I arrived at the private training grounds late in the afternoon, I noticed Dracen and Brazen sparring in the medium sized clearing. Waiting for them to finish I went and sat in the shade of a tree close by.

Blades clashed as they sparred sending sparks flying. Dracen landed a heavy kick to the abdomen that sent Brazen stumbling back, pressing his advantage Dracen rushed in thrusting his flame cloaked weapon forward.
Spinning away Brazen just barely dodged the jab, leaping back he put some distance between himself and his opponent.
Before his sparring partners feet could hit the ground Dracen flung one of his fiery daggers with perfect accuracy, Brazen was knocked off balance from the force of blocking the dagger. As it spun in the air above the head of his target Dracen teleported from his spot on the ground to the dagger he had just thrown, it was a special technique that fighters in all clans knew to combat the fact that shade users could summon their weapons to them but the origins of this technique was unknown, using the tip of his blade as a focal point Dracen made a giant fireball and detonated it at point blank range.
As the smoke cleared. Dracen stood alone in the crater he had made.
Scanning the area we found Brazen at the same time. He was kneeling in the shadow of a tree a sly smile on his face, before Dracen could react he sunk down into the tree's shadow disappearing.
A few breaths later spikes burst from Dracens shadow faster than he could react stabbing through his arms and legs, pinning him in place. After this Brazen resurfaced from the shadows, the tip of his short sword leveled at Dracens throat. "Seems I've won." He beamed confidently.
Dracen opened his mouth like he was about to speak. Instead he spewed massive waves of flames. The move forced his captor back and simultaneously freed himself.
He advanced as Brazen was still moving backwards through the air catching him with a mighty knee to the chin, knocking him unconcious effectively ending the sparring match.
I stood up from my shady seat and walked towards them, slow clapping as I went. "That was a brilliant fight. Brazen I really thought you had him there, and you when did you learn to breath fire?" I asked.
"I've been working on it for about three months now, but I just finally started to get it right about a week ago." He shrugged off my praise.
"How's your dragon breath training going Elias?" Brazen asked rubbing the under side of his chin.
"Its going I guess, I'm actually here to get some tutoring from Jasper."
Jasper Dova was the youngest clan member to be an advisor to the yarl and one of the best dragon breath fighters in the clan.
He was offered the position of adviser after saving my mother's life on the battle field, defeating four warriors of the raiken clan and carrying her back to the village. After this my father asked him to become an advisor because his bravery and battle prowess were admirable. Since then Jasper worked diligently to make sure the dova clan thrived.
"Hey Elias! It's good to see your early for our tutoring session!" Jasper boomed from across the clearing. He was a formidable figure at a little over eight foot tall, his blood red hair and eyes only making him that much more intimidating.
It seemed like he was power itself walking across the field towards us a broad smile on his face.
Finally reaching us he wasted no time in breaking down the days game plan and what I could expect.
"Okay we're going to start this off with a quick match so I can understand where you are and what's stopping you from advancing your progress in learning." He stated while dragging me toward the center of the clearing.
"This is dragon breath training so no using your shade." He said rolling his shoulders to loosen them.
Leaving his axe on his hip he put his fists up and took up a fighting stance, his fists bursting into flames as he did this.
I copied his stance, then rushed him. That was the beginning of the end, I thought i covered the distance between us faster than he could react but as I planted my feet to throw a heavy uppercut he turned his body sideways pushing my arm off target.
Swiftly his leg flashed out and buried itself in my ribcage, I heard them crack under the force of the blow, I stumbled to the side a few steps before dropping to one knee. "Okay, I've seen enough." He said coming to help me up.
Taking his hand I asked. "So you just needed to kick the shit out of me one good time to know why I'm having such a hard time learning this technique?"
He laughed at this saying. "I guess it's something like that."
"The problem you're having is simple. It's not that you just can't learn it you're just over worked so your muscles can't handle the full strain of the technique. So you're only using about half your dragon breath potential." He continued.
"So all I need is some time off?" I laughed.
"Yup that's it." He said turning to walk away.
"Ok well thank you for your advice." I thanked him. He waved over his shoulder as he walked away.
Dracen, myself, and Brazen watched him go. As he passed the center of the training area I noticed a thin electrical stream coming from the sky.

Before I could shout a warning a massive bolt of lightening struck the middle of the field. The flash erased Jasper from our sight, the shock wave, from the explosion the bolt made, launched me and my friends off our feet sending us twenty yards or more.
I couldn't breath, my ears were ringing! I rolled over onto my hands and knees, scanning the area for my friends I saw nothing but smoke and dark silhouettes moving in separate directions. Two came my way, the other six moved towards different parts of the field.
I forced myself to my feet preparing to face my adversary's. As my opponents drew closer I noticed the thin streams of lightening around their bodies. Users of the tempest trance fighting technique.
They were members of the Raiken clan. This was an ambush attack, it was most likely a plot to kill me since I was the next clan leader. I didn't have time to worry about that now though. My attacker's were upon me.
I summoned my shade just in time to block the downward swing of the first man's longsword. Stepping to the side I angled my blade downward so his weapon slid off of mine, I then leapt back to put some distance between us.
As soon as I landed the second man was there, he swung his two handed axe at my back, there was no way I could block or dodge in time. Just as the man's axe was about to make contact I blasted a giant vortex of flame directly at the man turning him to ash as his axe buried itself into the meat of my back.
I wrenched the weapon from my back and threw it aside. My second opponent charged me swinging his sword at my abdomen, I blocked the attack and struck the man with a flaming fist. As he stumbled back I launched myself forward driving my blade through his chest. His body dropped and my sword slid out of his chest.
The wound on my back throbbed as it oozed blood but I tried to ignore the pain. I needed to find my friends.
I rushed across the clearing frantically looking for everyone, I spotted Brazen fighting a lone Raiken clan member. I rushed in as the Raiken assassin disarmed Brazen.
Before he could deliver the killing blow I stabbed the unsuspecting man through the back of the neck.
"Brazen, fuck, are you ok? Have you seen Dracen or Jasper?" I asked as he retrieved his weapon.
"No the blast separated us." He told me.
"Alright this is what's going to happen you're going to let the other clan members know we're under attack. Stick to the shadows don't be seen, don't get caught ok." I explained the plan.
"Ok. Oh and Elias. Don't die ok." He said as he body melted into the shadows.
I just smiled as he disappeared. I had deliberately kept my back facing away from him so he wouldn't see the large gash and try to stay because I was hurt.
I began trudging across the field again. I was feeling weak from blood loss but I wasn't going to give in. Not with the lives of my friends at stake. Crossing the middle of the field I saw a dark figure moving towards me, I readied my weapon for a fight. As I was about to move in to attack I realised it was Dracen. As he reached me he grasped the back of my head a pressed his forehead to mine. "I'm glad to see that you're still breathing." He said stepping back.
"I'm glad you're handling things well too. We need to find Jasper and hold out for reinforcements." I told him. He nodded his agreement and we started moving towards the sound of battle.
When we found Jasper he was fighting with three enemies. His left arm looked broken dangling limply by his side, his axe blazed in his right hand ready for violence. It was apparent he was fighting with everything he had.
"Where's the clan heir?" The lead warrior asked Jasper not noticing Dracen and I. He was rather small looking around six and a half feet tall but his bright silver hair and piercing blue eyes made him look dangerous.
"Fine if you won't tell me then I'll kill you and find him myself." The silver haired man shrugged. He moved faster than anything I had ever seen.
Jasper swung his axe in an attempt to counter the silver haired man's attack but he was to slow. I was mortified as the upper and lower halves of Jasper's body fell in two separate directions.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" White hot rage. I couldn't think straight, every instinct in me screamed to kill him.
Blindly I rushed in. I was going to avenge Jasper no matter what.
Halfway to the silver haired man I was cut off by one of his underlings, he threw a punch at my gut landing the strike below my ribs. I slashed with my sword forcing him back.
Where his punched landed I had three puncture holes. Looking at my opponent I noticed his spiked gloves, each spike two inches long. Raising my blade above my head I chopped down sending a blade of flame directly towards my enemy.
He dodged to the right only to be struck in the shoulder by a dagger, before the tempest fighter could pull it out. Dracen appeared, seemingly out of thin air, his right hand on the dagger in the man's shoulder. With a heavy kick to the stomach Dracen pulls the dagger free and sends our enemy flying. The man skipped over the ground coming to a stop forty yards away, he made no move to pick himself up, he lay limp his neck twisted at an awkward angle.
The last minion and the silver haired warrior attacked at the same time, all I could do was brace for the impact. I blocked above my head stopping the silver haired man's strike, the force shattering the ground beneath me, but his only remaining companion slammed his mace into my chest cracking my sternum, breaking ribs and sending me flying.
I landed hard five yards or so away from the two of them. My vision was fading, I could barely breath, I didn't have the strength to maintain my shades physical form and I couldn't move.
I was certain I was going to die.
Before i lost consciousness Dracen appeared by my side. "Elias! You're going to be ok! I promise!" He screamed this but to me he sounded quite, like he was screaming from afar. As my vision went black I saw him give a mighty war cry, a dagger in each hand, and charge. Even though we both knew.
He couldn't beat this blue eyed monster.