Reunion

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Warning

The following novel contains material that may be harmful or traumatic to some readers.

It contains graphic descriptions of murder, violence, and other unpleasant texts.

-Omnis

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-The Year 1270, 2 Month-

-Damien's hideout-

-A few hours later, tonight-

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The wounded Shah and the seriously injured Tirius are treated by Damien and taken to his hideout. They're both asleep now. Damien, who has just come through the broken wooden door with a bloody sack inside. 

On the way, he closes the door behind him, and walks to the fireplace in the middle of the room, with Shah and Tirius lying on either side of it. 

He opens the sack he is reaching into and pulls out a piece of splintered wood, which is a bit bloody, and throws it into the fireplace. He closes the bag again and throws it into the corner of the room.

He turns and sits down by the fireplace and puts both swords behind him. He removes the mask covering his mouth, and places it beside him. He begins to look at Shah. After a decade, he sees him again. It has indeed been a long time since he last saw him.

But his feelings when he sees the heir to the Herlin Empire lying before him?

Hate. But also a bit of compassion. But Damien was putting his feelings aside, and just trying to think of his bigger goal. The Emperor himself.

He swipes his hand in front of his face, activates his vision and focuses on their bodies.

It looks like the bleeding has stopped and the heart beats relatively normal for both of them. He runs his hand in front of his face again, and shuts off his turquoise eyes.

"I'M SORRY!" Shah yells in his sleep. Damien is surprised and looks at him.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!"

"WHY FATHER!!!" Shah continues to yell in his sleep.

Damien just listens but doesn't respond. He just listens.

...

"Why did you betray them?" Shah says in a calm voice, drawing Damien's attention even more.

But then it's quiet for a while. Damien waits for a moment, but it looks like he won't get an answer. He gets up and heads for the corner where he's laid his bloody bag.

He's ready to sit down and lean against the wall.

"Damien was my friend." Shah says calmly in his sleep, surprising Damien. 

He looks at him, and remembers another memory.

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Year 1261, City of Waatia, Kingdom of Arlia

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Eleven-year-old Damien is practicing on the training ground with his uncle Gerdard Zeen.

Damien's abilities have improved nicely, and he is showing remarkable progress. But it wasn't nearly enough for Gerdard.

Damien's light body made him flap around Gerdard like a bird, but Gerdard parried each of his attacks with a calm face and didn't strike back.

But Gerdard saw something more in Damien. He wondered if this was really all of Damien's power and abilities.

Damien was fed up with the constant blocking of shots, and no offense from Gerdard.

But after a moment, he jumps away from Gerdard, and impales the practice sword on the ground, and it breaks. Gerdard watches, and kind of wonders why he did it.

"What are you doing?" Gerdard asks Damien.

Damien looks at Gerdard, and calmly answers.

"Training with you is like training with a practice dummy."

"I want you to attack too."

"I want you to show off your offensive skills, too." Damien says calmly.

Gerdard smiles.

"But you won't learn anything that way."

"You have to find the weakness." Gerdard says.

"Finding a weakness in a man who takes a fully defensive stance is like beating a sword against a wall and hoping it will be destroyed." Damien says immediately afterwards.

Gerdard laughs.

"That's right."

"But even at the wall there is a small crack that can be turned into a huge hole." Says Gerdard.

"You are not ready to face my attack child." Gerdard says with a calm face.

"And I think Damien, it would be enough for today. Go get some rest." Gerdard says, and walks off towards the rack of wooden swords.

Damien watches him for a moment, sighs and walks the other way. There, Damien notices the presence of Shah smiling, and a young blonde girl with green eyes who watches Damien with admiration.

But Damien ignores them and walks past them.

"I thought if I made a promise to my friend, he'd try his best to be by my side." Shah tells a passing Damien. He stops and listens.

"We both know you're hiding your powers from your family."

"And I wonder why?" Shah says, turning to Damien. The young blonde girl just watches Shah with an uncomprehending expression, then looks at Damien.

"I guess you have your reasons. But you have to show them what you've got."

"That you're not just a weak boy, but the rightful heir to this family."

"This castle, and this city."

"Your father must see in you that you will be able to lead this nation..."

"And what's more..."

"That you will be able to find the Black Crown with me."

"So show them what you can do..."

Damien looks at Shah.

"So i can be proud of my friend." Says Shah with a smile.

It'll give Damien confidence. He sighs and looks in front of him.

"UNCLE!!!" The echo reverberates throughout the area.

Damien shouts across the training ground, catching the attention of everyone present.

Gerdard turns to look at Damien. But this time he feels a different energy, a different feeling.

He sees his bare, worked back, and above all a fully capable boy determined to win.

Damien turns towards Gerdard, holding his hands out in front of him.

The uncomprehending Gerdard doesn't know what's going on-

~FLYING SWORD~ ~FLYING SWORD~

Two swords fly past Gerdard into Damien's hands.

He catches them, looks at the astonished and shocked Gerdard and slowly walks towards him.

Gerdard no longer feels he's just a young, inexperienced lad.

He can smell a giant beast on him, capable of destroying anything she can get her hands on.

All his instincts told him he was dangerous. 

Eleven years, and he feels more threatened by him than anyone before.

Gerdard drops his wooden sword, and draws his sword, made of the blue metal Waatium.

He grips his sword tighter, and the blade ignites into a blue flame.

Gerdard was astonished to find himself holding two swords. He didn't know many warriors who would just pick up two swords. He was unsure if he could handle them or not.

He smiles.

"I told you to-"

Damien instantly disappears from place to place, closer to Gerdard, until he's right next to him and attacks with his left sword.

Gerdard is taken by surprise, and at the last moment he covers his attack.

But Damien's right sword gently hits his leg. Then he disappears, and Damien appears right behind him.

He wants to hit his back with two swords, but Gerdard quickly moves his sword behind his back. This will cover both swords. 

But the pressure is off, Gerdard looks behind him where no one is anymore. 

But he notices two small holes in the sand. He immediately realizes the situation, and looks above him.

There he sees Damien falling, and he attacks with his left sword, which Gerdard again covers at the last moment. But Damien's right sword is aimed at his neck. Gerdard is forced to retreat, and jumps away from Damien.

The other soldiers are shocked by Damien, and even more so by the fact that the famous General of the Armies of the Kingdom of Arlia retreat against the young boy.

They never saw Gerdard retreat. Never.

Damien gets to his feet and stands. He looks at Gerdard, smiles and drops his wooden swords and walks away.

Gerdard is completely shocked by Damien's abilities.

He looks above himself, up into the heavens.

"It seems I've severely underestimated your child..."

"Margareth."

His blue flame disappears, and he puts the sword back in its sheath. 

Gerdard glances up at the upstairs window where Michael Zeen was watching them.

Gerdard smiled, nodding at Michael.

He just looked at him, and with a calm face he walks away.

Down the long corridor, Michael was still looking out the windows at Damien leaving. Damien senses the presence of other eyes, and looks to where his father is passing.

They look at each other, and you can feel a slight pressure between this eye contact.

Michael breaks that eye contact first, and starts looking ahead of him. Smiling, he walks away.

"You've finally shown your true abilities..."

"Damien." Michael says and leaves.

Damien then looks in front of him, and sees a smiling Shah and a laughing young blonde Girl.

"I am not a disappointment father." Damien says and leaves, accompanied by the Emperor's childrens.

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Year 1270 - present, Damien's Hideout, Morning 

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Shah opens his eyes, and sees that he is lying in a dilapidated hut. He immediately wakes up and looks around.

It was still relatively dark. The fire had long since died out, but the heat was constant.

He grabs his head. He still has a slight headache. 

~Cough~

Shah hears a cough next to him. He looks up and sees Tirius injured. Bandaged and healed. Shah is surprised, leans over to Tirius.

"Tirius?" 

But Tirius doesn't respond, and continues to sleep. Shah watches him for a while.

"He's not fully healed yet." There is another voice in the room. Shah experiences a shock, immediately looks in front of him.

"Who is it?" Shah asks.

"Give it another day to get back on its feet."

"Until then, let him rest." An unfamiliar voice in the room replies to Shah.

Then he sees a subtle movement in a dark corner, as if a figure were rising. Out of the darkness emerges a long-haired, black-masked man, who walks to a door, which he opens and from which light emerges.

Shah can just see this stranger's back.

Shah notices two blades lying near the fireplace.

Black, and a white sword.

"Black blade and..."

"White?!" Shah says to himself, and gets a shock. He looks at the stranger.

"Who-"

"Who are you?" Shah asks shocked, knowing that these blades belonged to only one family.

"I'm not who you think I am." Says the stranger.

"I may be his namesake, but I'm someone else." The stranger turns his head.

"I'm Damien Tirkin." Damien says, turning his whole body towards Shah.

He doesn't want to believe it. Where else would he get these blades.

"In that case, where did you get-"

"How typical of the Imperial Bastard." Damien interrupts Shah.

"Not only will someone save his life. But he's asking for something that's none of his business." Says Damien.

"Waatio's business is none of your business."

Shah wipes his forehead, where a wave of sweat has appeared, and realizes that Damien Zeen cannot be alive.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't know..."

"I don't know what's gotten into me." Shah gets up and walks over to Damien.

He holds out his hand to shake, and smiles.

"I am Shah Herlin. I am very grateful to you for saving my life and Tirius' life."

Damien looks at his hand, then at his face. 

A smiling face. He hasn't changed at all.

Damien slowly extends his hand, and Shah is ready to shake it.

But at that moment, both of his swords land in Damien's hand.

"Keep an eye on it here." Damien says gruffly and leaves.

Shah just smiles. A little disappointed, but he smiles back.

"Of course!" Shah says, and walks out the door.

Damien immediately disappeared, and Shah sees only the beauty of the rising light and nature. The birds singing and the warmth of the light coming in.

He takes a deep breath, then exhales. Then Damien comes out of the trees holding 3 pairs of rabbits. Shah is surprised by Damien's speed.

"Is that all you went to do?" Shah asks, surprised. But Damien doesn't answer, he hands the rabbit to Shah and walks back inside.

He immediately turns left into a corner, opens a bloody bag, and pulls out two logs. He throws them into the fireplace, snaps his fingers, and the fire immediately appears and the fireplace works again.

Shah walks in, and sits down where he had been lying. He keeps watching Damien. He studied every detail of his face, his hair and especially his eyes. 

He kept wanting to believe it was Damien Zeen. 

But the eyes speak for themselves. The turquoise glowing eyes are missing. 

...

Shah looks over to the corner where the bloody bag is.

"What's in it?" Shah asks.

"Head of The Ogre." Says Damien immediately.

Shah is not surprised. There's quite a price on his head.

Damien looks into the fireplace, then looks at Shah.

"What is the Imperial Heir doing here?"

"I thought that since the extermination of House Zeen, the imperial elite were afraid to go to Waatio." Damien catches Chess's attention.

"My father's decision for me to administer this province." Says Shah.

"Administer... Waatia?" Damien asks.

Shah nods his head.

"Irony."

"First you destroy this country."

"And then you want to rebuild it?"

"The Emperor doesn't think so anymore either, does he?" Damien says gruffly. Shah just shakes his head.

"I didn't mind at first. I actually welcomed the decision."

"But I'm only now realizing that it's a big bite for me."

"Wanted rewards are probably not very current. Harlin's prize shouldn't be that small if he's done this." Says Shah.

"The Empire's spies just learn the names of the criminals, guess the price, and move on." Says Damien.

"I dare say it's more dangerous here than anywhere else in the world."

"But my presence has never left this country." 

"Which means I don't have to tell the truth." Says Damien.

"You know your way around here, don't you?" Shah asks. Damien just nods.

"Would you like to-"

"Why should I help the Empire?" Damien asks, interrupting Shah. He is pleasantly surprised by Damien's intelligence.

"You know..."

"I'm not the one who wanted this." Shah points around.

"I mean the fate of Waatio." Shah sighs.

"Because of this, I ruined my relationship with my father, who decided to betray this place."

"I have lost all illusion that my father is a great father, and above all a great Emperor."

"On top of that, I lost a friend who lived here." Shah says, catching Damien's attention.

  Shah looks into Damien's eyes with a sincere look.

"I want to rebuild this place, and restore it to its former glory."

"I want to rid this place of all the filth that is staining this place."

"I want my father to see that his paranoia made him make the biggest mistake of his life."

"That's why you should help me!" Shah taps his chest.

Damien sees the seriousness on Shah's face. He also hears the sincere words. 

He really hasn't changed.

...

"The locals will never take you in. Are you ready for that?" Damien says, waiting for Shah to answer. He waits anxiously for Shah to answer.

...

"Until this place is as pure as a divine soul..."

"Until this place is as beautiful as the former beauty of this Kingdom..."

"Until these people know the happiness of life again..."

"I won't leave this place if I have the biggest reward in the world on me!" Shah says quite seriously.

It left Damien with a truly moving feeling. 

He doesn't know whether to believe his promises...

However, Damien is here for an entirely different reason.

And that's why, even if he didn't want to...

He has to go alongside Shah Herlin. 

To be continued...