Chapter 387: A JUNIOR’S DREAMS
The Veilwood Forest was quiet, its canopy heavy with mist that clung to the air like a veil of secrets. The silence was broken only by the subtle hum of clashing mana domains—the oppressive weight of Kaelen’s presence pressing against the sharp, crimson aura bleeding from Christopher’s blade.
Kaelen’s eyes narrowed, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of the Blade of Eternity at his side. ’That sword...’ His gaze locked on the blood-red edge that pulsed faintly as though alive.
"Christopher..." Kaelen’s voice was low, steady, but it carried a dangerous undertone. "Where did you get that crimson blade?"
Christopher’s breathing was controlled, his stance firm though beads of sweat dotted his brow due to trying to withstand the aura Kaelen is exuding. He raised the weapon slightly, letting its malevolent energy shimmer against the moonlight filtering through the branches. "I stumbled on it," he said bluntly, his tone wavering between defiance and honesty. "When I was training... in the Cavern of Beginnings."
Kaelen froze. For a moment, the forest around him seemed to vanish. His mind was pulled back—years ago, standing at the mouth of that very cavern. General Cao’s stern voice echoed in his memory, guiding him through grueling trials that had nearly broken him. And then, the moment with Vice Chancellor Reeves... the man’s piercing eyes on his as he offered Kaelen a choice.
He remembered the box Reeves revealed—a crimson blade lying dormant within, radiating with an aura so dangerous it nearly devoured the air around it. Reeves had spoken softly, carefully, almost as if he feared the weapon itself.
"Take this instead of the Blade of Eternity, Kaelen. Let your enemies believe you hold no such power. The Blade of Eternity is too important, too dangerous to reveal just yet. With this crimson blade, you can mask your path."
But Kaelen had refused. The Blade of Eternity had chosen him, and to forsake it—even for deception—felt like a betrayal to his very being. Reeves had closed the box with a faint, disappointed smile, muttering words Kaelen hadn’t fully understood back then.
Now, the same blade pulsed in Christopher’s hand.
Kaelen’s jaw tightened. So Reeves never discarded it. He left it there—in the Cavern... and Christopher stumbled upon it.
"Do you have any idea what you’re holding?" Kaelen asked, his tone sharper now, edged with urgency.
Christopher’s grip on the sword tightened, his eyes flashing. "All I know is that it made me stronger. Strong enough to stop being looked down on. Strong enough to prove that I belong on the same battlefield as you, Kaelen!"
The crimson blade resonated with his words, its dark aura flaring violently, clashing with the tranquil glow of Kaelen’s mana.
Kaelen’s expression darkened. "With what am perceiving from that sword, that sword doesn’t give strength—it consumes it. This sword should be forbidden because it’s not safe." His hand tightened around the Blade of Eternity’s hilt, but he didn’t draw it yet. "If you continue down this path, Christopher, you won’t just lose yourself. That blade will erase you."
Christopher smirked bitterly, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of doubt. "Then why didn’t you take it when you had the chance? Why leave it for me to find?"
Kaelen’s breath caught for a heartbeat. Reeves’ face flickered in his memory again, his careful eyes hiding schemes within schemes.
’Oh Reeves, you didn’t want to your creation to be adandoned huh?’
The forest seemed to tremble with anticipation, as though it knew their clash was inevitable.
"Christopher," Kaelen’s voice was steady, neither harsh nor gentle, "that sword you wield... it was never meant for mortals. But, if you are hell bent on using this word, then show me—how far has it carried you?"
Christopher smiled faintly, his youthful eagerness tempered with the resolve of someone who had survived trials of fire and steel. "I won’t disappoint you, Senior Kaelen. If this blade is dangerous, then I’ll tame it with my will."
The forest stilled as the duel began.
’I think I will just use my basic mana to test how stable he is’
Kaelen lunged first, a blur of light blue exuded from the sword as the Blade of Eternity drew arcs that bent mana itself, forcing Christopher to defend. The Crimson Blade howled when clashed against Kaelen’s weapon, its resonance sending sparks that turned into faint crimson embers and haloing blue lights, scattering into the night air like falling stars.
Christopher staggered back, then twisted low, swinging upward. The Crimson Blade left behind a jagged crimson arc that carved through trees like paper. Kaelen stepped aside, the wind of the attack shredding his cloak.
"Good," Kaelen muttered, eyes glinting. "Your swing has weight."
Christopher pressed forward. He unleashed techniques Kaelen remembered drilling into him back at Pacesetters—the precise stabs, swift rotations, elemental augmentation—but each strike was amplified unnaturally by the Crimson Blade. Flames tinged with red-black surged in his wake, and the ground cracked beneath his steps.
Yet Kaelen parried them all. His footwork was effortless, his control absolute, as though he danced with the flow of battle itself.
"Don’t rely on the sword alone!" Kaelen barked, shoving Christopher back with a mana-charged shoulder strike. "Show me you."
Breathing hard, Christopher’s eyes burned with resolve. "Then watch closely, Senior."
The Crimson Blade pulsed, veins of light creeping up Christopher’s arm. For a heartbeat, the forest trembled under the weapon’s presence. He unleashed a torrent of slashes, each one overlapping into a storm of crimson crescents that threatened to engulf Kaelen.
Kaelen’s expression hardened. Raising the Blade of Eternity, he murmured, "Eternal Flow."
The storm of crimson arcs met a wave of silvery currents, like a river swallowing fire. Trees bent, soil ripped apart, and the clearing erupted with shockwaves that made the night sky quake.
Christopher dropped to a knee, chest heaving, sweat streaming down his face. The Crimson Blade still vibrated in his hand, almost urging him to rise again, to fight until nothing remained.
Kaelen lowered his weapon, watching him closely. "Enough."
Christopher looked up, startled. "But I can still—"
"You’ve shown me enough," Kaelen interrupted, his tone sharp but not unkind. "Your growth is... remarkable. You’ve pushed beyond what I imagined. But that sword..." He glanced at the Crimson Blade, its glow flickering like a predator waiting to devour its wielder. "It will consume you if you let it. Power at that cost is never free."
Christopher gritted his teeth but then managed a weary smile. "Even so... I’ll master it. For the academy, for myself... and so I can stand at your side one day, Senior."
For the first time in the spar, Kaelen’s lips curved in genuine approval. "Then keep walking that path. When the day comes, I’ll be waiting for you—not as your senior, but as your equal."
The forest fell silent again, save for the faint hum of two legendary blades—one eternal, one crimson—promising battles yet to come.
---
The canopy of Veilwood shivered as Kaelen stepped out of the clearing, his breath steady though his aura still pulsed faintly from the spar. Behind him, Christopher was slumped against a fallen log, the crimson blade glowing faintly in his hands like a living thing, its hunger not yet quenched.
Kaelen’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back one last time, admiration and unease mixing in his chest. ’That blade has accepted him... more than I expected.’
Just as he turned to leave, the silence of the forest was shattered—not by sound, but by a voice echoing within him.
"Kaelen..."
Kaelen froze mid-step, his pupils dilating. His heart skipped. It was a voice he hadn’t heard in what felt like forever. Eternity. The god sealed within the Blade of Eternity.
"You..." Kaelen whispered under his breath, gripping his scabbard tightly. "You finally speak again. Why now?"
Eternity’s voice was calm, yet heavy, each syllable vibrating in Kaelen’s bones.
"That blade... the crimson one your junior wields... do you know its true heart?"
Kaelen’s breath hitched. He turned sharply, staring back at Christopher, who was wiping sweat from his brow, the blade’s crimson glow faint but menacing.
"What are you talking about?" Kaelen muttered.
There was a long pause, then Eternity’s voice deepened.
"The Crimson Blade... its core is no ordinary gem, no forged crystal. It is the heart of the Six-Fingered Divine Dragon."
The world seemed to tilt for Kaelen. His chest tightened, memories flooding in. He had heard whispers of that name before—an ancient wyrm spoken of only in forbidden tomes, a creature said to devour stars and bend mana itself to its will. Even the Celestials except the twelve concepts had feared it.
Kaelen’s throat went dry. "The... the Six-Fingered Divine Dragon? That monster’s heart... it beats inside that sword?"
"Yes." Eternity’s voice reverberated, ancient and heavy with truth. "That is why it corrupts mortals. Why no man can wield it without madness... save for the rare few whose resolve outweighs their flesh."
Kaelen looked back at Christopher, who was now laughing softly to himself, exhausted yet alive, the blade quiet in his hands. He didn’t look corrupted. Not yet.
"Then why does he—Christopher—why does he seem fine? Shouldn’t it have devoured him already?" Kaelen asked, unease sharp in his tone.
Eternity’s voice grew softer, like a whisper through a storm.
"The boy has something rare. A bond, a flame of purpose... perhaps even fate itself. Do not fear. For now... he can bear it."
Kaelen let out a slow, shaky breath. Relief and confusion clashed inside him. He clenched his fists. "...Then I’ll trust him. For now."
But as the forest winds quieted, Kaelen’s mind snapped back to the question that had haunted him for a while now. He gritted his teeth, forcing the words out.
"Eternity. Tell me about the Draconic mana. The one... that lies hidden within me."
There was silence. A crushing, suffocating silence.
Kaelen’s jaw tightened. He stopped walking, waiting, listening, his pulse thundering in his ears.
"Answer me!" he hissed. "What is it? Why do I have it?!"
But no answer came.
Eternity was gone again—retreated into that maddening, unreachable void.
Kaelen’s eyes darkened as he stood in the middle of Veilwood, the rustle of the leaves mocking his frustration. His fingers curled so tightly around the Blade of Eternity’s hilt that his knuckles turned white.
"...Damn you."
His voice was low, trembling with anger and worry. The unanswered question gnawed at him more than before. The thought of Christopher wielding a dragon’s heart only made his own hidden secret feel even heavier.
And for the first time in a long while... Kaelen felt fear—not of his enemies, not of battle, but of what lay dormant inside himself.