It only took Kael a mere moment out the blacksmith shop for him to realize that the chaos had already begun in the town. Just some minutes ago, the people in the town were celebrating happily. The merchants had started selling their goods, while kids were playing about in the streets, and travelers made most of their days. Everything was different now. All were frantically trying to save themselves, the guards shouting at the tops of their voices; the merchant stalls scattered all over the street below.
Much further from him, at the end of the street, there came an immense corrupted creature. This creature was entirely encircled by the dark cloud, which looked like breathing and moving on its own. It had burning red eyes that radiated intense fire. Every time when it moved, the ground trembled underneath the feet. The corrupted monster seemed much bigger than the shadow monster he once fought in the ancient ruins.
Kael clung on to Umbra and Lux while looking at the monster.
"This monster is huge."
"Calm down, size doesn't matter. Think about how you're going to win against it." replied the old man in a calm voice.
However, just as Kael was about to say something, the monster roared with an ear-splitting sound.
The guards came at the monster, attacking him with their swords and spears. The leader yelled as the guards launched their assault. For a minute, it appeared as though they might really be able to stop the monster. However, the corrupt monster merely swayed his huge claw about.
Then came the attack.
Some of the guards went flying as though propelled by wind, crashing into buildings and falling on the ground. Their weapons were strewn everywhere.
Kael watched in horror.
"How easy it destroyed them…"
But the old man showed no emotion.
"Without knowing their opponent, they went head-on against them."
The creature launched an attack again. Wood stalls broke under its paws. Food and other objects began flying in all directions. Everyone was screaming and running away.
But then Kael saw something else.
There was a little girl standing alone in the road.
She was paralyzed with fear. Tears came streaming down her face as she looked at the creature coming at her. She couldn't make her legs move.
The corrupted creature lifted its large claw. It had locked its target on her.
By instinct, Kael jumped forward. Everything else vanished from his surroundings. No longer did he hear the sounds of screams, madness, and destruction. He saw only the little girl before him.
The giant hand came down.
He caught her right before she fell. Grabbing the girl in his arms, Kael rolled to one side.
BAM!
There was a loud crash as the giant hand landed where Kael had been only seconds ago. Rock was sent flying up into the air.
Kael skidded across the ground, shielding the child.
As soon as he came to a stop, the little girl looked at him with widened eyes.
"You saved me..."
A smile broke on Kael's face despite his heavy panting.
"Go to your family."
Without hesitation, she took off running.
As soon as she was safe, Kael got back to his feet. The creature's red eyes glared at him.
For the first time, the monster had found an enemy that it really wanted to kill. The older man took a step forward and put one hand on his sword.
"I will do that."
Kael immediately shook his head.
"No."
The old man looked at him. Kael gripped both handles of Umbra and Lux.
"Unless I begin to stand by myself, I will never grow strong."
There was a few moments of silence in the streets. Then the old man looked carefully at his face and nodded.
"Okay."
Kael blinked.
"That's all?"
The elder shrugged a little.
"If you fight, just go ahead and do it!"
Kael almost laughed.
The creature roared once more and rushed at him. He rushed towards the creature without backing down. The gap between the two was closed quickly.
People from other buildings who were looking were astounded. It was a white-haired boy charging at something that can't even be stopped by trained guards.
Every lesson learned was etched in his memory. Keep your eyes on their shoulders. Keep your eyes on their legs. Stay cool. Strike first.
The beast lashed out with its claw. Kael moved to the side just in time. He narrowly avoided being hit.
Without delay, Lux cut through the air, and the silver sword struck deep into the beast's forward leg.
The beast bellowed in agony. Kael did not pause. Umbra came right after that. The black sword cut across the side of the creature. Dark clouds erupted from the wound.
Gasps rang out on the street. People were unable to believe what they saw. The creature was getting wounded.
The beast turned abruptly and thrashed its tail at him. He narrowly managed to cross both his swords in time.
It knocked him off balance. He fell across the street and somersaulted a few times before coming to rest. Pain radiated down both his arms.
Kael laboriously got to his feet.
"He's stronger than the previous one."
And there was no hesitation. The monster was quicker than he had imagined. There wasn't enough time for him to evade it.
Instinctively, Kael raised his Umbra. Instantly, something strange happened. Shadows spurted out of the black sword. Shadow waves shot forth and struck the monster. This made the monster come to an instant stop. Kael studied the sword.
"What was that?"
Even he did not understand what had just happened. Something was definitely different about the sword. It was warm. It felt alive.
The elder didn't say a word while witnessing the sight.
It was the first time that the corrupted monster withdrew. Fear entered the eyes of the monster. Kael gave a sly smile.
"Good."
He lunged again. Now, everything was more fluid. Lux left behind glowing trails on each swipe. Umbra let out waves of shadowy energy. The blades danced like second nature to his every motion. The fight raged down the road. The beast lashed out using its claws, its fangs, and its strength. Kael dodged, parried, and retaliated when he could. Bits of shattered pavement littered the area. The dust rose into the air.
Onlookers stayed back while guards evacuated the civilians. Time passed. Kael's breaths grew deeper. He was drenched in sweat. His muscles burned from all the exertion. But he would not give up.
All of a sudden, dark energy started to swirl within the beast's mouth. The air around them shuddered. The eyes of the man narrowed.
"Move!"
The monster shot out an enormous beam of dark energy. The attack ripped through the whole area and completely destroyed a part of the adjacent building. Kael managed to escape in time by moving to one side.
The explosion caused a great deal of destruction. Clouds of dust filled the air. Kael looked at all the destruction around. One successful attack could kill him right away.
The beast was ready for a new assault. Dark energy appeared again. This time, Kael realized that he needed to end the fight. Kael grasped both swords, darkness and light.
Two opposite forces.
Kael gradually calmed down and concentrated his breath. Everything around him seemed to be slowing down. The second energy attack approached Kael. This time, he rushed straight towards it. Onlookers were horrified, thinking that Kael was out of his mind.
However, Kael kept moving forward.
Right before the attack, Kael crossed both swords.
Dark energy met Umbra, while the light energy went through Lux.
In a split second, two forces merged. The huge beam divided into two smaller beams and flew past him. Everybody watched in awe. Nobody expected to witness such amazing feats.
The beast itself seemed confused by what was going on. This was enough for Kael, who charged forth with what little energy he still possessed. Lux led the charge.
The bright blade plunged deep into the shoulder of the monster. It let out a loud roar as Umbra came next, slicing across its chest.
Dark smoke poured from the fresh wound. Kael jumped up high in the air. Both blades began to glow fiercely. Darkness enveloped Umbra, while light shrouded Lux.
Kael used the two blades for the first time at once. He crossed the blades before himself and then struck down with all his might, slashing an X in the air. The blow landed squarely on the monster.
For a few moments, the whole town was silent. There was no movement on the part of the creature. Its body was breaking apart. Dark smoke emerged from all its wounds. The glow faded from the red eyes and then the monster fell to its knees.
Several moments passed without a sound. Everyone in the town cheered, as there was rejoicing from all sides. Guards held their weapons aloft. Children were smiling. The merchants were shouting out in delight.
Kael was standing quietly amidst the wreckage that surrounded him. His body ached. He was tired and in pain all over. Nevertheless, a warmth flowed through him.
For the first time in his entire existence, nobody seemed to look at him in fright anymore. Nobody hated him anymore. People looked up to him and admired him.
That little girl who he had saved from the attack smiled and waved at him. Kael smiled back and waved to her. An old man slowly approached him.
"You've learned an important lesson today."
Kael gazed up at him.
"What?"
The man cast his eyes towards the screaming crowd.
"True strength isn't just for you."
Kael saw the faces of all the people that he had saved from harm.
And finally, the boy knew what they meant. His journey had just begun.
But this was the start of his journey to becoming a true warrior.