Kinsuke Village

-Kinsuke Village-

         Keon, Deunan, and the rest of the travelers entered the village with eager looks. Briana, however, wasn’t too excited; she was still confused about their fight in Trelite Forest. She simply couldn’t find a reason why the king would be so interested in this strange boy from the other world. Sure, he was an extremely strong fighter, she would give him that much credit, but other than that he wasn’t anything special. But, there was still his uncanny resemblance to the sons of the king, Katale, and Teon. There was a specific reason why the king had sent his men after him and she was going to find out what it was.
         Keon and Deunan, realizing that Briana had fallen back, casually drifted to the rear of their party. It seemed odd to them that she wasn’t celebrating their hard earned victory.
         “What’s the matter?” Keon asked her. The excitement from his win still lingered on his voice. Briana was slightly irritated by his cheerfulness. Was he completely oblivious to the consequences of his actions? Still she found herself wanting to join in his celebration.
         “Deunan… do you know what’s going to happen?” Briana asked quietly. Deunan stopped grinning and frowned up at the sky. He did know, but he was desperately trying not to think about it. He also didn’t like the fact that any way he looked at it, it all seemed to make his new friend guilty.
         “Yeah… But we won once, we can do it again.” He tried to sound hopeful but his voice didn’t seem all that convincing. Keon was confused, but decided that if he couldn’t understand then he probably wasn’t meant to understand at all.
         Keon took Briana and Deunan’s whispering as a dismissal and jogged further ahead into the village. He hadn’t forgotten his plans; he still needed a sword. He traveled for a while before he noticed that the villagers seemed to be avoiding him. Keon decided to stop and find out why they were acting so strangely.
         “Hey… why’re you guys acting so scared?” He asked a group of boys who were trying to hide in the shadows of a building. Keon was startled and a little more confused when the boys yelped and ran off. Now he knew that there was something he’d missed.
         He had stopped to try and figure out what was going on when he heard a scream come from around a corner. Keon quickly ran to the area of the scream and was angered by what he saw. A fruit cart was overturned and a woman was begging a soldier to let go of her daughter whom he had held in the air by her wrist.
         Keon walked over to the scene.
         “What do you think your doing?! Let her go!” He ordered. The soldier seemed startled and quickly turned to Keon, yet he never dropped the girl.
         “But my liege-” He began but was cut off by an infuriated Keon.
         “I said to let her go!” He roared at the soldier who dropped the girl and stepped towards Keon. The girl quickly ran to her mother and turned to watch Keon and the soldier.
         “My liege she was disrespecting the royal family! She has to be disciplined!” The soldier pleaded.
         “She’s a child and besides who gives a damn about the royal family!” Keon retorted.
         The soldier finally realized his mistake and drew his sword.
         “You… are not my liege. You’re just some arrogant look-alike rebel!” The soldier shouted. He charged at Keon, who vaulted, nimbly, over his head and lashed out with a powerful spinning kick. The soldier crashed head first into a cart of vegetables. Keon turned to the growing crowd of people.
         “Go back into your houses! I don’t want you to get hurt!” Keon shouted. They didn’t move, but a few of them seemed to consider listening.
         Keon turned around as a slight rolling sound reached his ears. The soldier had gotten to his feet and removed his helmet. Keon’s fury reached impossible new heights as he recognized who he was staring at.
         “You…” He growled at the soldier who had tried to kill him and Brian. Keon’s fist clenched as a sudden gust of wind spun around the street. The soldier took a frightened step back as he noticed what Keon hadn’t; that the wild wind was in fact emanating from Keon himself. “I’ll kill you!”
         Keon vanished, moving at such a high speed that none of the villagers were able to see him. He slammed his fist into the soldier, satisfaction clear on his face at the sound of the man’s entire rib cage shattering like glass.
         He was about to beat the man until his bones were reduced to powder when a familiar voice called out.
         “Keon!” It barked. Keon whirled around and saw Kegan standing at the end of the street. A few seconds later Briana, Deunan, and Brian came skidding in behind him. “Control your temper. Nothing’s worth fightin’ for with no cause.”
         Keon was shocked, for a few seconds. Then, to everyone’s shock he bolted at Kegan.
         The villager’s, fearing that he was attacking him, moved to guard the colossal man. However Keon was too fast, blasting past the villagers before they were able to get between them.
         “Kegan!” Keon shouted as he tackled the man to the ground. “I didn’t know what had happened to you! Are the others here too?”
         Kegan calmly shoved Keon aside and rose to his feet.
         “They aren’t with you?” He asked. Keon shook his head slowly. He was confused as to why his friends weren’t there. “The king didn’t capture them did he? If he did I’ll go and tear his castle down brick by brick!”
         Kegan shook his head and started to answer him when a bitter laugh broke through the air. Everyone turned to stare at the soldier who had struggled to his feet.
         “Hah!” He spat. Blood dripped from his mouth and his eyes had become glossy. “You think an insignificant brat like you could defeat the king?! HAH! You couldn’t even kill me with your attack and he could squish me like an insect! You power is nothing compared to his! An ant to a Lion is what you are!”
         Keon started to finish the man off but was stopped by a blast of energy. It shot by him and hit the soldier, who was instantly reduced to ashes. Keon turned around slowly and saw smoke curling up from Kegan’s hand.
         “H-how? Y-you couldn’t…” Keon struggled to comprehend what had just happened. He didn’t remember Kegan being capable of that before.
         “This world is excellent for trainin’.” Kegan told him.
         “That’s all good, but no training could give you that kind of power.” Keon countered.
         “Training one’s aura.” Briana explained. She stepped towards him with a smile.
         “Aura?” Keon echoed. He didn’t have the slightest idea what that was.
         “The energy within every living being.” Deunan told him.
         “With the right training anyone can use it. It grows and can be manipulated.” Brian said matter-of-factly. He held out his hand palm up and a sphere of energy appeared above it.
         Keon suddenly realized what they meant.
“You mean like when I froze the forest?” He asked excitedly. Briana and Kegan nodded. “I had a little bit of control back there. I think I used it before, but I blacked out when it started. Kegan that was in the temple do you remember feeling or hearing anything?”
Kegan shook his head.
“I was probly already gone by then.” He answered. He looked at Keon and smiled. “Broke another sword did you? Well we should go get you another one besides I need to talk to you and the girl here privately.”
Briana and Keon glanced at each other and nodded.
“Brian, go tell Trace where I went and Deunan you go with him. Introduce yourself and Trace’ll help you out.” Briana told the other two before she, Keon, and Kegan walked off.
It took a while to reach the house which allowed Keon some time to sight see. Briana was more than happy to be his tour guide.
“What’s in this town?” Keon asked her.
“Well that’s the bakery.” Briana answered as she pointed to an old house with a water mill next to it. “That’s the general store. There’s the Elder’s house. That’s the Dojo, it’s where the people here go to learn how to fight if they want to. I personally don’t need to go there, but they say that it’s the best in Mazaria. The forge is right around the corner and then there’s Kegan’s house.” All the time she was talking Briana pointed at different houses and people of the town.
Just as Briana had told Keon, they arrived at the forge after turning the corner. It was located on the very outskirts of the town just as it was in Ruin’s Light. Keon knew it instantly for the fact that it looked as if Kegan had opened a portal and pushed his house through.
The house was sand colored and had squares cut into the wall to serve as windows. Just like Kegan’s old house, the new one’s walls were littered with weapons and discarded metal.
The three of them entered the house and moved to the sitting room. It too was the same as Kegan’s original right down to the bookshelf filled with dusty books.
“So what’s up?” Keon said casually. Kegan sat down and lifted a book from beside the chair.
“You two may have heard things but I think that you should hear this straight from a written source.” He told them as he opened the book. “To the King of Terror and the pinnacle of Light shall be born four children. Of the elements the four shall be of this order; wind, water, fire, and earth. The light being split and the terror lost of reason shall conflict at this birth. The wind will be stalled for a time, the fire contained, and the earth bound. Water will flow freely until the time of its need has arrived. The Heir to Water shall return and claim the throne alongside the Queen Flame.”
Keon and Briana were a little baffled; what did this have to do with them? Kegan noticing their puzzlement quickly decided to explain.
“The Heir to Water was sent to another world, for his protection, and destined to return and fight alongside the Queen Flame.” He told them.
Keon understood what he was trying to say but something wasn’t right. Wasn’t he supposed to meet the Queen Flame if the excerpt was true?
Almost as if he had read Keon’s mind, Kegan flipped the book around and showed the two of them a picture.
Keon and Briana stared at the ancient portrait, and gasped as he realized that he was looking at a picture of Briana!
They were about to argue that the picture was obviously a coincidence when an explosion rocked the Village. Keon, Kegan, and Briana rushed out of the door and looked down the road where a house had been reduced to splinters. Through the smoke they could just make out the shadowy form of the King’s soldiers.
“More fighting…” Keon rasped. His fists quivered as he stepped forward. “Kegan, I need a sword.”
Kegan grinned and quickly vanished into his house. He reemerged a few seconds later with a sword that was easily a foot and a half wide.
“Not what you’re used to but you should be able to use it.” He told Keon as he handed him the sword. A look of excitement crept across Keon’s face as he swung his new sword. “I knew you’d like it. Well, let’s get to it!”
Keon, Briana, and Kegan all dashed towards the army.

*                                                  *                                                  *

Brian, and Deunan had just arrived at the home of Traceah when an explosion knocked them off of their feet. As they rose to their feet the two boys saw a thick plume of smoke rising into the air from the far side of the village. Brian suddenly began running. Deunan quickly pursued the younger boy.
“Brian!” He called out. “What’s going on?! Why’re we running?!”
Brian looked back at his new companion and called back, “That’s not too far from Kegan’s house!”
At this Deunan put all his energy into reaching the area as fast as he could. Keon, and Briana were in danger and he wouldn’t let his new friends fight alone. He had brought the soldiers to them not the other way around! There was no way he would let his friend suffer for his crimes. No way he’d let anyone take the punishment that Linnale Village had gone through.
He ands Brian arrived at the area near the plume and were shocked by the devastation. The houses had been completely destroyed. All that were left were the charred pieces of wood that had once been walls and floors. The two of them traveled through the devastation with their eyes open for survivors. Yet as they neared Kegan’s house the sounds of battle caught their attention. The two of them quickened their pace and arrived at the battle just in time to see Briana pull out her guns and shoot down five archers.
“Let’s help them!” Deunan shouted to Brian as he leapt high into the air. Beneath him Brian dashed forward, unsheathing his swords and slicing through ten soldiers with two swings.
“Go back to your king!” Deunan shouted as he hit the ground. He slammed his hand into the ground and watched as half the army was sent skyward. Before any of the soldiers could touch the ground, stone spires erupted from it impaling the soldiers. Deunan dashed through the forest of stalactites sending small explosions through the ground to any soldiers that came into his line of sight.
Above Deunan, Brian leapt from spire to spire with the speed and nimble grace of an acrobat. Several archers attempted to shoot him down but their arrows were simply batted aside as he continued to travel towards the epicenter of the battle.
When Deunan and Brian arrived at the center of the battle they were surprised to see that Keon and Kegan were fighting over a hundred soldiers by themselves and seemed to be winning.
Keon swung his enormous sword as if it were the size and weight of a normal sword.