“I hear you have returned with good news,” Elder Zijin said, pushing forward the dried dough snacks, the dried fruit, and poured her a cup of water.

  Jaygak helped herself to one of the dried dough snacks, feeling the light ch against her mors, before chewing the dried fruit, wing slightly at the harsh fvour. She sipped the water to temper the fvour, the young woman, reag out for another dough snack. Finally, she leaned ba her chair, her eyes trailing across the courtyard, taking in the sight of the greenery within, some of the flowers forced to bloom, while others were still in the early weeks of growing.

  “I am… almost a Master,” Jaygak said, keeping her eyes glued to the small tree in the er. The leaves were already in full bloom, as one might have expected.

  “gratutions.”

  Jaygak remained silent for a long moment, staring at the leaves. She sipped her water, still tasting the sourness of the dried fruit. “I did not expect to reach this height so young. I am twenty three, the same as Jurot, Kitool… Adam. He bought me a new sword for my birthday, and a aff for Kitool.” Jaygak smiled slightly, patting the bde at her side, finally catg the Elder’s eyes. Adam had forced her to wield Larot’s sword to wet it for him, he had still gifted her a bde for her birthday while they travelled in the first month of dawnval.

  Zijin slowly nodded, sipping his drink, keeping his eyes upon hers. He could see how resolute her gaze was, though her body remaiense.

  “I did it, Elder. I am Steel. The goal I strived for, which I would have reached in my thirties, with some luck, I have already pleted, a decade too soon.” Jaygak reached up to her , scratg the itch, feeling the tingling up against her skull, wanting to scratch that itch too, but she reached down to hold the cup again. Her eyes darted around the desk, looking at nothing in particur.

  “You did well.”

  “I…” Jaygak bit her lower lip for a moment as she collected her thoughts. “I feel it, Elder. Soon, I reach the heights of a Master. I don’t know how I feel it, but deep within me, I feel it. Jurot, Kitool, they feel it too. I’m sure Adam uands it, somehow.”

  Zijin poured more water for the pair of them, hearing the geapping as the young woman tapped the table, her thoughts overwhelming her.

  “Sed pce? In my first tour, I was… but a footnote, as Veisswing would say. A footnote. My sed tour, I pced sed. I beat her, the King’s Sword’s daughter. The future King’s Sword lost to me, Elder. To me. Jaygak.” Jaygak’s lips formed a wide grin, uo tain the sheer joy which rocked through her. “I may have lost to Adam, I may have lost to the Princess, but I say that I defeated the future King’s Sword.”

  Zijin reached down for a pair of small cups, before lifting the gourd up, grabbing the cork which sealed it shut, his body fshing red as he undid the sealed cork. The wirickled into the cups slowly, the liquid a deep red, with darker sheen. He raised the cup, and Jaygak did the same, before the pair sipped. The spice of the wiruck along through his tongue.

  Jaygak smiled, feeling the gentle warmth against her throat, which was definitely burning the Elder, to the point of causing his eyes to tear up. “You have access to such wine?”

  “This wine, I asked for it… almost twenty years ago, when I first became an Elder.” Zijin coughed to the side wing as the tears threateo pour down his eyes.

  “You should have kept it shut.”

  “No,” Zijin said. “Today is the day.”

  Jaygak furrowed her brows slightly, but she smiled, raising her cup again, and the Elder poured her another shot, doing the same for himself. She sipped it, feeling the spice tickle her throat. The silence followed for a long moment. The Elder coughed once more, wiping a tear from the side of his eye.

  “I’ve done all I’ve ever wished to do, and more. This is as high as I go.”

  Ziji her gaze. Though he know it was futile, he had to speak up. “You could do so much more.”

  “No. I ’t. I’ll give myself to the Iyr. Whatever the Iyr needs of me, if it is to bee a Master, to bee a Grandmaster, even if it is to marry someohout horns. Whatever the Iyr needs of me.”

  “Even to marry someohout horns?” Zijin replied in shock, though his lips formed a wide smile, his eyes slightly narrowed, tempered by sadness.

  Jaygak smiled pyfully for a moment, but she swallowed her joke. “When I was a girl, I read the tales of many Iyrmen. I wondered what granduncle Shogek thought, when his younger brother surpassed him. I always thought it was sad. Maybe he felt envious? Maybe he felt defeated? Maybe he felt ashamed? I o longer ask him, but I think I know. I think all he knew was unbridled joy and pride that his younger brother reached such heights.”

  Zijin poured more wine as his eyes burned, reag up to wipe away his tears. The wine icy, but it was not so spicy it could burn through a Jin’s fortitude. It was in times like this, he realised he could nret taking the role of an Elder, even through the pain such a pride caused.

  “I have one request,” Jaygak said.

  “Speak it.”

  “Please allow Taygak to train under Adam,” Jaygak said.

  “She would not accept,” Zijin said. “She is a Gak, and he does not use a sword.”

  “The sword is Adam’s favourite on, and he wields it as great as he wields an axe.”

  Zijin remained silent for a long moment. It was certainly awkward to have Adam, even as a Nephew of the Rot family, train the children. “Are you sure you wish to step aside?”

  “Adam has done so mue. He has paved the way for me, and for Taygak. If I keep adventuring, Taygak’s story will be overshadowed. Taygak is strong. If she trains with Adam, in five years time, she could bee a Master too. He has allowed it for me, he could allow it for her. She will win her first tour in noonval, and she will win her sed tour in nightval the same year. If it is Taygak, she could win all four, but she should work moderately at her age.”

  Zijin smiled, sipping his water to deal with the fire within his mouth, but it only aggravated the heat which danced along his tongue.

  “In five years, she will be seventeeeen for her first tour if she goes to fight in the Noonval Tour. She will train hard since she is Taygak, daughter of Kaygak. She will grow to bee an Expert at least, and Adam will spoil her with magical ons, moderately, so at least Greater.”

  Zijin chuckled lightly, wiping away the rest of his tears, still grinning wide. Si was Adam, that was quite moderate.

  “I know she do it,” Jaygak said, staring down at her refle in the drink, before she looked up to the Elder, meeting his eyes again. “If you refuse… I have my rights, Elder. I will petition myself as many times as I have to. I will not allow you to push the work onto Churot, you will have to deal with my annoyance yourself.” ‘If I o, I will speak with granduncle.’

  The Elder poured the pair more wine, noting the way she eaking, like that of an Iyrman. “Perhaps Adam is too dangerous to leave alive. To think he could allow even you to make sensible decisions.”

  Jaygak ughed too, especially when the Elder coughed wildly from the wine, before he finally leaned back. She watched as he closed his eyes to think, a long moment of silence passiween them.

  “I will sider it,” Zijin finally said.

  “Thank you, Elder.” Jaygak bowed her head, before she stood.

  “Jaygak?”

  “Yes?”

  “Please call for Kitool.”

  Jaygak smiled again as she he look of defeat upon the Elder’s face. “Okay.”

  Zijin watched her leave, noting her form disappear as she stepped through an archway. He reached up to wipe the tears which forced their way through. Fshes of the little girl’s face appeared, the same girl who would hide her father’s boots, and could only be trolled by her aunt. It was after her aunt’s death the young girl stopped hiding her father’s boots, or her grandaunt’s sword. He remembered when the Mad Dog had left in such a fury. The Mad Dog’s rage had almost taken his life, and had fed a great number of scars upon his body, but it was still the tears of a little girl which hurt him most.

  Another little girl squealed with delight, before her father disappeared.

  “Peekabo!” Adam said, revealing his face to Virot, who squealed agaioothless grin lighting up the estate.

  Jaygak stepped into the estate, her eyes darting across the children, taking in the sight. Raygak sat and read a tale to the children, while most of the you children listened. Inakan asked a thousand and one questions to Jurot, and the young Iyrman replied early. Minakan sat by herself in the er, drawing within her book. Minool, for once, also remained with the rest of the children.

  It was this sight that the Iyrmen saw whehey stepped into the estate, a sight which fed their bodies as into the followers of Baktu. “Kitool, Elder Zijin wishes to speak with you.”

  Kitool approached the estate, finding Zijin sitting at his desk, which was still full of paper and books, ly stacked, but it was the bck pque oable which caused the young woman to tih excitement. “My request has been granted?”

  Zijin stared up at Kitool, whose eyes remained glued to the pque, showing uncharacteristic surprise. ‘If only Jaygak’s dream had ged too.’ “Yes.”

  Kitool reached for the pque, slowly, cautiously, as though the pque was not made of obsidian, but of dreams.

  “Are you certain?” Zijin asked, causing the young woman to stop. “You are skilled. Even now, you could bee a Paragon with your own strength, alongside Jurot.”

  “I wish to be of service to the Iyr.”

  “Would you allow me to suggest something as your Elder?” Zijin asked, and upon the bow of Kitool’s head, he swallowed. “I ask that, after your training, you tinue as you have dohus far. Go out, adventure, bee a Grandmaster, or a Paragon, if you are able, auro give yourself to the Iyr. If you do so, I will give the reendations to the Great Elders.”

  “What if you are not an Elder when that time es?” Kitool asked, holding the Elder’s gaze.

  Zijin reached for a piece of paper, and began to write, taking his time to write it, making sure his handwriting was det, uhe memories of his daughter e to pgue him. He finished writing the letter, folding it carefully, before sealing it with his Elder’s seal in bck wax.

  “Why?” Kitool asked, staring down at the letter, a letter whione of the Great Elders could dare to ignore.

  Elder Zijin thought for a long moment. He had many excuses, most of which could viool, who need very little ving. She had already accepted the task, he was certain of it. “I do not wish to see two stars dim today. Giving yourself to the Iyr is a glory I ot over praise, but there is so much you still do.”

  Kitool stared down at the letter, which held her wishes, the wishes which would allow her to bee like her grandaunt. Five years ago, she could only dream of it, and now, on the cusp of being a Master, she could give herself to the Iyr. It was something which would only bring great glory to her family.

  Meanwhile, a figure stepped into the shared estate, causing the children to turn his way. He was an older man, with long hair, streaks of white breaking up the red of the dye. A strong jaw, shaven, a wide, ft nose, and small eyes. His lean form walked with the grace a butterfly, the silks almost rippling like waves, bck as the starless night, golden threads darting along the hem. At his side was a longsword made of a fusion of bone aal.

  “May we speak, Adam?” the old man asked.

  “Of course, Chief,” Adam replied, feeling his hairs stand on end upon seeing the gaze within the Great Elder’s eyes.

  The Rise of Taygak

  ETA 1000 Chapters