'Good job Mr. Kyle. You have been showing progress so far' said Kyle's mentor, an old but powerful man called Joseph.
'Thanks, Joseph.' Kyle responded. He was covered in sweat from head to toe. He swipped it off his face and exited the training ground.
'Kyle' Joseph called, while Kyle was walking towards his room. 'It is progress, but it isn't enough for your father.'
Kyle turned around and looked at Joseph. The old man looked worried, he looked back at him, with pity plastered across his face.
Kyle clenched his hand, the last thing he needed was someone pitying him, that just made it worse than it was now.
'That doesn't concern you Joseph' he said coldly and continued to walk away.
Joseph just sighed and left the training grounds.
*****
At night, inside Kyle's bedroom.
Kyle was sitting on his bed, thinking.
'I seriously don't know what to do. I wonder, how you are doing. You must hate me. I haven't known you for long, but I was aware that you felt really lonely. And yet I abandoned you. I... miss you. I miss sitting beside the tree on the hill and talking to you. I know that you kept some secrets to yourself, but meeting you was the best thing that happened in my life, Nabroc' Kyle shed tears as he thought. 'Sh*t. I am sorry mom, but I will disobey my father for once. Even though it is dangerous for me and for you, I know that deep down, it is what you wanted me to do, to be free. To travel around the world like you once did.'
He was decided and packed some things in a bag. Bread, bottles of water, some clothes, Fire Crystals and gold coins.
He took advantage of the camouflage the night gave him, as he sneaked out of the mansion unnoticed. He swore he wouldn't come back again. Kyle knew it was risky, but there was someone he wanted to meet before leaving the Grand Empire.
*****
Corban was sitting beside the tree on the hill, it helped him cool his mind. He was thinking peacefully until he sensed a human presence using the shadows. He standed, on guard, a figure was aproaching him. When he got closer, he could see who it was, Kyle. However, when Corban looked at him, he didn't feel anything. Not sadness nor anger. Simply nothing, he had become completely devoid of emotion. He glared coldly at his old friend.
Kyle looked at him, he expected Nabroc to be angry, but his expression was that of a rock. He was just as the first time he met him, no, even worse than that. He knew that was the last time they were going to see each other.
'I know this won't fix anything. I know that I ruined everything, but I am sorry. And goodbye, Nabroc' said Kyle, sad.
He was prepared to hear a response but Corban remained indifferent. He was about to turn when...
'He is there. We found him!' someone shouted.
Both teens flinched, when suddenly they were surrounded by lots of guards, more precisely, the Phoenix Family's guards.
'Shit, they found me. Quickly, follow me!' Kyle shouted, and grabbed Corban's hand as he started to run down the hill.
Some guards tried to stop them, but Kyle quickly summoned his fire and cleared the way. They arrived at the edge of the town. Trees were starting to appear, signaling they were close to the forest. They stopped. The guards were catching up to them. Without knowing what to do, the two splitted up, Corban went to the right and Kyle to the left, and so did the guards.
Corban was running like his life depended on it, because it did. Although the guards wanted to capture Kyle, the same couldn't be said for him. Suddenly, he had a bad premonition, so he bended. A ray of light pierced the tree that was behind the spot his head had been a moment ago.
'A Light Carrier, but how? Isn't the Phoenix Family's army composed of Fire Carriers?' Corban thought as he looked at the man that attemped to kill him.
It was then that his life turned upside down. When everything that he had grown to believe turned out to be lies. Corban, with his face covered by his trustworthy hood, looked at Igor, his father, with a shocked face.
'No, no, no. This can't be true. It can't be, you can't have kept hidden something like this for all this years, can you?' he thought desesperated.
But he didn't believe his own thoughts, because that wasn't a dream, and if Corban himself could keep his element a secret, why couldn't his father do the same?
He didn't say a word and stayed on the floor, too shocked to do anything. It took Igor a moment to recognize his son. He looked surprised, but then his face just showed disgust, and hate.
'Ha. Hahaha. Hahahahahahahahahaha.' Igor laughed like a mad man. 'To think you would enroll yourself into this mess. Well, I was looking for a reason to kill you anyway, so thanks I guess.' He said coldly, while he started to make his way towards Corban, pulling out a sword from his waist.
'Why? Why do you hate me so much?' his son said, with a surprisingly calm face.
'Mmm. I guess it doesn't matter because you're going to die anyway. A long time ago, one of the Three Saints, the three most powerful Light Carriers, prophecied the coming of someone that would destroy the empire. It said:
Son of two of greatest lights,
he will carry the greatest Darkness.
Born under the red moon,
on the start of the coldest season.
Abandoned by his parents,
he will cause the world,
to be under the eternal Abyss.
When the Night engulfs the Light,
when the blood engulfs the cities.
His reign will start,
and so does the destruction and chaos.'
Igor's voice looked serious as he said this. 'Well, the red moon happens once in a millenium, and you happenned to meet all the conditions. We were too naive, we thought nothing would happen if we treated you well. That day, a group of powerful assasins tried to kill you to save the empire from the possible threat you were. But your mother interfered, and it costed her her own life. She died for you. She died for a child that in the end was nothing but a waste of space. She died for nothing! And it's all your fault.' Igor shouted angrily. He drew his sword towards his son.
Corban just nodded emotionless. Suddenly, he standed up. If he was going to die, he would die by his own means, he wasn't going to give his father the satisfaction of having the last blow. He started to run into the woods, taking advantage of the shield the trees gave him. Igor followed him, shooting rays of light towards him. Corban didn't stop running. One of the beams impacted on his left shoulder, he winced in pain but continued.
Then, his heart almost dropped. He had arrived at a cliff that separated Laren and the start of the real Dark Forest. He turned around, only to see Igor in front of him. The boy suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down. His father's sword was thrusted near his heart.
Corban felt down to one knee and looked helplessly at Igor's emotionless face. He took out the sword out of his chest, ignoring the agonising pain. The sword fell on the grass.
"I guess I am going to die, uh? Well at least I took my secret to the grave. I really don't want this excuse of a father to have my corpse..." Corban thought. With a last effort, he standed up and went to the cliff. He let himself fall, smiling at Igor. 'If I am going to die, I may as well die free.'