Hello everyone! Welcome back for another chapter of Sword Art Online: Alicization - The Fourteenth Knight! I am very happy to see that some of you guys are enjoying the story so far and I am also very excited to present this chapter that I have been dying to release. The last time we saw Adam, he had been recently assigned at student to take under his wing. But it looks mentoring the next generation of knights will be easier said than done. All rights go to Reki Kawahara, while I just own my OC. Let's start the chapter!
CHAPTER 4: Untamed Power
The thought of taking in a disciple was something that never occurred to Adam, let alone taking in a violent girl who not only thrusted her dagger into her victims, but also saw some joy to it. It was almost as if he watched a cat playing her her food who savored every moment. However seeing that the past few weeks have been a living hell, perhaps a new student would make things slightly interesting - slightly.
Over the past few weeks Adam was slightly bored with the duties he has taken in these past few days for he desired more than anything to go back to the front lines. But seeing how that work was too low for an Integrity Knight, and given how there have been less attacks from the Dark Territory, the fire within Adam was slowing burning out. Oh how he wished to return to the days where he fought beasts on the other side of the wall, but it sounds like those days are over.
Now seeing that a moment of opportunity has presented itself, it looks like Adam's life would be less boring as he would have a student. In truth he never really cared for taking on a disciple. He always saw it as a way to slow him down for which ever unfortunate child would not be able to keep up with the training Adam had in mind. A student would also serve as a distraction as it would fall on the knight's responsibility to train and care for the child, resulting in less time for himself. But now, seeing that there was no way out of the situation, it looked like Adam would have to find a way to make time for himself if was going to be training one of these girls.
"Come on! It'll be fun!" Eydis said as she placed her hand on Adam's shoulders before patting him on the back. When she saw how her brother was trying to show how resentful he was to the idea of taking in disciples, Eydis wraps her arms around Adam's neck and pulls him close for a hug. "Now, now, no need to be all grumpy! I'm sure these girls will add some excitement into our lives."
"Oh how I wish I had some of your enthusiasm." Adam said as he could not hold his straight face and surely cracked like an egg when he saw how his big sister was trying to cheer him up. A small smile appears on his face before a slight chuckle leaves Adam's mouth, lightening the mood.
"Well then the matter is finally settled. I will take my leave and allow you two to get acquainted with your new students." Seeing how his former student was adjusting to the task he had been assigned, Deusolbert knew that it was his time to leave.
"Come on! Let's go greet the girls." Eydis said as she patted Adam on the back and took her lead as they walked into the training room.
"Yes, let's." Adam said in a calm tone but was still annoyed how he was unexpectedly given the responsibility of training a child. Why do I get the feeling that these girls are going to give me a headache?
As the two entered the training grounds, Adam and Eydis saw the two girls stop in the middle of their training and turn towards the two approaching knights. One girl had light color of brunette hair the was braided into two pony tails. The other girl was about the same age as her but her hair was gold and was cut at the edge of her neck. Both had trained as if it were a game of survival of the fittest as they stared deep into Adam and Eydis' eyes.
The look they gave was all too familiar as Adam remembers how they have the eyes of a vicious predator who was out for blood. But their nature was hidden behind their childish faces that disguised their true nature. The two girls decide to hide their piercing eyes with eyes of innocence as one of them approached the knights. "Greetings. I'm… no… I am Fizel, an apprentice nun of the Axiom Church. And this is my fellow apprentice nun."
"M-My name is Linel." The girl with pony tails said as she bowed her head in respect.
"Are you two Integrity Knights?" Fizel asked before she stood in front of the heavily armored knights.
"You are correct." Eydis answered. "I am Eydis Synthesis Ten, and this here is Adam Synthesis Fourteen."
"Oh we are all too familiar with your friend over there." Fizel said which made Adam blush in embarrassment as he remembered the countless times he walked by the training grounds and couldn't help but watch Fizel and her friend train together.
"Oh really?" Eydis asked as she gave Adam a small smirk.
Trying to play it off, Adam tries to come up with an excuse. "Well… I'm always heading down to the landing platform and since the training grounds are always located above, I tend to stop by from time to time."
"More like every time if you ask me." Fizel responded.
"It's true, among all the knights that watch our sparring sessions, you are the most notable one." Linel added.
Fizel comes close to Adam and begins to examine his armor. With a look of curiosity she is amazed with the color palette of Adam's armor. Shining silver with crimson red trimmings, those colors caught the eye of this young nun. She was also surprised to see how young the two of them were as she turned back to Linel in confusion. "They're Integrity Knights?"
"So it would seem." The young girl responded.
"We were told that the two of us were going to be assigned to Integrity Knights as their disciples." Fizel said. "We weren't expecting to be assigned to two you knights like the two of you."
"Flattering will get you no where." Adam confidently said.
"Oh we're not flattering you, we're just amazed that the Axiom Church is promoting more young knights." Linel said.
"Be that as it may, we will be overseeing your training from this point forward." Eydis said.
"That won't be necessary." The two said in sync for the tone of the large room changed drastically as both Adam and Eydis began to see the more ruthless side of Fizel and Linel.
"I beg your pardon." Eydis asked.
"Don't get us wrong, we are honored to be chosen as disciples. But we were hoping to be assigned to actual Integrity Knights rather than two former students." Fizel said with a smile that hid her wild nature within her. Her attitude gave off a sense of sense of arrogance who felt as if she was entitled for greater things.
"Look, I don't wish to be here anymore than you do." Adam said as he stood toe to toe with the little girl. Eydis saw their size difference was quite noticeable as Adam clearly stood about two feet taller than the small girl. "But given that I have been strictly ordered to be your new teacher, I must obey my mentor's wishes. So, I'll hazard a wager. If you can somehow manage to land a single hit on me, then I will not take you in as my disciple. If not, then brace yourself young lady because I plan to shape you into a well respected Integrity Knight through any means necessary. Deal?"
After giving it some thought, Fizel pondered on how the fight will turn out. Sure she can handle several soldiers, but taking on an Integrity Knight was a challenge she could not pass up. Should she succeed than perhaps she will be one step closer to achieving her goal of becoming the strongest Integrity Knight. Her victory would serve as an inspiration to not just Fizel but to all the little girls who are struggling to climb their way to the top of the packing order in the Axiom Church. With a wicked smile on her face, Fizel looks at Adam with a look of determination. "Deal!"
"Oh boy, here we go." Eydis said who was embarrassed to be apart of this as both she and Linel watched from the sidelines while Adam and Fizel entered the center of the training grounds.
As the Integrity Knight walked across the training grounds, he never took his eye off the young nun who was determined to end this fight as quick as possible. Adam knew that he had experience on his side, given that he has seen combat far more than this little girl. But he has watched her train for the past few weeks and knows that Fizel can handle her own in a fight. However fighting against human soldiers was one thing, fighting an Integrity Knight who has slain countless beasts from the dark territory was another.
But what Adam did not know was the life that these two girls lived. Both Fizel and Linel were both born and raised inside the cathedral and were used in an experiment created by the Pontifex. The two girls, and among other children, were to be used to restore totally lost life with a resurrection sacred art. At a young age they were taught to kill one another and the be resurrected again and again. Through all the pain and suffering these two girls were capable of killing.
With both opponents having some experience on their side, Eydis and Linel looked to one another with curiosity before looking back at Adam and Fizel who were ready to start their match. While Fizel readied her dagger, Adam unsheathed his large sword. Feeling the full weight of his sword, Adam had almost forgotten what it was like to draw out his Divine Object, and while he would easily unleash its full power for the first time, he knew couldn't. One of the main reasons was because it was forbidden to use Divine Objects within the church due to the immense power causing unwanted destruction. Also, seeing that he has not yet fully unlocked the power within his sword, he wanted his first time to be in a battle against the enemy and not small little girl.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a little girl." Adam said with a smirk on his face as he was ready to put this spoiled brat in her place.
"You know you really shouldn't underestimate little girls." Fizel responded as she gave an evil smile that made Adam reconsider his initial thoughts on the situation. Her words spoke truth as Adam tightened his grip onto his sword before planting his feet firmly on the ground to get a strong stance. He was going to treat this fight like any other and was going to do what ever it took to win. "I look forward to dragging your paralyzed body to the Pontifex."
"Then come at me you little runt." Adam said in a serious tone as his mindset shifted into a different state for he was now acting like the Integrity Knight he was. In an instant the small girl rushes forward with her dagger and attempts to thrust her blade right in the center of Adam's chest plate. The knight readies his stance and is prepared to block her attack but suddenly Fizel jumps over Adam as she readies her weapon for a strike in midair.
Adam is athirst surprised by all this and quickly redirects his sword to block the dagger from touching his neck. The sound of two iron weapons echo the room as small sparks flew from when the two openers first attacked and blocked on another. Fizel lands behind Adam and attempts to stab him from the back but the young knight anticipates this attack and twirls his sword behind him to prevent the dagger from stabbing him.
After two failed attempts, Adam decides to turn the tables and goes on the offensive side as he quickly turns around to face Fizel before throwing a left hook punch to the side of her face. The poor young girl did not see this coming as she felt Adam's gauntlet make full contact with the right side of her face. The force of the blow is to strong that the nun instantly falls down to the ground, allowing Adam to create some space between the two. With her cheek red from the punch, and her mouth slowly being filled with blood, the little girl looks at Adam with an angered face. Adam regains his posture and looks down at the angered child. "I told you that I wouldn't go easy on you."
Frustrated by his words, Fizel picks up her knife and lunges back to the knight. Adam sees this girl wildly throw several strikes to his arms, legs, and face, only to be blocked and deflected by his sword. Both Eydis and Linel watched as these two go at it with one another. To be more precise, it was Fizel who was on mostly the offensive as she would try to land a single blow on this one knight who kept preventing her from doing so.
Adam did his best to not humiliate the girl too much as he kept playing this fight on the more defensive every strike Fizel threw Adam either blocked, deflect, or move away from the blow. The third option proved to be more embarrass Fizel more as it would fuel her anger. It was one thing for her to make a strike towards the knight and have it being blocked or deflected, it was another thing to Adam move away from her strikes. It only showed her that she was getting sloppy with her work which resulted in throwing more imprecise strikes in a tantrum.
The Integrity Knight used this to his advantage as he planned on exploiting this girls anger which was her weakness. Even though she was a trained killer from birth, she was still a child, and children tend to outburst their anger when things don't go their way. After deflecting several strikes, Adam would sometimes use his physical strength to overwhelm Fizel by either throwing several punches to her body, slapping her with the back of his hand, or even hitting the enraged girl with the brunt of his sword. Despite telling her that he would not go easy on her, Adam did his best to only give Fizel a small taste of his authority but just enough to slightly bruise the girl.
After being beaten several times by Adam's hand, blood could be seen draining from Fizel's mouth and forehead like a small waterfall as well as several scratches and bruises began to form. She had been humiliated in front of her close friend but was still strong enough to stand on her two feet that were tired from all the fighting. She holds her knife close to her before attempting to thrust it right into Adam's cold heart, and screams at the top of her lungs. However, give that she had used up most of her energy, Adam saw the attack coming from a mile away and was able to slip away from the forward strike. Having seen her use almost every trick in the book, Adam felt that this fight was over. He grabs hold of her hands and locks her in a grip within his arms and watches this girl struggle like an animal caught in a trap.
"Is this really the best you can do?" Adam asked as he felt this small girl struggle to break from him. He keeps his attention on the dagger that was held close to his face before putting the squeeze on Fizel's hand. The little girl could not deal any more pain as she quickly released her grip from the knife and watched it fall to the floor before tear drops started to fall from her eyes. Seeing that this girl could not fight any more, Adam pleases Fizel from his grip and watches her fall to her knees while she wiped the blood and tears from her face.
For good measure, Adam kicks the knife away from the crying girl to make sure should wouldn't do any more stupid things that would further embarrass her. With the fight being over, Adam watched both Eydis and Linel approach them. While Linel went to her crying friend, Eydis gave a look of concern to Adam as he knew that he was gonna get a lecture from her. Knowing that he had to make this right, Adam pulled a small handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Fizel. Without looking to her newly appointed teacher, the sobbing girl takes the rag and wipes some of the tears from her eyes.
"There, there, no need to cry anymore." Adam said before looking over to Linel. "Take her to a doctor, and have them heal all her scratches and bruises. Afterwards, make sure she takes a long hot bath before taking her to the dining hall on the ninety-fourth floor. Finally, let her rest for a few days. I want her cleaned up, well fed and rested before she starts her training."
"Understood." Linel responded as her attitude towards this knight has suddenly changed. Before she only saw him and Eydis as poorly trained knights who were casted to do the less exciting work. But after today, she had a new found respect for the knights who were clearly stronger than the two of them put together.
"Linel, I want you to do the same." Eydis said to remind her new student that she wanted her to be at her best before they began their training.
"As you wish." Linel said before she picked up Fizel and carried her to the nearest doctor in the cathedral.
After the two girls left, Adam let out a small sigh as he waited for Eydis to give him a lecture. "Was that really necessary?"
"I had a feeling you were going to say that." Adam quickly responded before they walked out of the chamber to head back to their rooms.
"Don't take me for a fool that I didn't see that you were enjoying this."
"Very well, I slightly enjoyed the moment but I kept most of my emotions in check."
"And did you really have to embarrass her in front of her friend?"
"I didn't intend on taking it too far, but the girl kept insisting that she wanted to prolong the fight." Adam said. "Although I wouldn't call it much of a fight as that term implies that both sides have an equal chance of winning."
"Adam?" Eydis asked in a very concerned yet slightly angered tone.
"Alright, let me ask you this. Would you have liked it if I allowed that girl to continue her spoiled attitude towards us?" Adam asked.
"No, I suppose not."
"If I didn't do something about it, then both girls would continue to walk all over us whenever we train them."
"Speak for yourself. While I do agree that their behavior was out of line, I would have handled things differently. And I do plan on taking a different approach to training Linel."
"Good luck with that." Adam said with a slight smirk and laugh.
"I don't need luck." Eydis said with a confident attitude. "If anyone who is going to need any luck, it's probably you."
"Me?"
"Yes. Because while you were sparring with Fizel, I was able to pick up a few things."
"Like?"
"For starters, she's a headstrong girl, which means she is going to be a handful when you start training her." Eydis said. "And she is also resourceful, so she's probably going to be thinking of new ways to try to hurt you."
"On that I do agree." Adam said, as he realized just how much Fizel is going to cause him when the two start training with one another. "But I like to think that I at least taught her a lesson in humility that I hope she will carry on with the rest of her life."
Oh how Adam was so wrong as days of training turned into weeks as Adam and Fizel trained while Eydis trained Linel. Over the past several weeks the two knights trained the two nuns in the art of combat. While both Fizel and Linel were familiar with killing army grunts, after Fizel's first sparring session with her new teacher the two girls realized that they were not ready to take on an opponent like Adam or Eydis.
However as their training went on, both Adam and Fizel argued with one another on the different views of combat. While Fizel preferred the more agile approach, Adam believed that physical strength was the key to winning a fight. It worked in their first sparring session, but the nun was resilient for when it came to learning a new skill that was not fit for her. Their little arguments would escalate into a sparring match Adam would put Fizel back in her place, only to have the girl bit frustrated with the results.
When it came to battle tactics both girls took in every drop of knowledge that Adam and Eydis gave as they wanted to teach their girls different strategies that would one day save their lives. They looked back at the history of the Human Empire and studied the different strategies the several Integrity Knights used to achieve victory. The group also looked into the more brutal strategies the Dark Territory used. In order to best your enemy, one must fully understand them.
This lead to both knights showing these apprentice nuns the different biologies of the creatures they will fight against in the far future. Both Linel and Fizel studied the anatomy of goblins, orcs, ogres, and giants, in hopes of teaching them different methods of killing these creatures. While Adam believed that Fizel was getting stronger each day, she was still not ready to take on the likes of a goblin soldier.
As the days went on, they looked at several maps that charted out the Dark Territory. Because both girls were not allowed to leave the cathedral yet, Adam and Eydis felt that they should at least know what lies outside the boarders of the empire. If they knew how to read maps and terrain, this would prove beneficial to them for when they are ready to join the two knights on patrol.
In just a small amount of time, both knights were surprised to see how quick these girls were able to understand the lessons they were being taught. Even when Adam and Eydis had to leave the church to perform their assigned tasks, Fizel and Linel remained at the church were they would either continue their training or spent hours reading several scrolls and books from the library. It seemed that Eydis was right about Fizel. She was indeed a headstrong and resourceful little lady, but Adam felt that her reasons for wanting to learn more was for a different reason.
Fizel wanted to be more perfect than any knight before her, including her teacher. This resulted in her striving to be the best in order to satisfy her selfish nature. When there were days when the girls were given a day off, Adam would sometimes catch the two of them strengthening not just their muscles, but their minds as well. In his eyes, Adam believed that he must do whatever he can to maintain his status among the disciples. Like wolves, there was always an alpha leader in the pecking order. In this case it was both Adam and Eydis.
While the two of them were Integrity Knights, they both knew that Linel and Fizel were sharpening their skills so that one day they could be ready to overtake them. In a way it was almost similar to how Adam felt about Deusolbert. Training Fizel made him see how he was brought up through the ranks because of his mentor. He also remembers the arguments they had with one another and how Adam strove to be the best. But his reasons for being better was because he wanted to prove to his mentor that the way Adam handled things was what got results. There was never a moment where he wanted to surpass him in order to best his old teacher. But with these girls, it's different.
For both Linel and Fizel, they spent countless hours training and studying so that they could one day overtake Eydis and Adam. If they were to accomplish their goal, then perhaps it would give them some recognition that they so desperately desire, and that is what made Adam realize something - recognition. In the time he had spent with his young disciple he came to see that inspire of her sinister nature, all Fizel really wanted was to be acknowledged.
After several months have passed, Adam and Fizel can be seen sparring with one another. Inside the large room stood Eydis and Linel who stood by and watched the two go at it with one another. While Adam was able to block several strikes to his face, he came to see how his student is now more upfront than when they first spared with each other. In their fist match, Fizel attempted to strike every part of Adam's body, only to have it be blocked or deflected by the knight's blade. However, the little girl was now more aggressive with her strikes as she was also making them more precise than before.
Adam was impressed to see how his student has quickly built up her strength and skill. With her strikes being accurate than before, Adam remained alert with every slash and thrust that came near his face. At the same time he threw several attacks with his sword to help train his student with her defense. Both were engaged in an elegant ballroom dance of sword and dagger as they did their best to land the critical blow without harming one another.
Both Eydis and Linel were impressed to see how the two of their friends were both pushing themselves to their limit. Despite how they were in a way helping each other, neither of them would admit it to one another. While the two sparred, Eydis heard the sound of large boots approach behind them. Linel turns back and sees Deusolbert standing beside her teacher. He was impressed to see how his former student was able to handle a wild girl who had been created to do one thing - kill. But because of Adam, he somehow made her more civilized. Perhaps assigning Fizel as Adam's disciple proved to be beneficial to the knight as it allowed him to grow out of his angered phase and become more patient with a student who was just as arrogant as him.
As the fight went on, Adam anticipated and blocked several strikes from Fizel as the girl was throwing at him. He watched this girl jump over him and try to give him a small hair cut, which resulted in Adam to duck beneath the blade and crouch low to the ground -this is what Fizel wanted. With his stance in a less stable position, Adam could be easily toppled over and as she landed behind, she wanted to get the attention of her teacher by making it seem like she was going to slash the back of his cape. Adam turns around and sees the nun widen her legs as she landed on the floor.
His eyes broadened as he realized that he was falling right into her trap. Using all the strength she had left, the young girl swipes at Adam's legs causing him to lose his balance and fall flat on his back. Making sure that the fight would end, the little girl kicks her teacher's sword away and watches it fly away from them leaving Adam defenseless. Breathing heavily, Fizel stood over Adam with her dagger pointed down at him. Everyone was surprised to see how this little nun was able to best an Integrity Knight. Fizel was excited to see how she had finally been able to gain the upper hand on Adam. "You are beaten!"
Seeing how his student was finally strong enough to beat him in match, Adam was able to recognize Fizel's accomplishment. But seeing how there was still some wicked motive for her intentions, Adam believed that is was time to remind his disciple who is still superiors. "No I'm not."
With the twist of his hips, Adam wrapped his legs around Fizel's and was able to do a quick spin, allowing him to throw the girl off her balance. As Fizel fell to the ground, Adam grabbed hold of her knife and placed it underneath his student's chin. Surprised by his deceit Fizel's emotions quickly changed from excitement to anger as she was furious with what her mentor just pulled. "You cheated! You know I won this match quick and clean!"
"The enemy will not play fair and will use every dirty trick to win the fight. Let this be your lesson for today." Adam said as he got off his student and pulled her off the ground. Seeing how she was still in an upset mood, as Adam gave her dagger back he knew he had to make it up to her. "But I will admit, I am impressed with your skills."
As he gave back Fizel her knife, the little girl storms out in a tantrum. She refused to accept Adam's compliment as she was too mad to think at the moment. Her moment of glory was quickly denied by her teacher who just had to embarrass her once again in front of everybody. Linel watched her friend rush by her without any acknowledgment before looking back to Eydis. The knight gives a slight nod to her student before Linel was permitted to go check up on her friend was angry at the moment.
With both disciples gone, Adam grabs his sword off the ground and sees his friend and former mentor approach him. He already knew that he was in for another lecture. "Stop. I know what you're going to say."
"Was that really necessary?" Eydis asked.
"And now I'm going to have to hear it again."
"Come on, we both know that Fizel clearly won the fight, but you were too prideful to accept defeat."
"I was trying to teach her lesson."
"Well it seems that it didn't get through to her."
"Look as someone who has fought in the mud, the only people who win battles are the ones that are willing to do whatever it takes to win." Adam said. "All I am doing is preparing her for what lies outside those walls. Heaven forbid that this place is overrun by demons from the Dark Territory and she has nothing to defend herself. "
"Your missing the point my former disciple." Deusolbert said. "For you to put so much on a child, you are pushing her to the breaking point."
"Wait, you're going to lecture me about the breaking point?" Adam responded who was shocked to see how Deusolbert, out of all people, was lecturing him about limits. "Who threw me into the wild in my first weeks of training? Who disciplined me until my bones cracked? And am I mistaken or weren't you the one who assigned her to be my disciple and said I could use any method to train her."
"I said I that you are allowed to use any method to PROPERLY train her." Deusolbert said. "And while I see that she can take your more brutish side, her mind is what you are pushing to the limit."
"Adam, you don't see how Fizel is starting to become more like you?" Eydis asked.
"In what way?"
"In how you are unknowingly pushing her to rely on her emotions." Eydis pointed out. "And what you just mentioned to her about today's lesson. Something tells me she's going to have something waiting for you the next time you spar with one another."
"I can handle anything that girl throws at me." Adam said to his friend's warning before turning to face Deusolbert. "And what are you doing here? You decided to come down here and criticize my teaching methods?"
"I came to give you both your next tasks." Deusolbert said as both Adam and Eydis were surprised to hear that they were being given new orders. "We've have been hearing strange reports of unknown activity in the Western and Eastern territories of the empire. You are to deploy out and search the land, and should you encounter creatures from the Dark Territory you will be given full permission to deal with them as you see fit. Eydis, you will be sent to the Eastern boarder. And Adam you are to be sent to the Western side of the kingdom. Inform your disciples about your impending absence and leave at once."
"Yes sir!" Both responded as they left the training hall to gather their belongings.
Before walking back up the long flight of stairs to reach his room, Adam first stopped by Fizel's quarters to apologize for what happened earlier. But the young girl refuse to answer the door and sat in her room in silence, sulking but also scheming on how she was going to return the favor to her teacher. After trying several times to reach her, Adam knew that he would have to do more than a simple apology. He would have to think of a way to make it up to her after his tour from the west side of the empire. Seeing that Fizel was going no where, Adam did his best to offer a sincere apology before leaving to his chambers.
Upon reaching his room, the knight grabbed anything that would be useful for this mission. He did not know how long he would be away from home so he decided to grab a large sum of coin. This money could help him out in many ways. It could help him attain food and shelter, while at the same time persuade people to give him any information that could be beneficial. He also unsheathes his sword and sees that despite all the strikes from Fizel's dagger, the blade has kept its sharpened nature. He places his sword back into its scabbard before packing a small bag with clothes.
With all his goods taken care of, Adam heads down to the thirtieth floor where he sees Eydis ready her dragon Kirimai. Like Hiroshi, Kirimai was a strong and powerful dragon whom had been raised by Eydis since she was a nothing but a small egg. She was slight shade of grey and white, similar to Eydis' armor and carried protective armor that covered the face of this dragon. While Eydis readied her gear onto her friends, Adam made sure all his belonging s were well secured onto Hiroshi's back.
As the moon rose to the peak of the sky, its bright light illuminated the night sky, making it perfect for the two friends to take flight with their dragons. At the edge of the platform that stood out from the Central Cathedral, both Eydis and Adam could be seen on top of their dragons who were looking down below. Eydis takes this moment to say goodbye to her friend. "Alright, I wish you all the luck. Hopefully this is nothing more than a wild goose chase."
"Let's hope." Adam said. "Take care Big Sis."
After hearing her friend acknowledge her the way she always wanted to be called, the young knight blushes before taking her dragon off the edge of the platform. Adam and Hiroshi watched both Eydis and Kirimai dive down to the garden below before swooping off into the knight sky, Eydis looks back at her friend and waves goodby to him before grabbing hold of the reins of her dragon to head East.
"Alright Hiroshi, let's go!" Adam said as he grabbed hold of his friend before the two jumped off the ledge of the platform. In an instant, Adam felt the cold wind brush against his face like a hurricane as the two dove down to the garden. Before they could hit the solid ground, Adam and his dragon took off into the night sky and headed West.
For hours they flew in the same direction as they quickly saw the city slowly disappear behind them before they headed into the country side of the Western Region. There Adam saw large towns look like ants beneath him as they were high up in the sky. The rich light from the moon was so bright that it was able to cast a shadow on the green fields beneath them. The lakes were so calm that the knight was able to see a reflection from his dragon that flew underneath the moon that was blessed by Solus.
After flying for sometime, Adam could see that both he and Hiroshi were approaching the Western Boarder of the kingdom, for the small towns and villages began to slowly fade away as they approached the wall.
Upon arrival, both the knight and his dragon scanned the boarder as they made sure that no creature was trespassing onto their sacred land. With Hiroshi's vision better at night, and his smell more than ten times stringer than Adam's, the dragon searched for any trace of goblins, orcs or any other foul creature that would cross their boarders. Despite not being able to have heightened senses like his dragon, Adam still took control of the situation and guided his friend to new areas to search. But still there were no results.
"Alright, it seems that there's nothing here for now. Why don't we head back to the nearest town and find a place to rest. We'll pick up our search at dawn." Adam suggested to where the dragon responded with a small subtle growl, signaling that he agreed with Adam.
As the two flew east to the nearest town, Adam could not get rid of this sense of suspiciousness. Having his back turned away from the walls made him feel unease as he felt that something was following them. But seeing that they were in the night sky, not even the giants could reach them. After flying for only a short amount of time, with the closes town within reach, Adam feels Hiroshi tug on the reins before giving a loud roar - the dragon was scarred. "Easy Hiroshi! What is it?"
Before either one of them could respond, from out of the darkness, two black dragons dive from above. A sense of fear and shock, shook the knight to his core as this was the first time that someone was able to get the drop on him. After barely escaping the first strike, Adam notices that there were knights in black armor riding those dragons, and they were not Integrity Knights from the Axiom Church. In front of him were two Dark Knights from the Dark Territory.
"A boy?" One knight spoke. "The Axiom Church sends a boy to do a man's job?"
"It seems the Pontifex is surely running out of new knights to send." The other knight added.
"Don't let age deceive you. I've killed countless of your kind to get to where I am at tonight." Adam said to the two knights. "I am impressed though. That this is the first time anyone has been able to get the drop on me and my friend."
"Then it pleases me to say that I will be the first and only person to send your body back to the church in pieces." The Dark Knight said as his dragon roared in anger.
Seeing how there were only two of them, Adam began to assume that they were scouts sent from the Dark Territory. If in fact they were cuts, then that would mean that there was an army preparing to invade the west part of the Human Empire. If Adam can take care of this two quick, then he'll be able to send a message back to the beasts out side the wall before reporting back to church to inform his superiors.
Before Adam could even think of another thought, one of the Dark Knights lunges forward with his dragon as Adam soon saw a pair of sharp fellow teeth come directly at him. The other knight rushes forward with his dragon as begins to makes it frontal attack on Hiroshi. Adam ducks beneath the oncoming attack before Hiroshi uses his fangs and claws to fend off the second attack. It wasn't long until both dragons decided to attack both Adam and Hiroshi at the same time as they are quickly battered with two sets of teeth and claws.
Avoiding every strike that came at him, Adam does his best to fend off one dragon while Hiroshi is doing all that he could to repel the other dragon. Thankfully Hiroshi had some armor on his head and neck which protected him from several attacks. But his gut was getting slashed by the claws of the dragon fighting him. Unable to help his friend, Adam slashes his sword across the exposed eye of the second dragon and gives his friend the opportunity to swipe the other dragon with his large tail.
"Alright boy. I hate to do this, but run!" Adam ordered as he and his dragon flew dove to the ground at high speed as they tried to get away from the Dark Knights. Adam hated the idea of running as it was a sign of fear something that a knight should never have. But as they flew across the plains and over lakes, Adam was thinking of way to take care of these two knights.
Before he could come up with a solution, the two knights fly beside Adam and Hiroshi before they slam their large bodies on the two friends. Adam felt the weight of two dragons slam against his legs as he also heard Hiroshi roar in pain before trying to escape from the two beasts. At the same time Adam did his best to block several Attacks from the Dark Knights who slashed their swords at Adam. But since he could not fully move his body to better avoid the strikes, Adam was getting several scratches on arms and back. Were it not for his armor, Adam would be losing more blood than usual.
While the three humans fought, Hiroshi held his ground as best as he could but was getting badly beaten by the two dragon. Even though Adam's dragon was able to fend off one attack, another came from the opposite side as he would get constantly bitten by the other dragon. Seeing how his friend was in danger, Adam quickly came up with a solution to help his friend. Using all his strength, the young knight quickly thrusted his sword into one of the dragon's thighs before he heard the animal roar in pain, causing him to break off from the group.
With Hiroshi free, Adam grabs onto the reins and pulls his dragon high up into the the two dragons fly towards them, the Integrity Knight realizes that the only way to take care of these demons was with his Divine Object. Enraged that these knights allowed their beasts to hurt his best friend, Adam holds his sword with a firm grip. "Oh how I've waited a long time for this moment. It seems like you fools will be the first victims to face my Divine Object! Enhance Armament!"
As Adam held his sword high, several blue circles of magic began to appear on the blade. Astonished by all the power that was in his hand, the Integrity Knight watched the spells that enchanted his sword work like clockwork as various shapes appeared across his sword in the blink of an eye before quickly disappearing back into the blade. Not a moment later, clouds began to form in the dark sky as Adam felt the handle of his sword warm itself before the iron blade glowed a light color of blue. The two Dark Knights stopped their dragons as they looked up and saw this boy summon the power of gods as bolts of lightning began to shoot from his blade.
The cloudy night sky cracked in half as bolts of blue and white lightning shot from the Integrity Knight's sword. Bolts of electricity danced across the sky like the roots of a large tree that originated from Adam. Never before had he seen such power and ferocity come from a Divine Object. He had witnessed first hand of Deusolbert's Conflagration Bow, and remembers the heat of the flames his arrows created when they were shot by his Divine Object. Ever since that moment he dreamt of wielding a mighty weapon that would deem him a string and powerful knight. Now, holding his sword in his hand, Adam watched his blade shatter the sky above him with flashes of lightning while the sound of roaring thunder travel across the night.
Not wasting anytime, the two Dark Knights rush forward with their dragons, hoping to kill the Integrity Knight before he could inflict any pain on them. But with the wave of his hand, Adam directs his sword towards the oncoming knights and points the tip of his blade at them. In the blink of an eye, a storm of blue and white lighting discharges from the sword, traveling across the sky before making contact with the two knights. In an instant, the Dark Knights felt pain beyond all knowing as their skin burned from the heat of the lighting that danced across their armor, cooking them from the inside. Their hearts raced as fast as the dragon can fly for the pain was also sharp like a thousand knives being stabbed across their body all at once. And this pain did not fade easily, as it was prolonged for some time.
The dragons also suffered from the force of the blow as they felt the lighting course through their body while they roared in agony. Several bolts entered their mouths, causing the large beasts to feel even more pain as their insides were being electrocuted. The raw power was too much for them to bare as their eyeballs popped from their sockets before scorching their brains. In what felt like minutes was only seconds as Adam watched his sword burn the knights and their dragons to crisp before their bodies were nothing but ash that blew into the wind. "Good riddance."
Amazed by the sheer power from his sword, Adam holds his sword to the side as he gives a slight smirk, as he was pleased to see results of his strength. However, while he enjoyed the spoils of victory, he did not notice that there were still sparks of lighting that stringed across his sword. Before he could order his dragon to descend, Adam suddenly feels an immense surge of power come from his sword. A single bolt of lightning fires off of the base of the blade which surprises the knight. "What?"
Not a moment later, several other bolts of lightning begin to disperse themselves from the sword before Adams's both hands to control the sword. The force of energy that was radiating throughout the blade jerked Adam's arms back and forth, and side to side as he tried to take control of his Divine Object. Struggling with his sword, Hiroshi was also frightened from what was happening and panics before the dragon dives down to avoid being struck by lighting. With his dragon quickly descending to the grass fields below, Adam needed to take control of Hiroshi while at the same time attempt to regain control of his sword.
Flying wildly across the sky Adam held tightly onto his sword while also holding onto the reins of his dragon. The knight manages to pull as hard as he could to prevent the two of them from directly crashing onto the ground. But seeing that he had to focus his attention on Hiroshi, the sword began to send several bolts of lighting into the sky.
The loud flashes of light, and sudden roars of thunder, were able to wake up a farmer who's land was miles away from the nearest town. In the sky he saw a dragon flap his wings recklessly while lightning shot from his rider's sword who was trying to take control of his weapon tat was acting as if it had a mind of its own. And if his blade had a sense of conscious, it was emitting a presence of fear and lack of respect as it discharged lightning in a fit of rage.
"You will do as I command!" Adam struggled to say as he tried to take control of both his dragon and sword. Using all his strength, The young knight pulls onto the reigns of his beast before Hiroshi comes to an immediate halt in the middle of the sky. He then holds his sword into the sky and commands his weapon to cease this hostility. In a calm moment, Adam watches the lightning fade into the sword. As he felt the sword begin to quiet down, he takes a breath of cool air as the worst was finally over. In the blink of an eye, the largest bolt of electricity fires from his sword and into the night sky. However, the strings of lightning come traveling down to the handle of the blade, electrocuting both Adam and Hiroshi.
Roaring at the top of his lungs, Adam felt the heat of sun burn his body as his vision began to fade, allowing him to only see blue and white flashes of light. Every nerve of his body was in immense pain as if he had jumped into a pile of knives as the lighting traveled across his body. Hiroshi was also experience great misery as the large beast let out a roar that could be heard for miles. The dragon's vision also became as bright as daylight which caused a sharp pain in its retina. The moment only lasted for a small moment, sparing the two from suffering sever burns, but they had lost all the strength they had.
The farmer, who was miles away, watched a large surge of lighting light up the night sky for only an instant as it almost blinded him for a brief moment. He looks back at the sky and sees the lighting finally disappear before seeing the dragon and his rider plummet towards earth. He runs to his barn and gathers one of his trusted horses and hurries to where the knight and dragon will land.
As they fell towards the grassy plains, Adam's vision is slightly impaired but is still somehow able to reach for Hiroshi's reins. Using whatever strength he had left he tries to pull his dragon upward and feels his dragon somehow regain conscious. Suffering from the pain, Hiroshi manages to open his wings slightly before the two go from a straight dive into the plains to a downward slope that led them to a small cloud of trees. Bring for impact, Adam covers his face while Hiroshi angels his head before the dragon smashes through several trees with his armor plate that sat on his head. However his wings were not so fortunate as a large tree smashed against the dragon's left wing, causing the beast to ache in pain for it was clearly broken. Adam also felt several branches tear through his cape and clothes while also suffering from cuts that slashed his face.
Not a moment too soon, the two had managed to break through the last of the trees before Hiroshi crashed his body along a green field of grass. The sheer for of the impact tore through the wild field as a large gash of dirt could be clearly seen from afar. While the force of the crash landing was large enough to stop Hiroshi from his tracks, it was strong enough to send Adam flying further from his friend. He watched his blurred world spiral out of control as he flew across the field with his belongings, including his sword. He lands on the green grass and begins to roll away from his friend before hearing the sound of several bones cracking across his body.
The smell of grass and dirt kicked into his face as he finally came to halt and rolled onto his back. Looking up at the night sky he saw nothing but darkness as his ears rang with a high pitched noise before he heard the hum of his sword fly close to him. In a second he sees the blade land firmly in the grass beside him. Had he had rolled just a few feet further he would have been impaled by his own sword. He turns back to Hiroshi who is nothing but a red spot in his vision and tries to reach out to his dying friend. Before he could say a word he hears the sound of a horse crying in fear and suddenly sees a man of old age run towards him. Adam's vision begins to fade to black as he looks at the face of this Good Samaritan but only hears muffled sounds coming from his mouth before the knight is dragged away from his dragon and soon passes out.
That will do it for the first part of the story ACT I - STUDENT!
For those of you wondering on what that means, upon writing the basic format of the story, it will be broken up three parts that serve as the beginning, middle and end of Adam's journey. I wanted the story to also provide several surprises to the reader by changing the setting and tone in each part.
In ACT I we saw Adam rise up the ranks of the Axiom Church and quickly become an Integrity Knight who relies on brute force and power. Well it seems that it didn't work out in his favor as his Divine Object became unstable and hurt both him and his dragon. As we move into the next chapter we'll see Adam enter a whole new world and encounter new characters in his road to recovery.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as we finally got to see the sheer power that Adam's sword carries at a great cost. It may seem more powerful then some of the weapons we see in the anime, but it too unstable and unpredictable for anyone to wield. Hopefully within time, Adam will learn how to control its power.
If you liked what you're seeing so far, feel free to follow and add this story to your favorites. If you enjoyed the chapter, let me know your thoughts in the comment section. I'll see you all next time in ACT II - FARMER with CHAPTER 5: The Farmer.
