Warning: This chapter contains vivid scenes of blood and violence. If you're sensitive to such content, you may wish to skip ahead. Thank you.
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The mine was rather quiet when Zayden arrived there. A heavy stench of bloodlust swept past him. No. The air. The pungent smell was everywhere, surrounding the mine. This town had been infested and corrupted, yet the capital faction didn't dispatch wardens to check it out. All they did there was laze around and order people around. Perhaps it was their plan all along.
He entered the mine, walking briskly but cautious as he took in the hard walls and solid ground. He took a right bend towards the direction where he was hearing footfalls. The miners were here. They were working just as he had thought, purifying gold. When he got closer to the doorway, he felt the strong heat coming from inside. If they were purifying a large amount of gold, then the heat would definitely be ten times hotter than normal. His question that still remained unanswered was: why was the high-ranking official after the gold? To the extent that they even did mass production? He stepped inside the large room, pointing his sword at no one in particular as the men came into view.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Well, if it isn't Zayden." The official clapped as amusement shone on his face.
If Zayden wasn't well informed, he would have passed the man for a commoner rather than a higher-up. He quickly raised his sword at the man, who patted a large solid item on the ground which was covered with a cloth. "It's good that you know my name," Zayden replied and moved further into the room. The miners didn't stop what they were doing, as it was gold.
"Of course. Every human out there must have heard about the famous war god. Isn't it?" Lord Rigolo implied as he gestured with his hand.
Zayden tried to search his memories. He wanted to know why they called him the war god, but it was fuzzy and dark as though it didn't exist. He gripped his head in pain as blood rushed out of his nose. He quickly wiped it before the lord noticed.
"The man in the red coat with silver hair, isn't it?" He asked and clasped his hands together. "Those on top of the food chain, like me, know of the bloodthirsty midnight reaper who carries a demon sword. I can smell the bloodlust from here." He opened his eyes, which had some speck of gold in them.
Zayden's grip on his sword involuntarily tightened. Only a few knew of his demon sword. He didn't expect the higher-ups to have done their research. As if feeling his emotions, the sword throbbed in his hand as if it was another life itself. "You can save the talks for your afterlife — if you would have one," Zayden smirked. "I'm not here to stop you, Lord Rigolo," he said and took a step forward.
Lord Rigolo took one backward. It now seemed to him that that useless kid, Ben, had run his mouth. "Then why are you here?"
"To end you," Zayden replied as his expression became blank. He wasn't going to smile at a man who coldly murdered hundreds of people just to lay his hand on their gold. "I'll kill you slowly, and you'll watch in pain as I separate your limbs."
Cold sweat broke on Rigolo's face as he imagined what Zayden had said. Zayden's killing reputation was far too brutal. In fact, he wouldn't even think twice before attacking him.
"How was my present to you? Wrapped in a beautiful illusion, beyond it were the corpses of those who once lived in this town. Demure, isn't it?" He laughed out loudly and turned to pick up a gold cube that was lying on the covered item. "We had done a lot of research before discovering this place. Can't you see?" He raised his hand as if he was enjoying everything that was happening.
Zayden's body shook in anger as he listened to the maniac of a man. These people. They only saw those beneath them as garbage and used them as they saw fit. Rigolo couldn't have wiped the whole town singlehandedly. He was being backed by them, and that explained why the church or the capital did not intervene. Granny must have sent us here out of pity for the miners. The rumors about this place, the crowd, and the gold — everything was clearly manipulated. His hair moved as the air cackled with tension.
"Lord Rigolo, your intelligence is quite interesting. The townsfolk wouldn't have let you take their gold away, so you arranged for them to be killed. They were poisoned. When a lot of miasma is gathered and released, it could act as poison to humans if released. The miners were exempted because you needed them to do the job. You didn't want to let outsiders know of your schemes, so you asked the boy, Ben, to spread a rumor about monsters attacking the town. Normal people won't come here if they hear that. Those with powers, if they venture here, would see the fake crowd and leave, but that couldn't be said for my crew members who knew something was wrong with the town. As if that was not enough, you sold out other rumors that monsters were gathering at the mine. That was where you left a loose end. It made us think. Why were the monsters gathered at the mine? Something attracting them was lurking there. It took you two months." Zayden finished and glared at the man, who was already shivering in disbelief.
"How did you know about this? No one could have found out about his schemes," he thought and raised his hand as a sword suddenly appeared from nowhere.
"You spared the boy because he could slip through anything, so you could use him while promising him gold, which he would use to buy his sister who was sold into slavery. To cut the story short, the girl is dead. You kept showing him illusions so he could do your biddings," Zayden replied as he drew his sword at him. "Just as one of my crew members had said: make sure the official doesn't see the sunrise. I would gladly do so to fulfill the wishes of the people you murdered."
Rigolo smirked as he stared at Zayden. "Then you leave me no choice but to end you. We can't let the public hear about this, do we?" He asked as he drew forward.
"And we don't want you returning to the capital with that gold, do we?" Zayden asked as his eyes fell on the covered items on the ground. He cracked his neck and swung his sword at Rigolo. It was as if bottled-up emotions had been released as the sword guided Zayden.
Lord Rigolo himself wasn't bad either, as he defended himself proudly. The sword he was using wasn't just to fight with Zayden. In fact, it was also part of the plan. He grinned and swung while chanting a strange spell.
As if noticing something was coming towards him, Zayden's sword suddenly shifted left, which wasn't where he had struck, and his body followed, slamming him against the wall.
The other miners stood in fear as they stared at the fight between both men — one who was their lifesaver and the other who was their enemy.
"What was that?" Zayden whispered to himself and stood up. He wiped the blood from his mouth and pointed it upwards, going into position as he prepared himself.
"Fighting me with your mere physical strength is nothing. Show your true powers. Show me that power that earned you that second name," Rigolo declared as he moved quickly towards Zayden.
The space was small and dangerous, which was a disadvantage to Zayden. Rigolo's sword struck the ground he was standing on a few seconds ago as he teleported and struck the man on his back, but the lord was still fast. Zayden jumped out of the room as they fought in the tiny passage, slashing walls and hitting the ground. The official wasn't bad with a sword.
Zayden rushed towards the man and thrust his sword at him. Rigolo backstepped and chanted another spell. Zayden quickly moved into the entrance corridor as the spell smashed into the wall. The mine's foundation shook, but none of them was giving up. Zayden parried the lord's next swing and slashed him across his face. Rigolo was fast and flexible.
Rigolo raised his sword and struck the ground loudly. The ground cracked, moving towards Zayden, who quickly moved backward and landed outside the mine. Rigolo came after him, and Zayden didn't hold back. He released a tint of his power as his sword engulfed in flames.
Rigolo suddenly moved his fingers in some strange movements, and a large sorcery circle appeared above them. It spread quickly, covering the whole of Rivendell. "It was written that it would get to a time when your powers would be sealed. It was an honor fighting you, Zayden," Rigolo spoke out and laughed.
*Thump*
Zayden's heartbeat loudly in his ears as his death flashed before his eyes. The golden circle, with different ancient writings and markings on it, dropped from the sky as it aimed for Zayden. It was the golden seal. They were going to seal him with this town? He growled in anger as his power released from his body.
Rigolo drew back as he stared at Zayden in mortification.
A sudden storm was brewing in the town, and everything around them was flying around. The roofs of buildings, items, stalls — everything was turning upside down. Standing in the midst of the turbulence was Zayden. The seal had triggered him to release his power. Yet, this was half of what his powers were. No. Raiden's face flashed in his eyes, and he snapped out of his trance.
"I lived as a measly human all my life. I was given a chance to live again. Do you think I would sit and watch as they seal my powers? When they had done it in his past life, he was only a powerless child who wasn't even aware of his surroundings. But now…" He growled and raised his sword to the sky. His sword struck the circle, stopping it. The storm got heavier as he struggled to see around him. The force of the seal pulled him down as he fell to one knee, with his other on the ground. The seal was so close he could feel the burning sensation. It was hotter than fire. This would be the end of him. Would he be reborn again? Why had he come to the future? Zayden had never asked himself those questions. He growled as his fingers were slipping from the sword. His crew members… They were in this same town. They would be sealed along with him. They were good people. Isabelle was a good girl, and she was killed. Raiden was a powerless human, but he was killed. "Noooooo!!!" He yelled in pain as his heartbeat drummed in his ears. "You won't see the sunrise, Rigolo!!" It was an order. Zayden yelled as his sword penetrated the seal and tore it. The seal shattered like glass and blended with the storm. "I shall be your judge!" He wailed and moved like lightning, striking that part. Even though he couldn't see anything, he thrust, and his sword pierced into flesh. Warm blood reached his hand, dripping on the ground. The storm began reducing as Zayden calmed down. Now, he could see the white face of the official, who was shaking tremendously. "I know. I lived up to your expectations," Zayden's hoarse voice reached Rigolo's ears.
"For the people you killed." Zayden pulled out the sword and dismembered Rigolo's left hand. The man screamed in pain and fell to his knees.
"For using them without allowing them to rest in their graves." He separated Rigolo's right hand from his body, and the man yelled in pain. It was as though his body was on fire. This man called Zayden… He was a beast in human flesh. Now he knew why people were scared of him. He thought he stood a chance.
Zayden went on his knees before the official and collected a small gold cube from his pocket. "For stealing their gold." He thrust the sword into Rigolo's heart as his eyes widened in mortification. He turned the sword as blood poured out from Rigolo's mouth.
"I–I can tell you who wants the gold and why," Rigolo tried to plead with Zayden.
"Tell that to the devil. I hope you go to hell," Zayden whispered in his ears and pulled out the sword. The official's body fell on the ground, lying in its own pool of blood — dead.