Emperor's Reckoning



Three days had passed since the fateful battle that shook the realm to its core. The land had been left scarred, the echoes of destruction still reverberating through the air. In the quiet of the night, as the moon hung high in the sky, Refl slowly stirred from his prolonged slumber. His eyes fluttered open, revealing a mix of exhaustion and confusion. The chamber was dimly lit, casting long shadows across the room.

"Ugh..." Refl reached for his head after a dull pain inside his head made him grunt.

As Refl tried to gather his scattered thoughts, the caretaker who had been tending to him all this while let out a gasp of surprise and relief. Their eyes widened in disbelief as Refl's eyes fluttered open. "My goodness," they whispered, a mixture of shock and relief evident in their voice. "He's awake!"

Without wasting a moment, the caretaker rushed out of the room and swiftly made their way to find King Aldric. Their footsteps echoed through the hallways as they called out for the king. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" they called urgently, their voice echoing through the corridors.

Moments later, King Aldric appeared, his expression filled with a mix of worry and anticipation. "What is it? What has happened?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Breathing heavily, the caretaker tried to catch their breath before delivering the long-awaited news. "Sir Refl, Your Majesty. He's awake," they exclaimed, their voice trembling with excitement.

King Aldric's eyes widened, a glimmer of hope sparking within them. "Truly? After all this time?" he inquired, his voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and relief.

The caretaker nodded, their face beaming with joy. "Yes, Your Majesty! I witnessed it with my own eyes. Sir Refl has regained consciousness."

A wave of relief washed over King Aldric as he let out a sigh. "Thank the heavens," he murmured, his voice filled with gratitude. "Take me to him immediately."

The caretaker nodded, leading the way back to the chamber where Refl had awakened. As they walked, they shared more details with the king. "He is still weak, Your Majesty, but he seems to be recovering. We have been monitoring his condition closely."

King Aldric quickened his pace, eager to see Refl for himself. "Is he able to speak? Does he remember what transpired?" he inquired, his voice filled with anticipation.

The caretaker paused briefly, contemplating their observations. "He has just regained consciousness, Your Majesty. It will take some time for him to fully recover his strength and memories. We will need to be patient with him."

King Aldric nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Of course," he replied, his voice tinged with a mixture of hope and concern. "We must give him the time he needs. Lead the way, caretaker. I must see him."

Together, they continued their journey to Refl's chamber, their hearts filled with a mixture of anticipation and relief. The road to recovery would be a challenging one, but at this moment, they found solace in the fact that Refl had awakened, bringing with him the possibility of answers and clarity in the face of uncertainty.

Refl's gaze shifted from the ceiling to the room around him, his thoughts consumed by the weight of the recent events. "Alive, but at what cost?" he mused, a tinge of sadness and regret clouding his expression. The realization that he couldn't save his old friend, Drogan, weighed heavily on his heart.

He let out a sigh, the sound echoing in the quiet room. Memories of their shared past flashed through his mind, a mix of friendship, camaraderie, and the diverging paths they had chosen. "I tried to guide him, to steer him back to the right path," Refl murmured to himself, his voice filled with a sense of sorrow. "But in the end, I failed. I couldn't reach him."

As he lay there, surrounded by the silence of the chamber, a wave of introspection washed over him. He wondered if there was anything more he could have done, any words left unspoken that could have made a difference. The weight of responsibility settled on his shoulders, reminding him of the choices he had made and the consequences that followed.

As the door clicked open, King Aldric stepped into the room, his face a mixture of surprise and relief. His eyes widened as he saw Refl already sitting on the bed, a faint smile playing on his lips. Refl greeted the king with a respectful bow of his head.

"Your Majesty," Refl said, his voice filled with warmth and gratitude. "I am deeply grateful for your care during my recovery."

"Ah, Sir Refl, you shouldn't get up yet!" said the caretaker.

"It's fine," said King Aldric as he waved his hand, "The man is a legend himself."

"Please, Yout Majesty, I'm but a name of the older generation," said Refl.

King Aldric laughed, "Hahaha, if that's so, then I too am in the same category." 

Aldric waved his hand once more, gesturing for the caretakers to leave him be with Refl. The caretakers bowed and naturally complied with his wishes. They closed the door as they exited before the king's complexion changed to serious.

"It's miraculous that I found you in the nick of time," said King Aldric, "Otherwise you would have been dead being buried alive."

"Perhaps it is fate, Your Majesty," said Refl.

"Oh drop the pleasantries, Refl," said Aldric. "We used to play hide and seek when we were kids."

"Heh, even so, I need to show respect," said Refl.

"Show it when there are other people, when it's just you and me, I'm the wise Aldric," Aldric said with a tinge of nostalgia before his tone turned serious, "Three days had passed since then, I am certain that Drogan is dead since his lower half was left on the battlefield, and Niamh was also identified as a corpse, though, Ferece is nowhere to be found unless he is too obliterated."

Refl sighed, "Damn, such catastrophe, the entire Burgeon Swan is wiped at its core."

"That's the thing," said Aldric. "I have conducted a combined effort with Nyi to search for Lyon and his wife's whereabouts, sadly, we found no sign of them both but the javelin. I am hoping that you know the rest of the mystery."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Refl smirked before he shook his head as he crossed his arms, "I was underground the whole time, but if you found his javelin, then, they probably perished too."

"Perished? As in the couple dies trying to kill Drogan?" asked Aldric. "That's insane."

"It's a possibility, you know how powerful Drogan is, and more importantly... how insane he is," said Refl before he sighed, "I won't be surprised if Drogan had a self-destruct mechanism inside of him or should I say, written on him."

Aldric pondered Refl's point of view. He was right, Drogan was a borderline insane cultivator at heart. However, to make a blast with that radius to end himself, he couldn't help but become skeptical.

"Where is the spear?" asked Refl.

"You mean javelin, the weapon was handed over to Nyi, specifically the three students," said King Aldric.

"Oh..." Refl lowered his head, "If he didn't even show up for his students, then, it's probably true... besides, isn't it better politically?"

"Absolutely," said King Aldric as he nodded, "If we declare that Lyon, Selena, and Drogan died in a fierce battle, that means the balance of Second Heaven falls back to me and Nyi."

Aldric crossed his arms and smirked, "You should take up politics sometimes, you can be my right-hand man, that position is open, I can clear all my useless advisors."

"Hahaha, no thanks," said Refl. "I have enough." ( Politic is too cold for me, I'm not like you if you were apprehended, I would have come rushing, but it's not the same when we reversed the role ).

"Tch! A shame, you're wasting your talent," said Aldric as he shook his head in lament. "Alright, just rest well, oh, and Lenu is looking for you."

"Oh... right," Refl immediately greeted a sobbing friend rushing into the chamber.

---

The three students sat in silence, their gazes fixed on the javelin that Lyon had wielded during the intense battle. It stood as a lone sentinel amidst the aftermath of the battlefield, a testament to the power and skill of their teacher. The air was heavy with the weight of their thoughts and emotions, each of them processing the events that had unfolded.

"Let's win," said Rayus as his eyes turned cold with resolve swirling inside his tone. 

"Of course," said Reinhard.

"It'll be wrong to lose now," said Noah. 

"I'm going, to be honest, you three are not going to reach his level in less than four months, even I can't," said Nyi. "But you three have the heart, and mindset ready from all the tumulous events that he showed you, more than a view of the world, more than just cultivating, I might be inadequate but let me do the honor to hone the rest."

"We'll be in your care, Your Majesty!" said the three of them together.