Chapter 1: The Bladesinger


The moon wavered slightly as a large vibration swept across the sky above the forest. A man cloaked in dark green looked up, revealing only his emerald eyes in the moonlight.

"Greetings," A voice spoke from the shadow of a nearby tree where a person clothed in red came into view. Half his face was hidden by his hood and his eyes were indistinguishable.

"What are you doing here, Reaver?"

Reaver slightly smiled, "Can't a fellow comrade come to give you advice? Now, take care not to get entangled with the lower beings again." With that, Reaver turned around and lifted his right hand up in farewell. Another vibration signaled his leave after he had melted into the darkness. Elu sighed as he pulled back his dark green hood and sat down. The moonlight shone brightly on his black hair, giving it a
dark blue hue along the edges.

In the distance, a city rose in sight with silver lights dancing upon the many equally spaced opaque towers within it. Spectacular glass-domed skyscrapers surrounded each tower and lighted the surroundings, creating an illusion of light within darkness. Below the skyscrapers, tenements, malls, and storage buildings spread out in large numbers followed by four grand pavements leading towards the city square from the four city gates. The city was called Metih, named after the House of Metiri, a family known for unparalleled light manipulation, which holds considerable influence over the fate of the city. The city was part of the Northeastern City-States located east of Alai-tal and north of the war-torn Ketu Empire.

After a few moments of rest, Elu stood up and put his left hand on an oak tree ten times his size. His hand turned a shade of green and began to harden and glisten under the moonlight. In an instant, the tree shrank until its height stood leveled with Elu.

“That should be enough to last,” Elu thought after he withdrew his hand. He surveyed the path towards the city one last time before he shot forward like a glowing green comet.

"It seems the Gem Keepers are starting to move, we must watch them carefully, young one," A handsome pale man softly said to a person in black. They stood side by side on the edge of a mountain cliff a distance away from the city and watched the green light approaching the south gate of Metih.

"Why don't we just kill all of these Gem Bearers, Azaleh?" The young one asked as they gazed at the city for a moment.

"The Elders are forbidden to interfere with such matters as of yet, Tethys." Azaleh extended his hand in front of him and a ball of light appeared above his palm, revealing several images. "The Gem Lord is trying to draw us out with these disruptions. He knows our power but he does not know our sacrifices. That foolish being has done too much harm already."

Azaleh turned around and slowly walked away from the cliff. Being an Elder in charge of watching over the bordering countries to the east, all for the sake of Alai-tal's security, took its toll upon his mind.

"Come Half-star, we must investigate the other Keepers' actions," Azaleh flashed a few dozen yards forward, disappearing and appearing at further distances. Tethys silently nodded before running after him.

Elu slowed to a walk as he neared the city and the green glow emanating from his skin slowly weakened. He pulled his hood over his head and concentrated his gem flow towards his abdominal.

The squadron of guards at the south gate were equipped with rifles and wore magnetized shell armor. One of them looked at Elu suspiciously.

“Hey, you there, look up and pull down your hood!”

Elu raised his head toward the guard and pulled down his hood, revealing eyes with a dark brownish hue. His face glowed with a youthful look and showed no blemishes.

“May I pass now?” Elu attempted to smile at the guard.

“No, come over here,” the guard looked over Elu, “What do you have under your cloak?”

Elu skillfully took off the cloak in a flash and revealed intricately designed garments underneath. The other guards noticed the movements and looked at Elu.

“Being awfully showy aren't you?” the guard contemptuously said. “State your purpose!”  

“I am only a wanderer who will only stay here for a few days,” Elu calmly said.

The guard was taken aback by Elu's manner but sneered in response. “Go on!”

Once inside the city, Elu checked in at a hotel before he began to scour the city for information.

"Sir, do you know where Huret Alley is?"

"Oh, that's just down that path toward the southeastern slums."

Elu walked down an alleyway strewn with rotten food and week-old garbage stacks. The smell was heavy and unnerving, unbearable for an average person. Flies flew all over the place and tried to approach him.

“If Kavi of the Eastern Port is correct, that person lives somewhere here,” Elu thought as he glanced at a rundown cardboard shack. He walked towards the shack's entrance as dead flies began to pile up around him.

An old man stood within the doorway and pointed a crescent sword at Elu. “Don't come any nearer, you dirt,” he wheezed.

Elu became alarmed at the sudden jolt of pain to his left leg. He sidestepped the old man and snatched the sword from his hands. “So are you a descendant of the person who killed my father? A sword like this can only be created by a Ketu smith,” Elu's voice became colder as he spoke, his face no longer showed the carefree look of before.

“You...you, no don't, I just found this,” the old man pleaded in desperation,

“Hmph,” Elu's voice became even more unforgiving as his eyes turned glassy green. He looked coldly into the old man's eyes; images of the old man's past surfaced, scenes of furtive dealings and destruction and tragedy mixed and separated, joyous moments shone through like rare gems amidst the dead.

“So Kavi of the Eastern Port was wrong. Still not the one I'm looking for,” Elu sighed.

“Consider yourself lucky you only found this sword, wicked assassin,” Elu said as he thrust the sword forward against the old man and let it go. The old man fell forward, his vital parts all destroyed within that moment as his body disintegrated and his blood withdrew into the sword.

The sword glowed dimly red, suspended in midair for a moment, before clanging against the floor.

Elu moved toward a crude desk and took out a beautiful blue sheath from within it. "Recall," he  thought. Within moments, the sword flew smoothly into the sheath and locked in place. Elu shuddered as the gem in his left leg stopped revolting from the mithril sword's presence.

“Oh, as one of the Keepers I thought you would have finished your task by now.”

Elu turned in surprise and saw Reaver standing at the entrance with an uncanny expression of disapproval. The walls of the dirty shack glowed bright red as he slowly walked in.

“Surprised to see me?” Reaver's eyes began to flicker and flash steadily like a flame.

“Yes and no,” Elu began to concentrate, his body tensing up.

Reaver pulled down his hood, revealing smooth red hair flowing slightly below his shoulders. His right cheek showed three slash wounds that never seem to have healed, “The Gem Lord had always suspected you of insubordination, your search for these toys were always quite amusing to him.”

“And so what if I have a hobby?” Elu replied with scorn.

“Oh? You better control your mouth, the Gem Lord has already taken you off as a Gem Keeper. You won't want a price on your head now, would you?” Reaver smiled confidently. He unsheathed a sword from his back. The sword was silver and on the cross guard, there were empty sockets, “Let's do this painlessly. Transfer your gem to this sword before I force you to.”

“Tch...” Elu's gem began to revolt again. Before he allowed himself to falter, Elu quickly morphed into an emerald drake and shot through the shack into the dark sky. However, Reaver was already behind him in the form of a red dragon whose immense wings easily overshadowed his.

“Out of all the Keepers, I just have to be watched by the Keeper with the Gem Blade,” Elu muttered before he suddenly dived into the midst of the city. Reaver attempted to follow as Elu changed back into human form and sped into a dark alley. The bustling night crowd gasped and screamed at the sudden landing of the red dragon. The smell of sulfur spread and debris filled the air as buildings crumbled from Reaver's massive form.  

The news of the two Gem Keepers came fast to Lasch Metiri, who shook in fear and wonder. He took off his Manipular, a serpentine ring, and attached it to a hidden chain he wore around his neck. As he traveled towards the bunker on the lowest level of the city, Lasch sent messages to the city guards to kill off the intruders, if at all possible, and protect the city from destruction. Invisibility illusions began to appear at every entrance that led to the palace and the surrounding buildings. Helicopters were sent to the other City-States requesting for help. As news of the Gem Keepers' battle spread, the city began to boil over into panic. Many deserted their homes and fled toward the outskirts of the city in fear of destruction.    

Elu felt his stamina giving out. His energy was almost expended from healing the burns he suffered. In a final effort to escape Reaver's relentless pursuit, Elu sped towards another alleyway and into an abandoned building. Transforming his hand into a green claw, he forcefully took out the emerald gem on his left leg and hid himself.

“He shouldn't be able to detect me now,” Elu thought as he shivered in pain. His leg bled profusely from the large wound left behind. Before long, dawn set in and with it, a drizzle of rain. The city became quiet as Reaver lost the scent of the Emerald and thoughtfully contemplated his next move.

A boy ran into the building Elu was in and and stared at him for a moment. He suddenly nodded with a smile as if to confirm something and supported Elu out of the building. They tried to move fast toward a wide street. In the middle of the street was an uncovered manhole.

"Come, hang on tightly," the boy said as he clenched his teeth and climbed down the manhole with Elu on his back. Before long, they were in the city sewers. The boy touched a place on the sewer wall and a heavily reinforced door materialized.

"Gatu Ekala," the boy said to the voice recognition device on the door.

"That language...." Elu whispered weakly.

The door opened and the elevator inside hummed to life. As the elevator moved downwards, the boy bandaged Elu's wounds and forced him to drink a cloudy substance. Before long, Elu fell into a deep sleep from fatigue.

Fluorescent lights greeted Elu's eyes along with the boy's smiling face. When Elu tried to move, his whole body reacted in pain and his left leg felt like a mess of entangled nerves on fire.

“That ancient language, are you a Ketu survivor?” Elu asked in a hoarse and barely audible voice.

"I'm glad you are still alive," the boy disappeared out of the room. Before long,
he came back with a jade flute in his hands. "Your wounds are still recovering, you must go back to sleep." A calm melodious music flowed through the room as the boy played flawlessly. Serenity and drowsiness enveloped Elu.

When Elu fell fast asleep, the boy stopped playing and gazed at the Emerald gem and the sword on the table next to the bed. He moved towards a dark corner of the room and unsheathed a silver sword with empty sockets on the cross guard. "I wonder if it is time yet. No, this person is harmless without the Emerald, " the boy pondered for a while before putting away the Gem Blade.

"Father!" Elu cried out as he knelt down beside a dying man.

"Elu, I am sorry.. you must...run," Elu's father gasped for the last time.

A distant horseman drew near with a silver sword in hand. "Get away from that traitor, he must perish!" the horseman cried angrily. He jumped off the horse and moved towards Elu's father.

"No, father is dead already!" Elu cried as the fear of death rooted him to the ground.

"Brawghh!" A golden dragon swept in from the sky and knocked the horseman's sword away. It roared again and morphed into a blonde-hair man.

The man withdrew a golden chain spear and attacked the horseman who recovered his sword. The horseman deflected the blow.

"How dare you, Marut!" the horseman yelled.

"I'm no longer your servant, Gatu Ketu!" Marut forcefully shot his chain forward and pierced Gatu's body. "Farewell. The House of Ketu crumbles today." Gatu became limp and fell  towards the ground. Marut picked up the silver sword and turned towards Elu. "Your father is avenged. Go home."

"No! Le-let me take...his place," Elu said as he tried to steel himself against his sadness.

Marut looked at Elu curiously. After a pause, Marut said, "I will implant the Emerald in you then. You understand the risks?"

Elu nodded shakily.

"Arghh!" Elu shouted in pain. He found himself in the dull room with the boy staring at him. "You..."

"You look quite well now," the boy said and disappeared out of the room. He came back with a bowl of soup. "Drink this, you'll need it."

"You must be the one Kavi spoke about, a Ketu survivor."

"Kavi? Kavi the Alchemist?" the boy stepped back cautiously.

"No, just a normal innkeeper at the Eastern Port, I believe," Elu muttered as he leaned his back against the wall. "But, are you of Ketu Royalty?"

"Why do you ask? Is that your reason for coming here?" the boy asked before turning his gaze toward the corner where the Gem Blade was hidden. "I am just a dreamer, dreaming of distant glories and distant hopes. I just saw your life nearing the threshold of death. Perhaps, now that you are free from the Gem Lord's sway, you can start a new life again."

"No... You must implant the Emerald back into my leg."

"I will not."

"I am past my age of death. I will die soon without the Emerald."

The boy turned his gaze toward Elu. "You are my enemy, one of the traitors who almost wiped out my family. Why should I help you?" the boy became silent in his thoughts. After a few minutes, he grabbed the gem on the table and solemnly took the Gem Blade from the corner. "I will destroy this damned thing!"

"No!" Elu unsheathed the sword on the table and pointed it shakily at the boy's throat. The sword glowed dimly red and shadows tickled the boy's neck hungrily.

"Why... why do you want the Emerald so badly if you could easily kill me?" the boy quietly asked. His face became pale as beads of sweat trickled down his back. Images of his and Elu's death flashed glaringly and unwillingly in his mind.

"I need to kill the Gem Lord."

"The Emerald will make you a slave to him again."

"That's why I searched for you."

"Me?"

"Your Gem Blade will take away his control."

"Yet, you were prepared to kill me for this blade." the boy doubtfully said.

"No, only a Ketu knows how to use the gene splicer within the blade."

The images of death faded as the situation became clearer. "My name is Ark Ketu of the Bladesingers branch. I am the last direct descendant of Phala Ketu, the Alpha King. As an exile, I request that you keep my identity secret.

"Most certainly, Your Majesty," Elu withdrew the sword and fell back on bed, breathing hard. "Quick. The implantation."

Elu rested for a week after the implantation. During that time, Ark separated the draconic genes from the human ones in the gem and created a purer strain of the Emerald Dragon.

"This human gene must had belonged to the Gem Lord. It was no wonder that he was able to summon you at will," Ark muttered. "How do you plan on killing him if he can change your Emerald's DNA sequence just by touching you?"

"I won't. You will do the killing."

"I can't. My experience is too limited and I don't have any Harmonic attachments to the Gem Blade. If I am correct, most of them were destroyed at the fall of the Ketu Empire two hundred years ago." Ark pulled out a laptop from under the bed and inserted a small disk. "So why do you want to kill the Gem Lord? I figured most Gem Keepers would be quite loyal to him."

"I knew too much. I had two hundred years to find out his ambition and the cause of my father's death."

"Ah, that's right, you have the Emerald of Regeneration." Ark began typing away on the laptop. "I think it is time for me to return to my country."

The summer heat descended upon Elu and Ark as they exited the sewer gate. They stood somewhere outside the tall walls of Metih.

"I highly doubt a train still runs south of here and I bet no gas stations will be around either. So it should take us a week to reach the borders of the Ketu Empire by horse," Elu said.

"You mean the Eastern City-States. Or rather, the Warring States," Ark muttered. "Alright, lets find some horses."