Harbinger: The Four Knights

The Journey For The Future

While on our way, uncle Mark repeatedly told me to keep a low profile and not attract too much unwanted attention. “When we reach the capital, I will secretly drop you both off in the land that I govern since I will have to report to the empire the scripted report that we and your elders have planned to make them think that I am still under their control, I even brought a fake orb that the great elder made.” He then takes out the orb and told us that it is not working. “Don’t fret, this thing doesn’t work, the great elders just put in a kind of magic that would mimic how the orb emits ominous aura, its basically a prop.” He said as he takes out his sword and slightly scratch the surface to make it a little worn out and hid it immediately after doing so. “Are you both excited of coming to the capital for the first time?” He ask once again as he turns his head on the road ahead. “Yes uncle, I am looking forward to it. Hearing from what my father told me of his life in the capital for a long time, it made me wonder a lot but thankfully I will be able to see it for myself.” I replied with a slightly enthusiastic expression that he cannot see. Abel slightly turned his head towards me like he knows what I am currently thinking and gestures me not to do anything stupid. “Young master, please don’t do anything that would catch a pretty good attention okay? Knowing your personality, you would immediately ask for a fight if you see someone decent or if you assume that they are decent enough f or a spar.” Abel told me off before I can get in a spar which made me think twice in bringing him since he tends to stop me from doing anything I like if he is around me. “Oh come on Abel, I’m not that bad right? And a few spar would not hurt at all, I just have to be a little careful.” I tried to reason my way out of his grasp but then uncle Mark supported Abel’s words. “He is right Amon, you should stop your urge to ask anyone you see as decent for a spar, people in the capital are a little different from the people you have at home. People here tend to go and extract vengeance if they were to be beaten one-sidedly and unexpectedly. They would chase you every time they see you. Completely the opposite if you want to lay low. But if you want to fight stronger people like you- there is a place that- nah! Forget it, that is something that you should not know until you are of age otherwise your father would chew me alive, you know well how overprotective he can be. Not to mention the entire demon community might march their way here if they ever heard you doing something that you shouldn’t have and got in trouble. Who knows what they might do.” Uncle Mark stopped talking about a place where I could fight. [Right where he is this close to telling us!] I measured the closeness of him telling us the place with my fingers. The enthusiasm in my face and expression faded as Abel let out a sigh of relief.

 We saw and admired many things as we move closely to the capital where uncle Mark told us and he explained everything about we fancy on the way. Even the food that we eat every time we stop was new to us and it is surprisingly delicious, even the way they do things is quite different from what we are used to that even Abel who is quite good with his hands is struggling to understand the things that he saw. We passed by the village that we ate after a stop when I remember the ring that my great grandfather told me that belonged to the first demon which I now wore. Abel saw this and he was intrigued by the great design of the ring, a pitch black with a carving of a foreign language that even the elders do not understand with a blood red accent.

 [The great elder told me about it but it still hard to imagine why the ring picked him, is it because he is the first one to figure out the real armory is? Or maybe the ring has its own ego and only picks the ones he deems as worthy or using itself? Either way, Amon is a great guy if you put aside that he is constantly asking for me to spar him when we were younger.] thinking about it made me a little worried that he is now a little older, who knows what he will do if he ever try to sneak out from the knight of the raging flames’ residence. My thoughts then got interrupted the moment the carriage shook. I immediately stick my head closely to the walls and take a peek outside but there was nothing. The knight of the raging flames turned towards us asking us what happened, his eyes then widen like he is interpreting something in front of him with is own understanding and his eyes are directed at Amon so I turned to him and saw four rings large enough to be considered as bracers but with an elegant design beautiful enough to be mistaken as bracelets. [I’m sorry about that uncle, I was just playing with this gift that my great grandfather gave me but something else came out.” Amon apologized as the knight of the raging flames muttered. “Is that a dimensional ring?” he ask with great surprise written all over his face as he move the carriage beside so that we do not hinder the other passing in the same road. “Amon, there is one thing that you should remember, dimensional rings are things that are not that common in the capital, the people who have a ring similar to that are only powerful person and the other who have a similar but downgraded versions has limits, so its not good to use that ring in crowded places since people will try to take it away from you the moment they learn that it is a dimensional ring.” The knight of the raging flames reminded us sternly as he added the thing about the heavy things that look like bracers. “Could you do something about these things? The carriage can hardly move because of the weight.” He said as he scratch his head in embarrassment while looking at the horses who are barely hanging on their legs. Amon realizes this and immediately wore them on both of his legs and arms which made the carriage feel a little lighter than it was when the bracers were not worn. “Yup, this is good enough for the carriage to move. Try circulating your energy in your body to try and familiarize with the weight of the bracers, that way you will be able to move freely but with a little heavy limbs but you will be able to get use to it. It would be a pretty good thing to do if you want to hide your real strength, that way you can ask for a spar without attracting too much attention.” The knight of the raging flames said as we continued on our way. Amon did what the knight instructed and after a matter of few hours, the young master had already familiarize with the bracers which threw Mr. Mark off. “Done!” the young master exclaimed and extended his arms like they are stiff for a very long time. Both the knight and I are eating during the break when he exclaimed that he had dealt with it. The knight suddenly drops the food that he was about to eat and left his jaw dropping. “Hey, hey. That is not something that you can do after only a few hours. I am not quite knowledgeable in that kind of thing but there is someone that I know who is an expert in that field and it took him a few weeks just to familiarize with the weights. Not to mention that the weights that you are wearing is heavy enough to make the carriage move very slow.” The knight covered his mouth in embarrassment and turns to me making the face as if he is asking me if this is normal, I nodded my head in response which made him even more shocked. [Ah! The typical expression every that makes when they learn of our young master’s brilliance.] I thought to myself and added. “Please get used to it Mr. Mark. You will be seeing a lot of those for a while.” I said with a proud expression as if I was the one that taught him but the truth is that I am proud that he is one us. [I can’t wait to see the expression on everyone’s faces when they see our young master defying everything they know. I wonder how their evaluation of a monster is because that is about to change very soon. So look forward to it humans, our young master, the future leader of the demons have descended and will show you what true talent is about.] I flashed a smile while hiding my true thoughts on the matter as we continued on our journey with Mr. Mark muttering the words that I told him earlier. “You need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark, you need to get use to it Mark. That’s easier said than done, how will you be able to keep a low profile like that if you constantly break everyone’s view of how common sense works. Ah! Just thinking about it is making my head hurt. I’ll just need to make some preparations and excuses in the future. What did he exactly learn from everyone to make him a monster that he is even at a young age? I’m regretting my decision already, Luke, help me.” Mr. Mark seemed like he was troubled by what is about to happen in the future as I secretly laugh behind him with the young master admiring the world around him.

 A few days have past and Luke’s son continues to break my view of common sense every time he does things. Even his butler is on the same page but a little lower level than Amon which made me think about the reason why the empire sent us to the shadow lands when even a kid way younger than me is this strong? Have the empire gone mad? Or are we just an experimental group to measure the demon’s combat capability from the beginning and that is when it occurred to me when something pops up in my mind. [Why didn’t I thought of this earlier? To think that they are aiming for that from the very beginning. Those rotten bastards!] I grit my teeth in anger when I realize their motives. [They are going to use me as an excuse to wipe the entire demon race because they are the only race who knows how to create such things and can expose the empire’s true agenda. Sending me to be purposely killed to make the other knights move in action to take revenge. That filthy fxcking bastard! I’m going to roast that person who instigated this thing alive.] I unconsciously leaked out some of my murderous intent as Amon and Abel turned to me and asked if something is wrong. “Uncle? Are you okay?” Amon asked with a concerned tone and pointed to the bushes just beside the road that we passed by. “Yeah- I’m fine. What’s the matter?” I asked while breaking some sweat. “I sensed some people leaking malicious intent towards us a few moments ago coming from that bush but then when we sensed murderous intent coming from you, they immediately dispersed. Do they have any business with us perhaps?”

[Wow, Amon really had no idea of the outside world after all, was it a good thing that I leaked my murderous intent and ward off the bandits? But to think that this kid- does is he perhaps thinking of fighting them if he got the chance?] I turned to him just to be sure but I don’t think that Amon is that battle crazed but just to make sure I looked at his expression and saw the thing that I did not want to see, he was smiling with an enthusiastic expression in his face like he was looking forward for a fight to try and test out his new bracers perhaps? I almost drown in disappointment thinking that I will be able to understand what this kind thinks.

 A day later and we arrived in the capital where the land that I govern. My place is quite close to the academy than any other of our friends and as I told them, I drop them off in my residence telling all of my employees that they are our guest. My son was not there at the moment since he is away in the training in a facility that the community had made to culture young talents while I leave for the empire to continue my newly found goal after explaining everything to my wife who gladly took the job of taking care of Amon and Abel while I am away. After a brief stop, I readied everything and left for the empire for a couple of days. Leaving Amon and Abel in everyone’s care. [Its your turn to witness that kid’s immeasurable brilliance good enough to question your common sense. I hope you all get through it just like I did in the past couple of days.] I prayed silently as I ventured out on my mission.