The sun had barely risen when Taki Runcandel opened his eyes. The faint warmth touching his cheek felt almost unreal after the night he endured. The ancient training ground beneath Mount Aeron was still covered in morning mist, swirling around like ghostly serpents.
But Taki wasn't alone.
A soft metallic hum vibrated behind him.
The Blade of Dawn.
The legendary sword that supposedly chose its wielder only once every thousand years…
was floating inches above the ground, glowing with a pale gold light.
Taki slowly stood up, his breath trembling.
Master Ren had said the sword only responded to those with an unbreakable fate.
"Are you… calling me?" Taki whispered.
The sword flickered—once, twice—and then shot toward him like a streak of light.
Taki flinched, but instead of piercing him, the blade stopped right in front of his heart.
A warmth spread across his chest, like sunlight after a storm.
And in an instant—
A sigil burned into his skin.
A circular crest with a spiral of tiny runes.
Taki gasped.
The Blade of Dawn had accepted him.
But before he could take another breath—
A tear in space cracked open behind him.
A jagged, violet rift expanded, humming with killing intent. Out of it stepped a tall figure wrapped in shadows, eyes glowing like molten amethyst.
Madara Jin's Shadow Clone.
Not the real one… but strong enough to kill a lesser warrior instantly.
"So the rumors were true," the clone said, voice echoing unnaturally.
"The Dawn Blade has chosen a new fool."
Taki clenched his teeth and raised the sword instinctively.
The power humming through his veins felt foreign, unstable… but alive.
The clone smirked.
"Let's see if you survive five seconds."
He vanished.
Taki's pupils shrank—
A punch slammed into his ribs, launching him across the field.
He slid across the dirt, coughing blood, but his grip on the Dawn Blade tightened.
The clone appeared again, striking like lightning.
Taki barely blocked, the impact sending a shockwave through the ground.
"You're untrained," the clone hissed.
"And unworthy."
Taki wiped blood from his lip, eyes burning with defiance.
"Maybe… but this sword chose me.
So I'll prove myself—
even if it kills me."
Light erupted from the blade.
A spiral of golden energy exploded outward, ripping apart the mist.
For the first time, the clone's expression changed—
surprised.
Taki lunged, his movements faster, sharper, driven by the sword's power.
Their blades clashed, gold against violet, filling the mountain with thunder.
And then—
A single perfect cut.
The clone's body split in half before dissolving into particles of shadow.
Taki dropped to one knee, panting.
The sword dimmed, as though testing him.
Not fully accepting yet…
But not rejecting either.
From the mountain above, Master Ren watched silently.
"He awakened it," the old master murmured.
"But the cost… the cost will be enormous."
Taki stared at the sigil glowing on his chest, unaware of the destiny it had chained him to.