Prologue

The sword dropped to the ground, making a metallic ring when it did. He sighed. It has been awhile since he had lost in the last Glorious Blade Tournament. His eyes were closed for a moment, then opened, revealing amber eyes with specs of green and gold in them, shining. For the hundredth time, he took out his notebook, where he always kept it, in-his sheath. He flipped through the notebook, looking carefully at each page, trying to flip to the page to where he had last left off. Finding his page, he began to write in it.

Jan 15, 2004

Won the Glorious Blade Tournament, got the Striker, a legendary blade that strikes lighting at your opponent.

Even though he had collected hundreds...maybe even thousands of the Legendary blades, he had never used them. He had always used a normal, steel sword to fight against his opponents, and he had always won with it. Some said he was an immortal, An unbeatable sword fighter, but he knew that was not true. Though he never talked about it or never wanted to think about it, he remembered his harsh times when he was a beginner in the art of sword fighting...

He shook his head, trying to shake off the memories of his youth, though he knew those memories would always be there. He knew, no matter how hard he tried to forget about them, they were always there in the back of his head. Somewhere hidden, and ready to take over his mind, ready to inject sorrow all over his body. He sighed, and continued to write in his notebook.

Jan 17, 2005

My steel sword got damaged badly in a fight. I had to go to repair it. I have only 14 tokens left so I have to go earn some more.

There was a quest on the Quest log. 'Defeat the Blade Master in the Red Dojo to earn 50 tokens.' It had said, and he thought it was a great deal, since he had defeated the Blade Master several times, just for fun. Right now, he needed to take a rest.

He looked at the cybersuit that he was wearing. A suit that has a special technological power which gives immunity to pain in the middle of sword fights. Every sword fighter has to wear one in battles. His stomach growled. He realized he had not eaten in two days. He spotted a fast-food restaurant nearby. He eagerly walked towards the restaurant, but soon, his eagerness melted into miserable sadness.

"Not now," He muttered to himself. "I have to get my damn tokens first." Holding his notebook in his hands, he began jogging towards the other direction, back in the search for the Red Dojo. As he ran, he opened up his notebook, shakingly , trying to hold the notebook in place, he signed his name.

Ryan Hezulf

DEM CHARACTERS

Irelia: The main character. Long red hair, blue eyes.A 16 year old girl that has dreamed of becoming the Glorious Blade champion. She had just started her journey of becoming a sword fighter, but wields extraordinary skill and strategy in sword fighting.

Runt: Irelia's twin brother. Blonde hair, green eyes.He and his sister journeyed together. Though he had never wanted to take part in the Glorious Blade Tournament, he still agreed with his sister that he would participate in it.

Hilton: A skilled sword fighter that journeyes with Irelia. Brown hair, gray eyes, 17 years old. He is one of the best sword fighters in town and won all the Glorious Blade Tournaments, until...he came...

Katrina(Kat): Irelia's childhood friend. Jet-black hair, blue eyes, 16 years old. She is left-handed, so she uses her left hand to sword fight. She fails constantly, but has the dream to become the best sword fighter ever.

Dor: Started doing blacksmith jobs at an early age, Dor has always dreamed of becoming the best Blacksmith ever. Tall, with curt black hair that spikes up, green eyes, and 16 years old.

Anna: Dor’s best and only friend. Pretty and with long, blonde hair. She is constantly spotted doing blacksmith work with Dor. 16 years old.

 

1

"Aaaahhhh...the City of Alys!" Irelia sighed, as if it was her first time to see the magnificent beauty of Alys. She stood at the edge of her window, sticking her head out. Her brother, Runt, rolled his eyes.

"When will you ever stop doing this?" He snorted. "Will you ever get used to this place?" Irelia and her family had moved here last month, and Irelia would never forget the beauty of this City. The gigantic mountains...the small streams....the tall, ancient trees...

But it was not just the view that had fascinated her. She had recently came upon a flyer that was planted flat in her front yard. She had picked it up, and there were words in large, bolded print on the top of the flyer.

GLORIOUS BLADE TOURNAMENT

At first she thought it was just some kind of scam, but as she read through it, she became more interested in it.

Enter the Glorious Blade Tournament! The Tournament held for the most skilled sword fighters in the whole City of Alys! The winner gets to keep a legendary blade! A blade ten times stronger, more durable, and more swift than a normal sword! The Glorious blade Tournament held this year will in July!

The thought of getting to hold a blade ten times stronger than a normal sword tingled her body. It was January, and plus she had never used a sword before. But she knew that if she trained hard enough, she would have a chance of winning a legendary blade.

So here she is, at the start of a new day, and ready to start her own adventure as a sword fighter. She turned around, looking at the brother straight in the eye, though his vision was focused on the comic book he was reading in his room.

"Runt!" She bellowed into his ears. Her brother flinched harshly towards his sister's loud cry in his ears. Dropping his book, he frowned.

"Chill, sis." Runt muttered. "I know today is the day you start your journey, but can you at least stop acting so excited and agitative?" Irelia sighed.

Irelia's parents had named her brother "Riley", but everybody now-except for his parents-called him "Runt" because of his size and attitude. Even though Runt was small, he was pretty handsome alone. He had spiky blonde hair and magnificent green eyes that shone brightly against the sun.

Runt tossed his comic book aside, then got up from where he laid.

"Alright, let's get ready to go." He said, yawning drowsily. "You still have to get your Sword Fighter Card."

Each and every Sword fighter had their own specific Sword Fighter Card. They represented your identity. Beginner Sword Fighters got their cards at the Sword Corporation. The Sword Corporation was a building that was located in Irelia and Runt's city. It wasn't a too-long drive there, but it sure will cost some time if they'd walked there. But it was worth it for the legendary sword Irelia was can win.

Outside was snowing and cold. Just like how Irelia wanted it to be. For some mysterious reason, Irelia loved the cold. She loved how the cold smelt and how the snow felt on her face. Irelia wore a leather jacket her mother bought her on her sixteenth birthday. It was shiny and smooth, just like how leather would feel, but now, it was rough and destroyed.

Irelia's mother was a blacksmith. She always did manly jobs, smoked, and heck, people used to joke and say: "Replace her body with a male's and she's man through and through." Irelia's mother hardly ever came home, so she and her brother had to take care of themselves. Though Irelia hardly knew her mother, she knew one thing. She loved black. Irelia would see her mother come back home from work late at night with dozens and dozens of charcoal in her hands, wearing black jeans and a black coat. The next day, Irelia would see her mother,door open, in the bathroom dying her usual blonde hair black. Irelia found it hard to believe that her mother loved that unique color so much, as she hated it.

Runt was following the lead when he stopped. He stared curiously up to what looked like a foggy, black cloud. But this cloud was strange. It wasn't in the sky. It started from what looked like the grou-

"That's the Sword Corporations Building." Runt answered Irelia's puzzled thought. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise.

That was the Sword Corporations? Irelia knew that the Sword Corporations was an enormous building. But she never thought it would be this big. The Sword Corporations stretched up into the sky until it hit the clouds, looking as if the clouds had sucked up the big building. Her eyes were glued on it the entire walk towards it. As Irelia and Runt entered the building, Irelia spotted an old man, sitting at a counter with big words printed on it saying "Welcome". Runt padded towards him without any hesitation to look around.

"We need a new registration for two, please." Runt told the old man with a booming voice, peculiar coming out from a short kid. The old man rose an eyebrow, then nodded. The old man trotted towards a awkward-looking machine.

"Names?" He asked, with a slight hoarse in his voice, as he pressed buttons on the machine.

"I'm Irelia Eden." Irelia said, then nudged her brother gently on the shoulder. "This is Riley-we call him Runt." The old man slowly shifted his hand from the buttons to a keyboard-like object. He began typing on it, lip-syncing as he typed, as if trying to remember Irelia and her brother's names. Then, after clicking a gigantic black button, two shiny,black cards came out from what looked like a scanner. The old man handed Runt the two cards. As he handed them out, Irelia thought she saw a glimmer of amusement in the old man's eyes.

It's as if the old man was once a sword fighter, looking out like a wise owl for the newbies. Irelia thought as Runt handed her ID card.  Irelia gazed at her card. The card was made out of a hard but smooth material. It shone against the giant chandelier that hung high above the endless ceiling. On the card, printed in large, bold letters, wrote: Irelia Eden Sword Fighter from January 2025

Irelia smiled at the card. A warm sensation flowed through her body at the feeling of becoming a swordfighter.

“Go into the Mentor Room to choose your mentor to give you trainings.” The old man said, pointing his fingers at a big room with the letters “Mentor Room” Imbedded on the top. Runt nodded thanks towards the old man and headed towards the room, with Irelia a footstep behind him. As they walked, Irelia began analyzing the building. Huddles of people were seen on benches, or chatting about beside cafes. There were sword fighting gift shops, blacksmiths, and repair stores. About everything was crammed into this building-every that was sword-related. Irelia’s gaze came upon a shop that looked as if they were selling armour-or what looked like armour. As Irelia and Runt headed closer towards the Mentor Room, a surge of memory shot your mind, like a bullet.

What did they called them again? Irelia asked herself,struggling to remember what the unique fighting armour was called. It was…...oh!

Cybersuits! The special type of armour that every sword fighter was required to wear. It has special technological power to give immunity to sharp pains from swords. Cybersuits come in different materials. Some durable ones cost an arm or a leg, but others are as cheap as plain air, but will wear by just a tiny scratch. Irelia remembered her mother wearing a black,leather Cybersuit when her mother was in her room.

Weird. Now that Irelia thought about it, it was weird to see her mother having a Cybersuit. She’d always thought that her mother was a blacksmith and never a sword fighter. Or so I thought.

As Irelia and Runt approached the Mentor Room, Irelia spotted several people in the room, sitting on chairs, smoking, and talking to one another. Different types of swords were scattered on the ground, some big as crocodiles and others small as mice.

The small ones are daggers. Irelia flashed back the memory of her mother teaching her about swords. The long ones are longswords.

“Ahem.” Runt cleared his voice softly, ready to speak to the mentors, but the mentors heard him already.

“Oh hey, there!” One of the mentors exclaimed. The mentor had a short beard, blue sparkling eyes and a friendly smile on his face.

I might grow to like him. Irelia thought eagerly, as she gazed at the other mentors. There were several more of them, some looked at the two newcomers with evil eyes, but others welcomed them with a warm nod. The bearded mentor gave a curt glance at the two cards, turned his head towards the other mentors, and said “We have two new sword fighters.” The other mentors struck from their relaxed pose and got up from where they settled down. The mentors came to a straight line and gazed at Irelia and her brother, side by side.

“You each shall choose which mentor you want to mentor you.” The bearded mentor said. “But first, let’s introduce ourselves.” The mentor casted a glance at the other mentors, then back on Irelia and Runt.

“My name is Zytaria.” The bearded mentor said. “To my right is Ona and to my left is Gordon.” Ona, a decently beautiful woman smiled at me and Gordon, a strict-looking man just stared at Runt. Behind Gordon stood another man and Irelia wondered what his name was. Gordon seemed to read her mind.

“He’s Rute.” Gordon answered Irelia’s question. “A new mentor.” Rute nodded at Irelia as she kept on staring at the short, young mentor.

“Before you choose your mentor,” Zytaria blinked Irelia out of her thoughts. “We shall test you to see if you have any experience in sword fighting.” Irelia’s blood suddenly stopped cold, frozen in place. She has never sword fought before. Suddenly, a huge worm of fear started nibbling at her stomach. She wasn’t prepared for this journey. Not of the supplies needed for the journey, but of the basic skills required to begin the journey. Zytaria’s eyes grew slightly wider, as he gazed at Irelia.

That was probably the cue for me to show him some of my techniques Irelia thought bitterly. The old man turned his head, and after seeing a wooden sword in the distance, he padded over it, took it by the handle, and gave it to Irelia. Irelia gulped, as the pressure of the sword made her lower her sword in a sudden, then, gaining balance as it rose again. Irelia stood there, frozen in place. She tried to move, but her body won’t allow her.

“Well? Mov-” Suddenly, as if someone pushed her, her body jerked. She raised her sword and slashed it in the air, turning her body around as she did, then did a cross-slash. Irelia’s body did other wild movements that she has never done before. Her eyes went wide, as she did a backflip, then landed with a slash in the air. She stood there, paralyzed, not knowing what had just happened. Her sword stayed in her hands, from the position it was in after she slashed it the last time. The mentors were frozen in place, too. Runt sat there, hands open with his jaws gaping as wide as a hippo's. There was silence for a long time, until Zytaria clapped his hands.

“Very well done, young one.” Zytaria said, a gleam of amusement sparkled in his eyes. “You are a really talented sword fighter.” Irelia stood there, not knowing what to say.

I’ve never had any sword fighting training, and…. Irelia’s train of thought led to an unusual one. Maybe, I have powers? For once, excitement fluttered inside her body. What if she was a hero? A new continent of power, maybe. A...chosen one?

Then, Irelia snapped. She immediately shook her head. Of course not! She thought, modestly. But then, how did I perform those techniques back then?

“Your turn.” Gordon said, staring a cold gaze at Runt. Irelia heard Runt gulp as he slowly walked up towards the mentors. Irelia handed him the sword she was holding, and Runt took it. Irelia felt his hands shaking as he got ahold of the sword. Irelia started feeling bad for her brother. She knew that he had never had any practice with a sword before, so he must be really nervous right now. Irelia decided that she has to do something to keep Runt from showing his “skills”. But what can she do?

“He can’t present!” Irelia eventually blurted out. She couldn’t think straight. The other mentors looked at her, as if she was nuts.

“Why is that so?” Zytaria asked, raising an eyebrow. Irelia looked back at him with nervous eyes. Her mind ran, searching for an answer, until she came upon one.

“He hurt his arms the other day.” Irelia stammered. Runt blinked in surprise, but drooped his arms, as if they were really injured.

“If that’s so, then we’ll skip him.” Zytaria said, but had a glimpse of doubt in his eyes, then he and the other mentors rose their heads high, as if trying to gaze up into the sky to look for clouds.

“Now is the time for you to choose your mentor.” Zytaria said, then looked into Irelia’s eyes. “You shall choose first.”

Why me? Irelia thought curiously.She still could not decide which mentor had interested her the most. She was obviously not going to choose Gordon, the menacing old one. Irelia felt Gordon’s gaze lay on her, as a chilling shiver ran through her body.

Ona seems okay. Irelia thought, as she gazed at the beautiful mentor. Ona smiled at her when she saw Irelia looking at her. And Rute seems nice.

“Ummm….” Irelia began, gazing from mentor to mentor, then was cut off by Ona.

“I want her.” She said. Her voice was nice and calm, like a stream flowing gently flowing across a small riverbed. Zytaria looked at her in concern.

“You’re not allowed to do that.” Zytaria told her. He gave Ona a ”look”, then turned his head back to Irelia.

“Now choose who you want to mentor you, and don’t take too long.” Zytaria, now looking more agitated than before, stared at Irelia like an owl towards prey. Irelia’s mind ran as fast as lightning, until she had finally decided who interested her the most.

“Rute.” She said, and Rute’s eyes widened in surprise. A smile started to grow on his face.

“Really?” He asked, excitement crackling in his voice, like a child before going to play at a park. Irelia nodded her head, as she saw Rute smile bigger. His smile then faded, as he gazed at Runt.

“It’s your turn to choose.” Rute told him, as Runt bit his lower lip. He was obviously nervous, still deciding which mentor suited him the most. Irelia was more than sure enough to know who Runt was going to choose.

Obviously Ona. Irelia simply told herself. Ona was a young and cute mentor, and Irelia felt Runt having a crush on her.

Since when they were babies, Irelia has always had the extraordinary power of reading her brother’s mind. Irelia never told anyone of this power, not even her brother. She had always kept this a secret, but somehow, deep in her heart, she regretted it.

Runt’s gaze became more steady, aware of who he will choose. Then, with a strong voice, he said. “Gordon.”

Irelia opened her mouth in surprise. She was dumbstruck. Why hadn’t Runt chosen Ona? And to top it all off, why did he choose Gordon, the scourge of the mentors?

“Very well.” Zytaria said, shaking Irelia out of her confused thoughts.  “You guys shall be training for a month, after that, you’re to set off on your journey.” A pang of sadness glimmered in Zytaria’s eyes. Irelia suddenly felt sorry for him. Zytaria must’ve hoped for her or her brother to choose him as a mentor.

“We will begin our training tomorrow.” Gordon said, gazing at Runt with serious eyes. Snorting, he trudged away from the others, vanishing into a dark side of the Mentor Room.

“You guys can go book a room to stay for the night.” Rute said, looking at Irelia and Runt. “It’s across the Mentor Room, at a big sign that said ‘Inn’.” Irelia turned around and saw the large letters right across. There was a man standing at a counter, fiddling with some tools. The man wore a heavy, brown jacket, and on the desk was a little sign and printed on it was “service.”

Waving good-bye to the mentors, Irelia and Runt began walking towards the Inn. After reaching it, the man gazed at Irelia. Irelia flinched at his sight. The man’s gaze was dreadful. His look was full of evil and intensity. A little shiver ran down Irelia’s spine.

“H-hi, can we book a room for two for the night?” Irelia’s voice was shaky and unforgettable, she couldn’t peel her eyes of the man’s face. There was a horrific scar on his left cheek, series of red blood was splotched on his face and his nose seemed as if it was going to be ripped off by the end of the minute.

The man simply nodded, and gave Runt and Irelia each a key to their rooms. Irelia looked at her key. There were small letter imprinted onto hers, each bold and unreadable. Irelia had to shove her key to her face in order to make out the tiny words. Irelia read each letter carefully in her mind.

Room: B2

Spotting a stairwell right beside where the man stood, Irelia gazed from the key to the stairs then back again. Irelia stepped onto the staircase, noticing that all the stairs were crooked and uneven. The staircase was definitely really old, and each step seemed as if they were 5 inches tall As she climbed the tiring, ancient steps, Irelia heard Runt poke her back. Irelia spun around to see Runt lowering his head in embarrassment.

“Thanks back there.” Runt murmurred. Irelia blinked, remembering how she saved Runt from getting humiliated at when they were showing off the mentors their skills.

“No problem, we are family, aren't we?” Irelia managed a smile as she trudged on the endless well of stairs. Runt barely smiled back, but it was then replaced with a moan as he struggled to bring his weight up the stairs. As they climbed, irelia spotted clouds of smoke rising from cracks in the building.

Weird. Irelia thought, then continued on, ascending the flight of stairs.

Finally, which had seemed like hours, they reached their room. There was a door by the side of the staircase that had worn-out metal imprinted letters on the right-hand side of the door. B2

Relief surged through Irelia’s body as she did not have to climb anymore of the knee-killing stairs. Irelia inserted the key into the keyhole that was crushed and worn. With a little twist, the door swung open, and inside was not a pretty sight. There were cobwebs, peeled walls and broken glass everywhere, a putrid smell striking the air hesitantly. Irelia had to take a step back to subdue the utterly horrible stench.

“Ugh!” Runt spat, making a face as he walked into the room, clenching his nose. He peered at every corner of the room, making a quick scan of it. Then, he trotted back to Irelia, where she was still shocked at the discovery of where she would stay throughout the night.

“They’d better pay us if they wanted us to stay here.” Runt snapped, a gaze of pure anger in his eyes. Irelia couldn’t help but agree with her brother. The place smelled of rotting meat and Irelia spotted several mice racing across the sanitary ground. There were loads of dirt sprawled along the floor, and a half-destroyed chair laid in the middle of the room. Irelia, now able to walk into the room, gazed across the littered cell of junk. There was no shelves, no TV and no washroom.

This will be a long night. Muttering to herself, Irelia rested her bag onto the bad. As she did, the bed made a screeching Crrrrrk sound, and Irelia yelped in surprise. Then settled back down.

Silly me. Irelia’s cheeks fluttered red. Scared of a bed. Irelia heard Runt sighing, as he kicked the side of a desk, breaking it from the shattering impact.

“Well, I will be going to sleep early.” Runt said, laying down onto his bed, followed by an uncomfortable creaking sound. His grouchiness was quickly drowned out, stirring into loud snores. Irelia released an enormous yawn, then settled into her wooden bed. Laying on the old bed, Irelia stared up at the ceiling. A large dusty cobweb laid flat on the middle of the ceiling. Irelia tried her best to take it away from her mind. The picture of a legendary blade popped up into her mind, making Irelia smile.

I am going to win the Glorious Blade Tournament! She thought confidently. And I will for sure win the legendary blade! As she told herself, her eyelids slowly drooped, and she fell into a deep sleep.

A horrible, disgusting ring erupted Irelia from her sleep. She got up as quickly as she can and frantically glanced around, looking for who or what made the sound. Runt was beside her, a second before sounding asleep, now got up from his bed and let out an angry roar.

“What is that stupid ring coming from?” Runt screamed, and Irelia shrugged. Runt threw his blankets aside, then climbed out of his bed. The ring continued to sound in the air, as Runt scavenged every corner of the room. He threw every down the floor, making sure every gadget breaks. Just when Runt was about to spill out his rage, a man walked into the room. The same man that was by the counter the other day. He had the same, fierce gaze as before. Irelia tried hard not to give eye contact to the old man.

“The bell rings every morning.” The old man croaked. His voice was of stone-cold sandpaper. It scratches often, making Irelia jump all the time. “You’ll have to get used to it, because I sure did.” The old man chuckled dryly, then limped out of the room. Coincidently, the bell’s nasty cry died down as he did. Prompty, Irelia got up and quickly changed into her clothes. After waiting until Runt was done changing, she walked out of her room and began climbing down the stairs. It was definitely easier to descend the stairs.

As Irelia padded down the winding trail, she gazed out the rows of windows that were beside the tiring journey down the staircase. The sun shone like a brilliant ball of fire, lighting up the whole world. The grass was sparkling green and series of trees grew along the sidewalk. Irelia sighed. Though she had left her home to journey, she will never forget the beauty of Alys. Irelia and Runt had reached the bottom of the stairwell and saw all four mentors standing below them.

“Hi!” Rute greeted Irelia with a warm smile, and Irelia smiled back. Gordon, on the other hand, glared at Runt with cold eyes and said nothing. Zytaria stepped in front of the mentors and gazed at Irelia and Runt.

“It is now your time to train for your journey.” Zytaria gazed from Irelia to Runt. “But first, we shall give you a simple wooden Cybersuit for free.” Zytaria held out his hands, and wrapped around them were two, brand new Cybersuits. Irelia and Runt walked up, gazing at the suit with big, bewildered eyes.

“Now, throughout the journey, you must purchase more durable Cybersuits than these ones.” Zytaria said, as Irelia and her brother frantically got the suits on. Irelia grinned eagerly. It felt good to wear on a cybersuit-something every sword fighter wears. The suit was comfy, warm and felt magnificently powerful on her. She flexed her arms, feeling the suit rhythmically moving with her.

“First, we shall do some basics of attacking.” Rute unsheathed his sword he had in the sheath at his back and gave it to Irelia. Gordon picked up a wooden sword he had laying on the ground and handed it to Runt.

“Attack me.” Rute said, gazing at Irelia. Irelia reluctantly did what he said. She slashed her sword at Rute, but Rute quickly blocked it with a parry. Irelia can’t help but feel anger rising up in her body. She cussed in her mind when Rute blocked her attack. It was weird, since she was still a newbie. Why did she get all mad?

“Now, I will strike and you have to block it.” Rute brought his sword down slowly and gently. “Remember to use your arms t-” Before Zytaria could finish, Irelia already got her sword in parry, letting Rute’s sword bounce off easily from her’s. Rute’s eyes widened in bewilderment. Then, in an awkward feeling,, Irelia felt her eyes shine like fire through coal. She felt power surging through her body as she raised her sword and sliced it down through the air, going straight for Rute’s delicate skin. The speed of her sword was the speed of lightning, whishing through the air, moving so fast it seemed invisible. The sword went directly at Rute, and as Rute’s stumbled back, shocked at what might hit him, a loud voice erupted through the air.

“Stop!” Zytaria gripped onto Irelia’s arms, as Irelia limped them. Suddenly, she snapped. Irelia’s mind became a dizzy mess. Her eyes were closed and she dropped her sword out of her hand.

“What...what just happened.” Irelia barely made out the words, as she barely had any energy to speak. She laid into Zytarira’s arms as a headache started to sprout in her head. Then, with a panicking sweat, Irelia started to drift off into what will be a horrible nightmare. As she did, she heard the anonymous, isolated words from her mentor:

“I think she’s the one….”

2

A warm swirl of air left the grains of black, staining shards of coal explode into the smoky air. Dor felt a little spark of anger fiddle inside his body. He was so close to finishing his collection of used coal back in his room, under his wooden bed. Now, the last pieces of his collection were drifting freely into the air, free to the world. He sighed. It has been awhile since his father appointed him a new task. Throughout the week, all Dor did was build some gadgets to sustain his boredom. Dor was a talented blacksmith. He built all crazy items that were supposed to be rated A-class. He once built an armor chestplate out of nothing but plain paper. It may sound awesome to have this kind of power at first, but Dor hated it. He didn’t want to be the only kid that wields this sort of power.

Dor fiddled around some stones he had in his hands, and quickly, strangely, he began predicting the dimensions of the two rocks in his hands.

The first rock appears to be smooth, which can be used into armor. The second rock is dull and a bit fragile, which is not good but can be used as decorations. The dimension of the first rock seems big, but not too big. It will be good for making into daggers. The…

Dor shook his head. He did not want to think all the time. He sighed, and gazed across the table onto the small wagon-toy he made yesterday. He touched the lever on the wagon’s back and the wheels began shifting, then rolling as if it was being pushed on clean grass. Dor dropped the wagon as his dad burst into his room. His brows were heavy with sweat and he breathed heavily, his shoulders rising up and down as he did.

“Kam is almost dead.” He said, wincing as he did. Dor shot up from where he sat, and followed his father out of the balcony. As he ran, he heard the helpless cries of their goat, dry and weak, out in the front porch of their wooden house. Dor’s father slammed open the door, as Dor saw the malevolent sight of their goat. There was an ugly gash swiped along his side, bleeding endlessly, and the goat looked like it was close to dying.

Kam was a goat Dor and his father found while searching for some resources to make a suit of armor. The goat was hiding under a tree, shivering so bitterly that you would be able to see it doing so a meter away. His father wrapped his coat around the goat and carried it him, to safety. Seeing Kam like this right now sent a chill down Dor’s spine. Kam was always a cheerful, friendly and happy goat. He’d never suffered like this ever in his life before.

“I’ll get some paper to stop the bleeding.” Dor’s father sounded like he was about to burst out crying. He hurried off as Dor pressed his hand onto the wound, feeling blood ooze onto his hands. Desperation filled his eyes, as he used as much force as he could to stop the bleeding. The goat wailed, now sounding softer. Then after a few seconds all that came out was a little rasp of desperation. Then, as if the darkest days had arrived, Kam limped. His breathing stopped and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The tension in the air hung like venom. Dor didn’t breath...he couldn’t. He felt a tiny droplet of tear forming around his eyes. His hands shook, still pressed onto Kam’s back.

“No…..” Dor’s eyes widened in grief. Kam and Dor had been so close since Dor found Kam. Losing Kam was just like losing an arm or a leg for Dor. Tears began streaming down Dor’s face as he pressed it against Kam’s cold wooly body. Dor’s father sat there, mouth open, not knowing what to do. He took a deep breath, then murmured quietly.

“It’s all my fault.” Face red with guilt, Dor’s father padded towards the goat, grabbed a small blanket, and laid it on the goat’s body. Dor made out the shape of the goat, now concealed inside the blanket. The goat looked surprisingly small, it’s ribs poking out like needles from a ball of knit.

Kam has a dimension of a square-shape. If you were to smelt it, it would- DOr shook himself back to reality. What was he doing? Was he going nuts?

Dor’s father carried Kam away, setting it down on the lush green grass. He lowered his head, then walked back towards Dor. His eyes were filled with sorrow. Suddenly, a question struck Dor’s mind like lightning.

Who or what wounded Kam? Suddenly, anger starting rising in his body. Who would dare hurt Kam? Dor gritted his teeth, anger flaring in his eyes so ever intensely. His anger calmed down, when Dor’s father faced him.

“I have a new task for you.” Dor can hear the grief in his father’s voice, making a sound of utter sadness. “I need you to make an iron cybersuit for a friend of mine. He’d requested for it a long time ago.” Dor’s father tried the best he could to try to sound normal. But he was lacking some skill. Dor’s mind raced furiously. He began going over the materials needed to make the armor.

About 16 iron ingots to created the armor chestplate, add the technological plate inside the chestplate. Increase fire power to maximum, then decrease after five minutes. Use a hammer to mend it to the right spot, with the hammer in a 60 degree angle. Make the armor into a giant rectangle…

Almost at once, Dor rushed towards the smelting table, and began working. His hands reached for Iron ingots, and unbelievably got five. Then, he dropped the ingots into a pot and began melting the precious, silver metal. Multitasking, he began grabbing leather out of a cubbyhole that had the words imprinted on it. Grabbing the pot, he started shaping the iron into a chestplate. He grabbed the leather and glued it onto the chestplate, making a design. Making the last changes to the armor, he completed a what was supposed to be a 6-hour long smelt into a 2-hour one. Smiling proudly and brightly, he brought the armor to his father. His father nodded and went outside.

“I will be going to deliver this to my friend.” After that, Dor’s father padded off, an essence of eerie coldness followed by. Dor sighed. He felt an awkward feeling the pit in his stomach. It was an evil, despicable feeling, pricking up his mind like cold, venomous fingers. Dor sent a shiver down his spine, and jumped when a voice yelled in his ear.

“Hi Dor!” Dor spun around, almost staggering down his floor. A girl smiled brightly at Dor, eyeing him like a kitten. The girl’s hair flowed down her shoulders, making it seem cute and pretty. Her eyes were the colour of hazelnuts, shining a deep orange in the sunlight. It was Anna.

Dor and Anna met when they were just little kids. Dor and Anna had always been very close ever since, as she had always helped Dor smelt and create items. Dor was always grateful for her. A really strange feeling always puffed up in his body when Anna was around. He knew that he liked her alot.

“So, why are you here?” Dor asked her, Anna still having her smile on.

“I just came here to check if you needed help on anything.” Anna scanned her eyes across the little room Dor was in.

“Not anymore.” Dor shuffled back to the crafting table and began fiddling with some metals. The metal he was holding on was pure platinum. Carving it carefully, he was slightly disturbed by his concentration, not knowing that Anna had leaned by his side.

“You’re working harder than before.” Anna said. She watched carefully as Dor began making the block of platinum into a small, mini sword. He swung it in the air,then setting it back down onto the rusty, ancient table.

“There is nothing I can do here.” Dor’s eyes settled onto a picture hung on the wall. His eyes focused on it and on the picture was the image of his mother, a lady who’s passed away a long time ago. So long it felt like centuries ago. Dor’s mother was a really caring lady. Dor had the distinct memory of her sitting on a rocking chair with Dor sleeping on her knee. She sang a soothing lullaby that always seemed to lull Dor to sleep. At that time, life to Dor was happy. It seemed almost impossible to think that Dor had enjoyed his life back then, since he was in a disastrous hell right now.

“Hey! I have an idea!” Anna snapped Dor out of his thoughts. “Why don’t we go outside and see what we can do?” Dor simply nodded at her. Anna slipped right out of the room and flew into the crisp, fresh air and lush, green grass. Dor walked slowly outside, shielding his eyes with his hands from the harsh sunlight. Anna laughed playfully, then stopped short as she came across a tree. Dor followed her to where she stood, and gazed admiringly at the giant colossus tree. The tree was huge. It’s branches stretched out like fingers with a few dozen leaves dangling from each branch.

“That is the biggest tree I’ve ever seen in my life!” Anna’s eyes were huge with surprise. Dor couldn’t help but agree with her. The tree was enormous, stretching endlessly through the sky.

“I dare you to climb it.” Anna nudged Dor on the arm, and Dor flashed an awkward look at her.

“Are you crazy?” Dor exclaimed, then softened as he saw a blistered pain in Anna’s eyes. Sighing, he began to prepare himself. Finding a piece of bark he can cling onto, Dor thrusted himself onto the alpha tree. His arms thrashed around, trying to find a grip and fortunately came upon one. As Dor got his balance, he began climbing the tree. One limb at a time, he felt a surge of energy flowing in his body. On the ground, Dor heard Anna’s encouraging cheers, bringing a strange, warm feeling in the pits of his stomach. Finally, after what had seems like hours, Dor settled onto a branch. He gazed upwards, thousands upon thousands of branches were piercing out of the Tree’s trunk like swords. Back on the ground, Anna clapped her hands proudly.

“Way to go, Dor!” A smile crept around Dor’s mouth from Anna’s compliment. Resting his hands around his head, Dor laid on the branch and began to sit there, rested. Gazing at the sky, a cloud swirled gently into the air. Smaller clouds were at the back of the cloud, trailing it as if it was their mother. Then, as if all at once, the clouds disappeared, leaving trails of tiny fragments behind. A sharp thunder erupted through the air, as Dor began making out a picture of a woman from the fragments of the cloud. As Dor squinted, he saw who the woman was. It was his mother. Almost falling from where he rested, An ice cold sensation spreaded like a virus through his body. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he gazed at the long-forgotten mother of his. The image of his mother seemed to glare down at Dor. Her eyes were blazing with fury. Her essence clung the air like the smoke of defeat. Dreadful thoughts began flooding Dor’s mind at once.

Why is my mother here? Why does she look mad at me? Is she a ghost? Those thoughts drained away as the figure of Dor’s mother began vanishing. Dor laid where he was, his mouth opened to an unanswered thought.

“Dor!” Dor somehow did not notice Anna sitting next to him. She was shaking his hand, her eyes crammed with worry. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Dor shook Anna’s hand off and ignored the sharp pain that flashed in Anna’s eyes. Taking each step carefully, Dor climbed off the tree and dashed back to his house and into his room. He laid in his bed and tossed his blankets aside. A disturbing, anonymous feeling raked his stomach. Darkness engulfed him, as Dor felt a worm of eerie bite it’s way through his stomach.  He missed his mother. Alot. Tears rolled down his eyes at first, then streamed down. A deep sorrow formed in his stomach, as strong as steel, exerting pressure into Dor’s body. Dor closed his eyes. Why did his life have to be such a disaster? Sighing, he forced himself to sleep. He ignored the door opening from his bedroom and ignored the fact that Anna might be eyeing him sadly. The essence in the air was so strong it made Dor feel uneasy. As Dor felt Anna sigh and pad out of his room, Dor began to calm down. Not because of Anna, but because of a warm soothing feeling that suddenly came upon him. A warm, yet isolated voice whispered into his ear, making Dor drift off to sleep. As Dor slept, these strong words rang into his ear and then, slowly, vanished into thin air.

“Sleep, Dor. Sleep.”

3

“What are you doing!?”

Gordons cry striked the air like wildfire, as Irelia winced at the harshness of his thundering voice. On the other side of the practice mat was Runt. His sword fell out of his hands and his eyes bulged in terror. Irelia couldn’t help but feel a need to help Runt. Rute was treating her carefully and Irelia could’ve sworn Gordon almost sliced Runt with his sword. Runt was trembling, as he picked up his sword and began parrying Gordon. Almost instantly, Gordon knocked the sword out of his hand again, making it fly out of the mat. Gordons glare sent Runt writhing down from where he stood. Anger pierced in Gordon’s eyes, as it shone down at Runt.

“What is wrong with you?” Gordon kicked the side of Runt, a disturbing sound followed by. Irelia closed her eyes. Runt probably had broke two or three bones, but what mattered most was how Gordon was mentoring. There was evil that gleamed in Gordons eyes, and Irelia sensed a dreadful tension rising from Runt’s body.

“Irelia?” Rute blinked Irelia out of her thoughts. Irelia tried hard to ignore the despicable yelps of Gordon. A fire of guilt flickered in Irelia’s stomach.

I should be paying attention to Rute right now. Irelia thought, though she glanced worriedly at Runt, who picked up his sword weakly, fear trembling his body.

*                                                           *                                                         *

The rest of Irelia’s day was a dark cloud of depression. Irelia’s overall standing for her training was skyrocketing, yet there was a piercing pain of sadness in the cores of her stomach.

Impressum

Texte: Kevin Diep
Lektorat: Zachery Yueng
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 30.11.2013

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