"Watch closely and learn kid as we give you our parting gift," the muscular voice came and Lyren who was still in a trance watched as the golden dust started accumulating and then separating into sixteen portions. Each portion started changing form and taking a humanoid form, each having a sword strapped on their waists.
VANTAGELESS BLADE
Lyren watched as the first person drew their sword and started performing the first sword. Lyren was in awe as the sword was swung seven time and as the white flash was suddenly released, it seemed to disappear and when it reappeared again, it seemed to have transcended both space and time sheering even the planets behind it as they crumbled into nothingness, not even the dust or rock debris was left behind.
Lyren was awed by the power of the first sword. It appeared that he had misinterpreted it. Maybe it was not just fast but there was more to it. He could feel some insight coming through and he felt he was almost there with the first sword. Just when he thought that that was all, the flash he had thought had disappeared kept moving until it reached him and dissipated.
If what he had seen was real, then it was very dangerous that such a sword technique existed. The ability to obliterate everything in its way was too overpowered. Not even the planets were spared. He felt a chill as he further acknowledged the power of the VANTAGELESS BLADE.
The next scenes did not make any sense to him at all. The other swordsmen performed their techniques but all Lyren had done was admire the power and beauty that followed the sword swings. To him, it was like a magician had appeared and decided to perform him a trick. This was the sequence that followed after the first sword.
It all started like a howling wind that seemed to cut through the nothingness but as it moved further, it kept accumulating small dust particles and for the first time, one could see a white flash. The dust accumulated into small pebbles that then merged together and formed stones which then turned to rocks.
That was not the end because the wind seemed to have been carrying some moisture in it and it kept condensing into very tiny droplets of water not yet visible to the human eye. The rocks kept accumulating on each other and they started forming hills which then turned into mountains which towered so tall that they appeared to dwarf even the space they existed in.
There were valleys between the mountains and as the wind started climbing the mountains and after reaching the peak, it started condensing into clouds.
The clouds darkened eerily and it appeared that a storm was coming. Thunder and lightning sounded as the lightning seemed to crack and destroy the hills that did not make it into mountains.
Then the first water droplets seemed to fall and with every droplet that hit the empty space, land was formed and one could see the vegetation that existed where one thought was only space in existence.
The droplets turned to a light shower that lasted for a short while and as the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed, one could see a huge sun that lit up everything and gave life to the surroundings.
That was not all because Lyren was transported to the peak of the highest mountain where he saw a river with crystal clear water going downwards. He was forced to follow the river's trajectory as though he was right above it and he saw the rivers and birds that kept flying and chirping.
By the time he reached the plains that were so far away which had happened almost instantly, he felt like he had been taken to a trip to a magic world created from a scratch. He could not help but scream as he opened his hands and let the wind blow his hair and reveal his brown scar but there was no mistaking the smile on his face as he allowed himself to forget where he was.
But it all came to an abrupt stop as he was subjected to sudden heat that even his clothes burned up just from the heat alone. For a moment, he though he was going to turn into ash but as though he was a witness, he saw what appeared like a lava ocean. All the mountain water seemed to drain into this lake and since he was following it, he was forced inside too.
It felt like a thousand years of agony by the time he came through to the other side of the lake. His appearance had changed. His body seemed dried up of all its fat and there was black soot covering his whole body. He had gotten accustomed to this heat and on the other side, a lava river seemed to start flowing.
Lyren did not have that energy to marvel but he was certainly awed. As he followed the lava river, it started turning to water after several kilometres. He felt he had witnessed a real show of power and just when he thought he had reached the end, the two words appeared once again hovering in the sky.
VANTAGELESS BLADE
They reflected a radiance that surpassed that of the sun and Lyren could only squint his eyes so that he could see the actual words. He thought that this time it was over but he realized he was being impatient because the skies suddenly rumbled. More like they were broken. The words VANTAGELESS BLADE seemed to start sagging on the skies drawing large chunks of the sky.
This should have ended it but it ended up drawing in the darkness as stars lit up the skies and a moon stood aloof surrounded by several stars. Each trying to make their brilliance light up the skies more than the other. This was the final sight Lyren saw as the he felt a great pressure pressing down on him and everything.
Even the stars and the moons brilliance seemed to get refracted and become shaky. This appeared impossible but Lyren who had miraculously been transported to the moon saw a sight he was not going to forget for the rest of his journey. All he saw was a blade. This blade was extremely slow or so it appeared.
Lyren watched the blade that came with a white flash from the deepest of space. It wanted to cut everything and the moon he was standing on was not going to be an exception.
The blade reached him instantly for a slow blade he thought it was and the moon was split into two equal halves and Lyren was left standing in the middle of nothingness as he watched the blade cut down the earth cleanly into two halves.
When the blade disappeared, it was like reality was warped. Lyren was surrounded by an almost dark, purple, reddish space with traces of orange here and there. There was no mistaking it because it was the actual void that existed deeper than space itself.
Lyren was sucked up into the void and he was jolted awake when he almost stumbled and fell on his back after suddenly feeling his feet touch the ground once again. The golden dust had disappeared and the atmosphere had returned to its dampness. Lyren took in deep breaths as he tried to register exactly what it is that he had just witnessed.
Was that the actual VANTAGELESS BLADE? He had only been able to see the swings carried out by the first person. It appeared there were not going to be any short cuts after all. Lyren's eyes widened as he fell on his butt as he realized two things.