Chapter 11

  Drakkel’s eyes fluttered open. He was in his room in the demon palace. He sat up and tried to catch his breath, sweat dripping from his entire body.

  He felt odd, like he was strangely out of place. His emotions felt different. Who he was, felt different.

  His vision was a bit blurry, but as it came into focus, he began to look around.

  It wasn't long until he caught sight of Rillian Adore's sleeping figure sitting in a chair with his upper half laying across the bed at his feet.

  Drakkel waited for a few moments, but Rillian Adore still had not roused from his slumber. He was surprised by this as Rillian Adore was usually a light sleeper. Before, a slight movement from Drakkel was enough to wake him up.

  Curious about this, Drakkel tried to wake him. He called to him and gently shook his shoulder but none of it worked.

  With his heartbeat quickening, he attempted to get out of bed, but found it difficult. His body felt weak and his meridians felt damage.

  His muscles could barely support him and so he worked to slowly inch himself off the bed, forcing himself past the discomfort.

  He could only calm down a bit when his feet hit the floor and Aurien Wavel and Lif walked in soon afterwards.

  Looking at his current state, Aurien Wavel couldn't hold in his excitement. He ran over to him and embraced him.

  “Drakkel! You're awake!”

  Drakkel smiled as Aurien Wavel hugged him. But then, his face fell as he glanced at Rillian Adore's sleeping body.

  He pulled away from Aurien Wavel and asked, “Why is Rillian Adore here, Senior Brother?”

  Aurien Wavel looked at Rillian Adore and then at Lif before returning his gaze to Drakkel.

  He smiled. “Let's talk about it later. Just know that he's fine. He’ll be awake soon.”

  Drakkel nodded. His Senior Brother wouldn't lie about something like this. He stopped struggling to get out of bed and allowed his Senior Brother to help him back in.

  But his mind was hazy. Many details were unclear to him. Looking up at his Senior Brother, he needed to clarify his doubts.

  “Senior Brother, what happened to me?”

  Lif stepped forward. “I believe I can answer this, Your Highness.”

  Drakkel shifted his gaze to Lif.

  “As I said before, demonic energy and sword energy are opposing forces. For the past year, both have been circulating in full force in your body, vying for dominance. This wreaked havoc on your meridians but also came with other consequences.

  You see, by nature, demonic energy brings out hostile intent. All demons are born with elevated levels of hostile intent because of this. In the beginning, it takes a lot of effort for us to suppress it and because of this, some don't even try and will let their hostile intent take over. For those who do try, it eventually gets easier to do so. But…”

  He took a pause before continuing. “The hostile intent never goes away, it just gets suppressed. If a demon is continuously exposed to stressful events, it can come out and take over. This was a problem for you because you didn't originally have control over your demonic energy, so when you were exposed to the power of Demonic Artifact Leolold, your Dark Energy which you had no practice with, suddenly came out.

  Over the past year, with your demonic poison gone, you have been utilizing it. But you didn't do it properly. You were supposed to get rid of the ordinary sword energy, then cultivate to suppress the intent of the demonic energy that remained. Of course this wasn't your fault, since it was already made worse by what you had been through, but really you should have kept yourself out of further trouble until you stabilized your demonic energy.

  Because you continuously placed yourself in precarious situations, your demonic energy began to spiral out of control. This, in turn, caused the same to happen to your sword energy. With every stressful moment, it only got worse until you suffered a sword energy deviation.”

  Drakkel thought through what Lif had said. It certainly explained the events of the past year. However, if it was true, how did he get through the deviation?

  “Lif,” Drakkel asked. “If all of this is true, how did I survive?”

  Lif sighed. “Your demonic energy was suppressed once again by the demon poison.”

  Drakkel wondered why the two of them were so secretive. Trying to get it out of them, he said, “But I thought you no longer had the poison. How did you do it?”

  Lif averted his gaze from Drakkel. “I’m afraid it's not my place to say, Your Highness.”

  Drakkel was annoyed. He didn't like Aurien Wavel and Lif dodging his questions, but he also didn't have the energy to fight about it.

  “Fine. I appreciate your assistance, but you can leave now. Let me catch up with my Senior Brother.”

  “Of course,” Lif said, bowing before he walked out.

  When Lif had finally gone, Drakkel asked, “Senior brother. Now that you're here, could you tell me how you managed to survive the attack on our Swords Clan?”

  Aurien Wavel's face fell. “Actually, it was all a coincidence. We heard there was a plague in one of the small outer villages and were asked by the Emperor to quell it. so I brought food and medicine and went along with some disciples to take care of it. We were already gone when the Golden Peak Swords Clan took our master in…But that didn't stop us from finding out about the news of his death along with what happened to our Swords Clan days later.”

  He looked down at his hands, which laid on his lap before continuing, “Once the plague was taken care of, we were worried someone would come after us. Since the villagers were grateful for what we did, they helped us get rid of our clothes. Then we wrapped up our swords in cloths so no one would recognize them. We were worried that we wouldn't have a place to stay, but then someone named Ri-en from Shadowy Ridges sent a letter, saying he would help us hide. Apparently, one of the villagers knew the situation and had connections with him, so he contacted him.”

  Drakkel already admired Ri’en for his bravery in taking down Lord Tincaid and freeing the people of Shadowy Ridges, but as he heard this, he couldn't help but appreciate him even more.

  “I remembered that you and Rillian Adore had helped out in the place, so I accepted. We were treated very well in Shadowy Ridges which was still recovering from a catastrophe. We requested no special conditions, but the man named Lord Ri-en recognized me. He said he used to be a member of the Sweeping Trees Swords Clan and that he had heard of the stories floating around.

  He explained that when he found out it was you, Drakkel who went along with Rillian Adore to save them, he really was beside himself trying to figure out a way to pay you back. He insisted that we be pampered since he and his wife, Lady Secily had already rectified much of the situation in the town. In the end, we had to accept. But… the talks of your exploits didn't escape our ears either. We wanted to find you so we left Shadowy Ridges under the guise of a traveling dancing troupe. We quickly rose in fame but due to our backgrounds, we couldn't stay anywhere for too long. So, when we weren't making money as a troupe, I was selling medicinal candles and herbs that I gathered along our travels.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The flash of the familiar scented candle that Drakkel had smelled once he first saw the dancing troupe at Princess Yelisai and the director of Merchant Affair’s son, Yesil Holt’s birthday party, drifted into his mind.

  “After a while, we thought we would never find you. But then, there were rumors that you would show up at the upcoming Sword Summit. We waited on the land close to Enchanting Fans Sword Clan’s island and then made our move when we saw the group of demons mixing into the crowd. If it were anyone else, it would have been impossible. But, the four I brought with me, although not too strong in sword energy, are excellent at sword step and sword sense. We actually ended up training these skills as we led a life as a dance troupe in case we needed them to find you.”

  He looked down at his hands as he continued, “Most people focus on sword energy training, but what can be reached with training other avenues isn't too bad. One’s sword sense and sword step naturally grow with their sword energy training, but one can also train them separately. The results won't be as good as if sword energy increases along with it, but they aren't terrible either. At least, it could be said that our group now has one of the best sword step and sword sense techniques around. This is why we were able to catch the demons. And when we did, we were surprised to find that they weren't hostile at all. The strongest amongst them even told me that they didn't want anyone to get hurt.”

  He smiled and looked up at Drakkel, “That when I was sure, it had to be your doing. I do still feel bad about it, but I insisted they let us come with them or we would tell everyone their location. I guess my threat was enough since they took us with them and that's how I came to be here.”

  Aurien Wavel and the other disciple’s journey was long and arduous. It was clear they didn't have it easy either.

  Drakkel frowned. “Senior Brother, I’m sorry that you had to go through that. If I hadn't…”

  He lowered his head and clenched his fists.

  Aurien Wavel shook his head. “Remember Master’s rule: No slandering each other. And that includes not slandering yourself.”

  Aurien Wavel placed a hand on Drakkel's shoulder and continued, “It wasn't your fault. Someone has been manipulating things in the dark. You were a victim of their schemes.”

  He gave him a bright smile. “Now that we’re here, we’ll naturally help you overcome this.”

  Drakkel nodded.

  Then, all of a sudden, he felt movement near his legs. Not long after, Drakkel and Aurien Wavel looked upon Rillian Adore as he sat up in the seat.

  His look was sickly with sunken eyes and an unhealthily pale complexion.

  When his gaze turned to Drakkel, his eyes widened, but a moment later, his face fell.

  He titled his head slightly downward as if trying to avoid looking Drakkel in the eye.

  “You’re awake?” He asked tiredly. There was a hint of something else, but Drakkel couldn't quite pinpoint it.

  Drakkel nodded warily.

  Rillian Adore continued, “Then I'll leave now.”

  Drakkel’s hand reacted before he could think and it reached out towards Rillian Adore as he stood up.

  But he was too far away.

  He could only watch as Rillian Adore struggled to take every step walking out of the room.

  Now witnessing the state he was in, Drakkel couldn't hold back his concern. He turned to Aurien Wavel. “Senior Brother. He really doesn't look well. Can't you tell me what happened?”

  Aurien Wavel frowned, shaking his head and remaining silent.

  Drakkel was upset but then again, he also knew Rillian Adore's temperament. Mountains couldn't be moved and conversations with those who didn't want to speak, couldn't be forced. He had to wait until Rillian Adore decided to tell him and if he didn't, he could only deal with it.

  Moving past this, he breathed out a sigh. “Everyone seems so worried, so I want to know. How long have I been out?”

  The corners of Aurien Wavel’s lips turned down as he answered, “Three weeks.”

  Three weeks was nothing to Drakkel. Some would seclude themselves for that amount of time or longer to cultivate. But the problem was that so much could have happened in that time.

  He asked his Senior Brother to tell him news from the outside.

  He expected something bad, but what he heard was even worse.

  Drakkel had been proclaimed the top enemy of the Sword Fighting World. Along with his original list of crimes, he was now blamed for causing Firo Fieren to kill himself, Killing Sword Master Fil Tor, kidnapping Lorian Adore’s assistant, harming a hundred innocent Sword Fighters and even things he had absolutely nothing to do with. With the reappearance of the demonic sword, which was once the sword of Demon King Fael, many called him the second coming of the Demon King and wondered who amongst the Swords Clans could stop such a growing force when he actually managed to escape unharmed from the Sword Summit where over a hundred of the best Sword Fighters were present.

  What surprised Drakkel though was that he heard no news about the disappearance of Caz Lianga and Sonalita Pir.

  Then again, after thinking about it, it did actually make some sense. Sword Masters were like roaming winds. A few wouldn't stay too long in Swords Clans as they found that they had already reached their limit of cultivation while there. So, they would sometimes travel around on their own, searching for places to cultivate. That was why it wasn't too surprising that no one cared much about Sonalita Pir’s disappearance even though she was the head disciple of the Sweeping Trees Clan.

  As for Caz Lianga, because of his status in the clan as one who was the fiancée of a member of a fallen Swords Clan and the one the new Demon King originated from, Drakkel was sure many couldn't stand his presence. It was probably made worse by his staunch denial of his fiancée's actions and the actions of her clan. They probably wanted him gone long ago and couldn't find a good reason to get rid of him. In fact, they might have thought he ran off in grief and really didn't care.

  After hearing all that occurred, Drakkel took a deep breath. He needed to deal with things one step at a time.

  “Any other news for me?”

  Aurien Wavel nodded. “Actually, I’ve been waiting to give you this. Our master was going to give it to you once you returned, but you were taking longer than expected so he handed it to me and told me to give it to you when I saw you. He told me not to read it.”

  Aurien Wavel took out a letter and gave it to Drakkel. Drakkel then opened the note and began to read.

  Drakkel,

  If you're reading this, I am probably no longer alive. I left a separate note with Rodius Fowl telling him to not give you this note unless it seemed like your heritage was about to influence your life.

  This note is to explain why I left. I did it because I had no other choice.

  I didn't want you to find this out because once your past was revealed, the entity responsible for your father's death and likely mine, would go after you if they found out. They are the Golden Peak Swords Clan. They already killed your father and I couldn't lose you too. So I entrusted you to Sword Master Rodius Fowl of the Sacred Sword Swords Clan.

  With this note, I leave an opportunity for you to learn more if you need to. My true history and reason for my disappearance, I left with my sworn sister, Ebinenda Itor.

  With Love,

  Arcadia Luma

  Drakkel's eyes itched as he read the letter.

  Seeing this, Aurien Wavel touched his shoulder. “Drakkel, what's wrong? What does the letter say?”

  Drakkel rubbed his eyes and sighed.

  Shaking his head, he handed Aurien Wavel the letter. After reading it, Aurien Wavel’s eyes widened. “I figured your grandfather was Demon King Fael and your father must have been his son, but… Your mother was Immortal beauty Arcadia Luma?”

  Drakkel was astonished. Had his master not told his Senior Brother anything?

  He thought that of all people, at least he would know. But his master truly must have cared for his safety as it seemed only those directly involved with Arcadia Luma knew she had a child.

  However, looking at the letter, he could imagine his master’s mindset. A powerful entity, one strong enough to defeat not only a demon prince, but one of the strongest Sword Masters in the world was coming after a baby. Considering everything, even though it was Aurien Wavel, one small mistake could have cost Drakkel his life.

  Aurien Wavel continued, “Do you know what this means?”

  Drakkel wondered why Aurien Wavel sounded so excited. With all that he learned, he really couldn't match his energy.

  He sighed and asked tiredly. “What does it mean?”

  “We might still have a chance to prove that our clan was innocent.” Aurien Wavel replied.

  Drakkel shook his head, his face taking on a pained expression. “It’s not possible. Even if we located Ebinenda Itor, no one would listen to a demon and some Sword Fighters working with them…Not unless…”

  Drakkel’s eyes widened.

  Aurien Wavel continued, “Yes. Actually, I have heard of all of your exploits and seeing how you treated me, the demons filled me in on everything that has occurred with you thus far except for your origins.”

  “I heard that the Emperor did not necessarily rebuke your actions at Dragon’s Dwelling and that you figured out that the Crown Prince was involved in some demonic and evil affairs. Now that a royal member is involved, we can take this directly to the Emperor and have ourselves officially acquitted!”

  Drakkel nodded. “You're right! The matters weren't fully investigated and so had no real basis, it’s only that the Emperor couldn’t get involved because no high level court officials, members of the royal family, or the capital were involved. If we gather more proof and bring it directly to the court, they would have to take public action against the one who seems most guilty instead!”

  Aurien Wavel smiled. “You understand! Then we already know that the suspect lies within the Golden Peak Swords Clan. If we locate Ebinenda Itor and she can give us a testimony against the clan and even provide the name of the primary suspect, then we can clear the names of our clan…. “

  He placed a hand on Drakkel’s shoulder. “We can clear your name.”

  Drakkel nodded.

  Since the matter was settled, he finally thought of some people he was missing. Looking around, he asked, “Senior Brother, where is everyone else?”

  Aurien Wavel lowered his head, “They’ve been praying for your safety… in the clan memorial hall.”

  Drakkel’s face fell. “Did you see it?”

  Aurien Wavel nodded. He grabbed Drakkel’s hands and looked down at the cuts that wound all over them. “Drakkel, you really have suffered.”

  Drakkel couldn’t say a word. He quickly pulled his hands out of Aurien Wavel’s.

  “I want to go see them.” He said.