KENSHI
It had been five days since Fo left Suttoh to deliver the message. And during these past five days, all of us were at the edge of our seats, worried and anxious about the condition in Thorn.
To divert our thoughts, we requested the Sages to train us. With the revival of Dolum being unstoppable, we had to be fully equipped with the skills and mastery needed to fight off his army.
In the morning, Soreas would teach me how to improve my swordsmanship. The thought I had that I was already at my peak in sword skill remained just a thought when Soreas pointed out my weaknesses and my mistakes. During our sparring, I wouldn't even last for five minutes. He said I was too open.
Meanwhile, in the afternoon, Greygor would teach me how to cast magic more efficiently and effectively. When they learned about my second awakening, they couldn't help but be amazed. But instead of being proud of it, I felt ashamed. I knew very well that I still had a long way to go before I was worthy of their praises.
As of the moment, Greygor was teaching me how to incorporate elemental magic into my sword. He said that utilizing two abilities in a single move could turn the tide of battle drastically, if one was proficient enough to observe the weaknesses of their foe. While we were doing this, I couldn't help but reminisce about the time when he trained me as well back at Geiya Village.
As for Kana, Poreito was her mentor. If they were amazed to discover my second awakening, they were even more amazed to learn of Kana's early awakening. Even with their memories, they knew nobody who awakened early like Kana. They were a bit skeptical about it at first—until Kana showed them skills that only marksmen could do, as well as a few destructive magics. Because of this, Poreito was more driven and motivated to teach the young girl.
Shino would receive training from Greygor as well since they were both mages. With Shino's request to master offensive magic, Greygor taught her a few basic elemental spells that, when used appropriately and at the right moment, could inflict tremendous damage similar to extreme magics. This proved that Greygor truly mastered the art of magecraft.
While the other Sages were busy mentoring us, Varsia and Drogin would take turns interrogating Akihiko—questioning him about the Dark Order's future plans. Sadly, it was unfruitful. Akihiko refused to answer.
All of these happened in the span of five days and would continue to happen until the day of Dolum's revival.
Whenever I thought of that future, my heart ached for the suffering and fear the people had to face and experience, especially when my family came into the picture. I swore to protect them, but how could I even do that when we were against a god?
The divine battle that happened five hundred years ago left the world in chaos and discord for three hundred years. During that time, even though Dolum was finally defeated, the effects of his existence lingered and remained.
An eclipsed sun reigned in the sky, which was also tainted in blood. Dark clouds loomed, and storms raged more often. The lack of sunlight withered the plants, leading to famine. And corrupted beings started emerging.
That was what we heard from books and tales of the old, and if just listening to it already gave me the creeps, how much more if I were to see it in person? Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.
I looked up to the starry night sky as the cold, freezing wind caressed my skin. I volunteered to be one of the patrols this night. I was assigned to the west portion of the kingdom which, according to Varsia, was the most peaceful part of the city.
And she was right. It was indeed peaceful here. If one would ignore the rubbles and the mess in this place, one could achieve an almost perfect tranquility. No disturbing noise could be heard, only indistinct sounds.
Although I could hear faint voices, it was not loud enough to disrupt the silence of the night. This made my senses heighten, which allowed me to detect energy fluctuations within a limited area.
It was not just me who learned this technique. In fact, all adventurers could develop this kind of skill. As long as mana exists, an adventurer could feel it. This method was not only useful in scouting or detecting nearby enemies but also in evading or anticipating an attack during combat. Greygor lectured that mana fluctuates when a certain technique is used, so one could use it to their advantage to evade or escape that technique.
Because of this, I was able to detect several individuals approaching the west city gate. The path beyond this gate was routed toward West Region, so I assumed these people came from that kingdom.
To confirm my suspicion, I jumped down from the roof of one of the houses that I used as a vantage point and quietly went to the city gate. I climbed one of the gate towers to spy on the approaching figures.
The one in the front was holding a lantern, which served as their light to illuminate the dark road ahead of them. Two more figures behind the lantern carrier were illuminated as well, and my brows furrowed when I felt a strange sense of familiarity from them.
Four more figures were behind them, but I couldn't see their faces because the light from the lantern failed to reach them.
Skeptical, I closed my eyes and used the technique Greygor taught us in a more intensive manner.
Based on their mana level, the three in the front were most likely adventurers, as well as the other one behind them. I also detected a faint mana beside the latter. While the remaining two were commoners.
I opened my eyes and found that the group had already passed through the city gate's tunnel. I watched them walk along the city walls until I could see all of their backs.
And all of a sudden, my heart started beating faster. My hands were shaking and my knees were losing their strength. I was clueless about what was happening to me, but it started when I recognized someone from the group.
Even from afar, even with his back turned to me, I recognized him. The way he walked, his hair from behind, and his presence. I was certain that it was the same person.
Am I missing him so much that I started seeing things? Part of me still refused to believe. Because as far as I knew, he was at Thorn, resting and waiting for us to help him get back to his old self. And this person right here was laughing and showing emotions—something that had been taken away from him.
"What happened to this place?" a man's voice asked.
"It's all ruins," another man commented.
"It's the Dark Order's doing, I bet," another voice guessed.
"At least Daku was right about this place."
My eyes widened in pure shock upon hearing the name. I wasn't sure if I heard it right, or maybe it was just my ears hearing things out of the ordinary.
But this feeling… this sensation… my body wouldn't react like this if that wasn't him.
Both scared and curious, I jumped down from the tower, landing a few meters behind them. The sound of my feet hitting the ground caught their ears, and they looked toward my direction.
My eyes focused on one person as I watched him pivot to see me. And my heart screamed in pure joy when my hunch was confirmed.
"Daku?" I called his name, not expecting any reaction from him. He was shocked to see me as well. But how? I thought he lost all of his emotion?
"Kenshi?" he replied.
And the next thing I knew, I was moving toward him when my feet started to move on their own. It started as a walk, which later increased in speed until it turned into a run.
I ran toward him until our bodies touched and my arms were already wrapping around him. I didn't care about the watchful eyes looking at us right now. All I cared about was showing and making him feel that I missed him so much.
Before I even knew it, I was already crying. I failed to understand why I was reacting like this, but one thing was certain—I was happy to finally see and touch him.
"I missed you," I mumbled, my face still shoved against his neck. I tightened my hug, and I was glad when he also wrapped his hands around me.
"I missed you too, Kenshi."