K

ai Estevot had only heard whispers of Hasvern—a kingdom tucked beyond the thick, dense forests north of his hometown, Brines Rest—where light monks walked barefoot across distant lands, spreading the goddess's word.

Brines Rest, coated in white dust from dawn to dusk, lay along the jagged shoreline of Segreicia – a salt-farming town carved from the bones of the earth itself. Salt wasn't just traded here. It was breath. It crusted the windows, the boots, the lips. It seasoned the silence between families who worked from sunup to nightfall.

Kai, a salt farmer's son by trade but no farmer at heart. Already bore the broad shoulders and sunburned forearms of a seasoned worker. His hair was bleached at the tips; his boots patched four times over. Sweat glistened along his collarbone, darkening the thin cotton of his shirt, busy lifting salt crystals into a wooden crate.

"Lift straighter, boy," Dereyn, his father, barked from atop the trench ridge. "If you bend your back like that, you will look like the old sea-hags by thirty."

Kai muttered to himself as his rough hands grabbed the pile of salt crystals, "I am lifting straight."

Since he was young, Kai had learned not to bark back at his father, who had lost more than he could name.

Dereyn wasn't cruel – just hollow. Since Kai's mothers passed in a drought-flood seven winters ago, Dereyn had been working as hard as if Triad owed him something and was determined to collect it. His father did not believe in magic or prophecies, or any other fairy fog, since that day he'd lost everything Dereyn made, salt his moral income and the only truth.

After Kai placed the salt into the wooden crate behind him, he heard the midday bells ring of an old lighthouse refurbished into Brines Rest's new Hall of Commune. It only meant one thing: the choosing of the Fourteen.

Each year, the commune chose fourteen children from the strongest houses in Brines Rest; these children would then be placed not under vote by the council but by the blade of Oathvein.

A gifted black obsidian blade with its hilt woven like a black root writhing in a spiral grip, and down the middle of the blade itself ran a thin violet line. Pulsing when it chooses the next for the throne.

It's said that if it chooses one, they are truly chosen for the throne alongside the queen, and if it chooses two, then their fate will be battled out.

Kai ran through the salt fields towards the commune, feeling how the small pebbles of salt made their way into his leather boots. Passing the last salt heap, he quickly climbed the hill up towards the town, resting on the flat hill before him.

After passing the first few houses and taking a few turns, he stopped before a crowd circling the fourteen as they exited the hall. Though he towered over most in the square, he lifted his chin slightly to get a better view.

After the last girl walked out, the crowd grew silent as the council walked out of the hall with Oathvein sitting on a purple cushion with gold-threaded weaves along the sides.

Among the fourteen was Yasmin-Kai's friend since the day he could speak. Caring more for her than others in this salty town. Her dark, curled hair was braided along the side into one ponytail, trailing down her back. Wearing only what the other were wearing – grey silk-like gowns covering their features from the glaring eyes around them – fitting over her tanned womanly figure and waving over her naked feet.

The silence grew thicker with each passing moment until one of the council members, old and wrinkly, nearly older than most in the town, stepped forward and looked at the blade resting on the pillow. He bowed down almost as if it were a child whispering a sacred old chant to wield its power and select the chosen for the seat among their Queen.

The elder stepped back, and quickly the blade pulsed, then reshaping itself into a small ball, nearly the size of a strawberry. The crowd gasped and watched as the metal, once-blade, now ball rolled off the pillow and spun around the fourteen chosen.

The ball passed the first few chosen without a pause, until it stopped before Yasmin's feet. It quivered before her and stretched out, shaping two identical spheres, while the first formed the hilt of Oathvein, the second clinked onto the stone only a few steps away from Yasmin, taking the shape of Oathvein's obsidian blade.

It didn't just take shape in the middle of the square, but before another chosen: Alayna—nearly a full head taller than Yasmin, born of House Madlen, wealthier in salt than the entire shanty town combined. This didn't mean Yasmin was chosen; it meant she would have to fight for the throne, and so would Alayna.

Hours had passed since the elders of the commune led Alayna and Yasmin back into the lighthouse and bathed them in preparation for the coming battle for the throne. The sky had darkened, revealing the stars of the forgotten heavens above.

A chilly breeze has settled upon the town, letting lanterns flicker in their metal woven homes, casting thin halos through the streets. Through the town's cobbled streets and stretched avenues, cloaked men and women drowned in kelbrew, walking as if they were a king or queen ruling the streets. Trails of laughs and slurred curses filled the stillness. Some settling in the mouths of the alleyways, wrapped in refurbished coats or rotten animal skin, no longer bothered to shiver, outlasting the dark with each passing hour.

Kai could hear the townsfolk passing his father's small shop, nestled on the ground beneath him. He sat on the roof above, his back against the ceramic tiles, gazing at the burning stars resting above.

The silence between his breaths, the slurred voices of the townsfolk and the winds rustling through the salt fields often carried him to sleep, like the same lullaby his mother sang to him nearly nineteen springs ago.

This night was somewhat different; every time he would shut his eyes, he could see Yasmin's face, how it turned into something distressed when the obsidian blade formed before Alayna's feet. A daring fight for some, and for others, it was an easy win to see who would take the throne.

But until sunrise, Kai could only watch from afar, helpless as the elders closed the Hall's gates on him forever.

Lines of boots, stitched from leather and sinew, filled the cobblestone streets of Brines Rest as the morning sun rose from its slumber, following the curved southern paths that sliced through the trees. The townsfolk moved as one—drawn from alleys and avenues—past the circular heart of the town, where the stone plaza echoed their steps, and onward through the waking woods toward the gleaming arches of the arena, its glass catching the dawn like a crown of fire.

Kai, walking alongside his father, finding himself in a middling group, bickering and gambling about which woman will take the throne, and live a life of peace and rule, full of gold and jewels.

"I cannot believe fools like these believe in this rot," Dereyn sneered as he kept a close eye on how the young men bragged about their small pouches of golden coins.

"Stop the worry, father, they will be out of coin soon and end up like Deryk Acot by the time the battle has ended," Kai replied, noticing when his gaze shifted to how his father's grey-striped brows furrowed, shaping a few wedge-shaped wrinkles just above his brows.

"Deryk Acot was indeed an unlucky lad, always betting on battles and losing his coins by the end of the day... maybe he will show his face after his last loss a few days back." Dereyn marked while he and his son continued to follow the crowd through the arena's entrance.

Markings carved into the entrance walls tell the same story of how the arena was built, and why. The same story of how the Triads came to be and saved them from the gods who betrayed and cursed their lands.

The arena was built for the council, the elders of the commune, until, throughout the years that have passed, the small battle arena was forged into a bigger structure that outshone the Hall of Commune.

Rows of carved out sandstone benches filled the emptiness around the duelling field, the first and only level of the arena was nearly as tall as a twenty-two-foot bamboo plant, while the ground floor, where most animals, barbarians and fighters were held before the upcoming brawl, stood nearly as high as a Kodiak bear on its hind legs. And nearly centered on the eastern side was the council's six prestigious seats watching out under shade, while Oathvein's pillar nestled between the two evenly spaced out seats upfront.

While the townsfolk took their seats, Kai and his father sat beside one another in the third row, looking down at the dueling grounds, how the thick sand has been specially raked in a continuous circle begging at the entrance of the arena and spiraling around until it ends at the other side. He could see how the grounds people tended the sand with care and detail ensuring the spiral was a definite sign that the choosing is about to start.

The remaining townsfolk took their seats, and as the small talk and laughter died down, Kai noticed the six elders of Brines Rest stood before their seats. While the eldest Adra Colinet walked with the violet pillow in both palms resting the soft material onto the carved pillar, a man that has seen to much throughout his years, outlasting the very tales of men peaking till the ages of seventy-five. He wore a white robe with golden accents scattered across the hem up to his shoulders.

Men and women could see how age and time caught his skin, wrinkles that has taken form on his face, rings adorned his ears from the top all the way down to his earlobes.

He didn't move to his seat at immediate pace but stood in front of the blade and called out, "Today is Oathveins choosing since Dinon Wyman, two women of great rule and power has been chosen by the blade and will fourth today fight for the throne alongside our Queen!" he quickly catches a breath and continued, "May the light of our Triads be with you and may Oathvein save our chosen from death." he finally exclaimed as he takes his seat and wisped out his two fingers towards the guard on his left and then the guard on his right.

While the wooden doors croaked open, Yasmin walked out on the left hand side carrying a small glass forged dagger, while jer opponent walked out in the right hand side dragging her hammer across the raked sand, breaking the circles that had been handled with care.

Both came to a stop their gazes fixed on each other, Yasmin and Alayna wore the same robe as last time, forbidden to protect their bodies from Oathvein, only their weapons of choice in hand and a crowd to watch over them to see who will take the throne and who is worthy.

Alayna was a mere foot taller than Yasmin almost Kai's length and built like a blacksmiths wife, broud shoulders, tightly dark braided hair from her scalp down her back, and a nose ring that pierced through the skin as a sign of dedication and honor for her family name.

Both didn't stop staring at each other, Alyana more determined to beat Yasmin for the throne, more deadlier and skill-driven. While the silence between the two grew alongside with the spectators, Adra whispered to Oathvein in secret and Kai noticed how the blade started to reshape into the black sphere it once was.

Adra moved towards his seat, slowly he moved down and gazed at the two chosen standing in the arena, then called out letting his voice break the silence that swallowed the arena whole, "May the blade protect our chosen ruler!"

Just as the elders echo slowly died down the two women charged towards each other, breaking the growing silence with their screams and the hard stomping of their naked feet. Alayna gripped the hilt of her metal forged hammer, and lifted it ready to smash Yasmin into the ground until she, quickly sprinted, fell to her knees letting the sharp ground scrape her skin as she ducked backwards and slides through Alayna open legs, dodging the attack.

While the hammer slammed onto the ground, the townsfolk started to cheer and yell out all sorts of words and phrases.

In a fleeting moment Yasmin stopped and spun to her feet like a ballerina fixing an error, she looked at her opponent and how she turned around, nearly out of breath. Yasmin could feel how her heart pulsed faster, she knew it in her soul that she was faster than Alayna, but with one swing Yasmin could be broken info thousands of pieces, like glass hitting stone.

Alayna met her opponents gaze, the one who stood between her and her new future, she tightens her grip on the leather hilt and charges towards Yasmin. She lifted her weapon until she noticed how the woman she aimed for slid a few feet back, letting the hammer miss purposefully.

The blow formed dust and made sand fly across Yasmin's face, particles sticking to her face where the sweat had once rolled. Her grip tightened as she built the courage and strength to make blood drip first, then in a quick act, she ran to Alayna's side and sliced her hip, making droplets of blood fall onto the sand.

Oathvein reacted when Yasmin struck, the sphere moved in grotesque ways not even the elders have seen, the crowds continued to cheered and shout. Yasmin came to a halt and landed her gaze on Alayna, holding her hip closed, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was dripping like a broken faucet, over and over.

Yasmin looked down at the glass blade in her hand and at how the blood stained it. Quickly, she cocked her head and noticed how Alayna charged towards her, tackling her by the waist and slamming her against the wall of the ground floor.

In a struggle, Yasmin yanked her trapped arm out and started to continuously jab Alayna in the back until she gives up. Instead of what Yasmin had hoped for, she felt how Alayna grabbed her by the throat – the glass blade now stuck in her wounded back–pushing her against the wall, making it nearly impossible for Yasmin to defeat Alayna.

Alayna spat out onto the ground and threw Yasmin's body with brute force in the other direction, a power so strong that it made the crowd even gasp. Her body flew across the dueling fields and hit the stone wall, letting an audible crack escape her body.

Kai stood up from his seat looking over the shouting heads at his friends lifeless body, he tried to scream but the shouting of the crowd grew only louder, and while Alayna celebrated her victory by throwing her hands in the air and yelling back at the crowd, the elders on the other hand noticed something within Oathvein.

It has not gone to rest yet. It was starting to reach out, spikes pointing into different directions, until it stopped and all pointed towards Yasmin. The elders cocked their heads towards the dead woman and, in awe, watched as she lifted herself with her hands.

The crowd continues to celebrate their new victor, throwing roses, lilies and small golden coins to celebrate their new ruler until Kai saw how Yasmin struggled to her feet and one by one she draws the crowd of townsfolk to a silence.

Unbelief what they are witnessing, many whispered under their breath, some stayed shocked with their mouths open, others watched how she stood to her feet and lifted her head.

The young woman's pale skin fluidly returned to her natural look and in a swift movement her back snapped back into place, each bone connecting back, reshaping the cracks and broken to something complete and nearly unbreakable.

Alayna watched in horror while Yasmin defied the laws of death, then felt how the knife in her back shifted, falling to the ground, snaking its way back to its fighter.

The glass blade stops before Yasmin's feet, slowly she picked it up by the hilt, feeling how the small sand dug their way under her fingernails. Her irises were as golden as dawn, small gold flakes escaped her fingertips that surrounded the blade she held. Swiftly she shifts her gaze across from the field and meets the woman who has killed her, then charges. Alayna, on the other hand, snapped out of her fear and started to do the same, running towards the girl she had killed, aiming for her hammer, which was just in reach.

It is Yasmin's speed that caught everyone off guard, dust and small sand stones flew behind her, as if she wanted to be faster than time itself. Swiftly, while the sand still settled behind her, she gripped her blade and sliced her opponent's throat. Stopping a few feet away from the ground floor's wall. Hearing how Alayna's body snapped the wooden handle when he body trembled against it.

She turned around and noticed the stunned crowd, how silence followed. Before she could full turn around to look at the elders she feels how her energy starts to decrease within the seconds her eyes fell on the sphere, how it settled on the violet pillow beneath it.

Then her body fell onto the ground.

Unconscious.

The blade chose its new heir to Brines Rest throne, but even the elders knew what Yasmin did wasn't normal for a towns girl like her, she couldn't wield power out of nowhere, she needed a monk to learn but the last time any monk appeared in Brines Rest was nearly decades ago.

Looking from the seats, and feeling the awkward silence swallowing the arena whole again, Kai wasn't shocked that no one clapped, nor cheered.

He had only heard stories about men and women who can wield power, any power imaginable, and that power would either be from monks, or individuals who trained with the children of Paragon, or rather...

The Ascended Son.