ONLINE: Blades of Eternity - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: A CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART

Kaelen had barely taken a step out of the out of the spot he stood while seeing Lila when he felt a sudden force collide with him. He stumbled slightly but remained steady, his instincts flaring for a moment before he realized it was Lila. Her sobs echoed softly as she clung to him, her body trembling against his.

‘How did she get to me so fast and without me noticing?’ Kaelen thought with a shocked expression on his face.

“I missed you… I missed you so much!” But Lila’s voice broke his train of thoughts as it was interwined with sobs, her words muffled by Kaelen’s chest. She buried her face in his shoulder, her tears dampening the fabric of his uniform.

Kaelen, though caught off guard, didn’t flinch. He gently placed his hand on her back, offering silent comfort. He had known Lila for so long—her sudden outburst wasn’t completely unexpected, especially given the weight of what she’d been enduring.

“Carmilia… she’s been pushing me harder and harder,” Lila continued, her voice thick with emotion. “She wants me to be the next Ice Queen, just like her. But I can’t—it’s too much. The training… it feels like torture. Every day is harder than the last.”

Kaelen’s gaze softened as he looked down at her, his hand still resting on her back. “I’m sorry, Lila. I didn’t know she was pushing you this far.”

“I can’t breathe, Kaelen,” she whispered, her tears still flowing. “She’s trying to shape me into something I’m not… and all I wanted was to see you again.”

Kaelen felt a surge of guilt and sadness for her. “You’re stronger than you think, Lila. But you don’t have to do this alone. You never have to face anything alone.” His words were calm, meant to reassure her, but there was a fierceness behind them.

“Ok…..”

Eventually, Lila’s sobs gradually quieted, her breathing evening out as she finally began to calm down. Kaelen could feel the tension in her body slowly release, but just as he thought she might let go, she tightened her grip on him even more.

“So… tell me everything,” Lila said softly, her voice taking on a more clingy tone. She tilted her head slightly, her face still pressed into his chest, but her words now came with a kind of lighthearted insistence. “What happened in the tournament? Did you face any dangerous beasts? Did you make new friends or… enemies?”

Kaelen blinked, a mixture of relief and awkwardness washing over him. He was glad Lila had calmed down, but now she was holding onto him even tighter, practically glued to his side. He glanced around, feeling mildly self-conscious, though they were mostly alone. Her barrage of questions only added to the whirlwind of emotions.

“Well… a lot happened,” Kaelen began, unsure whether to cry or laugh at her sudden switch. “There were a few close calls in the tournament… and yeah, I fought some beasts in Veilwood Forest, but it’s—”

Lila cut him off, her eyes wide with curiosity. “Did you get hurt? Are you okay now? Did you win all your matches? And what about the beasts? Were they big and scary?” Her words tumbled out faster than Kaelen could keep up.

He chuckled, a bit overwhelmed by her clinginess but amused by it at the same time. “Lila, slow down. One question at a time.”

“But I want to know everything!” she protested, her pout almost audible in her tone. She looked up at him with wide eyes, her expression almost childlike in her eagerness.

Kaelen sighed with a smile, shaking his head lightly. “Alright, alright. Yes, I won my matches… somehow. And yes, the beasts were terrifying. But I managed to get through it.” He paused, a playful glint in his eye. “Barely.”

Lila clung to him even tighter, letting out a small, relieved sigh. “I’m glad you’re okay… I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” Then, in the same breath, she asked, “But what was the scariest part? Was it the final battle? Or maybe when you were in the forest?”

Kaelen exhaled, feeling more and more like he was being gently interrogated. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at her clingy curiosity. But seeing Lila like this—relaxed, inquisitive, and almost childlike—it felt like a welcome change from the tension and hardships they had both faced.

“I’ll tell you everything,” Kaelen promised, smiling down at her. “But one story at a time, okay?”

So, Kaelen began to tell Lila all the stuff he has experienced while she wasn’t around while Lila herself listened wholeheartedly.

But just as Kaelen started to recount his experiences to Lila, his voice steady as he described the fierce beasts he had faced in Veilwood Forest, when suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the calm atmosphere.

“Kaelen!” Morris’s voice rang out, loud and clear, as he strode toward them, with Ethan following closely behind. Both of them looked exhausted, but there was a spark of excitement in Morris’s eyes.

Kaelen and Lila both turned toward the source of the noise, Lila still clinging to Kaelen’s arm as she pouted slightly at the interruption. Morris’s enthusiasm, however, was hard to ignore.

“There you are, man!” Morris continued, a wide grin spreading across his face as he approached. “We’ve been looking all over for you! You just disappeared after the tournament—what gives?”

Ethan, though quieter, offered a smile as well, nodding toward Kaelen. “We couldn’t find you anywhere in the coliseum.”

Kaelen blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden arrival of his friends. He gave Lila an apologetic smile as she finally loosened her grip on him, still pouting but stepping aside.

“I guess I got a bit distracted,” Kaelen replied, smiling at them. “It’s good to see you both.”

Morris eyed Lila with a raised brow and an amused smirk. “I see someone else found you first.”

Lila crossed her arms, looking away with a small huff, clearly annoyed by the interruption. “I was here first. You two can wait,” she muttered, though there was no real bite in her tone.

Kaelen chuckled softly before turning back to Morris and Ethan. “What’s going on?”

Morris shook his head, still grinning. “We were just excited to find you, that’s all. You did great in the tournament—seriously, I don’t know how you pulled it off, but that last match was insane! Everyone’s been talking about it.”

Ethan nodded in agreement, though his gaze shifted briefly to Lila, sensing the tension in the air. “Yeah, you were incredible, Kaelen. That last fight… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Kaelen shrugged modestly, still processing everything himself. “It wasn’t just me. I had some… unexpected help.” He glanced briefly at his sword, still feeling the weight of the dragon-like mana that had emerged during the battle.

Morris seemed about to ask more, but Lila quickly interjected, her voice impatient. “He was telling me everything! You can’t just steal him away right now!”

Kaelen raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender, smiling at her. “Don’t worry, Lila. I’ll tell you the rest later. I promise.”

Morris laughed, giving Kaelen a friendly slap on the back. “Yeah, let’s catch up first. We’ve got a lot to talk about, and it’s been too long since we’ve had a proper chat.”

“And we can do a small party for you winning the tournament while we are at it” Ethan interjected with a light smile on his face.

Lila sighed but finally relented, her pout softening into a small smile as she stepped back. “Fine. Just don’t forget, Kaelen. You owe me the rest of your story.”

Kaelen smiled back at her before turning to Morris and Ethan. “Alright, let’s go. I’m sure there’s a lot we need to talk about.”

But just as Kelvin was about to have a blast with his friends due to his victory in the Pacesetters Rookie tournament, Kelvin rode silently through the dense woods, the distant silhouette of Valen’s towering city walls just visible on the horizon. His eyes flickered down to the ancient scroll clutched tightly in his hand, its worn edges crackling as he unrolled it slightly. The faded ink detailed tales of the elusive leader of the First Magi— a figure so formidable that even the most powerful feared to speak their name aloud.

As Kelvin’s gaze traced the ominous illustrations on the scroll, his heart quickened. The power, the mystery surrounding the leader of the First Magi, was beyond anything he had imagined.

He was getting closer to Valen, but with every mile, the weight of the task ahead bore down on him. The question that gnawed at him was ‘Was he truly prepared to face what awaited him in the shadows of Valen’s walls?’

“I guess I will have to find out myself if am not up for it” He eventually muttered with a determined look on his face.

Just as he tightened his grip on the reins, a cold breeze swept through the trees, sending a shiver down his spine.