Shadowblade:Rise of the Outcast

5:

His hands clenched. The faint black energy infiltrated his finger, forming a fine line like plant roots. 

"Calm down," whispered the voice of Shadowblade which was now tucked on his back. "You're not the time to express everything. Let them take you as a ghost ... or a nightmare."

Kael stepped into the village. 

It didn't take long until the sound of his steps attracted attention. A young guard at the outer gate turned his head, then his body stiffened. 

"Si - who ... you?" he asked trembling. 

Kael did not answer. He just stepped closer, slowly, with a definite step. Every step is to make a sound that is like raising the ground. 

The guard took a step back, then two, before finally dropping his spear and ran to the village. 

Screams broke out:

"Ghost! Ghost from a black cliff!"

Kael gave a slanted smile. "They can't even recognize the children they throw away," he murmured softly. 

The village was chaotic. Residents run around. Some closed the door of the house, the others peeked from behind the window. There was a small child who screamed, forcibly pulled by his mother into the house. 

In an instant, the village felt like a dead city. 

Only one person did not run away. An old woman with a blue veil stands in front of a narrow house at the end of the road. His gaze was sharp, not scared, but also not completely calm. 

"Kael?" he asked softly. 

Kael stopped. He recognized the voice - Nenek Mira, his mother's neighbor first. People who have tucked warm bread into their bags every morning before training. 

Kael nodded slowly. 

The woman's face changed. His hands trembled as he closed his mouth. "Gosh ... my son, you ... alive?"

Instantly, the door to the house was opened from other houses. Residents began to arrive, slowly, afraid. Echoing sound:

"He is still alive ..."

"Didn't he fall into a black cliff?"

"Kael back ..."

---

From the main residence of the Elhart clan, Byron was sitting under the shade of a cedar tree when a servant came with a pale face. 

"Mr. Byron ... there is a commotion in the village. Someone ... like Mr. Kael ... appears from the direction of the black cliff."

Byron's face immediately stiffened. "What?! That's impossible. He died - I himself saw him fall."

"But ... some residents vowed that he was. And he brought a black sword ..."

Byron stands. His jaw hardened. "Prepare the main guard. Take him to me. Live or die."

---

Kael is still standing in the middle of the crowd. The eyes of people full of questions. They want to believe that he is human. But ... something from his body said differently. Too calm. Too dark. 

A child, a boy, advanced slowly. "Sis ... are you angry with us?"

Kael looked down, staring at the boy. He saw himself in the small body - dahulu was also full of questions, thirsty for recognition. 

He shook his head slowly. "Not to you guys."

The boy smiled. But before he could say again, the sound of horse foot and metal weapons heard from the north. Elhart guard forces came, complete with armor and spear. 

In the front row standing Byron, wearing a silvery purple robe symbolizes the position of the main heir. 

"Kael," he said in a full tone of fake. "We ... don't believe you are still alive."

Kael did not answer. 

Byron stepped closer. "You know our rules. Nobody returns from the black cliff. You should ... die."

The wind blows slowly, carrying metal scent from their weapons. 

Kael raised one hand. "Maybe you're disappointed I'm still alive, Byron."

Byron's gaze hardened. "Are you back to get revenge?"

Kael chuckled. "If so, I've been burning your house since this morning."

Suddenly, from the shadows of his feet, a black shredr that appeared quickly-attracted the spear from the hand of one of the guards and threw it far into the air. 

All back spontaneously. Some guards get ready, but no one dares to attack first. 

Bayron narrowed eyes. "What happened ... Kael?"

Kael just stared straight at him. 

"I am what you throw away."

---

The small commotion ended the morning in Elhart Village. Kael did not attack, but he also did not return to the useless young man they used to know. 

The next day, rumors about the boy from a black ravine carrying shadows began to spread to neighboring territories. 

And from a distance, from behind the fog, a pair of old eyes watched the village. 

Someone else ... has noticed the resurrection of Kael. 

-

The sky is grim above the village of Elhart, like the stomach of the sky that holds the lightning. Behind the shadows of houses, people are still gossiping about one thing: the return of Kael. 

But for Kael, there is no time to enjoy that chaos. 

He is now running. 

The air was rushing in his ear. His breath was broken, his body was still not fully recovered, and burning in the chest ... returned. The energy of shadow essence throbbing unstable in his body - giving strength, but also demands control. 

The shadow of the pursuers is not far behind him. Four people, dressed in dark, their faces were covered in black cloth. They are not ordinary soldiers. Their movements are fast, precise, and they do not make a sound at all. 

Assassin. 

Byron has sent them. 

Kael slipped between pine trees outside the village. Without looking back, he could feel the aura of killing chasing him. 

"Shadows like them are not to be resisted now," Shadowblade whispered from his back. "You're not ready."

Kael hissed. "Then do I just run away?"

"You run ... to live. To be strong later."

In front of him, a dense forest with towering trees waiting. Forbidden forest. 

From childhood, Kael often heard the story of the forest. Wild creatures, trees that ensnare humans, fogs that swallow people alive. 

But now, that's the only place he can go. 

He jumped down a low cliff and landed with his knees touching the ground. His breathing hunted. The leaves stroked his face as he penetrated the outer boundary of the forest. 

Instantly, the atmosphere changes. 

The air is cooler. Silent. There are no birds chirping. The soil is wet, absorbing the sound of his steps. 

But Kael is not alone. 

The first shadow emerged from the top of the tree branch, darting down at a speed like an arrow. Kael rolled out, his sword was drawn as fast as lightning. The first slash is only hitting air. 

The killer landed quietly, not saying a word. 

The second attack came from the right. Kael hardly had time to fend off. The killer sword collided with Shadowblade, sprinkling black energy into the air. 

Clang!