In the dark forest and under the pitch-black night, a group of soldiers belonging to the King of Andorra, "King Arthur," was searching throughout the kingdom for two men carrying two books. These two men, nobles, had arrived in the kingdom yesterday evening, causing a great stir in a famous tavern.
The Commander of the soldiers: "Search for the two men in every corner of the kingdom. Leave no place uninspected."
A soldier: "We have found the tavern where they caused the commotion!"
The Commander: "Good, let us split into groups."
The soldiers, accompanied by their commander, headed to the mentioned tavern, only to find the tables smashed and bodies lying wearily on the ground. They wondered in astonishment: how could only two men cause all this destruction?
At that moment, they found the tavern waiter and his assistant unharmed, so they took them for interrogation before the King. The two men had no choice but to comply.
The Commander brought the waiter and his assistant to the King, who began questioning them about what had happened in the tavern.
The King: "Describe the appearance and characteristics of these two men to me."
The waiter trembled nervously for moments before composing himself and saying: "My Lord, I thought it was Adrian Bryan, but given his skills and height, he is someone else. However, there is a vendetta I must settle with him—a vendetta for me and for the leader of the Northern Sea Pirates."
The King (angrily): "I do not care for your trivial stories and ridiculous vendettas!"
Then he calmed down slightly and continued: "So he is from the Bryan family, but not Adrian. Who was with him?"
The waiter: "I do not know, but he had white hair and blue eyes. I did not focus on the rest of the details; all my focus was on the Bryan boy."
The King: "Were they carrying books?"
The waiter: "I could not focus on that, My Lord."
The King: "Fine, get out of my sight."
Then he called out: "Army Commander!"
The Commander came immediately, answering: "Yes, My Lord."
The King (with a scowling face): "Intensify your efforts and find the two men!"
Army Commander: "Your command, My Lord."
On one of the nights in the Kingdom of Andorra, several days after the arrival of Kayden and Eugene, the days were far from quiet; they were filled with events and sudden shifts. One of the camp's scouts rushed to Marcus, saying to him quickly:
"The search for Kayden and Eugene has intensified, but fortunately, they do not know their identities yet."
Marcus turned to the two young men and said to them, his face pale with worry:
"The situation has become dangerous for you. You must leave the kingdom immediately!"
Kayden and Eugene replied together:
"What?"
"They have intensified the search for you, and you must leave now. I will send someone with you to help on your journey. His name is Rein, and he will be of great help to you."
Marcus added: "We will prepare the ship for you as soon as possible, so get ready until the time comes."
The three hurried to pack their belongings. During this, Kayden was amazed by the muscles of Rein, who had a massive physique, long brown hair, and brown eyes.
Kayden approached him curiously and asked about his age, to which Rein replied:
"Thirty-two years old, sir."
Kayden replied with a smile:
"Do not say 'sir,' Mr. Rein, for you are older than I."
Rein said, smiling:
"But you are of the nobility!"
Kayden answered, looking at him firmly:
"William would never have wanted a world like this, where people treat one another this way. 'Noble' is a quality, not a status."
Meanwhile, Marcus returned in a hurry to tell them that the ship was ready and that they must leave now for the western shore of the Kingdom of Andorra!
On the other side of the kingdom, on the northern shore, the ship of Adrian and his men docked in the Kingdom of Andorra, seeking the cause of the chaos and to speak with the King.
As for the forest, while the three were running toward the western shore, they were spotted by a soldier. The soldiers hurried to pursue them, but it was all in vain; the three reached the ship quickly, boarded it, and set sail.
The Commander of the soldiers shouted in rage:
"Damn it, they escaped! Follow them, and verify what I told you!"
One of the soldiers replied:
"I saw one book, sir."
"What was the cover like?"
"It had a strange noble mark, next to it a dragon symbol, and something strange was drawn on the book that looked like a weapon."
"Really? Fine, withdraw. We have obtained what we wanted. Let us inform the King."
At the same time, Adrian was in the pirates' tavern, but what he saw there shocked him.
The powerful pirates were defeated, the dancers were frightened and fleeing, and even the annoying tavern waiter, who always got on his nerves... where was he?!
This question lingered in his mind as he approached the tavern owner and asked what had happened. The owner seemed terrified as he said:
"I heard the waiter mention that you had arrived, but I saw nothing of what happened!"
Adrian looked at him in surprise, trying to understand what was going on.
The soldier entered to see his King and tell him what he had seen, and happiness filled the King's face as he listened. He spoke in an enthusiastic voice, as if it were a long-awaited dream:
"Finally... I found it! Who would have thought the book would be in the possession of a boy from the Bryan family?!"
The soldier interrupted, wondering:
"But, what is his connection to William, My Lord?"
The King replied in an indifferent tone:
"His connection?! Who cares about such a thing? What we want is the book! Now, prepare a letter and write what I dictate to you to be sent to the Emperor."
The Commander began preparing the tools, then started writing what the King dictated:
"After greetings and appreciation for your esteemed person, I wish to inform you, in my capacity as King of the Kingdom of Andorra—a vassal of your great Empire—that our kingdom has recently witnessed a state of panic and corruption, in addition to a form of rebellion. Furthermore, an important book was stolen by a boy from the famous Bryan family. I left him free out of respect for his family's prestigious status, but I request your Excellency's intervention to restore order, achieve justice, and return my stolen property."
The King paused and asked the Commander:
"Did you write everything I said?"
The Commander replied:
"Yes, My Lord."
The King said with a sly smile:
"Good. From which shore did that boy depart?"
The soldier answered:
"From the western shore, My Lord."
The King nodded and said:
"The western shore? Then... the Kingdom of Swords! What a fitting place to spread some rumors."
In the Western Sea, which took on a dark green hue under the rays of the setting sun, the ship of the Andorra rebels was carving its path toward the Kingdom of Swords.
Eugene said seriously:
"Kayden... no, rather the three of us. This journey won't be safe anymore. We must disguise ourselves well, perhaps by wearing a hood or a cloak, or something of that sort. Also, you must hide your family emblem, Kayden. It will bring us nothing but trouble at this stage of the journey."
Kayden replied after a moment of thought:
"Fine, thinking about it, your words make sense. I will do that."
On the other side of the Empire, in the Kingdom of Fiore, the Imperial Army was knocking loudly on the door of the Bryan family palace, calling for the head of the family, Count Albert. The Count came out responding to the call, his face full of bewilderment, wondering why the Emperor's guards had come in such a manner and were knocking so violently.
One of the soldiers said sternly:
"You are to be subjected to a trial by order of the Emperor."
Albert replied in shock:
"A trial? What have I done? What is the meaning of this sudden matter?"
The soldier answered without hesitation:
"These are our orders. You will learn the details upon arrival."
The Count boarded the carriage under the confused and anxious gazes of his family members. His daughter, Olivia, was weeping bitterly in her mother's arms, screaming and asking the reason behind this. As for the maid, Margaret, thoughts began to race in her head, and she whispered to herself:
"What is happening? Is it because of the Young Master? What could the Young Master have done? Is it because of that book? I pray that Master Kayden and Count Albert return safely."
In the royal palace of the Kingdom of Fiore, the atmosphere was similarly filled with anxiety and tension. Fiona, who had received the news, could not control herself; she rushed to her father, asking him to intervene and help the Count by any means.
Her father said with a sigh:
"I will try, my daughter, but the order came directly from the Emperor... he is Adrian's father. I will do what I can."
Then he finished speaking to himself:
"Kayden... what have you done?"
In a vast and luxurious courtroom, filled with high-ranking nobles, Count Albert Bryan stood before the judge awaiting the verdict. Whispers filled the hall until the judge struck the gavel forcefully, saying loudly:
"Silence!"
The judge then continued:
"Albert Bryan, your son is accused of spreading corruption in the Empire and stealing precious property from the King of Andorra."
Albert protested angrily:
"The Kingdom of Andorra? Is there any evidence for this claim?"
The judge replied firmly:
"According to the testimony of all who were in the tavern, a boy from the Bryan family caused serious injuries to many people. And they saw a book, which King Arthur claims belongs to him."
Albert said:
"I do not believe this! Is there evidence proving the book belongs to him? And is it of such importance to cause all this stir?"
The judge replied:
"King Arthur says the book is of great importance to his kingdom. As for proof, the King has an ancient drawing of the book, showing that it belongs to him."
The judge paused for a moment and then said:
"And now, it is time for you to choose:
Either you bear the punishment as the father of the rebel, or you expel your son, Kayden Bryan, from the family, thereby severing all ties with him."
In the Kingdom of Swords, the atmosphere ignited with the start of the first duel in the Sword Competition, the event that determines many fates within the Empire.
The first confrontation was between Kieran, the warrior known for his strong physique and high skills, and an unidentified person wearing a cloak that completely hid their features. All hopes were directed toward Kieran, as influential figures like Elias and Duke Alexander stood behind him, each pinning their hopes on him for their own reasons.
Everyone was confident of Kieran's victory, considering his win an indisputable matter. But the grand surprise came with lightning speed when that unknown fighter managed to defeat Kieran with startling ease.
After the duel ended, Duke Alexander sat in his place stunned, then muttered to himself while rethinking his plans:
"It seems there is a black horse in this year's competition."
While speaking of the Sword Competition and on board the ship heading toward it, Rein asked Kayden curiously about how he knew William and how he became his disciple.
Kayden smiled a spontaneous smile as he recalled those memories that brought him happiness, even though some brought sadness to his heart.
Then he said to him: "It will be a long story."
Rein replied: "It is a long journey as well."
Kayden said: "Fine, then let me tell you the story."
It all began eleven years ago, in front of the gate of the Kingdom of Fiore, where two friends were crossing that gate. They were William and Maxwell.