Forgotten Conqueror

by Za1d3

  “That’s because I didn’t. You all understand the principle of amplification and combination magics right? In those cases, two different magic or two different magicians amplify/combine their spells, creating a stronger magic of a grander magnitude; just like what we’ve been doing with the arena. What I did was take it in the opposite direction. Negation of magic. Instead of amplifying your wind magic to create a stronger and more powerful force, my magic worked against yours, disrupting the flow of your own mana and cutting off the connection to your magic.”

  “So mathematics?” Jorva sneered.

  “Quite so.” Kaidus replied with a grin of his own.

  “You and Prim have competed many times. How come this is the first time you’ve done something like this?” Mirat asked.

  “There was never a need for it. Sustained magic is troublesome in that it can attack relentlessly depending on the user’s focus. None of you have used any magic beyond the incantation, invocation, and manifestation stages. Today was the first time someone fought me while using a continuous spell.” Kaidus replied with a smirk.

  The rest of the group—except for Larant—shifted uncomfortably, embarrassed at his statement.

  None of them had the fine control to be using magic like how prim had done earlier. Even if they could, they were not confident about using it.

  “Hahaha! Larant started laughing at the sudden awkward silence. “What is this? You all just went numb.”

  Noticing how ridiculous they were, Jorva and Mirat joined in on the laughter.

  “Kaidus, can you teach us how to do what you did?” Prim asked after they’ve relaxed.

  “I can try.” He replied.

  “GAH!! I give up! I’m done with this!” the shrill sound of frustration came out of Jorva.

  The other four who had already given up; burst into laughter at Jorva’s outcry. After an evening of attempting to extinguish Kaidus’ fire magic, none had succeeded, and the sun was going down.

  “Remember what Kaidus said? Sense the flow of his mana. Maybe you lack the mental capacity for it, Jorva!” Prim jeered with a grin on her face.

  “I don’t want to hear that from you, Prim!” Jorva retorted.

  “I know when I’m beat. You should too, before the shops close and we starve for the night.” Prim countered.

  “Prim’s right. We’re all getting hungry.” Mirat added.

  Jorva looked at the others, then to Kaidus. “Fine. Let’s go get some food.”

  Seeing the end of their practice, Kaidus extinguished his fire magic. Mirat and Jorva dispelled their arena, and the earthen walls crumbled down to the ground.

  “You’re paying right?” Prim joyfully questioned Jorva as they finished.

  “Why am I paying?”

  “You kept all of us waiting with your ceaseless demands of ‘one more try’. Isn’t that right everyone?”

  ““Yea.”” Lisin and Mirat both confirmed.

  Looking at those who had been waiting for him, “Alright. Dinner’s on me tonight.” Jorva replied. Taking the lead, he left the practice grounds.

  “… Do you guys do this often?” Larant asked Lisin as they followed.

  “Only when someone is keeping the rest of us stranded here in an attempt to prove them self.” Lisin replied happily before moving up to walk beside Prim.

  “But all of you could have left whenever you wanted to…” Larant pointed out the flaw in Lisin’s logic.

  “Food tastes better with friends, and more so when someone else is paying for it.” Mirat patted Larant’s shoulders and shot him a grin before running off to catch up with Jorva.

  ————————————————————-

  In a different corner of the world

  An old man strolled through an eerie white world, one that he had traversed hundreds of times before.

  The same scenery, unchanged even after decades. The same fog that gives the illusion of an infinite space. The same dead trees that stood motionless within the cloud of nothingness.

  The realm of which he was navigating now was beyond the understanding of men and magicians today. He himself could only hypothesize that it was forged by the gods at one point in time, and sealed by the ancients to preserve its splendor which had deteriorated throughout the ages. Those who have seen this place calls it ‘The Eternal Forest’ but for him, it was only a means of transportation.

  After endlessly walking, he reached his destination: a small hut in the middle of the desolate and bleary forest. A single candle was burning inside the hut. He entered and closed the door behind him. With a thought, a path opened in the ground of the hut. Another thought, and a ball of light formed in front of him, leading him down into the earth.

  Passing through a door and entering into a large chamber, he could sense the tension and alarm in the room.

  Six hooded figures stood in a line, awaiting his arrival.

  “Report on Darsus.” The old man commanded as he approached the six, and one of them stepped forward.

  “It is as we feared, master. The last known headquarter that our people in Darsus were occupying is in rubbles. All contact along with any sign of Zavon has vanished completely. Many of the agents within Darsus are in confusion without a chain of command and are running amok.”

  “… What about the shard?” The old man asked bitterly.

  It was a turn and seventeen days ago that Zavon failed to report in on the situations within Darsus. Fearing for the worst, they had covertly deployed agents into the eastern continent to ascertain the situation, and to retrieve a priceless relic.

  He did not care much about his pawns. All that mattered, is that Tal’hrus’ secrets are safe, and the shard was one of their biggest secret.

  “We don’t know, master. Any traces of it had also vanished. Even the hidden chamber which was reinforced with magic had been destroyed.” the hooded figure replied, keeping his head low.

  “That Imbecile!! Years of preparations gone in an instant!” The old man shouted furiously. He gripped his fist tightly, restraining the impulse to destroy those before him.

  He had warned Zavon to tread lightly, and now Darsus was as good as lost to them.

  An old enemy’s face flashed before him, mocking him.

  Because of Zavon’s foolish endeavors, it had cost them dearly; the shard may have even fallen into Nylen’s hands.

  “Get your men out of there. We are freezing all operations in Darsus for now. Collect any of Zavon’s stragglers and add them to your own. Move any assets we still have within Darsus to the other continents.” through his anger, the old man calmly voiced his orders, keeping a clear head so as not to make any further blunders.

  “Yes, master.” The man kept his head low, pronouncing his subservience. “What about our allies within Darsus?”

  “Notify them of the change in the plans.”

  “Understood.” The hooded man bowed and returned to stand beside the other five.

  ‘Keep your precious Darsus for now, Nylen. We will be back for it.’ the old man vowed in his mind.

  “Kaval! I assume you have better news?” He questioned, his anger at Zavon’s failure seeping through.

  Another of the hooded figure stepped forward. “I do.” A female voice rang through the room. “The 5th prince and his supporters have agreed to cooperate with us.”

  “And what do they want in return?” The old man replied, his fury still prevalent even after the good news.

  “Our assistance in the Prince’s rise to Emperor…”

  Chapter 44 – Pride & Joy

  In the blink of an eye, It was already Lokil the 5th turn, and the end of Alivai.

  The Paltos family sat around the dinner table. In front of them was a small but lavish feast.

  Stuffed and roasted qorkos glazed with the sweet extract of kargiz fruits from the previous year, sautéed slices of dronnon meat seasoned and cooked to perfection, a meaty stew with plenty of diced vegetables, a pan of sliced mulse bread, a sma
ll bowl of boiled qorkos eggs, and soft roasted derilt root slathered with butter to top everything off.

  “Thanks mom.” Seeing the abundance of food for just the four of them, he realized the occasion. It was to celebrate his 9th birthday that passed two days ago while he was still at the academy.

  “You’re welcome. Go ahead and eat whatever you can. We’ll save the left overs for tomorrow.” Adalina replied with a warm smile.

  “Mommy, Anish eat too?” Anise questioned from her spot on the table.

  Adalina chuckled, hearing her daughter’s question. “Yes. You too, honey.”

  Taking a slice of the sautéed meat, she cut it into small bite sized pieces and put them on Anise’s plate along with a slice of the mulse bread. Breaking off the qorkos wing, Adalina picked off the meat and added them onto her daughter’s plate before filling up her own.

  Seeing the plate of food, Anise was ecstatic and began digging in.

  “Use your fork darling.” Adalina told her daughter, seeing that Anise was picking at the food with her tiny hands.

  “I heard Lord Varath is finalizing a trade agreement with the hunting town of Thurllton. How is that going?” Kaidus asked Troyle, as he picked up one of the meat slices and placed it onto his own plate.

  “Quite good. The town’s been doing really well ever since they got rid of their bandit problem. If everything goes as planned, it may even become an exclusive contract.” Troyle replied, consuming a spoonful of stew. “How’s school coming along? Not as busy as before, I presume?”

  “Yea. I’m understanding more of the subject matters, so the class works have gotten lighter.” He casually replied while eating.

  Not being mages themselves, Troyle and Adalina rarely questioned him in depth about his school and classes. When they do, they didn’t understand his explanations.

  “That’s good.” Troyle nodded. “Anything we can help you with?”

  “No, but thanks.”

  “Kaidus. Your mother and I may not be mages, but let us know if we can do anything for you.”

  “You two don’t need to do anything, dad. You all being here is enough.” Kaidus replied with a joyous grin.

  “Hahahaha. Alright.” Troyle returned a wide smile of his own.

  Hearing her father’s laughter, Anise looked up with a curious face. Her mouth slathered with oil and pieces of food.

  “You’re growing up way too fast….” Adalina muttered, a cheery smile on her face.

  After dinner, the four moved to the living room. The sun had set, but the room was well lit by candle light.

  “Your mother wanted to wait until you were older, but I got mine when I was around your age. You are more responsible than I was, you should be fine with this.” Troyle spoke, taking out something elongated and wrapped in cloth from underneath the low-rise living room table. The sound of metal could be heard as Troyle placed it in front of Kaidus.

  Kaidus unfurled the cloth. Inside was two swords: each the length of his arm. The swords were neither intricate nor did they look too costly, but he could see they were well-made.

  Unlike the broad double sided swords many of the knights use, the two swords were single edge swords. Both were slim, and had slight curvatures to them without any guards. The design of the swords were simple but effective in their practicality, and is the type of swords used by mercenaries who favored speed and ease of movement.

  “Waaah! Shword!” Anise’s eyes widened at the two new swords. “Ish Kai gonna be knight?” she questioned with excitement.

  “Not yet.” Adalina smiled and picked up her daughter to make sure Anise doesn’t get hurt.

  “These are for me?” Kaidus asked, looking at the swords.

  “They are, honey.” Adalina answered him.

  “I know that you may not need it since you are a mage, but it would give me peace of mind that you can defend yourself without using magic. Also, it’s important that you train your body.” Troyle replied. “Go on, pick them up.”

  Kaidus touched the deadly metal. Sensations hidden away resurfaced, bringing about recollections of the past. Of an old friend. He quickly suppressed them, focusing on the matter at hand.

  He gripped the two hilts and lifted. With their lean design, the swords were quite light. Even though they are as long as his arm, he held one in each hand comfortably.

  “How do they feel?” Troyle asked.

  “They feel okay. A little long though.”

  “Don’t worry about that. It’ll be fine in a year or two.” Troyle grinned.

  “Dad.”

  “Yea?”

  “Are you going to teach me the Formless Blade Style?” Kaidus asked. It was the style that Troyle uses.

  “I am.” Troyle’s grin widened.

  “But dad, I’m not ambidextrous like you.” Kaidus notified his father of a large difference between them.

  “That’s perfectly fine. There are many practitioners of the Formless Blade Style who aren’t. Being ambidextrous just gives you a slight edge over the others, and we can train you how to use both hands.”

  “I see… Alright.” Kaidus affirmed with a bright grin, conveying his excitement.

  Troyle has been wanting to teach him swordplay for over three years now, but Adalina had been against it because of how young he was. From the look of things, it seems Troyle was able to persuade Adalina somehow.

  He could not hide behind his mother anymore, and his father would not allow him to refuse. Kaidus accepted his fate with a smile.

  “Great! We can start tomorrow.” Troyle was thrilled at the chance to bond further with his son.

  Adalina muffled a laughter, seeing how happy Troyle looked.

  “Are you not going to Lord Varath’s tomorrow?”

  “The Lord is waiting for words from Thurllton and there are few preparations left, so I’ve asked for the next couple of days off. He also extended an invitation for the whole family to go visit. How about it?”

  “Maybe before I go back to school…” Kaidus replied hesitantly.

  Troyle gave a shrewd smile, seeing Kaidus’ reaction. Adalina giggled, knowing exactly what the visit would entail.

  Kaidus sat on his bed, deep in thoughts.

  It’s been two whole turns since his first attempt to contact his remaining familiars. Zion had arrived, but the other two were nowhere to be found. He had tried to resummon them four times, but there was never any answer. The more he thought about what may have happened to them, the more uneasy be became.

  Kaidus closed his eyes, entering into a state of calm. ‘There is no way anything thing could have happened to them.’ He reassured himself. Vishan rivaled Hasen—his most powerful elemental—and Feziel was the sturdiest of the four.

  Focusing on the lost familiars, he once again pushed forth his mana, pouring them out and into Lagus.

  —————————————-

  With two moderately sized sticks in his hands, Kaidus imitated Troyle who was also using sticks.

  Right feet forward vertical slash.

  Backstep horizontal slash.

  Sidestep evasion.

  Left hand thrust.

  Left feet forward, right hand upward slash.

  Defensive stance.

  Reverse grip parry.

  Overhead strike.

  Low angle diagonal slash.

  Counter stance.

  Freeform style.

  Blade form.

  Kaidus went through the motions, following Troyle on each one. Resetting into a different pose before following up with a different attack.

  They have been practicing ever since breakfast.

  The living room table and chairs had been moved towards the kitchen to make room for them.

  Anise watched from the stairs, eyes glued on the funny dances before her.

  “Good. Now incorporate them together, and-”

  Troyle demonstrated.

  Left hand horizontal slash, right feet pivot, right backhand elbow strike, instantly follo
wed by a right hand upward slash, left hand reverse grip slash, double synchronized downward strike. Reverse grip stance. Strike, slash, parry, low spin evasion, upward slice, counter, evade, thrust.

  “Waaaa! Daddy!” Anise clapped from the stairs, seeing the flurry of motions.

  “Hehe! Thanks honey!” Troyle grinned at his daughter. “It doesn’t matter if you are ambidextrous or not. All that matters is your swords flow fluidly, not disrupting each other or getting entangled in your arms.” Troyle spun the sticks in his hands around his body without so much as grazing each other or his clothes. “Know the length of your sword and feel the placement of their positions as you-”

  The door opened, and Adalina came in. A small cloth bag in her arms, filled with grocery. “Are you two not done yet?” She questioned them with a raised eyebrow.

  “Mommy!” Anise bolted towards the door at her mother.

  “Welcome back, dear. We’re just about done here.” Troyle replied. “As I was saying, know the length of your sword and feel the placement of their positions as you swing them. Don’t get careless, and remember to concentrate on what you are doing. Your sword can just as easily take your own life, as it could your enemy’s.”

  “I understand, father.” Kaidus replied in earnest. He knew full well the dangers of a weapon.

  “You two! Move these back so I can get started on lunch.” Adalina ordered.

  “Yea! Move theesh back! Mommy make Lunch!” Anise also shouted happily.

  “Whoops, looks like we’re done here. Go and wash up. I’ll move them.” Troyle shooed him off with a proud grin.

  ——————————————–

  “I know I agreed for you to teach him swordsmanship, but you’re going to burn him out like that.” Adalina chided him as Troyle began to move the furniture back into the living room.

  “He’s tougher than we give him credit for, dearest nagging wife.” Troyle replied with a smirk.

  “You-… That may be so, but he’s just a child.” his wife replied, squeezing into the kitchen.

  “I too, was just a child when my father first hired an instructor for me.” He replied, picking up the low table and restoring it to its rightful spot—in the center of the living room.