Rise of the Peerless God of War

Chapter 14

The next morning brought a return to normalcy that felt completely surreal.

Draven sat in the academy dining hall, eating breakfast like nothing had changed. Around him, students chatted about their catacomb missions, comparing stories of ghost sightings and ancient artifacts. Some bragged about the spirits they'd banished. Others complained about the cold and the dust.

None of them had absorbed the memories of three hundred dead heroes.

Just another day at the academy, he thought, taking a bite of toast. Except I now know seventeen different ways to kill someone with this butter knife.

"You're doing it again," Jin said, sitting down across from him with a plate piled high with eggs and sausage.

"Doing what?"

"Looking like you're planning something. And not in a good way."

Because I am planning something. I need to get to Sakura Valley before the Shadow Moon Sect tracks me down.

"I'm fine," Draven said. "Just tired."

Lyra and Sera joined them, both looking more rested than he felt. The wind mage had her blonde hair pulled back in a practical braid, while the shadow user looked like she'd stepped out of a painting—perfectly composed despite yesterday's ordeal.

"Any word on our mission report?" Lyra asked.

"Gale wants to see us after breakfast," Sera said. "Apparently, there were some... unusual readings from the deep chambers."

Of course there were. The magical equivalent of a nuclear explosion tends to show up on sensors.

"Unusual how?" Jin asked.

"The kind of unusual that gets people asking questions," Sera replied, her silver eyes finding Draven's. "The kind that makes instructors very interested in what exactly happened down there."

She knows. She might not understand it, but she knows something significant happened.

They finished breakfast in relative silence and made their way to Gale office. The gray-haired instructor was waiting for them, along with several other faculty members Draven didn't recognize.

"Ah, there you are," Gale said. "Please, sit. We have some questions about your mission yesterday."

Here we go.

"First," said one of the other instructors, a woman with hawk-like features, "we want to commend you on your success. The deep chambers of the catacombs have been quiet for the first time in decades."

"Thank you," Draven said carefully.

"However," Gale continued, "the magical readings from your section were... unprecedented. We detected a power surge unlike anything in academy records, followed by complete magical silence."

The memory transfer. They know something happened, but not what.

"We encountered a lot of hostile spirits," Lyra said. "When we finally put them to rest, there was a significant release of residual magical energy."

"Significant enough to register on sensors three kingdoms away," the hawk-faced woman said dryly.

Three kingdoms away. Shit.

"That's... that's not possible," Jin said. "We're just students."

"Indeed," Gale agreed. "Which is why we're so interested in your account of events."

For the next hour, they went through every detail of the mission. The instructors asked probing questions about the spirits, the chambers, the artifacts they'd encountered. Draven answered carefully, sticking to the basic facts while omitting anything about the pendant or the memory transfer.

They suspect something, but they can't prove it.

"Well," Gale said finally, "your mission was clearly successful. The catacombs are peaceful, and you've all gained valuable experience in dealing with hostile spirits."

"Is that all?" Sera asked.

"Not quite," the hawk-faced woman said. "Given the... unusual nature of your mission, we're recommending additional training for all of you. Advanced combat techniques, magical theory, that sort of thing."

They want to keep us close. Monitor us.

"That sounds great," Draven said, though internally he was already planning his escape. "When do we start?"

"Next week," Gale said. "For now, you're free to enjoy your weekend. Rest up. You've earned it."

As they left the office, Draven felt the weight of new knowledge pressing against his mind. The academy heroes' memories were still settling, organizing themselves into useful patterns. But one thing was clear: he needed to act soon.

The Shadow Moon Sect will have detected the power surge. They'll be coming.

"Anyone want to hit the library?" he asked as they walked through the corridor.

"You sure you're feeling okay?" Jin asked. "You've been acting weird since yesterday."

"Just want to research something," Draven said. "Historical battles, ancient techniques, that sort of thing."

"I'll come with you," Lyra said. "I'm curious about some of the magical phenomena we encountered."

"Count me in," Sera added. "I love a good mystery."

Perfect. I need them all on board for what comes next.

The academy library was vast, with sections devoted to everything from basic magical theory to advanced combat techniques. But Draven headed straight for the historical archives, following memories that weren't his own.

Master Elena Brightwater's research. She catalogued everything she could find about ancient battlefields.

"What are we looking for?" Jin asked as they settled into a secluded corner.

"Sakura Valley," Draven said, pulling out a thick tome on historical battles. "The site of the greatest academy victory in history."

"Never heard of it," Jin said.

"That's because it's not taught in the standard curriculum," Draven replied, flipping through pages. "Too dangerous. Too many unknowns."

And too many temptations for students who might want to seek out that kind of power.

"Here," he said, finding the entry he was looking for. "The Battle of Sakura Valley, three hundred years ago. War God Tianlong's final stand against the celestial invasion."

The text was dry, academic, but Draven could see the battle in his mind thanks to the academy heroes' memories. The desperate fight, the overwhelming odds, the sacrifice that had saved the world.

"Says here that Tianlong used techniques that were lost after his death," Lyra read over his shoulder. "His tomb was sealed to prevent grave robbers from disturbing his rest."

Not grave robbers. Power seekers. People who would abuse the knowledge he died protecting.

"Why are you so interested in this?" Sera asked.

Because I need the power he left behind. Because the Shadow Moon Sect is coming, and I need to be ready.

"Just curious," Draven said. "The spirits we encountered yesterday... some of them mentioned the battle. I thought it might be worth researching."

The spirits mentioned it because they were there. Because they died in that battle, and their memories are now part of me.

"It says the valley is forbidden to students," Jin pointed out. "Too dangerous."

"Everything's dangerous," Draven said. "That doesn't mean we should avoid it."

I need to convince them. But how?

The answer came from Captain Marcus Hale's memories—the art of tactical persuasion. Don't order people to follow you. Give them a reason to want to.

"Think about it," Draven said. "We just cleared out the most dangerous section of the catacombs. We handled hostile spirits that had been tormenting the academy for decades. We're not helpless first-years anymore."

"We're also not invincible," Lyra said.

"No, but we're a team. And teams can accomplish things that individuals can't."

Come on. Take the bait.

Sera was studying him with those unsettling silver eyes. "You really want to go there, don't you? This isn't just curiosity."

She's too perceptive. I need to be careful.

"I want to understand what we're dealing with," Draven said. "The spirits in the catacombs, the historical battles, the techniques that were lost. All of it connects somehow."

"Connects to what?" Jin asked.

To the war that's coming. To the enemies who are hunting me. To the power I need to protect everyone I care about.

"To us," Draven said. "To why we were chosen for that mission. To why we succeeded where others might have failed."

Because I carry the strength of legends. Because I'm becoming what the academy heroes always hoped would emerge.

"So you want to go to Sakura Valley," Lyra said slowly. "To a forbidden battlefield. To seek out the tomb of a War God."

"I want to understand our place in history," Draven said. "And I think the answers are there."

The answers, and the power to face what's coming.

They spent the rest of the afternoon researching, gathering information about the valley, the battle, the techniques that had been lost. By evening, Draven had laid out a compelling case for why they should undertake the journey.

"It's insane," Jin said as they walked back to the dormitory. "Completely insane."

"The best adventures usually are," Sera said with a smile.

"When would we go?" Lyra asked.

Now. Before the Shadow Moon Sect tracks me down.

"This weekend," Draven said. "We tell the instructors we're going on a training expedition. Wilderness survival, team building, that sort of thing."

"And if we get caught?" Jin asked.

"Then we face the consequences," Draven said. "But I'd rather face them knowing we tried than spend the rest of our lives wondering what might have been."

And I'd rather face them with the power to protect my friends.

That night, as Jin slept, Draven lay awake making plans. The journey to Sakura Valley would take three days through dangerous territory. The valley itself was protected by magical barriers and natural hazards. The tomb would be guarded by whatever defenses Tianlong had left behind.

But I have the memories of heroes who fought beside him. I know the techniques, the passwords, the way to approach the tomb with respect rather than greed.

And I need that power. Because somewhere out there, robed figures are moving through the night, following the trail of the magical surge I created.

The Shadow Moon Sect is coming.

And when they arrive, they're going to find that the hollow prince isn't hollow anymore.

They're going to find something much more dangerous.

Someone who carries the fury of every hero who ever died protecting the world.

Someone who's ready to finish what they started.

As he finally drifted off to sleep, Draven's last thought was of the journey ahead. The dangers they would face, the power they might find, the friends who would stand with him against whatever came.

Three days to Sakura Valley. Three days to find War God Tianlong's tomb. Three days to become strong enough to face the storm that's coming.

Three days to save the world.

No pressure.