A lone man, and an empty field. He was calm, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the serenity and peace. He took a deep breath and exhaled audibly, his breath weirdly visible on this bright and sunny day. He opened his eyes, revealing beautiful pupils- pupils that were darker than the abyss itself. He was a beautiful man, and even though he held a zweihander, this beauty wasn't hidden, only elaborated. The girl- no, woman- seated on the eternal throne gazed at the familiar figure with longing. They looked so much alike. A third person would have sworn that they were twins if not for the difference in hair colour- her black against his brown. The man was just that pretty, and the cloak that covered his physique did nothing to help his case.
He readied himself as he took a fighting stance and held his zweihander in a sword draw position.
"Glow- Nature's cross" he mouthed. For an instant it almost seemed as if nothing had happened- and then it did. Two huge sword lights appeared a second later, one vertical, and the other horizontal. They intersected with each other, almost like long lost lovers itching for each other's embrace. The sword lights hummed in unison, each singing their own tune yet being in perfect harmony. Although the caster had taken care to ensure that the skill was cast above ground to protect the life below, the blazing heat that accompanied the sword cross seared and scorched the grass below. An amazing sight it was, for the cross hanged several feet above the ground yet the pitiful grass felt the weight it carried. One could only pity the unfortunate foes who would have to carry this cross. The cross travelled at a moderate pace- not too fast to avoid yet not too slow to dillydally. However, the drawback of its pace was offset by its sheer size. Approximately fifteen metres tall (the vertical sword light) and ten metres wide (the horizontal sword light), the technique occupied a large fraction of space. And this did not include its distance away from the ground. Since this wasn't a long range technique, it would be difficult to avoid the power it held when one was so close. It was more feasible to attempt to interrupt the caster.
The cross travelled for a distance of about fifteen metres before finally dissipating, leaving the scorched ground as the only evidence of its brief yet dominating appearance. The 'pretty boy' returned his large sword to its sheath with a pensive look on his face.
"It's still not enough. The casting time is slow. And its speed could do with a bit of tweaking. The last time granddad used this technique, he achieved a speed at least seven times greater than mine." He pondered aloud.
"Impossible. How is that possible? Dad inherited 'Nature's Cross'? I thought the skill died with his Granddad." Since the appearance of the unique glow, she had been shaking her head in disbelief while silently mouthing the word, 'Impossible'. She was made to believe that the vital glow known as 'Nature's Cross' had been lost when her great grandfather died. She was hoping that it would awaken in her when she broke into the heaven realm. Nature's Cross was a powerful glow- one that was bound to their bloodline. Although her father hadn't explicitly stated that he didn't inherit the glow, it was assumed that he didn't since no one had ever seen him use it. To think that he had hidden it all this while. Why did he keep it a secret? That was the question she wanted an answer to so badly right now. If she could ask him about it, she would. Unfortunately, she may never know. Her only hope was that this intrusion into her late father's memories will reward her disregard towards his privacy, with some very much needed answers. The longing she had before the memories began to play was still present, yet its strength was drained hungrily by her curiosity. Right now the question that was pressing heavily upon her mind- like a malignant tumour- was, 'What other secrets did he keep?' In second place was, 'Did mom know about this?'
The man who previously stood loftily on the field was now in a kneeling position. He had his arms placed on the ground as he chanted, "Restituere". In response to his words, the previously charred grass was charred no more. No it wasn't a healing spell, neither was it a life spell. The grass wasn't regrown, but the fire that scorched it escaped from the ground and disappeared into the atmosphere. And the grass that died was returned to its previous condition, almost as if the events of before had never occurred.
"Impossible. How?" Once again, our pretty queen- sorry, King- was flabbergasted. The language her father spoke…the results of his spell…how was that even possible?
"Dad was a spiritualist?" She was starting to doubt if she really knew her father. All her life she assumed she did. But even from the first few minutes of perusing through his memories, she had been introduced to two well kept secrets. They harshly mocked her 'close' relationship with her father.
"Wait a minute", she communicated with Reiki, through her thoughts of course. "Was father the one that did that on that day?" she questioned. Reiki shone dimly in response. "He kept so much from me all this while" she thought. Reiki shone once again in consolation. "I know he did it for my sake. I only wonder why I needed to be protected and kept in the dark?" she replied.
The event being referred to was one that happened during the Usurper's rebellion. When she was trying to escape as per her father's command, she had found herself between a rock and a hard place. Behind her was a squad of soldiers and before her was a cliff. She had jumped off the cliff with the intent of dying rather than being captured. Of course she didn't know that the death penalty was being boiled alive. But she knew that death would be better than her capture. Plus her father had told her to run, and not look back. 'Do not get captured at any cost' he said. 'If a cliff stands before you, jump. You'd be fine'. Who could have predicted that his words were right on the money? Now it made sense. As a spiritualist he must have foreseen that a cliff will be before her, and must have cast a spell on her to break her fall. It was no wonder that she survived, only falling unconscious with no serious injuries- not even a few scratches. She had always assumed fate was her ally. Maybe it was. But in that instance, her true help was her father's undying love for her.