The Legend of Tantus - Book 2

Chapter 2 - Maxlyeben

    In the winters that preceded the great war, many stories were born to grow towards the future and destiny of Tantus, one in particular, would forever change the course of battles and time... The story of Kin Lyeben and Carbella Max.

    In his youth and early talent, Kin, born in the city of Mérit, was quickly noticed by the Kingdom of Lieben, and as it was his desire to join the military force of his continent, he quickly stood out and grew up among his companions. The young man proved to be a true combat genius, like no one before him, promised to be the most exceptional and enviable warrior of his time, so he became close friends with Loki Alberich, the then prince and future king. Both evolved strongly in skills, as Kin was the only one who trained alongside Loki, thus becoming friends and rivals, although the young man of Mérit had an advantage over the future king, since his talent was unique, they understood each other as brothers, and Kin always fulfilled the role he would officially fulfill, that of protector. Winters after, Loki inherited the throne, the young man from Mérit was already in a position of respect in the army when he met, on one of his trips to his hometown, the beautiful and demure Carbella, of unparalleled beauty, slightly brown skin, eyes very light brown, and beautiful wavy dark brown hair, a woman who stood out among the beautiful, from a noble and respected family, she quickly took up space in the heart of Kin, and the love between the two seemed destined to happen. Passionately in love, Kin asked for a transfer to his city, where he could spend the whole time beside his great love, but after three winters of relationship the great war began, the young man of Mérit was summoned to the kingdom's army and, because of this, could not marry Carbella, resolving both to wait for the end of the battles. Kin stood out even more alongside Loki, as one of the greatest warriors who fought in the campaign, and not just on the continent itself, he made real friends with the great king Johnas Albatore, the mighty Krantenion (who met Carbella), Revan Malak and with Artan, the skillful, he soon became Lieben's great captain, his name was highly honored by his comrades and feared by enemies, legendary. Carbella spent most of her time praying for the safe return of her beloved, and Kin returned to Merit whenever time allowed. After three winters from the start of the war, Carbella became pregnant, and later gave birth to a boy, the young man of Mérit felt the happiest man ever, but he also feared to die and leave his son and future wife alone.

- We have to choose a name for him. – said Kin.

- I have not thought of anything yet. – said Carbella.

- Do you think he will be like me?

- No.

- No???

- He will be bigger than you.

- So I accept. Hehe. – smile Kin. – Things are getting tougher these past winters, more enemies are invading the continent, and Loki needs me.

- I understand. So we will wait, when it's all over, we will think of a beautiful name together.

The captain continued to bring defeat to his enemies and received, as a gift from the holy lord, a powerful and spectacular two-bladed sword, naming it Maxlyeben:

- This name symbolizes our union. – said Kin.

- A union for a divine gift. – said Carbella when she saw the magnificent sword.

    According to Zeon, the power of those swords allowed them to be in sync with their master's power, and the greater the affinity, the more efficient they would be. For the lord, a great warrior deserved a great weapon, to assert his name, weighing even more in the fear of enemies, and he grew more and more. But in the last winter of the war, Zeijadel's armies devastated the continent in an absurd way, Lieben needed reinforcements, which arrived at a good time, but Kin was summoned by Harkonen as the only one capable of assuming his post as the holy lord, he accepted with much reluctance, believing he is doing the best for his beloved family and his land. Even without warning he abandoned the army to follow Harkonen, many soldiers were in doubt about his courage, but it did not matter to him, because Loki, his best friend, never doubted his commitment, and more than that, what interested him it was his family's future. That same winter his son completed three winters of age, and Harkonen defeated Zeijadel, ending the war, but Kin never returned.  

    Carbella went into depression, and the only thing that gave her strength to live was her beloved son, who looked a lot like her, but had the color of his father's skin and eyes:

- Carbella, you need to get up. – said one of her best friends. – I am sorry for Kin, but your life goes on.

- Kingsley. His name is Kingsley, but he always liked to be called Kin. – said Carbella.

- Did not know this.

- Few know.

- ...

- It's just... everything seems so much more difficult without him...

- Yes, but you still have your son. By the way, you have not chosen a name for him yet.

- He will be called... Sumith.

- What a beautiful name. Sumith Max?

- No... It should be Lyeben, just like me...

- ...

- It will be something that Kin would also have liked.

- What?

- Maxlyeben.

    The child grew up strong, but the father's absence was evident. He spent his entire childhood hearing from many about the strength and courage of Kin, the greatest warrior of the entire war, but also a few about cowardice and lack of honor, the one who abandoned in the moment of need, and it was these words that weighed terribly on his young mind. Even with a smile on his face, cultivating precious and healthy friendships, deep down his heart was confused, all he wanted was simply to know that what the few said was never true. Kin became the new holy lord, succeeding Harkonen, but he has not gone on to eternal rest yet, the lords obviously knew that the war would continue sooner or later, and that the lord of darkness should be definitively eliminated, so they commissioned the old lord to find a new replacement for Zeijadel, this time without fail, but the enemy could not be underestimated. The guardians clashed and shortly afterwards Lieben's silver guardian tragically lost his life, so Harkonen should also provide this solution. Seeing the capabilities of his successor's son, he approached and earned his trust, showing great friendship, soon became a rigorous and awakening master of that great potential, and in a short time Sumith became as talented as his father, quickly receiving the power of the guardian. Harkonen was a man known for not choosing methods to achieve goals, he did not care what path he would follow, he just thought about the end result, right or wrong, he just did what was necessary for the future, in the short or long term but Kin, seeing this, would never allow his son to sacrifice himself, even if it was to destroy Zeijadel, he strongly disapproved of his predecessor for depriving Sumith of the right to choose, getting to draw his sword for the old lord, but fortunately this confrontation never occurred, because he decided to assume all this responsibility himself, asking Harkonen to find another substitute, this time for himself. Obviously none of the lords approved of Kin's intention to sacrifice, but his determination was impossible to be denied, whether in this life or the next he would not bury his son, but after much reluctance the former lord managed to convince him to continue the plan of the summons and guardians, as they could never afford to have just one option. To demonstrate his goodwill and commitment, the new holy accepted, because for him it was irrelevant, nothing would stop him from taking his son's place in death, nothing could face the feelings and determination of the great Kin Lyeben.