The sound of blades, a sound all warriors are familiar with, a sound they fight for, a sound they're born to, and the sound they hear when they die. It is said that all great warriors die to the sword. They spend more time with it, then they spend time with anything else.
"Ottawa are you listening?" Pere said to Ottawa, who was sitting down, Pere was an old man, his age showing through his lack of hair on his head and long gray braided beard.
"Yes, all great warriors are good with swords" Ottawa responds as he draws in the sand inside the castle walls, his fingers feels every single grain resisting his movements, he draws the mineral hydra.
Pere hits Ottawa's finger with a stick, "Ow" Ottawa shrieks.
"you must not let your mind run off, while we train." Pere says, "if you're not actively listening you won't understand. Don't you want to become a strong knight like your brother?"
"My brother?" Ottawa stands up and stops doodling, "He's not going to be a knight, he's going to be the next king."
"Your brother already is a knight, he was knighted today. You haven't heard of it?"
"No, father usually doesn't let me interfere with Moria, he says Moria has higher priorities."
"Of course, Moria is a strong knight. A strong knight becomes an even stronger king,"
"'Do I have to become a knight?" Ottawa asks, "can't I just live with mother and continue going to play with my friends?"
"Ottawa, you're not a toddler anymore, you're growing, more growth means having higher priorities. And a knight is a warrior with lots of priorities, that's why their dressed in glory, don't you want that?"
"What is glory?" Ottawa responds confused.
"Glory is having your name being known by every lord, it's being feared by your enemies, Glory is everything child." Pere says.
"Will having glory make me new friends?"
"Friends of battle" Pere responds.
"Do you have glory?" Ottawa asks.
"What is my name?"
"Sir pere,"
"What is that girl's name?" Pere points at a slave cleaning the dog house.
"I don't know, '' Ottawa replied.
"See?"
"That's not fair, she's a slave." Ottawa states.
"And do slaves have glory, Ottawa?" Pere asks.
"No" Ottawa responds, Pere throws a wooden sword at him and he catches, "why do we have swords anyways? Isn't it useless with bonds?" Ottawa burns the sword with his hands.
"You're skipping the grounds here Ottawa, bond is the art of manipulating the universes' energy, When it becomes a part of your body, your instincts, all weapons become more then just weapons, they become you." Pere then swung his sword, a sudden gush of air moved through the castle forcing the trees to sway left and right. "See? weapons and our bonds go hand to hand, they are not the same but they enhance each other, I want to see your bonds naturally improve your swing, use air for speed."
"But I've never tried air before."
"Don't worry, it's just like fire but more free."
Ottawa grips on his sword firmly, then swings, nothing, only flames engulfing the sword, "no air sir, its not working."
"of course its not, your still just trying to use bond to create air, do you tell your hair when to grow?."
"no?"
"then stop telling your body to use the bond of air, just let it be natural."
Ottawa grips on the sword again, he swings and focus on creating wind, however no elements appeared but a drop of sweat from his face.
"Again" Pere says.
A blanket of red covered the castle as the sun began to set and disappear. Ottawa couldn't even muster a breath of air. His hands burned and bruised. A body can only handle so much.
"We're done for the day, get your rest boy, we start early in the morning." Pere said, He returned to his chamber and was sent a message by king Maku.
"Sir Pere, king Maku wants your presence at once." the messenger says.
Without changing clothes Pere entered the throne room, it was filled with a bitter cold, King Maku sat on the throne looking down at Pere and said, "how was the training with Ottawa?"
"Good, your son shows a lot of promise."
"Do you believe he is a di-bond? Like the seer said?" Maku asks.
"Without a doubt, your genes run through his veins,"
"Then did he muster any air? Water? Earth?
"No, but I believe with a little more training he will get there."
"Excellent, I would award you with gold, but sir Pere your not a man who can be bought, what are your wishes for compensation?"
"My wishes have not changed since I took on this task as a warrior and a teacher. My king, I wish for you to order lord Taka to spare my family."
"I've heard, And I will, you have my words, if my brother lay hands on your son or your son's son, He shall cease to breathe again."
Pere looks up at king Maku in appreciation and happiness.
"But, he is Pogo blood, which is why I have one more request to the legendary Pere,"
"Yes my king, anything."
"You are to take my son, Ottawa, to Tunukor and aid general Zhen with fighting Psan and his army."
Pere was struck by shock, he remains silent with a look of confusion, "my king-"
"Of course you two won't be going alone" Maku interrupts "I shall grant you 1,200 men, you are a former general of the Abis desert, I have no doubt you are the man for this task."
Pere went down on two knees, he replies, "With all due respect, my king, this is An impossible task, Psan has an army that is possibly 3 times bigger than Tunukor's forces, your 1,200 wont cause a dent"
"An impossible task?" Maku says, "yes impossible, only if it wasn't led by the legendary Pere, the man who killed 5 dragons and stalemated the ghost of Bohan. Unless those stories were lies, and you don't want your family to stay untouched."
"No, No, I will, I will go to Tunukor, I will slay Psan, his entire army even, if it means my wishes are kept."
Maku laughs, "You are a true warrior Pere, 67 years old and willing to lay your life down for the sake of the kingdom, you have my respect and appreciation, if you do what you just said, I would make you the 19th lord of the kingdom."
Pere stands up and stares at Maku, this time with an empty face,
"You are dismissed Sir Pere,"
To enter Tunukor, Psan must travel north, Along the way, he will face the southern border, a wall of forest that separated the deep south from the southern lords of yoan, lurking with the dangers of one eyed monsters as strong as hydras and as fierce as the northern glacier serpents. Blood bears are ants compared to the mythical creatures that rule the southern border.
As Psan approaches the border, he sees the thick shrubs and giant trees, taller than any mountain of Yoan, the forest was up to 500 miles wide and over 2000 miles long stretching from the eastern sea to the western ocean, 96% untouched by humans. They must follow a strict path, a river that carved the way to the southern rulers of Yoan, the river which was infamously named the scarlet river for the numerous amounts of lives it took, it will take them 3 days and 68 miles to reach the end of the southern border and the beginning of the southern rulers of Yoan.
"My king, perhaps we should wait until the clouds have gone, the southern border feeds during storms."
"16, you are too worried, I've traveled these lands before, the rumors you hear are all fake, there are no more giant creatures, they were all wiped out by the hydras 2,000 years ago, all that remains are trees,"
uneased and terrified 16 looks to the east of the forest, "You don't feel that my king?"
"Yes I do, it is nothing to be worried about also, let's continue."
Psan enters the forest, the scarlet river by their side, countless soldiers march through the forest stopping for no-one, their feet's battered the floor, paving a path of footsteps.
It was quiet for the most part, besides the thunderous sound of the foot and earth, Psan closed his eyes, and a vision drifted to his head.
There is Man, his hair curled down to his shoulders, his eyes removed of all sympathy, lusting for blood, he has a sword, he swings his swords through your Wife, he holds her head above him, he's a man in the desert, he drinks the dripping blood like water, he laughs with joy, then he throws your wife at you, no longer with life, no longer your wife, she is dead. And he is alive.
There is a man. They called him Taka, his robe is blue, his hands bonds fire, he lusts for fear, your daughter screams, she cries for you, "dad, father, daddy,". He points at your child, he burns her alive. Like a hyena, he cries of laughter, louder than before. He kicks your daughter to your feet, no longer with life, no longer your daughter, she is dead, And he is alive.
There is a man, He is protected by the king, his hands bonds air, he lusts for your lands, he grabs your son, he shuts his mouth, he drains the air from you son. Like a fish out of water, your son suffers, he suffers and you can't do anything, nothing but cry, nothing but beg, nothing. Putting his hands inside your son's mouth, your son explodes, his parts touch the roof, the walls, they touch you, no longer with life, no longer your son, he is dead. And he is alive.
Suddenly psan hears a shuffle in the forest. Yet he continues his march, to his men he says. "12, there are 2 people spying on us, bring them to me."
In the bushes 2 men hid from the marching army. Each row of men was 6, every time, and every soldier was hooded, covering every spec of their face. They counted over 6,000 rows. They were silent, they made sure not to breathe loudly, but even if they did, the sonic nature of the forest and the army would overshadow any creature.
From behind them a hand grabbed their necks, it squeezed with a force of 100 men.
The 2 retaliate, one of them grabs on 12's hands and tries to burn it. The other stomps on the floor and creates a hole under 12, but 12 did not fall, he floated and he did not burn, only his sleeve did.
Before being taken to Psan one of the men manages to get a look at 12, He was faceless, no longer with life, he was pale and only had a mouth.
12 transported them on top of the gabola, where Psan sat, Psan faced the 2, one was a younger man, he had blue eyes and a sharp jaw. The other was the opposite, older with brown eyes and 3 chins.
"How many did you guys get to?" Psan asks.
The two did not responds, both avoiding eye contact with Psan.
"Do you know why my men are faceless?"
The two still did not responds
"It's because they choose to follow me, they chose to put every faith in me, now I am their eyes, I am their ears, I am their reason for life, how beautiful a nation of people truly as one."
"Kill me, I'm not saying a word." the brown hair man said.
"I'd rather show mercy" Psan replies, he touches the man's head and all his energy is absorbed, as he loses all his energy the man begins to scream in agony, "now you, do you want mercy?"
The blonde was terrified, he shook his head no.
"Then answer me, how many men did you get to?" Psan says
"36,436, we counted that far," he replies
Psan had a look of disappointment, he touches the man's head and shows him a vision.
"Impossible," the man says, "you're a monster,"
"I am a god, and I am going to sit on the throne" Psan replies, "tell Maku of my arrival, tell him He has my sympathies for his loss."
The man is then released, he goes back to his filho, a flying creature that can carry a human across vast distances.