Chapter 11: Second Stage

  Before Darek’s fight was decided, Diana trained alone in the dojo. The sun slid over the horizon, bathing the hall in liquid gold. Two days had passed since Sensei Daro had departed.

  Diana was more focused than ever before. The ambition burning within her grew with every breath. The changes brought by the Soulbounds, the power of her rapier, the war and her brother’s battle—all of it fueled her will. And especially his title. If Diana loved anything more than zombies, undead, fencing, and heroic stories, it was heroes themselves. Strong warriors, mighty fighters. But what defined a hero, what crowned them? Exactly—their title. Caelon the Stormbreaker, Arvian the Golden Lion, Riva the Black Sun, Vareth the Silver-Tongued—just a few of many who had earned such a title. Heroes whose deeds and abilities bordered on miracles.

  In the old stories, it was always about heroes, exceptional talents, and their special powers… Did they even have Soulbounds? No, that couldn’t be; Soulbounds only existed recently. Mhh… and even if they did, I will surpass them all and make them look old, with or without a Soulbound, come what may. First my brother, then Sensei Daro, and then the whole world! Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Then I will become the greatest heroine of all time!

  With these thoughts in mind, Diana continued training. Parries, straight thrusts, and directional changes with weights as customary in Aquilarian fencing—she had trained these exercises for years and repeated them so often that she now performed them subconsciously and reflexively. The exercises ran autonomously, as if her body were on autopilot, and despite perfect execution, her mind could wander slightly, thinking about the heroic stories she cherished most.

  Thalen, the selfless guardian, had defeated one of the seven tyrants: Asterion, the dragon who devoured even the stars. It was a fight to the death. Thalen had been involved in a hopeless affair from the start. He possessed a power that allowed him to be invulnerable, but what use was such a gift if your opponent was a tyrant in the form of a dragon? A creature of a size that made even the mountains of Aquilara appear small. Its scales shone in deep azure, each one as large as Thalen himself. High above in the night sky, it flew as if the heavens belonged to it—and in a way, they did. Asterion had already devastated large parts of Symbion and made no pause. The stories of many heroes ended that day, but Thalen’s began. He confronted Asterion, even though he could achieve nothing. He stood firm, absorbed the hits, prolonged the encounter… and waited for a miracle. For hope, as it is said, dies last.

  Diana took a short breath before continuing. The tyrants were a mystery; little to almost nothing was known about them. Yet in records, caves, books, and heroic stories from all over Symbion, there were hints pointing to their existence. Only two were truly known: Nautilis, the Cursed Sea, and Asterion, the dragon who devoured even the stars. The rest were mostly described abstractly and hardly comprehensibly. Once Diana had composed herself, she began the next exercise and sank again into thought.

  Asterion flew across the sky of Aquilara, and every star it covered disappeared as if it had never existed. It seemed as if even the universe had abandoned Thalen and all of Symbion. Screams, cries for help, and mourning were all Thalen could perceive. No—he could not only perceive them, he could also transform them into power. The grief from all of Aquilara and parts of the world became his strength. He wished for nothing more than the power to protect people—and he received it.

  But the price was fatal. His strength, resulting from the number of people he tried to protect, could not be used simultaneously with his invulnerability. First, he removed the protection from his arm and delivered a strike that shattered the scales in that spot. But his arm tore as well. Then he removed the protection from his leg and struck the dragon at the scaleless spot with a kick that pierced through it. He then lost that leg too.

  A hole of that size did not affect the now enraged Asterion as much as Thalen had hoped. They exchanged a brief glance as they faced each other and collided again. At that moment, Thalen removed the protection from his remaining arm and leg, and finally also the guard around his heart. He delivered one last blow to Asterion. The rest is history.

  Diana wiped sweat from her brow and said to herself, “Yes, one day I will surpass you, Thalen. Even if I cannot be as selfless as you, for I want to live, to write more than just a heroic story.”

  After the visibly strenuous training, she sank into meditation. She closed her eyes, reflected on the training, the exercises, her mistakes, and internalized everything she had learned before entering deep meditation, just as she had learned from Master Daro. Moments passed, and with every breath, the air around her pulsed as if even the silence outside listened to her rhythm. The resonance within her grew, a radiance rising from the depths of her soul. It was as if she tried to grasp an invisible bond anchored at the center of her being, a bond of pure energy, now tense, careful and knowing that too much power would snap it. A feeling between strength and humility coursed through her. The rope vibrated as if responding. Harmony—this was the key, the balance between heart, mind, and conviction. The air around her began to shimmer; her aura pulsed in sync with that of the Soulbound. I can feel it. It’s changing. It’s growing stronger. It’s responding.

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  Suddenly, in the middle of this state of inner focus, a pulse struck her, abruptly breaking her from meditation—a hit. No sound, no wind, only the sense of a presence. Diana opened her eyes. At the threshold of the dojo stood a young panther. Small, sleek, black as oil, yet threaded with fine sparks. Its eyes glowed amber, wild and calm at the same time.

  Their gazes met, and it was as if he looked into the depths of her soul. His gaze seemed such that he could not look away, even if he wanted to.

  A tension lay in his eyes. Not like a hunter fixing on its prey, but more like a plant simply growing toward the sun, like a river flowing to the sea without ever doubting the direction, like a flame consuming because it simply could not do otherwise.

  With every step the creature took, the light around them flickered brighter. The warmth radiating from him seemed to react to her own aura, as if connected by invisible threads.

  The air vibrated. Their auras responded to each other. This cannot… be.

  Slowly, she reached out her hand. The creature stopped, studied her, then came closer, allowing her fingers to touch his fur. Warmth flowed through her hand… it felt like stroking silky, flowing fur that lived and shimmered under her touch. His aura radiated a gentle warmth. The warmth did not flow over the skin but directly into the soul, like a pulse of light. His flames were soft, almost silky; they flickered under her touch as if responding to every motion. A tingling ran over her fingers, half warmth, half energy, accompanied by a sense of deep vitality, as if one momentarily touched the heart of fire itself.

  A mystical panther, whose fire powers had only been described in ancient works. I had heard of it before in the heroic tale of a warrior from Leonvar. The book, though not well known in Aquilara as in Leonvar, had compelled me to borrow every book connected to Leander and the land of Leonvar from our library the first time I heard of him and his fighting style.

  As far as I recall, the book told of a darkness, a dark time when light vanished across the world. The hero of the story, Arion the Sunbearer, ultimately used the fire of the panther to ignite the sun again, banishing the darkness from Symbion.

  The book itself told adventure stories and was several hundred years old. There was also a children’s book meant to teach kids the dangers of fire and wild animals. It was outdated; maybe it worked on Mom and Dad when they were young, but it hadn’t affected us for a long time.

  Diana smiled, half in disbelief, half in awe. All the stories I thought were fairy tales… and now one stands before me. An Ignipardis. I thought it was just a mythical creature.

  The Ignipardis closed its eyes as if to communicate something to Diana. Through what felt like telepathy, she immediately understood what he wanted and closed her eyes as well, entering meditation once again. Now both were enveloped in a warm aura.

  She initially saw only black, but suddenly a spark of living power appeared before her.

  What… what is that? Is it you?

  The spark transformed into a powerful thrusting flame, and a rapier slowly crystallized from the flame. Diana was startled from meditation, sweat on her brow. She stared at the panther and said:

  “Did you help me? It feels as if… as if my Soulbound has awakened. But there’s something else too.”

  She looked at the back of her hand and saw a glowing pattern light up. It had the shape of a small flame and then vanished beneath her skin, as if it had never been there.

  “So there is also some of your power.”

  Diana felt the warmth of the Ignipardis flow through her body, like a current of living energy resonating through every fiber of her being. She summoned her rapier. It vibrated in her hand as if it had long sensed the presence of this being. A gentle glow began from the hilt, bathing the entire blade in liquid light.

  “So… this is it. My passive abilities were not only strengthened, no, I can even use them in active mode,” whispered Diana, barely drawing breath.

  She inhaled deeply. Then she smiled. “Then let’s try this.”

  Her Soulbound blade reacted instantly as she attempted to envelop it with her aura. Glowing, warmer, denser, the rapier pulsing stronger in her hand. With every heartbeat, she felt the fusion of fire power, her aura, and the blade. The rapier had reached the second stage.

  Suddenly, a powerful impulse surged through the rapier: sparks flew, small tongues of flame licked over the blade without burning it. Diana felt her previous abilities qualitatively improve.

  Then the mark on her hand began to glow red. Something new happened: the flames, which had previously danced only along the rapier, now flowed like living skin over the blade. They clung to the metal, forming a liquid, burning layer that pulsed with every breath. Diana immediately knew this was no ordinary flame—it was the power of the Ignipardis itself permeating her weapon.

  This is incredible; with this, I’ll easily catch up to my brother! No, not just brother… even Sensei!

  The Ignipardis purred softly, as if affirming this, and Diana felt her connection to him and her rapier deepen. It was as if the panther had chosen her, and she had simultaneously unleashed the rapier in a way previously unthinkable.

  “A pact, then… our souls are connected too. Like my rapier… a Soulbound with a living creature, a mystical one at that,” whispered Diana, her eyes glowing in the light of the blade.

  “I’ll call you Neris,” said Diana euphorically. “Neris,” repeated the panther, seemingly joyfully. “Let’s go home; I’m exhausted and desperately need a shower.”

  Neris nodded in agreement and vanished with a leap into her shadow, as if diving into it.

  The second stage of her Soulbound rapier had awakened, stronger and more alive than ever. A new power lay in her hands, ready to unfold further with each training, each battle. And Darek, too, was ready for his much-needed sleep; his fights and experiences had left their marks. Yet he, too, would write his own story, one some heroes could only dream of.