CHAPTER 29: CROSS ROADS
Southern Ielian, Airovas Pass
A burst of blue light, smelling of ozone and scorched earth, illuminated the desolate pass. As it faded, Riot was revealed slumped against a rock fissure, a grievous wound across his chest. His breathing was ragged and wet.
"Damn it... King Tsur," he gritted out through the pain. "You almost had me. Now I understand why you're so feared." He struggled to sit up, examining his injury. His energy was depleted, his magnetic field faint. "I need to... lay low for a while. They'll already be hunting me. Then... I'll raise a new army. Next time, I'll declare war outright. Just wait, Ielian. When I step back onto the stage, I'll swallow this whole kingdom whole."
On the Road to the Northern Border
Kai, Po, and the two Nexan soldiers moved at a brisk pace. A line of worry was etched on Kai's face.
"Po, how many hours until we get there?"
Po walked with an easy stride. "Don't worry, Kai. Every kingdom has strategic 'passages' in certain regions. We're heading for one now. If we go through it, it won't take long."
Kai lowered his voice. "We need to hurry, Po. War could break out any moment. Nexan is in a precarious position right now. We must gather allies quickly."
Po glanced at Kai sideways, a curious look in his eyes. "Kai... why are you so loyal to Nexan? Why help them?"
Kai hesitated, his gaze drifting to the horizon. "You'll learn the answer to that... on the battlefield, Po."
A knowing smirk touched Po's lips. "Alright. As you say."
The group pressed on.
Ashura Kingdom Capital
In the crowded streets of the capital, a figure clad in a black cloak and a simple mask that hid his face completely moved like a shadow among shadows. Morde. He moved with the patience and lethality of an assassin. In a back alley, Flower waited cautiously, mentally mapping escape routes.
From his perch on a rooftop overlooking the main square, Morde watched the procession below. Soldiers marched in formation toward the palace, surrounding a carriage carrying the old mage, Fizz. A spark of triumphant hope flared in Morde. Perfect. The timing is just right.
Then, he froze. At the head of the crowd, coming to greet the carriage, was King Arthur himself. Morde's stress level spiked. He quickly pulled the communication device, the 'Mosh', from his pocket and called Flower.
"Hey, Flower! What's going on? No movement. Did Fizz not come? I timed it perfectly, something must be wrong!"
Flower's relaxed, almost teasing voice came through. "Morde, are you joking with me? The King is with Fizz!"
"What does that mean? Answer me!"
Flower chuckled lightly. "It's actually normal, Morde. Fizz is King Arthur's closest friend. Of course he'd come to greet him. Nothing surprising about that."
Morde asked angrily, "Then why didn't you tell me?"
"If I told you, it would have ruined the fun, Morde," Flower replied casually. "Besides, don't stress so much. You'll just have to use a bit more power. Complete the mission and get back to the alley. No need to fight Arthur. Come on, finish this before they reach the palace."
The connection cut off.
Morde shoved the device back into his pocket with a snarl. "Ah... when this is over, I'm coming for you first, you bastard."
Below, King Arthur and Fizz met in the center of the square and embraced. Their camaraderie was palpable. For Morde, it was the perfect moment of distraction.
Now!
"Shadow Step!"
Morde vanished from the rooftop, appearing the next instant right at Fizz's chest level, his hand glowing with lethal dark energy. He lunged forward at blinding speed.
But Fizz's intuition was legendary. He sensed the danger a split-second before it arrived. He shoved Arthur aside hard and took a defensive stance himself.
"Sand Clone!"
Instantly, his body turned to sand, sifting backward while leaving a perfect replica of himself made of sand in his place. Morde's dark energy-charged hand struck the clone. VWUMMP! A disconcerting hum and a cloud of dust.
When the dust cleared, the clone was gone. And Morde stood completely exposed in the middle of the square, before the entire Ashura guard and two powerful enemies.
King Arthur's face turned purple with rage. "What is this?! Who are you?!" he roared.
Fizz, however, remained cool-headed, his eyes analyzing the dark energy wreathing Morde. He gave a sharp order: "Attack! Take him alive!"
Every soldier in the square charged Morde. Morde responded with a terrifying grin. "Shadow Step! Shadow Step! SHADOW STEP!"
He moved like a chain of black lightning across the square. Each appearance left a soldier crumpling to the ground. Within a minute, the entire platoon had been savagely neutralized.
King Arthur stared in disbelief. Fizz, however, understood the level and seriousness of the threat.
"Arthur!" Fizz shouted.
Arthur looked at him. "What is it, Fizz?"
"Only the two of us together can stop him. Come, let's attack in coordination, like the old days!"
Northern Border, Terex's Territory
Kai's group reached the coordinates, but there was no sign of Terex or his base. Just a lone, seemingly abandoned shack.
Po frowned. "Interesting... He should be here."
Kai was agitated. "Po, we need to find him now. We're out of time."
Po gave a slight smile. "Stay calm, Kai. That shack up ahead surely has one of his men guarding it. We'll ask."
They approached the shack. As they opened the door, a stocky, tough-looking man with a drawn sword stood guard inside. The man's eyes locked onto Po, and he immediately lowered his blade, bowing his head in respect.
"Master Po! What brings you here?"
"Rayen, never mind me," Po replied. "Where is Terex?"
"Master Po, Captain Terex set out for Ashura. He should be arriving any time now."
Po simply nodded. "I see."
Kai immediately interjected. "Come on, we have to go!" he said, hurrying back outside. He turned to Po, anxiety clear on his face. "Po, even by ship, it would take at least three days from here. How will we get there?"
Po answered with a knowing look. "I told you, Kai. When we use a Passage, we can go anywhere we wish. We'll use that one. If we take that Passage, we'll be in Ashura within half an hour. The Passage is just ahead. Let's move."
Ashura Capital Square
The square was heavy with tension. Morde stood facing King Arthur and Fizz. The citizens had fled into their homes in panic, watching fearfully from their windows.
Morde made the first move again. "Shadow Fist!" His hand, bursting with dense black energy, shot forward.
Fizz countered expertly. "Sand Summoning!" All the sand in the square rushed toward him at high speed, condensing into a massive fist. He then hurled it at Morde with all his might.
The two attacks collided. BOOM! Another loud explosion and a cloud of dust enveloped everything.
As the cloud dissipated, Morde stood his ground, having repelled the attack. A light layer of dust coated him, but he was unharmed.
Fizz was shocked by the power on display. His eyes scrutinized the dark energy around Morde more carefully.
"So... it's you," Fizz whispered, a mix of shock and recognition in his voice. "The vessel of the Shadow power. But how is this possible? You were in Nexan just days ago. How did you get here so fast? There's... more to this."
Morde laughed, a terrible, confident sound. "That doesn't matter. You should worry about yourself, Fizz. You're about to die."
King Arthur cut in with a furious grin. "Look at this upstart! Threatening us! Come on then, let's fight to the death!"
Arthur brought his hands together and pulled. The sand from the capital's square streamed toward him, condensing and shaping itself between his palms.
"Sand Blade!"