After our journey through a dungeon, Nyleah and Lura went back to the inn. Nazeem and I went over to Solomon's castle to ask about this sword I had gotten from the dungeon. When we made it to the castle I knocked on its doors. After a few seconds they both opened and we began walking inside. Once we made it past the front doors, master Gannon appeared out of knowhere in front of us. "Gah! Don't scare us like that master." "I apologise. Master Solomon has requested an audience with the two of you." Master Gannon walked over to the next set of doors and opened them. Solomon was on his silver throne as usual. He looked at us and smiled. But once he took a glance at the sword I had attained, his face turned from one of content to shock. His eyes widened and his mouth opened, "Kiliano… where did you get that sword?" "Actually sir, that's why I'm here. You see, we were consumed by a flood of this black goop inside the dungeon. And I was saved by this sword which expelled all the goop from the dungeon. So I was sorta wondering if you knew why I was granted this sword and what that gooey stuff was." Solomon spoke up, his voice shaky, "W-well… I must admit this is a very interesting turn of events. That sword you have in your hands is a very special blade, forged by an ancient deity long before even I was born. That sword's name… is Excalibur. It's complete name is, Legendary Blade Excalibur, The Ward of Abyss." Abyss? I haven't heard of anything like an Abyss before, "Uh, master Solomon… What exactly does The Ward of Abyss mean? What weight does that title hold?" "Right, I forgot people don't know about it anymore. Well… the Abyss is an ancient primordial being that's existed within this world since the beginning of time. It consumes all, and leaves only darkness behind. Since this being was making it impossible for life to live, a deity forged Excalibur as a means to stop the Abyss. And as you can see, Excalibur works quite well." "I see… well i have one more question if you don't mind." "Go on, Kiliano." "Before Excalibur appeared before me, a humanoid figure stretched its arm out to help me. Once I took it, Excalibur appeared in its place. Why is that?" "Ah yes. What you saw there was a scion of the Forge Deity. You see, the Forge Deity created Excalibur using their own life essence as a sort of catalyst. In doing so, they were able to set more restrictions on the blade and make it more powerful. The reason why you attained Excalibur over someone like Nazeem is because it must've thought you worthy over anyone else in the world." "W-wow what? Worthy? What do you mean by that?" "Excalibur isn't just some weapon anyone can wield. Its power is so incredible, it would be impossible for anyone who isn't a deity to hold it without its consent. Which means Excalibur has specifically chosen you to be its owner, for until you die." Holy crap! I was chosen to wield a legendary sword!? That changes everything! "Unfortunately, this is going to change everything…" Unfortunately? "... Since Excalibur has chosen you, my expectations have drastically increased. I regret to inform you of this… but I am going to have to send you away. Now, before you get defensive, I have something else to share with you…" His eyes narrowed and his tone shifted to a much more serious one, "... I know who was behind the attack at Zuri'el. And I also know that a war is going to break out soon. A war that involves Zuri'el and the Southern regions of The 13 Kingdoms." "Wait a second, a war!? Y-you mean like a civil war between Thyndhime and Zuri'el?" "Unfortunately, it involves much more than Thyndhime. My sources suggest that king Piule has gotten the support of the three other southern Kingdoms. That can only mean they are planning a large-scale invasion towards the north. The massacre at Zuri'el further proves this point. And things only get worse from there." Solomon's gaze shifted to the floor, "I'm afraid to say it… but Shyzen has returned." My eyes widened, "What do you mean? Shyzen… as in the God Of Gods!?" Solomon nodded his head, "Yes, and I have reason to believe he's allying with the southern kingdoms. I'm sorry Kiliano… I know you're only a kid, and you don't fully understand what's going on. But I must ask you to get stronger. Now that you're the wielder of Excalibur, I have no doubt your power will be great. But I can't allow your potential to go to waste, which is why I'm sending you away with someone who's much more capable than any swordmaster." Once he said that, the doors behind me opened. A man walked in. He wore a red robe and white shirt with baggy pants. His body was emanating an aura. As he got closer, the room began to increase in temperature.
The man raised his hand and waved at me, "Hello, I take it you're Kiliano. My name is Vencer. I'm the current Fire God in The 13 Kingdoms, and have come to train you for a while." What!? The Fire God is going to train me!? I turned to look at Solomon. I was pale as a ghost. Solomon smiled at me, "Go on, introduce yourself, Kiliano." "Oh right. My apologies master Vencer…" I bowed to him and continued, "...I am Kiliano Monfril. It's an honor to train under you, sir." Vencer laughed, "Hahahaa! No need for formalities kid. I'm not like the swordmasters here, you don't need to worry about manners or anything like that." Vencer walked up to me and patted my shoulder, before shifting his gaze over to Solomon, "I take it things aren't looking good?" Vencer's mood shifted to a much more serious one. Solomon shook his head. "Yeah I figured as much. The kid's got a natural talent for fire magic though. I can tell that much just by looking at him. My guess is he's probably at the Saint tier, am I correct?" "Yes you are. Kiliano is currently Saint tier in both fire magic and the North Sword style." "Phew! That's pretty impressive, kid. You're definitely worthy of my time hehe." "Hold on a damn second…!" Nazeem's voice cried out. I looked over at him. His face was red and he had tears running down his cheek, "...I see no reason why he has to leave. Why does he have to leave because of some sword!?" Solomon released his aura. A huge pressure hit the two of us so hard we could barely stand. Solomon got up, "Nazeem… I understand your emotions in this matter. But I must remind you that I have a much better understanding of this situation than you…" His malice was nearly too much for Nazeem. His face was pale and his whole body was vigorously shaking. "...Please watch your tone, Nazeem." Nazeem scoffed and started walking out of the castle. I turned to face Solomon, "Sir, my apologies. Nazeem has a hard time processing things like these. But I must admit, I'm also quite confused as to why I have to leave Karth with the Fire God." Vencer put his hand on the top of my head. I turned to face him. He was smiling at me, "Well that's obvious kiddo. You're probably the only person in the entire world who has a weapon capable of permanently killing The God Of Gods." My eyes widened, "W-wait what!? Are you saying Excalibur is strong enough to kill Shyzen?" Vencer nodded his head to me, "Yup! But Excalibur can't do all the work y'know. So I've been tasked with training you and gettin ya strong enough to fight Shyzen toe-to-toe." Welp… it's official I guess. I'm a pretty important guy hehe. Man I gotta admit this feels great! But it's a bummer I'll have to leave my friends. I wonder how Lura's gonna react. She'll probably flip out and make a huge fit about, heh. I hope Nyleah is going to miss me. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss them. "Kiliano…" Solomon was staring right at me, "...I am truly sorry for this, but you'll have to pack tonight. Vencer will take you North tomorrow morning, so get some good rest." Tomorrow!? What the hell, that's kinda early notice. Jeez, I guess Solomon's in a bit of a rush trying to get things in order. Vencer turned back to face me, "Alright kiddo…" His face had changed from a sense of happiness and enthusiasm to a more serious and almost worrisome expression. "...Go on home, and I'll pick you up in the morning, alright?" My expression saddened and I nodded my head. I turned around and began walking out of the castle. Before I made it through the doors, Solomon's voice echoed out, "Do not fret Kiliano. You are doing the right thing." I already knew that. But for some reason, his words gave me comfort. I left the castle and made my way over to the inn.
When I had made it back to the inn's lobby, Nazeem, Nyleah and Lura were waiting for me. I walked in, "Hey g-" SMACK. Before I could finish my sentence Lura had slapped me. I guess Nazeem told them already. "What the hell is going on!? You're leaving because of some damn iron…!?" Lura cried out. "...I won't allow it! Nyleah, Nazeem, come on… we're gonna give Solomon a piece of our mind!" Lura began walking out but I put my arm in front of her to block their way. "I'm sorry, all of you. But I have to do this. Apparently, I'm the only one capable, so me being important would be an understatement. Please just listen to me." Lura scoffed, "There's no way we're letting this happen!" I snapped back, "Listen to me! …I have no choice. And I'm not doing this because Solomon said so… I'm also doing this for the three of you. When I come back, I'll be stronger. So strong that I'll be able to protect all of you…" My eyes turned to Lura, then Nyleah, "...I am going to save Zuri'el, and we are going to return home. Just give me time, okay?" The three of them looked at each other with tears in their eyes. Lura walked over to me. We made eye contact and she said, "Alright, but just so you know… we'll be waiting for you." I smiled, "Alright, thank you." The four of us went back to our room. We spent the entire day playing games and telling funny stories. By the time it was dark, Nazeem and Lura were already in bed and asleep. I was sitting on a chair while Nyleah got ready for bed. I wonder, how is this all going to work out? I'm sure the training is going to be tough, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But, somehow I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing… for all of us. Maybe my absence will push everyone to work harder. I know it'll help me push myself harder. I suddenly got sad and stood up from the chair. I opened the door and walked out of the room, making my way through the lobby and out of the inn. I turned left and headed over to Karth's outskirts. Before I made it halfway down the block I felt something tap my shoulder. "Do ya mind if I come with you?" It was Nyleah's voice behind me. I turned around, blushing, "O-oh Nyleah… I don't mind at all." Nyleah moved to my side and we began walking down the block together. After a few moments of silence, Nyleah spoke up, "Hey… how long will you be gone?" I frowned slightly, "I…I'm not sure. But it'll definitely be a while." Nyleah tilted her head to the sidewalk. Her face's tone was sad, "Dang… that's a real bummer, isn't it?" I nodded my head, as tears began to form in my eyes. We continued walking down the street, out the main gate, and onto the main road outside of Karth.
After a while, Nyleah and I sat down on a rock, looking up at the sky. "I like the new weather, don't you?", She said. I turned up to the sky. The stars were shining bright, and I could see more of them than ever before, "Yeah… it beats melting in the sun, that's for sure." The two of us laughed. Suddenly, I felt something cold touch my nose. I looked around to see that it had begun snowing. "W-wow Kil, this is amazing! I've never seen it snow like this hahaha." Nyleah lept from the rock and began twirling in the snow. I was looking at her. She looks really beautiful, even when acting so childish. "Damn…" I said, "...Nyleah, I'm gonna miss you." She stopped twirling and turned to face me. Her smile faded, "Y-yeah… Kiliano, you're a really good person. And I'm happy that you became my friend. But please… come back soon." Tears began running down her cheek. I got off the rock, walked over to her, and gave her a hug, "Nyleah, you're a good friend too. And I promise that I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?" She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me, while bawling her eyes out, "K-K-Kil… please don't go! Sniffle, I don't want you to leave me." "I'm sorry Nyleah… I wish things could be different…" I pulled myself away from her. With my hands on her shoulders, I looked straight at her and said, "Nyleah… When I come back, I want to protect you!" Her eyes widened. Somehow, she knew that those words held a much deeper meaning than what was on the surface. She smiled and nodded her head, "Alright Kil… When you come back, and get stronger, I'll have you protect me." We wiped away our tears and headed back to the inn. We walked through the lobby, and into our room. Nazeem and Lura were fast asleep. Nyleah hopped in bed and said, "Goodnight Kil… I'll see you in the morning." I didn't answer.
Nazeem was taking up the entire bed, so I sat down on my chair and began packing my bag. All I really needed were a few changes of clothes. So my bag was pretty small. I finished packing after a few minutes and decided to think some more about my situation. I wonder how long this will really last. I doubt things will go by fast, hehe. Honestly, there's no point thinking about it. For the rest of the night, Kiliano sat in the chair, thinking of absolutely nothing, while staring at the floor.
When dawn came around, and the sun had just started to peer through the mountains that surrounded Karth, Kiliano got up from his chair, picked up his bag, and left the room while his three friends slept. He walked outside the inn, where Vencer was waiting for him, "You ready kiddo?" Kiliano nodded his head in response. And they headed out of Karth.