Author's note: Sad news everyone, I might start doing one chapter a week... The reason is that my college unexpectedly changed the schedule of my class, It used to be 3 days class a week and now it is 6 days class a week (It starts at 11am - 9pm) and only leaving monday to be my break day. I'll still try my best.
Forgive my rant and enjoy this chapter!
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Princess Iris Midgar swung her sword for what felt like the thousandth time that day. Sweat dripped down her head. The sun had already set, She has probably been training since the sunrise.
The sky was painted in deep blues and purples, but she hadn't noticed. her eyes blank and her expression deadpan, relentlessly drilling herself in swordsmanship with an unhealthy obsession.
Each swing of her sword was filled with frustration, the weight of her failures pressing down on her shoulders. She had played the memories of her humiliating defeat at Shadow's hands over and over in her mind, burning them into her consciousness until there was nothing left but the single-minded desire to get stronger—to destroy him.
Her arms ached and trembled, yet she did not stop. She could not stop. Her obsession drove her to the brink of exhaustion and beyond. She knew she was training herself into the ground, but she didn't care. She needed to be better, faster, stronger enough to face him and win.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness, stepping out from the shadows cast by the nearby trees. His footsteps were quiet, but not so much that she couldn't hear them. She didn't care enough to look. She continued her relentless practice.
"Princess Iris, good evening," the figure said, his voice calm and smooth.
Iris barely glanced at him, her eyes narrowed and her breathing heavy. She ignored him completely and resumed her training, focusing on her next swing.
The figure did not seem perturbed by the lack of response. He simply continued speaking.
"I'm offering you a deal... to fight Shadow." The figure spoke.
The moment Iris heard Shadow's name, something snapped inside her. She didn't wait to hear the rest. She turned on her heel, eyes blazing, and charged at the figure without hesitation, her sword cutting through the air in a deadly arc aimed at his neck.
"Are you part of the Shadow Garden?!" Iris spat, she gritted her teeth. Her face was twisted into a furious snarl.
The figure merely raised a hand and his sword, deflecting the blow effortlessly with a quick parry.
The figure remained calm. "I am someone who understands your hatred for Shadow. I represent a group with the same goal as you—destroying Shadow Garden and their leader."
But Iris wasn't listening anymore. Hearing Shadow's name was enough to set her off.
The figure just smiled, an calm smile that only stoked her anger further as she remembers Shadow just playfuly smiling at her. As she attempted another strike, he simply sidestepped her attack with ease. His eyes were steady, almost bored, as he watched her frantic movements.
"Are you trying to be my enemy?" he asked, his voice still infuriatingly calm, almost mocking. Iris could feel it he wasn't taking her seriously. Though the Figure could tell that Iris despite furious, was actually looking down on him.
"I don't allow my enemies or anyone to look down on me..." the figure's expression turned serious.
As Iris rushed forward with a fierce slash, he deflected her sword effortlessly, twisting his wrist just enough to disarm her. Her sword flew out of her hands, clattering to the ground a few feet away.
She fell back, landing hard on the ground.
Before she could stand back up, he extended a hand toward her.
"Your swordsmanship is commendable, Princess, but it is fueled by anger and desperation. It lacks grace and precision. In other words... it is lacking and ugly."
His words hit harder than any blow. Iris felt her pride shatter, her body trembling not from exhaustion, but from the sting of his insult. She glared up at him, but there was something in his eyes a cold truth that she couldn't ignore.
"I can help you become stronger," he continued, his tone softening just slightly. "Not only for yourself but for a greater cause. We need people like you... those who seek to destroy the true evil in this world."
The figure's eyes darkened, "We are an organization that opposes the Shadow Garden. They have killed countless innocents, torn theirs and other families apart, and now they seek to control the world in the shadow and kill anyone who disobeys them."
He paused, letting the words sink in. "A true evil of the world."
Iris listened closely. She knew the Shadow Garden was powerful, but the way he spoke of them... it resonated with her own desire to see them destroyed. her mind racing.
"We need your strength, Princess Iris," the figure continued, his voice sincere. "Join us, and I will help you grow stronger, strong enough to kill Shadow himself." he continued, his hand still extended, waiting for her decision.
There was a long pause as Iris considered his offer. She had spent so much time honing her skills, but she was no fool. She knew there were limits to what she could achieve on her own. This was a chance.. a chance to grow stronger, to have her revenge.
"I could help you get stronger. I'll train your swordsmanship... but that's precisely why we need your strength and your loyal subordinates." The figure's tone was calm but compelling, his eyes is clearly looking at her with hope.
"We are trying our best to eliminate the evil of the world, and we need the best to help us defeat them." he continued, his hand still extended.
"Someone with potential, someone with the determination to eliminate them... Someone like you, Princess Iris." The figure's hand remained steady, unwavering.
She hesitated for a moment longer, then her expression hardened with resolve. Seeing this the Figure smiles as if he knew her answer already.
"Would you help me get stronger and kill Shadow?" Iris spoke, A silence filled between them. Iris's breathing steadied, and she looked down at the hand offered to her.
"Of course..." the figure replied with a thin, satisfied smile.
With a determined nod, she reached out and clasped his hand firmly.
"I accept." she said, her voice steady
The figure smiled, satisfied. "Then it is settled. Together, we will bring down the Shadow Garden."
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End of chapter
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Legend of the Forgotten Eminence
FanfictionA story about a kid who chases his goal whatever the cost. The books has refered him as "Minoru" A book about the Forgotten Eminence.
