The Dark Blade: Return Of The General.

Chapter 1: The Return

"Sir, I have good news and bad news about the girl who saved your life."

The man in the dark suit paused at the temple steps, his hand tightening around his phone. After fifteen years of searching, he had finally found her.

"Tell me," he said, his voice deadly calm.

"Anna Tate is alive, but she is badly injured. The scars from that night... they never healed. Her family calls her a monster now. They are trying to sell her to any man willing to take a scarred woman as a bride."

Jacob Krigg closed his eyes, rage building in his chest like a storm. The girl who had risked everything to save him was being treated worse than an animal because of wounds she got rescuing him from that burning bus.

He turned away from the Seron temple where he had been paying respects to his murdered family. The ancient stone structure stood as a silent witness to the tragedy that had shaped his life. Twenty members of the Krigg bloodline had been slaughtered in a single night, their bodies never even given a proper burial.

"How bad are her injuries?" Jacob asked, walking toward his black BMW parked in the temple courtyard.

"The burns cover most of her face and body. The doctors said she would never look normal again. Her own family is ashamed of her appearance. They keep her locked away like some kind of prisoner."

Jacob's jaw clenched so hard it hurt. Fifteen years ago, his enemies had orchestrated the perfect massacre. They cornered every Krigg family member in different locations across Seron, ensuring none could escape or warn the others. When they came for Jacob, they trapped him inside a tour bus and set it ablaze, expecting him to burn alive with several other passengers.

But Anna Tate had been passing by during her family vacation. She could have kept walking, could have called for help from a safe distance. Instead, she had charged into the inferno without hesitation. Jacob could still remember her voice cutting through the smoke and flames, telling him everything would be okay as she pulled him from the wreckage.

The fire had consumed her beauty but saved his life.

While Anna spent months in hospitals fighting for survival, Jacob had fled Seron like a coward. He ran until his legs gave out, collapsing by a river in the wilderness. That was where the old master found him - a broken boy with nothing left to lose.

The master took him to the Himulan Sect, a place where warriors were forged from pain and determination. For five years, Jacob trained harder than any student in the sect's history. He mastered ancient combat techniques, learned the art of war, and studied military strategy until it became second nature.

When he finally emerged from training, he was no longer Jacob Krigg the weak survivor. He had become something else entirely - a weapon with a human heart, a ghost seeking justice for the dead.

He put on a mask to hide his identity and took the name that would soon echo across battlefields: the Dark Blade. In ten years of warfare, he had never lost a single battle. Kings hired him to win impossible wars. Armies scattered at the mere mention of his approach.

His greatest victory came when enemy forces captured the King of Himulan Sect. While thousands of soldiers prepared for a massive rescue operation, Jacob went alone. He infiltrated the enemy stronghold and fought through ten thousand warriors single-handedly, leaving a trail of unconscious bodies in his wake. When he emerged carrying the king to safety, his legend was complete.

"Sir, there is something else about Anna Tate," his informant continued through the phone.

Jacob slid into his car and started the engine. "What else?"

"The Tate family is holding some kind of contest today. They have fifteen men competing for the chance to marry her. Whoever agrees to take her despite her appearance gets to have her as a bride."

"They are selling her like livestock." Jacob's voice dropped to a whisper that somehow sounded more dangerous than any shout.

"From what I understand, sir, they want her out of their house as soon as possible. They say her appearance brings shame to the family name."

Jacob opened his tablet and accessed the files his network had gathered. Anna's photo appeared on the screen - a woman with terrible burn scars covering the left side of her face and neck. But her eyes remained unchanged. They still held the same kindness and courage that had saved his life all those years ago.

Below her photo were detailed reports about the Tate family's wealth, connections, and business dealings. Jacob memorized every piece of information as he drove through Seron's busy streets. The city had changed dramatically in his absence, with new buildings and modern infrastructure replacing the old architecture he remembered.

"Send me the names of everyone responsible for my family's massacre," Jacob ordered. "I want photographs, addresses, family connections, business partnerships - everything."

"Already prepared, sir. The files are uploading to your secure server now."

Jacob's tablet chimed with incoming data. Dozens of files appeared, each containing detailed intelligence on the men who had destroyed his life. Some were politicians, others were wealthy businessmen, and a few were crime lords who controlled Seron's underworld. They had all profited from the Krigg family's destruction.

"Sir, the contest at the Tate mansion is happening right now. Should I arrange for you to receive an invitation?"

Jacob smiled coldly as he turned onto the street leading to the Tate family estate. "That will not be necessary. I am going to make my own invitation."

"Should I alert the family that you are coming?"

"No. I want this to be a complete surprise."

He ended the call and stared at Anna's picture one more time. She had saved the life of Jacob Krigg, a powerless boy who could offer her nothing in return. Now she was about to meet the Dark Blade, the most feared warrior on the continent.

And he was going to ensure that no one ever called her worthless again.

The BMW accelerated through Seron's afternoon traffic as Jacob drove toward his destiny. Behind him, the temple bells rang out across the city like a warning. The last son of the Krigg family had returned, and blood would flow before the sun set.

But first, he had a debt of honor to repay to the woman who had given him a second chance at life. Among the fifteen men competing for Anna's hand, Jacob had no idea that one of them was connected to the very conspiracy that had murdered his entire family.