The next morning, the palace started the day in a hurry. The soldiers were waiting in the training area as instructed. Kierra arrived at the training area with Sakha. Sakha began to move among the soldiers, examining each one individually. Everyone around him watched him with suspicious eyes. Almost all the palace staff had come to watch the training.

After examining the last soldier, Sakha returned to his place without saying anything and joined Kierra. Then, he demonstrated his sword skills by engaging in a mock fight with Kierra, impressing everyone. The first week of training started below expectations. The second week began to show its effects, and differences in the soldiers' sword techniques became apparent. Sometimes even Kierra was surprised to learn that something he thought was technically correct was actually wrong.

Weeks passed, one after another. The pace of training had increased significantly, and the fruits of the training were starting to show. However, Sakha still seemed unsatisfied. Flarka watched this situation with great astonishment. These trained men were the country's most elite unit, and if there were such shortcomings even in this unit, he didn't want to think about the situation of the rest of the army.

Flavia still didn't trust Sakha, so she spent most of her day watching him. In the evenings, she would come and present her reports to her brother. She searched for traces of betrayal even in the slightest deviation from the daily routine. Regardless of the reason, having someone of the same race as the enemy in their palace was risky and dangerous. He needed to leave as soon as possible. However, Flarka wasn't ready for him to leave yet. In fact, he was gradually starting to warm up to that man. Therefore, he either brushed off his sister's words or pretended not to hear them each time.

One day, while Flarka was sitting on the balcony, he remembered his conversation with Sakha. Although he couldn't bring himself to express it, he secretly respected him. Sakha had proven himself as a warrior and had never once tried to escape or made any suspicious moves despite his abilities. The small conversations they had during the training sessions had started to become enjoyable over time. There was something about Sakha that attracted him, but he didn't want to admit it. After taking another sip of his wine, he watched the glass for a while.
"After all, Flavia will kill me," he sighed inwardly, then, for a reason even he couldn't answer, he stood up and ordered the guards at the door to summon Sakha. The guards were initially surprised but followed his order. Shortly after, Sakha appeared at the door. When the king invited his guest inside, no one present could move due to their astonishment. Even Flarka was surprised by his own actions. After a brief moment of astonishment, Sakha entered and took his seat on the balcony. Flarka, as usual, approached with his wine and offered him a glass.

He smiled as he took the offered glass. Flarka noticed that it was the first time since they had met that he smiled in such an innocent manner. "I think I'm starting to understand why I called him," he thought.

"Tell me, did you really travel the whole world?" he asked curiously.
Sakha still couldn't grasp the situation he was in. Trying to hide his astonishment, he replied, "I've been to almost all countries," and took a sip from his wine. Although he tried to conceal his surprise, his eyes widened after drinking the wine.

"Tell me, where did you find this wine?"
"Pest King Leon offered it to me as a gesture of goodwill. Did you like it?" Flarka asked, smiling. Sakha, upon hearing the answer, grimaced.

"The damn Pests wouldn't let me into their countries. But their wines are indeed strong," he said, taking another sip. Sakha's reactions pleased Flarka greatly.
"I have an extra bottle, and if you want, I can pour you half of it," he said in a friendly manner.
Sakha raised his glass in response. "Drinking alone is not enjoyable. You understand, right?"

After this conversation, both of them started laughing. The duo who had almost come to the point of killing each other when they first met were now clinking glasses and laughing together. As they realized the situation, their calm laughter turned into laughter. Flarka took another sip of his wine and continued the conversation.

While sipping his wine, Sakha nodded in response to this question. "This is my first time here. When I heard some unpleasant rumors, I realized that the time had come. I needed to talk to you somehow. When I arrived in the capital, I learned that you would go hunting in the near future, so I thought it would be a good opportunity."

"The rumors must spread really fast. What have you heard about my co"I heard them talking about a rapidly spreading epidemic among the merchants. They say the forest is dying. Some even claim that mystical creatures have escaped from the mountains and settled in the forest. No one believes that the skarts could have reached there. It seems that even this palace is filled with people who don't believe in this possibility."
"So what is your real purpose?" "Revenge."
He didn't notice the darkness enveloping his voice as he gave this answer. However, Flarka briefly sensed the fire in his eyes and the threat in his tone, but he remained silent. Sakha continued speaking:
"I will annihilate all creatures on Earth. I will wipe out every monster that kills the innocent. I will systematically destroy every cause that separates people from their homes. Whether it's a human or a dragon, any creature that caused this will be eliminated!" Flarka felt the threat once again. Without saying anything, he stood up and returned a minute later with a sword in his hand. Sakha recognized the sword as soon as he saw it. He didn't take his eyes off Flarka and continued to wait motionlessly. Flarka raised the sword in the air and began examining it.
"I could swear that your sword turned pitch black during the fight at the forest exit. But now, I'm holding a pure white sword. How is this possible?"
"This sword was forged with my blood. It was tempered in the dragon fire obtained from ancient times and kept in our sacred sanctuary. Do you see the runic markings on it? These markings indicate that it is one of our sacred weapons. No one can wield a sacred weapon except its owner."
"But I just drew the sword from its scabbard and held it in my hand. I can definitely use this sword."
"The color-changing aspect is not the only feature of the sword. The power of the sword changes with each color. Do you see it shining in my hand right now? It signifies my calmness. I can wield my sword more skillfully when I'm calm. The darker it gets, the more my anger increases. As the darkness intensifies, the sword becomes more lethal."
Flarka couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How is this possible? Even these tales don't mention what you're describing," he asked in astonishment.
"You saw me fight twice. Remember. When my sword was white, not a drop of blood was shed. But when it turned black, there was a massacre."
For a moment, Flarka compared the two moments he had witnessed in his memory. There were indeed noticeable differences. When he tried to subdue Sakha, the sword darkened, his movements became faster, and he practically dealt death to his men. He couldn't conceal his astonishment at what he heard. untry?" he asked with a pensive expression.

"What kind of place is your sacred sanctuary? Are there other bearers of sacred weapons? Who can use these weapons?" Sakha couldn't help but laugh at all these questions. "Stay calm, I cannot answer these questions. Even among ourselves, it is forbidden to discuss and talk about these matters too much." "Come on, we've tried to kill each other twice. I deserve at least that much."
This approach seemed very strange to both of them. Sakha smiled and thought it wouldn't hurt to alleviate Flarka's curiosity a bit. Besides, he was aware that Flarka wouldn't let go of this topic without getting an answer.
"I can tell you this much, a vast icy desert covers a large area of the continent. At the farthest point of this desert, there is a village located at the foot of Taek Mountain. This village is tasked with protecting the esteemed community we call the 'Elders.' They live in complete isolation from the outside world. Every word spoken by the Elders is law. They can change the king, change traditions, change the form of governance, and even alter the social structure of the community. I'm talking about a community that is superior and wiser than your prophets."
"So, Sargan is not the greatest power in the country, is that right?" "Sargan is the first king of the country. But it was the Elders who advocated for the centralization of the country's governance and made Sargan the king. Until that day, we lived as independent tribes, and each tribe was responsible for its own region." After repeating the words in his mind once again, Flarka suddenly had another question that came to his mind.

"Incredible. So, does Sargan use a sacred weapon?" he asked eagerly.
"The spear," Sakha nodded. "While that spear is in Sargan's hands, it remains unbreakable and unscratched by any blow. But if someone else were to try using it, it would shatter at the first strike."

Unconsciously, Sakha kept examining his sword as he talked about his country. Although Flarka noticed this, he didn't say anything. After quietly drinking another glass of wine, Sakha stood up to excuse himself and retire to his room. Turning to Flarka at the door, he said:

Flarka watched from behind the door for a while, then went out to the balcony and said to himself, "I'm starting to understand you at last."