Chapter 18: Light

The wind howled like a restless beast. Tayo, Hiro, and Henry stood firm, eyes locked on Daro who faced them from several meters away. The tension between them was almost visible in the air like a bowstring pulled taut.

Then Daro turned.

Hiro moved swiftly, drawing an arrow, but her fingers froze on the string as a flicker caught her eye—Daro was no longer where he had been. Her instincts screamed, but her body lagged behind. To her right, the blur of motion solidified: Daro, mid-attack, fist balled to strike.

But before the blow could land, Tayo intercepted, his arm deflecting Daro’s strike. A blur of limbs followed—Tayo and Daro clashing in a flurry of hand-to-hand combat. Daro, unrelenting, seized Tayo by the neck, hoisting him off the ground and hurling him into a nearby tree. Bark splintered. The impact knocked the breath from Tayo’s lungs. Before he could recover, Daro smashed him into the ground.

An arrow wisked through the air.

Daro dodged with effortless grace, twisting just in time to draw his sword and deflect a spear thrust from Henry. Sparks flew as metal met metal.

The two warriors engaged, their weapons ringing as they fought. Henry forced Daro away from Tayo, giving Hiro time to rush to his side and pull him to his feet.

“Thanks,” Tayo muttered, breathless.

They barely had time to catch their breath before bolting after Henry and Daro, who were now tumbling down the hillside, locked in combat.

Then—a glint in the air.

Henry’s spear came flying back toward them.

Tayo raised his sword in time, blocking the weapon with a jarring clang. A split second later, a rock hurtled toward his head, only to be swatted aside by Hiro’s bow in a graceful sweep.

“Let’s go!” Tayo shouted, surging forward with his sword and Henry’s spear.

Together they stormed downhill. Tayo sprinted ahead, slashing away at the projectiles that Daro hurled at them with uncanny precision. His sword cleaved through stone like it was butter. Then, in a bold move, Tayo hurled Henry’s spear at Daro.

Daro caught it—almost too easily.

But Tayo was already on him.

He crashed into Daro, tackling him before he could sidestep. They tumbled down the last stretch of the hill, a blur of limbs and mud. At the bottom, Henry was waiting. He caught his spear mid-spin and without pause joined the fray. The two of them battled Daro in tandem, pressing him hard.

Above them, Hiro stood still.

She exhaled slowly, eyes closed, bow in hand. Her fingers curled into position. No arrow—not yet. In her mind, she saw it: a shaft of fire. Her breathing steadied.

Back at the bottom, Daro surged with speed unnatural, throwing off Tayo and Henry with explosive power.

“Get up,” Daro barked, lightning dancing along his blade. “If not, I’ll take seriously the idea of killing you and joining Gotar. He seems to need real warriors.”

Henry staggered up, took a swing—but Daro struck him down with a brutal backhand.

A glimmer.

An arrow hissed through the air.

Daro caught it—barely.

Then it exploded in a violent bloom of fire.

The impact sent dust and flame outward in a wide ring. When the smoke cleared, arcs of electricity snapped and sparked around Daro’s stunned form.

Tayo didn’t wait.

He lunged—straight into the lightning.

He grabbed hold of Daro’s sword with both hands, pain coursed through him, but he endured, locking eyes with the warrior. Daro tried to shake him off, to blast him back with a surge of energy, but Tayo held on. The lightning singed his skin, but his grip never faltered.

Daro raised his hand to strike—

A heavy blow landed at the base of his skull.

Henry, his fist glowing red-hot, had struck with all his might.

Daro staggered—then turned.

Another hit.

This one an uppercut that lifted him clean off his feet. He hit the ground, unconscious.

“We did it,” Henry panted, leaning over Daro’s still form.

Later, in the quiet of the forest, Daro opened his eyes.

Tayo, Hiro, and Henry knelt nearby, worry softening their features. Henry let out a breath of relief.

““When did you learn that?” Daro rasped, turning to her.

She gave a cheeky grin. “Learn? I’m a natural. Just didn’t want to show off in front of you.”

Daro chuckled weakly. “Well done. All of you.” Tayo offered him a hand. Daro took it, rising slowly.

“So,” Tayo said, “what now?”

“You can have the sword,” Daro said. “I have something for you guys too.”

At Daro’s quarters, the trio sat in a semicircle. Daro approached, holding some items.

“To you, Henry, for your love of adventure, I gift you this map” he said, offering a scroll. “May it show you the way and guide you to treasures beyond your wildest dreams.”

Henry nodded solemnly. “Thank you.”

“Hiro,” he said, presenting a small vial. “My judgement of you was wrong and so, I gift this to you. An emerald healing potion. May you safely find your way home”

She accepted it with a bow of gratitude. “Thank you, Daro.”

Then he faced Tayo.

“And Ray… I once called you a coward. I was wrong. I apologize.”

“I’m sorry for calling you mindless,” Tayo replied.

Daro grew serious. “Before I hand it over, I want you to promise me that no matter what happens you'll keep moving forward, no matter how dark the days may get, no matter how hopeless it may be, promise me you'll keep moving forward.”

Tayo looked away and took a deep breath. He doesn't take promises lightly. After a long pause, he nodded. “I will.”

Daro placed the Professor’s Sword in his hands.

“I haven’t uncovered its mysteries. Maybe you will.” Hiro shifted closer to see the sword.

Tayo’s fingers traced the markings, and he begins to attempt reading it. “The ruler of the stars, charged with—”

Daro slapped a hand over his mouth. “You can read it?”

Tayo nodded, eyes wide.

Hiro peered closer. “I can’t read it. Henry?”

“No clue,” Henry admitted.

“Doesn’t matter,” Daro said quickly. He takes his hand off Tayo’s mouth. “Be careful what you read, without understanding, a spell can backfire.”

Tayo studied the blade even more. “These were the scripts used in the early-- in the ancient world…”

“It’s possibly an incantation,” Daro murmured. “Let’s try something.”

In the garden, sun filtering through thick foliage, the scent of blooming flowers filled the air. Hiro and Henry watched from nearby as Tayo sat in meditation, sword across his lap.

“Calm your mind,” Daro instructed, “and reach into your heart.”

Tayo’s breath slowed.

He remembered—

His mother’s garden. The warmth of summer. Flowers swaying in gentle wind.

He smiled and closed his eyes.

“Feel,” Daro said. “Recall the moments you were gushing with emotion.”

Memories surged.

A car in the driveway. A gift for his mother.

“This is for you, Mom,” Tayo had said.

Rebecca’s tearful smile. The embrace of his sister. Love.

“Now,” Daro whispered, “free your imagination.”

The sword flared.

The inscriptions glowed brilliantly, as if burning with white light from within. Particles of light coalesced around him, floating in the air like fireflies.

Henry’s jaw dropped. “What’s going on?”

Daro’s voice trembled with awe. “It’s the magic… that commands the light.”