[ Check Chapter 1 here ]

[…] As it approached him, he started making sense of its form. To his surprise, it’s just an old man. It was obvious to Valion that age took a toll on this mysterious person; his back quite bent, his eyes barely opening, a long smooth white beard, wrinkly pale skin. Yet, his aura horrified him like no other. Right away, he could tell that if this old man wanted to kill him, he could do it in an instant. He just stood there unable to do anything. For the very first time in his life, he couldn’t decide his own fate.

“Young man, I believe you haven’t answered me yet,” Said the old man.

“Oh, euh…” Valion stood there stupefied.

“I am the one who should be having difficulty speaking, young one.” The old man started laughing and said “Relax, I came in peace. Do not fear me. If anything, I might be your only ally in the valley of death. How about we start with names?”

“Actually, I don’t even know the reason that brought me here. I was unconscious. When I woke up I found myself lying here. I was going through my fuzzy memories. But, that monster over there interrupted me. Then, you came. Oh, excuse my rudeness. I am Valion from Flore”

Curious of the heavily bruised boy in front of him, the old man sat down.

“Flore?! Ehum… Excuse me, I am Enzeqor. Back in the days, I was a famous light wizard serving your homeland. Yet, after years of unwavering loyalty, they deemed me a threat to its peace and banished me. Now, I found home here where I can keep my skills from rusting thanks to fighting the monsters populating the valley.”

“So, we’re from the same place, and now we meet here. Ironic isn’t it? Wait, did you just call this place the valley of death?”

“Indeed, does its name ring a bell?”

“Not really, but the name…I can’t help but feel a bit worried. Especially having sustained a huge amount of damage. Surprisingly, I still don’t know what happened to me.”

“Alright, let’s get that damage healed first. As I go with that, you lay down and tell me what you know of your story. You’ll probably remember more as you go with it. Once we go through the events that brought you here, we’ll talk about this place and what you should do to get out of it.”

As the old man takes Valion’s hand, a white aura appears around them; a faint light lit the place, shiny butterflies and what appeared to him as angels started circling around them dancing in harmony. Valion felt a warm peace. He closes his eyes and ventures back into his memories. He told the old man the events he remembered prior to the monster’s appearance. Now, he tries to understand the images left unexplained in his head. Trying to fit the images in a logical frame, he lost track of himself and started telling the rest of the events.

After the fateful meeting with the princess, he groomed himself and went to the location he described using the piece of paper he slipped to her. He kept checking himself in every mirror along the way; his hair game was on point, his dress polished and thoroughly cleaned, a beautiful rose in his hands. All he could imagine was the good time he was going to spend with her.

The meeting place was an alley. A carefully chosen one. It was known to only very few people. It was the perfect spot to set up a meeting without drawing attention. The moment he reached his destination, he saw the beautiful princess he longed to meet. As he Approached her with a smiling face, he prepared himself to give her the rose he secretly picked from the florist. He finally got close enough to clearly see her face. Shockingly, it wasn’t the expression he was waiting for; She looked frightened, unable to say anything no matter how hard she tries.

Finally, she mustered the courage the scream with all her might: “Run! It’s a trap. They know about this meeting!”

Valion’s guard was down for the simple reason that he didn’t foresee this outcome. The very moment the princess uttered the first word, a small knife grazes his side as it passes by to fully penetrate the wall behind him. Luckily, it barely scratched his skin. He managed to toughen his skin with his magic as he dodged to the side.

“Who is it?! Show yourself!” Valion shouted.

As he screamed, he took a moment to analyze his situation. He knew that no ordinary man can throw a knife with such penetrating force. He recognized his enemy’s strength and knew that blood will most likely be shed if he fights him. The enemy finally shows up as he jumps from the roof. It’s Urick, one of Vlad’s servants known for cursing magic. When Valion identified him, he immediately rechecked his wound to notice that the bleeding wasn’t natural. It wouldn’t stop.

“Curse magic… interesting!” Said valion as he enchanted his body, increasing both his agility and raw strength. As he rushes at Urick to attack him, he started considering his options; should he retreat? Should he fight with all his might to impress the one person he actually liked? He didn’t have that much time to weigh his options properly. After all, that wound isn’t closing any time soon. Blinded by his ego, he forgot that his enemy had all the time to set up the location with traps.

The moment he got really close to Urick, he kicked the ground to create a smokescreen hoping some of the tiny rocks would take his foe by surprise. Using the diversion, Valion managed to land a hit.

“That hurt. Take easy on me,” said Urick with a smug face.

Valion was surprised by Urick’s statement. He knew that he just shouldn’t spend more resources trying to assess his weaknesses. Suddenly, he felt a stinging pain in his hand. He checked it out to find that it’s all cut up. Urick was full of hidden poisoned blades.

“Sigh… I just needed to know how much stronger I needed to get. Cut the pleasantries and fight me for real. That hit was worth it. Now, I know what I am going to do to win this fight,” said Valion as he reenchanted his body. This time, he increased his strength, agility, focus and toughness. He can’t maintain this state for a long time. But, during the time this enchantment is active, Valion is definitely a tough person to fight.

“I hope you know what you’re doing. Your puny magic wouldn’t hurt me. Not even in a million years.” Said Urick as he laughed.

“Please, cease fighting now!” Shouted the princess.

« Don’t worry your highness, I am ending the fight in the next move! » said Valion as he prepared his secret art magic skill.

To be continued…

[Chapter III]