Kael felt like he was drifting in a dark sea. No sound. No light. Only pain.Then, something warm touched his lips.A bitter taste.Herbs.His eyes snapped open.For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. The ceiling above him was made of rough wood. Sunlight leaked through small cracks. He could smell herbs, smoke, and something old… like ash.He tried to sit up.A sharp pain rushed through his entire body. His chest burned. His arms felt heavy, almost dead.He fell back on the mat with a groan.“Don’t move,” a calm voice said.Kael’s heart jumped. His eyes darted left and right, trying to figure out where he was. The place looked like a small hut, filled with jars, leaves, powders, and strange tools hanging on the walls. A pot boiled quietly on a small fire.A man walked in slowly.He wore simple clothes. His long gray hair was tied back. His face was calm, unreadable, and cold. He held a wooden bowl with steamed herbs inside.Kael froze.He quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be unco

Kael’s body hit the ground hard as he fell unconscious.There was no dream.No sound.Only darkness.When Kael finally opened his eyes, he felt… different. His body was light, almost too light, like all the pain had been washed away. His muscles, which had been torn and bleeding, felt healed. His breathing was easy. His mind was clear.He pushed himself up and blinked around.The place where he had killed the old man was silent. Empty. The wind was cold. Dust still floated in the air.Kael’s heartbeat slowed as he looked at the ground.The old man’s ashes were gone.Completely gone.The dirt where the body had fallen was smooth, as if nothing had ever happened. Kael felt a sting in his chest. He didn’t hate the man. He didn’t want to kill him. But the man had stood between him and his freedom. Between him and Nira.Kael lowered his eyes.“I’m sorry,” he whispered.He held the words in his mouth for a long time. He wondered if the man had truly died… or if an old Swordmaster like that

Th kingdom was filled with many Swordmasters. Each with different sword fights and power. For now, no one knows how powerful Kael had become. Not even King Almond The courtyard grew silent. Everyone watched in anticipation. Each of them watching with keeper eyes and wondering what was going to happen. Even the music stopped. The drums, the trumpets, the cheering faded like the world was holding its breath. Kael and Darren Cole stood facing each other in the center of the palace courtyard. The crowd slowly pulled back, forming a wide circle around them. Nira tried to push through the people. “Kael, please,” she begged, “you just woke up… you’re not ready for this.” Kael didn’t look at her. It was he was a whole new person entirely. Zeuxis still held her wrist too tightly. “Nira, stop embarrassing yourself,” he hissed. “Let the fool get himself killed.” Rael shoved Zeuxis aside. “Let her go,” he warned. Zeuxis glared but kept quiet. Darren Cole drew his first sword—a long,

Everyone's gaze was on Kael. Each of them wondering what was going on with him. He was unrecognisable to moys of them judging from his long grown hairs while some believed he was back. They all saw how Darren had beating him. For a man who had saved the whole kingdom from the grasp of the demons. The courtyard stood frozen in silence. Even the wind stopped moving. Dust hung in the air like it was afraid to fall.All eyes were on Kael.He was still kneeling on the ground, his head lowered, his sword barely hanging in his hand. Darren held the shadow blade above him, ready to strike. One cut. That was all it would take.But Kael didn’t look scared anymore. Something inside him had changed.A slow, deep thump came from his chest. Then another. Each one stronger, heavier, louder than the last.Darren frowned. “What… what is that sound?”Kael did not answer.The ground around him cracked in thin lines. Stone chips lifted from the floor as if pushed by air. Kael’s fingers tightened aroun

The moment Kael crossed the great bronze gates of the palace, the world outside reacted as if it had been holding its breath.The sky dimmed.The wind stilled.The trees along the courtyard bowed as his Hakana pulsed outward in invisible shockwaves.Every step he took echoed like thunder.Behind him, no one moved. Not even the king. The entire kingdom was frozen, staring at the man who had just defied a monarch—no, humiliated him—and lived.Kael didn’t look back. Not once. His heart was pounding, but not from fear. From memory. From rage. He could still hear Almond’s trembling voice in his mind.“Bow—”Kael’s jaw clenched as he walked toward the open fields that bordered the palace. His fists tightened involuntarily.He didn’t bow. He would never bow again. Not to anyone and definitely not to a king who wanted him dead. Not to a kingdom built on lies. Not to a king who murdered his father.His silver hair swayed behind him, glowing faintly with every step. The dark Hakana wrapped aro