When Hero woke up the next day, he noticed that Rei wasn't in his house.
He looked all around his house and then checked in the secret training spot where Rei trained Hero. He found a note that was on the ground and read it.
It read, "Dear Hero, when you read this, you'll already know that I left you. Goodbyes… are not in need at this moment. Instead, because I am now being tested just like you were, to become a dragon master. Continue your journey… and destroy the man you hate the most. You will be in my prayers. Good luck! P.S.: I left you a headband. Please wear it."
Hero put this letter in his pocket and walked out of the secret training grounds.
"Yeah right, like I'd EVER wear this thing! I wonder if he knows that the ladies will only go out with him if he takes the headband OFF. It's really dorky. But, he does insist…" Hero thought.
Then, Hero put on the dorky headband of death! (or so everyone calls it, because Rei tells his enemies it will be the last thing they see before they die…)
He kind of scrunched his face together, looked back and forth, then took it off. He knew that if Rei caught him, he'd be toast since he treasures it so much.
The sun finally stopped rising, and a new day was made for Hero. Then, he set off, walking towards the mountain range unaware of Rei watching him secretly in a bush.
"Dang… he got away. Without my headband. YES! Now my headband is completely unique! Wait… NO! I lost the bet!" Rei thought.
I don't think he gets that the headband looks stupid…
Rei secretly made a bet with Ashley and Dylan, his friends, before Hero left. They kept insulting his headband, so he made a bet. The bet was, "if Hero likes the headband or not enough to wear it.". Rei bet fifty dollars on Hero liking it, but he lost it all. Just because of a dorky headband. Poor guy…
When he reached it, he spotted a path that lead up to a giant bell tower. It was a gray, straight tower which had many arched windows. At the top window, was a giant, gold-colored, brass bell. Hero had a weird feeling in his stomach as he gazed up at it. He somehow knew this was where Yui was. He ran all the way there.
When he reached it, he opened the huge, red, steel-plated doors and walked inside. The inside of the bell tower was gigantic. The floor was covered in crimson red carpet and the walls were made of hard, gray stones. As Hero gazed up towards the ceiling, he noticed that there were staircases that led from the floor to the upper room, which contained the giant bell. Also, there were multiple platforms on the walls leading to the ceiling. In the middle of the floor, was a diamond shaped seal with four sections of diamonds in it. Inside of each section, there was another diamond. Including the overall diamond, there were nine. Hero then looked behind him and saw a huge, beautiful stain-glass window. Painted on it, was his sword. On the right side of the sword, the glass was painted dark purple and on the left side of the sword, it was painted bright yellow. The stain glass window of Soul Reaper had Soul Reaper facing upwards representing it conquering everything.
"You never give up, do you?"
Hero instantly looked up at one of the upper platforms. Yui stood on one of them in his dragon form with his arms crossed.
He then shook his head and said, "You should have remained in hiding instead of coming here."
Hero looked at him and asked, "Why are you trying to kill me!"
"My fathers orders were to slay you."
Hero let go of his clenched fist as he swung it to his right and asked, "Why does he want me dead? I didn't do any thing to him!"
"No, it was your ancestors fault, for forging that wretched sword Soul Reaper! My family was banished and lived in torment because of that sword! It is the ultimate sword, because of the choices the chosen master makes can increase its power. It has two sides, good and evil. If you make a decision, it affects the sword's growth. You basically control the world with that sword. The sword shouldn't have chosen you… my father should be the wielder of it! Then, the world would be at peace… all the nations would be the same. Our nation won't be banished and everyone will live peacefully. This is what I, and my father wish for… and you won't get in our way! Prepare to die, Hero!"
Since there were three souls in the sword, each wanted complete control of Hero. There was a constant war being waged inside of the sword. The element of darkness was the evil side and the element of light was the good side. There was also a neutral force. Depending on the decisions you make in life or in battle, it depended on the sword's fate. If you are good, the sword turns good. If you are evil, then Soul reaper turns evil.
Then, Yui flew down and kicked Hero in the stomach, which caused him to fly back and hit a wall.
"Why does this always happen to me!" he asked.
Yui transformed into his human form and took out his sword, but then a fireball knocked it out of his hand.
Yui looked around and shouted, "What?"
"Hey, why don't you pick on a dragon your own skill level?"
Hero looked up and saw a red dragon standing on one of the upper platforms. He had blazing blond hair with a red highlights.
"Stay out of this, the boy is mine!" Yui shouted.
The red dragon flew down to the ground, crossed his arms and said, "Wow, I didn't know he was in your possession."
Yui turned and looked at him and said, "You're all talk. Your smart-mouthing will only kill you."
The red dragon scoffed and said, "We'll see if that's true."
Then, he turned and looked at Hero and asked, "Are you alright?"
Hero got up off the ground and replied, "Yeah, but you don't know what you just got yourself into."
"My name is Drake. Trust me, I've fought stronger foes than this guy. I'm here to help you."
Yui looked at him and yelled, "Fight me, if you think you're so tough!"
"Fine by me." Drake answered quickly and calmly.
Yui and Drake both flew forward and grabbed each other's hands.
While holding their position, Drake said, "So how does it feel to fight against the legendary Dragon-X?"
Yui looked at him and replied, "You'll be dead soon, so I don't care who you are!"
Then, Drake whacked Yui in the chest with his tail and then kicked Yui's legs. This knocked him off balance, so Drake tripped him with his tail. Yui fell on the floor and Drake grabbed him by the neck and held him down.
He laughed and exclaimed, "You're not that strong! That was easy!"
Yui smiled and replied, "You forgot one thing, I too have a tail!"
Yui grabbed Drake by the neck and started choking him. Hero quickly grabbed his sword and threw it at Yui. The sword flew perfectly straight and cut Yui's left hand that was holding onto Drake's right arm. Yui released Drake and grabbed his bleeding hand. Drake quickly ran over to Hero's sword and threw it to him while he dashed over and caught it. He held his sword at an upward position and stopped running. Drake shot a fireball at Hero's sword, which charged it up. The sword now emitted a piercing, red flame. Hero then ran over to Yui and jumped up in the air. It was then that Yui realized what they were doing, but it was too late to react. Hero swung his sword down for a powerful vertical slash. As soon as his sword hit the ground next to Yui, the ground exploded and sent a powerful wave of fire straight towards him. Yui was sent flying from the earth-shattering blast. Before he hit the ground, he transformed and flew away. Hero and Drake looked at each other and smiled.
Then, Drake said, "I have to go. Your master, Rei, instructed me where to find you. He is now a dragon master. Well anyways, I have some unfinished business to take care of, so see ya!"
After saying this, he took off flying. Hero smiled and waved goodbye. They both knew this wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other.
After a while, nightfall hit. Hero decided to camp out inside of the bell tower. Aside from the cold chills that occasionally blew through the old, cracked walls, he felt safe for some strange reason.
After a long, peaceful sleep on the bell tower's red carpet, morning struck in all its brilliance. As the sun arose, the windows and the cracks in the walls were lit up. Hero looked up at the beautifully lit stain-glass window near the entrance of the tower and thought, "I am ready."
Then, he got up, shielding his eyes from the sun's clear, bright radiance, and exited the tower. After taking a few steps out of the building, a man with blue hair, blue shirt and cape, and white pants appeared before him. Before Hero could react, the man threw a gas canister at him. Hero covered his mouth quickly, but it was too late. The gas already made its way down to Hero's lungs. He suddenly collapsed to the ground and tried to look at the man's face, but his vision was greatly blurred. After a few minutes, Hero fell unconscious as the man walked over and picked him up.
By the afternoon, Hero woke up. He found himself lying on a bed in a control room. He continued to look around and then gasped, because someone took his sword!
Suddenly, the man walked into the same room as Hero. Hero jumped off the bed and backed against a wall as the man cornered him.
Then, Hero yelled, "Stay back! Even though my sword is gone, I can still kill you!"
The man laughed and then said, "We're on the same team."
Hero looked puzzled and then asked, "What! What do you mean! You nearly tried to kill me back there!"
The man smiled and replied, "My name is Yuin. My team and I have observed you for some time now. Ever since you came over to this world, we have watched and studied you. We know everything about you… Hero. We even know what happened to your parents."
Hero looked at him carefully and asked, "Why is Yui really trying to kill me?"
"Your friend's father gave him Luciis, the third ultimate sword. It is known as the legendary sword of light; only one with a pure heart can wield it. Apparently, Yui's heart is pure. He's very confused right now. He has to choose either you or his own father. If he chooses wrongly, his sword will become useless and its power will remain dormant until a new person wields it. Hopefully, he will choose you, so the sword will grow and live." Yuin explained.
"The man who killed your parents has the second ultimate sword, Exile. It is known as the legendary sword of darkness. Only one with a heart of pure evil can wield it. Its power matches up equally to your sword, except it is harder to wield because of its great length."
Hero looked at Yuin and asked, "What's so special about my sword, Soul Reaper? Everyone seems to want it."
"Your sword is made of both concentrated light and darkness. Anyone can wield it and because of that, it is truly the ultimate sword. Well, not everyone, but the chosen wielder, you. The sword contains four elements: light, darkness, gravity, and time. If you fuse all of these elements together, then it will create Soul Reaper's ultimate attack, Final Destruction Wave. The attack freezes the enemy in time, and light and darkness fuse to expose the flow of gravity in the Dragon Realm. Then, if you swing your sword into the flow and hit the ground, spikes of concentrated gravity will shoot out of the ground, sending a devastating wave that will rip the opponent apart before he blinks. When your sword hit's the ground, the normal gravity flow is disturbed causing abnormal spikes to form deep within the earth. After a few seconds, they concentrate and shoot out of the earth and hit the opponent. You are the Legendary Warrior, because you wield the legendary sword, Soul Reaper. That name has been spread out through history. The prophecies say that one day there will be a warrior wielding a sword that is both good and evil. Hero, you are that warrior."
Hero looked at him puzzled and asked, "How many team members do you have?"
Yuin raised his hand and extended his index, ring and middle finger.
"THREE! You only have THREE people! I thought you had at least thirty! So, who are they?"
Yuin snapped his fingers and a red dragon flew through the partly cracked skylight and landed right next to him.
"That guy Dylan! Wait… no, DRAKE!" Hero questioned.
Drake looked at him and asked, "It's a small world, eh?"
Yuin glanced at both of them and then explained, "I hired Drake to observe and fight beside of you. He is still your friend, but also your normal, other-worldly bodyguard."
"A hired friend?" Hero asked.
"No, a friend and fellow teammate." Drake replied.
Yuin looked at both of them and asked, "So Hero, can we join your team?"
Hero gave them a long, hard stare, smiled, and then replied, "Sure! Welcome to the team!"
All three smiled and then Yuin exclaimed, "Dragon-X, and the Legendary Warrior on the same team… this is truly a historical day! Hero, I'll give you your sword back. Remember what I told you. Master the final skill, and you will become the ultimate warrior. Good luck on your journey, for I must leave. I'll give you this com-link, so we can keep in touch."
"So you must have been that guy, who was watching me as soon as I entered Earth. How did you get to Earth and why are you in the Dragon Realm?" Hero asked.
"Well, I came the same way you did. I'm here in the Dragon Realm, because I am currently doing research on a legendary dragon said to appear as soon as the Legendary Warrior comes through. He's supposed to be reborn in a special body. He's one of the only white dragons around. He's also supposed to have a mate just like him. Just think what would happen if they bred! Wow… we would have the ultimate dragon! Just think of all the breeding possibilities!" Yuin explained.
"Woah there! First of all, dragons are like humans. You can't treat them like they're show dogs! Also, mate? That's disgusting. Are you saying I'm an animal?" Hero asked angrily.
"No, not at all. That's what the prophecies say. Sorry about that. Besides, you don't have to take that personally. It's not like you're him." Yuin replied assuring him.
"Oh, ok. Does he have a separate soul or anything? You know, to furthermore influence or control the avatar?" Hero asked calmly.
"Yes… well actually, I don't know. I'll research it some more."
Hero turned to Drake and asked, "How do you know Rei?"
"Oh, we've been buddies for a LONG time!" Drake explained.
After Yuin gave Hero a com-link and his sword back, Hero asked, "Wait! Who is your third teammate?"
Yuin looked at Hero, smiled, and replied, "You." After saying this, he walked out of the building. Hero and Drake both stared at each other and smiled. Then, they left the secret base, walked off into the sunset and headed towards Rei's house.
The base wasn't that secret; after all, it was huge and a bluish color. But, it was hidden because of the mountains. Yuin found a great location.
While they were walking, Hero asked Drake, "So, how long have you been working for Yuin?"
Drake looked at him and replied, "Almost two years now. We both worked on trans-dimensional inspection. It was just a mere coincidence that he hired me, Dragon-X. After a month or so, he found out I was a dragon. Since then, we have been studying ancient myths and prophecies. Strangely, all the ones we studied related to three things: the three Legendary Swords, the trans-dimensional portal, and the one chosen to vanquish evil. That one… is you Hero. When you came through the portal, we knew you were the Legendary Warrior. Aside from you, we found proof that two others breached."
"Yui and his father…" Hero said.
"Exactly. We must find Yui and try to convince him that he is still your friend. If Yui turns to our side, then we will have two of the three ultimate swords. The last one will be the most difficult to get. Save your ultimate attack for this battle. If you use this attack, it will deplete most of your life, causing you to faint. It is hard to recover afterwards, but it is well worth it." Drake explained.
"Uhhh… Drake? Can you keep a secret?" Hero asked.
"Uhh… sure? What do you need?"
"I'm that legendary white dragon Yuin's looking for." Hero answered.
Drake laughed unstoppably and asked, "You? That's funny. Great joke, Hero. He's not the Legendary Warrior, he's entirely different." Drake explained.
Then, Hero transformed into his dragon form. Drake stood in awe as if he witnessed the greatest thing that ever happened. He fell backwards to the ground in shock and questioned, "Wha… what… just happened?"
Hero smiled at him and answered, "Well, I guess the legendary dragon was reborn in me. If Yuin ever figured it out, he'd probably experiment on me."
"I'll try not to let Yuin know about it. If he finds out, he'll probably want to hook you up with that other white dragon. And then there was something about breeding-"
"Anyways, let's continue." Hero interrupted while blushing.
After a few minutes, Hero and Drake left the mountain range and noticed the sky was pitch black. They both gasped when they looked towards the end of the pathway. They quickly flew beyond the path and landed next to Rei's house. Everywhere was set ablaze by an ominous purple flame. The Dragon Order building was burning, and all the houses and tents were on fire. Drake and Hero both looked around, but there was no one there.
Then, Hero's com-link rang and he answered it immediately. Yuin asked, "What's going on around there? There is smoke coming from your position."
Hero replied, "Everything is on fire. This was no accident. There's no one here… it's almost as if they fled from something."
"Hero! I found a weird mark on this building! … This is no doubt the work of Sashiil!" Drake exclaimed.
"How do you know about Sashiil?" Hero asked.
"Well, he's the most evil, treacherous dragon of them all. He's one of the strongest, too." Drake replied respectively.
"Yeah right. I beat him in a battle." Hero said cockily.
"Yeah right, Hero! I-"
"Yuin, he did." Drake interrupted.
"He can do pretty much anything with his sword, Soul Reaper." he added.
"He's probably looking for revenge since I did beat him." Hero thought.
Hero looked near his feet and found a note. Hero grabbed his com-link and said, "Yuin, I found a note. It says, "… Soon my father and I will rule this pathetic planet. But first, we must eliminate every inferior creature. Thankfully, Sashiil will help us, so we don't have to get our hands dirty. When the time is right, he will fall like the others. But for now, he will train the dragons I captured on Vinifia. Pretty soon, he will have an army of highly trained dragons. They shall also aid us, but like the others, they will also fall in time. When the Iyallanos are transferred to the Dragon Realm, we will destroy Aeris. Finally, there will be a day where no one will be discriminated against. This is what my father and I strive for. Hero and his friends will die before me. Then, I can reclaim the sword that was meant for my father. Soul Reaper will be in our grasp… soon. Only then can I die in peace."… This was written by Yui."
Drake then transformed into his dragon form and told Hero, "I'm gonna go retrieve the captive dragons. Hero, search for Yui. It seems that he is loyal toward his father. Defeat him for good, and take the sword of light. Don't worry; you can hold it, because you have a pure heart. I'll return soon. Bye Hero!"
"Wait! Do you know where to go?" Hero shouted.
"Uhhh…"
"It's near the dragon training coarse. Look near one of the plateaus and you will find a cave. Be careful." Hero said.
After saying this, he flew westward into the dragon-training course where Hero encountered Sashiil. Then, Yuin said to Hero, "Head north. You will find Yui here. To the south is where your parents' murderer lies in hiding. Don't use the ultimate technique yet. Save it for the final battle."
After Yuin said this, Hero headed north not knowing what was going to happen next.