The Weaponsmaster

Chapter 33

Drea dreamt herself next to the waterfall at her home. She missed that place so much it made her heart ache, but that wasn’t the reason she wanted to be there. She wanted to sort through her mind to try and figure out more about what she needed to be doing.

As she looked through her memories the three men gave her, Drea was beginning to see a lot of symbols that were unfamiliar to her. She recognized them from somewhere, but she couldn’t remember what they meant. What are these? She whispered in her mind.

A voice that she recognized as Kaien’s spoke back: These are the hidden symbols. Only those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice know they exist.

Then why do I know about them? I haven’t made any ultimate sacrifices.

Kaien didn’t respond. Instead she felt a rush of energy blow through her, forcing her dream to change.

Drea found herself standing in the house she remembered from her childhood as the house she was in the night Kevin died. The moonlight shone through the windows the way they had so many years ago, masking the rest of the house in shadows.

Drea stood alone in her Kaienshi uniform, illuminated by the moonlight. There were no signs of what had happened and no one was around. She thought this’d be like the recurring nightmare she had sometimes, but instead she heard soft footsteps coming towards her.

She formed a knife in her hand and stood ready to fight. She was beginning to question if this was a dream. After another minute, Drea could see the outline of a person. He was a little taller than her, with dark, short hair. Drea was about to question him when she saw his face.

She lowered her knife as her face unsure of what to think. She couldn’t even speak, but just looked on. He stepped towards her into the moonlight where she could see his entire face exactly the way she remembered it. “Kevin,” she spoke softly, her tears threatening to spill over.

He stepped towards her until they were just a few feet apart. He smiled one of his warm smiles that she remembered seeing so many times before he passed. It was as if nothing had changed after so many years.  

“Andrea… it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” Drea felt like she was being constricted with each moment. Kevin sounded just like she remembered.

“I-is it really you Kevin?” she whispered cautiously. She wanted to believe it so badly, but she didn’t know if she could.

He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. “Why wouldn’t it be me?”

Drea hesitated. Kevin spoke before she had the chance to answer, “You don’t need to answer that.” He smiled. “I know you’ve been hurting for such a long time. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t let you die that night. And now,” he gestured to her uniform, “you’ve grown up to nicely and you’ve learned to fight for yourself.”

Her breath caught in her chest. She was barely breathing. Kevin continued, “I knew you had a fighting spirit, but I never imagined you’d become so strong. You’re a hero Drea.”

She sighed as her weapon dissolved into ash. “I certainly don’t feel like a hero. I can never manage to do anything right.”

He looked straight into her eyes and said, “You’ve had a rough time, but you will make a great Weaponsmaster because of your pain. You know what others feel and will never allow them to feel the way you do. That makes you strong and now you have to believe that. You mess up sometimes, but you always find a way to fix it. That’s what a true hero is.”

Drea looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”

He stepped forward, a more serious look forming on his face. “There are troubles ahead of you Drea, worse than anything you’ve faced before. I know you’re strong, but you’re still young and inexperienced.”