Chapter 1

  Drakkel's hands tightly clenched the armrests of the chair until his knuckles turned white. As his fingers tightened, the sound of his heartbeat steadily increased until it was like a drum in his ears.

  Like the shattering of a mountain, the world he had come to know for the past year had come crashing down, his pent up feelings rushing forward like an avalanche.

  The dark clouds in his mind cleared to reveal the sun hidden behind.

  Now, the reminders of what occurred before- the reminders of what happened when he was sad and alone, were too much to bear.

  His eyes widened and his lips trembled.

  He quickly banished the demons, not wanting them to be present any longer.

  Soon, all that was left in the quiet space was Drakkel and the five standing in front of him.

  A moment passed and then another.

  Silence filled the room, but Drakkel could still hear the sound of his heart racing.

  His chest, which had felt empty before, began to fill up just a bit and the mask which he had been keeping on all this time finally fell from his face.

  He slowly stood up from his seat and Aurien Wavel opened his arms.

  “Drakkel… I'm back now,” he stated with a smile.

  His Senior Brother who he had thought to be dead was standing in front of him, alive and well.

  Tears gathered at the corner of Drakkel's eyes as he ran into Aurien Wavel’s open arms.

  “Senior Brother,” he cried. “You’re alive!”

  “That’s right. I’m here.” Aurien Wavel soothingly answered.

  After a few moments he pulled away and wiped the tears that were gathering at the corners of his eyes.

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  Then, he gazed at those who followed his Senior Brother. “And they are?”

  The four subsequently took off their veils, revealing those underneath. “Font Seig, Piral Bifa, Antin Jerio, Winfra Loul…” They each nodded at him respectively as their names were called.

  Recognizing them as some of the lower disciples, Drakkel was happy. But the feelings he had built for the past year came rushing forth and he also almost fell to the floor.

  If his Aurien Wavel hadn’t stopped him, his knees most definitely would have hit the ground.

  “I’m sorry!” He said. “I’m sorry!”

  Tears began to trickle down his face.

  Aurien Wavel frowned. “We know Drakkel. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Drakkel heard his words but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling down. It was as if he had been holding them in for an eternity; they flowed out relentlessly and without end.

  Then his heart, which had begun to calm, thumped with a new vigor.

  It was slow at first, but then got faster by the second.

  By the time the pounding, loud as a thunder reached his ears, a wide smile had already spread on his face.

  He clasped both of his hands onto one of Aurien Wavel's. “I know! Senior brother!”

  He looked at the rest. “Everyone!”

  “They were the ones that did this to you! They were the ones that did this to our clan! If we work together, we can stop them! We can kill them!”

  He waited for their responses in excited anticipation, the corners of his mouth curved all the way up and a sparkle of glee reflecting in his eyes.

  “Senior Drakkel…” He smiled at Winfra Loul who spoke, her face a mirror of pity and sadness.

  However, Aurien Wavel pulled his attention back, softly placing his hand on top of Drakkel's.

  Trying to coax him to calm down, he said, “Drakkel, rest now. Gather your thoughts. We can speak tomorrow.”

  Drakkel had just found part of his clan. How could he leave? He was too afraid. Afraid that if he left and came back, he would find out that he was only dreaming after all.

  “No!” He shook his head as his hold on Aurien Wavel strengthened.

  “Drakkel…it hurts…” Aurien Wavel said.

  Huh? Drakkel released his hold on Aurien Wavel, backed away, and looked down at his hands.

  What was he doing?

  Font Sieg stepped forward, “Senior Drakkel, your eyes...”

  Looking into the reflection of Font Sieg’s eyes, a set of glowing red pupils reflected back.

  Drakkel then felt that something was wrong.

  His sword energy was running rampant, the two types of sword energy vying for control over his body.

  As they fought within him, his blood began to feel as if it was burning and his brain felt like it was going to explode.

  Cradling the sides of his head, a pained scream escaped his lips.

  “Drakkel!”

  Aurien Wavel ran up to him with the other disciples in tow.

  He took his pulse as they all surrounded him.

  Suddenly, the pain died down and he let out a cough.

  A thick line of blood leaked out of his mouth and onto his robes.

  Looking up at Aurien Wavel, his figure began to blur, but a worried expression could be seen spreading upon his face.

  Drakkel's heartbeat began to slow down as his muscles weakened. Then, his surroundings turned black.