In Luthandor
A man in full plate armor, its steel darkened and splattered with blood, staggered back as he sealed the heavy door shut. On the other side, his comrades' screams were consumed by fire. His knees trembled, his body barely able to stand, but he forced himself to the pedestal.
"I need to warn them…" he whispered, voice shaking. With a trembling hand, he pressed a note onto the stone.
"Send to Grandmaster Shu!" he roared. The parchment glowed, lifted into the air, and vanished.
Relief flickered across his face—until the door split apart with a deafening crack.
The guard raised his sword, but a blinding flash of light seared his vision. A blast hurled him against the wall, pinning him like an insect. He thrashed uselessly, shackled by invisible force.
"I love to see them squirm."
The voice was young, mocking. From the dust stepped a green-hooded teenager, dagger glinting in his hand. He dragged the blade across the guard's cheek, leaving a deep gash.
"Tell me," the boy chuckled, "who did you send that message to?"
"Go to hell," the guard spat through clenched teeth. "I'll never tell you."
The boy's smile widened. He pressed his palm against the guard's face. Fire roared, blistering flesh, filling the air with the stench of burning skin.
"I wanted that answer…" His lips curled into a cruel grin. "Which means I can play with you for a while."
The guard's screams echoed into the night.
---
High atop a mountain sat a temple, its spires framed by clouds. Two boys stood outside, facing each other as the cold wind whipped against their bodies.
THUD!
Tanda Shen slammed into the mud, coughing as dirt smeared his black hair and ruined his robes.
Over him loomed another boy, cracking his knuckles with a taunting grin.
"That's what you'll get. If I see you talking to her again, I'll kill you!"
Shen gritted his teeth and forced himself up, green eyes burning with defiance. He dusted his clothes off.
"At least the temple trains me because they want to. Unlike someone whose parents paid for his place."
"They left me so I could become a great fighter, remembered for my prowess—like a true Luthandor noble." Runza sneered. "You, however, will be forgotten. Weak. Powerless. Poison."
Shen laughed bitterly. "My weak disposition, huh? Then why does your sister visit my window every night?"
Runza's face flushed crimson. Rage boiled in his chest. He drew back his fist, ready to crush him—
But stopped. His hand froze mid-swing, and the color drained from his face.
"It is prohibited to fight on temple grounds."
The voice cut like thunder.
Shen turned sharply. Behind him stood Shu Ken, the temple's Grandmaster. His eyes were the piercing blue of the sea, his frame youthful despite his years. Both boys bowed immediately.
Shen moved quicker, crocodile tears streaming as he sobbed, "Grandmaster, I'm a poor orphan. He's been bullying me for days."
The Grandmaster's gaze turned on Runza, hard and blazing. Cold sweat trickled down Runza's spine.
"How dare you pick on a weaker disciple in my temple?" Shu's voice cracked like a whip.
"B-but he—"
"ENOUGH!" Shu's roar silenced the mountain air. "Runza, seventy-six laps around the perimeter. If you have energy to bully, you have energy to run."
Shen hid a smirk behind his hands, a sly chuckle escaping like a snake's hiss. Runza's thoughts burned with fury. This damn actor! May he fall into a hole and never return.
With a scowl, Runza stormed off.
Shen's triumph didn't last long. SMACK! A hand cracked against the back of his head, making his teeth rattle.
"Stop acting like an idiot," Shu muttered, rolling his eyes. He had seen through Shen's theatrics from the start.
"He was bullying me!" Shen protested, rubbing his head.
"And you provoked him further. Do not mistake me for a fool." Shu's words weighed heavy, and Shen fell silent under the pressure.
The Grandmaster sighed, his sternness softening. "Hahh… fine. Come with me. I'll show you something."
Shu led him into the temple and down the silent halls until they reached his chamber. He motioned for Shen to sit on a worn brown cushion, then pried open a hidden floorboard. From it, he retrieved a small ornate box, carved from dark wood and engraved with a dragon.
He set it down between them.
"Open it."
Shen's breath caught. Inside lay two crimson daggers that glowed faintly in the light, their hilts adorned with dragon heads whose ruby eyes seemed alive. The blades curved like fangs, bending the air itself.
"Where… where did you get these?" Shen's voice trembled in awe.
"A wandering trader from Luthandor. They cost me dearly," Shu said, watching the boy's wide-eyed joy.
"They are called the Crimson Dragons. Do you like them?"
"THESE ARE AWESOME!" Shen shouted.
"Then they are yours," Shu said, nodding.
"R-really?" Shen gasped, a grin splitting his face.
"Yes. On one condition." Shu raised a single finger.
Shen leaned forward, adrenaline surging. "What is it? I'll do anything!"
"Anything, huh?"