《Sunshine》


 1. Knock! Knock!

    White town located at the foothills of the Grande mountain range, is a quiet yet lively place. The dim yellow light covers the sky, with a hint of snowfall and cold evening winds circulating throughout the valley. Narrow passages of the town enjoying the last rays of sunlight as the sun keeps on getting weaker and weaker. The whole surrounding seems quiet and sad. But, with a soothing scent of joy and hope of enjoying the sunlight again after six months, people of White town gathered at the town square to celebrate the last rays of sunlight together.


    People of all ages gathered, there was music, food and love in the air. Different cuisines were served, beer drums were emptied and people danced like there is no tomorrow. Beautiful women were the main attraction for young men.


    Children were playing knight hunt, a traditional game of the country where children use shields and weapons made by them to attack and conquer other knights. There was one kid, whose tactics and fighting style were impressive, which even the actual knights applauded. ¡°I bet you he¡¯ll be strong just like his brother¡±- A knight commented.


    After the dusk ended the mayor appeared on a stage at the centre of town square to declare the end of sunshine , he cleared his throat and said - ¡°hmm..m.. With this we declare the end of the rays of sun and begin the reign of the moon. This is the test of our strength and courage. We need to protect our loved ones from this darkness, winter is here. Sleep well and sleep early, don¡¯t be out if not needed. I hope all of you stay safe and happy¡­Thank You! ¡±. Murmurs were heard and everyone started calling out their family members and slowly left the square to their respective homes.


    Nights passed, and there was news of people missing. People of the town used tunnels, which were unexposed to the surroundings but limited. Tunnels connected places like the mayor¡¯s office which was also a bar, blacksmith and the local doctor chambers.


    But, tunnels were the luxury of the riches. Poor people of the town were not able to get their private tunnels.


    Private tunnels were connected to someone¡¯s house to the mayor¡¯s office which then was connected to other facilities. Poor people were forced by the necessities to step outside their house. Once outside there were only minimal chances of survival.


    Sometimes even if they survive and knock on the door the family never responds, they ignore, they think what if he/she is not someone who left, what if it is something else, something dangerous, something who can wipe out everyone in the house if they open the door. And, in most scenarios this is the case.


    People who are strong enough, who have a strong aura of magic are only considered to go outside. The White guards, knights who protect the streets of White town are the only ones who stand between the people and the reign of the moon.


    In White town near the river, a small family lives in a small cottage. A 12 year old boy named Elio lives, along with his two young siblings, his mother Isabella who is a tailor but during the reign of the moon her business goes down a lot. Elio¡¯s brother went missing when Elio was 4, during the reign of the moon. He was a White town guard, and Elio¡¯s family was told that he sacrificed himself for White town. Elio¡¯s father, Emiliano was a blacksmith, before he lost his arm in an accident. ¡°It has been 23 nights, and yet the guards never came with a ration or contract for my tailor business.¡±- Elio¡¯s mother said. ¡°Remember don¡¯t open the door, unless there are two knocks and two whistles following it.¡± , the children nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mama, when I grow up, I will be the strongest knight, White town will ever experience¡±-Elio said, Isabella smiled and patted Elio¡¯s head.


    *****57 nights later¡­.*****


    ¡°I can¡¯t see my children die due to starvation, my child fought for this town, even sacrificed himself¡­and this is the treatment we get. It¡¯s like only the rich and the fat mayor are the only ones who deserve to live.¡± - Emiliano said with great anger. Elio came running, he was not the same as he was before, his eyes were bulging out, collar bones and rib cage were clearly visible. His skin was dry, frozen blood all over his dried and chapped lips. His skin colour was also getting pale, and his fingertips were cracked and nails were blue. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Dad!¡­Lucia is coughing blood, she is not breathing properly dad, do something, I want to see her smile again dad!¡±. Emiliano and Isablella ran towards the living room where Lucia was lying on a carpet while their younger boy was narrating a story to her, tears dripping from his eyes making the words blurry.


    He was using his elbow to turn the pages as the cracks on his fingertips similar to Elio¡¯s were making it impossible to turn the pages.


    Lucia coughing blood with a wet towel on her head, dry and tired eyes, her face became blue which was once flushing with red brightness.


    ¡°Mother, am I going to die? Like Enzo did?¡±- Lucia asked slowly. ¡°No! Nothing will happen to you, you¡¯ll be just fine don¡¯t worry. ¡°That¡¯s it!...I am going out, I am not losing anyone.¡±-Elio¡¯s father decided to go out. ¡°Remember, two knocks followed by two whistles, only then you open.¡± Isabella nodded in agreement.


    Emiliano grabbed his coat and went outside to get some help regarding their situation. White town was fully covered in snow, strong cold winds were blowing and could freeze anyone to death. It was very hard to breathe, the cold wind was freezing up Emiliano¡¯s lungs.


    After wandering, and moving towards the mayor¡¯s office, Emiliano was getting tired and weak, as he was already half dead due to the very small amount of food they were having and now direct exposure to the cold was killing him.


    Emiliano spotted someone who was wearing a white robe with the White town logo engraved on the back. Emiliano screamed ¡°Help!..Help!...¡±, the knight turned and came running towards him. ¡°What are you doing here? Are you out of your mind?¡±- The knight asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s my daughter, she''s dying, please come and help.¡±- Emiliano requested. Both of them hasted towards Emiliano¡¯s cottage. As they reached the door- Knock! Knock!, Whistles twice.


    Isabella opened the door, and took a sigh of relief as she saw Emiliano. ¡°Sir, please come in and see, my daughter, we don¡¯t have time.¡±- Emiliano said. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±- Isabella asked.


    Emiliano turned back, there was no one. ¡°Quick, close the door¡±- Emiliano screamed. As they were closing the door, a hand came in between stopping the door to be fully closed, a hand with small but sharp nails covered in blood, veins popping and seemed very strong..


    Emiliano and Isabella used all of their strength. But, the door was not bulging an inch. Suddenly another hand came crushing the half closed door, scratching Emiliano¡¯s left eye. This made Emiliano¡¯s reflex cover his eyes, and in this moment the door was fully opened. The creature behind the door was fully visible.


    It was of height as an average human, with long hair, and sharp and long canine teeth. It had deep yellow eyes, a small nose and a very bulked up body like a professional bodybuilder. It had a sword placed on his waist like a warrior.


    The creature jumped towards Emiliano and buried his sharp nails in his throat, deep dark blood came out from Emiliano¡¯s neck, the creature used his strength and tore away Emiliano¡¯s throat. Emiliano fell on the ground with a hole in his neck, expressionless, one eye opened while other bled, and in a blink of an eye Emiliano was dead.


    Isabella didn¡¯t understand what was happening, and screamed, with all the noise Elio and his brother came out. Isabella screamed towards his sons- ¡°Run away, go hide, save yourselves I¡¯ll be oka¡­¡±. The creature jumped on Isabella''s shoulders, and bit off her head from the torso and threw it away like a piece of fruit.


    Isabella¡¯s head, along with the spinal cord attached, rolled near Elio¡¯s feet. Elio¡¯s brother started panicking and crying out for their parents. He can only see his mother¡¯s head rolling like a ball. Elio pulled his brother¡¯s hand and ran towards the living room, closing the door behind, while the creature was busy eating the flesh out of his mother¡¯s body. Fear was in Elio¡¯s eyes and his brother started puking on the ground. ¡°What¡¯s happening brother?¡± Lucia asked, with a soft voice. ¡°Nothing, you rest, everything will be okay, don''t you worry¡±.


    Elio started looking for a hiding place, he saw the attic where he used to play hide and seek with his siblings.


    Suddenly the locked door busted open, as the creature jumped towards the door and kicked it, with Elio¡¯s brother getting crushed by the weight of the door and the creature, and getting his head smashed which popped out his eyes and tongue and all the fluid inside his brains were on the ground now.


    The creature jumped and smashed Lucia¡¯s head open with his strong legs, the young girl was so weak that only a few drops of blood spilled out when she took her last weak breath. Within a moment Elio lost his father, saw his mother¡¯s head rolling on the ground, his brother¡¯s and sister¡¯s head smashed. The shameless creature feasted upon the bodies as Elio was hiding in the attic watching his siblings become fodder to the creature.


    The creature smelled something, it smelled Elio¡¯s presence. Elio started to think of the ways the creature will kill him. The thoughts of cowardness blurred Elio¡¯s vision, as he wanted to be a White guard, but was not able to save his family, even her little sister.


    The creature smiled, as he confirmed the presence of Elio, and started moving towards him. Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped. Elio felt shivers down his spine, even the creature froze where it was, a tense expression can be seen clearly on the creature''s face.


    ¡°Sorry, I should have knocked, but the door was already open, so I let myself in. Is something wrong with you sir? Few people are dead here, are you the reason for it?¡± - a voice enquired.

 2. Protectors of Ravi

    ¡°Sorry, I should have knocked, but the door was already open, so I let myself in. Is something wrong with you sir? Few people are dead here, are you the reason for it?¡± - a voice enquired.


    ¡°Humans should always portray peace and protect the weak ones, abusing someone with your power should not be the case in any scenario. The strength that lies in you is only because of the lord himself.¡± - a mysterious voice continues.


    The creature turned, with tensed muscles and fear in his deep yellow eyes. Gritting its teeth the creature put its hand on the sword that was there on its waist. The fear was so evident that even Elio was able to see the creature was shuddering.


    The creature leaped forward unsheathing its sword towards the voice. Slash¡­.


    Mysterious person swings his sword, which was so fast that both Elio and the creature were unable to see the attack coming.


    In a moment, the person cuts down the shoulder of the creature and its arm falls to the ground. The part which got cut started burning with red and hot flame, giving warmth and heat like the sun. The flame was so strong that it was consuming the creature bit by bit. The creature groaned with pain and gritted its teeth, as he was getting vaporised in thin air.


    Now, the face of the person was finally revealed to Elio. The person looked like a 40-45 years old man, he had a mustache along with a mid-trimmed beard. His big brown eyes resembled fire within his heart. He was covered with an orange and white robe, with one prosthetic hand on the handle of his sword and another on his thick belt wrapped around his waist.


    ¡°Oh! I am sorry, I totally forgot that you¡¯ve left your humanity long ago, and no one should expect compassion from a creature like you. Only lord can tend your soul, you deserve to die.¡±- the swordsman says calmly. With this the swordsman took a stance holding the handle of his sword, a posture so calm and composed that it seemed like the calmness of early morning when sunlight first hits the ground.


    ¡°Dawn¡­.Strike¡±, the swordsman says, and within a fraction of seconds he slashed his sword and sheathed it. Elio and the creature both looked at the swordsman thinking what is going to happen next. Suddenly the creature realised what happened. As soon as he came to know, his head fell off from his body with a bright red flame burning his headless torso.


    Swordsman folded his hands, in a praying position -¡±May the lord forgive all of your sins. May you find peace and goodness. ¡­Amen¡±. The head burns and vanishes in thin air. The swordsman steps over the burning torso of the creature and comes near the attic and opens to see Elio frightened, with teary eyes and startled expressions.


    The swordsman calmly says- ¡°It¡¯s over, don¡¯t worry child, the lord sent us to protect this town and its people¡±. Elio dropped down on his knees thanking the swordsman, ¡°Thank you sir! I¡¯m grateful for what you did¡­but now I am all alone, I have nobody. All of my loved ones are dead. Please sir, have mercy on me. Kill me, I want to see my family again.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±, the swordsman laughed in a sarcastic tone. ¡°The creature that attacked you is a soldier of Indu. You¡¯re not dead, you survived. You should thank the lord, if there would not have been any purpose of your existence in this universe, then you also would be lying on the ground along with your family. Never doubt the Lord''s decision. Get up, be glad that you are alive and trust in the lord for he has a great purpose for you, for all of us.¡±


    Elio stood up rubbing his eyes, but the tears kept on falling. All he could think about is how the creature killed his family and the abnormal strength the creature had. He felt guilty as he was not strong enough to defend his family.


    ¡°What now sir? What shall I do now, I have nowhere to go. I can¡¯t stay here where my parents and siblings are lying dead with half remaining flesh, in front of me.¡±- Elio asked the swordsman sobbing. ¡°Praise the sun!¡±- the swordsman said, patting Elio¡¯s head. His hands gave Elio warmth as if he was lying down under an open sky with the sun shining bright.


    The swordsman walked past all the dead bodies, holding Elio¡¯s arms, while Elio cried his eyes out for his dead parents and siblings. ¡°Sir, I want to give them a proper see off¡±- Elio requested the swordsman. The swordsman folded his hands again in praying positions and started chanting a mantra, which Elio was not able to understand.


    After the swordsman completed his enchantment he opened his eyes and all the bodies of Elio¡¯s family started burning with red hot flame, consuming not only their body but their soul too. ¡°What are you doing, have you gone mad, you jerk?¡±-Elio said angrily,with tears still dripping from his eyes. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Have faith in the sun, as they sent me, a Protector of Ravi. They are getting a proper see off, their soul will rest in peace, don¡¯t worry child. And, yes, from now on address me as Lord Altan.¡± - the swordsman said, smiling with a proud expression on his face.


    After some time, all of the bodies burned away and Elio finally started to stop sobbing. Altan held Elio¡¯s hand and started moving towards the exit. Elio, still looking back where he was born, where he lived his life, the place where he used to play with his siblings, the family that gave him warmth, all gone in a few hours. His 12 years of life changed in those few hours.


    Outside of his house, the environment was drastically different. The town was covered in snow, cold and fast wind was blowing, which could freeze anyone to death. A normal person would feel irritation in breathing and after sometime he might die. But, somehow all of this was not affecting Elio at all, he titled his head and looked up, Altan was surrounded by a red aura, which seemed like a fire. After sometime he noticed that not only Altan but he too was surrounded by that same red fire.


    The red fire which burned the monster and made it vanish in thin air, is not harming them. Such control of magic and power dazzled Elio, as he only dreamt of achieving the power Altan had. On their way, they saw a white guard lying on the ground, emotionless. His chest had a huge hole, the blood spilled was all frozen due to the harsh weather in the surrounding area.


    ¡°Do you know someone named Dyre?¡±- Altan asked Elio, looking at a paper note in his hands. ¡°Yes, he is the mayor of our White town.¡±- Elio replied. ¡°Show me the way boy, I have some business to do with your respected Mr.Mayor¡±. They slowly started walking towards the town square. Many bodies of dead people and white guards were lying on the ground, all of their skin frozen in the cold. ¡°Don¡¯t look at them, we have a task to do.¡±- Altan said with great resolve.


    Approx 500 metres from town square, Altan suddenly stopped. ¡°You monsters just don¡¯t give up, well you will be blessed with great warmth and prosperity today¡±. Suddenly two monsters, of similar appearance as before, jumped in front of them.


    One of the monsters was carrying a spear in his hand, while the other didn¡¯t have any weapons. He had long nails, longer and sharper than the monster that wiped out his entire family. Both of them set up a strategy to attack Altan and Elio from two sides. Elio started to get more tense, as these monsters looked more dangerous and they were more in number.


    Elio looked at Altan, and got anxious as to how a single person would defend himself from two of the deadly monsters of Indu. Not only that, Altan also needed to protect Elio, as Elio was not at all strong enough to get away from a single of the monsters. Elio wanted to run away, he started looking at options to get away from the fight. He doesn¡¯t want to get caught in the line of fire between both sides.


    ¡°Stay back, don¡¯t do anything stupid! Stay where you are.¡±- Altan ordered Elio, his voice was so determined that Elio stopped and a certain level of belief came inside him. Altan said with a strong voice,¡°don¡¯t you worry, they will not harm you, my flame is stronger than them, I will be victorious, believe in the sun¡±. Altan¡¯s voice and determination shook up Elio, he started to see Altan as his leader, a person he could die for.


    Suddenly both the monsters jumped toward Altan, they attacked from both sides. One of the monsters, using his sharp and long spear, if the spear hits it will go through an average human body. While, other with sharp fangs, if anyone comes in between those claws his/her body will rip to pieces.


    Altan took a step backward, taking a perfectly balanced stance. Altan¡¯s robe flew above the ground creating a very mythical view for Elio. ¡°Fire Ring!¡±- Altan shouted, making a ring of fire all around Elio and Altan, as the monster with sharp fangs came in between the fire and started burning. The monster dropped on the ground and started rolling, but the red hot fire kept on burning and consuming the monster bit by bit.


    While the other monster threw the spear towards Altan and took a step back. The spear was coming in the direction of Altan but he didn¡¯t move. The spear went directly through him creating a hole in his body. Elio got surprised as he thought that Altan also became a victim of those ferocious monsters.


    The monster started smiling, as it thought that Altan would be dead soon. Elio fell on the ground with despair as nothing was going his way all night. Suddenly the expression of monster changed to nervousness. The hole in Altan¡¯s body started burning and his body started filling back. In a moment he was absolutely fine, like nothing ever happened to him.


    Altan puts his hands on the sword, Soosh, in a fraction of second Altan slashes the monster''s head off. The cut was so smooth that even the monster was not able to understand what was happening to its body. After a few seconds the head fell off the monster¡¯s body and the cut started burning with red hot flame. The flame started consuming the monster bit by bit.


    The other monster on the ground vanishes into thin air, and with that both of the monsters are gone. Altan sheathed his sword and said-¡±Come on we need to finish some more business there¡±. Altan was so relaxed about the situation that it made Elio think about the level of power Altan had.


    Both of them started walking towards the mayor¡¯s office, and in a few metres they reached the gate. There was very foul odour coming from inside the office, Altan pushed the gate as it was already half open. They went inside the office, there was a dim yellow light and a harsh and foul smell was coming from everywhere. It seemed that something was rotting there.


    Slowly they started moving forward, and suddenly Elio¡¯s foot came up on something. Something hard, he looked below, it was the head of a person. Elio got scared and fell back on his butt, the head was of a white guard, with a rat devouring the flesh from the hole created in his right eye.


    Elio got up on his feet and then he noticed something strange, it was not only a single white guard lying dead there, but there were many people dead, scattered in the whole office. Men, women, white guards, even children, everyone was lying expressionless and dead. Rodents finished off the flesh that was still remaining on their body.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­this was expected from a orb of night, I can feel his presence in the air. He is the reason for all of this, and for all the monsters roaming around in the streets of this town. Finally, someone worthy to use my full potential.¡±- Altan mentioned. Elio started getting nervous again, as the temperature of the room started falling significantly.


    Suddenly the room was filled with thick fog, Altan put his hand on the hilt of the sword getting ready for action. ¡°Fall back, hide, go find somewhere safe. It is going to get real serious now.¡± - Altan ordered Elio with great persistence.

 3. Orb of Night

    ¡°Fall back, hide, go find somewhere safe. It is going to get real serious now.¡± - Altan ordered Elio with great persistence.


    Elio ran backwards and started looking for a place to hide, he saw an office table which was fully covered from one end. Elio quickly got there and hid under the table. With gaps in the corners and edges of the table, he was able to see Altan clearly.


    Altan burning with red and hot flame, his presence was so mesmerizing that he grabbed all the attention towards himself from the awful environment with foul smell and death all around it. Suddenly, the flame around Altan grew stronger and larger. Now, the flame around him was not giving the warmth but a burning sensation, as things close to Altan started burning, even the dead bodies.


    ¡°Come out you coward! I, a protector of Ravi, have come to bless you and give you redemption. Tonight is the night, when your reign will be over, even this dark night cannot save you from me.¡± - Altan screamed looking towards a door.


    The door, Elio remembered, belongs to the Mayor¡¯s chamber. Why is Altan looking for the mayor of White town? Elio started thinking, ¡°Altan always wanted to find a person, that¡¯s why they are here. The person Altan was looking for was none other than Mr. Dyre the mayor of White town. Now, he is calling the mayor out for a duel, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    Many things started blurring Elio¡¯s mind. ¡°Is the Mayor a bad person? No, he can¡¯t be, or, he is. What if he is also a soldier of Indu? No, wait, Altan said that everything around here in the office, all of these dead bodies are done by some orb of night. Is the mayor the orb of night? No, he is too old and weak to kill all of these people, also the mayor loves this town.¡±


    ¡°Wait! If all of these people are dead, how on earth is the mayor still alive?¡± This cleared Elio¡¯s mind, as he ended up on a decision that, somehow the things happening around him are related to the mayor of White town.


    Tock..tock¡­tock¡­tock, sound of someone walking through the door could be heard. Altan looked at the door with great determination, with his left prosthetic arm on the sword handle, hooked on his thick belt. The environment all around the hall started getting quieter and quieter. Tock¡­tock¡­tock¡­tock, the sound was getting more and more clear.


    A dark shadow can now be seen coming their way through the door. The rats munching on the dead, stopped squeaking. Not even that, they started fleeing and hiding, as if a storm was coming towards them. Tock¡­tock, the shadow stopped walking, the figure still not visible due to the thick fog covering the vision of Elio.


    ¡°You call me a coward? Am I a coward? Hahahaha! Well to kill this coward your stupid devotees sent you. One of the seven generals of Ravi, a high ranking officer, has to come all the way from the east to kill a coward. This doesn¡¯t fit well, and you call me a coward.¡±- Person standing in dense fog exclaimed.


    With the voice of the person, Elio confirmed that it was none other than the mayor of the White town. But, what was he talking about,his voice sounded like he couldn¡¯t care less. The fog started to clear out, the appearance of the mayor was clearly visible now.


    The mayor was wearing a white coat, with white formal pants. A beige shirt with a red bow tie. He was wearing a white hat, he had a grey beard, with a long moustache and large bushy grey eyebrows. He had a monocle on his left eye, which gave him a very sophisticated look.


    He started positioning his bow and said ¡°calling me a coward, while you weakling came to give me a redemption on the night of no moon. All of you know that any soldier of Indu is weaker during no moon. Well now that you¡¯re here, let me bless your whiny ass with my moonlight.¡±


    The confidence in his voice was so strong that it gave shivers to Elio hiding under an office table. ¡°Hahaha! Moon or no moon, you¡¯re going to turn to ashes today. Prepare yourself, Dyre, a orb of night.¡±-Altan said by taking a stance and his hands on his sword.


    Fire surrounding Altan grows larger, as if it will consume everything in its path. The raging fire around him brightened up all the halls, as if it was daylight. ¡°Well you left me no choice general¡±- Dyre said smiling with his eyes closed. With this a magical aura surrounded Dyre as strong as Altan¡¯s fire. A magical aura so strong that it literally started to make cracks in the roof, walls and floor of the building.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The clash of both of their auras was so strong that it was pushing everything near them. Elio¡¯s table also started to move backwards, while Elio used all of his strength to not let it move.


    In a moment Dyre opened his eyes and threw his hat towards Altan. The hat rotates with a magical field all around it cutting air as it moves forward. Altan unsheathed his sword, which was now of a deep yellow colour with fumes burning from the edges and the tip. He blocks the hat, creating a huge cracking sound like a thunderstorm. The collision of two energies made the whole building tremble, walls and roof of the building started falling down piece by piece.


    Altan somehow blocked and deflected the hat coming out his way. The deflected hat went outside, cutting through the walls of the building. This made Altan tensed a little which can be seen, as he gritted his teeth and launched an attack towards Dyre. He held his sword from both hands and ran towards Dyre. ¡°Dawn¡­Strike¡±


    Dyre clenched his fists and pushed his elbows towards his chest and boosted his energy and magical power. Dyre jumped with clenching his fist in mid air. A huge violet energy ball can be seen forming around his fist. Violet coloured sparks coming out from his fists.


    ¡°Eat this you fire farting delinquent¡± - Dyre shouted as his fist clashed with Altan¡¯s sword surrounded by deep yellow fumes. The clash was so strong that it pushed everything backwards, Elio along with the table flew off, Elio hit his back against the wall.


    While Elio was not even over the shock, a huge rumble came flowing towards him, a rumble double his size. Elio ducked at the last moment as the rumble crashed against the wall and broke into multiple pieces.


    Elio got up on his feet, and was amazed by what he saw in front of him. Altan and Dyre fought against each other with great strength and determination. Each of the Altan¡¯s slashes cuts the air, creating a ring of fire. Dyre dodged most of the attacks, and blocked with his forearms which seemed to be as hard as steel whenever Altan¡¯s sword strikes them.


    Dyre used his strong fists as weapons to attack Altan, both of them were so smooth while fighting. They both were very balanced with their offense and defence. Their strength seemed to be equally matched, but every clash between them creates a huge explosion of energy. Both energies were equally matched but opposite of each other.


    The clash between them was so strong that the building started to fall apart. Huge rumbles started flying from everywhere. The dead bodies flying in mid air. The roof started falling, Elio got scared and tried to avoid them. He chose to get out of the building as there is no way he will withstand a whole roof squishing his body.


    As he went out of the building, but still at a distance where he can clearly see what¡¯s going on inside the building. As two of the strongest individuals fight with determination to take the life of others. The building reached its limit and fell off. The rumbles created a storm of dust which mixed with the dense fog around the town.


    After some time the dust cleared, both Altan and Dyre seemed unresponsive about the whole building incident. As they both know, the only thing which is able to kill them is standing just a few metres from them.


    Elio couldn''t believe his eyes, a whole building, a two floor building fell on them but both of them don¡¯t have a single scratch on them. The thought of the level of power both of them had made him really anxious as this was beyond his imagination.


    ¡°Enough now, I am getting bored.¡±- Dyre said calmly, picking his nose. ¡°Then show me your real self, real strength, the strength of the orb of night.¡±- Altan replied, dropping down his robe. ¡°Oh my, my, are you trying to make me like you, mr. general. If you are then it¡¯s working. I always like a strong muscular body with a proud personality. They¡­are¡­tasty!¡±- Dyre said, flicking his tongue, as a dark aura surrounded him.


    Dyre took off his monocle and crushed it into pieces. Dyre¡¯s muscles started growing in size, the strength of those muscles could be felt from a distance. Altan''s facial expression changed, he started frowning and gritting his teeth. Dyre¡¯s eyes turned red and blood started flowing from his eyes. Blood dripped down from his cheeks, as if he was crying in pain.


    Dyre started screaming, fell down on his knees while he held his head. ¡°Aaaaaaaa¡­this hurts like shit¡­damn it.¡± Dyre screamed as he kept on growing. His head started bulging a bit, as Dyre kept on screaming in pain. The dark aura surrounding it kept on increasing and after a few seconds ¡°boooom¡±.


    A huge release of energy scattered everywhere, creating a huge gust of wind with cracking sound. The dust and fog cleared, finally Elio was able to see something. ¡°What in the world¡±- Elio said with great astonishment.


    Dyre grew twice his size before, his muscles were bulging out of his teared beige shirt. His body got completely covered with hair. Along with that, the bulging on his head, turned out to be two red horns that grew on him. His eyes became completely red and black. Violet sparkings can be seen coming out from his entire body.


    Altan pointed his sword towards Dyre, holding it with both of his hands. ¡°Lord have mercy on this creature, as he has sinned. Lend me your power to provide him salvation and let his soul rest now.¡±- Altan said with remorse, a hint of fear and tension can be seen in his eyes. Elio understood that the form that Dyre took is so dangerous that even someone as strong as Altan is getting tense.


    ¡°Sorry general, I kept you waiting. You see, I don¡¯t like this look, I want to be beautiful, but all this hair on my body, plus these ugly ass horns. I don¡¯t like it, so let¡¯s be quick, please don''t irritate me. Let me taste your blood, die general dieeee¡­along with your sun!¡± - Dyre said with a great resolve, as he leaped towards Altan.

 4. Brightest Star

    Dyre leaped towards Altan, a ball of aura surrounding his fists. This time the fists were twice the size of Altan¡¯s head, also the magical energy engulfing the fists were much more powerful than before.


    It was pretty evident that Dyre''s physical and magical strength increased exponentially. His energy was also more dense, which made Elio fall on his knees. The pressure due to Dyre¡¯s energy made a huge hole in the ground.


    Altan¡¯s face full of seriousness seemed like this was the first time tonight he felt that he could get killed. Altan quickly put up his sword, fumes coming out from it, he held the sword with both of his hands.


    ¡°Fire¡­Ring¡±, Altan shouted as a huge ring of fire emerged from Altan in order to block the deadly attack coming towards him. Altan took a defensive stance and boosted his energy.


    Sooshhhh. Dyre came through the fire without getting hurt at all. Altan quickly swung his sword blocking Dyre¡¯s fist. A thundering sound crackled throughout the area. The clash of energies deflecting each other went straight towards the sky.


    The deflected energy field created a huge hole among the clouds, and kept on going straight up. It seemed like there was a huge void between the cloudy and hazy sky of White town.


    ¡°Crack¡­Crack¡­Crack!¡±


    Cracking sound was heard and, Altan¡¯s sword splitted in half. This discharged an enormous amount of energy which pushed both Altan and Dyre, 100 metres back.


    Altan hit his back with the forest trees, destroying and passing through more than 3 trees Altan finally stopped with a huge pile of dust covering the area where he landed.


    Dyre flew towards the already shattered office building and landed somewhere in the area filled with rubbles. Dust, along with thick dense fog of White town covered Elio¡¯s vision.


    Elio is now outside and since Altan''s fire stopped burning, Elio started feeling cold. The cold winds of White town pierced through his thin clothes. He was having problems breathing as the cold air hurts his nose and lungs every time he inhales. Elio decided to get into some shelter.


    Elio found a shop nearby and went inside as the door was broken. Elio got in hoping Altan was safe as he was the only person who could save him from this disastrous night. Elio went upstairs and can see the battlefield through a window. He also found some woolen blankets to cover him. Elio felt warm and secure, but was still agitated because he was not able to see Altan anywhere.


    Suddenly something moved towards the office. It was Dyre, he threw large rubbles of the building like a rubber ball. He walked elegantly towards the battlefield. ¡°Mr. General, are you hurt? Don¡¯t spill more blood, I want to drink all of it. You should think about me, no one will love your half dead body like I do. So keep it safe, and let me twist your head and eat you with a glass of wine.¡±- Dyre screamed with a smirk on his face.


    The dust cleared and Elio¡¯s eyes broadened with glare. Altan was standing there already, a red hot flame surrounding him. His body was clearly visible as the impact tore the clothing he was wearing.


    Altan¡¯s body was rather a very unpleasant view. As not only his hands were prosthetic, but his whole half body was made with the same prosthetic metal. Altan sheathed his half broken sword.


    Altan folded his hands in the position of praying, and he started to chant some mantra again. ¡°What now? Praying your stupid gods to save you whiny ass. Keep praying no one¡¯s coming to help, and you know it too. Whatever monk shit you are doing be quick, I am losing patience here.¡±- Dyre said in a very carefree way. Dyre started stretching and jumping around as if he was warming up.


    Altan finally stopped moving his lips, and opened his eyes, he took a great sigh as if he did something which requires great concentration.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Suddenly, fumes started coming out of him. The fumes kept on getting larger and larger, it became so huge that it lit up the whole town square. The flames burning around him reached the skies.


    The light coming from the fire was similar to the sun. It started lighting up all the passages and streets around the town square. It felt like someone put up a man made sun in the air. The mere sight of White town getting lit up, made Elio''s eyes teary, as he remembered the last time he saw other people of his town.


    The last time he played knight hunt with his friends, where are they now, are they safe? How are the knights who were watching them play the game? What about the young women dancing with flowers in their hair? What about the fat guy who used to sell beers? Elio started remembering his old town, his family and friends.


    But the fire which was burning around Altan gave hope to Elio¡¯s heart. The fire is so strong and warm that it can make a dying man get back on his feet. ¡°So this is his potential he was talking about, you are inspiring Lord Altan.¡±- Elio muttered with teary eyes and anticipation in his heart.


    ¡°I never pray to take down my enemies, I pray to give them peace. I never pray to give me strength to kill someone, I pray to have strength to make this world a better place. Don¡¯t question the existence of god, it¡¯s the belief that matters and the hope he provides.¡± - Altan exclaimed with a proud voice.


    ¡°Watch closely you imbecile, as I Altan, son of Hadrian standing here with my brightest form. My brightest star will put an end to your sins.¡± - Altan said, pointing his fingers towards Dyre.


    At once Altan jumps towards Dyre and vanishes. He appeared right behind Dyre, clenching his fists and punching Dyre¡¯s jaw. Dyre, oblivious of Altan, got a direct hit from Altan¡¯s fist. Dyre flew a distance where he was caught by Altan, as he moved faster.


    Altan this time used his strong knee to get a direct hit on Dyre¡¯s rib cage. Dyre coughed dense and dark blood, as he tried to fight back. Dyre also started launching heavy attacks toward Altan.


    All of those attacks as strong as the attack which broke Altan¡¯s sword. But, this time Altan was blocking those attacks very easily, not only that Altan this time was able to land more hits than before.


    Both of them started sparring, and a huge amount of energy discharge was taking place. The bright sky because of Altan¡¯s fire started shaking due to strong energies clashing.


    After battling continuously for some time, Dyre launched his fist with a huge magical aura. Altan dodged it easily by ducking and giving Dyre an uppercut from his left prosthetic arm. The hit directly landed on Dyre¡¯s chin making him fly a few metres above the ground.


    This time Altan didn''t stop, he kept on hitting him with continuous punches. As Dyre was in the air he was unable to move his body. Altan finally kicked him, Dyre flew backwards but again caught by Altan who this time kicked him right on his neck.


    This made Dyre fly again. Altan launched himself like a rocket, leaving a huge amount of fire and smoke on the ground. In a moment Altan reached above Dyre, he held both of his hands like he was holding an axe.


    ¡°Perish you demon¡±- Altan said by launching both of his hands, hitting Dyre right on his head. Dyre fell on the ground with great speed. The impact created a loud sound, along with this a huge depression on the ground.


    ¡°Thrashhhh¡±.


    Dyre fell right on his back, a huge cloud of dust formed around the area he landed. Elio watched the whole battle with amaze, his respect for Altan kept on increasing. Altan got down and started cracking his neck and fingers. He was also stretching in order to mock Dyre. ¡°I thought you were getting impatient¡±- Altan said with a smirk on his face.


    After some time Dyre got up on one knee, he was covered in blood. He spat blood and stood up. Dyre was bleeding very badly and was missing a horn. ¡°See I helped you get rid of those ugly horns, sorry I missed one.¡± - Altan said, mocking Dyre¡¯s condition.


    ¡°You will pay for this, I hate you. I hate all of you!¡±- Dyre shouted with rage.


    Dyre again formed a spherical violet magical aura, around both of his hands. He then started pressing both of his hands. The energies colliding with each other started to create immense pressure.


    The spherical aura in both of his hands became one, and he kept putting more and more energy to it. ¡°I promise you fool, you¡¯ll die today.¡±- Dyre said angrily, making the magic between his hands denser and denser.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put everything, all of my power to make you disappear. No one escapes from this attack. This is the strongest attack of an orb of night.¡±-Dyre said as the magic gets denser and darker. Yellow sparks started coming out of the magic orb Dyre made between his hands.


    Altan took a sigh and pulled out his broken blade. ¡°Well then make it interesting for me, I will give my best too. With all the strength inside me, the blessings and warmth of the Lord will unleash and provide you salvation.¡±- Altan said as all the fire surrounding him started to get absorbed within his broken sword.


    The sky started to get dim again. All of the magical energies of both the individuals started to concentrate to a single point. Dyre¡¯s orb was ready to blast anyone in its way, while Altan¡¯s broken sword was ready to cut through anything.


    ¡°Moon¡­Shower!¡±- Dyre screamed as he launched a powerful beam from the dense magic that he concentrated.


    ¡°Last¡­Dawn¡­Strike¡±- Altan yelled as he was pushed by a flame that was as big as wildfire. His broken blade shined the brightest, he ever shined that night.


    With all of their magical energies condensed to a single point, both clashed. The encounter created a blinding light with a sound of 100 thunderstorms together.


    ¡°Boooom¡­creek¡­crack!¡±

 5. Only one left standing

    A glaring light made Elio close his eyelids. A cracking sound of energy collision bursted through the entire valley of White Town. Glass fitted on the windows shattered, trees close to the collision unrooted and flew away for metres.


    Elio was unable to see what was happening, a huge gust of wind started pushing everything in its path. Elio flew away hitting his back against the wall of the house he was taking shelter in. Shattered glass came flying his way, he tried to move his body but with all the wind pressure he was unable to move an inch.


    The glass came in fast, piercing Elio¡¯s body. It was mere fate that saved him as the glasses missed vital organs and arteries of Elio.


    On the battlefield Altan was still battling with the deadly beam sent out by Dyre. Both of the individuals gave out all of their strength to seal the moment. This was their final attempt to make sure their opponent would be dead, lying on the ground.


    ¡°Die!...Die!¡­Die!¡± - Dyre screamed with anger, as he kept on pushing his beam towards Altan.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaagh¡±- Altan went straight into the beam, cutting through it bit by bit, with his broken sword. The broken sword kept on making a cracking sound, as he pushed through the beam.


    ¡°Boooooom.¡± A huge energy discharge took place. Destroying all of the buildings, and forestation near it. Elio was also knocked out cold, his house where he was taking shelter also gave up. It started breaking into rubles.


    The explosion was so massive that it created a huge cloud of dust, in the shape of a mushroom. The mushroom cloud was so massive that it could be seen from a long distance.


    Rocks and rubbles burning were showered all across White Town. The town was now covered with smoke and dust. The smoke went through all of the passages and streets of White Town. For a moment there was complete silence in the entire area.


    Elio, who passed out, came between some of the rubble of his building. He got lucky as he was on the top floor, so a very light amount of rubles fell on them.


    After a few minutes, the dust started to clear out. The battlefield started to be visible. Two figures, it was clear from the silhouette that only one of the figures came out as victorious.


    The dust cleared out completely. Altan¡¯s sword was now completely gone, the half broken sword was not able to take the pressure of Dyre¡¯s magic.


    The prosthetic part of Altan¡¯s body was destroyed in the clash. Sparking can be seen at the edges of the destroyed prosthetic.


    Altan with half of his body destroyed, with a half broken sword which now turned to dust somehow emerged victorious. He stood there holding the handle of his sword above his head marking his triumph over Dyre, an orb of night, while the left part of his body bled mercilessly.


    Dyre was lying down, his eyes still open. He had a huge hole in his chest, which oozed with dense and dark blood. His eyes which were once filled with hatred now filled with tears.


    With his teary eyes Dyre smiled looking at the dark sky, with snow falling down directly on his face.


    ¡°You gave it all, didn''t you? I am impressed that people like you are still present in this cruel world.¡±- Dyre said with a very weak and fainting voice.


    Altan came down on his knees to hear Dyre¡¯s last words. ¡°Do you really believe that this child will be the one? Hahaha, good for you.¡±- Dyre had a satisfied look on his face.


    ¡°I want to end all of this chaos,I want balance, all these sun and moon differences. I always wanted to make this world a better place. I know my strength is not enough, my goals are bigger than my potential. But, someone must take the initiative.¡± - Altan said slowly, while he kept on coughing blood.


    ¡°Take the boy and get away far from here general, fulfil your duties and let me fulfil mine. Save the boy, and I hope you succeed in the gambit. It will benefit all of us. I¡¯ll see you in hell, Altan son of Hadrian. It was a wonderful battle, but I¡¯ll take your leave now with a¡­bang!¡± - Dyre said softly while tears kept on dripping from his eyes.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°May you find peace, may you receive all the compassion that we were never able to provide you. Until we meet again¡±- Altan said as he got up and started walking towards Elio.


    Dyre smiled, and a huge beam of energy was seen shooting straight towards the sky. Dyre was dead, but all of the magical energy inside his body came out rushing.


    An enormous energy discharge took place, with blinding light and cracking sound. It destroyed everything in its way. The trees, buildings, statues, everything, the whole White Town turned to dust.


    The blast was so strong that the light coming out of it could be seen for more than a minute.


    ¡°Boooooooom¡±.


    With a cracking sound, releasing all of his energy, Dyre, an orb of night, died. He smiled when death was at his doorstep. He accepted death like a true hero, a true hero of Indu. The darkness inside him faded away, with a bang he left the world.


    ¡ú


    Somewhere in the Grande mountain range.


    ¡°Aaaaaghhhh¡±, a monster with a large sword attacked a woman.


    The woman dodged the large sword by slipping at the right moment. The monster after the attack was now in a very vulnerable position as its right neck was completely defenseless. The woman joined her fingers, and aimed for the monster''s neck.


    ¡°Sun Dry¡±- The woman said while her hands pierced through the thick skin of the monster. She quickly removed her hands from the wound as the monster''s neck oozed with dense blood.


    The monster dropped on the ground holding its neck, as it was in great pain and having its vital artery ruptured. It died groaning.


    At the same time another monster with a dagger leaped towards the woman from behind. The woman oblivious of the danger was completely defenseless. As soon as the monster could cut through the woman¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Thud¡±, a man with a shield and a short sword came to rescue. He blocked the attack and swifty cuts through the monster¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Nilufer don¡¯t drop your guard, we are at war. Focus!¡±- The man exclaimed with resolve.


    ¡°Sorry, won¡¯t happen again.¡± Nilufer said, cutting through another monster coming their way.


    It was a fierce battle between the two groups. One side there were monsters, and on the other humans. The monsters outnumbered them but, the strength these people had were not of an average human being. They were not only giving a fair fight to the monsters, but were having an upper hand.


    ¡°We need to finish them fast, lord Altan may need our assistance.¡±- Nilufer ordered her men.


    Nilufer, who was a 19 year old young woman, had long red hair with battle scars all over her body. She was very skilled on the battlefield and also had great magical control. Her ability to control large amounts of magic at such a small age and good battle IQ was the reason that she was promoted to a squad captain of one of the houses of Ravi.


    ¡°Boooom¡±, a cracking sound was heard along with a huge mushroom cloud that can be seen forming in White Town. The blast made earth tremble a bit, and rock slides started happening on the mountains.


    ¡°Lord Altan!¡±- Nilufer exclaimed as they kept on battling the remaining monsters.


    ¡°Come on boys, we can do this, show them why we are called protectors of Ravi. Give them hell right on earth.¡±- Nilufer commanded, as all of the soldiers started fighting more aggressively, slaughtering the monsters all around.


    The monsters started to die one by one as soon as none of them survived the fury of the protectors of Ravi.


    ¡°Yaaaay!¡±- The men shouted in glory as all the monsters lay dead in front of them.


    ¡°Crackkkkk¡± a huge beam of light was seen going towards the sky, destroying all of the White Town.


    ¡°Quick! Lord Altan needs us.¡± - Nilufer exclaimed with terror in her eyes, as all of them started advancing towards White Town.


    ¡ú


    In the outskirts of White Town near the foothills of Grande mountain range.


    A silhouette of a man carrying something on his right shoulder can be seen from a distance. He was limping as he looked tired and weak.


    FInally dust cleared, it was Altan who was carrying Elio on his shoulder. Elio who was still unconscious was completely oblivious of the situation happening around him.


    Altan was not in a good shape. He was bleeding very badly, and the right side of his face was completely burned. The burn was so serious that his skull was visible.


    Altan somehow managed to save Elio, as the unconscious boy was harmless and sleeping with peace. Altan smiled looking at Elio and sat down resting his back on a large stone.


    Altan looked at the dark sky, with snow falling down and released a great sigh of relief.


    ¡°You may change all of this young boy, change the world. Get stronger and have faith in yourself. Don¡¯t pick sides, there are no black or white. Everything is grey.¡± - Altan said with a soft voice.


    Unconscious Elio smiled in his sleep, this made Altan chuckle as a drop of tear fell from his eye.


    ¡°Are you cold? Hahah, me too. I want to eat some chicken noodles.¡±- Altan said as he started shining brightly.


    The glare was so bright that the whole valley started shining. His light reached the mountains and White Town which was now all dust and stones lit up again. His warmth eased up Elio as he snuggled and held on tightly sleeping on Altan¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Lord Altan! Is that you? Finally we found you.¡± - Nulifer screamed with joy.

 6. We Love You! General

    Nulifer along with all the members of her squad came in search of Altan. Altan who shined so bright that it guided them to reach him. As they kept getting closer the light started to get dimmer and dimmer.


    It felt like Altan¡¯s strength was wearing away. His magical aura was getting weaker. Nulifer and her squad rushed down the slopes of rocky and snowy mountains.


    ¡°Lord Altan! Is that you? Finally we found you.¡± - Nulifer screamed with joy.


    All of the squad members released a sigh of relief. But, now the light which was burning to its brightest is now completely gone.


    Altan was sitting with his back resting on a rock with Elio sleeping peacefully on his lap, his light was gone. His allies were not able to feel his energy anymore. Altan was not moving and had no expressions, one of his hands completely gone while the other covered Elio¡¯s eyes in order to protect them from his glare.


    Nulifer came closer to Altan and had a dreadful look in her eyes. Altan, once beautiful and elegant, had one side of his face burned off with half of his body missing.


    ¡°Take the boy and tend his wounds.¡±- Nulifer ordered her men to take care of Elio.


    ¡°Lord!...Lord Altan!...wake up, we are here. Sire, wake up¡±- Nulifer started calling out for Altan. She started shaking him in order to wake him up. But, Altan was still and showed no signs of waking up.


    ¡°Men come help me, look Lord Altan is not waking up.¡±- Nulifer called out for her men with tears starting to drip from her eyes. Her face and nose flushed with redness, and an expression of desperation filled her eyes.


    The soldiers stood there with their helmets in their hands with watery eyes. All of them sobbing and crying out as they understood. They were not able to look directly in Nulifer¡¯s eyes as everyone was devastated by the fact that Altan was dead.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, fools? Wake him up..¡±- With this Nulifer started crying out loud, tears dripping on cold snow as she screamed, and groaned with pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­Lord Altan! Come back, no one will give you any more documents to study.¡± - Nulifer kept on repeating and crying for her general. Her squad members came to console her as she was losing control.


    The soldiers devastated fell down on their knees, the unexpected happened. Nulifer kept on weeping. The man who saved Nulifer from the monster, back at the mountains, came to pick her up and console her.


    ¡°Joshua help me, I can¡¯t lose him¡±- Nulifer with vulnerability in her eyes pleaded the man.


    ¡°Get up on your feet captain, you have a squad to manage. What do you think Lord Altan would have done at this moment? Get up Nulifer your squad awaits your command.¡± - Joshua with resolve in his heart and water in his eyes picked Nulifer up.


    Something struck Nulifer¡¯s mind and she remembered some words from Altan. ¡°Duty first child, come on we have big dreams, they require big sacrifices.¡±


    Nulifer wiped away her tears which kept on dripping. ¡°Come on boys, don¡¯t you want to give our general a proper see off?¡± - Nulifer ordered her men with a shaking voice to arrange wood and fire.


    A bed of wood was arranged and Altan was carefully placed on it, soldiers started covering his face with wood. Nulifer took a last look at Altan''s face.


    He was smiling.


    The arrangement was done, Joshua held the fire in his hands and went up to Nulifer to give her the honour.


    ¡°You do it Joshua.¡± Nulifer refused the offer, her resolve showing in her eyes. Joshua understood and went close to the bed of wood where Altan lay smiling.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Woosh¡± flame raised as Joshua lit up the wood. Soldiers tried a lot to portray their manliness by not crying, but tears kept on falling from their eyes.


    ¡°May you find peace, and lots and lots of food in your afterlife, especially chicken noodles. Have fun out there, we will miss you. Don¡¯t forget about me, about us. We all love you.¡±- Nulifer said with teary eyes.


    ¡°We love you Lord Altan. Our general.¡± All of the soldiers shouted in sync as the flames kept on getting stronger and stronger.


    Elio woke up, still very weak, tired and sleepy. He was unable to recognize the place around him. All he could hear was everyone shouting how much they love Altan. Elio saw a flame burning and released a sigh of relief as it ensured that Altan won the fierce battle.


    Oblivious of the situation, the boy snuggled, smiled and went for another nap. The fire continued to burn with taking Altan¡¯s soul


    ¡°They say that when a true Ravi dies, his or her soul dissolves into energy that flows within us.¡± Nulifer said to Joshua who was sitting beside her with his chin down.


    ¡°I am not able to understand this, if his energy was depleting why did Lord Altan start shining that bright. He should have conserved his energy, this makes no sense.¡± - Nulifer kept on saying with a confused look.


    ¡°Because a star shines brightest before it dies.¡±- Joshua replied.


    Joshua got up and began helping his squad mates, they made arrangements. They had a very long journey back home. They prepared to set up camp for tonight and start advancing towards the east as the new moon strikes the sky.


    White Town vanished from existence, nothing remains. All the vegetation, people, buildings, everything vanished. Only rubles and memories remained. This town experienced the greatest beatles between two of the strongest living creatures ever walked on this planet.


    Night passed away, the next night they started advancing towards the east. The path to home was not easy, it was very tough, filled with all kinds of danger and struggles. They put Elio on a horse who was still sleeping due to fatigue.


    They moved towards the Grande mountains and crossed it. White Town was now out of sight. Squad members with strong will and heavy hearts marched forward leaving the White Town behind for good. Their general everywhere in the air give energy to the world.


    Elio finally woke up, the sudden change in the environment around him scared the shit out of him. He noticed that he was on a horse and all the soldiers were marching beside him. ¡°Is this a dream? Am I dreaming again that I am an army general?¡± Elio thought as a soldier saw him and said ¡°So, you are finally awake. Well good for you, we will reach the great seas in a couple of hours.¡±


    All of sudden Elio grabbed everyone¡¯s attention as he was the last person who saw Altan alive. There were questions from everywhere, all of them wanted to know about what happened to their general.


    ¡°Did you watch the fight? Where were you? Did you see the orb of night?¡±


    ¡°Enough! Save the questions for the long journey on the seas.¡± Nulifer ordered her men, as all of them went quiet.


    Joshua was staring at Elio, his stare was so cold and fierce that Elio quickly took his eyes away from him.


    After a couple of hours they reached one of the great seas of the world, where a huge ship was waiting for them, guarded by many of the men of their squad.


    ¡°Captain is back! Everyone on their feet.¡± The men at the ship greeted the squad as all of them stood in front of them. Everyone got into the ship to go back from where they came from.


    ¡°Raise the anchor, set the sail, we are moving. We should reach Sol City before the full moon is here.¡±  Nulifer ordered her men to start sailing.


    ¡°But ma¡¯am what about the general?¡± - a soldier enquired. This made the whole crew go silent. ¡°Yes, ma''am, where is the general?¡± Considering the situation Elio also got curious and he noticed that Altan was not present there? Is he getting kidnapped? No, the soldiers were asking questions about Altan. They may be Altan¡¯s crew mates.


    Nulifer looked down in silence, her eyes started to get watery again.


    ¡°Our general, he is no more. He fought with a night of orb and won. But, his injury was so vital that he passed away.¡±- Joshua said with a cold look on his face.


    Elio, shocked, fell on his butt and exclaimed with great despair- ¡°What? This can¡¯t be happening, but he was so strong how could he just die. No way Lord Altan is dead.¡± Elio held his head as he was not able to believe his ears. He kept on thinking why all the bad stuff in the world is happening to him.


    ¡°Yes, he is dead, and he died protecting you. He died saving your ugly ass. So, you better be something special, and with the amount of magic potential in your body I don¡¯t think you are; I don¡¯t think you will be able to learn a simple spell.¡± Joshua shouted with rage looking towards Elio.


    ¡°What our general died to save him, but why? Damn you boy I already hate you.¡±- A soldier shouted.


    ¡°Throw him out of the boat, throw him out of the boat.¡±- people started shouting. Joshua¡¯s scowling at Elio got even more fearsome. Elio got scared and didn¡¯t know what his fault was. He did nothing wrong but still his parents and siblings are dead, the person who saved him is gone and now people hated him and wanted him dead. ¡°What on earth is happening to me?¡±


    Joshua unsheathed his sword in order to cut Elio¡¯s head. ¡°Die you brat, you don¡¯t deserve to live.¡± - Joshua said while he advanced towards Elio. Elio was scared and got cornered, his back was against the ship¡¯s wooden wall with death standing in front of him.


    ¡°Joshua stop!¡± - Nulfier shouted, but Joshua already made his decision and he kept on moving forward. ¡°Joshua stop!...Joshua halt I say!¡±- Nulfier kept on screaming.


    Nulifer¡¯s voice was not reaching Joshua¡¯s ears, as his heart kept on pumping blood. He could hear his heart beating loud in his ears. Joshua kept on advancing, gripping his sword tighter and with blood in his eyes.


    ¡°Thwack!¡±

 7. Welcome to Sol CIty

    ¡°Thwack!¡±


    Nulifer slapped Joshua across the face. The sound echoed across the deck. Soldiers froze in surprise; it was very unexpected of Nilufer to slap her second-in-command.


    The slap snapped Joshua back to his senses. He didn¡¯t move an inch or said a word, looking down he slowly sheathed his sword. He turned and walked straight to his cabin.


    Nilufer sighed heavily. ¡°Move your lazy ass, you morons!¡± she shouted as all of the soldiers hastily prepared the ship to set sail.


    She turned towards Elio, reaching out her hand. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name, boy?¡±


    Nulifer looked stunning¡ª her long strands of red hair fell down around her face, her beautiful ocean blue eyes held a very calm but violent personality. Her small hands looked very delicate, but the battle scars told a different story.


    Elio was startled, he got lost into Nulifer''s eyes.


    ¡°Oye? Are you deaf or something!¡±- Nulifer screamed, as she snapped her fingers in front of Elio¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, sorry¡­My name is Elio. I am from White Town. My family was killed a few nights ago by a monster¡­ a soldier of Indu. Lord Altan came to my rescue. I was sure of my demise but his flame kept me alive.¡± - Elio said with despair in his voice.


    ¡°Do you know who Lord Altan was fighting?¡± - Nulifer further enquired, her eyes showing eagerness.


    Elio pulled his knees close to his chest ¨C¡°He was Dyre, the mayor of White Town. Lord Altan addressed him as an orb of night. He was very strong, at times his strength matched with Lord Altan. I was knocked out cold and didn¡¯t know how it ended.¡±


    A dreadful expression formed on Nulifer¡¯s face. ¡°So, it is true¡­ an orb of night is real.¡±


    ¡°Fine you¡¯ve been through a lot, take some rest we will anchor at Land of Hope in a few nights.¡±- Nulifer said before heading to her chambers.


    Elio watched the soldiers as they raised the anchor and they set sail. The wind was on their side,  the ship sailed smoothly. Hours passed as Elio kept himself busy watching the sea waves.


    Suddenly, Elio¡¯s nose caught a whiff of something delicious. His stomach growled loudly¨C he hadn¡¯t eaten in a long time.


    He followed the smell and reached the kitchen. Something was being prepared in a large pot, and it smelled very tasty.


    As he got closer his stomach growled again, this time even louder. A girl with her hair tied up noticed him.


    ¡°Here you can have some of my snacks. The curry will take another 20 minutes.¡±- said the girl, offering him some snacks.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±- Elio quickly took the snacks and started munching on them.


    ¡°Crunch..crunch¡­crunch¡­¡±


    ¡°Woah! You are eating like you haven¡¯t eaten in days,¡±- the girl said, with amazement.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Hello, I am Fitri. I snuck onto this ship by hiding in a container when it was leaving the city. They found me and put me to kitchen duties, because of that fire-spitting woman.¡±-she said, clenching her fists.


    Elio didn¡¯t respond much. With his mouth full, he just nodded.


    Fitri frowned, clearly unhappy with Elio''s behaviour. ¡°YDon¡¯t you know how to respect people? I introduced myself, now it¡¯s your turn. Don¡¯t give me your stupid nods! I even gave you my favourite snacks, and this is how you repay me.¡± Fitri spoke as Elio could see steam blowing out from her ears.


    ¡°Gulp¡±.


    Elio quickly swallowed all the snacks, barely avoiding choking. He let out a big sigh of relief and finally said, ¡°I am Elio. I am from White Town.¡±- Elio said with a slight fear in his eyes.


    Fitri looked even angrier, as steam started to blow out from her ears. ¡°What? That''s it! Where''s my apology? All you people don¡¯t have manners! Here I am telling how disrespected I feel, and all you do is say two words! I don¡¯t even like to talk with strangers, but I helped you because I thought you might be nice. And, look at the attitude¡­¡±


    This kept on going for another hour, Elio sat and listened to Fitri¡¯s lecture while eating the hot curry.


    Suddenly, the ship started moving in a strange way. Barrels and containers rolled across the floor as the ship shook violently. The turbulence took everyone by surprise.


    ¡°Rawwwwwr¡±


    A loud roar echoed across the ship, and panic spread everywhere. The soldiers rushed to control the ship, turning it and raising the sails. Water started rising in a very peculiar manner.


    The water rose only in one spot, pushing the ship downwards. Both Elio and Fitri lost their balance and started to fall. Elio quickly grabbed a wooden railing of the ship.


    Fitri, who was also falling, collided with Elio, and both of them tumbled onto a wooden deck.


    ¡°Rawwwr!¡±


    The roar echoed again. A giant, worm-like monster emerges from the raised water. The ship tilted forward before setting back into a stable position.


    The monster was huge in size. Its mouth wide open, looking like a giant tube. Slimy liquid dripped from the it¡¯s mouth, making it look even uglier. The monster spotted the ship and dived with its mouth towards it.


    The monster missed. The strong water currents pushed the ship back. But, the bow of the ship was destroyed.


    Elio, with fear in his eyes, thanked his luck as if the monster hadn¡¯t missed, there would have been a huge hole in the middle of their ship.


    The monster rose again, with its mouth emptied and angry. The ship was still there, this irritated the monster as it growled. Elio felt the anger brewing inside the monster. This time, the monster aimed carefully for the back of the ship. This time it won¡¯t miss.


    It was coming directly at Elio and Fitri. A huge shadow covered the entire back area of the ship. Elio who had been thanking its luck moments ago. started cursing it. ¡°What a shitty way to die, as a worm food.¡± - Elio thought as the monster approached them.


    Elio closed his eyes accepting his fate, as Fitri started crying for help.


    ¡°Swooosh!¡±


    After a few seconds Elio with his eyes closed. ¡°Wait¡­I am alive, but how?¡± Elio opened his eyes. He saw Joshua ¡ª the same man who had wanted to kill him hours ago. Joshua stood in front of him and was covered with dense dark blood as the monster¡¯s head lay twitching on the deck.


    ¡°He killed that thing.¡± Elio thought as Joshua calmly sheathed his sword.


    A loud cheer erupted from all directions. The soldiers shouted and rooted for their second-in-command.


    Joshua slowly walked towards his cabin, his eyes meeting Nulifer¡¯s.


    Nulifer with a smile on her face - ¡°Good job, you should take a shower, you stench with monster goo.¡±


    Joshua nodded with respect as he went inside.


    ¡°What are these people, where is the strength coming from? Are they even human?¡±


    Elio thought as the soldiers pulled ropes around the monster¡¯s head in order to throw the ugly thing out from the ship.


    ¡°Hahaha, Elio you should have seen yourself! You were scared shitless.¡± Fitri laughed, teasing Elio.


    ¡°Yeah,like people didn¡¯t hear you crying for help,¡± Elio shot back.


    For a moment, there was complete silence. It felt like a storm was about to hit. Elio could see Fitri¡¯s nerves popping, she clenched her fists, gritted her teeth and was about to start her long lectures again.


    ¡°Young lady, I remember assigning you kitchen duties.¡±


    The mere voice of the person made Fitri shiver. It was Nulifer. She stood there, looking scarier than the monster before. Fitri turned around and ran straight back to the kitchen, not daring to look back.


    The night passed, Elio spent most of his time in the kitchen as he was assigned with the cleaning duties. At least he was eating well now, but he kept on getting annoyed by Fitri¡¯s constant chatter.


    After a few hours, an island appeared in the distance. It shone brightly in the dark night sky. Soldiers gathered on  the deck as they had a promising expression in their eyes after being back home.


    The ship anchored at dock, everyone got off. Elio with nowhere to go, followed other soldiers and Nulifer. After a long journey they finally returned back to the Land of Hope.


    Few kilometres ahead a city was located. A city with hope and positivity in the air. It was Sol City, land where even the darkest nights shined the brightest.


    The streets were lit with lamps and flames, giving the entire city a glowing and fiery look.It seemed as if the city was on fire, yet it felt safe and peaceful. Elio couldn¡¯t hide his amazement, he gazed at the tall and beautiful buildings in front of him.


    Elio was amazed with the town monuments and the overall presentation of the city. ¡°So, this is what heaven feels like.¡±- he said softly, his eyes sparkling with wonder.


    Nulifer put her hand on Elio¡¯s head - ¡°Welcome to Sol City. Let the past be past, as from tomorrow, you are starting your life from zero.¡± - Nulifer said with a warm smile.

 8. The Academy for New Generation

    ¡ú Four years later  [ Reign of the Sun ]


    It¡¯s almost seven in the morning, Elio oblivious of the fact still sleeps soundly. A ray of sunlight falls on Elio¡¯s face,  making him displeased.


    ¡°Haaahhh¡±, Elio woke up with a terrified look on his face. ¡°Those nightmares again, damn how long am I going to see the same thing every night.¡± ¨C Elio said, gazing at the sunlight through the open window.


    ¡°How long am I going to see the death of my family and Lord Altan¡± ¨C Elio sighed as he finally got up from his bead.


    Just then something struck Elio¡¯s mind ¨C¡°Shit, the sun, it¡¯s way up in the sky. I am going to get late again.¡±


    Elio hurried as if the world was ending, he went straight to the washroom. He washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror.


    Elio after four years growed a lot. He now had a hint of facial hair on his chin and below his lips. He had a thin but dense moustache, and thick eyebrows. His dark black eyes showed no emotions, and had an apathetic look on his face.


    Long obsidian¨Cblack hair covered his head, with strands dropped covering his forehead and some part of his eyes. He also grew taller, only parts below his small¨Cround nose were visible in the mirror.


    His physique changed drastically. He now had an adequate amount of muscle mass. His collar bones were clearly visible, muscles around his shoulders gave his upper body a stunning look.


    He quickly changed, chewed some crackers as he tied his shoes. He sprinted down the road towards his Academy.


    Sunlight fell on his skin, as he dashed across bridges and districts. Sol City looked beautiful as ever.


    The Academy for New Generation, a school where young children are tutored to be the next protector of Ravi. It is a long journey, everyone is treated the same there. The children who have some potential of magic in them are educated there.


    The excellent bunch of instructors educate the students in every aspect. They are taught how to live their life¨C from knowledge of the books to the mastery in strength to show on the battlefield.


    Elio never had any potential of magic or greatness within his soul. His capability to require an energy level was very volatile. This was the reason Joshua wanted to kill him on the boat four years ago.


    Nulifer, who was the former squad captain of Altan¡¯s house, managed to get Elio in the Academy. As a boy who can¡¯t learn magic, is just an ordinary person. Ordinary people in this world were never able to fulfil their ends meet.


    Elio was now directly under the care of Nulifer. He was suspended multiple times because of his weak energy, and because of all the trouble he caused others. This also impacted Nulifer¡¯s reputation. Elio never liked the fact that Nulifer was required to get involved, and was lectured by the instructors.


    With all of these thoughts running in Elio¡¯s mind he reached the Academy building. The building was built on a giant campus. It had tall buildings for classes and different venues which gave students the experience of battlefields. Being a student of this Academy was a dream of every child in the  Land of Hope.


    Elio rushed through the main gates as it was closing, and sighed in relief.


    The campus was filled with children from the Land of Hope, and other places on earth. Children who looked more sophisticated and tidy than Elio. They looked rich and seemed to have a lavish lifestyle. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Their uniform was well maintained, while Elio wore an untucked shirt and a dirty trouser. His tie was just hanging from his neck ¨C his hair uncombed and his eyes drowsy.


    Elio used to feel jealous of those kids, but now as he grew he overcame those feelings. Nulifer always tried her best to give Elio a good life, a life like the children at the Academy. But, she was also demoted to private guard for the royalties from her post as a punishment for not being able to save Altan.


    After that Joshua was declared the captain of the squad. The general position after Altan still remained vacant.


    Elio blamed himself for Nulifer¡¯s condition as well as the death of Altan. People around him never shied away from making him remember his mistakes. He was mistreated in the Academy by the students, instructors who were followers of Altan never wanted to teach anything to Elio. They also supported any complaints against him.


    Elio walked towards his class, ignoring all of the scowl he got because of his presentation and history. Elio finally reached his class, everyone was already present. He continued walking towards his usual seat at the back.


    ¡°Wow! The filth is back¡± ¨C a boy said out loud. All other students started laughing in sync. This was not new for Elio, he was used to getting bullied. Immature drawings of genitals and words like ¡ª ¡° Die!¡±, ¡°you killed him¡±, ¡°die like your sl*t mother¡±, ¡°Indu child¡± was engraved all over his desk.


    Elio quietly sat down on his chair, as a middle¨Caged man walked in. Students stood up showing their respect towards him, not Elio. He stayed put as if he had something against him.


    The teacher spotted Elio sitting, minding his own business. The teacher was not able to handle this disrespect as he scowled looking at Elio.


    ¡°You, insolent boy. I don¡¯t know why you are present here. You occupied the vacancy of a deserving child. You have zero magical energy inside you ¨C you don¡¯t even show respect to people who give you knowledge.¡± ¨C the teacher commented angrily, pointing towards Elio.


    Elio was nonchalant, he looked the other way¨C his hand on his cheek released a sigh.


    ¡°Get out! Go and stand under sunlight, only he can put some sense into you.¡± ¨C the teacher commanded Elio with rage.


    Elio stood up, without any hesitation went out. He was punished to stand under the sunlight five hours straight ¨C until today¡¯s class will remain in session.


    The class dismissed, students dispersed and enjoyed the scene as Elio stood there with two buckets filled with sand. He stood there still, the weight did not affect him at all.


    Students left and Elio finally completed his punishment. He kept the buckets at their place and started moving straight back home. On his way, few students obstructed his path.


    ¡°Where do you think you are going, brat?¡± ¨C A boy with green hair and deep brown eyes asked Elio. He put his hands around Elio¡¯s shoulder asserting his dominance, while the others smirked with a proud face.


    ¡°Move Asher, I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¨C Elio said, dropping his shoulder, he started walking again. The boy, Asher, lost his balance and fell straight on his face.


    ¡°You will pay for this you Indu brat.¡± ¨C Asher exclaimed as he leaped towards Elio, a green magical sledge-hammer appeared in his hands. The hammer was so big that it could have given Elio some serious damage.


    Elio swiftly dodged the hammer, as the hammer struck the ground. A small depression on the path can be seen very clearly.  Two of Asher¡¯s friends tried to grab Elio from behind, he ducked under one who fell flat on his chest while he striked other with his left elbow.


    The elbow strike was so hard, that the boy flew a couple of metres before he landed on his back. Others started to fall back, as Elio¡¯s dark eyes scared them a bit.


    Asher scowled at Elio, he also knew that even though Elio¡¯s magical energy is zero. Elio¡¯s physical abilities were outstanding. In the Academy Elio¡¯s hand to hand combat was among the top students. He only lacked magic, a major disadvantage for him in a world full of magical energy.


    Elio took a fighting stance, with his hands guarding his face and ribs. Just then, a teacher was passing, Asher understood the situation and told his friends to back off.


    ¡°Consider yourself lucky, but no one¡¯s going to save you from me during the exams for the house.¡± ¨C Asher said, as he and his friends went their way.


    ¡°Exams for the house? What is this shit now?¡± ¨CElio thought, then he suddenly remembered ¡°No, is it already here.¡± This exam was an assessment for students. It is used to select the students for one of the seven houses of Ravi.


    It happens every year for the students of his grade. ¡°Shit this came in quick!¡± I need to do well and get selected. ¡°If I get selected in one of the houses, then Nulifer can finally take a rest.¡±


    Thoughts to make Nulifer proud, and be independent crowded Elio¡¯s mind as he walked slowly to his home.


    The assessment would be on many levels. Students are allowed to use weapons of their choice. At last the house generals selected students who were appropriate for their style of fighting. It was a very tough competition. It would be even harder for Elio as he needs to fight without any magic.


    ¡°Whatever, I can take them all. Need to train harder starting tomorrow.¡± ¨C with this Elio started his usual training routine. He trained his body continuously for the past four years.


    He grew a lot stronger than before. He also tried and tested many means to regenerate magical energy in his body. He bought books and medicines, but nothing helped him.


    Most of the time he got scammed; he still kept on trying in hope.


    ¡°I will train hard and join one of the houses of Ravi¡± ¨C Elio promised himself as he kept on doing his routine kicks and punches

 9. Cursed Sword on SALE!

    Elio woke up early, but remembered that the Academy gave them an exam leave. He sighed¨C this was the first time he woke up this early. Suddenly he recalled the promise he made to himself.


    He got out of the bed and started stretching. He trained his legs and went straight to the punching bag in the corner of his room. He taped his fists which were filled with bruises. Elio¡¯s knuckles in the past few years became dark and thick ¨C skin around it hardened. The sound of his punches echoed in the entire hallway.


    His landlord, who stayed a floor below him, got annoyed by this. He never liked Elio in the first place. Whenever Elio used to train, the entire building used to tremble.The building was old and mostly made up of wood.


    The landlord with his long wooden staff, which he used to walk on, tapped on the ceiling. ¡°I wanted to enjoy my life after retirement. I am old now let me rest you fool.¡±


    ¡ú After a few hours.


    Nulifer came with Elio¡¯s monthly budget. She knocked on the door and entered.


    ¡°Here! Take this.¡± She said by giving out some money wrapped in a paper.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Elio said, his head down.


    Nulifer looked stunning with her hair tied up in a bun, long eyelashes complimented her deep blue eyes. She always had a smile on her face, even though she went through difficult conditions. She consistently smiled.


    Elio always used to get ashamed whenever Nulifer came and gave him some bills. He felt awkward around her, he wanted to be independent. He was unable to land on any part-time jobs because of his reputation in the city.


    It got quieter, he assumed that a small talk can make the air a little bit lighter. ¡°You came early this month.¡± Elio asked, forcing a smile on his face.


    Nulifer brushed her hair and smiled. ¡°Yeah! Well I got a promotion as a private guard for an official. For that I added some extra money. Go treat yourself, and don¡¯t be ashamed everytime I walk in.¡±


    Elio got more embarrassed and started to walk away from her.


    ¡°Oh! All the best for your exams. Don¡¯t lose your confidence, you are a great talent.¡± ¨C Nulifer said, closing the door behind her.


    ¡°Thanks..¡± Elio with a soft voice. ¡°She¡¯s already gone, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Elio¡¯s stomach growled, and he decided to prepare some breakfast. He went outside to buy some groceries. Also, he wanted to treat himself today. He thought of buying some expensive meat with the extra money that Nulifer gave him.


    ¡ú After a long hour of shopping for groceries.


    Elio was exhausted from the heat, the sun was shining bright today with no clouds at all. Sometimes Elio hated the sun, six months was a very long time for him to wait for chilly weather.


    Elio walked down the pavement, his hands full with groceries and mind jammed with thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s time for the meat now, I should go and try that new shop. They may give me a discount.¡±


    He advanced towards the shop which was at a distance. He was drenched in sweat.


    Just then, a man with a gravelly voice called out Elio. ¡°Hey you boy!¡±


    Elio looked towards the sound, with a confused look, Elio pointed towards himself. ¡°Me?¡±


    The man rubbed his hands ¨C-had a mischief and witty smile on his face. ¡°Yes, you want to buy some weapons?.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± Elio replied without looking towards the man and kept walking straight.


    ¡°You have a good physique, a sword can help you achieve more greatness. Lucky you! It¡¯s already on sale. Just have a look.¡± ¨C The shopkeeper continued.


    ¡°Yeah! You have to try way harder, no one can fool me now. I have been through this a hundred-times.¡± Elio thought, as a proud smile appeared on his face. ¡°I have been tricked so many times that I can sense when someone is making a fool out of me.¡±


    ¡°This sword can block and deflect magic also!¡± ¨C The shopkeeper shouted.


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    Just then something struck Elio¡¯s mind. His eyes wide open, he froze where he was. He gulped down a large spit down his throat. ¡°Can it block and deflect magic?!¡±  ELio asked, his eyes filled with curiosity and hope.


    The shopkeeper smiled within. ¡°Yes! Yes! Of Course. Why should I lie to you child?¡±


    ¡°A weapon, a sword¡±, he thought. ¡°I have confidence in my physical abilities. But, the students would use magic in the exam. A sword can help me boost my combat skills.¡±


    ¡°Great! There goes my fancy dinner,¡± Elio sighed. He approached the shop.


    The shopkeeper¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Have a look at this sword, it is said to have fought great battles. It is only for thirty¨Cmudras.¡±


    ¡°Why so low? This looks like a fine katana.¡± Elio enquired.


    The shopkeeper with a mischievous expression. ¡°Consider yourself lucky, this sword is said to have the blood of many warriors.¡±


    Elio picked up the sword, his mind crowded with thoughts. He felt a connection when he held it. ¡°This feels like a part of me.¡± Elio swung the sword, ¡°this is light too, but seems very strong.¡±


    ¡°But, thirty-mudras for this? What about my dinner?¡± The conflict in his head made him lose concentration as he dropped the sword.


    ¡°Swooosh¡­¡±


    The sword dropped as it scratched Elio¡¯s palm who tried to catch the sword. ¡°Damn this thing is sharp,¡± Elio said, sucking the part of his hand which bled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give twenty-five-mudras. I don¡¯t have much.¡± ¨C Elio offered a price to the shopkeeper.


    ¡°Deal it is, trust me you¡¯ll never complain about this.¡± ¨C The shopkeeper rubbed his hands and was filled with joy.


    Elio handed him the money, and took the sword. He turned and walked straight towards his home.


    The shopkeeper smiled as he quickly started packing his belongings.¡°Finally, I got rid of that cursed sword. Also, twenty¨Cfive mudras for that piece of junk; lucky me.¡±


    Elio reached his home and started preparing his dinner. His eyes unfixed, he kept looking at the sword. ¡°I have a feeling, this sword is going to be very advantageous for me.¡± He poured the soup in a bowl and took out the dumplings he bought with the remaining five mudras.


    ¡ú Few days later


    Elio trained with his new katana everyday. He added special sword training routines. He started combining his physical abilities with the weapon; there was a drastic change in his fighting style.


    Elio practiced with his katana, he positioned the sword above his head, holding it from both hands and swinging as hard as he could. His shoulders started hurting with the continuous exhaustion they faced. ¡°I feel very accustomed to the sword. It felt very natural from the day I touched it. With some work, I can do wonders.¡±


    After a while Elio weary dropped on the floor. ¡°No doubt, it is a good weapon. But, will it block and defend magic?¡± Elio thought while he kept staring at the damaged ceiling of his room.


    Just then a thought struck his mind, he got up and screamed, ¡°I should test it!¡±.


    He took the sword and went outside. He searched for people who used to bully him, but he was not able to find anyone. ¡°Come on, where are you Asher when I need you. Bully me, you junk near the trash can.¡±


    He dashed in search of someone who could use magic against him.


    Elio was not able to find anyone at that hour of day. Elio¡¯s energy was completely drained, so he decided to go to a cafe. ¡°Some of the students from the academy visit this place. I might find someone to spar with.¡±


    Elio entered the cafe. ¡°Splendid! No one¡¯s here.¡±


    There was no one in the cafe except a woman¨C who worked there, her face covered with a mask. She wore a cap, with the shop name engraved on it.  Elio could see her eyes smile, as he entered the cafe. ¡°What would you like to have sir?¡± She asked with a soft voice.


    Elio got closer, he saw the badge on the woman''s chest. ¡°Raven¡±, Elio gazed at the woman''s dark eyes which felt like a void.


    For a moment there was complete silence, the woman waited for Elio to say something. ¡°Stop staring already! Maybe I should break the ice.¡± She showed the menu to Elio. ¡°Sir! May I help you with the menu?¡±


    Elio snapped and cleared his throat. ¡°Miss. Raven tell me why¡¯s the cafe so quiet today?¡±


    Elio could see the woman¡¯s eyes roll. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s 2 in the morning. No one drinks coffee at this hour.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let me have a regular coffee.¡± Elio sighed. He turned to find a place to sit.


    ¡°I am tired, I shouldn¡¯t have sprinted all across the city.¡± Elio thought as he yawned. ¡°I need some rest, nowadays I work out a lot.¡± Elio sipped his coffee slowly and went through some headlines in the newspaper.


    Suddenly the cafe door opened wide. Three people, two men and a woman entered. All three of them approached the counter. All three of them were covering themselves with a black robe and a mask on their face.


    All three of them started discussing the order, the cashier oblivious of the danger around her. She was genuinely helping her customers. ¡°Ma¡¯am you all could try these, it comes with a complimentary cookie.¡±


    Elio gave a side eye to the cashier. ¡°Wait they are getting a complimentary cookie, she never mentioned such a deal to me how ignorant.¡±


    But from their behaviour, they didn¡¯t come just for a coffee but for more. One of the men kept on fidgeting with his hands, in his pocket, while the other stared down Elio.


    This made Elio conscious, he drank his coffee but now his guard went up. Elio kept a clear vision on all three of them.


    ¡°This is fishy, who covers themselves with a robe when the fucking sun is out 24 x 7.¡± Elio put his newspaper down and approached for his sword.


    A man slowly approached and sat on a table adjacent to Elio. ¡°This might get dirty. I just hope the cashier can defend herself. I don¡¯t want to play hero here.¡± Elio drank a large sip of coffee, putting the cup aside.


    There was complete silence in the room.


    Just then, the woman threw away her robe. She pulled a huge bag attached to her waist. ¡°Hey lady! It would be very co-operative of you,if you just put down all the mudras right in this bag.¡±


    The cashier panicked, as a blank expression could be seen in her eyes. ¡°What! You don¡¯t need coffee? Wait! Wait! You shouldn¡¯t do this.¡± She thought with an ignorant attitude, ¡°I might be able to talk them out of it. They shouldn¡¯t do this. Why do I always get entangled with goofballs? Come on Raven think.¡±


    The man beside her, drew out his weapon. It was twin daggers. The daggers were sharp and it was enchanted with magic.


    ¡°So, they are strong. They know how to enchant their weapons.¡± Elio thought, a sword inches away from his throat.


    The man beside him, pointed a sword towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare move boy, and yes you never saw what happened.¡±


    Elio sighed, he reached into his pocket to put down his charge for the coffee on the table. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this kid? Don¡¯t move bi*ch¡± The man said as he moved the sword closer to his throat.


    Elio with his dark eyes looked directly into the man¡¯s eyes.  ¡°I can sense, you don¡¯t have any intentions to kill me.¡±


    Elio¡¯s confidence startled the man. He put his sword away, and started laughing. ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Hearing the man laugh, his other two members also started laughing.


    The quiet cafe echoed with sounds of laughter.


    The man at the counter sliced the coffee brewing machine in half. Raven, now more defensive, took a step back. The sound of steam coming out of the broken machine could be heard. ¡°What the fu*k are you doing, standing still. Put the mudras in the bag!¡± The woman shouted.


    The man put his hand on Elio¡¯s shoulder and smiled with his pale yellow teeth. ¡°Hahah! Don¡¯t you know brat. We are the Resistance.¡± He punched the coffee table with his fists enchanted by magic. The table broke in two pieces. ¡°We don¡¯t hesitate to kill.¡±