The darting figure of Strom flashed behind the clouds of dust that were quickly encompassing the dirt square. Small sparks were happily dancing all over his body like a pure state of static electricity.
As the young swordsman approached, Daren's could feel the hairs on his skin raise due to the static energy surrounding them now.
"Nice..." Daren mumbled with a smile as he likewise prepared and planned to intercept the quick movements of Strom.
The screeching sound of metal colliding rang from the square as the two opponents began to unleash their relentless attacks.
Axus narrowed his eyes as he intently watched every detail of the fight.
"Lightning huh..." He muttered beneath his breath as he watched the streaking figure of Strom expertly wield the longsword in his hands.
Flashing strikes and sizzling electric energy illuminated the darkened square as the fight continued to progress while the evening sun descended further behind the hill.
The heavy panting breaths from both people in the square filled the silence that was now heard after the ringing of blades finally ended.
"Not bad kid!" Enthusiastically exclaimed Daren while cracking his neck and massaging his sore limbs from the long fight.
"S-so... How... How did I do?" Strom asked between his panting breaths.
"What would you say to joining me?"
Suddenly, the small commander appeared next to Daren in the blink of an eye, like he had practically teleported from his position near the edge of the square.
"What?" Asked Daren in surprise as he stared at his commander in disbelief.
"So what? Anything wrong with that? Besides, he obviously has a divinity and I doubt anyone other than me here can properly make use of that." Stated Axus nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.
"But Commander, he's still just a kid!" Argued Daren who was slightly annoyed that a potential talent was being nabbed right in front of him.
"I know what everyone speaks about behind my back Daren. You should especially be aware... So I don't want to hear anything else. It's not like I'm one to care for baseless rumors anyways or have not dealt with the likes of which already." Explained Axus without care.
Daren seemed like he wanted to say more but immediately thought better of it and shut his mouth reluctantly.
"So? What'll it be?" Asked Axus again.
Strom had finally caught his breath but felt like it had been completely knocked out again after hearing the commander's proposal.
"I-I guess... What's the pay like if I go with you?" Strom stammered for a moment before regaining his cool and asking the important question.
"Well it's far better than what the regular soldiers get. You'll be trained and join my elite unit so obviously the salary will be quite favorable." Shrugged Axus.
Strom's eyes lit up with anticipation upon hearing the words he wished to hear since arriving here.
'I might be able to finally get everyone out of the slums!'
He tightened his fists before standing straight through his exhaustion and saluted.
"It would be an honor sir!" He replied with excitement.
"Then that settles it. Daren, from now on I'll personally oversee his development so there's no need for you to be concerned any longer." Stated Axus as he gestured for the exhausted Strom to follow his lead.
"Yes sir." Nodded Daren defeatedly after realizing this talent would no longer be in his hands.
Strom sheathed his sword and quickly ran after Axus back to the Commander's tent while ignoring the aching soreness in his limbs.
'The Commander's own force... I wonder what it'll be like.' Thought Strom as he once again entered the large tent.
Axus hopped up onto the large table in the center of the tent and gestured for Strom to come near with one hand while the other laid his spear beside him, propped against the table.
"Usually, most can only dream of entering my special regiment. However, you lucked out due to your innate talent which I will further cultivate under my tutelage. I am giving you a great opportunity so don't dare to waste it." Calmly stated Axus in his usual emotionless tone.
"Y-Yes sir! Thank you!"
Strom immediately bowed his head in thanks for the commanders unexpected help.
"Don't go thanking me just yet. I have command of multiple regiments but the one I will be preparing you for is the top dog; My Thunder Legion. Only the best in the empire can even get a glance at the opportunity I'm presenting you with, and your but only a small runt at the moment. Can you guess why I'm even considering this?" Asked Axus as he displayed the prestige and power of his legion.
Strom paused in silence to think about why the commander would be interested him. Sure he had been decently trained for nearly a decade by his parents, but from what he could tell, the commander was already surrounded by experts.
A sudden thought crossed Strom's mind.
'From what my father once told me: the men in my family were blessed with a unique divinity... Lightning.'
Strom wondered whether the mystery surrounding his current predicament could be due to this fact. According to his father, only their family held the attribute of lightning, supposedly gifted to them by the gods, and Strom was certain he had never heard of anyone else that could use it like them.
"Is it because of the divinity I hold?" Strom questioned with suspicion.
Axus narrowed his eyes before hopping down from the table.
"That is correct. Until now, the Empire has only encounter two people that held some amount of affinity towards this divinity." He explained while grabbing his spear.
A loud clap of thunder sounded from above the tent as Axus sliced his spear through the air near Strom's face.
A blinding flash of pure white light arched from the tip of the spear before returning to the blade and disappearing.
"I happen to be one of them, with the remainder now being you." Stated Axus with an indifferent expression.
Strom widened his eyes in understanding.
"I will help you in mastering this divinity and in exchange you will become a part of my Thunder Legion. You will be put through hell but as they say: only the finest of blades can be produced by the most intense flames and hammering."
Strom could still remember these fierce words from his mentor, which continued to supply his determination, as days, weeks, and eventually a few years passed.
In this amount of time a sole factor somehow managed to remain constant and stubbornly refused to budge; The Zephyr Kingdom desperately held on while still refusing to succumb to its captors.
Strom had personally seen his old kingdom's foolish determination with his own eyes while being sent on varies undercover and scouting missions to determine its status.
Such missions had filled his life after finishing Axus's grueling training when he turned eighteen.
Currently in his early twenties, he was on such a mission as he tightened the edges of his cloak around his face to make sure no one would recognize his appearance. However, he was quite certain that, by now, very few could possibly recognize him.
As he drifted along with the crowd near the merchant area of the kingdom, he noticed how poor the living conditions had fallen since he had left this place. To Strom, it felt like only yesterday he had secretly left from the orphans' hideout in order to provide them with a better life.
'But was leaving really the right answer?' He wondered as he looked around at the frail and sickly people huddling together for support and comfort in the filthy streets.
He questioned whether leaving his friends and brother to stay in such a place was really the solution. Sure, he had sent almost all of his earnings from his military ventures to his brother for him and the other orphans, but what use was this money when the whole kingdom itself was in a state of misery.
'Those stubborn fools...'
Strom calmed himself after realizing the current situation of the kingdom could not fully be attributed to his actions alone. The government that was currently in charge was still the same one he had left.
'Pride and arrogance will only lead you to an early grave.'
One of the lessons he had learned from Axus now appeared in his mind and perfectly summed up the cause of this kingdom's fall. If the kingdom could only swallow their ridiculous pride and be regulated or sanctioned by the Roman Empire, then such a dire situation such as this had no reason to exist.
However, logic and reality tended to deviate from one another due to the ignorant actions of humanity. Strom wondered whether he could have made a difference if he had actually stayed in this deteriorating place.
He shook his head with a sigh at this thought.
'No, a poor kid who barely managed to survive in the slums when this kingdom was in a better state would not be able to do much.' He figured.
Thinking back to his times spent in the slums, his mind drifted to his brother's current situation.
'That brat better still be alive!' He indignantly held on to this hope.
"Help! Someone!"
"A wanted thief!"
Some shouts from one of the poor stalls rang out in panic through the crowd.
The sudden disturbance caught Strom's attention and he quickly looked towards where the ruckus was happening.
A medium tall sized figure in a ragged cloak was swiftly ducking through the crowd as the old lady who seemed to be the owner of the stall pointed and shrieked.
Strom shook his head and chuckled to himself as the memories of him and his brother surviving in the slums flashed through his mind at the sight of the commotion.
He and his brother had created many scenes such as this, but Strom still felt guilty for their actions even if it was born from absolute necessity.
Deciding he could at least make up for such childish actions now, he walked over towards the crying old woman's stall and silently placed a few druma down on the corner of the stall's table.
Then he himself disappeared back into the crowd as to not create more of a scene. The currency of the old kingdoms, like Zephyr, still used the old system of gold, silver, and copper pieces, while the Empire had evolved to a much more renowned one. It consisted of luma, druma, and dram, which held a similar value to the old gold, silver, and copper pieces respectively.
The Empire's currency was made from ores that were of little value but represented a different sum, that allowed for the Empire to properly use and distribute such precious ores such as gold and the likes for better purposes.
Strom could understand the value in such a ingenious system, but what concerned him was being identified as a Roman in enemy territory. However, he felt that his actions were completely necessary, at least for himself, since the weight of the few crimes and thievery he had committed in the past still weighed down on his heart.
He believed that these previous actions had been absolutely necessary for survival, but that still didn't mean he could completely forgive himself for such actions.
'Although... Being caught might not necessarily be a bad thing either...'
As he drifted back through the crowd to return to his primary objective given to him by Axus, he noticed the old lady smiling after his departing figure with a cunning light in her eyes.
'Perfect.'