Chapter 124: 124 - The Blade
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I still remember that day well...
It was the last time I saw Lirian smile before he left for the trial of candidates...
He kept his promise and returned alive...
But I will never forget the days of that expedition...
Even now during my reign as empress people speak of the unknown events that happened and come up with their own theories...
But I know for I was there, but I am one of only three that knows the entire truth...
It was sixteen days into the expedition, when the world expelled us all...
It was sixteen days into the expedition, when I witnessed a world experience boundless grief...
I know that grief and so do all the survivors for we felt it in every fibre of our bones, and in every cell of our bodies...
I learned that I knew nothing of grief on that day, even now when I remember that grief it makes me my body shudder and my eyes well up with tears...
Let me say it here, the truth that no one knows, on that day the mortal realm experienced a new first...
It experienced the descent and power of a true god...
- An extract from the journals of the Empress Anya Clovis
---
Lirian sat on a large boulder outside of the base, he was happy to feel the sun against his skin and the gentle breeze on his face, inside the steel structure of the base the air felt stale.
The sound of people moving about and crunching on green grass echoed in his ears, there was a different kind of crunch depending on whether the grass was dead and dry or living and green.
The sound of footsteps began to sound behind him, it made a beeline directly at him, without turning around he spoke, "So lovely to see you here sergeant Ixel, and might I add that you look stunning in that camo uniform of yours," he said with a jovial chuckle.
Sergeant Ixel was taken aback and looked at him dumbly as the blind fold entered her vision when he turned to face her.
Lirian grinned, "It's the way you walk, everyone else is wearing new boots, but yours is full broken in, your feet sound comfortable, only you or the commander would have anything to say to me right now, and I think that we both know the commander is much lighter on his feet than you," Lirian answered her unasked question.
Sergeant Ixel tried to hide her surprise, but her face couldn't do it, she didn't want to admit it, but she felt that Lirian's ability was understated in the reports.
As for the comment about the clothes she heard more than a few students grumbling about how ugly the uniforms were so she didn't bother responding to it, she could see from his grin that he wanted to get a reaction out of her.
She shook her head and pulled out a Katana, it was 80cm (31 inches) with a handle large enough for both hands to wrap around it and a simple sheath made from reinforced steel.
"I was asked to test if you can handle this blade, it's made from a special tungsten alloy, as far as normal weapons go, you can't get anything better, with a single swing from this you can cut through reinforced steel with ease, if you make a mistake with it, you could easily lose a limb."
Lirian moved forward and took the sword from her before she could react, as he slid it out from the sheath it made a loud ringing sound.
'Whoosh' the sword sang as it sliced through the air cleanly.
Lirian quickly got to work on the boulder he was sitting on and skilfully and carved it, in just seconds the boulder resembled a moon jade rose, as it wilted in the sun.
Ixel was taken aback by his quick and fluid movements, it was like he was born to hold the sword, or it was more so like the sword was forged to be wielded by him and it seemed like the sword hummed in satisfaction as it was held in his hands
It reminded her of the saying, 'The song of death begins when a saints sword sings,'
"I think that I can handle it," Lirian chuckled as he slid it back into the sheath.
"How many times was the blade folded?" he asked as he strapped it to his belt.
"20 folds," she answered proudly, usually Katana's were folded only up to 16 times at most, but 20 folds was rare as it gave the blade over a million layers and made it unbelievably sharp.
Lirian nodded with satisfaction and left her alone as he went to stand in front of everyone.
He stood firmly, locking his heels on the ground with a firm and rigid posture, even his face held an unusual firmness as he faced the crowds of students.
Everything about his stance was imposing, as the student looked at him they felt that they were completely see-through, despite Lirian's obvious blindness.
The silence was thick and began to feel more like a standoff between two armies, Lirian was on one side and the rest of the students were on the other side.
But despite the large numbers Lirians imposing aura seemed to win out over all of them, as a suffocating force acted on them making all of them want to back down.
Lirian pulled onto the energy in the surroundings and a large dome of pure silver energy washed over everyone slowly creeping across all of them, locking them within a silver world of spiraling energy.
"Now then," Lirian said softly with a small grin creeping onto his face.
His soft words were carried clearly by the ensuing silence, every person heard his first word with absolute clarity.
Mordred looked around at the silver energy in trepidation, he had some very not fond memories of this power and so did all the members of his class, 'Don't tell me he plans to teach everyone a lesson before we even start,' he cried internally.
'Can't he at least leave us out of it, we already learned our lesson years ago,' he thought silently too afraid to voice his opinion in the current silence.
When he looked at the students he noticed that Hinata was focused intently on Lirian with her eyes completely unblinking as if she would miss something if she blinked for even a second, if looks could kill he was certain that Lirian would be dead by now.
The worst part was that smirk, it was the mark of all bad omens for class 5-A they knew it all too well, as they looked at Lirian they felt a cold breeze brushing against the hairs on their legs.
"Starting today we'll be experiencing something new, it will be a challenge and it will be difficult for most of you, your goal in all of this should be to improve yourselves,"
"There won't be any hand-holding, or spoon-feeding, so do your best and work through the problems you experience by working together,"
"That is all for my motivational speech, but before I move on to the distribution of items I want all of you remember my next words because it could very easily determine whether or not you return alive,"
They all inched closer moving their heads forward to hear his advice, their breathing stilled as they waited in anticipation.
Lirian spoke his next words with deliberate slowness and emphasis on every word, "Behave yourselves and follow my rules, because I assure every last one of you that the most dangerous thing you are going to encounter isn't some wild stray beast,"
"You are looking at the person who can decide your lives with the snap of his fingers," he closed his fist slightly, and the silver dome around them began to close in all around them and as it moved they could see the land that it touched was completely dead and barren.
The students rushed together in a panic; their previously uniform lines were nowhere to be seen as they saw the looming threat encroaching upon them from all sides.
"Try to think that you have the power to over rule me and I'll show every last one of you the real meaning of power, and make no mistake, if I feel that you are a danger to the group I won't hesitate to rip you to shreds and feed you to the animals, I don't care what prestigious or wealthy family you hail from," he said coldly and pulled out his sword its shiny surface reflected the silver energy with a glowing brilliance.
"Oh and did, I mention that as sole commander I have the power to dismiss and forcefully fail anyone, it would be a shame if I had to do such a thing," he added at the end, making it apparent how futile their struggles would be.
'I could have just told them the last part to stop them from being too rowdy, but it comes with its own drawbacks, and this way they will be less inclined to think that they can do as they please,' he gave his approach careful consideration before putting it into action.
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I still remember that day well...
It was the last time I saw Lirian smile before he left for the trial of candidates...
He kept his promise and returned alive...
But I will never forget the days of that expedition...
Even now during my reign as empress people speak of the unknown events that happened and come up with their own theories...
But I know for I was there, but I am one of only three that knows the entire truth...
It was sixteen days into the expedition, when the world expelled us all...
It was sixteen days into the expedition, when I witnessed a world experience boundless grief...
I know that grief and so do all the survivors for we felt it in every fibre of our bones, and in every cell of our bodies...
I learned that I knew nothing of grief on that day, even now when I remember that grief it makes me my body shudder and my eyes well up with tears...
Let me say it here, the truth that no one knows, on that day the mortal realm experienced a new first...
It experienced the descent and power of a true god...
- An extract from the journals of the Empress Anya Clovis
---
Lirian sat on a large boulder outside of the base, he was happy to feel the sun against his skin and the gentle breeze on his face, inside the steel structure of the base the air felt stale.
The sound of people moving about and crunching on green grass echoed in his ears, there was a different kind of crunch depending on whether the grass was dead and dry or living and green.
The sound of footsteps began to sound behind him, it made a beeline directly at him, without turning around he spoke, "So lovely to see you here sergeant Ixel, and might I add that you look stunning in that camo uniform of yours," he said with a jovial chuckle.
Sergeant Ixel was taken aback and looked at him dumbly as the blind fold entered her vision when he turned to face her.
Lirian grinned, "It's the way you walk, everyone else is wearing new boots, but yours is full broken in, your feet sound comfortable, only you or the commander would have anything to say to me right now, and I think that we both know the commander is much lighter on his feet than you," Lirian answered her unasked question.
Sergeant Ixel tried to hide her surprise, but her face couldn't do it, she didn't want to admit it, but she felt that Lirian's ability was understated in the reports.
As for the comment about the clothes she heard more than a few students grumbling about how ugly the uniforms were so she didn't bother responding to it, she could see from his grin that he wanted to get a reaction out of her.
She shook her head and pulled out a Katana, it was 80cm (31 inches) with a handle large enough for both hands to wrap around it and a simple sheath made from reinforced steel.
"I was asked to test if you can handle this blade, it's made from a special tungsten alloy, as far as normal weapons go, you can't get anything better, with a single swing from this you can cut through reinforced steel with ease, if you make a mistake with it, you could easily lose a limb."
Lirian moved forward and took the sword from her before she could react, as he slid it out from the sheath it made a loud ringing sound.
'Whoosh' the sword sang as it sliced through the air cleanly.
Lirian quickly got to work on the boulder he was sitting on and skilfully and carved it, in just seconds the boulder resembled a moon jade rose, as it wilted in the sun.
Ixel was taken aback by his quick and fluid movements, it was like he was born to hold the sword, or it was more so like the sword was forged to be wielded by him and it seemed like the sword hummed in satisfaction as it was held in his hands
It reminded her of the saying, 'The song of death begins when a saints sword sings,'
"I think that I can handle it," Lirian chuckled as he slid it back into the sheath.
"How many times was the blade folded?" he asked as he strapped it to his belt.
"20 folds," she answered proudly, usually Katana's were folded only up to 16 times at most, but 20 folds was rare as it gave the blade over a million layers and made it unbelievably sharp.
Lirian nodded with satisfaction and left her alone as he went to stand in front of everyone.
He stood firmly, locking his heels on the ground with a firm and rigid posture, even his face held an unusual firmness as he faced the crowds of students.
Everything about his stance was imposing, as the student looked at him they felt that they were completely see-through, despite Lirian's obvious blindness.
The silence was thick and began to feel more like a standoff between two armies, Lirian was on one side and the rest of the students were on the other side.
But despite the large numbers Lirians imposing aura seemed to win out over all of them, as a suffocating force acted on them making all of them want to back down.
Lirian pulled onto the energy in the surroundings and a large dome of pure silver energy washed over everyone slowly creeping across all of them, locking them within a silver world of spiraling energy.
"Now then," Lirian said softly with a small grin creeping onto his face.
His soft words were carried clearly by the ensuing silence, every person heard his first word with absolute clarity.
Mordred looked around at the silver energy in trepidation, he had some very not fond memories of this power and so did all the members of his class, 'Don't tell me he plans to teach everyone a lesson before we even start,' he cried internally.
'Can't he at least leave us out of it, we already learned our lesson years ago,' he thought silently too afraid to voice his opinion in the current silence.
When he looked at the students he noticed that Hinata was focused intently on Lirian with her eyes completely unblinking as if she would miss something if she blinked for even a second, if looks could kill he was certain that Lirian would be dead by now.
The worst part was that smirk, it was the mark of all bad omens for class 5-A they knew it all too well, as they looked at Lirian they felt a cold breeze brushing against the hairs on their legs.
"Starting today we'll be experiencing something new, it will be a challenge and it will be difficult for most of you, your goal in all of this should be to improve yourselves,"
"There won't be any hand-holding, or spoon-feeding, so do your best and work through the problems you experience by working together,"
"That is all for my motivational speech, but before I move on to the distribution of items I want all of you remember my next words because it could very easily determine whether or not you return alive,"
They all inched closer moving their heads forward to hear his advice, their breathing stilled as they waited in anticipation.
Lirian spoke his next words with deliberate slowness and emphasis on every word, "Behave yourselves and follow my rules, because I assure every last one of you that the most dangerous thing you are going to encounter isn't some wild stray beast,"
"You are looking at the person who can decide your lives with the snap of his fingers," he closed his fist slightly, and the silver dome around them began to close in all around them and as it moved they could see the land that it touched was completely dead and barren.
The students rushed together in a panic; their previously uniform lines were nowhere to be seen as they saw the looming threat encroaching upon them from all sides.
"Try to think that you have the power to over rule me and I'll show every last one of you the real meaning of power, and make no mistake, if I feel that you are a danger to the group I won't hesitate to rip you to shreds and feed you to the animals, I don't care what prestigious or wealthy family you hail from," he said coldly and pulled out his sword its shiny surface reflected the silver energy with a glowing brilliance.
"Oh and did, I mention that as sole commander I have the power to dismiss and forcefully fail anyone, it would be a shame if I had to do such a thing," he added at the end, making it apparent how futile their struggles would be.
'I could have just told them the last part to stop them from being too rowdy, but it comes with its own drawbacks, and this way they will be less inclined to think that they can do as they please,' he gave his approach careful consideration before putting it into action.
I still remember that day well... It was the last time I saw Lirian smile before he left for the trial of candidates... He kept his promise and returned alive... But I will never forget the days of that expedition... Even now during my reign as empress people speak of the unknown events that happened and come up with their own theories... But I know for I was there, but I am one of only three that knows the entire truth... It was sixteen days into the expedition, when the world expelled us all... It was sixteen days into the expedition, when I witnessed a world experience boundless grief... I know that grief and so do all the survivors for we felt it in every fibre of our bones, and in every cell of our bodies... I learned that I knew nothing of grief on that day, even now when I remember that grief it makes me my body shudder and my eyes well up with tears... Let me say it here, the truth that no one knows, on that day the mortal realm experienced a new first... It experienced the descent and power of a true god... - An extract from the journals of the Empress Anya Clovis --- Lirian sat on a large boulder outside of the base, he was happy to feel the sun against his skin and the gentle breeze on his face, inside the steel structure of the base the air felt stale. The sound of people moving about and crunching on green grass echoed in his ears, there was a different kind of crunch depending on whether the grass was dead and dry or living and green. The sound of footsteps began to sound behind him, it made a beeline directly at him, without turning around he spoke, "So lovely to see you here sergeant Ixel, and might I add that you look stunning in that camo uniform of yours," he said with a jovial chuckle. Sergeant Ixel was taken aback and looked at him dumbly as the blind fold entered her vision when he turned to face her. Lirian grinned, "It's the way you walk, everyone else is wearing new boots, but yours is full broken in, your feet sound comfortable, only you or the commander would have anything to say to me right now, and I think that we both know the commander is much lighter on his feet than you," Lirian answered her unasked question. Sergeant Ixel tried to hide her surprise, but her face couldn't do it, she didn't want to admit it, but she felt that Lirian's ability was understated in the reports. As for the comment about the clothes she heard more than a few students grumbling about how ugly the uniforms were so she didn't bother responding to it, she could see from his grin that he wanted to get a reaction out of her. She shook her head and pulled out a Katana, it was 80cm 31 inches with a handle large enough for both hands to wrap around it and a simple sheath made from reinforced steel. "I was asked to test if you can handle this blade, it's made from a special tungsten alloy, as far as normal weapons go, you can't get anything better, with a single swing from this you can cut through reinforced steel with ease, if you make a mistake with it, you could easily lose a limb." Lirian moved forward and took the sword from her before she could react, as he slid it out from the sheath it made a loud ringing sound. 'Whoosh' the sword sang as it sliced through the air cleanly. Lirian quickly got to work on the boulder he was sitting on and skilfully and carved it, in just seconds the boulder resembled a moon jade rose, as it wilted in the sun. Ixel was taken aback by his quick and fluid movements, it was like he was born to hold the sword, or it was more so like the sword was forged to be wielded by him and it seemed like the sword hummed in satisfaction as it was held in his hands It reminded her of the saying, 'The song of death begins when a saints sword sings,' "I think that I can handle it," Lirian chuckled as he slid it back into the sheath. "How many times was the blade folded?" he asked as he strapped it to his belt. "20 folds," she answered proudly, usually Katana's were folded only up to 16 times at most, but 20 folds was rare as it gave the blade over a million layers and made it unbelievably sharp. Lirian nodded with satisfaction and left her alone as he went to stand in front of everyone. He stood firmly, locking his heels on the ground with a firm and rigid posture, even his face held an unusual firmness as he faced the crowds of students. Everything about his stance was imposing, as the student looked at him they felt that they were completely see-through, despite Lirian's obvious blindness. The silence was thick and began to feel more like a standoff between two armies, Lirian was on one side and the rest of the students were on the other side. But despite the large numbers Lirians imposing aura seemed to win out over all of them, as a suffocating force acted on them making all of them want to back down. Lirian pulled onto the energy in the surroundings and a large dome of pure silver energy washed over everyone slowly creeping across all of them, locking them within a silver world of spiraling energy. "Now then," Lirian said softly with a small grin creeping onto his face. His soft words were carried clearly by the ensuing silence, every person heard his first word with absolute clarity. Mordred looked around at the silver energy in trepidation, he had some very not fond memories of this power and so did all the members of his class, 'Don't tell me he plans to teach everyone a lesson before we even start,' he cried internally. 'Can't he at least leave us out of it, we already learned our lesson years ago,' he thought silently too afraid to voice his opinion in the current silence. When he looked at the students he noticed that Hinata was focused intently on Lirian with her eyes completely unblinking as if she would miss something if she blinked for even a second, if looks could kill he was certain that Lirian would be dead by now. The worst part was that smirk, it was the mark of all bad omens for class 5-A they knew it all too well, as they looked at Lirian they felt a cold breeze brushing against the hairs on their legs. "Starting today we'll be experiencing something new, it will be a challenge and it will be difficult for most of you, your goal in all of this should be to improve yourselves," "There won't be any hand-holding, or spoon-feeding, so do your best and work through the problems you experience by working together," "That is all for my motivational speech, but before I move on to the distribution of items I want all of you remember my next words because it could very easily determine whether or not you return alive," They all inched closer moving their heads forward to hear his advice, their breathing stilled as they waited in anticipation. Lirian spoke his next words with deliberate slowness and emphasis on every word, "Behave yourselves and follow my rules, because I assure every last one of you that the most dangerous thing you are going to encounter isn't some wild stray beast," "You are looking at the person who can decide your lives with the snap of his fingers," he closed his fist slightly, and the silver dome around them began to close in all around them and as it moved they could see the land that it touched was completely dead and barren. The students rushed together in a panic; their previously uniform lines were nowhere to be seen as they saw the looming threat encroaching upon them from all sides. "Try to think that you have the power to over rule me and I'll show every last one of you the real meaning of power, and make no mistake, if I feel that you are a danger to the group I won't hesitate to rip you to shreds and feed you to the animals, I don't care what prestigious or wealthy family you hail from," he said coldly and pulled out his sword its shiny surface reflected the silver energy with a glowing brilliance. "Oh and did, I mention that as sole commander I have the power to dismiss and forcefully fail anyone, it would be a shame if I had to do such a thing," he added at the end, making it apparent how futile their struggles would be. 'I could have just told them the last part to stop them from being too rowdy, but it comes with its own drawbacks, and this way they will be less inclined to think that they can do as they please,' he gave his approach careful consideration before putting it into action.
