Run.“Excuse me,” Arth hasted along the main street of Casterfall City after realizing how late he was. Crowds of people who came to watch the competition today had been blocking his path ever since he arrived in the city.“Damn it,” whispered Arth, hoping the registration had yet to close. He plunged through countless groups of citizens, hands clasped together in front of him to make way for himself.“Hey kid, watch it.” “Who was that?”The man shrugged. “Another country boy, perhaps.”Arth never gave a single care to anyone around other than registering himself to the competition, which he could have done a lot sooner if it was not for that long, pointless conversation with Robert earlier. His chest pounded fast, nervous of not making it, for it was the only reason he got into this vast city.“There it is,” Arth finally glimpsed the tall, white-painted building ahead, popularly known as the Standard Knight Academy; a three story building that
The most tiresome time of Tristan’s daily regime was here again. He was sitting on the high seat, his cheeks rested on both palms of his hands, and supported by his elbows on the table. The bright, morning light from the huge glass windows gently kissed Tristan’s ocean blue eyes, as his gaze was only locked outside. He never gave a single attention to the old and bland-speaking man at his front who was holding a book while citing the texts on it.“The two cities, Casterfall and Hailborne, were both the underlying source of the region’s…”“Seriously, do I really have to do this every day?” Tristan whispered to himself, letting out a huge breath. Thick, ancient-looking books were piled at his both sides on the table. One book was opened, resting between his elbows but the writings were too frustrating for him. They were so tiny and full of complicated words which he had never known of before.“Okay, that’s it,” Tristan finally spoke up as he closed the big book which was all about the g
"This… this is madness! I've done nothing wrong!"A filthy peasant agonized, kneeling on the ground with his hands chained. His dirty clothes have been torn as his dry skin revealed painful marks from intense torture. Along with him were two, dreadful bodies—no heads, lying while blood spurted and flowed on the stone floor. He was the last one to be executed on the underground dungeon of the castle."The court had already proven you guilty. I’ve no pity to those who defy the laws," Kael Denvorn replied in a cold voice as he stood high in front of the foul prisoner.The silver-armored knight beside Kael handed over a long and sharp sword."How did I end up to this bullshit? It was that fucking noble who drugged and tortured my family to death! Where the hell is justice in that? That monster should be the one to be punished!" the man cried out with tears falling down from his bloodshot eyes. “You’re all rotting demons… all of you…”This is how life runs here in the capital, you fool. Wh
A loud, shrieking scream of a beast molested the deep silence throughout the darkness of the snow forest. Warm blood dripped down on the ground from Arth’s black sword. He opened the mouth of the dead boar using his boots, where a small, white sphere appeared on top of its tongue. Arth took the core and placed it on his jar, containing half-filled white spheres from the C-class beasts he had slain earlier. However, it had been almost two hours and he never found a B-class beast yet. Time was running out and he would have lesser chances of winning if he could not collect a red core. “Where’re those damn beasts?” Arth muttered a curse as he continued his hunt, leaving the dead body of the boar on the snowy ground. The Dark Woods had gotten even darker as the sun was going down. The thick branches on the high trees completely covered the light from the cloudy skies. Dread. Arth breathed the cold, foggy air as he rushed through the depths of
“So you want me to slit your throat now, huh?”Tristan had his right hand gripped on the collar of a teenager, pressing him against the cemented wall of an alley. The eyes of the young guy widened in fear as Tristan slowly pulled one of his swords with his left hand.“No, please! Don’t kill me! I… I won’t do it again!” the teenager said in a shaky voice.“Listen, you pathetic brat,” Tristan whispered as he held the guy’s collar tighter. “I don’t care about your nobility or how wealthy your family are, but if I ever see your disgusting face again, I swear that will be the last time. You hear me?”The young man nodded quickly. “Yes! Please let me go now!”“If you want, you could call your stupid body guards to take revenge on me,” Tristan smirked. “I’d be glad if you would.” He finally released the boy with his strong grip. “Run… before I change my mind.”The brat hasted out of the alley, as if he was being chased by his nightmares.“Filthy nobles,” Tristan whispered to himself as he ad
Upon the black carpeted hallway located in the second floor of the citadel, Kael was walking with his two armed knights following him. The chandeliers gave brightness on the path, revealing the royal portraits of the monarchs that were hung on the opposite walls.A lot had changed after a year of Kael’s reign. The dark, cold citadel turned into a bright and elegant castle. The walls were repainted with lighter blue themes, including the new golden chandeliers, and the floors were replaced with white marble, giving a winter feel for every visitor.However, Kael was not in the mood to glance around the elegant designs as he was in a hurry. He was dressed on his white, high-collared, and long-sleeved garment. His black hair was fixed to the side as the ice crown rested on his head. He went upstairs to the third floor, containing several rooms for visitors.“It’s fine. Just stay here,” Kael told the two knights behind him before he opened the second door of the hallway.As he entered, he
Arth dropped down to the snowy ground as the A-class beast swung its huge tail at him. It had struck the tree trunk instead, creating a loud bang sound with the small branches falling at him. He rolled his body, then quickly got up on his feet while holding his injury. A bone fracture he had felt on his aching shoulder. Nevertheless, he tried to run as fast as he could, thinking of what to do to take down the powerful beast. “Come on…” Arth’s breathing shortened as he rushed from the snake, who was still recovering from the impact of its tail.Think… Arth… think! He gritted his teeth in agony of his painful arm. Every step he took had shaken his fractured bones, like two metal rods, pressing against each other beneath his muscles. He came across the cliff he jumped on earlier, where he spotted the circular mark on the snow. His eyes widened in enlightenment as he finally figured out a plan. That’s it! Arth turned his
“Not bad,” Kael said, returning his sword to its sheath after a quick battle.A young man of below twenties laid sitting on the dirty ground while breathing fast through his mouth. He rubbed the small bruise on his cheeks—light-skinned as he glared at the divine knight. They had faced each other on an empty alley—in the vast city of Hailborne.“You’re the dual-blade wielder—the talk of the city… you have a name?”The silver-haired guy got on his feet, wiping his white coat that had been stained mercilessly. His silver hair matched decently with his gray-colored eyes.“Tristan,” he spoke short, picking up the two swords on the ground; light swords, both elegantly forged and crafted by enchanted steel. A mark of a dragon had been carved on the two hilts. He returned them to the sheaths on both sides of his belt.Kael’s search had come to a final stop. A few days before of finding the last member for his elite unit, he had gotten a word—a rumor he could say, of a skilled warrior in Hail