The Dragon Ascendant

Awakening The Power Within

CHAPTER 7: AWAKENING THE POWER WITHIN.

Raiden found himself in the middle of a forest, where the morning mist swirled around his feet. He had never exerted so much energy before, and he could feel his heart racing with the potential of what his newfound power could do. 

In front of him lay the Swordmaster scroll, and he wasn’t certain why, but he had a feeling it was very necessary that he read it now. Even though it was morning, the forest remained dim, and the scroll illuminated itself for him, the arcane symbols glowing faintly to bring him more ease of use. 

"Read me," they seemed to command. Raiden took a breath and did just that. He read the scroll out loud as best he could, the words strange and foreign on his tongue. Soon afterward, he seized his sword and did what he had just read.

Panting, but with a determined glint in his eye, Raiden lowered the sword. "This is only the beginning," he muttered under his breath, already envisioning the untapped power deep inside him. 

His mind had pulled him away from the sword training and back to the morning's events, which weren't really worth reliving. And yet, for some reason, he felt like he had to, to get through them more thoroughly and find something, some thread to grasp. He'd been dead asleep, living the luxurious lie of someone who could actually take a breather. 

When Lady Morgana stormed in, her face a perfect sculpture of subdued rage, Raiden had nearly died of shock…not the kind of thing where you fall over and have to be revived with CPR, but the kind where your heart just sinks and you feel like your spirit has left your body for a moment.

Morgana glared at him, her eyes sharp with anger. "You think you can just lounge around after that disgraceful display at the Conquest? E-rank. *E-rank!*" she spat. "You're a joke, Raiden. Do you even comprehend how much awful stuff you bring to this family?" 

Raiden didn't bow his head, and he didn't raise his voice, but he said, "I don't care about your Conquest or your rankings, Morgana." 

The sneer that had twisted Morgana's lips didn't leave any room for doubt. She thought he was a worthless good-for-nothing. "Grateful" was not a word that had a connection with this encounter. Raiden felt certain and free when he said, "I don't feel any gratitude for anything you do."

Raiden held Morgana’s gaze. "I don’t owe you anything."

Morgana took an angry step forward, her eyes narrowing. "You owe me everything, Raiden. If you think you're going to just act like a tough guy now and that'll somehow make you 'not weak,' then you're dumber than I thought."

Raiden fell silent, judging Morgana's words. Or rather, judging her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but he raised a finger to pause her. With this distressed memory floating around in his brain, he wasn't sure how much the sword was helping. It was something he was going to have to keep in mind. 

Morgana was still an important enemy; there was no getting around that. But he was not like her. He had never been like her. And if this sword, which was presently feeling too much like a talking stick, had anything to say about it, then he wouldn't be.

Raiden lifted his sword once more, and the teachings of the scroll filled his mind. He gasped as magic surged within him, filling the hall with energy and light. If he was to survive, he had to open at least one chakra gate. 

With renewed energy and instincts sharpened from the training he had just gone through, he turned to face the new threat head-on. A group of familiar warriors had emerged from the trees, and the tall, burly man at the front of the group was laughing and throwing wild accusations at Raiden. Four of the Conquest's finest stood behind him, and without another word, Raiden swung his sword downward.

"Well, well, if it isn't the famous E-rank warrior," the man said as he approached, flanked by his smirking companions. 

Raiden didn't bristle at the obvious insult; he was used to it by now. The whole group was supposed to be something of a threat. They were disgraced warriors who had been thrown out of the coalition for one reason or another. Still, if the coalition's castoffs were going to confront him, he might as well confront them back.

Raiden relaxed his grip on the sword, preparing himself for whatever might happen next. "I'm not wasting my time," he said in a voice as calm as he could manage. "I'm just training."

Raiden regarded him evenly, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. "You truly wish to go forward with this?"

The warrior's grin widened. "I wouldn't mind putting you in your place." Without further preamble, Raiden drew his sword. Before the warrior could react, Raiden cleared the space between them with a blur of speed, disarming the man in one swift, decisive action. 

The warrior stumbled back, eyes wide, as Raiden's blade hovered mere inches from his throat. The other warriors gasped, disbelief evident on their faces. After a moment, they began to murmur. Raiden's voice broke through them, clearly enunciating his words. "You should choose your battles more carefully." 

The warrior's face darkened in anger. "You got lucky!"

The stunned warriors exchanged anxious glances. They had all witnessed Raiden's humiliation at the Conquest, but this….this was something else. His speed, his precision……it was like facing a completely different person.

Before any of these warriors could say anything to challenge him further, Raiden froze. His senses honed, and a dark, heavy presence in the distance hit him like a smell. His narrowed eyes scanned the forest, his tense body primed for combat. 

Then, without a word to the men in the clearing, he sheathed his sword and turned to leave, his instincts telling him he should go, that he should retreat.

The following is what the men he had just bested must have thought:

"Hey! Where are you going?" one must have called. But I don’t know for sure. Raiden is tight-lipped about this part of the story. Still, it seems the men he left behind were indeed confused by what had just happened and by what he had just said. 

They probably gossiped among themselves for a time, trying to make sense of it all, of why he would have left them to face alone whatever evildoing was happening just beyond the trees.