El Antiguo Guerrero_ chapter 44

Guerrero Antiguo

Episode 44:

Theme:-Rey of Medieval 3

 

The night was still. The winds that had been beaten with such violence when the ice-locked mountains to the south had fallen at about sunset to an uneasy murmur in the dark pines that filled the twisting vale of Medieval.

 

By midnight, even that had ceased.

 

The green branches hung motionless from one end of the vale to the other, slowly furring with the frost in the deepening cold.

 

A man’s breath, barely visible in the soulless glimmer of the few remote and haughty stars.

 

It hangs like a diamond cloud over his face or freezes in white hoarfrost on his lips.

 

In that piercing cold, not even the wolves, or any other snow animal, were abroad.

 

Silence ran from cliff to lightless cliff, an almost tangible property in that frozen, calm, and peaceful environment.

 

Nonetheless, beneath the dark knight, under the moon and glittering stars, stood Rey.

 

His head hung down, while there was a little fire burning in his hand.

 

Without being told, one could easily see that he was warming up his body with the fire.

 

One could guess that there were different thoughts going on in his head, his eyes looking so pale with the reflection of the moon.

 

“What did the young boy tell you?” a voice said behind him.

 

Stepping out of the darkroom are Coven and his brother, Connor.

 

“Nothing much,” Rey simply replied, and stared deep into the snow particles.

 

All the merriment is over, and everybody has returned to his or her tent.

There is still a little fire burning from the people who had made a bonfire, while their jars of wine and other materials used for the fun were littered everywhere.

 

“Are you hiding things from your beta?” Connor asked, and Rey was sure he could hear the melancholy in his voice.

 

He wished to tell them everything that Mark had told him, and about his skepticisms about Zafira.

 

He wished to tell everyone everything that was going on in his mind, but he couldn’t just bring himself to do it. They are weighing him down, regardless of how heavy they are.

 

Nonetheless, Rey remained mute, and he could feel the looks of sadness on Coven’s and his brother’s eyes.

 

“Remember, a dilemma shared is half solved,” Coven said.

 

“We might not be able to offer the full solution as it is your destiny; nevertheless, we can still give you tips on how to go about it,” Connor explained.

 

Slowly, Rey directs his gaze at the two beings beside him, their eyes looking as if they were lancing his soul. He could see the anxiety and curiosity behind their eyes.

But Rey shakes his head and returns his gaze to the night, staring at nothing in particular.

 

After what seemed like forever, when Coven and his brother thought that Rey wasn’t going to talk, he finally found his voice. “Are you willing to listen to what he told me?”

 

“Yes, because we came here together, and we shouldn’t be hiding secrets from each other.” Another voice countered from behind.

 

Dan stepped out of the dark corridors from where Coven and his brother had just moved out, and pain could also be seen in his eyes.

 

Instantly, Rey knew he had been mistreating these people with his awkward silence, his Beta especially.

 

“When did you wake up, and for how long have you been eavesdropping on our discussion?” Rey inquired of him instead.

 

“Long enough to hear the beginning of your discussion,” Dan retorted. “Now tell me,” he said, with a serious expression. “What are you hiding?”

 

However, Rey remains mute.

 

Out of frustration and anger, Connor joins the discussion, “Whether you tell us or not, that is your hardship. But if your silence ends up leading any of us to an early grave, then our blood will surely be on your head and hand.”

 

“I assure you that my ghost will be hunting you forever,” Coven inferred.

 

Rey could hear the pain in his friend’s voice. Seeing that he had no choice, knowing that these people deserved to know the truth. He finally said, “It is about my identity.”

 

Coven and his brother stood eagerly, waiting to hear more.

 

The same went for Dan. He squatted closer to them, clinging to Rey and staring directly into his eyes.

 

Rey began, allowing his mind to automatically flashback to when they had just defeated all of Menoetius’ knights. “After we fought those knights and entered the barn, Mark told me some secrets, and they are indeed true.”

 

Then his mind automatically flashbacks to when Mark and Zafira were carrying the sack which they retrieved from the knight back into the storehouse, then Rey suddenly felt the impulse to follow them.

 

It was like a magnetic field was pulling him towards the boy. The same force that was pulling him earlier when they arrived here, the same force that unsheathed the sword of the undead from his scabbard.

 

“As you all know, he is my brother.” Rey begins again. “He is seventeen years old, but my age is still unknown.”

 

“That means we are seventeen years away from the past,” Dan suggested, and Rey nodded his head in approval.

 

“He further told me that he was dumped here by an unknown being,” Rey said and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

 

He could remember how Mark had explained to him that he lived and grew up in the king’s chamber. It is also where he learned how to fight and untie some slight power.

 

“How sure are you that we are blood brothers?” Rey inquired from him.

 

before the former King was slaughtered, he gave us some tips and a hint of our future king, who is going to save us.” Mark answered. “He told us about the sword you are wielding, the undead sword. He told us that you are not a werewolf, a vampire, or any of the night-walking creatures, but you will come with some. ” Mark clarified.

 

Even though Rey was sure the boy was speaking the truth, just like Seer Argon had predicted for him, he still wanted to confirm everything. He didn’t want to accept the role of a king just like that. “What is the proof that we are blood relatives?” Rey inquired further. “Just tell me one more point, and prove it.” Rey pressed further.

 

He watched as Mark bowed his head as if thinking. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he finally snapped his head up, as if he remembered something. “There is a move that the king has been teaching me since I was young,” Mark said.

 

Rey narrows his gaze at him, hoping with all his might that he was not talking about the skills he had been trying to learn all his life.

 

Even though Mark was oblivious that he was familiar with the abilities, he wanted to confirm whether or not the boy was accurate.

 

“It is a skill named “seventeen lethal invisible moves,” Mark finally said, confirming Rey’s suspicions. “It is a move I have been trying to learn all my life, but it either drains my strength or leaves me unconscious.” Mark elaborated.

 

Rey took a deep breath, and Seer Argon’s words rang in his head. Seer Argon had told him that only his bloodline could perform the trick.

 

The seventeen lethal invisible moves are the strongest and most deadly mastery among all other skills. It is the source of strength and weakness, of greatness and downfall. It is the source of both happiness and sadness. Once you learn the skills, it will make you feel on top of the world, but it can also lead to your destruction.

 

“How long have you been practising these skills?” Rey inquired from Mark. “I have also been trying to learn the skills ever since Seer Argon told me about them, but I always failed.”

 

“Since when I was seven,” Mark retorted.

 

“What the f**k are you thinking about?” Dan’s voice jolted Rey out of his thoughts. “You know what, tell us about our next move.” He said this with a tone of rage in his voice.

 

“I’m sorry,” Rey apologized, and tears slipped down his eyes. Even though he is trying to be strong on the outside, deep down, he is just a weak and susceptible man.

 

He was breaking down. He needed someone to comfort him. He wanted this to end so he could relax his mind. But what choice does he have?

 

“It is okay,” Coven consoles him. He moved closer to him and placed his hand on Rey’s shoulder.

 

Rey could feel his body calming down in the presence of the boy. Apart from being an omega, he seems to understand Rey’s feelings better than anybody in the pack, except for Franni, who always feels the same things as Rey does.

 

The thought of Franni raises another thought in his mind. He wonders how the pack is fairing now. However, he trusted Seer Argon and other members of the pack to take care of the house.

 

Rey, sniffing in his tears, changes his expression from a sad countenance to a determined one.

He is now ready to discover his identity, retrieve the gem, save the people of medieval times from the hand of Menoetius, and return to the past so he can overthrow Beelzebub.

 

“We are going to Lycia City tomorrow,” Rey said, with determination in his voice. “After I discover my real identity, we are going to the island of Crete in order to retrieve all the gems once and for all.”

 

“That’s my boy,” Coven said with a chuckle, and he patted Rey on the back. “I am ready to go anywhere with you, even if it is the end of this world.”

 

“We are ready to serve you until death,” another voice said from behind.

 

Rey and his team turned back, and they were welcomed by the sight of Mark and some other hefty men, from whom Rey could guess that they were the village geriatric or knights.

 

“We are always at your service; just place your order,” Zafira said beside Mark.

 

Rey narrowed his stare at him, and he couldn’t help but feel as if the girl had something up her sleeve, just that he couldn’t place his hand on it.

Besides, Mark had told him that he had been with him ever since the king was slaughtered, and she had helped them in many difficulties.

 

“Can you do me a favour?” Rey asked, his gaze now resting on Mark.

 

“Anything for my brother,” Mark said, and Rey felt proud to have someone like him as a brother.

 

“My team and I are going to Lycia City tomorrow. Can you take care of these people till I return?” He said, pointing at the knight.

 

“I swear with my life, no harm will befall them,” Mark said truthfully, and Rey nodded his head in appreciation.

 

On instinct, Rey suddenly stretched his hand forward and caught an arrow just a few inches from hitting Mark, and the latter looked at him with such appreciation. The same goes for the rest of the people. They quickly stood alert and unsheathed their sword from its scabbard.

 

Rey stared in the direction he thought the arrow might come from, but he saw nothing.

Yet beneath the dark trees, something had stirred, but he couldn’t see anything.

 

Rey was sure of it. He glanced behind him for the fourth time in as many minutes, and he could see the fear creeping into the hefty men’s spines and prickling at the nape of their necks like tiny teeth.

 

Without being told, he knew they were aware of the situation, and only his presence gave them hope.

 

Nonetheless, Mark remains calm, and his face is expressionless.

The same goes for Zafira. She looks calm and peaceful as if nothing had just happened.

 

“Let’s just hope it is not what I am thinking,” Mark whispers behind Rey.

 

Rey examines his environment again, but he sees nothing there. Just the sheen of starlight frosting the unmarked snow.

He looked back to the darkness of the trees, taking a few steps towards the forest.

Coven strides after him, while Dan Connor follows suit.

 

Mark wanted to follow him, but Rey signalled for him and the rest to stay still, leaving him with his team. He stood some eighty feet away from the forest’s edge, his shadow a misty blur on the old, broken snow around his feet, his breath a tiny smear of the stream against the darkness.

 

Even wrapped in the thickness of his buffalo hide coat, he shivered, though not entirely cold.

He examined the forest again, but he couldn’t sense any movement.

 

His mind wandered to what Mark meant when he said, “Let us hope it is what I am thinking.” He searched his mind, wondering what Mark could mean. If it was with Franni, he was sure that he could have guessed easily, but it seemed impossible with Mark.

 

A wind touched his face like a clammy, seeking hand. It took all his strength not to whirl, to face the unseen foe.

But he was determined not to flee. He was about to prove his loyalty to the villagers, to prove to them that he was worth being their king.

 

Then, out of the depths of the cliff, something shimmers from the ground.

Rey could feel all his instincts telling him to run, to return to the villagers and hide under the roof, but Rey wasn’t a doormat. He would rather give his life for them than run away like a scared dog.

 

“This is stupid.” He heard his inner self mocking him. But Rey shrugged it off. Besides him, his team stood unfazed, ready to stick with their Alpha till death.

 

The object grew larger, and his reflection shone under the glory of the moon. His body was covered in mud, while his eyes were glowing green.

 

Standing in front of him is anything that doesn’t look human. He was huge, taller than anything Rey had ever seen. He had thought Beelzebub was the worst and lankiest being he had ever seen, but this being had just proved him wrong.

 

Slowly, the being stood at his height, and Rey’s jaw dropped automatically.

The being looks like an idol, with his neck rotating around as if he was someone with epilepsy.

 

“My mistress doesn’t approve of your presence here,” the being said, his voice booming throughout the entire forest, and the snow broke at the hearing of his voice, and Rey could tell he was angry by the tone of his voice.

 

“Time sent her threat,” the voice said again. His voice, sending a cold shudder down his spine. “Your mission here alters the timeline. Back down now, and I won’t be forced to ki*ll you.” The voice said, and his boom throughout the entire village.

 

“This is the last warning,” the voice notified furthermore. “The next time we meet, I won’t spare you.” He concluded, and went back again, down to the chasms from where he came.

 

T.B.C