THE RISE OF SWORD MAN

SHROUDED STEEL

The four bandits advanced in a coordinated crescent formation, their curved scimitars catching the flickering torchlight. Dominic held his ground at the cellar entrance, his father’s longsword raised in a classic defensive high-guard. His silver eyes darted from blade to blade, calculating their trajectories.But four seasoned killers rushing at once in a cramped stone cellar was a lethal mathematical equation, even for a boy born of prophecy."Die, blacksmith's brat!" the largest bandit roared, leaping forward with a heavy downward slash.Before the blade could meet Dominic's steel, a sharp thwip-thwip echoed from the shadows of the shattered doorway.Two small, black iron throwing daggers flashed through the dim air. The first struck the leaping bandit squarely in the right shoulder, severing the muscle and forcing him to drop his weapon with a howl of agony. The second dagger sliced clean through the rope of a massive iron chandelier hanging above the center table.With a deafening groan, the heavy iron fixture crashed downward, smashing the central table into kindling and scattering thousands of stolen gold coins across the stone floor."What?! Who’s there?!" another bandit screamed, stumbling backward to avoid the falling metal."Hey, ugly! Catch!" Vesper’s voice echoed playfully from the darkness of the upper rafters.A small, clay sphere sailed through the air, shattering against the stone floor right beneath the bandits' feet. Instantly, a thick, blinding gray fog erupted from the sphere, filling the cellar with dense, sulfurous smoke."Smoke bombs!" a bandit choked, coughing violently as he swung his weapon blindly into the fog. "I can't see!""I told you I wanted my cut of the loot, sword-boy!" Vesper yelled from the shadows. "Don't just stand there, move!"The smoke was a death sentence for the bandits, but to Dominic, it was an advantage. His silver eyes didn't just see light; they perceived the faint, metallic resonance of weapons moving through the air. Through the gray haze, the scimitars of the remaining three bandits glowed to his vision like faint, cold embers.Dominic moved like a ghost through the fog.He lunged toward the closest bandit on his left. The man heard the rustle of Dominic’s cloak and swung wildly, but Dominic was already lower, sliding beneath the arc of the scimitar. With a swift, upward arc of his father's blade, Dominic sliced through the bandit's leather armor. The man collapsed without a sound."He's in the smoke! Back to back!" another bandit yelled in a panic.But it was too late. Dominic pivoted through the haze, his boots sliding effortlessly over the spilled gold coins. He caught the second bandit completely off-balance, delivering a devastating horizontal s***h that shattered the man’s shield and sent him crashing into the stone wall, unconscious and bleeding.The third bandit turned to flee toward the back exit, but a shadow dropped from the ceiling right in front of him. Vesper landed gracefully on her feet, twirling a wicked, curved dagger in her hand. Before the bandit could raise his sword, she sliced the back of his knee, sending him crashing to his joints, followed by a swift punch to his jaw that knocked him out cold.Within less than a minute, all four bandits were neutralized.The heavy sulfurous smoke began to clear, pulled away by the draft from the shattered doorway. Dominic stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving, his father’s sword still hummed with a faint, razor-sharp silver light.At the back of the cellar, completely untouched by the chaos, stood Commander Kaelen.The corrupt officer hadn't moved an inch. He had watched his men get systematically dismantled with an expression of cold, clinical boredom. He looked at Vesper, who was now standing a few paces away from Dominic, her daggers raised and ready."A street thief with military-grade smoke powder," Kaelen observed, his voice dripping with smooth disdain. "And a boy playing with a dead legend's toy. You think a few parlor tricks change your fate?"Kaelen slowly reached down to his hip. With a slow, deliberate metallic hiss, he drew his own weapon. It was a masterpiece of imperial engineering—a heavy, single-edged saber forged from black steel, its hilt shaped like a roaring lion. The moment the black steel met the air, a dark, oppressive pressure washed over the room, making it heavy to breathe."You have the blood of the Iron Vanguard in you, boy," Kaelen said, stepping forward. His boots clicked rhythmically against the stone floor. "But your father died because he forgot one simple truth: steel is only as strong as the empire behind it."Dominic stepped in front of Vesper, shielding her. The sword-shaped birthmark on his arm began to throb violently again, reacting to the dark energy radiating from the commander's black saber."I haven't forgotten anything," Dominic said, his silver eyes locking onto Kaelen's stance. Perfect form. No openings. "I'm going to break your steel, and then I'm going to break you."Kaelen smiled, a terrifying, bloodless baring of teeth. "Try it.