the change.


    Next up, I usually don''t comment about what you the readers say but i feel as though I need to clarify to you all the questions you had last chp. First off, the reason why Yong Hwa immediately denied he wasn''t Ryther. It might not seem like it since there was such a large gap between chps, but Yong Hwa had already spent 4-5 yrs going by his current name. During those yrs, he was mostly in seclusion training and going just by that name. He was already used to his new persona. Then suddenly, a random girl he never met called him a name he never heard before. There''s a lot of times when people mistake others for someone else, so why would he think out of the blue that the name a girl he met for the first time was his name? You have to remember, even though he does know Yong Hwa isn''t his real name, he hasn''t had much time to think about the past he doesn''t remember and is already used to his current life.


    Next, about the question of Raia not asking him to pull out his sword. Even though it hasn''t been stated in the story yet, its considered disrespectful in this world. The reason for this is two. !st: The soul weapon is basically an extension of the person. In this world, it is similar to asking someone to show them their arm, leg, etc. 2nd: since most weapons have an aura related to their element, most people won''t randomly show their weapon to strangers as its giving them an advantage by knowing what element they use ahead.


    Last of all, I want to apologize for the late release. I needed to get surgery on wednesday so was busy preparing for it and recovering the last couple of days. I hope this note''s section helps answer everyone''s question. Feel free to comment on questions as I am more than willing to answer them. Thank you for viewing and enjoying this story. If you like it, i ask you leave a comment or review as they do encourage me! Thanks!


    -----


    ¡°Jeez, you two! Hurry up, we¡¯ll miss the show!¡±


    In the middle of a crowded street, Seol Hwa was waving her hand back and forth, trying to urge the two young males to move more quickly. The two young men, who looked exhausted and were moving sluggishly, shook their heads simultaneously when they saw her impatient facial expression. Of course, the two were Yong Hwa and Chang.


    It was the day after their rescue mission. Even though they arrived back at the inn a couple of hours before dawn, they were greeted by the anxious Uncle Ray. Once he saw Seol Hwa returning, multiple emotions such as worry, anxiousness, shock, and joy appeared on his face. Not even waiting for them to reach the inn, he rushed forward with haste. After inspecting Seol Hwa and making sure she wasn¡¯t injured, he cried out in relief and fiercely hugged her.


    After maintaining the hug for a while, he reluctantly released Seol Hwa and looked at the other four. He profusely thanked them and the four were even able to see water starting to gather at the corner of his eyes. After repeatedly telling Uncle Ray that it was nothing, he finally calmed down before he told Yong Hwa and Chang to rest for a couple days until Elder Shin arrived.


    Hearing Uncle Ray tell them to rest for a couple days, Chang jumped and hollered. Even Yong Hwa had a large smile on his face. It felt as if they hadn¡¯t slept in days. After saying goodbye to everyone, the two of them dragged their bodies to their room, excited at the thought of sleeping in after the tiring night.


    Their wish, however, was thoroughly shattered when a loud banging abruptly ended their blissful slumber around noon. They tried to resist at first by pretending to be still asleep, but much to their horror, it was to no avail as Seol Hwa slammed into their rooms and dragged them out.


    ¡°Haaa¡­.Say Yong Hwa, just why is Seol Hwa so excited to go see a puppet show?¡±


    With half closed eyes, Chang let a large yawn loose before he asked the question. Stifling a yawn himself, Yong Hwa shook his head before he replied.


    ¡°How am I supposed to know what goes through a girl¡¯s mind? You¡¯re the expert when it relates to girls. You tell me.¡±


    During the four-five years that Yong Hwa and Chang trained under Elder Shin together, the majority of the time, they were in seclusion with just the three of them. On the few occasions they had guests or ran across a group of people, Yong Hwa mostly minded his own business and didn¡¯t interact with them much. The only exceptions were Seol Hwa and Uncle Ray. Although his attitude was more open toward the other members of the Samjoko, he was still more reserved than the others.


    Chang, on the other hand would chase after any females that came across his view. There were numerous occasions when Chang would force Yong Hwa to be his accomplish as he attempted to woo them. Thinking back on those times, a chuckle escaped Yong Hwa¡¯s mouth before he noticed it. If Elder Shin were to know of these events, it was amusing to think of just how furious he would be. Even though he would occasionally blackmail Chang over that, he never really planned on telling as the thought of the punishments made him shiver.


    Chang was the more outgoing of the two, not hesitating to engage with strangers. His personality made others feel at ease and that he was easy to get along with. He made friends quickly with others. Although Yong Hwa chided him about it sometimes, in truth, he was quite envious about how easy going and sociable Chang was.


    After another fifteen minutes of shuffling their feet and Seol Hwa¡¯s constant urging, the trio finally arrived at the area the show was going to take place at. It was in the center of the market area and had been set up with chairs and a booth in front. The area was pretty full with people as they surrounded the booth, which had curtains drawn down. After paying the entrance fee, the three found a spot where there was three open seating and sat down, waiting for the show to begin.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait for long. Ten minutes after they seated themselves, the curtains started to draw open, to the applause of everyone present. In the open space where the curtains used to be, stood two hand puppets.


    One of the puppet was a male who grew a long, black beard. On his head was a black rectangular hat that was taller than it was long, not going past his ears. It was the outfit that the King of the Estrada Kingdom wore.


    The other puppet, on the other hand, was dressed in commoner clothing. The clothes¡¯ material looked rough and the colors seemed faded. Her black hair was drawn back into a ponytail.


    Shortly after the curtain was drawn, the two puppets bowed. Once they stood upright once more, and the applause ended, a person off to the side announced that the show would begin. With that announcement, the area grew silent and the puppets began to move.


    The play told the legend of the third King of the Estrada Kingdom, Julian, the Wise and his forbidden love with a commoner woman in his youth. The two happened to meet when the woman found Julian unconscious within a valley. After nursing his injuries for a couple of days, Julian finally regained conscious and saw her for the first time.


    It was love at first sight. Although the woman was dressed in ragged commoner clothing, Julian was mesmerized by her beautiful looks. For the next month, the woman continued to nurse Julian as he recovered from his fall into the valley, within a cave. As the two interacted, they fell in love with each other.


    The time the two spent together within that month was filled with bliss. Every day, they would laugh and smile whole heartedly at each other. It was such a beautiful scene that the audience weren¡¯t able to help but laugh and feel warmth inside of themselves.


    To their surprise, Yong Hwa and Chang found themselves being engrossed in the story. Chang leaned forward in his seat to see the play better and would laugh heartily occasionally. Yong Hwa, who sat in between the other two, also had a smile on his face as he watched the play. Occasionally, he would glance to his right to see Seol Hwa either smiling warmly or laughing. Seeing that, Yong Hwa felt that her joy was affecting him also and soon after he would shift his focus back to the play.


    Julian and the woman¡¯s happiness, sadly, didn¡¯t last forever. Around the time Julian completely healed, he was planning on asking for the woman¡¯s hand. Unfortunately though, the royal guards for the Estrada Kingdom finally found him at that time. Thinking that the woman was holding the then crown prince hostage, they furiously charged and tried to attack the woman. Horrified by the sudden turn of events, Julian tried to stop them, to no avail. The guards believed that the woman had enchanted their crown prince so after a moment of hesitation, continued to charge forward. As a final act of desperation, he even placed the woman behind him and stood in front of the guards in an attempt to protect her.


    Seeing Julian¡¯s brave act, the woman was moved. Even though she didn¡¯t wish to part with Julian, she didn¡¯t want to see him hurt even more and thus, she finally acted. Before the guards could reach Julian, a brilliant light exploded forth from behind Julian, causing all the guards to flinch and stop in their tracks.


    Even Julian, who had his back to the light, didn¡¯t dare to turn around while the light was still there. Afraid that something happened to his beloved, once the light began to dim, he immediately turned around. What he saw afterwards shocked him.


    In the place where the woman used to be, now hovered a brilliant golden phoenix. The phoenix looked at the Julian with crystal clear eyes that showed hints of water. After apologizing for deceiving Julian with her disguise, she told him that he would forever have a place in her heart and would have her divine protection and sadly flew away.


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    Seeing the phoenix fly away, Julian fell to his knees and cried out, begging for the phoenix to come back. To him, it didn¡¯t matter that the woman wasn¡¯t human. All that mattered was that he loved her. Once he finally came to recognition that she wouldn¡¯t come back, he silently prayed to the High Gods for them to be merciful and let the two be together in his next life.


    ¡°Legends tell that after Julian the Wise became King, his very first command was to have a golden phoenix encased within a golden circle stitched onto the King¡¯s outfit. Afterwards, Julian ruled very wisely, leading the Estrada Kingdom enter its golden age. In any battles, it was told that when he led his army, it seemed as though a golden halo surrounded him, giving him a divine appearance. With that halo surrounding him, apparently no weapons were able to harm him. Well then, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the play. We thank everyone for attending our humble performance.¡±


    With those words, the person who stood beside the booth bowed to the audience. The puppets in the booth also bowed to the thundering applause of the audience. Everyone in the audience had been very pleased by the performance.


    Chang was clapping his hand furiously in applause while hollering loudly. Yong Hwa also was clapping his hand with a smile on his face. The performance really had been great. As he turned to look at Seol Hwa, he saw her dabbing at the corner of her eyes, wiping away the remains of tears. Just as he was about to console her, his eyes saw two familiar figures at the side where people who arrived late stood and watched the performance.


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that Dal and Geum?¡±


    -----


    ¡¯Bool Shin¡­ That by chance, wasn¡¯t you, was it?¡¯


    Standing at the side of the performance, Dal was looking at the booth where the performance had just ended with mixed expressions. Even though she knew that the performance was a legend and most likely not true, for some reason she got the feeling that the phoenix in the play was her beast soul. Even while she was asking the question, Dal prepared herself to hear Bool Shin bash her for believing such a ridiculous tale. To her shock though, after a few moments of silence, Bool Shin¡¯s voice, which was filled with sadness and longing, replied back.


    ¡¯Ah, that silly Julian. Even after knowing my identity, he still longed for me¡­.¡¯


    ¡®EH?! THAT LEGEND IS TRUE THEN?!¡¯


    Hearing the shocking reply, Dal¡¯s expression froze. She couldn¡¯t believe that the tale that was just told was true. Even more, the main actress was her beast soul, Bool Shin! All of those combined was too much for her to handle at once. Feeling her emotions, Bool Shin sighed and continued on.


    ¡¯Haa¡­ even though a lot of the things were exaggerated, the fundamental part of the story is true. Back then, while I was flying around lazily in the sky, I came across Julian, who was severely injured and was unconscious. Since I was bored, on a whim I decided to take pity on the child and save him. Who would have known that that one act of kindness would lead to us falling in love¡­.¡¯


    Listening to Bool Shin¡¯s tale, Dal¡¯s eyes began to sparkle as amazement filled her. Who would have thought such events happened to Bool Shin. Even though Dal may seem tomboyish because of her personality, she was still a young maiden in heart and imaging such romantic things excited her. As she was having those thoughts, a voice interrupted her imagination.


    ¡°Lady Dal, Yong Hwa is approaching us.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yong Hwa is here?¡±


    Hearing the sudden voice, Dal looked forward to see Yong Hwa walking to them. When she saw the smile on his face as he walked over, Dal felt her heart beat quicken. Out of the blue, she once again remembered what the fortune reader told her.


    ¡¯I wonder, is what she said really true?¡¯


    Ever since she rescued Yong Hwa that one night, and saw the sign the fortune teller told her to avoid, she has been thinking over it constantly. If she really was to take what the fortune teller said to heart, she needed to avoid forming a relationship with him, since it might cause the death of one of them. Still, she couldn¡¯t deny that she had a favorable opinion of him and her feelings for him were growing. Thinking up to there, she shook her head to clear her mind.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t let the possibility of something happening in the future affect what happens now. If it indeed gets to that point, I¡¯ll figure out something then. Still, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s interested in me, anyways. He likes Seol Hwa, after all¡­.¡¯


    A woman¡¯s intuition is frightening. Even though Yong Hwa tried to keep it unnoticeable, Dal was able to tell that Yong Hwa liked Seol Hwa a lot. The way he gazed as her was one where a man looked at his lover. It even made her feel something close to jealousy. Still, she didn¡¯t have more time to think about it, though, as Yong Hwa reached them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see the two of you here. When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°We happened to be walking around the market when we saw that a play was going on.¡±


    When he heard Dal¡¯s response, Yong Hwa nodded his head in understanding.


    ¡°So what brought you two out? I didn¡¯t think expect to see you out since you spend most of your time in the inn.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re planning to go out to train and hunt a few beasts tomorrow so we came to shop for a few things.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense. You two sure are hard working. It makes me envious.¡±


    Even though it may have sounded sarcastic, Yong Hwa looked as though he meant what he said. There was no traces of ridicule on face, it was more admiration. Seeing that, without even knowing why herself, Dal invited Yong Hwa to come along.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything going on tomorrow, why don¡¯t you come with us?¡±


    ¡°Lady Dal!¡±


    Hearing Dal invite Yong Hwa, a tiny bit of surprise appeared on Geum¡¯s face. Even though she was playful and liked to joke around, Dal was always serious about training. For her to invite someone else to train with her, this was the first time Geum had seen it. Also, the person she invited was someone she met recently and didn¡¯t have too close of a relationship with. To Geum, Dal¡¯s actions didn¡¯t make sense with her personality.


    Yong Hwa was also surprised by the sudden invitation.


    ¡°Is that really fine?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why not? It¡¯s only to go training, after all.¡±


    After receiving confirmation, Yong Hwa thought about it for a moment. Truthfully, being able to go out and train with Dal was a big benefit for him. He knew that he paled in comparison to Dal when it came to swordsmanship and most likely experience. Thus, being able to go along with her would let him improve on his weaknesses a lot.


    ¡°If it¡¯s fine with you, I would be honored to go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then! Make your preparations today. We might be out in the mountains for a couple days, after all. We¡¯ll meet at the entrance at seven o¡¯clock in the morning tomorrow. See you then!¡±


    With that said, Dal waved at Yong Hwa briefly and left. Geum, who was there for the whole interaction, had a strange expression on his face as he looked at Yong Hwa and then Dal. After releasing a sigh, he too left. Yong Hwa, who was left by himself, was stunned by the sudden departure of the two. Shaking his head, he turned around and started to return to Chang and Seol Hwa.


    ¡¯Still, this training should be very helpful to me. I¡¯ve been stuck at ¡®One with the Soul¡¯ for a while now. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to improve a lot and reach ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ soon after.¡¯


    -----


    That night, in Uncle Ray¡¯s office, there were three men who were seated around a table. The room was dark except for the single candle lit in the center of the table they surrounded. The only face which was fully visible was Uncle Ray, who was at that moment talking.


    After listening to Uncle Ray repeat what occurred over the past week, the two other men remained silent as they went over the events in their heads. After five minutes of silence, one of them finally spoke.


    ¡°Illbon¡¯s actions really have been weird lately. It seems as though there going to make a move soon. What do you think Shin?¡±


    ¡°I agree. Their activities seem to be too public. Usually, they like to move around in the shadows. The abduction of Seol Hwa doesn¡¯t go along with how they usually act. I think it¡¯ll be best for me to go speak to the King about these affairs after this. What are you planning to do, Yoo Hae?¡±


    The two other men in the room happened to be Elder Shin and the Sword God, Yoo Hae!