Chapter 20

  In his dreams, Drakkel replayed the battle in his mind. But this time, it went by much faster. He was reminded of what went on afterwards. After losing to Rillian Adore, he was weak and full of despair. He was forced to leave his sword, Swift Wind’s Breeze, at the site.

  As he left, the few spectators laughed and jeered.

  “The oh so famous Drakkel Fin, the Sword’s Wind of the Sacred Sword Swords Clan! One of the most powerful swordsmen! Yeah right!”

  “I can't believe he lost to Rillian Adore, a Sword Fighter who only made a debut in the sword fighting world a week ago!”

  “Ha! Liars will always get what’s coming to them! He probably had some sort of help to gain his reputation!”

  Drakkel silently walked past all of them. Yes, their comments were hurtful, but his mind was really only focused on one thing. His clan, who held their heads high as one of the two most powerful Swords Clans, would inevitably suffer a blow from this. He couldn't go back to face them and make it worse.

  The years that followed the terrible defeat were lonely and isolating. His looks had changed from stress and weight loss. He spent many a day under an abandoned bridge, in rundown buildings and in dark alleyways, avoiding his searching clan members along the way.

  Hearing the tales of his defeat from storytellers for the first few months, he could only be reminded of what occurred. But the details of the actual battle escaped him with time and when he attempted to think about it, he would get a bad headache.

  Drakkel's eyes slowly slid open. He sat up and groggily turned his head to the side. A blue and black clothed disciple was sitting with a sheathed sword in his arms.

  On the sword hung a familiar piece of white jade. His head was tilted sideways, his eyes were closed, and his chest gently rose and fell. His messy hair contrasted with his neatly placed robes.

  Although seven years had passed, and his looks were more mature, Drakkel would never forget Kio.

  Drakkel smiled.

  It wasn't long after that Kio’s eyes fluttered open.

  Looking at Drakkel, his eyes widened and he shot up from his seat.

  “Senior Drakkel! You're awake!”

  Drakkel’s smile faltered slightly as he calmly nodded. “I am.”

  Kio continued, “Everyone’s been dying to see you! I’ll go let them know!”

  “Wait!” Drakkel called after him.

  But he was too fast. He had already rushed out the door.

  Drakkel sighed and looked to his other side. On the bedside table were some veggie-stuffed bread buns.

  He ate them slowly, savoring each bite. From the flavor, he knew his Senior Brother had made them.

  As he ate, he thought about meeting the disciples.

  He wasn't ready to face them, but he also couldn't let them know this. If the image they had of him wasn't clouded already, he could only maintain it. He didn't want his failures to affect them.

  He quickly straightened his demeanor and waited for them to come in.

  A few minutes later, nineteen disciples came into his room with Kio leading them. Apart from Kio, he recognized most of them. Especially Mi-Mian, Kirora and Leyon.

  The four he mentioned seemed the most excited to see him. But it made sense that they were. After all, the four were the inner disciples that learned the most from him. The rest were outer disciples who had mainly learned from these four.

  The four crowded around his bed while the others watched from behind them.

  Mi-Mian excitedly said, “Senior Drakkel! You're back! You don't know how much we’ve all missed you!”

  Kio nodded vigorously.

  Being his quiet self, Kirora glanced at him and gave a nod.

  Leyon added, “Senior Drakkel! How have you been all these years? Have you been eating well? You look so thin!”

  “I've been well.” Drakkel answered. “I just need some rest now.”

  Leyon nodded.

  Drakkel continued, “And how have you all been? Has your cultivation improved? They all nodded, except for Kio who averted his gaze and nervously shifted his head to the side.

  Mi-Mian answered, “I’m at the level of Sword Spirit, Senior Drakkel!”

  “Me too!” Leyon added.

  Drakkel looked around. “Have you all made it to Sword Spirit?”

  Mi-Mian shook her head, “Actually, Kirora is at the beginning middle stages of Sword Master!”

  Drakkel nodded proudly. They really had gotten strong.

  “Congratulations to all of you!”

  He glanced at Kio whose head was still turned to the side.

  Kio quietly said, “I’m at the beginning stages of Sword Sworn.”

  Drakkel gestured for him to come over, then patted him on the shoulder.

  “It's alright! You're the youngest among these four! You’ll get there eventually. All you have to do is never stop practicing and believe in yourself. Last time I saw you, you were close to perfecting all the clan’s sword movements. I’m sure you're perfected them already! You just need more time for your sword energy to catch up.”

  Kio smiled. “Thank you, Senior Drakkel!”

  Drakkel nodded. Returning his attention to the rest, he asked, “And everyone behind you. Have there been any improvements?”

  One of the disciples in the crowd said, “We’re all between the levels of Sword Hero and Sword Valiant, Senior. We aren't quite as talented as our seniors so it may take us a while to catch up.”

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  “Nonsense!” Drakkel answered. “Don’t limit yourself! You won’t know your own capabilities until you test them. Keep pushing your limits and you might find yourself surprised by what you can achieve.”

  The crowd of disciples bowed. “Yes, Senior Drakkel.”

  Another one of the background disciples, and also a familiar face, Grise, said, “It's been a while and we missed your stories, Senior Drakkel. A few of us are new and haven't heard them either. Do you think you can tell us more about your past adventures to give us some inspiration?”

  The rest of the disciples nodded excitedly in agreement.

  Drakkel smiled. “Of course.”

  Drakkel spent the next couple of hours reminiscing about the past. But after a while, he saw that it was getting dark.

  He reminded the disciples not to fall behind in their cultivation and sent them out.

  He saw that they were angry about it, but he knew he couldn't accommodate them all day.

  The last of the disciples to leave were Mi-Mian, Leyon, Kio and Kirora who reminded him to rest more before making their exit.

  Left alone, he began to think about the things he noticed.

  There were hardly any new disciples and the disciples present avoided talking about his circumstances.

  He was happy they hadn't mentioned it, but a bit saddened at the fact that they had to tip-toe around him.

  Around an hour later, while Drakkel was trying to cultivate, his master walked in.

  “Did you get to see everyone?” He said with a relaxed smile.

  Drakkel nodded. “I did, master.”

  Rodius Fowl's smile fell as his eyebrows drew close together. A look of concern spread on his face as he made his way to Drakkel's bed. He took a seat on the chair next to the bed and lifted up Drakkel's sleeves, placing two fingers to his wrist. A little after, he slowly released his hand.

  “Did your Senior Brother tell you about your poison?”

  “He did,” Drakkel answered.

  His master began to stroke his beard, staring into the distance as he spoke, “Only my medical studies teacher, Taliyah Raven can help you now.”

  Drakkel was surprised. “This is the first time you’ve told me anything about your second master.”

  Rodius Fowl sighed. “Unfortunately, the circumstances have forced me into a corner, otherwise you still wouldn’t know. Once I tell you who she is and where she's from, I think you’ll understand why I’ve kept her identity a secret”

  Drakkel nodded.

  “You see, Taliyah is a special woman. The official head of medicine in the Swordfighting world is the Medicine clan, Powdered Vessel, and the number one medical master is publicly considered to be the Powdered Vessel Swords Clan’s leader Hik Yo. But none of us compare to Taliyah Raven of the Hidden Desires Clan.”

  When he mentioned the Hidden Desires Clan, Drakkel understood why his master withheld the information up until now.

  The Hidden Desires Swords Clan was notorious, as it was one of the seven most powerful Swords Clans. But it was also an open secret that it facilitated questionable business tactics and abused some of its members. It was a cut throat clan that utilized daggers, hidden weapons, and seduction fighting techniques. They required that every member utilize pair cultivation to improve their skills as they believed it to be the best cultivation method.

  The sad fact was that not only were they connected to powerful individuals, but very secretive and careful in conducting their business. So even if one wanted to bring them to justice, they wouldn't really know where to start.

  His master continued, “Her medical prowess is known only to members of the medicine community. She is legendary in the fact that not only had she reached the pinnacle of sword master, she had also created an anti-aging technique; the specifications of which she is unwilling to share.

  She is wise and beautiful, being known as one of the three immortal beauties. With one being from the Enchanting Fans swords clan that was said to have disappeared and another being the head disciple of the Sweeping Trees clan. Thus the title granted to her amongst those in the know is Medicine Princess.”

  Drakkel nodded. He had heard of the three immortal beauties who were only named every 50 years. Their peerless beauty was said to only be matched by that of an immortal and their strength was among the best of Sword Fighters, but he never cared enough to look further into them.

  “How will I find her?” He asked.

  Rodius Fowl stood up from his chair and turned around. “Swordsmith Villa should be able to help you.”

  Drakkel had forgotten. Swordsmith Villa was the swords clan that all other swords clans went to when commissioning the creation of a weapon. Even his old sword, Swift Wind's breeze, was created there. Because of this, they had a way to keep contact with every single Swords Clan that utilized their services.

  Drakkel bowed his head. “Thank you for the advice master. Then I’ll set out tomorrow.”

  Rodius Fowl shook his head. “What’s the rush? Calm down and don't leave until your injuries are healed.”

  “Alright, Master.” Drakkel replied.

  Rodius Fowl nodded.

  Now that his master was here, Drakkel suddenly remembered something that his Senior Brother said. “By the way master, about the poison…”

  Rodius Fowl, turned on his heels, not answering to Drakkel at all. Knowing his master’s sword sense prowess, he definitely heard what Drakkel said. Yet, he ignored him and headed for the door.

  Drakkel could only give up. His master was strong and willful. If it wasn’t his intention to answer, he couldn't push him.

  As the sky darkened, Aurien Wavel walked in with a plate of food and some medicine. Drakkel wanted to ask about what he didn’t finish discussing with his master. But, figuring his master didn’t want him speaking about it, he decided not to bring it up any further and instead asked, “Senior Brother. Do you know how I ended up here?”

  Aurien Wavel smiled. “A few days before we found you, someone tipped us off as to where you were going to be located. They sent an anonymous letter so we don't know who it was, but we were grateful to have found you.”

  Drakkel already guessed who sent the letter,

  “Did the letter say anything else?” He asked.

  Aurien Wavel nodded. “The letter also mentioned that you were transporting the corrupt Town Lord of Shadowy Ridges to Lunala Isle. While you were resting, we found the evidence in your robes. We got someone to gather witness testimonies and already sent them along with the account information to the royal court to handle. As for the other document…” He paused for a moment. “You kept it away from us, gripping it tightly when we tried to take it. We decided to let you have it. We already had all the evidence we needed.”

  He looked at Drakkel expectantly, but Drakkel could only nod.

  He appreciated that his clan members had handled everything. But despite his Senior Brother's curiosity, he couldn't reveal the contents of the second document. If his clan saw it and got involved, they might risk making enemies of those they shouldn't.

  He decided to change the subject, curious about what befell the person he was traveling with.

  “Do you know if…” He cleared his throat. “Were you able to locate Rillian Adore?”

  “No.” Aurien Wavel answered. “I heard the disciples gave chase in the direction you pointed out but they saw no traces of anyone in the vicinity.”

  Drakkel dropped his head in despair for a moment. But then he realized it was Rillian Adore. Even if he couldn’t defeat the demons, he still had ways to escape. Rillian Adore was known as the Undefeated Golden Blade. If he took the demons on, it was because he knew he could handle them.

  After eating the food and taking the medicine in front of his Senior Brother, Drakkel thanked him.

  His Senior Brother then left the room, telling him to get some rest.

  As Drakkel laid in the bed, he thought about the past.

  Now that he remembered his duel with Rillian Adore he had more questions than answers. But at the very least he now knew that the loss wasn’t his fault. And so, once his Grand Master Taliyah healed him, he would work on investigating what truly happened that day.

  A little concerned, he checked for the papers he received from Shadowy Ridges.

  His Senior Brother wasn't lying. The only paper he still had was the one that noted which clans were involved in the mining transactions. His clan members could be nosy, but in this matter they had respect.

  Drakkel frowned.

  It had been 7 years already. Many things could have changed.

  He had spent far too much time away. Now he felt like a stranger in his own home.

  The moon would always wax and wane and the sun would always come out in the morning. Some things would always change while others remained the same and like a person faced with the moon and the sun, he could only stand and accept whatever may come.