The Path of Ruin

Kael did not dispute Hakon's words. On the contrary, he agreed with him. He admitted that he was far from being enough.

That's why he wanted more. Much more. And that's what he was striving for. That was why he was here.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Hakon cut him off and continued.

"But you can do more than simply work for the Empire, Kael."

"Excuse me?"

"Why be a dog of the Empire when you can be its wolf, perhaps an even more powerful beast, Kael? I'm telling you that you have potential, real potential. Believe it or not, using eon is not easy. No one can learn to use eon on their own, no matter how your curse helps you."

His irises turned blood red again, and Kael felt the room grow cold once more. But that was not all. This time... the red energy that had surrounded Hakon suddenly leaped at him. And it was only then that Kael realized how warm it actually was. This time it wasn't as intense and negative as before, it was much more... open. Positive, even.

Hakon continued.

"No one can feel it like you can. These are things that require intensive training. But you can do it all, even if a little wrong, and you have learned it all on your own. That's why you have potential. And that's why... we want to make you even more."

Kael, who until now had been listening to Hakon in confusion, paused and his eyes narrowed as he realized something.

"Did you say... we?"

"That's right."

Kael suddenly stiffened at the sound of his voice. It wasn't Hakon speaking, it was someone else.

Slowly, he turned around and looked for the first time towards the door through which they had come. And there, sitting in one of the chairs, he saw an old man. A familiar face with graying hair and a sword at his waist...

General Loukan.

"We, want to. Or rather... I do."

The general stood up from his chair, ignoring the shock on Kael's face. Step by step, slowly, he began to descend.

"I've been watching you since the town, Kael. I've had men around you for the entire three-week journey, constantly, even while you slept peacefully. And... do you know what my conclusion was?"

The general's dark green eyes narrowed slightly.

"You... the Empire or the town, me or anyone else... you don't care about anything. You're just trying to survive. But not only that."

His gaze was hard, as always. His expression... it was almost frightening. He had a cold calm.

"You watched my fight with Tharon, you observed how we used eon. You always kept an eye on all the bearers in our group and watched what they did. Whenever Hakon used his camouflage ability, your eyes locked on him instantly. When you were scouting in the forest, maybe you took a life to satisfy your curse, but you followed the rules and embraced them... you made a great effort not to make your mistakes again."

Finally, he got to the bottom, he put his foot on the flat ground. But he did not stop. He kept walking and talking at the same time.

"You're doing everything you can to get stronger. In fact... you are as desperate to get stronger as you are to survive. Am I right, Kael?"

When he was right in front of Kael, he stopped. His eyes remained the same cold, his lips the same straight. But his next words... they caused Kael not only to freeze in place, but much more.

"Or should I say... the new king of Arcanoa? Ah, though... false king, wasn't it?"

Kael reflexively reached for his daggers, only to find nothing. Immediately, he heard a collision echoing behind him and looked out of the corner of his eye to where it was coming from.

It was Hakon. He had his daggers in his hand, and he was clashing them together as if they were no more than two sticks.

The surprise on Kael's face gradually faded. With each passing second, his expression was replaced by a cold calm... just like General Loukan.

"What... do you want?"

He had prepared himself for something like this. His identity being revealed... it was perhaps one of the worst situations, but he was aware of the risk.

And yet it was a risk he had to take. Because... there was simply no other choice.

And now... what he had feared would happen had come true.

And yet, he didn't panic.

Well, maybe he was shocked at first... but he quickly realized what not to do.

These two people in front of him, Hakon and General Loukan... they wanted something from him. Why else had they brought him here, where no one else was, when they could have brought him before the Emperor? Why had they told him he had 'potential' and that he could be more than just a dog?

Kael was not an idiot.

"You are intelligent, a good trait. You are also quick to recover and keep your composure. Even better..."

General Loukan fixed his eyes directly on his. They were so overwhelming that Kael felt like he was going to be crushed under them, like he was going to be turned to a pulp... but he did his best to resist. Loukan continued.

"You are at the top of the Empire's wanted list, Kael. Not for who you are, but as an unknown person with the lost blessing of Arcanoa royalty. And do you know what that means?"

"As soon as the blessing - or curse - I have is discovered, I will be captured, imprisoned... and killed by Musthar V. Arcanoa so that the blessing can be passed on to him."

The general nodded calmly. Kael could only heave a deep sigh.

"But... you will do something else. You want to use me for something, or you have some other use for me... don't you? Why... are you having this conversation with me... for what?"

"To make you not a loyal dog of the Empire, but a rabid hound with sharp fangs to tear it apart."

A deep silence fell over the arena.

Kael repeated the general's words several times in his mind. Gradually, as his eyes widened, he realized again what he had heard, that it was real. Yet no one spoke. Everyone was silent... so silent... Kael was beginning to feel suffocated.

To tear the Empire apart... These two people in front of him, they... They were planning to betray the Empire!

"You have potential, Kael. And let me explain to you why."

Loukan's eyes suddenly lit up with a light green glow. But Kael didn't feel the chill in the air, the goosebumps, as he had a few minutes earlier when Hakon had done the same thing with him.

Instead... it felt like needles pricking his skin.

No, not prickles... it wasn't something like that.

It was like... being cut.

Every part of his skin, everything around him... was being cut. By a sword, or something invisible like that...

And the source of all this feeling was the man right in front of him.

"Eon exists in everyone, as Hakon explained. But... for everyone, the eon they had when they were first born is the same. Pure, clean... white. As a person grows, the eon inside them grows with them. As they change, it also changes. Everything they experience, every decision they make, even every step they take, shapes their eon... and future."

The whole room was illuminated with a green light. It was as if a gas centered on the general's body was spreading everywhere... but this was very different.

It wasn't a gas, it was the general's 'eon'. Compared to Hakon's leaves, it was much... different. As if... sharp.

"But eon often doesn't reach the level where it can fulfill its potential. Most people die before they can become a bearer, so the amount of eon remains quite small. But bearers? They are different."

The general's eyes quickly returned to their original color, and the green eon that had spread throughout the room faded away. Now, everything was back to normal again... as if nothing had happened.

But it was already seared into Kael's mind, how could he possibly forget...?

"Curses and blessings are not the only 'abilities' of bearers. Every bearer changes when they unleash the potential of their eon. They become a 'follower' in our terms. The things they follow are called... Paths. Remember what I just showed you. My eon, it felt sharp, didn't it, like a sword?"

Kael nodded reflexively.

"Paths give bearers amazing abilities. And they form the basis of their powers. It's quite simple, actually. Tharon, for example... he was a follower of the Path of Rain. He was a Follower of Rain, in short."

He pointed to himself with his right thumb.

"Me, Follower of Sword."

Then behind Kael.

"Hakon behind you, Follower of Hunt."

Then... his finger slowly stopped in front of Kael.

"And you..."

Kael felt as if he was locked in the finger pointing at him, and he swallowed with difficulty. Did he have a whole new power without knowing it...?

Every second the general spent in silence made him nervous! So, he especially paid attention to his next words. And then, the general finally spoke.

"You're not following any Path. But your eon is denser than most followers. So... you will soon be one. And... a talented one, even if I don't know exactly what it will be. I have no doubt."

Kael tore his gaze from the general's finger and fixed it on his green eyes. Hearing that he didn't have - or follow, whatever it was - a Path... made him feel a little disappointed.

But he had much more important problems now.

"Why... take a gamble with me, then...?"

The general's finger slowly reached upwards, towards the ceiling. But Kael was sure the man was not pointing at the ceiling, but beyond it...

"Because our potential is limited, insufficient... to stand up to the top. Meanwhile, yours is uncertain. And on top of that, you're young. You're the perfect candidate to be trained. Why miss the opportunity when I can take it?"

"So... you want to use me because I have a better chance than you?"

"Yes, Kael. That's exactly what I want to do."

"And if I agree to this... you'll help me to get stronger...?"

"Of course."

Kael was silent for a while. After a deep breath, he squinted, looking directly into the general's eyes.

"What if... I refuse?"

"Why ask a question you know the answer to, Kael?"

Kael remained silent. He didn't even sigh, he just waited... and thought. After a short time, though, his lips curled upwards.

'Why do I think...?'

He took his eyes off the floor, clenching his fist, and this time... he didn't look nervous or scared.

On the contrary... this time, he was determined. More than ever, even.

Like most situations he had ever been in, he could use this one... he could turn it to his advantage. To a far greater advantage than on previous occasions.

All he had to do was avoid being turned into a slave again, that was all.

So...

"Fine."

He accepted.

--Volume I: The Birth of a False King--

--The End--