The next day, Nico woke up after hearing Arfin abruptly open their bedroom door with a loud bang. In the midst of drowsiness, Nico heard Arfin explaining that there had been a fight in the cafeteria.
Geralt, the head of the candidate aka wood knight, was known throughout the east wing castle for his strict adherence to the knight's code of conduct. He was respected by all who knew him, both for his unwavering commitment to justice and for his skill with a sword.
Nico, Arfin and a group of wood knights stood watching from a distance. Geralt was speaking with the knight in a soft and polite tone, hoping that the knight would no longer be angry. The knight seemed to be a ranked bronze knight and was trash talking with a lady who worked there as a cook.
As the conversation went on, the knight trash talking grew increasingly angrier and more indignant. Even Geralt already backed down walking away, he shouted insults at Geralt and the other wood knights, and even made threats against the lady. He said Geralt is a wooden pig and that lady only can cook swine food. Geralt, never one to tolerate such behavior, stepped forward to confront the bronze knight, even though he was just a wood knight.
At first, the two men simply traded insults, each trying to gain the upper hand or dominance over the situation. But when the knight drew his sword and made a move to strike Geralt, the situation quickly escalated into a full-blown fight.
The two knights stood at opposite ends of the cafeteria; their eyes locked in a fierce stare-down. With a sudden burst of speed, the bronze knight charged forward, sword drawn. Geralt met him in the middle, their blades clashing in a shower of sparks.
"Gerald has an iron sword?" asked Nico in surprise. Candidate or wood knight as the name described only could train with a wooden sword.
"Yes. But Geralt is far stronger than us. His guardian knight gave him an iron sword after he always failed to get a sword in the sword graveyard," said Arfin.
Nico and other knights watched in awe as Geralt and the bronze knight battled back and forth, their swords clanging together in a deadly dance. Geralt was clearly the more skilled fighter, but it seems the bronze knight had a fire ability. There was a fire spark produced by his sword that made up for his lack of finesse.
The sound of metal clashing on metal echoed through the cafeteria as the two knights exchanged blows. It seems his fire sword doesn't affected Geralt at all. Geralt's sword flashed through the air, its sharp edge narrowly missing the bronze knight shoulder.
The bronze knight responded with a quick jab of his own, but Geralt was too fast. He dodged the blow and countered with a swift strike to the bronze's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him.
The bronze knight stumbled back, gasping for breath, but he refused to give up. With a fierce growl, he charged forward once more, his fire sword swinging wildly.
Geralt parried the attack effortlessly, then lunged forward with a powerful thrust that caught the bronze knight off guard. The bronze knight stumbled backward, his fire sword falling from his grasp as he clutched at the wound in his chest.
Geralt advanced slowly, his sword held at the ready. The bronze knight looked up at him, defiance in his eyes, but he knew he had been defeated.
Nico watched from a distance, awe and admiration filling his heart. He knew then and there that he wanted to be a knight like Geralt. Geralt even could win against bronze rank just with his swordsman skill.
As the Bronze knight was led away by his friend, Nico and the other wood knight couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for Geralt and the code of conduct that he so passionately upheld. They knew that with knights like Geralt in charge, no candidate in east wing would dare to be impolite.
Finally, six hours had passed in a flash. The Sword bearer ceremony had arrived. Everyone had gathered in front of the Sword graveyard, located between two towering cliffs.
The Sword graveyard was a sacred place in Eteria that contained the strongest swords of destiny. Legend had it that the graveyard was forged by the gods themselves and possessed a powerful law stream.
Every year, knights in Eteria would gather there for a special ceremony that lasted only for a day. The graveyard was only open for a day each year because of an eternal flame that burned the entire valley of the graveyard. Until now, they did not understand how the flame could be there.
When Nico arrived, there was still a blaze burning in the valley. While waiting, people seemed to be playing and resting around the area.
Madam Ephelia appeared to be instructing new candidates. Nico didn't know what they were talking about, but she looked idolized by many knight sitting around her listening to her instructions. Arfin later tells Nico that Madam Ephelia actually ranked second in terms of strength only below Master Sir Leon, head of aurora castle. That was why Madam Ephelia words are equal to the law on Aurora castle.
Arman was also there. He welcomed Nico and got introduced with Arfin. Guardian knights were supposed to accompany their wards, but most of them were lazy. For example, Arfin's guardian knight did not show up to accompany him.
Arman then gave them some clues about the sword bearer ceremony. The ceremony was a test to find the sword of destiny. Only those who were truly worthy could lift the swords. If successful, they would be given the title of Sir for men and Lady or Madam for women. Their rank would rise from wooden knight to bronze knight.
"Sir Arfin," Nico whispered.
"Hehe," Arfin chuckled.
Arman also advised them to choose the swords on the edge of the cliff wall. Rumor had it that the swords on the edge were stronger than those in the middle of the valley.
"Don't just try to pull out a sword. Your sword would pulsate like a heartbeat. In some cases, swords would call their owners from afar," said Arman.
Only after three hours had passed, the flame that burned the valley had faded leaving a blackened valley like ashes. The guardian knights there began to guide the knight candidates to stand and line up. Their names were called one by one, starting from the strongest to the weakest candidate. Of course, Arfin and Nico, who were still children, were in the back row. Although Arman wanted to put them in the front row, it seemed that no one believed his words.
One by one, the knight candidates slowly entered the valley in turns. They were prohibited from fighting or drawing the same sword to avoid conflicts.
As Nico entered the valley, he saw tens of thousands of swords embedded in the ground. Some looked worn and old, but most still looked shiny and new.
Because he was the last to enter, Nico saw that some people had already successfully obtained their destiny sword. Those who hadn't gotten their sword, like Nico, looked envious and hurriedly went to find their own sword.
Nico looked left and right. The swords there all seemed to be alive and had their own consciousness. Sometimes, the swords would tremble on their own. But as he approached them, the swords would appear pretending to be dead and not moving at all.
"Sir Arman said they would pulsate. Only my heart is pulsating," Arfin said.
"Let alone pulsating, they seem to be allergic to me," Nico murmured.
"Maybe we'll feel it when we get closer?" Arfin asked pessimistically.
The two of them dismissed the thought that they were unworthy knights who didn't deserve a sword. They hoped that at least one sword could be pulled out from the thousands of swords in front of them.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise along the valley that startled everyone.
"Look at that!" shouted Arfin as he saw someone lifting his sword in the distance.
"Geralt! He finally got his sword of destiny," exclaimed Nico.
The sword of destiny held by Geralt looked huge, with a bright red blade that seemed to burn like hot flames. Everyone clapped. They knew how hard Geralt had trained. Finding the sword after searching for decades was certainly expected.
"That's the Explosion Knight's sword. It's a unique sword and there's only one in this tomb. It's said to be able to demolish a building with just one slash!"
"Unique sword?" asked Nico.
"Yes. There are levels of the sword of destiny. Swords like the Guardian Knights are ordinary swords. There are dozens of them. But Geralt's sword is the only one in this tomb. Its power is very strong. That's why he had trouble finding his sword," explained Arfin.
Nico felt envious of Geralt. Would he ever succeed like him?
"There's something even more powerful than a unique sword. It's called a named sword. That sword has its own name and it's said that anyone who owns it will become a leader and determine the fate of many people. For example, Excalibur and Muramasa."
"Wow, aren't those folk legends? One from England and one from Japan."
"Get rid of the thought of getting it. Even if we find it, we won't be able to pull it out," Arfin explained.
At first, they both walked with enthusiasm. Their steps felt light and their faces were cheerful. But as time went on, they became more and more dejected and began to hope for any old sword.
After walking to the end of the valley, they were faced with a grim reality. They had not succeeded in finding any pulsing swords.
"Damn it!" Nico's stomach felt like it had dropped. If he didn't get a sword here, he could be the first one sent home later.
Arfin also looked disheartened. He appeared sad and now sat listlessly on the ground. After a few moments of contemplation, they decided to try searching again. They walked around and tried pulling out the swords haphazardly. But the swords did not budge as if they were cemented to the ground.
They both decided to split up. Arfin walked along the western cliff wall, and Nico on the eastern cliff. They came up with the idea of trying to pull out all the swords there. If they could bring back two swords, one of them promised to give his sword to his friend. It was a noble and baseless thought from both of them. Since when you can give a sword to others?
However, as Nico walked along the edge of the eastern cliff wall, he felt increasingly strange. In the distance, there was an ancient-looking sword that was two meters long. The sword not only pulsated but also seemed to call out to Nico with whispers of an ancient language he had never heard before.
The sword was in the middle of a giant crater, and several people who were surrounding the crater also looked puzzled because they had never seen the sword in previous years.
Swords were usually crowded and close together in the dense and narrow valley. But this sword had its own crater and there was no other sword near it.
Nico grinned in disbelief. It couldn't be this sword, right? This sword looked very powerful and sacred. Surely he was not the chosen one to lift it.
Nico didn't believe it, but his steps drew closer to the sword out of curiosity. The more he walked, the more he felt the vibrations of the sword. Then, as Nico stepped into its crater, the gaps in the crater suddenly emitted thick black smoke.
Nico was terrified. Why was the crater smoking like it was about to explode?