THE BLADE OF X
Prologue — MARKS OF POWER
There exists a greater half — a power born for destiny itself.
A force meant to aid the chosen bearer of the X Blade…
This destiny reaches beyond all dimensions, able to defy even fate itself.
It lies beyond the power of X.
Once every few millennia, a blade of dark and vile energy is born.
It sleeps until its owner awakens it — until they realize the power they hold.
But if that power is not mastered, it will consume them.
The wielder will be destroyed, their soul twisted into a living corpse — a puppet of the blade's darkness.
X is not merely a letter.
It is a symbol — of misfortune… or of unimaginable power.
But to wield it, one must first be pulled from the shadows, drawn out of the darkness… and into the light.
---
The Codorent Realm was a land built on light, shadow, and the unyielding current of Sole Energy.
It was the pulse of every living thing here — a force as natural as breath, as vital as blood. Those born with strong Sole Energy were marked by it, a glowing symbol somewhere on their body that would flare when their power awakened.
Heydan Veyren had been marked since birth.
His father told him the mark first lit on the day he cried his way into the world. No trial, no awakening ritual — just raw power surging from him like it had been waiting for a body to inhabit.
The mark, a jagged arc carved into his collarbone, had glowed ever since.
Power came easy. And when power comes easy, arrogance follows.
---
It was late afternoon in the training courtyard. The stone tiles radiated the day's heat, the air carrying the faint hum of Sole Energy from dozens of nearby sparring matches.
Heydan stood at the edge of the ring, watching his younger brother Hiro square off against a tall blond figure with a long, noble posture. Jean moved with a precision that made every step look deliberate, his shoulder-length hair swaying like a banner in the wind. His mark — a sleek line curling down his left forearm — glowed faintly as a blade of condensed Sole Energy formed in his grip.
Hiro lunged, fast but sloppy. Jean sidestepped with a quiet grace and tapped Hiro in the ribs with the flat of his blade. Hiro staggered, clutching his side, breath ragged.
"You lead with your right too much," Jean said, his tone even — not mocking, just stating fact.
Hiro grit his teeth. "I almost had you."
Heydan's voice cut in before Jean could answer. "No, you didn't."
The two turned as Heydan stepped into the ring. His presence was like a heatwave — his mark flaring brighter than either of theirs. He didn't bother to summon a weapon; he never needed one.
"You went full force on him," Heydan said to Jean. "You didn't have to."
Jean met his gaze calmly. "He asked for a real fight. I gave him one. Or do you believe I should hold back just because he's weaker?"
Heydan's jaw clenched. Years ago, Jean had beaten him in the annual Sole Trials. It was the only loss Heydan had ever tasted — and the flavor still burned.
"I think," Heydan said, stepping closer, "you should remember that not everyone can match me."
Jean smiled faintly, a nobleman's smile that somehow managed to irritate more than an insult. "And yet," he said, "I beat you once."
The courtyard quieted. Even Hiro didn't speak.
---
Years passed.
Heydan's strength only grew. His raw energy was unmatched among their peers — overwhelming, explosive, and untamed.
But control? That was another matter.
Then one night, their father called them into the study. Veyren Cael stood by the window, the dim lamplight catching the lines of his weathered face. His presence carried the weight of a man who had turned down a seat on the Codorent Council — and who had never explained why.
"The time is coming," Veyren said, "for the X Blade to choose its bearer."
The room seemed to shrink around those words.
"It is the will of Sole Energy itself, forged into a weapon," he continued. "It chooses once every few millennia. The bearer can reshape the fate of realms."
Heydan leaned forward, certain. "It'll be me."
His father didn't look at him. "The Blade chooses. Not strength. Not birthright."
Heydan's lips curled into a smirk. "We'll see."
---
The tear in the sky appeared without warning.
A thin black fissure split the night, widening into a gash that bled shadow. From it stepped a Garouseei Shinooi — a dark hunter from the Gurouge Realm. Its form was half-solid, half-smoke, eyes glowing like dying embers.
Panic swept through the streets. The Codorent Council's guards scrambled, but Heydan was already moving.
His mark blazed white, Sole Energy flooding his limbs. He met the Shinooi head-on, fists cracking against shadow. The creature's strikes were faster — sharper — and each blow rattled Heydan to his core. He could feel his strength draining, his body pushed to limits he'd never touched before.
For a heartbeat, he thought he would lose.
Then instinct took over. Power erupted from deep within, brighter than ever before. With one final surge, he drove the Shinooi back through the tear, sealing it behind him.
The crowd cheered. But Heydan wasn't celebrating.
He had won — but barely.
And in the hollow quiet that followed, he understood something he'd never believed before:
He wasn't invincible.
And he wouldn't always be the strongest.
But he swore he would be strong enough.
Strong enough for the X Blade.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...