Lord Shadow

The wind blows. The dust rises up and the commotion in the town square becomes louder and louder.

The sound of gasp and look of fear is evident in many of the faces of the people in the stand.

Some people who saw what is happening could only down in acceptance. Azief who is formless, looking like a translucent ghost that could not be seen by anyone look at the group of people being dragged toward the stand.

Azul face was pale and his hands were trembling of fear or indignance. Azief understand the feeling

Azul is seeing the Avengers of Chaos dragging unconscious children their feet dragging the soil and mud, looking battered and beaten, bloodied and bruised.

One of the Avengers glower down at the trembling victim who were not unconscious looking intimidating.

Azul recognize him as Avenger Damian who comes to his father estate a few times in the past.

Looking big, decked with the uniform of the Avenger of Chaos uniform, with a face that invites dread he shouted, his voice echoes around the square.

‘Foolish peasants! Conspiring against the Empire to run away! Hmph!’ His finger jabs toward the haggard young children head, pushing one of the children to stumble.

Azul clenched his fist so hard that his veins bulged.

Most of the people being dragged had nothing to do with Azul but one of the children….Azul knows her.

‘How can you be there?’ Azul asked himself

They are some of the children he has been teaching and instructing in secrets among the crowd that the Avenger brought to the town square.

There were Erena, a young girl he taught using staff, crouching in pain; her lips are bloodied sign of being punched in her face.

Beside her, is a battered Ymir, a young kid who is always cheerful blindly shielding Erena from being hurt by Avenger Damian.

A sickening fear descended upon Azul. While the Reaping take lives, they rarely take the life of a child.

This is even frowned upon in the Canon.

But that Avenger clearly intending to Reap these children lives. And the more he thought of this, old feelings welled up inside him.

Azief also notices it….and he also feels it. He could no longer remain detached. It was like he was synchronizing with Azul

Azul tries to ignore his hammering pulse but then like he is being pour cold water, his heart become calm. He began calculating risk.

He knows what he wanted to do, and his heart wanted to, so his mind begun thinking of ideas to make his heart intent into a reality

He saw that the peasant outnumbers the Church people in the square and on the stand.

But what would motivate these peasants whose fear of churchmen is as much as they fear the nobles?

Should he give a speech crying out that the Canon never condone such deeds of Reaping young children not of age?

Trying to reason with Avengers and Learned Ones?

Then Azul scoffed at his thoughts. If that work…there would never be Reaping in the first place.

Azul didn’t know who started this idea of Reaping but Azul is sure one day people would revile that person.

So, Azul does the only thing he knows best.

He knows that might rules over all and might is the only truth in this world.

That is how the Empire did it. And might and power in the wrong hands has shown how disastrous it can become towards the common people.

Azul hearth beat like a war drum, his hand stopped trembling and his breath become harsher and then he runs.

He runs before he even knows what he is doing and then he lunged towards the Avengers that the closest to him.

Azul smile as he collides with that Avenger. There is one thing that he did not tell the peasant group he met in those secret weekend retreat.

It is also the secret he kept from his family.

He could use Blood Magic. Blood Magic is heavily regulated by the church.

The Church makes people believe that the only people that could use Blood Magic are the people from Church and those blessed by the Winged Ones of Thonos.

And those who can use magic resembling the Blood Magic of Church are called Agents of Chaos and are believed to come from Phaesnos Heart.

Phaesnos breeds Demons in his Chaos Realm. And those who used magic that is unpurified, which is not from the Church is considered Demon-Touched

But Azul knows that is not true.

After all Azul could use his own blood to do the same effect like the people of the Church and its effect is even longer than what he knows of Blood Magic of the Churchmen.

With enough blood, people who use magic can move and push people and objects, heal illnesses and disease, create fireballs, manipulate the elements of the world and many other marvels.

But most of blood magic is fleeting, quickly consuming the blood that fuels it. It is the reason why The Empire only uses magic in times of war and to keep the Four Wall intact.

And it is because of that Azul rarely uses his Blood Magic from the first moment he knew he could do it.

For he fears the Church will take him away somewhere or charge him for trying to consort with Phaesnos.

And he clearly would not use it in this moment, right in front of Learned Ones and Avengers of Chaos. He is just using his physical prowess

Azul run and head butt the nearest Avengers, a sensation of pain runs through his forehead. But he gritted his teeth and endures the pain as his eyes become determined.

BOOM!

Like the sound of a gong hitting a steel stick, the sound sounded loudly in the town square. The peasant gasped at this. They could not believe someone would interrupt the Reaping.

The Avenger staggers backwards, flailing out with his staff.

‘Who is it that dares attack the Avenger of the Church?!’ The Avenger shouted as he tries to take a swing.

Azul smirk as he knew that attack would not connect.

Fortunately Azul stay too close to him so the Avenger could not get a good swing at Azul.

Azul take the opportunity that is handed to him. Before that Avenger could recover from his dizziness Azul push that Avenger away and stamp down on his feet.

The Avenger crumples in pain and Azul jump and executed a spinning kick at the Avenger neck, cracking it.

‘ARGHH! Run away!’ The people in the crowd scream and scramble out of the way, clearly terrified that the Church will enact its terrible vengeance upon them too.

Death by association is not impossible in the Empire. On the crowd, Azul could hear his father barking and denying.

Azul is standing there on the middle of the town square, his eyes clear and for the first time in a long time his heart is free.

‘Hah. Hah.’ He breathed loudly, a smile on his face.

A few more Avengers charge towards Azul from the distance, armed with their staff

Azul smiles carefreely. For some reason, he smiles. He did not know why. Azief seeing this also smiles.

Others may not understand. But he understands. Being free. Freedom. That is something Azief understand.

He, like Azul yearns to be release from the shackles of the world and hold his own fate in his own hands.

He did not want anyone dictate to him what should be done and what is to be done. He wanted to peer through the heavenly secrets and learn the truth of the Universe

Azief understand. So, he smiles too. Azul look at the people running and the Avenger coming towards him.

Even though that attack was impulsive, Azul is not entirely bereft of reason. He knows he needs to get the crowd on his side.

He alone could not overwhelm the Church people.

On the nobles stand, Azul could see his father crouch and cover his face, howling curses at you and there is disappointment in his eyes.

But now, Azul is free. Azief could feel it. Azief could like something that shackling Azul has been broken.

Azul took the staff that the Avenger had dropped and get ready in a fighting stance position as a few more Avengers is running to get him

‘Get the boy!’ One of the Magus on the stand shouted in anger and disbelief. By now, hell is loose on the stand and below it.

The kids in bondage try to free themselves while avoiding being captured by the Avenger of the Church.

Ymir comes beside Erena and brought her away the moment he got the rope around his hand loose. Ymir eyes are red as he looks toward the red hair Magus.

Ymir picked up a dagger form the ground belonging to some merchant running away.

Erena grab his hand

‘Ymir what are you doing?’

‘For my friend, I need to take that Magus head!’

‘Ymir!’ Erena shouted, her eyes fill with tears as she sobs.

‘I could not lose you too’ Ymir halted and then sighing he hug Erena but his eyes did not leave the Magus

Meanwhile one of the Avengers comes swinging wildly towards Azul.

Azul smirked.

With the staff Azul deflect the wild swing and drive the staff into that Avenger throat with one fluid motion.

The Avenger folds over, croaking and the other two is surrounding Azul, their eyes full of vigilance clearly recognizing this boy is no normal peasant boy.

Azul remember the blademaster guidance to him during those years he teaches him, to move like water, unobstructed and formless.

And with that Azul seems like he is dancing in the battlefield, elegant and beautiful, the staff on his hand seems to be attacking in an unpredictable way, yet beautiful like a dew drop from the edge of a leaf.

Dancing backward and forward, while at the same time dodging blows and returning a few hits back, Azul is slowly overwhelming the Avenger.

For some reason, Azul find himself to be so talented in fighting that even he did not know how he could be so talented.

In the middle of the battle, he even brings out moves he never learned before.

But this move is not the moves that his teacher taught him. This moves he brings out is lethal and deadly, its sole purpose is to eliminate the threat.

Azul never remembers learning such lethal battle tactics.

But Azief could see it.

The intuition of Azul the Divinity of Fire.

Behind Azul, there are some people that did not run instead they are standing there on the square.

They saw the children being hauled for the Reaping. And some of those children have fathers, relatives and older brothers.

Those that did not run, the peasants that are too brave for their own good, started a cheer while some of them raise whatever they could.

They could not let children to be sacrificed for the reaping.

It is one thing to take their lives but maybe the Reaping of young children is way over whatever line that is drawn

Even self-sacrifice has a limit.

The peasant could sacrifice their lives to the Reaping because the church promised them that their children will be taken care off and for some they believe the promise of heaven.

But even if that bet is off…what would they hope as their lives being Reap by the Sword of the Church?

Azul could see where the wind is blowing. He cried

‘Join me!’ as he landed a hard fist into one of the Avengers knocking him down unconscious.

‘Together we all can drive them away!’ By this time the Learned Ones and the Magus on the stand clearly could not stand it anymore.