Thief. Murderer. Mage. Prince. Warrior.
Heroes.
16 year-old Sabin's plans to join the army change when he learns he is a Serien - a warrior who wields an element. With a sentient sword, he must find the other Seriens. His goal: unite them into a fo...
As Takuya got within a sword's reach of the man, he saw that the whole of his pursuer's eyes were black and his ears curved onto themselves like a ram's horn. This was no man. And that could only mean one thing.
It was a Guan.
Takuya's hand trembled and he forced his feet forward. He would be brave and...
"Taya, Taya!"
When he turned his head, Norito was reaching for him, struggling in Ayumi's grip.
"If you do not come with me now, I will remove the boy," the Guan whispered.
Takuya turned and continued his death walk away from the village. He could hear Norito cry and it filled his chest with despair.
"Why can't you leave me alone?" Takuya whimpered to no one in particular. The fates seemed determined to make him suffer as much as humanly possible.
"I need you," the Guan said, walking beside Takuya as if they were close friends.
As they walked away, each step served to draw Takuya from fear to anger. He finally snapped; he would not go quietly. He pulled his sword and struck for the creature's heart.
The Guan caught Takuya's sword by the blade, snapping it in half with one hand and grabbing Takuya by the throat with the other.
Takuya kicked at the thing, but he might as well have been kicking a tree. He was lifted from his feet and slammed back first into the earth, sending his broken blade skittering away.
Takuya's vision spun, but he could see a thick-bodied albino worm crawling in the Guan's hand.
"This is Val'i'Ce." The creature pried Takuya's mouth open as he sat on top of him. "I followed you because I believe you will be a suitable host. They are very hard to find."
Takuya struggled to regain his air. "Let me go." He knew his words were futile, but it was the only resistance he had left.
The Guan forced the worm into Takuya mouth. Takuya writhed as it ripped through the top of his mouth and burrowed into his brain. The pain was intense and he suffered silently, his throat unwilling to produce any sound.
A deluge of images hit him. It was as if someone flashed a thousand images in front of him per second and expected him to remember them all.
When it ended, the pain was gone.
The Guan stood up and pulled Takuya-Valice to his feet. He was completely disoriented; not aware of why he was here.
"How did I die this time?" Takuya-Valice asked, flexing his fingers in front of him. This body held some latent magical potential and was in peak physical condition. The man standing in front of him was his master, Plalar.
"You do not want to know," Plalar said. "Those people in that village all must be erased, Valice. There can be no record of what happened here."
"Yes, Plalar," Takuya-Valice said. He paused for a moment. "I have this feeling that the small boy is important. Can I spare him?"
"No," Plalar said.
Valice searched his mind for that nagging consciousness that seemed to think the child was significant. These vessels tended to fight back as the worst possible moments.
It was a few moments before he successfully buried the feeling and gained control of the vessel.
"Yes, of course," Valice said. "I will erase them all."
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A/N: That's it for book 1. If you enjoyed it, I hope you'll take a look at Dragon and Phoenix, book 2 of The Path of Light and Fire series. It's complete!
Thanks for reading to the end. I really appreciate all the support. Votes, comments and library adds are always welcome.
Best,
-R.
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