Imperial prepares for his next training with Master Kaien, who unexpectedly visits their home. Kaien reveals to Lyra the truth about the sacred sword Raiktsu—Imperial's sword is the original, while the current ruler's is a replica. The sword's legacy has been hidden for centuries, passed down to the worthy alone. Kaien vows to train Imperial to become the true heir and warrior worthy of the crown.
The moment Kaien walked out of the Alden household, the air seemed to shift. The wind picked up, brushing past the leaves with a restless whisper. Lyra Alden stood in silence at the entrance, her arms crossed loosely in front of her, watching the fading silhouette of the man who once commanded armies.
She didn't speak right away. Instead, her eyes softened with something new—relief, maybe even a trace of hope.
"I am now reassured," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "Knowing that Imperial is training with you... it feels right. I used to worry about him. But now… I see something else."
She took a slow breath, her voice steadier as she continued.
"I can see the hunger in his eyes—the hunger to improve. Day by day, it grows stronger. Please, Kaien... make him into a warrior. Make him into someone who won't just survive this world, but reshape it."
Then, without another word, she turned back inside, the door closing gently behind her.
The Training Forest
Hidden within the outer regions of the Central Empire lay the Training Forest, a restricted area only a few were allowed to enter. Inside its dense woods, trees reached high into the skies like ancient guardians. Thunderclouds often circled overhead—drawn perhaps by the boy training here.
There, among the thick roots and stone platforms, Imperial was waiting, swinging his wooden sword around with exaggerated movements.
Imperial: "Hyaaa! Take that, evil overlord! Boom! Lightning slash!"
He paused, panting, then dropped the stick with a grin. "I seriously need a cooler training dummy."
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Heavy. Familiar.
Kaien stepped into the clearing, his presence like a silent pressure wave. He wore a long coat, his silver hair fluttering lightly behind him, and in his hand—wrapped in thick cloth—was the blade.
Kaien: "Stop yelling like a lunatic. You'll scare the forest creatures."
Imperial: "Master! You're late."
Kaien: "And you're early. Miracles happen."
Kaien placed the wrapped item before him and slowly unrolled it.
The moment the cloth fell away, the blade shimmered with an unnatural gleam. Lightning flickered faintly along its edge, and the air grew cold and sharp. Imperial's breath caught in his throat.
Kaien: "This... is Raiktsu. A relic from before the Age of Empires. Said to be forged from the scales of a thunder dragon and the core of a fallen storm god."
Imperial: "Storm god, huh... That's metal. Wait—what kind of name is Raiktsu anyway?"
Kaien: "In an ancient tongue, it means 'Storm Devourer'. Fitting, considering what it does."
He gestured to the blade.
Kaien: "Hold it. Tell me what you feel."
Imperial, eyes gleaming with curiosity, grabbed the hilt.
Immediately, his body stiffened.
His magic flared—then vanished.
His limbs weakened. His vision dimmed. It was as if something inside him had been unplugged.
Imperial: "Uhh… I feel… I feel that same thing as last night. Like my whole body's being drained—"
Kaien: (nodding) "That's the sword's true nature. It absorbs magic. Not just others'. Yours. It tears into your veins and drinks it. But it doesn't destroy it—it stores it. That's what makes it special."
Imperial: "Wait... if it's drinking my magic then—master—I-I think I'm gonna—"
He stumbled forward.
Imperial: "I'm gonna faint... eeEEEEE—"
Kaien: (smacking his hand) "Drop it, idiot!"
The sword clanged to the ground.
Kaien: "You fool! Who told you to hold it so tightly?"
Imperial: (wobbling dramatically) "You literally told me to hold it!"
Kaien: "Not with a death grip, you moron!"
Imperial: "How was I supposed to know it would slurp my soul like a smoothie?!"
He dropped to his knees in exaggerated misery.
Imperial: "My magic… my beautiful magic… all gone… sob sob"
Kaien stared at him flatly.
Kaien: "It's not gone. It's in the sword. Stored. You can access it anytime.the amount of magic you have, it's probably a good thing it got hide or you can say stored."
He added under his breath:
Kaien: "Honestly… there's no one in this world more idiotic than this boy. Why did the sword choose him?"
Elsewhere… In a Shadowed Room
Far away, in a dimly lit chamber, several cloaked figures discuss in hushed voices.
Figure 1: "Did you find him?"
Figure 2: "Not yet… but we have a plan. A solid one. It'll work."
Figure 1: "I want results. Fast. We can't afford any mistakes. Only two or three years remain. His arrival must not be interrupted."
The shadows fall silent .
After 2 month of intence traning imperial was able to put and extract magic from the sword and also learn some sword attack .
Then master kaien told him an another move consider to be around B rank move called
Thunder Walk
Kaien raised a finger, sending a spark into the distance.
BOOM!
In a flash of lightning, he disappeared—and reappeared exactly where the spark had landed.
Kaien: "This is called Thunder Walk. It accelerates your body using lightning. To others, it looks like teleportation. To you—it feels like you're being launched by a storm."
He appeared beside Imperial in the blink of an eye.
Kaien: "Once you master your magic flow, you won't even need sparks. Just a thought, and bam—you're there."
Imperial: "Okay, that's insanely cool."
Kaien: "It's also dangerous. Move too far without control and your insides could lag behind your body."
Imperial: "WHAT?!"
Kaien: "Which is why we start small."
Thus began the training.
Days turned to weeks.
Imperial stumbled, fell, got zapped, and burned his boots off.
But slowly—he learned.
Then one day
With a crackle of sparks and a loud POP, Imperial suddenly appeared right behind Kaien—who was calmly watering his flowers like a peaceful old monk.
Kaien jolted like he'd been electrocuted, flung the watering can into the air, and dropped the flower pot he was holding. It hit the ground with a dramatic CRASH.
Kaien: "WHAT IN THE—ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
Imperial (panting, wild-haired, grinning like a maniac): "Told ya I'd get it!"
Kaien: (clutching his chest) "You almost killed me! I saw my ancestors for a second!"
Imperial: "But come on, I actually nailed the teleport this time! No fiery trees! Just pure lightning perfection!"
Kaien: (glaring at the shattered pottery) "You just broke my favorite flower pot."
Imperial: (shrugging) "It's just a pot. Nothing big."
Kaien: (eye twitching) "You—"
[Cue the punch. Right to the gut.]
Imperial: (folding over, gasping dramatically) "S-sorry Master… !"
Imperial: (folding over, collapsing to the ground, gasping dramatically) "S-sorry Master…!"
[He flops flat on the grass, eyes wide open in theatrical horror.]
Imperial: "I'm dead for sure. Every time this old man's gonna kill me."
Kaien: (shaking his fist like an angry grandpa with ninja skills) "You better not mess with my household… or my plants… ever again!"
Then suddenly when imperial going back to home after training , he got an news spread like wildfire across the Central Empire—
The Junior Battle Tournament had been officially rescheduled. It would now take place exactly two year from today.
The moment Imperial heard it, his eyes lit up like storm clouds cracking with anticipation. He was fourteen now—just one year away from qualifying.
Imperial: (fists clenched, grinning)
"after two year… I can finally enter. And I'll show them. I'll show everyone what I've become."
He didn't care about the fame or the praise—this was personal. A chance to step out of the shadow of being "just the younger brother"... a chance to stand on his own, not as a royal, but as a warrior.
When Master Kaien received the news, he didn't need a vision to know what was coming.
Kaien: (sighing as he picked up another flower pot)
"He's going to ask. No—he's going to beg. And I won't be able to say no."
But deep down, Kaien knew—this wasn't just a request. This was Imperial's fire. His need to prove himself. Not just to others, but to himself.
And so, Kaien made a quiet decision that day.
He would train Imperial harder than ever before.
Every stance, every technique, every move he know—he would teach them all. No holding back. No shortcuts.
From that day to the next 730 days, Imperial just determined himself to become stronger with every passing day.
At some other place, a strange sound came from a dark room.
"We made our move".