The forest was quiet—too quiet. Not the silence of absence, but the kind that listens. That waits. That remembers.
Ian stood amidst the same trees that once echoed with his adolescent grunts, every swing of his blade a secret rebellion, a silent promise to become someone. His sword hung low in his hand—not out of fatigue, but reverence. The leaves didn't rustle—they bowed.
> Ian (to himself):
"Why am I here?
Is this some ploy by Redan? Another illusion wrapped in memory?"
And then… she appeared.
Eve Maid.
Not as a monster. Not as a puppet. But as a vision. Ethereal. Serene. Draped in the shimmer of stardust and smoke, her presence felt like the kind of déjà vu that made you question if she was ever real… or always real.
> Eve (softly):
"Still gripping that blade like it's your answer…
But you always sought peace more than war, Ian.
That's why the forest welcomed you… why I found you."
Ian stiffened.
> Ian:
"I didn't come here to reminisce.
Or to be tempted."
> Eve (smiling):
"Tempted? Oh no, Ian.
I came to remind you.
The Free Abyss isn't chaos—it's freedom incarnate.
It's what we dreamed of back then…
Remember? A world where no one controls you.
Where you swing your sword not to fight…
But to carve your own meaning into existence."
The trees shimmered slightly behind her. The air grew warm. The weight in Ian's heart grew light... too light.
> Eve:
"You were never just a warrior.
You were a dreamer. A seeker.
And the Free Abyss… it calls not to your fists,
But to your soul.
What if I told you,
That every limit you broke in this forest…
Was just a whisper of the freedom we offer?"
Ian lowered his gaze. The memories weren't just training. They were escapes from pressure, from perfection, from being shaped into something he didn't understand yet. Was this what Eve meant? Was the Free Abyss really that world he once longed for—a world of his own making?
But then… he clenched the sword again. His hand remembered. His scars remembered.
> Ian:
"Freedom… without responsibility… becomes indulgence.
I trained here not just to escape…
But to prepare.
Because even a free man must face the weight of others."
> Eve (a flicker of sadness):
"Still bound by duty...
That's why I loved you.
And why I left."
She began to fade, her form dissolving into a mist of stardust and tears.
> Eve (whispering):
"One day… you'll see the difference between a cage…
And a throne."
And she was gone.
The trees whispered again. The silence resumed its vigil. Ian looked at his sword.
> Ian (quietly):
"Maybe I am trapped...
But I'll be damned if I tear down the walls…
Without knowing who they're protecting."
Redan emerged from the shifting air like a shadow catching its breath.
> Redan (grinning):
"C'mon, Ian. It's the love of your life, for crying out loud.
You spent sleepless nights training, not just for power,
But for her.
She didn't need saving. She wanted you to be saved…
To be with her.
And you call that weakness?"
Ian snorted, running a hand through his mess of battle-worn hair. He sheathed his sword with a metallic sigh, then turned toward Redan.
> Ian:
"What now, you study my hormones too?
Gonna start diagnosing me with 'Lovesick Warrior Syndrome'?
Yeah, I like her. Maybe more than I should.
But I'm not weak.
Liking someone doesn't mean I follow them off a cliff."
Redan's smirk widened—just slightly. Enough to show fangs beneath the charm.
> Redan:
"Oh really...
Then why did your pulse spike when she spoke?
Why did your Avia flicker when she said your dream was hers?
You talk about strength, but you forget—
Love isn't just a feeling.
It's the most powerful leash in existence.
And you?
You're already halfway down the path, Ian.
I'm just offering to make the road honest."
Ian stepped closer, so close their breaths collided in the space between truths.
> Ian (calm but cold):
"You think love's a leash?
That explains everything about you, Redan.
You don't know the first thing about it.
Eve didn't try to chain me. She challenged me.
There's a difference."
> Redan (laughing softly):
"Ah, the noble delusion.
You still believe in the 'soulmate salvation arc'?
Let me break it down for you, swordsman—
She offered you freedom. You chose restraint.
That's not strength.
That's fear wearing a mask of morals."
Ian's blade flashed—not drawn, just a glint—just enough for Redan to pause.
> Ian:
"Or maybe…
You're afraid.
Because every time we say no,
Every time someone resists you,
That little kingdom of corruption you call liberation cracks a bit.
And deep down, you know…
You'll never own someone like me."
Redan's smile faltered.
Just a flicker.
> Redan (quietly):
"Then let's see if that resistance holds…
When the one you love begs you to join her again.
And she will.
Because the Free Abyss doesn't forget...
And neither do we."
He vanished in a pulse of dark mist, leaving only the smell of scorched roses and fading guilt.
Ian stood alone. Again.
But this time, he didn't feel alone.
> Ian (muttering to the forest):
"You can keep your abyss.
I'll take the pain that comes with the light."
The crowd had fled. Panic was perfume in the air. Screams fading into the background. What remained? Dust. Heat. Echoes of legacy.
Samurai-looking assassins—six of them, clad in tattered blue gi, moving like smoke and steel. Their Aura shimmered, blue and charged, blinking them from rooftop to arena floor in jagged skips of teleportation.
One landed first. Eyes glowing.
> "We challenge the strongest here."
The crowd gasped like wind rushing into lungs. And then someone whispered—
> "Isn't that Nathan Okesi's son?"
And like a spark to dry grass, the legend reignited.
---
Ian stepped forward. His sword hummed, sensing his pulse. His father's old blade—Thunder's Spine—whispered with the electric memory of past glories.
> Ian (low, focused):
"You want the strongest?
You're lookin' at him.
But I'm gonna level the field... just so you know it ain't the power gap. It's you."
His Avian Compression activated. A golden ring of energy pulsed around him, shrinking down his output—but refining it. His speed honed. His strikes sharpened. The playing field narrowed, but his skill? Unleashed.
> Round One: Commence.
---
They lunged—all six at once.
Ian sidestepped the first teleport slash, dragging his blade across the attacker's ribs with surgical elegance. One down.
The second phased behind him, but Ian pivoted midair—a parry into a gut-punch, enhanced by compressed Avian energy. The blow didn't knock him out—it knocked him across the arena.
> Two left standing. Four on the ground.
Ian exhaled. Sweat beaded. This wasn't for show. It was for survival.
> Ian (grinning):
"This is swordwork, baby. Not glowstick dancing."
But then—the leader of the assassins stepped in. His aura pulsed blue-black. A shadow of the Free Abyss crept in behind him.
Redan… was watching.
> Leader (smirking):
"Let's see what Nathan's bloodline really holds."
> Ian (raising his sword):
"Let's see what your jaw holds after I drop you."
The true duel began—a rhythm of blink strikes, counter-teleports, feints layered in feints.
Ian's Avian energy started building despite the compression, a rare effect—a combat evolution.
His sword crackled, and the air split—not from power, but precision.
> Ian (final slash):
"My name… isn't just legacy. It's a warning."
He delivered a crushing uppercut slash—Sky-Sunder—sending the final assassin airborne, unconscious, and disarmed.
---
Silence.
Then cheers.
Then the name began echoing...
> "IAN! IAN! IAN!"
---
Redan frowned, arms crossed on a rooftop.
> "Hmph. So he's more than hormones and heartbreak.
This'll be fun."
Ian saw his mother, calm as ever..
Ian: Hi mom, I came to visit, but I need to go back now...
His mom gave him a good hug,
I'm always proud of you son... always
And I'm sure if your father was here, he would have said they same thing,
Ian nodded, the nod of fulfilment and appreciation..