Everything was black. My stomach felt like it was on fire, and my head was throbbing. I couldn't tell where I was, but I know that I did good. I can remember the dragon's attack on Caale. And I know I was able to kill it with Excalibur. But… the city… and all the people too. How many died? "Kiliano…" Who was that? Is someone there? "...Kiliano…" That voice. Is it Victoria? "...Kiliano." Light began to seep into my vision. And I finally opened my eyes. Victoria was next to me. I was laying down in a bed, she was sitting in a chair to my right, "Kiliano, are you okay?" She had a worried expression, "Y-yeah I think so. I'm feeling a bit worn out, but I'll live." She smiled, "Good, I'm glad." "H-hey… where's master Vencer?" "I'm right here kiddo." He was standing by the room's entrance to my left. "M-master!" I tried to get up, but Victoria grabbed me and pulled me back into bed, "W-wait Kiliano. Please stay still." "B-but Caale. What happened to everyone!?" Vencer walked up to me, "Calm down Kiliano…" He smiled, "...Everything's okay. We were able to stop the fires. And casualties were minimal…" He put his hand on the top of my head, "...You did good, kid." I relaxed, and sunk into the bed. "Victoria…" Vencer turned to face her, "...If it's okay with you, I'd like to talk with him in private." Victoria hopped out of her seat, "Yes of course. Cya soon Kiliano. I'm glad you're okay." I blushed slightly, and she walked out of the room holding a smile.
"S-so master… where am I?" "You're in the mansion. It was left unscathed, so a lot of people came here for shelter. But trust me, Kiliano… you did well. Without you the entire city would've been destroyed and thousands of people would have died. And on top of that… Ms. Victoria told me something quite interesting." I made a confused look, "Like what?" Vencer smiled, "Well… she told me your flames turned black…" My eyes widened, as I remembered the events that happened during the battle. "...And if that's true, then you've got a lot coming." "W-wait what? Like I'm in trouble!?" Vencer laughed, "No no, no quite. Well, you'll definitely become a bigger target than you already are. But that's not what I meant. Kiliano… if what Victoria said is true… then you have the power of Hellfire." "Hellfire? What's that?" "It's a technique used in fire magic that increases the heat of your flames considerably. It's known as a blessing bestowed by the God Of Beginnings. A sense of amazement shook my entire body, and I felt tingly, "S-so master. Do you have this ability too?" Vencer shook his head, "It's impossible for two people to have Hellfire at once. A blessing can only be bestowed upon one living person at a time. So that means, you're the only one in the world to have the ability Hellfire..." Vencer remembered something that made him agitated, "...W-well maybe there's one exception." I gave another confused look, "What do you mean?" "300 years ago… Shyzen had the ability of Hellfire. And I have no reason to believe he lost the ability since his reincarnation. SO I'm willing to bet he can also use Hellfire… but that's only because of a technicality." I sighed, "Alright well… I suppose we should get going?" Vencer thought for a moment, "Nah. Let's stay for another night." "W-wait… another?" I looked out the window. It was bright outside, and seemed to be morning, "I was unconscious for the entire night!?" Vencer smiled, and walked over to the door, "Once you're feeling better, come to the main hall. George Quorin would like to meet you." He walked out of the door and closed it behind him. Nobody was in the room now, so I decided to take a short nap and recover.
After a few hours, I got up from the bed and stretched. My back was a bit sore, but despite that, I felt fine, "Yeahh! I'm feeling good." I walked out of the room and headed downstairs. I made it to the main lobby, and walked towards the direction of the main hall. After a few moments of walking I felt tapping on my shoulder. I turned around but nobody was there, "Boo!" Victoria popped up in front of me, "Yah!" I jumped backwards. Victoria chuckled, "You headed to the main hall?" I nodded, "Yeah, you?" "I've gotta check in with my brother. But after that, I'll meet you there, okay?" "Sounds good. I'll cya later." Victoria waved goodbye and ran off down the lobby. I continued walking, and made my way down the lobby and into a nearby hallway. I walked down, and came across a door. Above it was a sign labeled Main Hall. I opened the door, and walked inside. The main hall was furnished with rows of tables, and a lookout farther down. It reminded me of the main hall in Zuri'el's capital. "Yo, kiddo!" Master Vencer called out to me. I smiled and walked over. He was sitting with another man at a table farther down the room. I walked up, and took a seat, "Hello master…" I turned to face the other man, "...A-and hello, sir." Master Vencer piped up, "Kiliano, this man is George Quorin. He's the king of Vraldeen." My eyes widened, and I began to grow anxious. I had met with the king of Zuri'el, but he was the ruler of a region much smaller than Vraldeen. So this was the first time meeting one of the big shots. I turned to face him with a smile, "I-it's nice to meet you sir." George smiled back, "Yes of course! It truly is an honor to meet the man who saved my own daughter." "D-do you mean Victoria?" George nodded, "Yes. She's told me all about you, Kiliano. And I've come to learn you're also the one who killed the Black Dragon. That alone is enough for me to owe you a great deal of debt. And yet… my daughter thinks so highly of you… which only adds to my awe of your character. Kiliano, if there is anything you need, let me know." "Thank you sir… but actually, there is something I need. I-if that's okay." George nodded, "Of course! Feel free to ask for anything." "Well… I broke my sword during the fight with that dragon. Would it be possible for someone to make me a sword strong enough to cut through Black Dragon's hide? Preferably something the same shape as Excalibur. And I'd like it to be nearly indestructible, but light as well. Not too light though, so the durability isn't compromised." Vencer chimed in, "Kiliano. I suggest you don't go around comparing Excalibur to other swords. Don't forget, it's a legendary sword. Nothing else in the world can compare to it, so don't go around demanding things of similar quality." "O-oh right." Oops, I got a bit carried away. George spoke up, "Don't worry Kiliano. I'll have my finest blacksmiths forge something worthy of your hands!" I smiled in excitement, "Thank you so much sir!" I got out of my seat and bowed to him. "Ooh papa, looks like you two are getting along well." Victoria's voice said from behind me. I stood up straight and looked behind me. She was standing there with another boy. He seemed a few years older than her, but their features were nearly identical. "Hey Kiliano, good to see you up!" "Yeah, thanks." Victoria patted the boy on his back, "This here's my older brother, Jaime. He's actually a Sword Emperor." Wow… someone his age? That's impressive. Jaime walked up to me and took out his hand. The two of us shook hands, "It's nice to meet you, Kiliano. Thank you for saving my little sister." George chimed in from behind me, "Hey, JJ! How's it going with your problem?" Jaime's eyes saddened slightly, "Not yet father." "Ah that's a shame!" George said, wth his eyes closed. Vencer nudged him on the side and gave him the stink eye. George sighed, "Alright… JJ, if you really need some help I'll help. But I won't do everything for you." George got up, and walked over to Jaime, "C'mon son." The two of them walked off. Before George left the room, he turned around, "Kiliano! Don't worry kid, I'll get you that sword!" "Thank you sir!"
Victoria sat down at the table with us, "Vencer, I'd like to talk please." Vencer made a look of interest, and nodded. Victoria put her arms on the table and began glaring at him, "I want to join you and Kiliano." I swung my head around to look at her, "Wha-!" "Ms. Victoria…" Vencer interrupted, "...I hope you know what you're asking. Our journey is not a safe one. And I doubt George will allow this." "I don't care… I want to help fight against the South. Father's already sent most of his men to help the North. I might as well go too." Vencer's voice became stiffer, "I don't think you understand. If you can't fend for yourself, you will die. And I can't be looking out for someone during this entire trip." "Actually, I'm pretty strong. I've been trained since I was a little girl. I'm pretty sure I'm near the level of a Lord when it comes to swordsmanship." Vencer made an impressed look, "Wow, I didn't know that." I whispered to myself, "Well… you could've helped me with the dragon then." Victoria overheard me and laughed awkwardly, "S-sorry Kiliano. I'll admit I was pretty terrified of that thing." Vencer spoke up, "Well who wouldn't be? Even I would be scared to face down a Black Dragon." That's surprising. Master's always really cocky, but I guess he can be reasonable at times. "Listen… Ms. Victoria…" Vencer got up from his chair, "...I'll talk to George for you. But if he says no, then that's that." Victoria smiled, "Yes! Thank you so much!" She got up and gave Vencer a hug. She turned to face me and grabbed my left hand, "Kiliano, let's have some fun today." I smiled and nodded, "Sounds good. Master, we're leaving tomorrow right?" He nodded, and we parted ways.
Victoria took me from the main hall into the mansion's backyard. We walked through a garden, and made our way onto a bench. Victoria pulled out some sandwiches and handed me one, "Here ya go. I made them myself." She said with a smile. I blushed slightly, and began eating. About halfway through the sandwich, I heard a man call for Victoria. I turned to my right to see a man in a black suit walking up to us. He was the same man that greeted us at the gate when first arriving, "Miss Victoria. Your father wishes to meet with you." Victoria made a pouty look, and walked off. The man turned to face me, "Kiliano." "Y-yes?" "I heard you saved Miss Victoria from the Black Dragon. I thank you for that." "I-it was nothing. I was just doing my duty is all, hehe." "Please allow me to pay you back." "It's okay, really. Please don't feel obligated to give me anything. "Actually… It isn't something physical. I would like to spar you in combat." Wow, I'm surprised. Does he want to test my strength? Or maybe he wants to train me? He does seem pretty strong. "Uhm, I appreciate the offer. But are you sure?" "Do not worry. I'm the king's royal guard, so please don't underestimate me." "Y-yessir, I would love to spar you then." The two of us made our way into a large courtyard farther down the mansion's garden. It was an open space of dirt and pebbles.
"Okay Kiliano. Let us begin!" I held my wooden sword tight, and took a stance. The suited man also took a stance, and the two of us faced off. The wind blew around us, as our eyes made contact. I shifted my footing to make it slightly wider. A drop of sweat fell from my face and hit the ground, which triggered me to rush in. I swung my sword to the side, but the man dashed backwards. Before I knew it, he came rushing in, thrusting his sword towards my face. I twisted my head left, and narrowly dodged it. But the man swung left, nearly hitting me. I crouched down and pulled my sword to my waist. My gaze looked upwards to meet his, and I swung my sword sideways. The man jumped backwards, and came to another stance. He's holding his sword like a rapier. That's an odd style of fighting. I'll have to be careful about my movements. The two of us continued sparring until sundown. Before I knew it, the sky was turning orange, and my mana was all gone. I had lost thirteen sparring matches, and won four. The suited man was catching his breath, and so was I. "Hey… I appreciate the sparring matches… but I think it's about time I packed up and went inside." "I agree…" He loosened up and bowed, "...Thank you for sparring with me, Kiliano." I bowed down back to him, "It was my pleasure sir. Thank you, truly!" The two of us stood up straight and walked inside. Once we made it to the main lobby he turned to me and said goodbye, before we went our separate ways. I'm way too tired for anything physical. I think it's about time I got some shuteye. I walked over to my room, opened the door and walked inside. Master Vencer wasn't there, so I turned to the bathroom and decided to take a bath.
Meanwhile, master Vencer, Victoria, and her father were in a room on the first floor, talking about something. Vencer got up and excused himself, "I believe this is a family matter. I am fine with her tagging along, but I won't interfere with you any longer than you would like." George nodded, and Vencer left the room. He walked up the stairs, and made his way down the hall, eventually meeting with our room. He opened the door and walked inside. I was laying on the bed when I heard the door open, "Master? Is that you?" "Yep, it's me. How's it going? I heard George's royal guard gave you a bit of training." "Yeah… He was incredible. I'm surprised I've never heard about him before, since he's probably on the same level as a God." "Yeah, well he's been keeping a low profile for George. I'd say he's probably similar to my level in strength. But he can't use magic, aside from battle aura, so his fighting capabilities aren't very versatile." He walked over to his bed and sat down. I turned to face him, "Yeah, but his fighting style was odd. He used a katana, but fought like a fencer. So I was put in a lot of uncomfortable situations, which caught me off guard pretty often." "Yeah, I'm the same way when sparring with him. The truth is… if I fought him without magic, he'd beat me nine times out of ten." Wow… that's worse than me. Was he really that strong? His speed was definitely on par with master's, but I didn't think our skills were that close. "I can tell you're comparing yourself to me, Kiliano. Don't underestimate yourself. I'd say you're probably on the same level as some of the lower class Gods in Vraldeen." "R-really!? I had no idea my skills had gotten that much better." "Haha! Don't forget… I've been teaching you everything I know. And you are supposed to kill Shyzen. If you can't even defeat a God, then Shyzen will off you in less than a second." A knot appeared in my throat, and I grew anxious. My brows furrowed, as fear began to set in, "Kiliano… you're okay." Master's words made my worries disappear. He knew how much pressure was getting put on me. But he made sure I was okay. That's part of the reason why I admire him so much. "Thank you, master. I'm okay now." "Good… let's get some sleep now, okay?" I layed down in bed, and got under the covers, letting sleep take over.
In the morning, I got up quickly and took another bath, making sure to clean off every part of my body. I know there isn't going to be another bath for a long time, so I'd better make good use of it for now.
Once I got out, I changed my clothes, grabbed my belongings, and left the room. I walked down to the main lobby, where I met with George Quorin. He spotted me down the hall and walked over, "Hello Kiliano! It's great to see you." "Yes, sir. How has your morning been?" I said with a smile. He smiled back, "It's been good. And I had my best blacksmiths spend all night forging you the perfect weapon. Once you have freetime, I'll take you to the forge and you can test it out." "That sounds great. I'm actually ready right now, since we're going to leave in a few minutes." "Ah, I see. Well then come with me." He waved me over, and the two of us walked out of the mansion and down the courtyard. Instead of exiting through the gate, George turned left at the gates and walked towards another building, separate from the main estate. We walked inside, and I found myself within the largest forge I had ever seen. It was several times larger than my hotel room, and the atmosphere was thick and warm. "Hey, master Quorin…!" A man called out from farther in the forge, "...I've got that sword you asked for!" "That's great Bronn. Please bring it over." The man bent over and grabbed a sword. He walked over and bowed to George, before looking over at me, "This must be the famous Kiliano. It's nice to meet you kid. I'm Bronn, the royal blacksmith." "It's nice to meet you Bronn, and thank you for forging this weapon." "It was my pleasure. But please take good care of it. I spent my entire night perfecting its blade." He revealed the sword. It had a brown handle, and its hilt was lined with a black metal. The blade itself was shaped like a katana. It had hardened steel by its base, but a black metal formed thicker and thicker the farther down the blade it got. My eyes widened, and I began to smile. Bronn pulled the sword closer to me, "Here ya go kid." I grabbed the sword, and began weighing it in my hands. It wasn't much heavier than Excalibur, and I could tell it was extremely durable, "Thank you so much sir! This will be more than enough to use as a substitute for Excalibur. "Haha, I appreciate that! Having my work compared to a legendary sword is truly an honor, so thank you, Kiliano." Bronn waved goodbye and got back to work. George and I walked out of the forge, and made our way back to the main estate, "Thank you very much sir. I'm very happy with the way the sword came out." "Good, then I suppose this'll make up for you saving my daughter. However… I still owe you for saving the city. So please don't hesitate to reach out and ask me for a favor." I nodded, "Thank you." I said with a smile. Once we made it back inside the mansion's main lobby, George waved goodbye, "Please come again. I'd be happy to set you up with a room for free." I bowed towards him, and he walked off. I sat down in the lounge area, and waited for master Vencer.
After a few minutes, he walked up to me, "Hey kid. You ready?" I looked up at him and nodded, "Yep!" "Alright then… are you ready too?" His gaze was directed behind me, "Yeah, I am." It was Victoria's voice. I stood up and looked behind me. She was wearing traveling attire, and was holding a backpack. "A-are you coming with us?" Victoria nodded, "Yeah, father gave me the thumbs up, so I'll be joining you two, hehe." She was grinning. "Wow, that's great to hear. I guess we'll have a bit more backup now, ey master?" Vencer chuckled, "Yeah I suppose you're right. Let's get goin' now." The three of us walked out of the main lobby, down the courtyard, and out of the gates. We continued down the main road, and eventually met with Caale's city gates. Nearly half of the wall on the right was destroyed, so we were able to walk past it without any special permission. Victoria and I turned back to see Caale one last time. Most of the visible city was in shambles. Countless buildings had collapsed, and dozens of craters littered Caale's streets. My eyes saddened, but once I looked at Victoria, I noticed her face held a determined look. This made me seem better about myself. I wasn't able to stop the dragon from destroying Caale, but at least I kept the damage to a minimum. "Oi kids, let's get going! There isn't much time for dilly-dallying." Master Vencer was farther down the path from us. We turned back to face him, and ran over to catch up.
We spent several days on the road. Whenever nightfall came, we would begin searching for shelter. Oftentimes, we would set camp in a cave, but if we couldn't find one, I'd create a shelter from rock magic, and master would light us a fire to keep warm. We went over mountains, through valleys, down ravines, and in cave systems. After several days, we came across another city. "Vencer, let's stay the night there!" Victoria called out. Master scoped out the city, but shook his head after a few moments, "Sorry, but we can't." Victoria frowned, "Why not!?" Vencer made an awkward smile, "Well… I'm dead broke… sorry." I'm honestly astonished that the Fire God could go broke. Especially considering he could clear out a single Emperor class dungeon and become rich on the spot. But knowing Vencer, he'd probably blow all his money on useless crap, and then go on the road again. Victoria grumbled some obscenities and we continued walking south. I turned to face master, "Uh, master? How long will we be on the road?" Vencer didn't look at me, "Well, that depends. If we continue at this pace then we'll reach Karth in one month. After that, we'll reach Zuri'el in five days. And Sumerst in another three weeks." "Ah I see. So in total, roughly two months?" "That's right. But only if things go smoothly." Alright… two months. In two months I'll be reunited with my friends. And we'll all fight Shyzen. Each of us, together.
We continued traveling for another four weeks without a hitch. But once we got closer to Karth, I could feel the weather shifting. And the atmosphere began to grow much thicker. I also noticed master Vencer growing more anxious. He would scan the surroundings much more often. And we'd only ever sleep in a shelter he had built. Once we made it past a large mountain, master Vencer stopped walking. Victoria and I stopped just behind him. I turned to face him, he was sweating, and his eyes held a sense of fear to them, "You two, stay back." Victoria and I backed off. But suddenly, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders, "Welll, hello there little boy." My eyes widened. A man had his arm wrapped around my shoulders, and was leaning on me as if we were friends. His face was rigid, and he held a long smirk from each end of his face. I hadn't sensed him come up to me at all, so that must mean he's at least as strong as an Emperor. Vencer's eyes widened, and he swung around, pointing his arm towards the man, "Kiliano get away!" He began to form flames around his arm. Large gusts of wind began to pour out from his body. The man put both of his arms up, and walked away from me, "Wow, wow, calm down Vencer! I didn't come to fight you!" Master kept his arm pointed towards him, "Then what do you want!" "I came for the boy. I wanted to see who the famous Kiliano really is. But honestly, I'm not impressed..." He shrugged his shoulders, and pointed his finger at me, "...Alright boy! I challenge you… to a fight of Gods!" Victoria, Vencer and I all widened our eyes in surprise. A battle of Gods is a challenge to determine who would become the God of that category. But the challenger is usually from someone who isn't the current god. Vencer clenched his fist, "Absolutely not! You can't come here and demand something like tha-""I'll accept." I interrupted. Vencer turned to face me. His face was consumed with rage and distraught, "You can't! That man is Vraldeen's God Of Agriculture!" "Enough Vencer! The boy has spoken. We will begin our fight in ten minutes. And I hope you know… if you interfere, then you're forfeiting your title as a God. I suggest you use this time to prepare him for the battle at hand." I sighed and walked over to master Vencer. Victoria ran over to me and smacked me on the back of the head, "You idiot! Why'd you go picking a fight with a God!?" "I didn't! He came up to me. And besides, it'll be a good learning experience." Vencer fell to his knees, "You dumbass. A challenge of Gods isn't sparring. He's technically permitted to kill you now!" A shock was sent throughout my body, "Wait what!? Shit I didn't know that!" "That's why you should always listen to me!" Master Vencer gave out a long sigh, and stood back up, "Alright Kiliano. If you want to live then I suggest you listen up. He may be a God… but he isn't a god of combat, which means he's slightly below average when it comes to power. Keep your guard up at all times, and wait for an opening. Do not… and I repeat, do not… force your way through his attacks. If you do, he'll kill you for sure." "Alright, times up!" The God yelled from across the road. Vencer turned to face him, "Hey, why'd you wanna fight Kiliano anyway!?" "Well… I've decided to remain neutral to each side of this war. I've already fought against the South's champion… and lost. So now, I'll be fighting your champion. And if he doesn't win… then the north had no chance to begin with." He smiled and turned his back to us, walking farther down the path. I glared at him, trying to compose myself for the battle that was about to begin.