MASTERS OF THE ETERNITY
Chapter 3: RIVALS
The forest was eerily still.
Ash drifted like black snow from the smoldering ruins of the outpost. The embers of the attack still lingered in the air, heat clinging to the scorched earth, but the true fire—the one within Izek—was just beginning to burn.
Izek stood silently in the clearing, his green eyes dim but focused. Blood streaked his brow from the earlier battle. Beside him, Raian crouched, observing a set of distorted footprints in the soft earth.
"They went west," Raian said, his voice low.
Izek didn't respond immediately. His fists were still trembling—not from fear, but from the lingering sensation of Resonant Flow. That moment in the gorge, when his mind broke and reformed into something sharper, stronger—it haunted him and empowered him.
He nodded. "Then we follow."
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The two traveled through tangled woods and shallow streams for hours until the trees gave way to the desolate path toward Muraei, a village built on the edge of a high ravine. It was known as a resting stop for mercenaries, adventurers, and fortune seekers—an ideal place to catch wind of the next move from anyone searching for the Blade of Eternity.
As they entered the village, the smell of firewood and stew masked the usual air of suspicion strangers received. Tired travelers sat beneath cloth awnings drinking from cracked mugs. A few looked up, noting the boys' matching scars and serious expressions, but quickly returned to their drinks.
Inside a tavern called The Copper Boar, Izek and Raian sat across from an old man who claimed he had once walked beside a swordsman who'd seen the Blade of Eternity. His voice trembled with drink and age.
"Half the people searching for that blade are already bones, boys," he muttered. "If you're smart, you'll stay in this village. It's got warm beds and no nightmares."
"We're not searching for the blade because we're smart," Raian replied with a small smile. "We're searching for it because we must."
The man laughed bitterly. "Then you'll meet them soon enough. The ones who don't speak. The ones who smell like damp stone."
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That night, the village slept uneasily.
Izek stood outside the inn, his eyes fixed on the moon. He couldn't rest. Not after what he'd felt inside himself. That raw explosion of force—it wasn't just energy. It was like something inside him had clicked. He wasn't just stronger. He was different.
Raian joined him quietly.
"You're still thinking about that moment in the gorge?"
Izek nodded. "It felt like dying. Then waking up as someone else."
Raian leaned on the railing. "Our masters taught us that pain sharpens the soul. That we're just tools waiting to be forged. Maybe that's what happened to you. You were tempered."
Izek chuckled. "And you? Have you been tempered yet?"
"I'm not sure. But if we're going to keep going..." Raian turned to face him. "We need to test ourselves. Here. Now."
Izek blinked. "What?"
"I want to know if what awakened in you is real—or just adrenaline." Raian stepped into the moonlight, his eyes narrowing. "Fight me, Izek."
Silence.
Then Izek smiled slowly. "You never change, huh?"
"I'll change when I lose."
They moved into the empty street, watched only by the shadows. No weapons. Just fists.
Raian struck first—his movement crisp, honed. Izek parried, but the blow rattled his forearm. Another came, low and sweeping, forcing Izek back.
But this time, he let go.
His foot skidded back—and then it anchored. His hand pulsed with faint energy. And in one breath, he stepped forward.
WHAM!
A glowing fist collided with Raian's ribs—not breaking them, but stopping his motion cold. Raian staggered back, eyes wide.
"That..." he gasped. "That felt like a mountain dropped on me."
Izek breathed heavily, but his eyes didn't glow like before. They were calm. "I'm learning to control it."
Raian looked at him, then smiled. "Good. Because you'll need that control soon. We're not the only ones hunting this blade."
A slow clap echoed from the rooftop above.
Both boys turned. A figure crouched in a black mantle, his face pale and eyes reflecting silver light.
"I was hoping to find the ones who lit up the gorge," the stranger said.
Izek and Raian tensed.
The figure stood. "You've made enemies you don't even understand yet. The blade's return has begun more than a journey. It's awakened an era."
He leapt down from the roof—and vanished into the shadows.
Raian exhaled. "I don't like how that sounded."
Izek's green eyes narrowed. "Then we find out what it means—together."
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TO BE CONTINUED