Trials of Destiny: Way of The Sword

Brom lunged forward, his scythe cutting through the air with terrifying speed. Jin barely managed to block it, the impact rattling through his arms and forcing him to stagger back. His heart raced as he quickly assessed the situation, his muscles screaming from the force of the blow.

Without missing a beat, Brom surged forward again, his eyes burning with battlelust as the scythe arced toward Jin in a horizontal slash. Jin's instincts kicked in, and he leaped into the air just as the weapon cleaved the space he'd occupied with a sickening crack, sending a gust of air crashing into him.

"Stop running, Jin!" Brom's grin was wicked as he jumped after him, his massive hands grabbing Jin's foot and slamming him down into the ground with brutal force.

Jin hit the earth with a loud grunt, the breath knocked from his lungs. He groaned, pushing himself up just in time to feel the oppressive weight of Brom's scythe descending above him. The air hummed with the sheer power of the swing. Jin twisted his arm in a desperate counter, the shock of the blow reverberating through his body, his hands tingling from the strain.

With gritted teeth, he called upon his aura, the blue energy surging around him as he activated his technique. "Forbidden Azure: Condensed Redemption!" The invisible slash hurtled forward, but Brom, with his unyielding strength, thrust his palm outward, summoning an explosive wave of ki that shattered the slash of Jin's technique with ease.

Jin's eyes widened, barely managing to stay on his feet as the power of Brom's attack rattled the air around them. His breath quickened, and he moved in an instant, his feet digging into the ground as he prepared to strike back.

"Forbidden Azure: Spirit of the Phantom Blade!" Jin's blade ignited in a crackling blaze, the flames roaring as he dashed in with lightning speed. His form flickered as he aimed for a quick, decisive strike. But Brom, anticipating his move, blocked with the handle of his scythe, deflecting the attack with a mocking smile. In one smooth motion, Brom kicked Jin back, sending him skidding across the ground, and then swung his scythe in a deadly arc toward him.

Jin's instincts flared. "Forbidden Azure: Sevenfold Blaze!" In the blink of an eye, he vanished, reappearing behind Brom. Seven searing slashes appeared and erupted around the Brom, each one exploding with a burst of energy that rattled the surrounding area.

As the dust settled, Jin moved back, taking a defensive stance once more. Brom stood amid the smoldering wreckage, grinning from ear to ear as though the fight had only just begun. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly, the ki from the area he had exhausted earlier returned to him and his scythe.

Jin's party, finally out of the barrier watched Brom's ki surge to unimaginable levels. The air itself seemed to thicken around him, his scythe glowing ominously in the oppressive energy.

Jin's eyes narrowed, his heart pounding in his chest as he sensed the rising threat. He shouted to his companions, "BE ON YOUR GUARD!"

The others quickly scrambled to their feet, their expressions grim as they assumed defensive positions, the air crackling with tension.

The dense ki that surrounded Brom, swirling with deadly intent, suddenly dissipated as though it had been sucked into the air itself. The oppressive pressure lifted, leaving a tense silence hanging in the air. Brom stood motionless for a moment, his eyes glinting with amusement as he glanced around at the stunned faces of Jin and his party.

Then, without warning, he threw his head back and laughed—deep, hearty, and filled with a raw, carefree joy. It echoed through the stillness of the battleground, sending a shiver down the spines of those who heard it.

"Well, that was fun!" Brom said between chuckles, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "I haven't had a good fight like that in ages."

Jin stood there, confusion flooding his mind as he watched Brom's scythe melt away into a swirl of energy, transforming back into a majestic horse with a simple gesture. The sudden change left the air feeling lighter, almost surreal.

Brom stretched, taking a moment to adjust his posture. "The test is over," he said, his voice smooth and casual. "And you passed. Congratulations."

Jin, started to pant but for just a moment before regaining his breath. "What the hell was that?"

Brom looked over and sighed, "Don't mind it… it was simply a test of your abilities Jin. You've passed as well, congratulations."

The weight of his words settled on Jin and his party. They exchanged looks, a mix of confusion and relief, as the tension in the air finally started to dissipate.

The party got together after walking a little

ways away and started talking.

Luna was the first one to speak up, "… He's near my level but..." She paused for a moment, "He's near but he is above my current stage… I can't say for sure by how much but it's a miracle you aren't dead Jin..."

Luna looked over at Jin with eyes that none of them have seen from her before she walked up to him and hugged him slightly and lets go after just a few seconds.

Kade, Riven, and Kael looked at her and no words to say at all so they decided to just stay quiet and not even mention it.

Though Jin had seen this side of Luna more than once, it still caught him off guard each time, and something inside him shifted—like a switch flipping. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand.

"W-what is it?" Luna asked, surprised, her cheeks flushing faintly.

Jin didn't respond with words. Instead, he pulled her hand gently toward him, then wrapped his arm around her in a brief, unexpected hug.

The others stopped in their tracks, eyes wide in disbelief. Kade was the first to speak, his voice teasing. "Ooo, some romance is in the air!"

Kael and Riven exchanged resigned glances, silently sighing at Kade's antics.

"What?" Kade shrugged, rolling his eyes. "It's not like I said anything wrong."

Luna's eyes widened in shock for a moment, but then, with a soft exhale, she wrapped her arms around Jin in return, surrendering to the unexpected warmth of the embrace. It lasted only a minute, but for that brief moment, the world seemed to just simply not exist anymore.

After the brief hug, Jin slowly let go of Luna, both of them turning away from each other, their eyes averted as they each looked in a different direction, the moment now quietly hanging between them.

Kade, ever the one to break the silence, grinned. "Well, that was certainly—"

Before he could finish, Riven cut him off with a rare seriousness in her tone. "Enough, Kade. We should get some rest. We'll be here for a few days."

Kade looked taken aback for a moment, then shrugged, his playful demeanor returning for a brief moment. "Alright, alright, I get it."

Just as the group settled into a more relaxed silence, the sound of hooves approaching caught their attention. Brom walked over, his expression unreadable as usual. "The horse is ready to go again," he said flatly, glancing at the group. "We're leaving immediately. Full speed ahead."

The weight of his words settled in quickly. They had no time to rest, no time to recover from the intensity of the battle. The urgency in Brom's voice made it clear that whatever came next would be even more demanding.

Jin glanced around at his companions, knowing they'd need every ounce of strength they could muster for the journey ahead. Without a word, they all began to move, preparing for whatever Brom had in mind.

Jin sighed before standing up and walked over to the caravan and got into the back of it again with the rest of his party joining before sitting back down inside and Kade went to laying down again.

Brom sat up front and a single snap of his fingers the caravan started to go faster than it did earlier. "With this pace, we'll be at the clan in around a week and a half to 2 weeks weeks instead of a month.

All of them had gotten comfortable in their own ways and just sat around looking out the back at the nature as they continued down the uneven dirt road.

On top of a mountain somewhere, "Has it began yet?"

"Yes sir. Everything has went according to plan."

He smiled looking off into the distance of the cliff, while lighting a cigarette to smoke before throwing it down the mountain. "How long until it becomes knowledge to him?"

"By our estimates, it'll be around 3-6 months."

Another smile appeared, "That's good… then our window of opportunity just opened larger."

He smiled before releasing his ki and the clouds that covered the mountains top vanished and they both vanished along with the clouds into the day.