(Cyrus POV)
"You know, I can tell what you're doing," Lord Enzo said as he remained in the chair, gently tapping his fingers on the table.
"What are you talking about?"
"Those little bursts of cosmic energy you're releasing. You're trying to send a signal… to your father, correct? Funny, my father used to have me do something similar whenever I would get lost in the woods hunting." Hearing Lord Enzo's response nearly made my stomach drop. My attempts to conceal my intentions had failed—this man was more perceptive than I thought. "I hope he can sense your little signature up here because, in all honesty, I'm a little tired of waiting for him," he said as he stood up from the chair and headed over to a corner of the room.
I watched him slowly stroll, his feet gently stepping on the marble floors beneath him. Not taking my eyes off him for a second, I realized he was picking something off the ground. It was long and sleek, and black as obsidian. It was my blade—the one Rava made for me. Lord Enzo held it in his hands, gently tossing it and analyzing every inch of it.
"So, Cyrus, where did you get this blade? This is not made of normal Celestium ore, is it? Who made it, if you don't mind sharing?"
I didn't know his angle here. I didn't know if he was just trying to pry extra information out of me for some undisclosed reason, or if he was simply a person who appreciated craftsmanship.
"You know, it's been a long time since I've seen a Voidfang Basilisk. This blade is made from one of its horns, isn't it? Fascinating. Did you kill it yourself?"
"No, I had help."
"From your father?"
I didn't know how much of Rava I should reveal to this man. He was clearly someone well-studied—he had identified the material of my blade at a glance. Giving him more information didn't seem like a good idea.
"No, just from a random ally."
"They are scary creatures, I will agree. They are powerful, cunning, and relentless. I nearly died the first time I faced one. How did you manage it?"
"I broke its horns, making it powerless."
"And you kept it as a memento too… You know, I think I like you. You're not like your father at all—I can tell that for certain. See, I did the same thing. But I turned mine into an arrow, where it now rests on my mantle. I told you—we are alike."
The thought of being similar to this man made me sick to my stomach. It was starting to feel maddening.
"Can you put my blade down? It's special."
"Sure, sure. Who taught you how to use it?"
"You're asking a lot of questions. Why does it matter?"
"I'm just curious, that's all."
"It was my uncle."
"Not your father?"
"No. When I learned, he was busy with other duties—being the leader of our clan and Arthenos."
"What a shame. You didn't get a chance to learn from one of the greatest swordsmen in this world. You had to be complacent with learning from someone lesser."
"Don't talk down on my uncle. He was a great warrior—a great man. Someone who showed me nothing but love. Whenever my dad couldn't be around, he made sure to fill in the gaps. Few could ever rival him."
"Really? Then where is he? No one has seen him since. You learned to wield a blade from a failure."
"I don't know… we think he might have been taken as a hostage, or potentially killed," I responded, my voice trembling as I forced the words out. "But we learned that you know more in regard to him."
"Oh? And who told you that?"
"That man named Kael—one of your colleagues, right?"
"Ahh, so he spilled the beans. What all did he say?"
"That you know where my uncle is."
"Well, how about this—I'm a generous man. I'll give you a chance to defeat me in a bout of swordsmanship. If you can best me, then I'll tell you the whereabouts of your uncle."
"Fine. What are the rules?"
"First person to land three strikes wins."
"Simple enough," I responded.
Lord Enzo went to gather another blade from another room. He brought my blade to me and threw it at my feet.
"Um, I still have these on. Kind of hard to fight with handcuffs still on."
In response to my claim, I watched as the arm that wasn't bandaged started to glow bright crimson. He was pouring cosmic energy into his astral tattoo. Shortly after, crimson sparks flew over to my cuffs. I watched as the cuffs deteriorated into nothing.
"Is that better now?"
"Yes," but now I understood that was not the true issue. The presence that crimson energy gave off was ominous. Instantly, I knew he was dangerous. If this man wanted me dead, he could have done so at any point in time.
But something else bothered me about the power he just displayed. It seemed too familiar. Taking one last glance at his mask, the one with a serpent coiled around his eye, I think I understood what it was.
The presence of his power was similar to the Withered Book of Leaves in the Hollow Branch hideout. This Lord Enzo was a wielder of the Eclipse Serpent constellation—a power so strong the Slytharion couldn't kill even if they tried. It was hard to fathom someone like this had gone unnoticed for so long.
"Who is this man?"