The Kidnapping

That night in Graylon city 

  Two beautiful women in blue jeans and summer T shirts walked by with their hands held together as they chatted excitedly, they were on a street called Warriors Avenue that ended at Lion's boulevard, it was already dark outside, probably around 8:00pm in the night and the number of people around had reduced considerably. 

    One of the women was taller than the other but the shorter one was more beautiful and more talkative. She started 

"….I can't wait to go there again tomorrow…..the outfits were...mwehh", 

she finished as she made a mock kissing sound with her lips. 

"tee-hee"

the taller lady chuckled,

"We're gonna try out the spring collection and see how sexy they're gonna look, haha", 

they both laughed mischievously as the shorter one stopped and said as they entered Lion's boulevard,

"Alright Nora, here's my stop",  

"Wait, Fiona"

Nora said with a more serious expression on her face this time, 

"Don't you think Mr Gordon was too generous with this outing today?",

"Tee-hee"

Fiona laughed sweetly,

"Don't worry Nora, I've known Mr Gordon ever since I started my acting career, he's as generous as his fat bank account permits and he loves to spoil pretty girls", 

Fiona's assurance seemed to put Nora at ease as she hugged her goodbye and turned in the other direction.

"Goodbye Nora, take care"  

"See you tomorrow, Fiona".

Nora walked down Lion's boulevard and made a turning into the street where she lived, King Arthur's avenue. She was still a bit worried about why Mr Gordon would spend so much money on just two female employees, there were others, who were even more beautiful than both her and Fiona but the director still insisted on them both, Nora had a feeling that something was off somewhere even though it seemed perfectly normal to Fiona, she would have to be careful around him, maybe she won't show up tomorrow.

"Argh"

she groaned softly, 

"I'm just been paranoid", 

she realized as she remembered Fiona's last statement. 

She was still a few metres away from the building where she lived when a black Mercedes Benz slowly came to a stop beside her, she stopped in her tracks and gasped in surprise as the person inside wound down the glass, A dashingly handsome man in a suit and black sunshades who looked in his late fifties sat at the driver's seat smiling softly. 

"Mr Gordon!, What are you doing here?"

Nora asked, the surprise obvious in her voice. 

"I just came to visit a friend, I'm surprised to see you here, is this where you live?",  

"Yes sir"

Nora replied, 

"Alright, hop in, let me drop you off"

he offered,

"No, thank you sir, my house is just over there"  

"No, I said "hop in" " 

he said firmly and removed his sun shades to reveal a pair of orange reptilian eyes, Nora gasped that instant but was quickly hypnotized by the eyes and hopped into the car. The car drove off, never to return to King Arthur's avenue.

***

The weather was clear and bright that morning as Grandpa Matt and Steve stood in the training ground. Few people who also came for morning exercises were seen milling around as they engaged in various activities. Steve was really excited because his training for the contest would be starting that day. 

"I'll put in my best, I promise to come out victorious", 

he vowed in his thoughts. 

"I'm sure that during your face off with that masked attacker, you noticed something different, didn't you?" 

Grandpa Matt asked with arms folded behind him as he stood a few feet away from Steve who stood at attention, shirtless and barefooted with an over sized trouser. 

"Yes Grandpa, I noticed that my attacks didn't seem to have any effect on him" he replied 

"Good, do you know why?" 

"No" 

"Have you ever heard of the word "Mana?"

Grandpa Matt asked 

"Yes, something like magic?" Steve replied 

"Exactly, we swordsmen of blessed bloodline can cultivate Mana and use it to strengthen and enhance our bodies to give us increased strength, speed and durability….."

Grandpa Matt explained, 

 "…..we may not be able to use it to form spells like mages but as swordsmen, it goes a long way in increasing our battle efficiency. That explains why your normal attacks were useless against that masked attacker who had strengthened his body with Mana already". 

"Grandpa, is that why you move so fast?" 

"Yes, I am an absolute level four Mana swordsman" he replied 

"Level four?"  

"Yes, the amount of mana cultivated in the body is measured using the leveling system, there are eleven Mana levels recorded in history,  from level zero which is the lowest to level ten which is the highest we have seen so far. Mages can rise up to level ten which was the level Oloye Idan was before his death, while level five is the highest for swordsmen who use Mana which was the level reached by our ancestor Noble, and two other notable members of the council"

Grandpa Matt explained,

"There are three levels for non Mana swordsmen too, Enhanced, Supernatural and absolute. A normal swordsman like you can be classified as an enhanced swordsman but if you train really hard and push yourself beyond your boundaries, you can possibly make it to supernatural. A supernatural swordsman has amplified physical abilities due to the intensive training of your body.."

"Woah…. I'm still at the lowest level, what about the absolute?"

"One cannot make it to absolute level without awakening one's mana. An absolute swordsman can move with the speed of light….level five absolute swordsmen can even fly"

"Wow, but can I use Mana now?" Steve asked 

"Yes boy, you just have to awaken and cultivate it"

"Let's do this!!" Steve screamed with excitement as they began their training. 

Steve was really excited about the Mana cultivation but his excitement quickly died down when he wasn't even able to feel the Mana in his veins. He meditated for hours but he couldn't still feel the power, he screamed in frustration when the sun set on them as he sat with folded legs on the grass. Grandpa Matt supported and encouraged him to try harder but deep down he was worried.

All the pure breed Heracles had a natural affinity for mana, some had even awakened it without training so it would only seem suspicious that Steve couldn't even feel the Mana in his veins, even Steve's belligerent and apathetic father had been able to cultivate Mana up to level one then.

'Something's wrong somewhere' Grandpa Matt reflected, 

'I'll find out soon enough though, it's just a matter of time'

"Alright boy, it's time to go home, that's enough training for today"

he said to a battered and disappointed Steve, he quietly picked himself up from the floor and slowly walked behind his grandfather. As they walked back home together in silence, Grandpa Matt pondered on the possibility of Steve having a mana deficiency, 

'It's still too early to assume anything, it's just the first day'

Grandpa Matt thought, but he still couldn't feel at ease, the Heracles were naturally gifted in swordsmanship and mana cultivation, Steve had shown immense talent in swordsmanship, so his inability to harness mana was certainly disturbing. 

"Grandpa?"

came Steve's voice, a heavy tension seemed to hang in it and it worried Grandpa Matt, 

"Yes?"

"Was Dad able to awaken mana?" 

Steve asked.

Grandpa Matt sighed softly and replied 

"Yes….Yes, he was". 

Silence followed afterwards.

***

Nora jerked up with a start, she was on the floor, it was damp, cold and she felt uncomfortable, the whole place was reeking of unhygiene!

She tried to sit up but she realized that her hands were bound tightly behind her, her mouth was dry and parched and her throat felt like sandpaper, her eyes felt heavy like they would fall out of her head any moment and her head was spinning, her stomach was in a worse condition, it grumbled violently like it was threatening to consume her intestines, her jeans were wet and it felt chilly against her skin, She had probably urinated on her self during her unconscious state. 

She couldn't remember what happened to her and how she got there, all she knew was that the place was dark and uncomfortable, she had been awake for only a few moments but she was getting an eerie vibe that sent cold, violent shivers down her spine. She rolled on the floor and her body hit something solid, 

'….a wall'

she thought, after a few seconds had passed, she was able to successfully lean on it and attempt to recollect her thoughts. 

"Ugh!, I can't remember….I can't remember how I got here", 

she began to sob softly as she came to that painful realization, 

"Is anyone there??! Can anyone hear me??!" 

Nora screamed into the darkness, her voice echoed eerily in the darkness,

"There's no use, no one's gonna hear you"

came a soft feminine voice from the darkness beside her, 

"Ah!, Who…who… who's there?…" She stuttered as a fresh wave of dread washed over her.