THE RISE OF SWORD MAN

ROAD TO ASH

The heavy smell of burning pine and cold iron followed Dominic long after Oakhaven vanished behind the mountain ridges.He did not bury his parents in the village cemetery. The Blood-Flesh Bandits had desecrated everything. Instead, Dominic had carried their bodies deep into the Whispering Woods, burying them beneath the ancient roots of a great white oak tree where he and his father had spent their very first morning training. He didn't have a headstone. Instead, he drove his old, charred wooden practice sword into the earth above them.Now, three days later, Dominic walked the cobblestone imperial highway. His body ached with a deep, systemic exhaustion. The silver energy that had flared within him during the m******e had left his veins feeling like they were filled with crushed glass.Wrapped in his father’s old gray traveling cloak, Dominic looked like just another orphan of war. But beneath the cloak, slung across his back, was his father’s true steel longsword.The blade was silent now. The brilliant silver aura that had decapitated the bandit captain was gone, retracted back into the cold metal. The sword-shaped birthmark on Dominic’s forearm was completely dark, resembling an old, inked tattoo rather than a magical brand. He had tried channeling the power again during his march, but nothing happened. He didn't know how to trigger it. He only knew it required a fury so intense it nearly consumed his mind.“Talent is nothing without discipline,” his father’s voice echoed in his memory, heavy and comforting. “The path of a swordsman is lonely, painful, and never-ending.”Dominic tightened his grip on the leather strap of his scabbard. "I will find them, Father. All of them," he muttered to the wind.By noon, the dirt highway began to widen, merging with trade routes crowded with merchant wagons, armored caravans, and desperate refugees. In the distance, rising like a jagged mountain of stone and mortar, stood the outer walls of Valerius, the Crown City of the Southern Province.Valerius was a city built on trade and blood. It was the nearest major hub where a mercenary group as large as the Blood-Flesh Bandits could sell their stolen spoils, buy fresh horses, and blend into the criminal underworld.Dominic approached the massive iron-gated entrance. Two imperial guards in polished bronze armor stood at the checkpoint, lazily collecting entry taxes from the merchants. Dominic didn't have a copper coin to his name. He only had the clothes on his back and the priceless weapon hidden under his cloak.As he drew closer, a commotion at the front of the queue caught his attention."Look, kid, no coin, no entry," a burly guard grunted, shoving a figure backward into the dirt. "The Governor doesn't want more beggars clogging up the lower wards. Move along before I use my spear."The figure in the dirt scrambled up quickly, dusting off a patched green traveler's vest. It was a girl, roughly Dominic's age, with sharp, amber eyes and a nest of unruly, short-cropped brown hair. A pair of worn leather daggers hung from her belt, though she hadn't made a move to draw them."I'm not a beggar, you brainless tin can!" she snapped, her voice full of spit and defiance. "I'm a registered courier! I have a delivery for the Golden Cask Tavern!""No coin, no entry," the guard repeated, raising his spear menacingly.Dominic stopped a few paces away. His silver eyes scanned the guard's stance. Feet too wide. Weight entirely on the back heel. A simple sweep of the front leg would drop him. Dominic didn't want trouble, but he needed to get inside the city, and the guards were entirely focused on the girl.Before Dominic could make a choice, the girl’s amber eyes flicked to him. She noticed the slight, structured way he stood—the perfect balance of his weight, the unnatural stillness of his shoulders. She also caught a glimpse of the heavy iron pommel peaking out from the top of his gray cloak.A sharp, cunning smile crossed her face."Hey! There you are, big brother!" she shouted, sprinting over and grabbing Dominic tightly by the arm.Dominic stiffened, his hand instinctively dropping toward his hilt. "What are you—""I told you to hurry up with the coin purse!" she interrupted loudly, digging her fingers into his forearm, right over his hidden birthmark. She leaned in, whispering fiercely under her breath, "Play along if you want to get past the gate without a fight, sword-boy."She turned back to the guards, pulling a small silver ring from her vest pocket—something she had clearly just pickpocketed from a passing merchant a moment prior. "See? My brother has our family heirloom to pay the entry fee!"The burly guard eyed the silver ring greedily. He snatched it from her hand, weighed it, and gave a dismissive wave of his spear. "Fine. Get inside. And keep your mouth shut, brat."The girl dragged Dominic through the massive iron gates and into the shadows of the city's stone archway. The moment they were out of the guards' sight, Dominic pulled his arm away, his silver eyes flashing with warning."Who are you?" Dominic demanded, his voice cold."Relax, killer," she said, raising her hands in a mock surrender, though her eyes remained locked on the shape of the sword beneath his cloak. "The name is Vesper. I'm a thief—sorry, independent acquisition specialist—in the Lower Wards. I saw you analyzing that guard like you were figuring out exactly how many pieces you could chop him into. I figured we could help each other.""I don't need help," Dominic said, turning to walk down the crowded, filthy street of the city's slums."Oh really?" Vesper jogged to keep up with his long strides. "You’re carrying a high-grade military longsword in a city where carrying unpermitted steel gets you thrown into the gladiator pits. You have ash on your cloak, blood on your boots, and the look of a guy who wants to murder someone very specific."Dominic stopped dead in his tracks. The crowd shuffled around them as he stared down at her."The Blood-Flesh Bandits," Dominic said, the words tasting like poison. "Where are they?"Vesper’s playful demeanor instantly vanished. Her amber eyes widened slightly, and she took a half-step back. "The Blood-Flesh? Kid... you're insane. They aren't just common thieves. They're the muscle for the Iron Syndicate, the biggest crime ring in the Southern Province. They practically own the local city guard.""I don't care who owns them," Dominic said, his voice deadly quiet. "Tell me where they congregate."Vesper looked at him for a long moment, measuring the absolute lack of fear in his silver eyes. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Look, I hate those red-cloaked bastards as much as anyone. They ruined my old crew. But if you walk into their turf swinging a sword alone, you're a dead man."She pointed down a narrow, dark alleyway packed with makeshift tents and cloaked figures. "The Golden Cask Tavern. The basement is where their low-level scouts handle the contraband from their recent raids. If you want info, that's where it is. But you go in there representing yourself, and you're fish bait."Dominic didn't hesitate. He turned directly toward the alleyway."Hey! Wait!" Vesper called out, rushing after him. "If you're going to commit suicide, at least let me get my cut of whatever you steal off their corpses!"As Dominic walked deeper into the shadows of Valerius, the birthmark on his arm began to throb with a faint, icy chill. The scent of wine, sweat, and blood grew thicker. He was no longer training in the safety of the woods. He was walking directly into the lion's den.