《Adav》 Prologue A vast sea of red covered the field, hundreds of bodies of young and old alike, the stench of death radiating all throughout the horizon, yet not a single sound can be heard except for two figures at the top. Ashan, a warrior in his 30s barely clad in armor yet not a single cut can be seen, wielding a single sword. Its metallic surface giving a dark rusted gleam from all the bodies it has cut down, yet its form is in perfect condition. Contrasting the solemn figure lies kneeling at the ground, a more heavily armored soldier, his shield and sword battered and unusable, his blood flowing under his armor. "Damn it, if only we had someone chosen too, this battle would have been different" The general spats, glaring at the man standing in front of him. He knew he didn''t have long before he joined the countless bodies surrounding them. "I bet it feels real good to have been blessed and now return as a hero after killing countless young soldiers" He continues, at the very least before he goes, --- But the man in front of him said nothing to him, looking past him towards the overall field of dead soldiers with a solemn look. "Hey! Don''t ignore me! You monster! The only thing youre good for is killing- hngk!" The general kept lashing out until a sword suddenly pierces him from behind. Someone else has arrived "Shut up and just die quietly you scum. That''s no way to talk to sir Ashan" says the new arrival, he wore the same outfit as Ashan, but unlike him, there were cuts riddled around and bandages on his body, his equipment chipped in places. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Garjan, how many of us are left?" Ashan asks, not taking his eye off from the horrid view. "Including us, a few dozen. You can take it easy now, the rest has successfully stormed their keep" Gajan replies enthusiastically. "Thanks to you sir, holding off hundreds of their men in place, we succeeded faster than estimated" Ashan looks at the sword he was holding, it''s form still perfect but its luster fading with all the blood that''s tainted it. "Yet, most of our soldiers still died" "That''s just war sir, lives are lost for the good cause. But on the other hand, we can now say that the war is over" says Gajan enthusiastically. "And when we return, we''ll be hailed as heroes!" "¡­ Heroes huh" Ashan sighs softly "Gajan, I don¡¯t think I''ll be going back with you" he continues, tossing his sword to Gajan "S-sir? What do you mean by that?" "I¡­ I''m just tired." "But, wasn''t this your dream? After you''ve just been marked as one of the chosen?" Gajan asks, indicating a mark on his upper arm, a mark of lightning is embedded, softly glowing with power "It was a na?ve dream of a young man, but now that the war is over, I can finally take a step back from all of this" Ashan says as he starts to walk away "Where will you go sir? If you wish it, I can go with you!" Gajan says running to him "No, it''s fine. Im thinking of living differently, being a hero isnt for me anymore" He replies, not stopping Gajan slowed his pace. It seems he can''t stop him. "Then, I''ll be the hero you''ve wanted to be, no even greater! Then I''ll let everyone know of your name". He shouts, gripping onto his sword But Ashan continues to leave, waving his hand as a goodbye. That was the last time Ashan was ever seen on the battlefield, a legendary warrior, whose speed no one could keep up with, and power that no defenses could stop. Chapter 1 In a place by the side of a mountain, near a village, lies a dojo. Despite it''s distance, it boasted a few dozen students training under it. Their ages vary anywhere from a teenager to older adults, all doing the same swings , and in front of all of them teaching the sword *Boom A small explosive sound is made with each swing of his sword. Instead of the swoosh expected to be heard from slashing of a sword, it''s speed which appears to disappear for the naked eye, could create a sonic blast with its sheer speed and power. The one wielding this is an older man around in his late 40s. The other students try mimicing the same slash, but contrary to what an outsider would expect, it wasn¡¯t the sound or power they were practicing but percision "You can be flash all you want, but it wont matter if you miss" Right now each student were practicing under a tree, with the falling leaves their target, it was a difficult process not knowing when the next leaf would fall and needing to cut it quickly. But among them, there is one where the leaves under him have all been cut. A young boy whose feature are similar to the master of the dojo, Adav. "Father, isn''t this enough? Teach me the more advanced moves" He says to the master rather bored. "Be patient, you need to develop your foundations before anything else" The master, or to say his father replies nonchalantly. "Come on, check this out then. I had Patnav teach me before he left" Adav says as he raises his sword up. He looks at a dummy about 20 feet from him. Slowly he lowers his body to a half crouch, then in one motion dashes to the target while swinging his sword down. Schwing The dummy is cleanly cut in half, showing the child''s mastery with the slash, yet his father keeps watch without change in his stoic expression. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Lightning bolt huh, that Patnav, causing trouble even after leaving. You have the idea down, but as I said, your foundations are lacking. Stand back and watch" He says, picking up a wooden sword beside him then focusing on the same dummy, but from his position is about 50 feet away. He takes the same pose as his son but a more relaxed manner, before fully disappearing from his students sights, appearing behind the dummy, it being already cut earlier was once again cut cleanly in half. The lightning mark on his upper arm slightly glowing "If you focus your energy in your legs, you should be able to go at speeds and distance at around this level. If youre done with your practice swings, train your footwork next" He continues the lecture as he walks back to the dojo entrance "T-that''s no fair! You got the mark to help you" Adav grumbled. "Even before I got the mark, this much should be a reasonable goal" He calmly replies, sitting down to watch the rest of the students who stopped their training to listen in. "For the rest of you, back to training and don¡¯t get distracted" he barks Adav grumbles under his breath before walking to another part of the dojo to work on his footwork. "Aren¡¯t you being a bit too strict with him dear?" A voice comes from behind the father. A woman around the same age, with long dark blue hair contrasting her bright colored dress. She was carrying a wooden tray with a few cups of tea. She sets them down beside him and sits on the other end. "He''s doing far better that the other students his age" She continues, taking a cup and taking a sip "This is the path he chose, getting complacent wont do him any good" "Just like how you grew up?" "¡­" "Times have changed dear, the war here has long passed. You don¡¯t need to worry" "I''ve heard another has come up down south. Garjan came over to warn me a few days ago" "I''m sure they''ll have no business going out their way here to some remote mountain" "I just have a bad feeling" "Don''t worry, if need be, we can leave at a moments notice" He gives a pained smile. "Thank you" "Mo``om, have you seen Adav" A voice calls out from further in the dojo. A younger boy, rubbing his eyes, it seems he just woke up. "He''s out training honey, you should get something to eat first" "Again? But he does that everyday" The kid grumbles as we walks to the kitchen "Shall I call over Adav for a break then?" "No, after Raka''s eaten" Their days goes by with relative peace, until a few days later, in the middle of the night, Ashan woke everyone and tell them to get ready to leave. Adav, curious as lights were present outside, decides to take a peek while his mother and younger brother were packing their things. Chapter 2 Outside he sees his father facing a large number of people in armor, all foreign looking, except one, a familiar face from long ago, his fathers best student Patnav. He too was wearing similar clothes with the army behind him and was speaking with his father. "Patnav? What''s he doing here, didn''t he say he''s going to war?" But as he watched, his father drew his sword. It seems they are at a disagreement "Adav, hurry we must leave" Suddenly his mother hisses at him from behind and bagins dragging him out behind the dojo to a hidden exit. "Wait, but father! He''s alone out there and theres a lot of them!" He says trying to resist. "He''ll be fine, the best we can do to help is to flee. We''ll only be a burden when he fights" "No, but!" Adav''s mind raced. It wasn''t just fear for his father that he wanted to help, deep down, he also saw this as a chance to prove that he can fight alongside him. "There''s something I forgot in my room, I''ll catch up" He says as he forcefully runs to his room. His mother doubtful, but with their younger son not that capable yet, she decides to carry him herself and prays that Adav does flee But contrary to this, Adav did indeed go to his room, but to retrieve his sword. He takes a peek at the window, even from inside the house, booming thunder can be heard, the field that once once filled with soldiers right now is littered with soldiers groaning and on the ground bleeding, hands or feet sut off. At the center of the field is Ashan zipping through as he fights against Patnav. So far it seems Ashan can deal with the whole army by himself, Adav thought amazed, until a large man arrives on the field, clad in heavy armor, only his face is visible. "I was wondering what was taking my men so long, Patnav said you were growing old and barely fought but it seems you can still put up a fight. Ha ha ha ha" He bellows Patnav arrives at his side kneeling. "im sorry sir, it''s taking everything in me just to survive" The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Don''t worry, as expected, only a marked can defeat a marked" He says grinning Ashan taking this opportunity, disappears from everyones sight, then to the large man that just appeared, thrusting his sword to his vulnerable face. *Boom Another thunderous blow, the man staggers backwards before revealing that the thrust only resulted to a scratch on his forehead "No mercy to the leader huh, even though you''ve spared my men''s lives" He grins. "But I gotta say, that hurt more than I expected" Ashan stood still for a moment. "Leave now, or my next strike will pierce through your skull" "Ha ha ha, a bluff. I''m sure you yourself felt it when I arrived." The large man continues, removing his gloves to reveal a mark on his hand, a crest of mountain embedded and glowing faintly "A shame our matchup isnt a good one" "I am Taegun the Immovable, Conqueror of the lands" With that last word, he begins running towards Ashan. Ashan escapes easily, but Taegun continues his dash past him. "I can tell, with your skills, escape would be easy, so why endanger yourself? It''s because your making time for your family to escape right" As he says this, he blasts through the dojo. Adav quickly hid, avoiding Taegun as he mows past the door. His father tries to follow but Patnav attacks him as he turned his back, this was blocked easily but the message is clear. "Master Ashan, surrender to the army and no harm will be done to your family" "It seems I can''t keep holding back anymore" Ashan mutters softly, his mark glowing more fiercely. To which Patnav senses and takes a defensive stance. Ashan appears in front of him in an instant, a slash aimed to his neck, which he was able to block *slash Blood spills as Patnav falls back, his sword cut as well as a part of his neck. He tries covering it with his hands trying to stop the bleeding. "You''re no longer my student" He says coldly, raising his sword again Then Taegun bursts from the walls, cleaving towards Ashan, who quicky moves out of the way. "Heh, you thought I''m gonna leave you to slaughter my men, this was all planned from the start" He says as the soldiers whose limbs were cut earlier returns good as new, the only sign of the damage they received is from the damaged armor now absent. All had bows and stood behind Taegun "Now in an enclosed space, you can''t move as well can you?" Taegun laughs "Tae- help-" Patnav manages to speak as he lays on the floor. He''ll need a healer quick or he''ll die "Sorry Patnav, I can''t let this enemy get away now that he''s cornered. Archers fire!" Taegun commands as he himself leaps into the fray Adav watches in dread as Taegun fights his father amidst raining arrows, Taegun unbothered by the volleys, Patnav who was also there ignored as he is punctured by friendly arrows. Ashan desperately deflects the arrows but any attempts of escape is stopped by Taegun, with his back against a wall, this situation is getting more and more dire. Adav quickly leaps into the fray, making the move he practiced over and over in the past days "Haaa!" He dashes to the nearest archer, who seeing him raised his arms in defense *Slash "Aaaah!" The soldier screamed as his hands were cut and his shoulders pierced, but still alive. He flails his cut arms, making Adav step back. The rest of the people in the room has took notice of him "Adav! Run!" His father calls out, as the rest of the soldiers took aim at him. His mind begins racing, what should I do now? Try taking out more soldiers? But that would mean getting through the hail of arrows. Can I even deal with those? His mind freezes. run or fight? As the hail of arrows were let loose, another booming sound, next thing he knew, he was knocked off, his father standing where he was a moment ago, parts of him now punctured by arrows. "Run!" His fathers yells "Take care of the others" Facing close death for the first time as reality crashes down on him as he fell to the ground, Adav finally listens and begin running down the mountain. Sounds of thunder and fighting behind him slowly fade. Chapter 3 Adav ran, through the woods in the dead of the night. It was a long way down, he knew where his mother and brother would have gone to, but with the darkness surrounding him and the guilt and fear gnawing inside him, every step he took felt much heavier. He is alone, he ran while his father fought, much worse, because of him¡­ The image of his father punctured by arrows seep into his mind "I should go back" Adav thinks as he turns around, but at the same time the image of the soldiers bows aimed at him resurfaced. His leg froze, making him more frustrated. "Come on, weren''t you training to be like father?! Move!" He says to his legs as he hit them. They won''t dare take a step back "I know, I could get help" He says, trying to calm himself. "Maybe someone can help" Thinking that, he turns back to the road he was taking and continues running downhill Minutes or perhaps hours passed, he can''t tell anymore, But at some point, he did catch up with his mother and brother. He began telling his mother what had happen, sobbing and saying they should find help. His other reassures him that everything will be fine, for now they just need to get to safety, then she''ll find help. The moments after that was a blur. He remembers arriving at some house, whose, he wasn¡¯t sure. Once he was able to lie down, a wave of exhaustion settles on him and he fell into a deep slumber. But this peaceful slumber doesn¡¯t last, as even in his dreams, the scenes of attack continues to replay in his mind, having him wake up multiple times in the night. "Don''t worry, mom said it''s all going to be fine, by morning, father should be back" He mutters to himself to calm himself and fall asleep again The next morning, he and his younger brother are awoken by their mother, talling them they need to hide quickly. Outside, they can hear lots of footsteps and loud voices. Adav hears. The voice was not familiar, but the name Taegun, he remembers it from last night. "Mom, they''re probably the same ones from last night" He says, feeling his body freeze up. If they are here, what happened to father? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Shh, just keep it down, we don¡¯t know anything yet ok? Your father may be ok for the time being" Their mother reassures them with a smile as she leads them somewhere else "For now, we''ll lay low and wait for them to leave, then we can go back home" She continues "mo~om, im hungry" Adav''s younger brother, Raka mutters. "Stop talking, you think we can find food in this situation?" Adav hisses. Although he was hungry too, he knew they can''t be seen by the soldiers, or they too might be attacked "Don''t worry you two, just stay here, I''ll see if I can find us something" Yet their mother gets up to go out. "But it''s dangerous out there!" Adav insists. He didn¡¯t know how many there were, but the image in his memory was of the soldiers aiming their bows at him, each one ready to kill "Don''t worry, I''ll be careful. Just make sure you both stay here ok?" She assures them before leaving Yet even with those assurances, Adav can''t help but worry. To the point of growing frustrated with his brother, Raka''s, seeming ignorance of the matter seeing as he decided to look for things to play with. He wanted to go out and help as he still had his sword, but his body freezes when he tries to do so But to his relief, his worst scenarios didn''t happen as after an hour or so, their mother comes back with some food. "See, I got some food. But for now, returning home might be difficult, there are soldiers patrolling the perimeter, so we''ll have to stay here for a while longer ok?" She says as she gave each of her sons a portion of the food. "But what about dad? You said he was coming here" Raka complains as he ate "Don''t worry, he may just have some business. He''s super strong you know, a few soldiers can''t stop him" The mother says to reassure them. Surely, she''s known him for far longer and may have seen him fight before, but she didn¡¯t see what happened at the house last night, so maybe I should tell her. Adav thought, but he decided not to, thinking that telling her would be like admitting their father won''t be coming back. So instead he just decided to eat quietly. It is now late evening, Raka is sound asleep while Adav is simply staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. With nothing to do, he thinks that trying to sleep would at least keep him from getting hungry quickly. But as he was about to drift into slumber, he hears a faint sobbing. He looks to where his mother should be to find her spot empty. He decided to silently follow the sounds outside. He hesitates when reaching for the knob, but knowing there weren''t much guards, he manages to slowly open it and peek outside. There, in a spot a bit secluded was his mother sobbing. It seems she went there so she won''t wake either of us. Normally he would have gone to her to try and comfort her, but to Adav, her crying also meant that the worst may have happened to his father. Despair gripped him once again. No, it can''t be, she said he was strong, there''s no way anyone can beat him. He thought, recalling his mothers words But then, the image of him, taking the arrows sent to him also resurfaced. Maybe if he was alone, he could have, but he had to protect me¡­ and that''s why he¡­ Adav''s mind begins turning on itself as despair turns to guilt. It''s my fault he''s gone, if I hadn''t stayed, then maybe¡­ It''s my fault¡­ It''s my fault¡­ It''s my fault I should go back, maybe father is still there fighting, even if I get hit by an arrow, I should help. I''m strong right? The best in the dojo right? A strange mix of thoughts began surfacing, and in the midst of this, he cuts a part of his shirt. He has to go back, but they might worry if I disappear, so at least a message, but I got nothing to write with¡­ I should go and look for something- no, I cant waste more time. Father''s life could be in danger the longer I wait. Taking out his sword, he pricks his thumb, and writes with his blood. After finishing his short message, he decides to run back to the mountain in the dead of the night.