THE BLOOMING WARRIOR III

When night fell, Alicia remained unmoving for a few moments, looking at a picture of her father that hung on a wall in one of the house's halls. The painted eyes seemed to be staring away as if they were gazing into a colored horizon. His right hand was holding the same weapon that Alicia was wielding at the time, the sword that had slain thousands of vurhans attempting to disturb the nation's stability. The mansion stood beside him. Alicia's father's portrait was eventually drawing back fond memories.

"Are you there, Alicia?" "I may need some assistance!" From the kitchen, Martha screamed.

"I'll be there, Mum." Alicia entered the kitchen and heard her mother cooking alongside her servants.

'Wow, what a treat!' "What inspired you to cook today?"

"Don't be silly. You're behaving as if today wasn't such a big deal! You know, when your father became an Honorary State Guard, I was about your age. He was this cocky, irritating guy back then, always blabbering about how he was going to be the commander one day. I was still a maiden in training at the time, and he had no idea who I was. Then, after the ceremony, I was asked to be one of the caterers for the banquet that evening, and it was on that night that he talked to me for the first time, his mouth full of food chunks."

She stopped for a moment to chuckle, and when she spoke, she tried hard to mimic him in a deep voice.

"He said to me, 'Hey little miss, do you know where I can find the best blacksmith? This lousy sword of mine isn't going to last long in my quest to become the commander!"

It had made the worst possible first impression. " Why don't you ask one of your muscle heads, I said as I turned to face him.

'Those guys have no sense of taste in anything.' You have an air of beauty about you, and you seem to have sound judgment.'

I made the mistake of introducing him to Slejj, and after a series of bizarre events, I find myself here, sharing his name. Anyway, I just wanted to do something special for my daughter, as well as to remember that day because all of your accomplishments make me so proud. I'm sure he's proud of you as well.

"OK, mum, you should stop praising me..."

"Because you're really as stubborn as ever, why don't you assist me with dinner?"

"Anything is fine with me, mum. What exactly do you require?!"

"Uhm, maybe some fresh parsley from the garden."

Alicia took a lamp from the table and headed to the back of the mansion, the backyard. The chill of the night made her want to run back inside as soon as she stepped outdoors. She then started plucking fresh parsley leaves and placing them in a small basket she had on hand. She detected noise in one of the surrounding bushes next to the hedge after a while.

She overlooked it at first, but the second one drew her attention to it even more. It was louder and came with a thumping rhythm as if someone had dropped a large bag of potatoes on top of a heap of dry leaves. Alicia took a shovel from behind her and stepped in closer. She was terrified, and she didn't want to get into a fight. If there was to be a showdown, she hoped it would be between her and a squirrel, but unless rodents grew to be six feet tall, it wasn't going to happen.

When she got closer, a figure appeared from the bushes, wearing a hood over his face and a cloak that covered his whole body. Alicia swung the shovel in the person's direction out of fear and reflex, and it collided with his temple, throwing him down to the ground.

"Who are you?" "show yourself!" She tried to come off as authoritative.

The person drew his hood back and raised his arms in surrender.

"Wait a minute!" It's just me... don't worry, it's just me!"

Alicia brought the lamp up close to the individual's face. She lowered the shovel as soon as she saw his voice.

"Wait, Drom? Is it you?"

Much of the commotion in the garden was heard by Martha. She took a look outside to see what was going on.

"ALICIA! What's the matter, I heard you yell from inside the home, and..."

When Martha saw King Drom on the deck, she disrupted her speech.

"Oh, my king!" What the hell is going on?!

A short time later, king Drom, Martha, Alicia, and Drom's spokesman were enjoying dinner in the dining room. Drom's left side of the forehead had a small bump.

"I apologize once more for hitting you earlier."

"No worries, it'll be fine. Snooping around your garden was a mistake on my part."

"Can I inquire as to why you were there late at night in the first place?"

Alicia asked, her mind clearly reeling from the turn of events.

Martha muttered to Alicia as she bumped her with her elbow on her lower belly.

"Watch your language,"

"Mrs. Iko, don't be worried. It was all my own doing. We were on our way to your house when we got ourselves lost in the night, so I sent Mr. Harmel to get some lanterns, but he took much too long..."

"I was gone for three minutes, sire!"

Harmel attempted to speak quietly with his glued teeth.

"Yes, as I previously said, he took much too long, so I wanted to go my own way. But, I became confused, and when walking by, I saw someone who looked like Alicia, so I leaped over the hedge to approach her. I suppose I should've said something before leaping over the fence."

"Ok, now that you know where we live, you are welcome to come over at any time."

"Miss, it will be my pleasure. I might end up coming here all the time if the food is always this good."

"Oh stop with all the flattering!"

They had ended their meal. Then Martha remembered it was late at night.

"Look at the time, oh my! So, I'd better get some sleep now. Let me go tell the servants to get the rooms ready for the two of our guests while you finish your meeting, my king."

"Ma'am, there's no need, we were just about to leave after..."

"Oh, nonsense. I'd be a terrible host if I let you wander around in the dark too late at night. Please pass the night with us. It's the very least I can do."

"Okay, that's okay. Thank you once more, ma'am."

Martha turned and went upstairs. In the dining room, Alicia, Drom, and Harmel were left behind. The portrait of Alicia's father, Kishami Iko, was then noticed by Drom. He approached it and began scrutinizing it with intense looks that quickly morphed into admiration and amazement.

"I looked up to your father as a mentor. He used to teach me swordsmanship when I was a child, and I learned everything I know about swordsmanship from him."

//////////////////...............

(Kishami was hunting for his sword in the palace.) He had left it in the banquet hall, but when he returned, he couldn't spot it. He entered the palace garden and discovered young Drom, who was playing with his sword in the open field.)

Kishami stood there and watched Drom try to swing his sword, entertained.

"No, no, no, my boy!"

As he approached Drom, he burst out laughing. He gracefully took his sword from him and started swinging it.

"Do not move as if you are being dragged down by the blade. You step along with it as if you were dancing with it. Like so ."

He then demonstrated to Drom how to do it.

Drom attempted to mimic his movements and found that swinging the sword was much smoother than it had been previously.

"WOW, this is a lot less work."

They practiced for a bit, amusing themselves until a messenger appeared out of nowhere. He came to a stop a short distance away from them. He was panting profusely.

"Master Kishami... It's the... The VURHANS!!"

Kishami 's forehead was furrowed with anger. He turned back and snatched Drom's sword. He glanced back and watched Drom for a few moments before departing, telling him to take care of himself. He took a long stroll out of the garden before breaking into a sprint and speeding south.

/////////////////..............

"It was the first day I spoke with him; ever since, he accompanied me and taught me everything he knew about swordsmanship, even the skills that aren't taught in the Hermon camps. Did you know that the sword you're carrying now isn't from the house of Xermia?"

Alicia turned her attention to the sword she carried about her waist, unsheathing it and examining it more closely. Since the bulk of the army's swords were made by Xermian blacksmiths, they were expected to have their crest at the bottom of the blade. She found there wasn't one on hers after a thorough examination.

"Then there's the question of where he got his. The Xermian blacksmiths forged all of the officials' weapons."

"He told me on his own. He told me that one of his closest friends forged the blade he wielded... Slejj!"

The mention of the name had a mildly startling effect on Alicia. The spokesman remained quiet at this period, but when King Drom discussed Slejj, he agreed to interfere.

"Are you sure you can trust her with this information, sire? You haven't told any of the council members, not even Alvatrone!"

"Don't worry, Harmel; if someone has to know about this, it has to be her; she has the solution to discovering the truth."

"me? I'm not sure where I fit into this."

Drom returned to the table. He took a seat and adjusted it to his liking before returning to his speech.

"Harmel, if you don't mind!"

Harmel drew two swords and two additional daggers from a pack he was carrying. He slid them onto the table and sat back in his chair. Alicia had no idea what was going on at that moment.

Drom moved on.

"Can you please place your sword on the counter, Alicia?"

Alicia complied and set her sword on the table.

"There was a coalition of four of the most influential people in the independent states years before, years before the Vurhanil conflict. Others' powerful abilities were what granted them their Ranks, and most importantly, their friendship and passion for this country, even though they didn't hold any positions of authority. Since they were all from North Angus, they were collectively known as the Nephilims of the North. I'm sure you get what I'm talking about by now."

"I know everything there is to know about them since my father was one of the four."

"Exactly, but you don't know everything: the Nephilims of the north were made up of Alvatrone, Slejj, Kishami Iko, and Higo Valienta, but what you didn't know about them was that they all used swords forged by Slejj, and it was easy to tell those swords apart from the rest of the Xermian ones if you happened to see them for a long time, like yours."

Alicia checked her sword, which was on the table.

"See if it compares to this one on the left."

Drom pointed to one of the swords Harmel had placed on the table, and Alicia examined it carefully, seeing differences in the blades and handles.

"As you might have noted, Slejj had a peculiar way of folding the blade; his blades were smaller and had wave-like designs on them, making them seem dull; and his handles were even more unique because their covers were handwoven."

"Yes, I see the differences, but this one looks a lot like mine," Alicia said, pointing to one of the swords on the table that looked identical to hers.

"That's because it belonged to my dad. Slejj crafted these words, four of them in all, to the northern Nephilims. A merchant was going through town two moons ago, and I happened to meet him. He was in the business of exporting daggers, swords, and knives. One knife in particular, this one right here, caught my eye."

He took up the knife that was sitting on the table and handed it to her. She examined it closely and saw parallels between her and Drom's swords. The patterns and handle styles suited their swords exactly.

"I was shocked by how similar the dagger was to my father's blade, so I purchased it and inquired about where he got it. He said he bought it off the street in Defectors. That same week, I dispatched a messenger to Defectors State in search of a similar dagger, and there it was, right there."

He made a gesture toward the dagger on the table.

"The messenger I sent returned today after two moons, which is why I had to leave the ceremony and speak with him directly. He told me that he went undercover in the black market in Defectors state and learned that the army in Defectors state was the one selling these types of weapons."

"But, I Don't get it Drom, what's that have to do with me?"

"It will make sense in the end, so just pay attention. The messenger told me that often, instead of one of the knight guards taking the weapons, he saw a man in his late fifties carrying the weapons to the black market and handing them over to the army, and he was accompanied by a young man of around twenty years old. The man has a scar on the right side of his face, which is the most intriguing aspect! However, he covers it with a hood, and the boy, oddly enough, does the same. He covers his identity behind a mask."

Alicia's eyes widened.

"However, the definition comes close..."

"Yes, exactly! Slejj, but they have no idea where he works, or even whether he lives in District Dark or is a wanderer since my messenger just met them once in those two moons. If that's the case, he's still alive, and I'd like you to find him for me!"

"But, quite frankly I don't think I can."

"You must, Alicia; you are the only one who can help. You're from the Iko family, and from what I've learned, your family is known for its tracking abilities. During your family's camp, you were told everything there is to know about tracking. But I'm not really interested in Slejj; as much as I want to know the facts, I still want to know who the other guy was, and I believe I have a pretty decent idea who he is."

"You listed the other person earlier. Who do you believe he is?"

Drom's response was a single long, intense look. She went through some scenarios in her head before settling on one far-fetched solution.

"Do you believe it's him? But he was pronounced dead, wasn't he?"

"He was reported missing, not dead, according to sources. They also say that on the night of his death, several witnesses saw Slejj at their home."

"So you're saying Slejj might have kidnapped him that night?"

"You must hunt him down because the delegates conference is coming up in the next two moons, and they will be deciding whether or not to replace the Dark Bender's spot. I have to keep it secure."

"But what if it's not him?" asked Alicia

"Unless we verify it, I think we'll never know whether it's him or not. We must make an effort... Are you up to the challenge?! Are you able to locate him for me?"

Alicia stared into Drom's eyes, which were filled with unwavering optimism. She was aware that the idea was far-fetched and difficult to believe, but she believed it had a chance of being accurate. She vowed to make a decision.

"Okay, I'll take care of it. I'll look for them. Still, I'm not going to make any promises."

"Thank you so much. I do appreciate it. This brings us a step closer to discovering the truth about what happened. So get ready; in two days, you'll report to me for more instructions; begin making preparations; and please, don't tell anybody about this; everything spoken in this room is private between the three of us. If you come across something on your mission, please report it to the Defectors state headquarters."

The conference drew to a close, and the preparations were put into effect. Alicia took a long time to fall asleep that night. She laid in her bed, weighing the likelihood that the king's argument was valid, as well as the possibility that she was chasing a ghost. A phantom that claimed the lives of countless people in one night, including her father's, and turned the seat of the most powerful gifted into a mere memory.

She had mixed feelings about it; on the one hand, it could be a waste of time, but on the other, she could eventually put an end to the unrest that had been building since the end of the Vurhanil war. As she was thinking about all of this, she also recalled Daito, the dark bender she was supposed to locate and one of her mission's main objectives.

She had never spoken to him and only recalled a few things about him from their time at the same nobility academy. Only nobles and members of the crested families were admitted to that school. They were taught the languages of the various Independent nations, as well as the nation's history and religion, as well as how the Elder Brother gods conferred magic on the gifted. Daito used to be silent and alone, and that was what she remembered about him. Drom was the only one he could speak to, or rather, the only one who could speak to him.

That's when she realized Drom didn't want her to find Daito for the sake of the independent states, but rather for his own personal gain. She made the decision at that stage to completely commit to the mission. Days passed quickly, and she found herself standing in front of Drom, ready to begin her quest for Slejj and the dark bender to the Independent states, Daito Hashi.