Chapter 19 : The king's gift

"What the fuck just happened?" Michael exclaimed, his eyes wide open, trying to make sense of the swift turn of events.

Kai who was losing the entire fight, bruises and cuts a over his body had just won, and all it took was one move. The next moment, Damian lay defeated, and Kai pointed his Katana at Isaiah amidst the stunned crowd.

"When I get stronger," Kai declared, his words cutting through the dead silence. "Your next."

The weight of those ominous words lingered as Kai unexpectedly collapsed, leaving everyone in utter disbelief.

Silence hung in the air until a hesitant voice broke it. "Is he... okay?" someone asked.

"He's breathing," another responded, still processing the abrupt end to the fight.

Mrs. Eris, the shock evident on her face, muttered, "That technique... How does he know that technique?"

As she fell to her knees, trembling, she couldn't contain her disbelief. "That... That can't be." The mystery of Kai's technique became a puzzle no one had anticipated, deepening the intrigue surrounding the biggest upset in the school's history.

*******

Kai's eyes flickered open in the school clinic, confusion clouding his mind. His hands instinctively went to where the pain had been, but there was nothing—no wounds, no lingering ache.

"Huh, not a single scratch, this place never ceases to amaze me," Kai mused, his thoughts drifting back to the intense battle with Damian.

If it weren't for the element of surprise, he would have lost. He was completely outclassed by Damian, if they ever fought again, he knew Damian would be ready.

" My lack of skill will be the end of me."

Even if he started to learn now, catching up seemed insurmountable. Most students were prodigies trained from the moment they could speak.

"If only you could use the damn blade," a deep voice resonated. From the shadowy corner, an ethereal figure emerged—black as the night with blood-red eyes—standing before Kai.

"Azrael "

Kai spoke out

"I-I haven't seen you since"

"Since I gave you that " Azrael interjected. Pointing at the black crown over Kai's head. "My greatest treasure"

"The Dark Forge"

Kai thought

" That day I gave you control over the Forge and everything it has to offer"

" Well, Not full control of course"

If one would you look closely, he could see the shadowy figure Crack a subtle smile.

"Shadow Blade" he uttered. With those words, the black crown above Kai violently spun, and his Katana, named Bane, materialized into Azrael's hands.

Kai stood in stunned silence, watching the blade he believed was solely his being casually summoned by another.

"It really shouldn't be surprising, I am the one who made it, and so for that singular reason. You can never really call it yours" Azrael said, as if reading Kai's mind

Did you jus- Kai began, cut off by Azrael.

" Have you forgotten so soon, boy?, I am your flaw, the soul that is intertwined with yours, you can't hide anything from me"

"Like I said before I have access to your thoughts and  dreams and your memories " Azrael continued, his words a haunting reminder of the power imbalance between them.

"Tch"

Kai hissed in frustration he hated the fact that he was completely vulnerable when it came to Azrael.

"It's an intriguing phenomenon really, the concept of flaws, I could never figure it out" Azrael was momentarily lost in thought, Kai could only imagine the things going through his head

"You can also access mine you know" Azrael said as observe the katana, tracing his fingers across its sharp edges

"I am sure you noticed it already"

He added

Kai instantly remembered the first time he held Bane, and how memories he didn't recognize flooded into his mind, those memories were Azrael's. They were the  memories of all the techniques he had created using the Katana

"You should be thankful really, if it weren't for those memories you wouldn't have beaten that brat today"

That was the irrefutable truth that Kai couldn't deny. Seeing that Kai didn't reply Azrael continued

"I still can't believe you actually did it "

"Huh?" Kai's eyebrow quirked in surprise.

"You see boy, I created three techniques with this blade, It took me years to create them and even longer to master them"

"Blur, Severance and Veil I called them "

"Performing any of them is incredibly difficult, and yet... you executed Blur on your first try," Azrael continued, his tone a mixture of admiration and intrigue. "Pretty impressive, I must say."

Kai felt a sudden rush pride come over them, it wasn't everyday the fallen king praised him.

"Thanks, I guess. You're pretty chatty today, don't you think?" Kai chuckled, attempting to downplay his own achievement.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. I tend to get carried away sometimes," Azrael replied, his ethereal presence lingering in the air.

"Alright, down to business, I don't have much time left"

Azrael with a snap of his fingers made Bane vanish into thin air, presumably back into the forge

"You want to learn how to fight with the blade, do you not?"  Azrael asked

"Huh? Umm, I mean yes, more than anything," Kai stumbled on his words in response to the sudden question. "Wh-why, are you going to teach me?"

"Oh, heavens no. Even if I wanted to, I can't stay in the physical world for very long these days. You'll have to learn on your own."

"I see," Kai replied, a look of disappointment crossing his face.

Azrael, however, added, "But I can fasten the process."

Kai immediately looked up with hopeful eyes. "Really?"

Seeing his reaction, Azrael burst into laughter. His thunderous laugh caused a subtle tremor in the room. "You really are a greedy boy."

"Oh well, it can't be helped now." Azrael sighed dramatically. "Let's begin."

*****

Later, Michael burst into Kai's room with theatrical flair.

"Hey, hey, there's my little champion!" Michael exclaimed, striking a pose.

"Oh, it's you," Kai said, feigning indifference and looking away.

"Ouch, that's no way to treat a friend!" Michael clutched his heart dramatically. "I never once doubted you would win, you know."

Kai, who initially turned away indifferently, spun around with widened eyes.

"You!? You really have the nerve to say that? Every single person in that room thought I was insane for wanting to fight Damian."

"Well, ugh, you know what? Let's not get hung up on the details of what happened. The important thing is you won! Even if I have absolutely no idea how you did it"

"Anyway, the fight with Damian spread like wildfire in school. You're famous now, dude!"

"Everyone is calling you... Drumroll, please... Nothing."

"Huh?" Kai furrowed his eyebrows in utter confusion.

"That's what they call you now, Nothing. Don't you remember what you told Damian?" Michael cleared his throat and mimicked Kai's voice, "Remember this day, the day you lost to absolutely nothing."

Kai covered his face in embarrassment as he relived the cringey line he said to Damian. "What the hell got into me?" he thought.

Kai immediately began to dress up and leave the room. The doctor had already discharged him; he only stayed back because of the unexpected visit from Azrael.

Walking through the school clinic's hallways, Michael continued to bother Kai. Armed with snacks from the vending machines and questionable eating habits, Michael slurped, munched, and crunched right beside Kai's ears.

"I still can't believe you challenged Isaiah immediately after the fight. What are your balls made of, dude? Vibranium?" With a mouthful of food, Michael added to the auditory assault

Kai's eyes started twitching out of annoyance, he began entertaining the thought of hospitalizing Micheal just for a bit of peace and quiet

" You did alright against Damian and all but... Isaiah man, he's on a different level to everyone else."

Surprisingly Micheal's tone turned serious emphasizing the truth in his words

"Believe me... I know"

Kai replied

"Besides I got more important things on my mind now,

Staring into his watch, Kai grinned as his read the message

[the fallen king is pleased with you!! He has to given you a little gift]

[ He has implanted a hynoptic suggestion in you]

"Literally"