Chapter 15
Naoki swung his sword wide, breath sharp, feet scrambling for balance on the polished stone floor.
He could dodge sword. He could block sword. But he had no idea how to stop magic.
"fireball!" Cierra's voice rang out.
A fireball hurtled toward him. he dove aside, the flames licking past his cheek.
He rolled, sprang up, and kept running.
"Aqua Edge!"
A slicing wave of water zipped through the air. He ducked, barely avoiding it, heart thudding in his chest.
"Damn it !" he shouted, blocking a vine whip with his sword."This isn't even fair!"
From across the room, Cierra just laughed.
Naoki gritted his teeth, breath heavy.
'No more running.'
He tightened his grip on the sword and sprinted toward her, straight into the storm.
Cierra raised her hand, eyes lighting up with fiery power.
"I told you, didn't I?" she called out, her voice rising."I became a Third Star Mage not too long ago. Let me show you the difference in our levels!"
A massive orb of fire gathered above her palm, swirling with heat and pressure, casting dancing shadows across the training hall.
Naoki's eyes widened. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
"massive fireball!"
But
BOOOOM!!
The spell ruptured in Cierra's hand before it could launch, a surge of raw mana detonating mid-cast.
The explosion shook the air, a wave of heat sweeping across the training hall. Smoke billowed outward, thick and blinding. Cierra coughed, hair singed and eyes blinking in shock.
Naoki skidded to a stop, staring. "…Did it just blow up on you?"
"AAAAAAHHHH!" Cierra suddenly screamed.
Naoki flinched. "What happened?! Are you okay?!"
"Don't come closer!" she shouted from within the haze, panicked, breathless.
As the smoke thinned, the damage became clear.
She was crouched low, arms wrapped tightly across her chest, body trembling. Her clothes were nearly torn away by the backlash, scorched and barely clinging to her pale skin. She turned her face aside, lips pressed in frustration.
Naoki's heart skipped. Without hesitation, he pulled off his outer training robe and stepped forward, voice low.
"Take this."
She accepted it wordlessly, wrapping herself quickly. The heavy fabric fell around her frame, swallowing her in warmth and modesty. For a moment, she pressed her face into it… and stilled.
"…It smells like Aether," she whispered.
Naoki's eyes met hers. The color in her cheeks deepened. Her voice had softened, vulnerable.
She didn't look up. "It's… familiar."
Naoki turned slightly, trying to hide the way her words unsettled something in him.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "That shouldn't have happened."
Cierra shook her head. "I lost control. It's not your fault."
Wrapped in his robe, Cierra hurried out of the training hall, her footsteps quick and uneven.
"Embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing…" she muttered under her breath, face buried in the collar of the fabric.
Naoki followed a few steps behind, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"Awkward. So awkward.? So damn awkward…"
Neither of them dared to look at the other.
Sol, the little dragon trailed behind them casually, tilting her head with a soft chirp
And just like that, the chaos faded into the hallway's silence…Scene end.
* * *
The Next day
Morning sun cast golden rays over the towering gates of the Von Noctvain estate. The air was unusually still, as if the land itself held its breath in anticipation.
A horn sounded once from the outer road.
Then the doors swung open.
A procession of armored knights entered the estate grounds, leading a lone rider cloaked in deep crimson. Dust clung to his boots, his cloak frayed at the edges, and his expression, stone-carved and unreadable, carried the weight of long miles and heavier thoughts.
He had traveled 3 years year through ravaged lands and broken borders, searching for a sign...any sign of the missing Patriarch.
Now, at last, he had returned after hearing rumors about Aether welding the cursed sword.
Whispers spread rapidly through the estate.
"The Left Guardian…?"
"He's finally back…"
"I thought he would never return…"
The man dismounted in silence, handing his reins to a young servant without a word. His presence radiated quiet authority, unshaken by time, unbent by hardship.
His name was 'Ser Caldus Ryn' known not by title, but by legacy. The Left Hand of the Patriarch. One of the last remaining swordsmen personally appointed by the former Lord of Noctvain himself.
A crowd had already begun to gather in the estate's courtyard. Household guards, elder retainers, even outer-branch nobles. none dared speak until he did.
Caldus eyes swept across the familiar estate grounds, pausing briefly at the banners swaying gently in the wind.
Still standing. Still proud.
A young steward stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Lord Caldus, welcome back."
"I heard rumors," Caldus finally opened his mouth, his voice low and calm. "Aether Von Noctvain had wielded the ancestral blade?"
The steward nodded. "Yes, my lord. The heir has awakened the family's sword."
Caldus's gaze sharpened. "The blade hadn't accepted anyone in thousands of year . Not even the current patriarch, who is one of the world's strongest."
"He awaken it's power while trying to save us all." the steward continued. "It shone with...dark light."
Caldus exhaled slowly. The flicker in his eyes more than interest, something bordering on awe.
He had known Aether as a quiet boy with little talent, especially when compared to his gifted sister.
But wielding the Ancestral Sword meant something far greater. He was destined to reach heaven.
But the Ancestral Sword was no ordinary weapon.
It had been a divine gift to the founding Patriarch of the Noctvain family, a relic of power passed down through generations. With it came a prophecy simple, but absolute:
"Bow before the one who can wield it."
And now… that sword had chosen Aether.
"Where is the heir now?"
"He is within the estate, my lord. Would you like to meet him?"
Caldus's cloak shifted in the breeze as he turned toward the inner gates. He said nothing aloud this time.
But in his mind, the question lingered.
'Was it truly love for his child that made the Patriarch ask us to support Aether...'
'Or was it something else entirely?'
The gates opened before him.
And with quiet footsteps, the Left Guardian moved forward, toward the boy who once lived in the shadows… and now held the sword of legacy.
The estate watched in silence.
.
.
.
.
.
To be continued....