The plants were about the size of his palm, each had many vines. Each vine had many intricate carving-like drawings upon it. “Chrono grass!” Zephyr exclaimed, and quickly gathered the plants. He turned tail quickly after that, speeding out of the cave.

It was not long before Samson and his men arrived. It was obvious the battle had taken a toll on them as they were all covered in blood. Samson seemed to have been dealt the worst hand, his body was covered in blood-dripping scars. The battle with the Crocodile had mangled him greatly. They arrived where the grass should be, but found nothing. Samson shook with anger, his body shook not from the wounds, but from the fury that built within him. “Zephyr Khan! I. Will. Kill. You!” he screamed out loud.

Zephyr heard Samson’s promise from afar. “Hmph, if you’ve got what it takes!” Zephyr huffed. As he ran, he paused for a moment to contemplate his next move. ‘The Tournament has been going on for a while now. I should look for a place to use the grass. This should be what I need to reach a Strength of nine!’ he thought. ‘By then, I’d have enough power to rival the better fighters!’

“Zephyr, Zephyr, Zephyr… oh Zephyr!” a chuckle came from behind Zephyr. ‘Sh*t!’ Zephyr thought, speeding up his escape. A sudden gust of bladed energy came by, it was as fast as lightning. It passed Zephyr, and blocked his way forward. “Where do you think you’re running to?” a cold gust came, followed by the appearance of a man before Zephyr. It was the man from earlier, the one who intended to kill Zephyr. He stared Zephyr down like an insect, and gripped the sword on his back, ready to attack. “Who are you?” Zephyr asked slowly.

This man had wanted Zephyr’s life, yet gave no indication as to who he was. “So you’re Zephyr? Don’t you know me? Strange,” he said. “I thought you’d recognize an old friend,” he continued after a brief pause. The man looked to be in his twenties, yet referred to himself as an old acquaintance of his, this puzzled Zephyr. “Heh,” the man chuckled, “Allow me to remind you. Do you remember the day you massacred the Sun? The day you killed their guardian?!” he demanded.

“Impossible! Are you… the other Sun guardian!?” Zephyr thought out loud, fear stricken. No wonder he had come to kill him. “Smart boy! My wife and I were away the day you attacked my family, my clan. Zephyr oh Zephyr, it’s time to pay your dues!” the man chided. Zephyr grew more and more alarmed. He readied himself for the upcoming fight, though he did remain suspicious of this man's attacks. “Impossible, how are you so young? Even if a fighter could mask their true age, it would never be as… perfect as yours!” Zephyr asked as he channeled his energy, readying Draken for battle. The roars of his Might echoed throughout his veins.

He knew the coming battle would be the hardest one yet.

“Heh, I was busy training myself to breakthrough to an Agile of level five, but I got disrupted by your family and failed! If I were to continue my training, I would easily destroy your clan!

“Alas, I could wait no longer. Let’s say you did well in the Tournament and entered the Academy, I would never get the chance to kill you! So I abandoned my training, dropping myself from a Four to a Three!

“Why do you think I became young again? You need not worry about these things because you will face death soon enough. Your clan will join you shortly after so fret not! You know why?

“The Zane guardians are also preparing to wipe the Khan!”

The Sun guardian boasted.

“How dare you even think of wiping us out!” Zephyr accused, his eyes bright with fury. “Why don’t you think about yourself first!” the Sun guardian teased, and quickly brandished his sword to use against Zephyr. Although the guardian had dropped to an Agile of level three, it was still too much for Zephyr to handle.

“Sixth Slash!” Zephyr cried, he had not expected his opponent to be so decisive and fast.

“Devil’s Saber!’ the man cried, sending forth ghastly apparitions to kill Zephyr, each armed with their own sword. Zephyr released his Might to defend himself, and took the guardian’s attack head on.