Forgotten Isles

In the shadow of the night, a swift figure was dashing through the plains.

Larian who was sweating profusely had his hand on a piece of solid stick. Holding the stick Larian slashed towards a gigantic bee which was the size of a human head.

Smashing the bugs to pieces Larian kept running.

*Bzzzzzz

Behind him, a trail of bees gave chase. The leading figure was a Queen Bee the size of an entire house.

As Larian ran he swung in a precise motion.

Each draw he pulled, 7 to 8 bee's fell.

'Push… past my limits!'

Larian was attempting to train his Shinki Style. Although Master Shiro had emphasised elegant precision when training Larian, Larian had adopted a style which prioritised mobility and efficiency.

Shiro, who had reached the peak limits of human strength, had to ensure a single strike of her blade was detrimental to her enemies.

Because she would only fight individual opponents who were stronger than herself, she had altered the Shinki Style which was originally a counter attacking art into one that focussed on a refined first strike.

This was what she had passed down to Larian.

It was a one shot built to put into perspective.

But Larian who could release his Draconic Powers, realised he had no need to follow Shiro's path. As long as he prioritised the multi hit potential of Shinki Style, he would eventually develop his own style that branch off of the sword art Shiro had taught him.

This is the reason he was training to hit more targets with one draw. Although he had surpassed what Shiro had shown, they both had different personalities which affect the lethality of their Shinki Style.

While Larian might quickly surpass his master in the number of targets he could hit in one draw, Shiro was capable of slicing dragons in half with a single strike.

Larian could only rely on releasing the Dragon Form to compensate for the lack of power in each hit of a single draw.

A Style which is capable of competing with entire armies, this was what Larian had hoped to achieve. But dreaming of the end when he has barely started was a pipe dream.

When he exited the swamp, he had to trail through a long stretch of forest. There he had attempted to practise his quickdraw technique on the falling leaves of the forest.

The quantity and stakes could not top the horde of Raven's that the hag had transformed into so the training was a failure.

Training with multiple enemies which would punish Larian for each mistake was how Larian would progress his mastery.

When he entered the plains 3 weeks after, he saw a bee hive the size of a hut. Expecting to anger a few bees he poked the beehive.

Who knew that the entire beehive was actually a part of the Queen bee's body.

Now chased by the mob of bees, Larian had been running for hours. But the bees show no sign of ending.

He was exhausted, but he held on enduring the pain of his swelling forehead which had been stung by multiple bees.

Finally he felt the breeze with the strong smell of salt.

'The shore! After 8 weeks I finally reached the shore of the Forgotten Isles!'

The excitement gave Larian the energy to sprint further.

When he reached the cliff of the ocean he jumped down into the water.

The bees that were unable to chase Larian into the water. Buzzed in anger.

'Goodbye mega bees, you've been valuable in training the Shinki Style.'

Hiding in the water Larian swam to a secluded part of the cliffs away from the angry queen bee of the plains.

"Phew… Finally some air and rest."

Swiping his head to his back Larian looked towards the ocean. Under the moonlight, there were no Islands or Isles to be seen from the shore.

"How far would I have to swim to reach the country of the Forgotten Isles?"

He recalled how the first visitors to the Isles had to go by boat.

"Would I have to swim or fly there?"

Larian decided to hang around the shore to rest before be came to desicion

He tried swimming to an area where he could get back to land.

Larian was recalling the last time he had swam. Having his legs disabled for 7 years, he never got the chance to swim. And considering how his life had been downhill for a long time before that, Larian had trouble recalling the last time he even left house to go to a swimming complex.

'Was the last time I swam around 14 years ago? Back then, the entire school had an outing where we would enjoy swimming together.'

When trying to swim, the unfamiliar sensation was hard to get used to. Larain was never an outdoor person, so his experience in swimming was only the times when he was forced to learn them from his Dad or when someone dragged him out to go.

From afar, Larian looked as if he was splashing the water. There was little propulsion in each kick and Larian had to swim back to the base of the cliff to rest in between each attempt.

'Huff. I think I should fly. Flying felt natural when I first attempted it. It might be because of the influence the Dragon Stone has on me.'

Larian had long stopped hearing the buzz of the bees. Larian scaled the rock surface of the cliff.

Because of the waves, the rocks were slippery. So Larian's fingers dug deeper into the rocks as he climbed.

When he finally reached the top, the view of the plains next to the ocean was clear.

'What a beautiful view.'

Being cooped up in the same place for years, Larian never had the chance to travel. So he has been enjoying such views only through the screen of his monitor or phone.

But experiences the view in person was so much different.

'The smell of the ocean, the breeze as the wind blows. The sound of the waves crashing onto the cliffs… If only I could share this with someone else.'

Larian leaned down, his back against the earth he faced the night sky.

Seeing the stars which decorate the dark canvass, Larain felt at peace.

'...Master Shiro…'

Larian thought of his master as he closed his eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, he was going to make it so.

****

Larian awoke to the rising sun.

His face was serious and determined. Everything he has set out to do was here. This was the day.

Washing himself, Larian walked back to the beehive which he provoked yesterday.

'Sorry for bullying you like this, but you are my last test before I reach the Isles.'

Releasing his full strength Larian smacked the gigantic beehive.

The impact caused the queen bee to pop her head out in fury. The worker bees started to buzz as they assembled around her in waves.

The perpetrator which harassed them and escaped yesterday had came back.

*BZZZZZ

The buzz felt more ferocious compared to yesterday but Larian was not nervous in the slightest.

The queen roared and the bees charged. Larian who was already prepared drew his blade.

The first slash flew to very specific targets. It didn't randomly cleave the horde in hopes of hitting as many targets as it could.

The slash flew and cut the bees to their core. Not enough to completely tear the bees in half.

4… 7…10… 15

Fifteen bees fell all from different locations from Larian's first attack.

'If it was the Gyths of the Horken Army, I can definitely cut through the steel armours.'

Dodging backwards, Larian left a minor illusion in his wake. This was an elementary application of the illusion the hag had pulled. It was pale and featureless, the form wobbled as it had trouble maintaining itself.

'Just the bare bones of an illusion. I can't learn to summon a proper one in time, but this should be enough to obscure enemies who aren't paying attention. I'll call it the illusory steps.'

Larian kept dodging and attacking. In 4 quick attacks the bees were starting to charge in reckless frenzy in hopes of stinging Larian.

The horde was a complimentary sight for Larian who kept practising his Shinki Style.

Within 5 minutes the Queen shrieked. The bees returned to form a wall around the Queen Bee.

The queen looked very angry that nothing was working on Larian.

This guy was just running and barely holding on yesterday, what has he eaten to change his drastically?

The queen which looked as if it was about to charge towards Larian herself.

*bzzzz…..

Flew away.

Larian who was expecting to finish the monster off was stunned.

"...Huh? A queen bee that has grown to that size must have one hell of an intuition huh."

WIth nothing else, the shore was quite barren besides the good view.

"I guess that's enough for warm up."

Larian summon the wings on his back, its blue aura wrapped around his wings as he poised to set of.

"Cocoon that lives in me. Unless I release you, don't go haphazardly turning my entire dragon form red please."

Larian's words fell on deaf ears as the cocoon didn't speak.

With a flap Larian caught the sea breeze and flew into the sky.

"Flying with the rising sun sound pretty poetic. I wonder if there is such a verse in the internet… Heh, what useless thoughts. I already died and lost my chance. Lets focus on this now."

Larian glided through the sky and felt the cooling air sweep past his wings. After flying for an hour he saw a beautiful Island in the distance.

The unique thing about the area was the pink flowers which grew on the trees. There were no ports or buildings which oversee the ocean so Larian landed directly on the beach.

"How strange."

Besides the beautiful trees, the Isles looked deserted. Larian was unsure if he was in the right place.

Walking through the pink trees, Larian noticed that the ground were much cleaner compared to the forest in the swamp.

'Has someone been taking care of the environment? The leaves on the floor are sweeped up neatly.'

Walking through the pink petals, Larian admired the petals.

'Sakura flowers? I remember Master talking about how beautiful her homeland is. This must be it.'

The trees were nicely spaced apart as if they were planted by the people here. While Larian walked he finally saw some semblance of civilization.

A couple who were weaning kimonos were holding a Wagasa umbrella under the falling petals. They looked like two lovebirds who were enjoying their time in the forest.

'I probably shouldn't disturb them.'

Shifting the scarf up to his nose, Larian walked around the couple and went past them. The duo seen Larian but didn't react too wildly besides whispering among themselves.

'The style of my armour is blending in properly. That's infiltration done.'

Larian came across the sight of a rice farm. The rows of wooden hut. A flowing river that flows through the village.

Everywhere he went the place was a scenic view that could be found in a picturebook.

The only thing that stood out from the village folk was his red armour which hinted at this martial prowess.

Larian continued to walk uninterrupted. The load was long, but Larian had patience. He went through the village, following the only road that led to the path between the green hills that was visible in the distance.

Unexpectedly the isles were quite big. Past the village and over the green hills, Larian saw multiple tall castles.

Around the castles were moats which has been filled with water and around the water were small building which people lived in.

It was like a small city with several castles that acted as it's center.

The city had no walls. The only security Larian could see was the gatehouse which separated the castle from the rest of the city.

Walking into the city, Larian attracted some gazes from the people around him. They were peculiar to Larian's identity.

'I see. Such a small country should have the locals recognising each other. They can point me out as an outsider simply from my face and armour.'

The only people wearing armour were the guards which were on patrol. Larian could only spot a single universal design they all wore.

A black plate armour with a single teal flower that symbolises their clan.

'The Snow Flowers Clan. With the Heroine of the Blade back from the war of the dark ages, she should be the leading figure of the entire Isles.'

Walking past the Snow Flower Warriors, Larian noted that they used the same languages as the ones in the main continent. The signboards were readable and Larian could understand the people, there was no language barrier in the Isles.

Larian couldn't help but think that the city was quite primitive compared to the Gyths. There were no street lights, no cars or carriages and the buildings were made out of stone and wood.

'How do the people here even defend themselves?'

Only one place interested Larian. A library.

Inside a female clerk was handling the scrolls in the library.

"...?"

She tilted her head as if to ask what Larian was doing here. Larian couldn't help but think of this as discrimination since he was an outsider.

"I'd like a book, no I mean a scroll of… The history of this place."

The lady nodded her head and tiptoed past Larian, she kept her head down the entire time Larian followed.

'Maybe she just has a quiet personality. It's alright, I'm also an introvert. No need to get upset over the lack of speech.'

Arriving to a shelf, the lady pointed to a few rows and bowed to Larian before she left.

This was the history of the entire Isles.

As Larain picked up the earliest entry. It dated back to 500 years before the war of the dark ages. In it, the scroll talked about the history of the people who were immigrants of a country that originated from the mainland. The Emperor Kammu had brought capital to the Isles to escape the plague of the Demonfolk which were threatening his rule.

It was explained how the emperor saved his people from annihilation by removing all the records of their evacuation from the demonfolk, hence the name Forgotten Isles.

Placing the scroll back Larian moved further down to find a later entry.

Finding one which encompassed the current time period Larian read the scroll which Titled, 'Grand Heroine and Imperial Empress Shinon'

The scroll detailed the early life of the Empress Shinon who was destined to marry the Divine Family from a young age due to her immense talent in Leadership and Poetry, both of which were respected and loved by the people.

Raised to be queen, Shinon was set on a path of greatness. But her twin sister which was referred to as a devil in sheep's clothing, had plotted to steal the bride of Shinon. Humiliated and Dishonoured, Shinon rose through hardship to overturn the cruel deeds of her sister to bring pride to the Divine Family.

Larian gripped the scroll until his finger marks dug into the paper, but not enough to tear it.

'This is how Master's Legacy was recorded? What fucking bullshit!'

The paper described how Shinon expelled the devil Shiro and rose to be the queen of the Isles. Further down it explained how she grew motivated to overcome her devil sister's talent in swordsmanship and eventually learned and developed a sword technique that overcame all previous records.

'Even Master's Swords Arts which were stolen and replicated became part of Shinon's rise to fame and power.'

Larian couldn't help but feel that Master Shiro was completely and unjustly disgraced.

The rest of the scroll went on about how the Mainland Mage Selerian had came pleading for help. And through the Divine Queen's grace and graciousness, she joined the hunt in pushing the demonfolk back. Thereby redeeming their ancenter's honour.

Shinon was utterly loved and admired by the people for her courage, outstanding achievements and noble qualities. There was no room for her to be dragged down.

Putting the scroll back in one piece Larian couldn't help but grid his teeth.

'Having everything stolen of her, Master Shiro never directly stated her hate for her sister Shinon. She had shown that she still cared for her sister despite being betrayed by her.'

'Her love for her sister has been repaid by having her name completely dragged through the mud and dirt. There is nothing left of Master Shiro. No one will remember her except being remembered as the devil that obstructed the Queen to her birthright.'

Larian had held onto some hope. That maybe his master still has some people who loved her back in the Isle. That maybe, when his master left prematurely, someone would try to bring true justice to her situation.

'But there is no such Fairytale. How would anyone dare to voice against the strongest woman of the country. Everyone would be too scared to voice out their true thoughts even if they had some morality left in them.'

Larian arm was tense and flexed.

'Right now, I just…. Want to hit something fucking hard.'

The red cocoon in Larian released a cry, but Larian controlled himself.

He stormed out of the library. Around him only the tallest buildings stood out.

The castle of the Snow Flower Clan.

'There.'