The night passed without an inch of sleep for Leon. It was like the stars fell and wrecked, as if the dark night sky was flared forth with light. The sun was high in the sky, and Leon was set on his mission to convince the tribal chief for assistance. Faf, who held a portal staff in his coarse hands, assisted Leon in the warm tent.
"Welcome, my dear saviour" the man wasn't visible.
Leon soon sensed his presence right above him. He was floating mid-air tormenting gravity. His presence was calm, and the calmness was surely gained from years of meditation and resilience. The chief was bald with large golden bangles in his hands. He didn't have anything above and simply wrapped an orange cloth around his growlings, till his knees. His eyes were tainted black with ash and he looked more of a saint. Slowly landing on the tip of his legs, leaving a subtle tremor on land beneath, he asked further
"Tell me, what do you want from this lonely bachelor"
"I want something of your benefit chief"
"Wow…that's an exceptional request" he laughed "and what's that?"
"I want your assistance in taking down the Emberal Dragon"
"Ha….." he snickered even harder "sorry to say, but isn't it a pathetic request. You want my assistance in death?"
"You discern this is your best chance to take that beast down. I know you are trapped in a tricky gamble. Your resources are running out. I can see the vegetation barely keeping up with your increasing population, and don't make me mark the infection spread in the tribe"
"You have quite a keen eye, saviour. Well it's infact a fact, we are barely keeping up. The waterfall around this seclusion valley is luckily capable enough to fade off our scent. But we can't remain trapped in this pithole forever" the saint old man sighed
"So is it a deal" Faf was excited
"No… not yet. You know my dear guest, if we lose this battle, it will be the end for sure. We will not lose a few people, it will be the abolishment of the whole settlement. So…are you sure we can conquer the dragon?" the saint questioned back
"I understand your concern, but the choice is yours. You know I will be your asset of the highest order. You can wait, or you can take the providence to become a revolutionary. Make your people proud, make them appreciate their decision to crown you as their chief"
"Hm… I am not the type of a guy to lure into speeches, my guest. But your points are refined. I can't neglect the fact you are our only hope. But, I also need permission from my people, I also need to ask for potential volunteers. So give me this afternoon, I will inform you henceforth about our decision"
That etched the end of the discussion. Leon and Faf went back to Grimsa's shade. Another hot, delicious meal was served ready, as they barged in to finish it. Later in the afternoon, Grimsa took them to different corners of the valley. Close to where the sun set, the rocks were padded with long onion rings- surprisingly more nutritious than a normal species. Just opposite to the stiff cliff was the flower bed. Red, blue, turquoise, violet, every flower had its own identity. Faf, still a little kid, played around with butterflies sucking the delicious nectar. Later they went to a hot spring. It was supplied by a very thin stream of waterfall. The water was hot due to the direct radiation from the sun, a surprising miracle of the Sunhog stones beneath. They are signified by their heat radiating tendency, acting exactly like a black body. The wandering ended as the torch flashed. The night roads dug were lightened on its energy. Every member of the town assembled in parallel lanes, waiting for the chief.
There he emerged, stepping steadily on the stage elevated by red soil. Vlan and Yamik were accompanying the old lad. Yamik had a blue torch lit on a staff. Leon knew…. He knew what it was. It was a sign of a duel, a duel ignited to trust the trustworthy, to signify the potential of the saviour.
The old man beheld the stare and finally spoke "my dear people, as we all know we have two wayfarers with us. They come here with peace and complete negligence of our presence. Also, they don't intend any harm to us. But what's more important is…." He paused "they are here with a crucial turn of fate. A chance to take the beast down who has been tormenting us for the past few years"
"At long last" the same man as before got up straight "our saviour will save us."
"Halt" Vlan shouted "I belong to the Paths of Rulire. If a strong veteran like me can't tame that beast, how could this boy here do it"
"He isn't a boy, he is a deity" the man answered back
"Fascinating…." Yamik came in "then our esteemed deity wouldn't disagree for a duel"
"Are you both out of your mind?" Yamik shouted "You stand there unfazed, unbothered by what happens to our congregation… to our people. But we need to make sure this is it. This is the moment when we are assured of his strength. So, our saviour- do you accept the duel?"
"What…" Faf was about to speak when Leon interrupted
"I accept …"
Yamik looked around in the raw haze of night, and then in the very instance he torched the soil with the sacred flames. Flames spread like a wildfire, circulating around as a firm ring of sparks. The ring was the very battlefield itself, the locale land where the duel was called.
Vlan was inside the ring, ready to fight. Leon on the other hand was a little resistant, he didn't want any unnecessary rulkus. But now it was fated to occur… the duel was about to start as Leon entered the fire ring too. He looked at Vlan, he was confident and raring to unleash his shifts. He was a beast who loves to brawl, a person made for complete bloodshed. But the same beast noticed something different in Leon. He wasn't smiling anymore, in fact the complete environ around him was gloomy and terrible. He was slowly getting blank due to the appalling change. He couldn't blueprint the way to eliminate Leon. He had everything planned, but nothing seemed to work against him. So he charged…. Reckless and unbounded by any thoughts. A right curl of arm aimed straight at Leon's face, but was dodged easily. Two more jabs left in the air, when what caressed Leon was simply wind.
It was a total humiliation for Vlan. He was called the relentless warrior of the tribe. But being left in the dust was disgraceful. He was hemmed in by the pressure to prove himself, the pressure so high that it was throbbing him. So he flung another attack completely subconscious of his thoughts. Leon noticed it, he felt the despondency rose within his rival.
"So" Leon though "it's time to end this"
Leon swung a hard bash, but just like before, Vlan sparked into thin air. Tremendous energy started summoning in the sky. It was the radiant strike, an attack that paths chosen by Vlan enabled. The strike is believed to be so potent, that it could obliterate the whole valley. So yes, it was getting a lot, the attack was completely out of bounds for a duel.
"We need to stop that brat," the old saint shouted.
The sky was turning warm red due to the surge of Vlan's energy. It was dictating the surroundings of its crude nature. But Leon, he was calm and unfaltered.
As the vibrant energy dropped down, Vlan became visible dwelling in it. The wind surrounding the attack as it dropped down like thunder, went with the alluring energy. Nobody could even move a muscle, except the revenant among the tribe. The radius of the attack was largely exaggerated. But somehow it got confined into a glowing edge. Those were the sickles of the revenant that consumed the red thunder from Vlan. The smoke dissipated the battleground as the duel fire extinguished. Everybody was afraid of the outcome. The attack from Vlan was deadly and merciless. The attack was blinded by the situation, threatening the lives of many spectators. People were waiting in suspense for what's going to be the finale. And then a dreadful sight came to play….
Two large skulls with a dark bony body. It was a complete skeleton with every bone rotted black apart from the skulls. The beast was gigantic and was emitting dusky green energy. The spectral energy was on par with a god. The beast was none other than the sole representation of "The Path of Eternal Deity". And beneath that gigantic monster was Leon, standing there like an undead. He wasn't looking akin to a child, at that moment he was a monster who could diminish everyone with that energy.
"oh…. he is something beyond our comprehension" the chief whispered.
Yamik was numb on his knees. The tremendous energy from Leon couldn't let him move. All he could do was bow down on his knees and keep staring at motionless Vlan. The people celebrated in cheer as they saw the sheer force of the revenant. They were lightened with hopes and delighted with the gift from God himself. And at last, all they could do was crunch down their hopes into the hands of their saviour. Faf on the other hand had bereft of motion too. He knew Leon being the revenant would be strong, but this…. This was beyond measure. Every person in terror or faith bowed down to chant revenant's name. It was start of a new faith, a faith that was going to forge a bigger force against the emperor…