The Flame Swordsfolk

We were walking up a mountain during the night. The sky was filled with clouds and the night was not as beautiful as in Starcourse.

“The Vukol Village is protected by the Flame Swordsman. They are loyal to the clan, so they might all be our enemies,” Ember Lascander told me.

“What is the Flame Swordsfolk really?”

“Officially, they do the same work as a Hero, protect the land from villains and monsters, but they are way less nice. Firstly, they only accept people of the Fire Stanza, their training is terrible and painful. I also heard that they protect more places that pay them.”

“This is terrible. So Reikokuna Takai was born with the Fire Stanza? I mean, I know people are not born with Stanzas, but he was groomed to be of that Stanza?”

“Yes. I’m not the best to talk about it, because I love my Fire Stanza, but people with this power can become very dangerous. Obsession and rage are also sentiments associated with it. Stanzas are not hereditary, but Takai was only exposed to the Fire Stanza for a long time.

My father should have tried harder to give me an… well my Stanza is actually not that bad.

The village had some classical architecture and there were a lot of red banners with drawings of flames scattered around it.

We reached a big temple with two samurais in front, who didn’t like what they saw.

“Ember Lascander, the nerve you have returning here!”

“They know you?” I asked.

“I’m the strongest Fire Stanza user in the kingdom, of course they tried to recruit me, but I had better options in my life.

Laughter came from inside, and when the door opened it revealed a man who looked like an older version of Reikokuna Takai, but with longer hair and an evil expression.

“You, the strongest Fire Stanza user? You may produce more flames, but you are not even close to my obsession!”

“Reikokuna Atsu, what a displeasure it is to see you. I could spend hours talking about how obsession is not even close to passion, but we are here to take our apprentice back. Give me Takai back.”

The man kept laughing. Even though I had met some villains before, I quickly realized that man was worse than both Gaston and Matteo.

“My shameful of a son… he came home by his own volition. He doesn’t want to go back, I’m right?”

From behind the leader of the Swordfolk, my brother appeared, looking down and covered in bruisers.

“What have you done to him?” asked Ember Lascander and I could feel the air heating with her anger.

“Nina, Ember, why are you here? I thought you would be hunting Elvira,” the boy asked.

“We came for you first. We can’t do this alone,” I said to him.

“I can’t help any of you. I’m where I belong, the only place where I can truly be powerful.”

“But…”

“That is enough!” Atsu interrupted me. “He is with his family. He was always weak with the Ice Stanza, but now he will reach his full potential. Now go, unless you want to be my new underlings.”

Ember Lascander was almost burning with rage, but she turned her back to the temple.

“Let’s go, Nina.”

“But we can’t go without Reikokuna Takai.”

“We did our part. If he can only value himself according to his father’s opinions, there is nothing we can do.”

She started walking away and I didn’t want to stay there with those man, but I also couldn’t leave without my brother.

“We will be waiting for you! Come meet us before we go. Also, Agnes Stein is missing you so much.”

With that I turned around and followed mom.

(…)

Nina… Agnes… I’m sorry.

“Come, child, we still have a lot to do,” said my father guiding me to the interior of the temple.

“Father, why haven’t you helped me return to the Fire Stanza yet? We both know it’s not as strong as my Fire Stanza was.”

“I think destiny is smiling upon us. I actually have a use for your Ice Stanza now.”

That didn’t make any sense, my whole life I heard how I should value only the Fire Stanza, but he was saying that? What possibly could be happening?

We reached a large wooden platform with chains connecting to the roof. Two other members of the clan moved the lever, and we went down to the heart of the mountain.

There I started feeling cold, more than I had ever felt, and I couldn’t believe what I saw down there.

“That is…”

“The Cyan Demon, yes. We keep them locked here with my forge signature.”

The shining cyan ice that made up the body of the Demon made the entire basement colder. It was big enough to fit the creature and big chains, red from the high temperature, were holding them back.

It was amazing to see that Demon so up close. I had only encountered the Red and Orange Demons before, but seeing one of them so up close without them killing everything around was amazing.

“They were a pain in the ass to capture, but now you can control them.

“What?! That is not possible!”

“Don’t raise your voice to me, child! Or do you want more punishments? You know very well this is possible. Elvira and her followers already did it.”

“But I have no idea how!”

He slapped me in the face with enough strength to take me to the ground.

“I know how, stupid child! We talked to Elvira; we even helped each other a little bit. But she doesn’t know I have this little thing.”

In his hands was a weird object. An orb made of cyan light and just looking at it, I could feel its importance.

“You… worked together with Elvira? She killed all the heroes!”

“Good for business. Less competition to us. You should be focusing on this, after all there are only eight in the world like this. The Original Poem of Ice, made by The Poet themselves. It was not only what created the Cyan Demon in the first person, but it is also possible to control them.”

I couldn’t believe anything I was hearing. My father smiled at me, giving the Original Poem of Ice to me.