The sound of metal grunting disturbed the silent forest. Stellars flew everywhere while crows screeched. Ryzen, alert to his surroundings, grabbed the Kaiga quickly and aggressively. He was then greeted by the eastern sun that put his racing heart at ease.
A peaceful morning after the blood bath in the night, his thorn skin and dried blood were a few remnants of what happened hours before this. Disturbing the usual morning, the grunting of metals near the wall echoed within the forest of Koor. It only meant one thing, the secret passage opened up. Either a new Avatar came, or his supposed master would see him for the first time.
The latter gave Ryzen an anxious feeling. H would face his master as Raya Rozenhart for the very first time.
'I rather don't meet this master who will bind me forever,' he thought.
Though covered with stench, Ryzen did not mind as he took the cape that once reeked of Saika's smell. Covering his body, he set off to look at what was happening at the wall. The undead attacking was not an option, thus leaving him to question what the Silver Bloods were up to.
Branches after branches, Ryzen moved like a shadow—stealthy and deadly. A mile before the wall, he stopped dead in his tracks when he smelt the Silver Bloods. This time, they ought to be many.
'Something is off,' he thought.
Ryzen decided to walk. Upon contact with the ground, his bare feet felt the familiar feeling of being one with nature. Calmly walking towards the wall, knowing what awaited him would bring him pain again. Saika once taught him that he was not alone, he believed her and grew attached to her, but she was ripped from his mentor—and it only took one night.
Ryzen realized the lonely life an Avatar should face. Thus she vowed never to feel it again. A peck of happiness was not worthy of everlasting misery. He promised to continue her legacy, to exterminate the undead. He was willing to lay his life as long as his family was safe inside the wall.
This was his fate, after all.
CAPTAIN IRAH STOOD guarded by her surroundings, her left hand touching the handle of her long sword, ready to commence an attack when needed. Her back was stiff, and her face had grown stoic. She grew up with the tell tales of what was beyond the wall. Though this was not her first time to set foot on the premises, this would be the first time she was in charge of posting her men into this area.
The young captain remembered when she told her men about the order. She saw how grief hugged her men. And this day would be given to spend their time with their family, with only one thought in their heads—for one last time.
To her side stood the kings of Yigena. King Xerxex of the northern kingdom of Erha with his cavalry behind him. King Ryuhei of the southern kingdom of Euria accompanied his dragon. King Bartholomew of the western kingdom of Eusha with the king's guards around him and King Kuhei of the eastern kingdom of Raxes, who was neither with his cavalry nor his dragon.
Captain Irah's cavalry was posted before them and was ready to defend them. A few moments later, the wall closed again. The sound of hooves and the heavy breathing of the red blood soldiers were the only audible noise around—all were weary and were waiting for something to attack them.
"Who's the master of this Avatar, King Kuhei?" King Ryuhei asked amidst the silence.
"I am," King Kuhei replied as he stepped forward. "We do not need to find her if that's your concern, my friend. She is coming."
A connection between master and Avatar was strong—or so they said. But seeing how a dark figure commenced from the misty forest upon sensing their disturbance gave Irah the idea of how accurate the ancient text was. The cavalry pointed their lance toward the figure that stood its ground beyond the mist, though still visible to them.
'Is this the Avatar?' Irah pondered.
"Lower your weapons," King Kuhei commanded. He insisted on being in front. As the chief commander of his kingdom, Irah was hot on the king's trails. The other kings followed suit.
"Raya?" King Kuhei asked the still-dark figure. A dark, beaten cape touching the ground covered the body's features well.
Irah could not tell what was inside the dark cape. All she knew was that the Avatar was quite a tall being.
"I am your master. The king of the eastern kingdom of Raxes and I came here for your aid."
Everyone awaited the Avatar's response, but Irah was alerted when the dark figure started sauntering toward them. Each step was so sure, showing that the Avatar was not afraid of them, even with the sight of the dragon and weapons. As the distance grew smaller, Irah readied herself for any attack. Though the kings were collected and calm, the clenching hand of King Kuhei showed how he was stopping himself from eliminating the danger. Silver Bloods had this animalistic instinct and choosing to subdue it was not easy, especially to the higher ranks such as the king.
The Avatar dropped onto its knees five meters away from King Kuhei, surprising the kings and even the young captain. The kneeling figure before the eastern king was a sight no one had pictured for the last moment.
"I, Raya Rozenhart, sealed the contract by answering your demand."
"I, King Kuhei Herreon, first of my name and king of the easterners, sealed the contract by asking for your aid." King Kuhei held his hand towards the Avatar named Raya. A hand bathed with dried blood and adorned with sharp claws reached for the king's hand, sealing the contract bound by life and death.
Crimson hue pentagrams appeared above and below the master and the servant, showing that the land recognized their contract. And when the two pentagrams met around them, the gush of wind pushed the mist away, leaving the sun to penetrate them completely.
"Stand, Raya, and receive my order," King Kuhei said before he let go of the clawed hands.
Still weary, Irah did not keep her distance from her king and the entire ordeal. She wanted to make her presence known, warning the Avatar that she was there should it dare think to sabotage anything. After all, the hellhound race could not be trusted.
Ryzen stood before them, but the hood was taken off this time, giving them a chance to gaze upon the Avatar's appearance. All of Irah's imaginative thoughts popped out when the gentle face of a young man happened to stare back at them. The longer she stared at his face Irah realized that this young man's gentle-looking eyes reeked of coldness—the eyes of a mercenary. His soft milk-white skin was adorned with cuts and dried blood. Irah did not know what was inside the cape, but she knew it spoke of his time outside the wall.
The stench of blood laced on his cloak could cause anyone to gag.
'This was the Avatar who single-handedly killed the undead who tried to breach the wall.'
They knew this young man was not defending the wall. He was marking his territory to the undead, and whoever trespassed his territory got killed one way or another.
"What aid can I give you, master?" His velvety voice surprised Irah again. A soft voice brought a shiver to her spine.
"You are to enter the wall again." King Kuhei paused, expecting a reaction from the Avatar, but he gave him none. He just stared blankly at him.
King Kuhei resumed, his eyes eyeing the Avatar wearily. "And you are to travel and find some people for me."
A heavy moment passed before the Avatar spoke again. "After I find these people, should I kill them, master?"
"No, you bring them to me. I am here to bring you to my castle. We have a few to discuss with you." King Kuhei glanced at the other kings who were listening to them.
"What about the wall master?" He looked back to the forest as if he was seeing something they could not see.
"Captain Irah's cavalry will be posted outside the wall," King Kuhei replied.
Ryzen nodded, but before he walked towards the kings, he faced Irah.
"Your men won't last an hour with a number like this. Your weaponry will not help as well." Ryzen told Irah in a calm voice before walking past the young captain.
Irah was left astounded as her gaze traveled to the Avatar's back, slowly retreating from her line of sight.