The Risen King - Part 1

A Spartan ship made port as the men threw lines over to be tied to the pier. When brow was placed, a Ninja lord walked across with his bannermen closely behind. He looked around at the Spartan capital with disgust but had no choice. "Lord Zào," greeted Wēi as she, Lord Tyron, Tony, and a few Spartan guards approached him. "Thank you for risking your life to come to us."

"I will always come if the rightful ruler calls for me," stated Lord Zào and bowed to Wēi. "Where's your daughter? Shouldn't she be here to greet me?"

"Zhen is currently training with her friends back at the palace. We have news of the recent movement of Emperor Zhēngfú's forces. She wants to be ready," replied Wēi.

"I was hoping she was the one up there, Emperor Zhēngfú's force consists of his best soldiers as well as anyone who wants to show their fealty to him." stated Lord Zào as they started to walk away from the pier.

"What news do you bring, Poseidon?" asked Tony as his first mate approached him.

"Port Dake is in ruin, we couldn't get all as we were ordered by Lord Zào to prioritize his men over anything else." whispered Poseidon.

"How many did you leave to die?" asked Tony.

"Far too many, Poisoner," replied Poseidon.

"Poisoner," shouted Lord Zào, overhearing the conversation before they left. "Is it really you, traitor, the one who exposed the Dual Bladed Ninja and found guilty of being a traitor as well? I hardly recognized you."

"It's been a while, my lord, if you don't mind answering why you left men to die, I will simply not plant spies in your bed." stated Tony as he approached the group.

"You're disgusting as I remember." stated Lord Zào.

"And you are a lot worse than what I remember." fired back Tony.

"Poisoner, we must not fight since we share a common enemy." reminded Lord Tyron.

"Tell that to him," stated Tony. Lord Tyron glared at him, his eyes darkened to remind Tony of his place. He could see like his nephew, Tony also hated Lord Zào.

"Come, come, I'm sure the Fallen Prince doesn't need men." stated Lord Zào as he watched Tony's face darken with frustration.

"It's the Risen King, and when he returns, he'll need every man possible." growled Wēi. "Lord Tyron is right, we have one common enemy to deal with."

A fire crackled as the light and warmth filled the cave. Laying close to the fire, Zhōng was waking up as his tired black eyes slowly opened. He struggled to sit up as blankets weighed him down and his strength was gone. "Easy, easy," said Huo as he helped his son to sit up. It dawned on Zhōng he wasn't wearing a shirt as the cold rushed to his bare skin. "You must be hungry, here," offered Huo. After he made sure his son wasn't going to fall over, he poured a bowl and offered it to Zhōng.

"What is this?" asked Zhōng, though it smelled good, he wasn't sure of his father's intentions.

"If you're worried about being poisoned or tasting terrible, I'll let you know I wouldn't do that and I'm an excellent cook." stated Huo.

Zhōng took a small bite and was surprised it was delicious. "I guessed I know where Xing gets her cooking skills from." he said.

"I take it you two survived on her cooking and your skills. I guess it makes sense that you had no food left since you can't cook." chuckled Huo as he poured a bowl for himself.

"How long was I out?" asked Zhōng, he was not amused by his father's comment.

"Two weeks," replied Huo.

"Then I need to go," realized Zhōng. He stood up quickly and regretted it as he crashed and collapsed.

"Whoever you're racing to obtain the Ninja Sword, I can assure you they are still searching." said Huo.

"What makes you think I'm here for the Ninja Sword?" asked Zhōng as he struggled to sit back up.

"Do not take me a fool, I've heard stories about a boy with two swords. One black katana and one blue and grey, that boy went with a number of titles but the one that had everyone fear the most was Former Prince Zhōng. So what happened to the Ninja Sword since you now carry your blue and grey sword and your mother's khopesh, a blade I haven't seen since I took your mother away from the Egyptian Empire." said Huo.

"Perhaps I should asked what happened to you? You never came and were reported to be dead. So why are you alive?" questioned Zhōng. Tears began to form around his eyes as he stared at his father.

"I guess in order to have my questions answered, I should explain to you what happened to me." said Huo, he watched his son nodding his head in confirmation. "Very well, let's begin right after you and your sister left the capital."

Zhen was walking through the gardens of the Spartan Palace, she was giving Lord Zào a tour as she heard what Lord Zào knows. "You sure it's his best men?" she asked.

"I've heard the stories of Zhēngfú's Fist, their numbers are four hundred and were violent at the fall of the capital. They also harassed your mother as she headed west. Emperor Zhēngfú recruited them from the border fiefdom and they share the same hatred from Zhōng as he does." explained Lord Zào.

They walked in silence for a few moments till Zhen asked, "Do we have allies still in the Ninja Empire?"

"We don't on our side, all the lords and ladies that sworn loyalty to you and your mother are dead, and their heirs sworn loyalty to Emperor Zhēngfú. Your friends, Lady Klee and Lady Mona, are married to very loyal lords of the Old." begins Lord Zào. He watched Zhen nod but wasn't disappointed, he could see she was going to ask him another question. Before she asked, he continued, "The 'Risen King's' forces have had the same sentence as us. The only exception is Lord Xīn, Emperor Zhēngfú executed his parents and threatened to do the same to him once he had an heir. Fearing his life, Lord Xīn took his army and fled his fiefdom now he and his bounty hunter friend have taken charge of the resistance."

"How come you didn't join him?" asked Zhen.

Lord Zào paused as he gathered his thoughts before he spoke. "My father swore to fight for your mother. It is now my responsibility to uphold what he left for me. Even though he was gone, it didn't make me bend to him. The emperor made all who fought against him watch in pain as our parents died. But I didn't shed a tear, my father's death meant nothing to me."

"But he did take someone away from you," stated Zhen. Lord Zào stopped and looked at his fiance, her red eyes could see through him as she continued, "he killed her to try and make you bend."

Lord Zào dropped his head in guilt and slowly began walking away. "It made me bend when he did that, but I vowed he will regret that. I was watched from then on and waited for my chance to escape and come to you. I didn't have a bounty hunter that could kill anyone like a ghost, but when Emperor Zhēngfú went north, I knew the time had come." he said.

"And that's when my mother's letter came to you." concluded Zhen.

"Now that my story is over, may I ask why aren't you looking for the Ninja Sword but Zhōng is?" questioned Lord Zào.

Zhen paused, she wished she was up there helping Zhōng find it. Though it was two months since he went up into the mountains, there was no contact and no movement for the last two weeks. King Alexios had banned anyone from going up into the Iarnă Mountains until Zhōng returns. "King Alexios said the trial is Zhōng's alone, if he wants help, he would have asked. He also says that the Ninja Sword told Zhōng how to find it." she said.

"Then can we assume he'll be on our side?" asked Lord Zào.

"His goal before he went up into the mountains was to have me on the throne. I trust that he'll do that if he can." replied Zhen.

Wēi sighed as she watched her daughter and the lord stroll through the gardens when Lord Tyron approached her. "I don't understand, when she's with your nephew, they're brave and know what the other is thinking. But when she's with Lord Zào, they're distant and awkward." she complained.

"There's a history between your daughter and Zhōng, the paths they walked are similar as they faced many of the same trials. Lord Zào can't relate to what Zhen had to do to survive but Zhōng can since he faced it before. He sympathizes with her and she looks up to him for the answer." compared Lord Tyron.

"What was the final count?" asked Wēi, she could sense the lord was frustrated.

"Thirty thousand resistance, they didn't stand a chance compared to the two hundred thousand." replied Lord Tyron.

"Did someone expose them?" asked Wēi.

"Not that Posiedon was aware of, the harbor became a secret sanctuary for the resistance. It's fortunate that the Muffler's and Lord Xīn's forces weren't there as that could end the civil war." said Lord Tyron.

"So where did these two hundred thousand come from?" asked Wēi.

"Lord Zào told me that there's a small force that follows Zhēngfú's Fist. Now I don't consider that a small force unless my nephew decided to make it bigger." theorized Lord Tyron.

"If that's the case, then King Alexios should send his best soldiers up to the Iarnă Mountains to help Zhōng find the Ninja Sword." suggested Wēi as she began walking away.

"You know he can't do that," stated Lord Tyron.

"But we can't let Emperor Zhēngfú win." snapped Wēi and she turned around to look at Lord Tyron.

"You want men up there because you don't trust my brother in taking care of him." said Lord Tyron, he saw through the former empress's thoughts.

"I don't know why you trust him since he was evil in the Ninja Empire." sighed Wēi.

"A man who loses everything is a different man, Huo and Zhōng are two examples." taught Lord Tyron.

"Then what are we going to do? You know as much as I, we can't keep them here for much longer." said Wēi.

Lord Tyron gazed back at Zhen and Lord Zào, he knew Wēi was right as he could tell Zhen was about to leave soon. "I can think of one way, but I need your permission. I will try to work it through her schedule so allow me to train something to your daughter."

"Will it keep her here?" asked Wēi.

"It will and it will help her in the future." replied Lord Tyron.

A new log was placed on the fire as Zhōng finished summarizing his journey from becoming a wanted man to the warrior he was. "I must admit, you took sacrifices I couldn't ever imagine you taking." applauded Huo.

"And all that time, you were alive and hiding," growled Zhōng.

"I told you my story, you know why I did what I did." said Huo.

"So why Hannah? Uncle and I are upset you did it but still accept her. But we want to know why you did it." said Zhōng, his black eyes ignited to life again as stared at his father.

"You can be angry with me all you want, I know I destroyed the last remaining honor you had left for me." said Huo.

"Is that the reason why you didn't use the Ninja Sword that day but gave it to me?" questioned Zhōng.

"There are drawbacks to using such a powerful blade in battle. You could inflict death on innocent." explained Huo.

"Like that matter to you, you were afraid of your own shadow ever since mother died." accused Zhōng, he was getting louder every time he spoke.

"You're right, I let fear take over after Yah died. It corrupted me like it corrupted you." said Huo.

"It didn't corrupt me, I became fear." declared Zhōng.

"And was that before or after Former Princess Zhen saved you?" asked Huo. 

Zhōng sprang to his feet and tackled his father while holding the fork he used to eat at his father's throat. "You have no right to say her name since you made her a slave and told lies to her." he growled.

"You said you're fear, right?" asked Huo. Before Zhōng could answer, Huo pushed his son off of him and threw him on a pile of goods he took as tribute. "Then how come I don't tremble and you're so weak?"

"I am not weak," groaned Zhōng.

"Good, let's put that to the test, tomorrow I'll begin training you. It's time you relearned the Royal Technique, it's the only way for you to beat your brother." said Huo as he returned to tending the fire. Zhōng groaned with dread as he looked above him at the cave's ceiling.

Zhen was walking to the training grounds late at night, she was told by Lord Tyron to come. When she arrived, she saw Tony was there waiting patiently and noticed her coming. "Did Lord Tyron ask you to come as well?" asked Zhen.

"This extra training he's going have us do, better be the best excuse to keep me here." stated Tony, he was frustrated and wanted to help Zhōng.

"It will be, it will make both of you strong in both sword and mech combat." promised Lord Tyron as he and Hòuhuǐ approached them.

"What are you going to teach us?" asked Zhen.

"And why in secrecy? Why can't you teach us when we trained?" asked Tony.

"Because the technique I'm going to teach you is a technique only taught through my bloodline. It's a technique that will give you the edge over your opponents." answered Lord Tyron.

"The Old Royal Technique," concluded Zhen.

Lord Tyron nodded and said, "You both know my brother is with Zhōng and it won't surprise me if he teaches him the technique again."

"So why teach us? This is a sacred technique." said Tony.

"Is my reason why I need to tell so you can lower your guard?" questioned Lord Tyron.

"Well I feel like this is a way to keep us here." replied Tony.

"I agree, we're are strong with the technique with no name, our variations are what makes us strong. So why should we learn a technique that is predictable and disciplined?" said Zhen.

"The technique with no name is only great for sword combat. However, in mech combat, it can dramatically increase one stats depending on type. Have you noticed even though Zhōng is proficient in the technique, he continues to train?" said Lord Tyron.

"Yeah, I thought he just wanted to show off." answered Tony.

"He's trying to improve his stats that he isn't strong in." revealed Lord Tyron.

"Now I understand why he said he needed to train after I repaired his sword last year." realized Zhen.

"But there's an easier way, the Old Royal Technique is a balance of both. You don't have to use all the moves and forms, but they're great gap moves for each strike." said Lord Tyron. He let them ponder as they looked at each other to see what the other would do. "So what do you say?" he asked.

"We're in," stated Zhen and Tony nodded.

"Excellent," exclaimed Lord Tyron. He then turned to Hòuhuǐ and said, "I'm going need you to help me and might as well make you stronger."

"Very well, my lord," acknowledged Hòuhuǐ with a small bow.

Zhōng faced his father out on the cold snowy mountainside. He wielded just his Valtryek as he charged at his father. "Pathetic," stated Huo, it only made Zhōng come at him more. "Slow, sloppy, are you even trying?" he continued as his son buried more attacks on him. He pushed his son backwards causing him to tumble in the snow. "Is this honestly your best? You told me you were still recovering from a fight when you took on another one. I have yet to wound you." he insulted. Zhōng roared and stood on his to strike violently. "You claim you're fear and yet I don't tremble, perhaps people trembled because of your past. So is this you without it?" questioned Huo.

"I'll show you then," growled Zhōng, he twirled and struck his father with everything he had. However, his father evaded and he fell into the snow. "Stop using coward tricks!"

"It takes a coward to know a coward." stated Huo. Zhōng's eyes were filled with rage as the black eyes flared off his face. He charged at his father but instead of using the technique his father was training him, he used the technique with no name. "I thought I said you aren't allowed to use other techniques." reminded Huo when their blades lock. He grabbed Zhōng's wrist and spun in the air.

Zhōng landed face-first into the snow as the cold flakes melted from his furious heat. It's been a long time since he faced an overpowered opponent like his father. He looked up to see his father putting away his sword and shaking his head with disappointment.

"Five hundred sword swings over your head, then you come back inside the cave to eat." ordered Huo as he walked past his son. He heard his son grunt and a fist smashing into the snow with anger.

Lord Tyron watched with interest as Tony and Zhen faced their friends in training. They concealed the Old Royal Technique from the rest of them but the lord could see flashes of forms between their strikes. He wasn't the only one who improved as Hòuhuǐ showed more confidence than before, his strikes were honed and uniformed. He also improved his strategy in battle as he came with Jack and John to Tony. Lord Tyron smiled as his work was paying off as it's been a month since they began.

"How goes the training?" asked Wēi as she joined the lord in watching.

"Perfectly, they are improving every day. I'm impressed by how long they've survived in battle. Xing's and Hannah's duel strike is not as short as it used to be." said Lord Tyron as they watched Zhen parry all of her friends' attacks. She was able to hold her ground as she watched her friends desperately figure out how to beat her.

Zhen's blade skills were perfected and deflected Xing's and Hannah's attacks perfectly, it was a challenge for her as she knew they were the best behind Zhōng. An image of him suddenly appeared as Xing came from above and Hannah below. She froze and was struck on her shoulder and her leg. She stumbled down as she snapped back to reality, breathing aggressively.

"Are you alright?" asked Xing as she offered her hand to Zhen.

"Yes, I'm fine." said Zhen and she grabbed Xing's hand as she pulled her up.

"That's enough," stated Lord Tyron as he and Wēi approached them. Tony lowered his guard, he was breathing heavily as his blade was locked with Hòuhuǐ's. They gathered around the lord as he analyzed the expression on their faces. Most were surprised and exhausted from the fight since it lasted for over an hour. "You all improve your skills massively in the last month, but your endurance is lacking. I'm sure you weren't expecting this long of a battle but in a war, you'll be fighting a lot longer. Let this be the lesson of the day." he said.

"My lord, do you think we're ready to help Zhōng?" panted John. Lord Tyron analyzed all of them again, they looked exhausted but the adrenaline was still going. 

"Get some rest all of you, I will talk to King Alexios about supporting him." said Wēi. She looked up at the lord who knew as well their time was up.

"That concludes training for today, get some rest and restore your energy." announced Lord Tyron. He looked at Zhen and Tony and shook his head as the signal for no extra training tonight.

"I missed the hot springs," groaned Pina as the girls were in the bathhouse in tubs.

"I admit, that does feel nice to be in." sighed Kotori.

"I've never been in one, but I heard they were great." stated Hannah.

"What I miss is the fact there were massive ones so all of us could fit instead of having individual tubs." stated Cortana.

"You're saying that because you want to show off and make sure there's no competition." accused Silica.

"Not my fault you can't grow big ones." shrugged Cortana.

"Who needs big ones anyway, they'll get in the way of fighting." said Xing. She was one of two having ice in her bath.

"But don't you want to have a family?" asked Cortana.

"Yes, but for now, I want to be able to help my brother reclaim the Ninja Empire." said Xing.

"You don't have a brother-sister complex, do you?" asked Kotori.

"Oh no, when I said I wanted to help my brother, I wanted to because he was always helping and protecting me. Besides, his heart is already taken." explained Xing.

"I wonder what type of girl he likes." said Pina.

"I still think he'll be perfect for you, princess. I'll be honest, I don't see you happy with lord girl-luster." stated Hannah.

"Hannah, we discussed this before." groaned Xing before she got out of her tub.

"I'm just saying my opinion. Hey! What are you doing?!" stated Hannah as Xing grabbed her chest.

"You know, Cortana, I think you have competition here." teased Xing.

"Let me see," said Cortana and she got out of her tub.

The girls giggled as they watched the scene play out and Hannah moaned to stop. Zhen looked down at her chest, it wasn't big but wasn't flat and it didn't bounce noticeably. She then looked further down to her mark where she was branded a servant to Zhōng. She got out of her ice bath and went to get changed.

Zhen was walking through the halls of the Spartan palace alone. She wanted to be left alone with her thoughts of Zhōng. She wondered if he was still alive and if he was thinking of her. They spent the majority of their time together since after the fall, she remembered how broken and defeated he was before a fire was relit inside of him. She shook her head remembering that Xing said he loved someone. As she was coming past the gardens, Queen Kassandra noticed her.

"Why do you look so troubled and tired? Are you bored using a sword?" asked Queen Kassandra.

"I have nothing to say to you," stated Zhen and she continued to walk.

"You know he's outnumbered and exhausted." said Queen Kassandra, stopping Zhen. "The Ninja Empire is relentless in stopping him."

"That's assuming he's alive." said Zhen.

"And he is, according to the monitor, they're still four hundred flying all over the Iarnă Mountains. If he was dead, that number would decrease." said Queen Kassandra.

"But there's nothing we can do, he can't get help, your husband banned anyone from going up there, and we don't know where to start looking." said Zhen.

"He can't ask for help, but that doesn't mean he can't get some." stated Queen Kassandra. She saw Zhen looking at her confused but interested in what she had to say. "I know you all care about him, he's honor to have such great friends. But if you truly are his friend, you will go up there without being asked and help him take what is rightfully his. You know as much as I that the era of the Risen King is upon us and all the empires will shake in fear and in awe."

"But it won't be because of his reputation, it will be because the boy who was thought to be dead is a live man." guessed Zhen, she watched as the queen nodded her head. Something in her heart made it lift and her mind was made up. "Then as a friend, it's my responsibility to help when one is lost." she declared.

Zhōng stared at the flickering flames of the fire in the cave. He was lost in thought as they danced and the logs crackled. All he could see was destruction as flashes of buildings burning raced through his mind, but it wasn't homes from the Ninja Empire, they were from the Spartan Empire.

Huo soon entered the cave, he saw his son was thinking about something before looking up at him with his black eyes. "It's time to train," he said.

"I think I've wasted enough time training. Don't you think, father?" stated Zhōng as he got up and packed some of the food he and his father hunted in the mountains.

"You're not ready," objected Huo.

"Time is running out, I can't wait here anymore." argued Zhōng.

"What makes you think you can beat your brother if you can't beat me?" questioned Huo.

"I am not that weak son of yours anymore." growled Zhōng. He finished packing and turned to face his father as his black eyes glowed angrily. 

"True, you're my weakest child," stated Huo.

"Weakest child?!" repeated Zhōng, he had enough of his father.

"You destroyed your identity, your ideas and replaced them all with outrageous ones." explained Huo.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" questioned Zhōng.

"I never said anything of you following in my footsteps." replied Huo.

"Liar!" snapped Zhōng and he charged at his father. He pushed them out of the cave and their blades were drawn as they began to fight. "You must have felt it, you wanted Zhēngfú to be your heir and not me! You only chose me because I was more favorable and friendly, I never wanted to be a threat but that's how you made me. I've changed to survive and to please you, if it weren't for my mother's words, I would have been the king you would have wanted." he accused as their blades were a blur. He could see his father struggle but knew he was holding back which made him angry.

"But can you live with your deeds after you conquer?" asked Huo.

"Like it matters to you, you fake your death and hide as I struggle to live on my own." shouted Zhōng. They soon separated and he put away his mother's khopesh as he wanted to beat his father with just his own blade.

"Do you think I'm proud for leaving you behind?" asked Huo, he lowered his guard and stared at his son with pity. "I chose you, Zhōng, to be my heir long before the war even broke out."

"Then why did the Seven Mechs say Zhēngfú was the first nominee?" asked Zhōng.

"Because when he was born, I thought he was to be the heir, but the Ninja Sword saw something that it did not like. However, when you were born, the Ninja Sword saw you as the one. I couldn't bring myself to tell Zhēngfú because everyone told him he was going to be the heir, he grew up believing he was till I declared you. It was my fault for not telling sooner and he turned into this monster like me. But Zhōng I am glad that the sword chose you." stated Huo.

"Stop lying to me," stated Zhōng.

"It's true, I heard of the stories about you. They always bring me joy and pride as you were the Dual Bladed Ninja and the Fallen Prince. I could imagine the adventures you took and the battles you fought. The places you see and things you hear amongst the light and dark, I'm sure they haunt you. But if there's one thing that made me so proud of you, it's because you were free," stated Huo.

"They were weak, pathetic, and one was a coward," said Zhōng.

"Is that why you chain yourself? You are going to dark places where no light can see. Everything around you becomes more hateful, fearful, and powerful the deeper you go. This monster that stands before me is someone that shouldn't be considered human," Huo interrogated.

"I must do this. It's the only way to beat my brother. If everyone sees me as the monster then I'll be fine with it as well," Zhōng rebutted.

"You're wrong, I've seen monsters and you aren't one of them. You carry so many scars of your past, your failures etched into your skin. But that proves who you are, you're a fighter, a soldier, a ninja. But in order to be stronger than your brother, you must take the hard route and come back to the light," explained Huo.

"Why should I go back? The darkness has protected me up to this point. Why would I go back to the light?" argued Zhōng.

"Where was the darkness when you needed comfort from losing your friends? Where was the darkness when the capital burned again? Who came to help you?" questioned Huo.

"I pushed her away for good. I'm broken, dying, living on a small thread that's burning away. I don't want to burn them too," answered Zhōng, he turned around and looked east as if he could see the Spartan Empire. "I'm just….I'm trying to protect them. It's for their own good that I'm on my own."

"When tapestries are woven, every thread is bound together and supports one another. You're not broken; rather you're the opposite." said Huo. He slowly began to approach his son as the latter stared out into the storm.

"You are on the edge of evolving into something great, someone who's strong enough to face anyone, and someone who demands respect every time you step. What you see as your strongest time will be weaker than coarse dirt after you evolved into it."

"And you think that training is the key?" asked Zhōng, half-skeptical and half-infuriated at his father's blathering.

Huo sighed. "The training was for you to rediscover yourself, I kept you here to cool yourself and see your errors. My son, you are like a volcano. When you blow up, you leave so much destruction in your wake. You need to learn to cool and heal. Grow and not destroy."

"What did you say? I'm like a volcano?" asked Zhōng as the word rang into his head.

"It's time for you to stop bearing your emotions and pain alone, let it out and show the world what you truly are. Like Mount Anagenni̱ménos, it's time to reveal yourself." continued Huo.

Zhōng sprang and hugged his father tightly, he finally realized where he must go. "Thank you," he said before letting go, his cowl blew like a small cape behind his hair before he pulled it over his head. He then presented his mother's khopesh to his father and said, "She would want to be by your side no matter what." 

Huo looked at the blade, he grinned and tears fell from his face. When he looked up he saw Zhōng was walking away. "Who are you?!" he called.

Zhōng looked over his shoulder and saw his father smile with approval of what he saw in his eyes. "I'm Zhōng, the Risen King and rightful wielder of the Ninja Sword." he declared and took off in the mech form of his Valtryek.