Tales of Revenants

Chapter 1 – Fated Encounter

The phase of ghastly wind surely trailed and ushered another forthcoming. The two moons shine brighter than any day.

Rattling grasses, deterrent night, silent footsteps encompassed the scenery of flickering moonlight's radiant through the interstice of the forest.

The cautious stance of a swordsman who slew over hundreds and thousands, scouting those who opposed his way of life. These strangers were merely his predator.

His hair is as dark as the starless sky, a man who is cloaked in a white fabric that is mostly covered in blood and soil. The unbreakable spirit he possesses is unmatched. His glare is enough to bring a striking fear of chill down to their spine.

Mortal or immortal, hunted by many archwizards and knights across kingdoms and empires, even those in the Tower of Sorcerers only seek his downfall.

With millions and billions of gold on the top of his head as bounty, no one was still able to stop his firm strength to survive up to this moment.

A group of hunters showed up, surrounding a tree that has no shade to return, not even a tomorrow to await.

With their weapons and equipment, they could be knights, warriors, assassins, and mages banding together, hunting down prey they could only see once in a double blue moon. They are a famous guild after all.

“There you are, white knight! Or should I say Laken? We have surrounded you and no one can escape from us bounty hunters of the Falcon guild,” declared the leader of the current bounty hunters in the vicinity of the hunted.

“Your tactical information is better than the others, but it changes nothing,” Laken was still able to philosophized under these harsh conditions.

He gripped his sword engulfed in magical b*****e of tattered clothes, along with the creaking sound of his heavy armor dyed in dark silver. He stood on the branch of the tree where he was resting.

“Lump me with those weak bastards and your head will be mine,” the leader claimed.

Given the current situation, he is overly outnumbered. The leaders assumed and reckoned a pincer attack on eighth different directions.

The raid is almost perfect, there's no weakness with the stratagem of having a dual partner in a group fight and working in sync together, but those who have seen a glimpse of his hidden smirk felt the malice that is about to let loose.

“As I said, you all shall return to dust,” Laken blatantly declared.

Perhaps he understands the true nature of a battlefield more than anyone from the beginning.

“Mages prepare massive sealing magic! All those who carry their blade, conjure the plan!” The leader shouted and his group now has taken action according to his command.

“You guys really want to waste time eh?” Laken sighed in disappointment.

Those who are melee hunter waited below the tree, where the assassins faded in the shadows of the branches and leaves, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

“Now! Unbreakable as the earth, and unchanging as steel! Light be my mana; Luminance Seal!” as the chanting of the mages finishes, the other bounty hunters backed off for the time being.

A massive magical circle beneath the tree itself conjured within, and the glimmering rays of moon acted as a medium to become a birdcage for Laken.

The hunters expected to seal him in a bounded area and then finish him off, preventing him from escaping his imminent death.

The knights and assassins are back to business and the mages are chanting another spell. They were fully determined to bring forth victory.

Little did they know that the moment Laken gripped his sword to strike, the predator now becomes the prey.

In a blink of an eye, no sound was heard nor even a single footstep, all of the assassins hiding in the branches met their demise. One after another, a dead body fell in the tree, just like how an apple drops beside its bearer.

The commander itself was so shocked and agitated, along with the remorse of not knowing Laken's true strength that costed casualty.

“W-What did you do? Argh!” He panicked. “Prepare to regroup and kill him at all costs!” The leader commanded angrily.

“Yes, sir!” They responded in determination.

The commander was no to blame, even after killing that many, they still couldn't see even a glimpse of his casted shadow, as if he blended in the night.

Apparently, all of the commander's assassins are nimble and skilled, even the knights and mages are of the higher-ranking league.

But even so, Laken would never falter on such an experience. He will gladly eliminate those who wanted his dead body, for that is what he did over the past decade.

A lone fighter that has a task to finish, and he is about to strike back the way they greeted him.

“Watch out!” warned the knight in silver armor.

Laken strikes cunningly behind. The man tried to cover up on his comrade and made a counter-attack, but he deflected the strike by performing a feint attack.

With the speed of a skilled swordsman, Laken bested the opponent by lashing out his tendon on both legs.

Now he carried back his balanced, allowing him to gash the knight's neck and showing no mercy to his initial prey.

The smell of blood enclosed the airspace of the Luminance Seal that was invoked by the mages. The hunters who disgracefully became prey now started to get out of the seal to gain safety.

“H-He is a monster!” exclaimed by the terrified knight.

“Commander he is not someone we can deal with! We need to retreat!” told the vice commander who snapped his sanity.

For when they only saw the flowing blood of their fellow hunters could only realize the terror of becoming the hunted.

“There's still hope!” the commander gulped buckets. “Mages! Unleash the grand spells!” his command now boosted the hope of the bounty hunters even for a bit.

But that would be the last of their hope. Even if grand magic is not normal magic, they should be considered arcane and only those who mastered elemental magic could cast one.

Not only they are trying to invoke one, but they were also casting a wide range inside the Luminance Seal itself.

“The flames of fury, a sentence of justice! Fire and darkness shroud thy heaven: Flamora Radiosa!” the voiced of the mages resonated as one, a large magical ring of fire appeared where Laken laid waste.

Within the seconds of magic invoking, Laken took a depressed sigh explicating to his boredom. The flames of fury befall the area and burning anything along its path.

“Did we get him?” one of the mages ponders sweating.

“This is our last resort, we even used the mana potions just to cast the spell, there's no way he can still be alive,” commented by a mage who is so sure of never failing.

Miraculously, or unprecedentedly perhaps, the fire cooled down, and even the tree ceased to exist; but most importantly, Laken stood in the middle as if he was just initially taking a stroll.

“Hey, are you serious? That did nothing? Impossible...” told the mage that lost his pride.

“Commander! What should we do? We need to retreat now!” eagerly suggested by the vice commander.

“Calm down! He is still in the cage of light, I'm sure we could find a way to...” the commander finally deprived his hope when Laken snapped the magic seal just like how a person snaps a glass case.

“What? You guys call this a seal? By the way, isn't the information about my armor can nullify magic should be now public? Maybe the survivor at that time died of blood loss,” Laken spoke and singlehandedly overpowering the group of hunters.

As Laken stated, he couldn't count how many hunters he drives off. Some survived and some were killed. Maybe in his mind, he could keep track of the lives he has taken using his blade.

Without a doubt, Laken's armor is forged by an artisan in the western Arcadion Continent.

It is made with the pure essence of black dragon scales and when combined with iron, the forge will result in the equipment enhancing into a piece of magic-resistance equipment.

“Now scram before I choose to kill all of you here!” Laken let his howl of anger on not getting his proper sleep.

Just as he told them, they all left without even a word. A wise choice over an unwinnable nemesis before their wake.

The silence of the peaceful night Laken yearned is about to take over when he noticed a girl who is wearing a magic vest and is supposed to be a mage crawling near the dimness of the tree. He presumed she is one with the group of hunters.

Her leg was probably rendered broken when they ran for their lives, leaving one of their comrades behind during the stampede.

With guilt on Laken's palm, he went to where she hides and tried having a conversation with her.

“N-No! Please don't kill me! I'll do anything you want just please spare me...” the girl was trembling; her emerald eyes painted the death right before her very eyes.

She calls forth magic as he holds his left leg that is wounded, trying to cast healing magic, but to no avail.

Only her wand that serves as a candle is all she could cradle inside the concept of the end, she begged for mercy and forgiveness.

The alleged kindness of Laken swelled up in his heart, he never chooses to kill, merely because his enemies try to get his life first.

That's why he lets his foe have a surprise attack so he would never feel guilt whenever he takes life as if an act of self-defense.

His black hair swayed in the coldness of the wind, he huddled near her and gently grabbed the girl's broken leg.

“No! Please forgive me!” Instead of the king of silence taking over, the girl's scream that came on the bottom of her lungs is what filled the empty space.

“Tsk,” Laken's bothered.

Along with the girl's never-ending drifting tears, Laken let his disappointed face conspicuously.

Not because it irritates him, but because she is pleading for her life. For he vowed in the past to not make anyone shed tears no matter what the cause must be.