Chapter 19

  Two sword fighters stood in the middle of a small flat area surrounded by spikes jutting out from a deep abyss. The area was called Hell’s Mayhem for it was Hell for anyone unprepared to face it. Only those well-versed in the Sword Step technique could hope to survive the terrain.

  A few Sword Fighters had come to watch the incoming fight from the safety of the flat land surrounding the place, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sword’s Wind’s ability- the man whose graceful movements and powerful attacks were akin to the wind that accompanied sword energy.

  They weren’t expecting much. It was a Sword Master against someone who was rumored to have been a Sword Hero, so surely it would be nothing more than a spar. The fight wouldn't be interesting, but they might learn a thing or two and even make a breakthrough.

  Rillian Adore cupped his hands and bowed to Drakkel to show appreciation for accepting the duel.

  Drakkel gave him a nod as was customary for a response. Then, he stuck a hand out and gestured for Rillian Adore to attack first.

  Rillian Adore bowed his head before using his sword step to quickly close the distance between them.

  Drakkel dodged all of Rillian Adore’s attacks with ease. A strike from the left, one from the right and even a kick.

  Only when Rillian Adore began to infuse his attacks with sword energy, did Drakkel draw his sword, Swift Wind’s Breeze and begin to use the spikes surrounding the small flat area as fighting terrain.

  Calm and collected, he handled each and every one of Rillian Adore's blows as they hopped from spike to spike. He even used some of his movements to instruct him on how to better execute an attack.

  Rillian Adore's learning ability was excellent and he took the advice in stride, changing up each attack according to Drakkel's instruction.

  But after a while, with every collision of their swords, Drakkel could feel a disturbance within himself. His sword energy was being thrown into disorder.

  He returned to the small middle area and continued to fight.

  However, at some point, his body was weakened and his energy was in turmoil. Like a turbulent sea during a raging storm, his energy began to flow unevenly.

  He knew that if this went on, he was going to suffer a sword energy deviation.

  He tried to end the battle quickly to identify the cause of the disturbance and address it, but his attacks inevitably weakened.

  Far too soon and without knowing it, he had lost most of his power. By the time he realized he could no longer beat Rillian Adore, it was too late to do anything about it.

  It wasn't long until he found himself in a precarious position. His back was on the floor and he was looking up at Rillian Adore, still processing what had just occurred.

  Rillian Adore helped him up and gazed at him expectantly, probably waiting for him to explain why he let him beat him so badly.

  Drakkel wanted to offer up an explanation.

  He really did.

  But…he couldn't.

  He coughed and blood leaked from his mouth. And it was from then that everything changed. The eyes of those around him; the ones which were at first gazing at him in awe, began to stare at him disapprovingly.

  What would happen afterwards came to the forefront of his mind all at once. It was only when the tightening of his chest got so bad that he could barely breathe; when he realized that his clan would suffer for his error, did he wake up.

  The incoming feelings of dread and despair still pervaded his emotions for a few moments after he woke up.

  Why was he remembering what had happened after a long time of forgetting? And, where exactly was he?

  When he sat up and looked around, it only took a few moments for his second question to be answered.

  As he thought of it, his heart fell. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

  Unfortunately, the room he laid in was all too familiar. Scrolls and posters from his younger days were strewn about in the same manner as which he had left them.

  He thought about escaping, about going back to his old life of seclusion, but not only did he not have the energy to do so, someone even opened the door a few seconds after the thought came to his mind.

  The man who exuded a gentle aura and held a soft expression on his face, which was only softened further by his white long beard, said, “Are you awake now, Drakkel?”

  Tears gathered at the corners of Drakkel's eyes as he made an attempt to get out of bed. The man who spoke to him raised up a hand to signal for him to stay..

  Drakkel moved back to his original position on the bed and cupped his hands. “I am, Master.”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Yes, the man that stood before Drakkel was none other than his Master, the Hundred Healing Prodigy and Sword Dragon known to be the strongest Sword Fighter in the world, clan leader of the Sacred Sword Swords Clan, Rodius Fowl.

  Rodius Fowl smiled.

  A tight feeling rose from Drakkel's stomach to his chest. His mouth felt dry, but he still tried to explain, “Master… I…!”

  Rodius Fowl shook his head. “No need to speak, Drakkel. I understand. You can tell me where you’ve been and how you’ve been doing later. For now, I want to know, has your birthmark ever bothered you in your time away from us?”

  “Not at all, Master.” Drakkel answered.

  While stroking his beard, Rodius Fowl said, “Good.”

  The birthmark he spoke of was a red mark that sat near Drakkel’s right shoulder on his upper back near his neck. His master frequently asked him about it while he practiced under him.

  One day, when Drakkel asked him why he was so interested, he said it was because when Drakkel was a baby, it would bother him a lot; to the point where his skin would turn red and hot from all the scratching.

  His master patted his shoulder and continued. “I’m glad that you’re ok. But I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you now. It would be selfish of me to take up all your time awake. After all, There is someone else who wants to see you.”

  “Who?” Drakkel asked.

  The door creaked open and another familiar face stepped inside.

  Upon gazing at it, Drakkel whispered, “Senior Brother?”

  His Senior Brother. The first of His Master Rodius’s two disciples, Aurien Wavel smiled at him.

  His master left the room as his Senior Brother quickly walked towards the bed.

  Drakkel bowed his head. He again tried to explain himself, “Senior Brother… I…”

  But his senior brother placed an arm on his shoulder.

  “Drakkel, there's no need to explain. I just want to know how you've been all these years.”

  Drakkel's heart felt like it dropped to the floor as he was suddenly filled with an overwhelming guilt. “I’ve been fine, I just…”

  Aurien Wavel nodded. “You just left because your cultivation failed and you couldn't bring yourself to face us, correct?”

  Drakkel’s eyes widened as he looked up at his Senior Brother.

  “How did you know?”

  But his time unconscious must have muddled his thoughts for after thinking about it further, he came to a conclusion. Of course his Senior Brother knew.

  His master was a Sword Master of the Sword Moon technique, but he was also a prodigy in medicinal studies and techniques. So he took up two direct disciples. His first was Aurien Wavel who he taught all that he knew about medicine and the second was Drakkel whom he taught the Sword Moon technique.

  Aurien Wavel was originally a Sword Fighter, but he had an internal issue that prevented him from cultivating past Sword Hero. However, he was knowledgeable and picked up and remembered information easily. So his master decided to teach him medicine while trying to help him overcome this blockage. Now he was known as the disciple of the Hundred Healings Prodigy, Medicine Master Aurien Wavel.

  Drakkel nodded.

  “It isn't your fault,” Aurien Wavel said.

  Drakkel was confused for a moment, but then he thought about it slowly.

  He didn’t know the reason for his cultivation regressing and didn’t have the time or resources to figure it out. But since he didn’t remember his duel with Rillian Adore and saw that Rillian Adore was skilled, over time, he started to accept that he might have done something wrong.

  Yet, after years of not remembering, he suddenly regained some of his memory not long ago.

  And that was when he knew that something was not right with the duel.

  “What do you mean?” He asked.

  Aurien Wavel breathed out a sigh. “You were poisoned.”

  Drakkel shook his head, jerking his shoulder out of his grip.

  Looking at him in disbelief, he uttered, “Poisoned? But…During the fight… I…” His fingers shot to his head as it began to ache, like a needle was being poked into his skull.

  “It hurts to recall?”

  Drakkel nodded.

  “That’s to be expected. After sifting through books for a day and a night, Master and I found out that you were poisoned by the Night Raising Flower, a flower that carries a deadly poison.

  The sufferer would first feel their Sword energy become uneven, then it would flow in an explosive manner, ripping through their channels until their body is unable to take it. The results of this are fatal.

  The symptoms of poisoning for this flower are whitening of hair, shortness of breath, body aches, fever, cough, and more. The flower also has an odd side effect; those who become poisoned by it, don't remember how it happened and any attempts to recall it would lead to severe headaches.

  Records were only able to be kept because there were witnesses. The flower is rare and difficult to extract poison from, so it's not common to hear about it and its existence is usually only known to those who dwell in medicinal circles or are well versed in medicines and/or poisons…”

  Drakkel’s eyes widened.

  All this time, he thought he deserved to lose to Rillian Adore. Since he didn’t remember the duel and Rillian Adore’s sword level at the time wasn’t made clear, also because he had seen his ability first hand afterwards, any doubt in his mind that something was wrong with the loss had disappeared. Now that he remembered what happened and his Senior Brother had told him the cause, a sort of bitterness nestled into his heart like a dark cloud hanging over his head.

  “Have you been trying to treat it?” He asked.

  Aurien Wavel nodded. “We have and we were able to alleviate it a little, but…”

  He looked down in sadness. “I'm afraid curing it is beyond our capabilities…”

  Drakkel understood. That must have been why he was able to remember some of what occurred during the duel.

  He coughed and a bit of blood spurted from his mouth.

  Aurien Wavel hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood. Then he grabbed his shoulders and helped him lay down.

  “Let’s not talk anymore. Get some more rest. The others wanted to see you, but our Master forbade it. He said you needed time to heal. Close your eyes. When you wake, we’ll still be here.”

  Drakkel nodded.

  With his energy drained, he could only listen to his Senior Brother.

  A strong tiredness enveloped him and he drifted to sleep.