Chapter 5

“The awakening of the awaited one.”

Two years ago, a terrible war, known as the Kaza War, led by rebellious warriors and warlords broke out, endangering world peace. The traitors were helped by the Valkyr Empire, driving mass destruction upon Kaza City.

Because of the love for his people, King Levon carried out the attack against the enemies to defend the city. Overconfident that he would be victorious, the King led just half of the Imperial Army into war.

General Allegar Falcon, one of the King’s chief general was ordered to accompany His Majesty throughout the war. Loyal to the King, he obeyed. Furthermore, General Falcon had always been a close companion of King Levon. He would readily risk his life for him.

On the day the troops moved out, General Falcon brought along his only son, Keith who was twenty-two years old and his daughter, Christine who was fourteen. It was to be a first-hand experience of taking part in a war.

Though tender at age, Christine showed enthusiasm and talent in hand-to-hand combat. Since she was small in size, she was agile and swift-moving during training session with her father. Impressed, General Falcon taught his daughter combat moves based on agility.

As written in history, King Levon lost. He died in battle, along with another one hundred thousand men. The death toll was terrifying. It was the consequences of arrogance; grave as it was.

A number of soldiers were sent to look for any signs of survivors. The two siblings came out from hiding and claimed their identities and status as citizens of the Floating Land, only to be disgraced by a member of the House of Lords— Duke Ralph. He knew who they were but he rejected their claims just the same. General Falcon had warned them about this treacherous man. He was never fond of the duke. They could not defend their stand about it for they did not own any documents to support their words.

Losing hope of living fast, the two was found by the head of the Mabluku Tribe. They were those who lived in Mabluku Territory which was located a distance away from Kaza City. Apparently, it was not affected by the war as it was hidden in the forest. Lord Nazeck who was an unmarried man, accepted them, cared for them like his own children. One and a half year later, he died of an incurable illness without naming his heir. Appointed by the majority of the Mabluku Tribe Keith became the next leader despite his non-originality from the tribe, assisted by his sister.

“Basically, that’s the full story,” said Keith shortly, sipping the warm tea in his mug. “To Christine, the Mabluku tribe is her second family. When we were homeless, it was this tribe who offered love and kindness to us. That is why she is very protective over it. She couldn’t bear to lose another family, not after she lost dear father.”

Raviex munched his food thoughtfully and swallowed. ‘So she does have a heart deep, down inside,’ mused Raviex. He had been listening tentatively while eating (Claire insisted on them eating before the food went stone-cold). “But why does she treat me so callously? I’d even believe she hates me though this is the first time I’ve met her.”

“Isn’t ‘callously’ a word too harsh for a person who think of you as the son of the indirect murderer who killed her father?” told Keith outright. Raviex was taken aback by his clear-cut statement. Claire who had been listening quietly all along, too, didn’t expect that. “My father was instructed to go to war with King Levon. If it wasn’t because of the command, father didn’t have to go and fight the war. Christine thinks that if he wasn’t involved in the Kaza War, he’d still be alive!”

“It was a war casualty. My father wouldn’t have wanted anyone sacrificed because of it if he could help it,” commented the Prince hoarsely when he finally found his voice. He was upset with Keith mentioning his father as a murderer, however, he understood their feelings as well.

Keith hesitated. He should have heeded his feelings and be more careful with his words. “Nevertheless, her fury was also because we weren’t recognized by the Government. Fortunately, she still abides father’s teachings: Loyalty to the King and the Light, and blessings shall be bestowed upon your family. That was the only reason why she rescued you.”

Christine Falcon… the name rang in Raviex’s mind. Strangely, it occurred to him that the name was awfully familiar but he just could not lay his hands on it.

Sudden rapid knocks sounded on the door, breaking off Raviex’s thoughts. Two men dressed in black tight clothing immediately reported themselves to Keith. “Lord Falcon! It’s Valkyr’s men. They’re closing in on Mabluku Territory but we are positive that they currently do not have any direct destination. They are two miles off east in radius from our territory with fifty armed men,” one of the men spoke urgently yet calmly, ignoring Raviex and Claire’s presences.

“That’s too close.” Keith paused and looked at Raviex. “They’ll connect you and Mabluku in a second. We’re fortunate that Valkyr does not want his search party to be noticeable to the Floating Land. That could explain why no Z-Genes are involved,” he said in a low tone and continued addressing the duo. “Sent out our men to throw them off course; we need to make sure they won’t succeed on finding this territory. Evacuate all women and children to the underground tunnel! I want every single light and fire put out! Do not sound the alarm. We do not want to attract Valkyr’s men. Now, go!”

They hurried out the door as Keith faced his wife. “Claire, please ensure that no one is left behind in the evacuation. I’ll see you as soon as this is over, I promise.” He held her hands gently while Claire’s face was clouded with doubts and uncertainties.

Raviex picked up his sword and stood up. “No. They are here because of me, so, I will tend to them. Keep your sword in its sheath, Lord Keith; I’ll handle them, you go with her.” He flashed a convincing and confident smile.

“Your Highness!” Claire called after him as he fled into the night.

‘I will not let you hurt these people, Dark Valkyr and I shall keep that vow,’ swore Raviex as he sprinted out the enormous wooden entrance gates of the Mabluku Territory. Tall, dark trees flashed by as he ran briskly. His nerves raced on pumped adrenaline.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice came from above a tree which was slightly ahead of him after running for a few minutes. He stopped abruptly. It was Christine’s voice. The tree’s shadow cloaked her body, making it hard to judge her position.

“I’d like to ask you the same thing. I thought all women and children should be brought to safety?” Raviex shot back. He was tired of being snapped at by this obnoxious girl. He was, after all, still the Prince of Katelion. She could at least show some respect to him for that factor.

Christine leaped and landed ten metres away from Raviex. The enchanting moonlight cast over, illuminating her dark hair and slim figure. A mischievous smile played on her lips. For a moment there, Raviex thought she looked beautiful. “Like a deadly warrior in the night,” he muttered wryly at his previous thought about her.

“I don’t run to safety. I prefer to fight for the people I care for,” said Christine, aware of her surrounding. In a quick movement, she withdrew a dagger from behind her and threw it at Raviex’s direction. His eyes widened in disbelief at her murderous attempt. Sub-consciously, his reflex took over and the next thing he knew, he was dodging sideways.

Before he could make any remark out of it, he heard it struck something. Bushes ruffled. He spun around and saw a Valkyr Empire soldier lying lifelessly between the bushes with Christine’s dagger struck deep into his body where his heart was. He looked back at her, somewhat annoyed by her amused expression. “You could’ve simply warned me first before pulling such a stunt,” gasped Raviex, holding his chest. “If I hadn’t dodged, I would’ve been the one killed!”

Christine pulled her dagger from the dead man and wiped the blood off the dagger on the man’s clothes to clean it. “If I’d warned you earlier, it wouldn’t be called a surprise attack now, would it?”

‘Beautiful and deadly, that’s how she is,’ confirmed Raviex.

Christine lowered her head a little and spoke in a frank manner, “Isn’t it about time we all step into the open and have a fair fight?”

Raviex stared at her as he took a step backwards, her dagger ready to strike again. “W—what?” he stammered, confused.

Suddenly, more bushes rustled and dead twigs snapped. There were activities everywhere. Men started showing themselves, stepping out into the open ground. They were from both sides: Valkyr’s and Mabluku’s. Raviex was amazed by her ability to sense their presences. Something told him that she was more than only of whom he knew as the daughter of General Allegar Falcon.

“Shall we begin?”

The group leader of Valkyr’s men shouted his attack. In a few seconds, the air was full with sounds of the clashing swords. It was soon when a fighter fell to his feet to the other. It was a silent fight; unknown to the Floating Land.

Christine somersaulted in the air and aimed two daggers at two unaware men while still airborne. They hit their targets perfectly—silent, swift and accurate. They didn’t know what hit them till they saw the daggers plunged into their hearts.

She landed gracefully on tiptoes and smiled smugly. She sprang forward into the air again as an enemy tried to lung at her. He stumbled to the front and caught nothing. Christine touched the ground as the man spun around to face her. In blur movement, she kicked his sword out of his hand and swung the other leg at him on the face so hard that he blacked out even before he dropped down.

On the other side, Raviex was sword-fighting with five men in a row. Though he was trained to fight under such tight circumstances, this was his first, real experience of sword-fighting without Sir Damien, his mentor’s guidance and advice.

“Hold him still, so I can slit his throat!” ordered one of the men. A hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Seizing the opportunity, Raviex threw the hand up away from him and elbowed the unprotected torso of the man. Without losing a beat, he spun around and swerved his sword sideway to the left, meeting the blade of the attacker and directing it at another Valkyrian.

The soldier’s eyes were filled with bewilderment as his life ended then. Raviex drove the same opponent’s sword again behind him fiercely, killing another foe. Done manipulating the soldier, he swerved backwards unexpectedly and knocked him out with a blow on the neck. The fifth and the last men readied himself for a one-on-one fight with Raviex, realizing that four of his comrades were either dead or down on the ground. The Prince steadied his breaths, keeping his composure; his eyes were watchful.

Movement!

The fighter screamed a war cry as he sped towards Raviex. He had kept his sword sheathed all these while and instinctively, he unsheathed it in a quick action. He remembered the trainings he underwent with Damien. One of the most basic and critical movement in sword-fighting is the ability of drawing your sword in a perfect and smooth pull so as to not hinder the next move you would make.

The attacker slashed at the centre of the young swordsman’s skull but Raviex defended himself by holding the sword above his head, his left hand supporting the long blade. The foe gritted his teeth and continued his attacks. He aimed for Raviex’s lower part of the body, yet again; his sword was there to block him. It was as if he could read his moves.

At the moment of the Valkyrian’s hesitation, Raviex disarmed him by knocking his sword from his hand. Just as the man tried to retrieve it, he thrust the legendary blade through him, neutralizing the enemy.

“They’re not wearing any Auto-Shield! Fire your weapons at them!” instructed a voice of authority from somewhere in the bushes. Aghast, Raviex veered to his right and saw Mabluku’s men. It was confirmed that there really was no Auto-Shield around Mabluku’s men’s waists.

Auto-Shield generally looks like a waist belt. When activated, it emits a range of frequency waves which would collide and deflect long-range attacks, usually involving bullets and laser beams. The exceptions that could penetrate the Auto-Shield are hand-to-hand weapons and Sacred Energy-based attacks. A trained warrior is able to manipulate his sword to slice through the defense provided by it and command a fair duel with his opponent of equal standing.

“Into the woods!” shouted Christine, fearing for their safety.

Without needing her to repeat her words twice, the Mabluku men ran into the woods and just vanished into thin air. In an incredible speed, she ran to Raviex’s side. “Why the heck are you not running? Do you have a death wish?!” demanded Christine, furious that he was on his knees, clinging onto his sword.

Raviex’s eyes turned to her in shock. “I can’t move!” he gasped.

“What?!” Christine staggered a step back and knelt beside him, baffled. “But…you have to move!” she said sternly with a hint of panic in her tone.

“I can’t feel my legs… why can’t I feel my legs?!” exclaimed Raviex, horrified, his eyes now searching the ground wildly. Then, he glared at Christine. “Save yourself! Go, leave me!”

“Too late,” she muttered hopelessly as the same voice yelled, “Fire at will!”

“No!!!” roared Raviex, so loudly that it echoed through the woods. Suddenly, everything became motionless; time and space both simply froze. As sudden as how that happened, they regained their pacing like usual. But this time, it was different.

A bright blue and golden light shot out from Raviex’s sword, which had its tip struck to the ground. The column of the miraculous light speared itself into the sky directly above the sword at a velocity so fast that it made the speed of the lasers and bullets seemed slow. Christine watched in awe as the light grew and encircled her and the Prince. No weapons could harm them. This unknown light protected them.

“What the—?!” sputtered a confused Valkyrian.

“Impossible!” uttered Christine as the light expanded and spread into the forest in every direction. Strong gusts of wind stirred around them. Christine shielded her eyes from stray particles of sand, her ponytail danced with the wind. Raviex was holding onto the blade with all his might, as if there was a strong force vibrating in it.

After mystified seconds, the light absorbed itself back to its source, the Sword of Katelion, Letaikno (/ lәt٨i:k’nәu /) until it was the only column of light left that joined heaven and earth. It, too, shrunk till the width of the sword and then, disappeared. Raviex, who had been focusing all his strength to sustain Letaikno, collapsed to the ground, over exhausted.

“What was that all about?” Erik whispered to himself in his apartment. He had seen the light from his window, blazing into the sky. Something was on. Never had such an occasion happened before. The wheels in his mind began turning, figuring out every possibilities. His futuristic laptop which he was working with earlier was left on the table, forgotten. “Whatever it was, I can’t be the only one who’s seen it.”

Far off in space, outside the orbit of Senadon, fleets of spaceship and battleships laid there, waiting. Inside an intimidating-looking dorm ship, there was an appallingly old man, resting on a throne-like chair. There were small tubes connected to his head, his wrists, his arms, his body torso and his legs; feeding light-green fluids into his body.

As if sensing the advent of the light of Letaikno, he opened his eyes in anticipation. His extraordinarily long beard which surpassed his feet half-concealed the malicious grin that spread across his heavily-wrinkled face. Decayed yellow teeth were shown.

“It has begun!” he declared in a fearsome voice despite his age. His lady servants cowered behind shadows at his voice, trembling in fear.