'Eyes were a mirror to one's soul.'
Passed down for generations, that simple phrase was known to almost every human in Hyades. And nowhere was it more prevalent than Solfea, the territory of the Solaris House.
Members of the Solaris House were proud of their unique gold irises precisely because it was a testament to their legendary lineage. After the Golden Dragon Sovereign blessed the Solaris Founder, every son and daughter bearing his blood would inherit the otherworldly blessing. It was believed that the deeper the golden hue in one's eyes, the better their chances of becoming a Solaris Knight.
Not to mention, golden eyes were solely unique to the Solaris House. It was a universal indicator and surefire method of proving one's bloodline.
So, when Leon appeared in the Solaris House with blue eyes and golden hair, many questioned his true heritage. Was he really born from Lucas Solaris, one of the most talented Solaris Knights in generations?
Alas, they failed to consider, nay, their brains couldn't even fathom the alternative.
It was an irrefutable fact that Leon had inherited the Solaris Bloodline. Just by training in the Nine Suns Heart Mantra was sufficient to prove his heritage. But what if… An even greater power was suppressing Leon's Solaris Bloodline? A greater blessing that came not from his father but mother?
A Bloodline stronger than Solaris?
"Le-on?"
Lydia could hardly believe her eyes. With a flaming blade in one hand and a water sword in the other, the young Knight emulated the figure of a War God. Golden Aura was overwhelmed by a serene cerulean hue, mixing into a cycle of push and pull.
Threatened by Leon's sudden rise in power, the Troll stopped trying to pull out the burning sword lodged in his throat and faced the young Knight in a head-on collision. It groaned in agony, continuously moving its hips and arms in an attempt to regain balance. Pushing through all the pain, the Troll charged straight at Leon, hoping to end its foe once and for all.
But Leon wasn't going to allow it to strike. Leaping up into the air, he raised his hydro sword and pumped more mana into it. The sword's water currents sped exponentially, and it was now akin to an electric chainsaw. The seamless water jets exploded from the tip of Leon's waterblade, piercing like a bullet fired. The water sword pierced through the limestone walls on the other side, making it look like a guillotine was about to fall upon the Troll's neck.
The Demonic Beast instantly glanced up at the blade that could end its life and roared with great fear.
Although the Troll had inferior intelligence, it could still recognise threats that could end its life. It mustered its strength to move out of the way, but Leon was a step faster. He swung the elongated hydro blade down with a vengeance, and it fell like lightning.
Like hail from the heavens, the blade struck the massive troll on the shoulder. It attempted to overheal its body to create an expansive armour to block the attack, but it was futile.
Leon's water blade was far sharper than any tool the Troll had ever encountered. Slicing through its defences like a hot knife through butter, Leon's attack met no resistance as it effortlessly dislodged the Troll's right arm from its body.
"GROARRRRR!!!"
Gnarling with pain, the monster collapsed upon the floor, losing its dominant arm. Almost instantly, its regeneration attempted to bring it back to its lost limb. However, Leon was prepared. Sending vast amounts of Solar mana into his sword, he created a dense coat of Aura Fire and threw the burning sword like a javelin.
The blade sunk deep into the open appendage of the Demonic Beast, continuously burning and preventing the Troll's hyper-regeneration from doing its magic.
With a sword lodged in its neck and arm, the Troll was now burning from two ends. Its regeneration couldn't heal the wounds it sustained, and it continued to wail like an infant. Its green eyes were dyed crimson red as veins popped within its sockets. Moving between sobriety and complete rage, the Troll struck the ground with a vengeance as it glared at the man who caused him so much harm.
Leon felt his body breaking apart after using so much mana in the last two moves. Not to mention, his body wasn't in perfect condition in the first place. Leon's bones and muscles were screaming with every step he took. However, he knew he wasn't able to back down.
If he stopped attacking, the Troll would instantly claim his life. And so, Leon ignored the pain and started running with his aqua sword.
Enraged in its berserk mode, the Troll's senses were locked into Leon's every movement. The moment the Knight charged at it, the Troll followed closely behind. Although it had lost its dominant hand, it still picked up its gnarled club with its left and swung violently in Leon's direction.
Both parties were heavily fatigued and injured, but the dynamics of their battle remained the same.
Leon was faster while the Troll hit harder. Leon could evade almost any attack in his direction, but if the Troll even connected on one hit, that was all it took to smash the young teen into paste. So, mustering all his energy, Leon moved from corner to corner and evaded all the strikes that slammed down like thunder.
With every miss, the Troll became more agitated. It roared angrily in frustration, and its swings became more frantic. Leon took advantage of its loss of reasoning to land several clean strikes on its body. Unfortunately, the Troll's regeneration was still in effect. As long as its body wasn't burning, it could cleanly recover all of its lost flesh instantly.
'Annoying!!!'
Leon cursed in his mind.
While he was a prodigy with dual mana, cycling between the two affinities wasn't easy. Each time he swapped or merged fire with water, Leon's growing body took a heavy toll. Not to mention, after losing his sword, it became infinitely hard to switch between the two mana types.
Luckily for him, he wasn't the only one fighting the Troll.
"Fwooshh!!"
A ball of fire came flying and struck the Troll where it was cut. The flames seared the mottled skin of the beast, burning into the hide and slowing down its regeneration. Leon glanced over his shoulder and saw his battered cousin raising her hands up while struggling to keep her two feet on the ground.
'Sister Lydia!'
"I-I'll he-lp!"
That was all Lydia needed to say. Her body might been falling apart, but her mind was still fully lucid. Powering through with sheer willpower, she used every ounce of her being to support Leon with her magic spells, and that was enough to give the injured Knight the confidence he needed.
"Okay!"
Not willing to push Lydia more than he needed, Leon decided to use all of his power to end the Troll within the next minute. Fully committing to using his hydro powers, Leon leapt straight towards the Demonic Beast with two high-speed water jets flowing from his palms.
Be it out of anger or fear… possibly both, the Troll roared with passion.
They both knew that the next clash it would determine who lived… and who died.
It faced Leon and swung its club ferociously like a savage. Leon pushed through the pain and obliged in the dance to the death. He dodged the Troll's club and aimed his jetstream blade straight at the monster's exposed body. Each time Leon drew blood from the beast, Lydia's fireball was sure to follow.
The clash continued for half a minute but seemed like an eternity to all the parties involved.
However, for the Troll, it was nearing its end. Losing control over its club, it hesitated for a split second, and Leon capitalised on the chance. Sliding through its defences, Leon found himself underneath the Troll's groin and swung his water blades wide.
The two sharp aqua swords sliced open both Troll's legs instantly, and the huge beast fell onto its back. It let out another excruciating roar as it cried helplessly with only one limb remaining. Its regenerative factor worked on overdrive as it attempted to regrow the legs that the Troll had just lost.
But unfortunately for the beast, Lydia had been preparing for that moment.
"Twin Inferno Dragons!"
Spending all of her mana, Lydia cast her ultimate fire spell. Two oriental dragons made entirely of orange flames erupted and fiercely bit down on the Troll's growing limbs. Its healing stopped as its appendages were scorched and charred.
"GRAOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
Unable to withstand the pain, the Troll rolled over to its side and attempted to crawl deeper into the cave. Its sonorous cries echoed throughout the cave as if it were crying for help. None of its previous rage and ferocity remained. All that it had left was fear and a desire to escape.
However, Leon wasn't going to grant it that mercy.
With what little strength he had left, Leon leapt onto the back of the Troll and found his way to the back of the beast's neck. Lydia's rapier, which had been absorbed into its fleshy body, was now revealed. It was still burning the Troll from the inside.
Leon leaned down and grabbed a hold of its hilt, pouring all of his remaining mana into the sword. The Troll was still paralysed with fear and couldn't feel the heat increasing at the back of its neck. All it could do was crawl slowly to its inevitable demise.
And Leon was going to speed it up.
Solar mana burst forth from the sixteen-year-old's body, and all of his Suns exposed themselves like the break of dawn. Golden Aura and eternally burning Aura Fire enveloped the young Knight as he channelled everything he had into the final blow. His fingers grabbed on tighter, not willing to let go for fear of losing his opponent.
"Solar Flare Lotus!!!"
Leon unleashed all of his fury into the second move of the Solaris Mystic Arts he'd learnt.
Golden fire erupted and manifested itself into an incandescent flaming lotus. The flower bloomed within the base of the Troll's neck, essentially decapitating the monster without a second's remorse. The fire burnt the Troll from all sides and crept over the beast.
Light diminished from its venomous eyes as it stared down at the prey it had attempted to devour just moments before. And as it passed onto its eternal rest, it let out one final growl as if it were cursing Leon to suffer the same fate that it did.
Falling to his bum, Leon felt all of his energy drain from his body. The adrenaline from fighting had settled down and he could make out how broken-down he was. There was hardly any mana left in his body; his muscles were aching from head to toe, and he felt completely spent.
But… the ultimate prize had been claimed.
"W-We… did it!"
It was a soft battle cry, but it contained every emotion his heart felt. He glanced back at Lydia and saw her beamingly bright face. At that point, even though she was still heavily injured, Lydia was still more energetic than Leon. Limping her way over to the fatigued youth, she jokingly slapped Leon on the chest.
"Y-You did it! You killed it!"
"No, we did it."
Leon knew that without Lydia's help, exterminating the Troll would be near-impossible. Only with her support and leadership did Leon even have a chance of killing that monster.
"I'm tired… Let me rest for a bit before we leave."
"Don't worry, I pressed the distress signal almost an hour ago. Help should be arriving anytime now."
"That's good because I don't think I can move."
Leon said that half-jokingly, but his body was truly spent. There was hardly anything left in the tank for him; all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep.
"It's all because of those bastards! Just wait; when we leave, I will find them and…"
"Lydia?"
Seeing his cousin pause mid-sentence gave Leon a bad feeling. Lydia stared deeper into the dark cave, her golden eyes trembling as if she'd seen a ghost. Trailing her line of sight, Leon turned his head around, and likewise, his body froze.
Two shadowy figures emerged from the depths of the cave. Both of them were slightly bigger than the Troll Leon had just defeated. As they entered into the light, their battle-worn bodies were unveiled for all to see. Criss-crossed with scars and brimming with combat presence, the two silhouettes were just as intimidating as they were gruesome.
One seemed feminine, with saggy breasts hanging from its fleshy chest. The other was larger and heavier, with one eye carved out, leaving behind a burnt scar. They were more aged and experienced than the Troll Leon had just killed, but they were fresh and ready for battle.
There was no question about it.
The Troll they killed was not alone.
"So there was a family, huh?"
Leon sighed with resignation. The mother Troll bent down and rushed towards the decapitated head of her son. It let out a shrieking cry, one that could be mistaken as a mournful scream to grieve about the loss of her son. But, the mother Troll snarled and popped her son's head into her mouth, crunching on it with her tusks as if enjoying a late-night snack.
"... in the end, beasts will be beasts."
Leon didn't even have time to contemplate the biology of the Trolls and mustered strength, and he didn't even know he had left it into his feet. Standing up, he gestured to Lydia with a shaky body: "Go and get help. I'll try to hold them back as much as I can."
"L-Leon!"
"Don't hesitate! Run, quickly!"
Leon didn't look back. Even with his body about to crumble and his mana pool dried up, he stood tall against the two mighty Trolls. There was no question in his mind that if he fought them, he would unquestionably perish.
And yet, he decided to stand… so his cousin could live.
Something ignited in Leon's heart, and his mind was refreshed. Even though he was undeniably going to die, Leon never once doubted his decision. Unarmed without mana, he moved his shaky legs forward and aimed to attack the fearsome foes.
However…
"Stop…"
A firm but soft voice tickled his ear.
A steady hand, unquestionably bigger than Lydia's, gently held Leon's shoulder back. Stunned, Leon glanced back and saw a suave, tall man pushing his body back. With ebony-black hair and resplendent golden eyes that glowed ever so brightly in the darkness, the handsome figure was like a hero who appeared at just the right moment.
"You've done good… Leave the rest to me…"
Amon's calming voice soothed the tense Leon, pushing the injured youth back into the arms of the shocked Lydia. Pulling out his sword, Amon stood arrogantly in front of the two huge Trolls that spewed putrid breaths from their rotting mouths.
While his face was emotionless, Amon's lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a litany of complicated emotions. However, for the mighty Knight, none of those emotions mattered anymore. All that he was focused on…
"Observe… This is how you use the Solaris Mystic Arts."