Morning came again and it was time to set off.  Leiyu and Prince Thallios gathered their belongings and mounted their horses.

“Your Highness?”

“Hm?”

“Do we actually know which mountain in the northeast has the Sword of Ages?”

“I’m afraid not.  The legends aren’t very specific about the location.”

“How did people in the past find it then?”

“Not sure.”

Leiyu blinked a few times. “Hm…then it might take a while.”

***

They traveled for weeks.  Day in, day out, the routine was about the same.  Leiyu would hunt or fish and they would chat briefly while eating.  Prince Thallios began to look less morose, although there were many moments where he would stare silently into the distance.  Leiyu left him alone during those times and turned to meditation.

The huge question looming in the air was what exactly they would do once they found the Sword of Ages.  The legends were very vague on how past wielders of the sword used them to liberate their lands from invaders.

Is this something the prince will be able to handle? Leiyu wondered.  Of course, he would assist in any way he could, but even then, it was just two people against entire armies.

As they traveled further through the wilderness, Leiyu could see the mountains getting closer.  His mind began to drift.

***

Seven years ago…

Fifteen-year-old Leiyu sparred against his shixiong Jianyi.  They exchanged a flurry of fists and spinning kicks.  Shifu watched in the distance.  The two teenagers continued fighting and leaping around the training grounds.  Jianyi began to tire and slowed down.  Seeing an opening, Leiyu spun his leg, tripping his opponent.

Jianyi lay on the ground, breathing heavily.  “Shidi, I concede defeat.  Your skills have improved so rapidly.”

Leiyu held out his hand and helped Jianyi stand back up.  They noticed Shifu standing in the distance, lowered their heads, and cupped their fists in salutation.

“Shifu!” they greeted.

Shifu nodded, returned the salutation, and walked away.

Another disciple named Anying approached them and cupped his fist.  “Jianyi-shixiong! Leiyu-shixiong!”

“Shidi, what brings you here?” asked Jianyi.

“Shixiong, you said we would visit the town today.”

“Ah yes, I did say that.  Leiyu, do you want to come along?”

“Sure,” Leiyu replied.

The disciples lived in a sect compound, which was more of a refurbished house, on top of a hill in a wooded area.  They descended the hill on a flight of stone steps that would lead them to town.  Jianyi and Anying chatted with each other while Leiyu walked silently behind them.  He looked toward the horizon and slowed down.

Anying turned around.  “Leiyu-shixiong?”

Leiyu did not hear him.  He was staring at the mountains in the distance, his mind lost in thought as usual.  They were shrouded in mist and seemed to beckon to him to unravel their mystery.  He felt an urge to scale the rocks and go above the clouds.  If he climbed that high, would be able to glimpse the Celestial Realm where the immortals lived in their grand palaces?  That’s what the scroll paintings he had seen before always depicted.  Or was that realm invisible to mere mortals like him?  He blinked a few times and turned his focus downward.  Simply visiting town no longer sounded as interesting.

“Leiyu-shixiong?  What are you looking at?  We’re going to leave you behind if you don’t hurry up.  Leiyu-shixiong?”

***

“Leiyu?”

Leiyu’s mind snapped back to the present as he realized that Prince Thallios was trying to talk to him.

“Sorry, Your Highness.  I was just thinking about something.”

Prince Thallios pointed straight ahead.  Before them was the foot of a mountain.  “I think we’re getting closer.”

Leiyu and Prince Thallios’ horses walked slowly in a single file along a narrow rocky trail leading up the mountain, occasionally kicking small pebbles off the side, where they tumbled down the slope.  The wind whistled and birds flew overhead.  The faint sound of whispering could be heard.  Leiyu put his hand on the hilt of his sword while still holding the reins with his other hand.  Prince Thallios looked concerned.

“There is an eerie energy in this place,” Leiyu said.

“Maybe we are getting close…”

They continued up the trail.  They were halfway up the mountain when they reached a dead end.  Before them was a rock wall that had a relief of abstract patterns and vague figures.  At the center of these carvings was a small entrance.  Leiyu and Prince Thallios looked at each other.

“Could this be it?” Prince Thallios asked.

They dismounted their horses and tied the reins to a lone barren tree near the rock wall.  Leiyu ducked his head as he went through the small entrance and Prince Thallios followed.

It was mostly dark inside the cave, but there was a thin column of light at the back.  At the bottom of the light column was the faint outline of an upright sword.  Prince Thallios stepped forward and approached the sword.  Leiyu was a few steps behind him.  The sword was rusty and covered in a thick layer of dust.  The jewels embedded in its hilt looked dull.  Prince Thallios reached out and touched the hilt lightly.

Suddenly, the cave shook.  Debris fell from above.

“Your Highness!”  Leiyu ran forward to shield Prince Thallios but was repelled by an invisible force.  His back hit the floor.  As he got up, his eyes widened.

Dark waves spiraled from the floor and surrounded Prince Thallios.  He saw the prince’s terrified face before he was completely swallowed up by the shadowy cocoon.

“Your Highness!”  Leiyu unsheathed his sword and struck at the cocoon.  It was as hard as a rock and his sword hilt vibrated from the impact.  “Prince Thallios!”

***

It was pitch black.  The only sound Prince Thallios could hear was his own panicked breathing.

“Leiyu?” he called out.  No answer.  He walked forward and heard the slosh of water.  Where am I?  Is this another part of the cave?  Where did this water come from?

“Goddess of Fire!” a menacing voice boomed, causing Prince Thallios to nearly fall backward.  “What are you doing here?”

Goddess?

“You are in an unfamiliar form, but I can tell it is you.”

“You…must be mistaken,” Prince Thallios replied nervously.  “I am not the Goddess of Fire.”

“Tell me, who are you then?”

“I am…Prince Thallios, son of King Xenon.”

“And your mother?”

“My mother?  Queen Selenia…but she passed away years ago.”

“She was the avatar of the Goddess of Fire.”

What?  This was the first time Prince Thallios had heard such a thing.

“And now you are the avatar.”

“...”

“So, what brings you here?  Why do you seek the Sword of Ages?”

“My kingdom…has fallen to enemies and my father has perished.  I must avenge him and take back the kingdom.”

The voice began to laugh maniacally, sending shivers down Prince Thallios’ spine.

“Why are you laughing?” he demanded angrily.

“You think you are worthy of the sword?”

“How…can I prove my worth?”

Two spotlights suddenly appeared.  The one next to him revealed the Sword of Ages.  It was no longer old and rusty.  The blade was sharp and the jewels on the hilt sparkled.  The other spotlight was a short distance away and revealed a shadowy figure dressed in a dark hooded robe.  The figure wore a white mask with a thin horizontal opening for the eyes and a vertical opening running down the middle.

“Your first test!  See if you can defeat him!”

Defeat?  Prince Thallios had never fought a total stranger before.  He had only practiced with the palace sword instructors and had that recent spar with Leiyu.  His heart began to pound.  But if I need to avenge my kingdom…

He pulled the Sword of Ages from the ground.  Despite its size, it felt unusually light.  Holding the sword before him, his breathing was erratic as he tried to keep the hilt steady.  The shrouded figure lunged forward with a sword of his own and swung.  Prince Thallios blocked the strike and the two blades emitted sparks as they clashed.  The shrouded figure then pushed him and he rolled backward onto the watery floor.

The voice laughed again.

Prince Thallios used the sword to prop himself back up.  Water dripped from his hair and clothes.  The shrouded figure lunged forward once more.  Prince Thallios gripped the hilt and ran forward.  His eyes began to glow like fiery embers and the sword illuminated.  Flames danced on the blade and he struck at his opponent.  The shrouded figure lifted his sword to block the strike, but the impact knocked him over.  As he got back up, he paused.

Prince Thallios stood upright holding his sword at his side.  He was surrounded by an aura and strands of his hair fluttered upwards as if blown by wind.  His amber eyes had transformed into golden yellow and he appeared to be in a trance.

They fought more but Prince Thallios’ initial panic was now gone.  He had an expression of complete detachment as their blades clashed back and forth.  The shrouded figure saw an opening and lunged again, but the prince suddenly jumped up.

As the shrouded figure looked up, he saw Prince Thallios descend with his sword pointing straight down.  The blade pierced his heart so quickly that he did not even have time to make a sound.  He slumped to the ground.

Prince Thallios stood upright and pulled the sword out of his opponent’s chest.  His expression was completely blank.  The shrouded figure’s mask cracked in half and fell apart.  Prince Thallios’ golden yellow eyes returned to their normal amber color.  He leaned forward to get a closer look at his defeated opponent.

He suddenly stopped and his blood ran cold.  His eyes widened in horror.

“LEIYU!!!”