Chapter 41 – New Companion II
Chapter 41 – New Companion II
Chapter 41 – New Companion II
A few moments earlier, before Shawn appeared between Princess Selena and King Azure Soldier…
A portal had appeared in the middle of the dense forest, casting vivid light onto the trees and forest floor under the moonless sky. Out of the portal emerged Makara, his figure illuminated briefly before the light of the portal vanished, leaving him standing alone in the dark. Unfazed by the portal’s disappearance, Makara had already sneaked some fine wine from Prince Zhao’s castle and began drinking, oblivious to anything else.
A few feet away, another portal shimmered into existence, and Shawn stepped out. He spotted Makara nearby, drinking away in the middle of the night. With an exasperated look, Shawn walked toward him. “Why are you so far from where the portal is?” he asked.
Makara, still mid-sip, shrugged lazily. “Didn’t move an inch,” he replied with a sly grin. “Looks like the timing of entering the portal determines how far apart it spits us out.” He chuckled, taking another swig of the wine. “Guess the portal lacks precision, huh?”
Shawn sighed at Makara’s nonchalant behaviour, but they both decided it was late, and they’d make camp. As they scouted a decent spot, they shed their Atlantean gear for more comfortable attire. But just as they began settling down, the broken piece of King Azure’s sword, still in Shawn’s hand, began vibrating—its resonance faint but undeniable.
Shawn’s eyes narrowed as he felt the sword tremble slightly. He glanced at Makara. “The sword… It’s reacting. I think it’s picking up the presence of another piece,” he said.
Makara rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Looks like Prince Zhao did portal us close to his sibling, after all. Well, we’ll continue this at first light. We need to recoup our energy, even if we’re pressed for time.”
Shawn nodded, but his gaze lingered on the broken sword in his hand. A knot of unease tightened in his chest as he held it out in the open. “I should hide this. It’s too important to leave exposed.”
Makara gave a lazy chuckle as he stretched out on the ground. “If you can hide it, go ahead—if not, you will be carrying it for the rest of the journey and don’t look at me for help; I’ve already got my hands full with my sake gourd.”
Shawn thought for a moment. “Prince Zhao stored his piece inside his body. Maybe…” He trailed off as a new idea took root in his mind. Shawn raised the sword in his palm, focusing his power. He’d summoned weapons before—maybe he could do the reverse and store them.
The sword fragment, which he was holding in his palm, started to levitate, a soft dark blue smoke that began to swirl around his wrist and coiled around the levitating broken sword piece, engulfing it in a shimmering mist. Then the broken sword fragment disappeared into the blue smoke and dissipated with the air, vanishing from sight.
Shawn stared at his empty palm, wide-eyed. “It worked,” he murmured, still in disbelief.
He immediately repeated the process with the dagger given to him by General Mong, watching it vanish into the same blue smoke. Makara, half-asleep, muttered drowsily, “Looks like it did the trick. Maybe you can store my sake gourd next time…” And with that, he dozed off, completely unconcerned.
Suddenly, Shawn’s sharp ears picked up a distant sound—the unmistakable clash of metal, faint but distinct in the stillness of the night. His body tensed, his senses honing in on the direction of the noise.
“Did you hear that?” Shawn asked, his voice low but urgent.
Makara, barely stirring, mumbled, “Hear what?”
Shawn’s eyes widened as he realised something. His voice took on a serious tone. “Follow me,” he instructed. Without another word, he took a step forward, and in an instant, his power surged, and his entire form vanished from sight, leaving only a faint hum in the air.
Makara, now fully awake, blinked and looked around, realising Shawn had completely disappeared. “Ah, youngsters“, he grumbled, slowly getting to his feet. “Always in a rush…”
Now back to the present…
Shawn stood tall between Princess Selena and the burly soldier, his left hand still gripping the soldier’s sword mid-swing, his right hand pressed firmly against the man’s chest. The soldier’s snarl of fury was cut off as he found himself immobilised, staring in shock at Shawn. A second ago, his sword had been primed to strike down the helpless princess, and now he stood powerless against a boy who had appeared out of nowhere.
Princess Selena, trembling with relief, looked up at Shawn through tear-filled eyes. The reality of how close she had come to death hit her like a wave. Shawn’s intervention had been nothing short of miraculous. The other soldiers around the campfire, once spectators to what they assumed would be an easy execution, were now frozen in disbelief. The massive brute, who moments earlier had been ready to kill, was now held at bay by this seemingly ordinary young boy.
The burly soldier blinked, his once furious eyes now filled with confusion and fear. His mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the power that Shawn exerted over him. With every ounce of strength, he tried to wrench his hand free from Shawn’s grip, but it was useless. Shawn’s fingers were locked around the soldier’s wrist like iron, his calm expression betraying none of the strength he held. The quiet intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down the soldier’s spine.
“How…” the soldier stammered, his voice cracking under the strain of disbelief. He looked at Shawn as though searching for some explanation, but Shawn didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he turned his head to check on Princess Selena.
“Are you okay, Princess?” Shawn asked, his voice soft, yet steady.
Princess Selena, still trying to process everything, blinked as her racing heart began to calm. Her wide eyes softened at the sight of Shawn. She nodded, her voice trembling but filled with relief. “Y-Yes, I’m fine now,” she replied, her body relaxing as the tension drained away.
At the sound of the word “Princess,” the burly soldier’s expression shifted from confusion to shock. His eyes darted to Princess Selena, and then back to Shawn. His comrades, standing just a few paces away, began to murmur amongst themselves. “She is a princess…” one whispered, and another growled in frustration. The air around them thickened with uncertainty and rising anger.
Shawn, distracted by their voices, turned his attention back to the soldier in his grasp. The murmuring only seemed to grow louder, filled with disbelief and outrage. The burly soldier snarled, his voice rising in defiance. He couldn’t accept what was happening—couldn’t accept being bested by a boy so easily. His rage boiled over as he shouted louder, his voice full of frustration and pain.
Without looking directly at him, Shawn raised his hand, his eyes still scanning the other soldiers as he said, “Shush.” His tone was casual, almost playful, as if he were shushing a small child.
Instantly, the soldier fell silent, though his face contorted with fury, and his rage only intensified. He opened his mouth to roar once more, but before he could, Shawn’s palm, which had been resting on the soldier’s chest, pressed forward slightly.
The next moment, the soldier’s body jerked violently as the unmistakable tips of blades began to pierce through his flesh from within. His eyes widened in shock and agony as sword tips sliced through his torso, emerging from his chest, shoulders, and arms. The grotesque sight was accompanied by the sickening sound of metal tearing through flesh. Blood began to pour from his wounds, and a gurgling cough escaped his lips as he choked on his own blood, unable to fully comprehend what had happened to him.
With a slow, fluid motion, Shawn pushed the soldier back. The man’s body stumbled under the force, his legs giving out as he crumpled to the ground, falling to his knees in a heap. Blood continued to seep from his open wounds, staining the ground beneath him. As Shawn’s hand pulled away from the soldier’s chest, the sword tips dissolved into tendrils of smoke, disappearing as quickly as they had come, leaving behind open, jagged wounds. The smoke curled into the night air before vanishing completely.
The other soldiers, who had watched the scene unfold in horror, exchanged wide-eyed glances. The cocky confidence they had displayed earlier drained from their faces, replaced by a creeping sense of dread. Their strongest warrior, the brute who had led them so fearlessly, was now kneeling in his own blood, defeated by a boy who seemed to wield a mysterious, deadly power with ease.
Shawn picked up Princess Selena’s weapon, then turned gracefully towards her to hand it back to her before offering his hand. With a soft smile, he asked gently, “Are you alright?” Princess Selena accepted her weapon from Shawn and planted the staff against the ground for support, and with Shawn’s help, she pushed herself upright. Princess Selena looked at him with concern, her eyes flicking toward the remaining soldiers, who were still standing a few feet away, clearly rattled by what had just happened.
“What about the rest of the soldiers?” Princess Selena asked, her voice tense but steady. She was ready to defend herself again if needed, but the uncertainty gnawed at her.
Shawn, still calm, gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry,” he said smoothly. “Makara will take care of it.”
Princess Selena’s gaze shifted past Shawn’s shoulder to the three soldiers who stood frozen in place, watching the events unfold with wide eyes. They were whispering furiously amongst themselves, their nerves visibly shaken.
“What do we do now?” one of them hissed.
“Maybe we should just run…,” another muttered nervously.
“Should we attack? They are just two person,” the third one suggested, fear creeping into his voice.
Amidst their panic, an unfamiliar voice suddenly joined the conversation. “Then, what about the third person?” The soldiers all turned, startled, searching for the source of the voice.
One soldier stammered, “Wh-what third person?”
Standing right among them, as if he’d been there the entire time, was Makara, casually sipping from a gourd of sake. The soldiers were stunned. First, Shawn had appeared out of nowhere, and now this man had somehow joined their huddle without them even noticing. Their jaws nearly hit the ground.
Makara grinned, raising the gourd toward them. “Anyone want a drink?” he asked, his voice light and friendly, as if they were all gathered around a campfire for fun, rather than in the middle of a battle.
The soldiers didn’t answer—still too shocked to process what was happening. Makara simply shrugged and took a long, noisy sip. His eyes then wandered toward the roasted deer on the spit by the fire, and his face lit up with excitement. “Oh-ho, is that a roast deer I see?” His voice was almost gleeful as he walked over to inspect the food, his eyes gleaming like a child in a candy shop.
One of the soldiers, clearly desperate, motioned to his fellow to take this opportunity to attack. They weren’t going to stand around and let some drunken fool mock them. As Makara touched the hot roast with his bare hand, he winced in exaggerated pain. “Ouch! That’s hot!” he muttered, shaking his hand comically as if to wave off the heat.
The momentary distraction gave one of the soldiers the courage he needed. He grabbed his sword, preparing to strike Makara from behind. But before he could fully draw his weapon, all three soldiers suddenly gasped and clutched at their necks. A thin, barely visible line of blood appeared on their throats, followed by deep cuts as if they’d been slashed by an invisible blade. In a matter of seconds, they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Makara wiped his hands on his pants and sighed, “Well, looks like no one wanted any of the wine after all. Such a waste.” He glanced at the fallen soldiers with a raised eyebrow before casually strolling back toward the fire to continue inspecting the roast. “At least the deer’s cooked well.”
Hearing the soldiers collapse behind them, Shawn turned back to Princess Selena with a playful grin. “See? I told you, Makara would handle it.” His tone was light, as if this were just another casual day. He helped Princess Selena steady herself as she retrieved her weapon from the ground.