Huff Huff
"That was fun.."
The madman says.
I can't help but groan.
I'm spent. My breathing is heavy and I'm lying on the cold ground, my clothes are torn, my body is bruised, sword marks are on my bloodied stomach and my vision is hazy.
It was a good fight. Although it ended in a draw.
The inn where we were has been burnt to ashes, even the homes, shops and the entire street where we fought are filled with sword marks and ashes, evidence of our Battle.
All the commoners and nobodies ran away from their homes, they deserted this street and left us to enjoy our Battle. It lasted for 2 days.
Though I can tell...
I shift my head to the position where the madman is seated.
He was holding back. Well to be honest, so was I.
I see the view of the grinning white-maned, madman, he's sitting down next to an undamaged building, using the wall to support his back and he's holding his ribs, his sword is next to him on the ground.
"I never thought a fight with a mage would be so thrilling, kuhahaha."
He's panting heavily but he's still laughing heartily.
"How absurd, a mage who engages in close combat and fights with his body instead of hurling spells from a distance like a coward. You left some real nasty bruises on me." He spits out blood as he speaks.
I stand up and compose myself and I walk toward him.
I sit down next to him, resting my back too on the wall where he's resting his.
"You're one of the only people in the world who can put up a fight with me."
He raises his eyebrows at my statement. He drops his eyebrows back to normal, lowers his head, and gives a bitter smile.
"What an honor." From the strap on his waist, he takes out a wicker bottle, filled with water and drinks half.
"Here, For dehydration."
He offers half a bottle of water to me.
I look at the bottle of water he's offering and I look back at his face.
I smile wryly and I take the water and drink.
"Thank you."
Truly, a good battle unites warriors, but I'm curious about him. He looks like me, he carries those same eyes that I carry, empty eyes devoid of depth. It can only be carried by someone who's lost everything.
"So... what brought you to Jalozi?"
I ask him calmly, I try to be as polite as possible for he has earned my respect as a warrior.
"Kuahahahaha, you're a real straightforward guy aren't you." He turns his neck to face me.
"It's a simple reason. I'm a coward, I ran away, I ran away because I couldn't fulfill the terms of the battle , terms that was negotiated between me and [Him] if I lost in our Battle."
His voice is low, it carries the strong emotions of regret and fear.
"Just who is this person that the Golden Swordsman ran away from?"
"You know when you said I was one of the only people in the world who could put up a fight with you?"
I nod my head calmly.
"Yes"
"You were wrong. I would have defeated you if I was in good shape. And there are still people out there who can kill you whenever they want. And [He] is one of them."
He frowns his face as he speaks.
I narrow my eyes at the words that come out of his mouth.
"Who is He?"
He smiles and looks up to the moon.
"He's the moon cleaver, the First Sword of Nuncapor and the First and strongest lance. He's the Emperor of Kafer, my Homeland, his name is Delarus Matir Kafer."
I frown at the mention of that name.
"Isn't he?..."
Kairo laughs.
"Dead? Did you believe all that bullshit? He faked his death! Although he should have died. He went on a journey to the unknown Eastern continent."
I jolt as I hear what he says.
For Centuries. Around the world, the Northern continent, western continent and southern continent, Empires and kingdoms that reside in them have all sent their best warriors to venture into the Eastern continent. But nobody has ever come back.
"He never announced his journey or his arrival to anyone except for the few nobles in the Empire that he trusted. He was away for 20 years, He left as a grand swordmaster and came back as... A monster. And he refused to tell anyone what he experienced there."
I stand up immediately, my body is shaken.
Something feels wrong, terribly wrong.
I can feel goosebumps on my body.
"So you lost to that monster?"
"I was poisoned before the battle. It seems he really wanted to kill me, after all, I was the strongest swordsman in the world before his return. He deemed me a threat, I almost died during the battle but I escaped and ran away. He sent assassins to chase after me in my weakened and run-down state for weeks before I smuggled into a ship that was traveling from the Northern continent to the southern continent, I didn't even know that I'd end up in the Empire of Jalozi, although I expected to land in any kingdom or Empire."
I cannot express how shocked I am at this information.
"Unbelievable."
He chuckled at my exclamation.
"Indeed. I used to think that I was at the top..." He coughs. "That I was at the pinnacle. For years, I questioned my life, my worth and my purpose, I had attained the unattainable, the pinnacle of sword prowess and achieved my life goals, but at the cost of... Every other thing. I found myself asking why? And what next? Living in solitude, everybody was scared of me, I had no real human relationship, nobody to connect to..."
He laughs dryly.
"Who'd want to connect with a monstrous old man anyway?"
He's just like me.
I can't help but notice the similarities we both share.
"But I was wrong! There was a pinnacle above the pinnacle! And it showed up when I least expected it. But... Everything has lost meaning fo–"
"That's enough."
I can't bear to listen to him anymore, he reminds me too much of myself.
I'm reminded of all the... Wrong doings I committed in the past to attain power, the very same power that's shackling me down, and leashing me to the emperor as if I'm a dog.
I offer my hand to Kairo.
He looks at me and smiles, he must have noticed that we're alike. He grabs my hand and I pull him up.
"Don't you want revenge on the bastard that poisoned you?"
I ask him, my voice laced with venom.
He looks at me... Dumbfounded by my sudden question.
"Revenge is foolish, it's something that only losers– People who aren't powerful enough to prevent their loss from happening, fall to. I do not seek revenge, no, what I seek... is blood."
Huh? Isn't that the same thing?
I shake my head, not wanting to think about the thought process of a madman.
"Then you should follow me to meet the Emperor, he has a proposal for you that I think you'd like very much."
"You have my attention. Take me to meet him– That Emperor." He suddenly laughs "But I heard he's a much greater horror than Delarus, I heard that he's pure evil, I heard many things about him, including a rumor that he has you c–"
"Just follow me," I say sternly.
I'll finish this mission finally and go get cake. Perfect.