"This is Revela, she will be teaching you how to fight." A servant introduced.
There she was, my lovely teacher. She was short, about 10 centimeters. She had forest-green eyes, which held both hatred and excitement. Her brown, curvy eyebrows hid her eyelashes and one of the eyebrows was split due to a scar. Strong jaw muscles gave her face a beautiful shape. She had short, brown hair. I copied her hairstyle.
"Princess." She greeted and bowed politely.
When the servant, who brought Revela, left, Revela took a few steps into my direction. Being the small child that I was, I felt scared. I was scared she would treat me like any other person in the capital's castle would treat me.
What I didn't expect was that Revela suddenly went down on one knee, to be on eye-level with me. Her eyebrows lifted up, showing an expression of pity and severe sadness. A hug followed that.
Until that point, the only physical contact I experienced was always accompanied by violence. Having felt the feeling of love for the first time in my life, I hugged her back, crying as I did. I sobbed and her shoulder was drenched in my tears.
"I'm sorry, child. After I learned about you, I did everything in my power to become a someone in your life. I finally managed to become your teacher. I'm sorry it took so long." She explained, but the sound of her voice was drowned by my own cries.
She never told me why she wanted to become someone close to me. It couldn't have been to gain my favor, as I wasn't fated to inherit anything from my father.
I didn't ask for a reason either. I was just happy to finally have someone I can trust.
***
Revela showed me all kinds of weapons I could learn to wield. She showed all of the weapons, even showcasing a few moves with each one. But a particular weapon caught my attention. When Revela noticed, she started to tell me about it.
"The Claws of Dawn, it is worn on both hands. It covers the palms of the hand with a flexible metal, the index and middle fingers are covered by a sharp steel. It was created by an Empress who lived 220 years ago. The Empress created this weapon to imitate her husband's sword-fighting style. She was close to perfecting both the weapon and the art but in the end, she never managed to finish. 'I lack both materials and physical strength.' She explained. After the Empress passed, those who tried to use the Claws of Dawn were killed in combat, as no one managed to even come close to Her Empress's level. This weapon, is also the only one, I never tried to learn. I believe it can only be learned and used by someone of the royal family."
The longer I listened to Revela talk, the more fascinated I became. It felt like the claws were hypnotizing me, trying to get me to wield them.
"I want to learn how to fight with those." I said and pointed at the claws.
My childish self was so captivated by the Claws of Dawn that I couldn't have known the influence it would have in the future.
"It will be hard, you might need decades to completely master them, even if you were to reach the skill-set her late Empress had reached, you might not overcome the limitations that even she couldn't overcome. Are you sure?" She responded.
I nodded enthusiastically.
That's how my training with Revela and the Claws of Dawn began.
I spent years learning basic combat. Then, another few years learning from the late Empress's scriptures. I not only learned to fight, I learned what kind of person I was. Seeing myself change, seeing my real characteristics after time had passed, Revela adjusted the training to suit me better.
***
"Be yourself, always. Do what you must to learn, do what you must to experience. Fight other martial artists and get stronger." This was one piece of advice I'd received from Revela when I was young.
'At midnight, when everyone starts seeing their nightmares. Silent and agile. I need to end my father's life, so the crown prince becomes the Emperor. He will change the empire and protect it. I will become the most wanted person in the Arabic Empire after that, being hunted down by hundreds of Bearers.' I prepared.
I prepared everything. The Claws of Dawn,that I had modified with more durable and Mana-imbued material, the black robe I usually wore when I went outside the capital, several detailed maps and a communication scroll.
My Salan ability, The Rebellion, allowed me to multiply my prowess in combat overtime. With this, I can overcome any opponent as long as I survive.
Like a panther, camouflaged in the dark and nimble, I made my way to my father's chamber. Taking down the guards on my way there with a quick slash to their throats. I reached the Emperor's bed chamber.A dim light shone from under the door, signaling that he might still be awake. Even if he was awake, he was weaker than me by a long shot.
I put my ear on the door and listened.
"Sent out your son again! He must kill and conquer the enemies!" Weird and muffled noises reached my ears.
'Who is talking?' I questioned.
There was no way of knowing, I had to use the opportunity to dash inside the chamber and assassinate my father. I couldn't risk to get caught by a new guard-patrol.
I kicked the door. The door broke off its hinges and feel forward. I entered the chamber. What I saw, my father sitting in a chair, behind him, his right-hand-man, Velsahar.
Velsahar was holding onto my father's head, whispering. But as soon as he saw me, he ordered my father to draw his weapon and fight me.
"Kill the assassin!" Velsahar ordered.
'How did I not think of this? There are all kinds of Salan abilities... I am so stupid.' I realized.
"Father, it's me, Tana! Come one, break free!" I tried to disrupt whatever was going on inside his head.
It was clear know, Velsahar had manipulated my father using his Salan ability the whole time.
My father didn't listen, if that was something he could still do. He slashed his sword at me while I used my Salan ability to multiply my prowess. Not even a minute after he started to attack me, I was able to parry and dodge him without any difficulty.
I thought about sparing my father and killing only Velsahar, but when I attacked Velsahar with a blow that could easily punch through his chest, I was met with my father who moved at such a speed that I couldn't react to. My right arm punched right through my father's chest and only lightly stabbed Velsahar. I believed both of them to be dead, but before I could check, the guards, who heard Velsahar's original yell, came running in.
I was surrounded and my initial plan had succeeded. The part came where I had to flee and let things take their course of action. I jumped out of the window and ran to my horse.
I rode off, only hearing the soldiers behind me, yelling.
***
It took me 2 weeks to reach Siran Bridge, but before I decided to cross it, I saw a face that I only knew from pictures.
The Empress who created the Claws of Dawn had tried to imitate her husband's fighting-style, the husband married into the family, so he wasn't a royal before. The husband's style was named, the Warm Light Style, which was passed on in the Noor family. Therefore, descendants of the Noor family were tracked as much as the royal family was. That's why I recognized this face.
Niam, descendant of the Noor family. He entered an Inn with a woman after stepping off of a carriage that seemed to have come from Siran Bridge.
"Is this fate...?"