Chapter 10 : Richard Pendragon

The steps outside the barn were louder and louder until a figure appeared. It was Richard Pendragon. He wore the same suit as Edgar and Aurore but with a few differences. He had no sleeve covering his left arm, and his armless right shoulder was visible through the hole for the right arm. Below his left and only arm was a sword. It was different than the one from last time. This one looked more prominent and thicker, and the sheath was richer in ornaments. He had a small green dragon head on his heart, and the last detail to be noticed by Darian was that he was barefoot. In fact, the bottom part of his outfit was scorched and torn until the middle of his tibias.

- "You better put him down and get as far as you can from him." Said Richard, looking at Zahid.

His presence was something else. He was radiating authority and power. Zahid put down the weakened Edgar on the floor, and Rami, the girl, and Zahid moved a few meters to the side. For Darian, it was evident from the expression on their faces that they were afraid of him.

- "Aurore, pick him up and check on him." Added Richard.
- "Yes, Master. Careful about the oldest one. I do not sense any presence from him. He is a deviant." Said Aurore

Richard slowly walked toward Darian. After standing next to the young man, he turned again to Zahid's group.

- "Which of you put my Guard's Captain in this state ?" Asked Richard.

Visibly exhausted and stressed, Rami raised his right hand.

- "I did. Alone. We discovered the identity of the Link, but Edgar chose to not accept our deductions." Said Rami.
- "I am impressed. Edgar is a tough man." Said Richard.
- "He is a great warrior indeed." Said Rami.
- "Would you mind elaborating on how you did this?" Asked Richard, with a grin on his face.

The tension got higher, and the question installed a heavy silence. Darian was now feeling safe. He went from thinking he would be made prisoner and tortured to now being next to a man who made everyone look weak.

After a few seconds of silence, Ivan came back running. When Darian turned, he saw that he had also brought their mothers but left them behind.

Edgar was lying on the ground, his head on Aurore's lap, who was kneeling. Ivan could feel a deep connection between them. Darian, like anyone, just saw a slightly romantic picture. Edgar was regaining colors, and his breathing was getting steadier.

The silence had lasted a handful of seconds, and Rami decided to break it.

- "Would you let my companions go if I do?"
- "Yes, I am not here to create any diplomatic problem. I am just curious about the nature of your abilities." Said Richard
- "Is it really safe to speak in front of those commoners?" Asked Rami.
- "Yes, it is. I promise they will not let a single piece of information out." Answered Richard.

Zahid looked at Rami, worried. Darian kept a severe look, but he was giggling inside. Ivan was still absorbed by what he felt coming from Aurore and Edgar. To him, it felt like water was flowing from Aurore to Edgar through the air, but he could neither see it nor be entirely sure about its existence.

- "I am a deviant. My ability starts with a constraint, I can not use sun energy. Instead, I gather the one I get passively in my body and can store it in a large amount. After a certain duration, I can activate my ability and release everything stored in a chosen time window." Explained Rami.
- "Can you be explicit about the minimal duration, and how do you choose the time window?" Asked Richard seriously.
- "You can see it as a giant tank inside my body that must remain closed as long as it is not full. Once it is full, I must pick a duration and open it. Then, I get a continuous flow of sun energy for this duration. The shorter the duration and the stronger the flow will be." Said Rami.
- "That's a frightening power. So you could be stronger than Edgar for a few seconds." Remarked Richard.
- "I could be stronger than Edgar for a few minutes. But he was still impressively hard to beat." Added Rami.
- "He probably has way more fighting experience than you. Anyway, thanks for the explanation. Out of curiosity, how long does your tank take to be full?" Asked Richard

Darian noticed that Ivan tensed up at the sound of the question. His ginger friend had come a long way in reading that this question was crucial. Rami, reluctant to answer at first, sighed and said:

- "Depending on how I rest, at least one month."

In an instant, Richard dashed toward the bald man and stabbed him in the heart. Zahid and the girl froze for a second. Zahid screamed :

- "Chayma! Fly away!"

The girl ran a few steps before turning into a bird and accelerating in the air. Zahid tried to attack Richard while he pulled the sword out of Rami's chest. Richard had trouble pulling the sword with his only hand since Rami grabbed the handle by reflex with his last strength. Richard let go of his sword and knocked out Zahid with a punch after a smooth dodge. He pulled his sword effortlessly out of Rami's body once he could use his leg to press on the fallen body. The bird had barely traveled 10 meters when Richard threw his sword at it stabbing it from one end to the other.

Darian was utterly shocked at the scene of violence that unfolded in front of him. His mother screamed in the back, but he felt like Ivan had seen it coming because Ivan was already walking calmly toward the mothers to check on them.

The only other person walking in the barn was Richard, who was walking toward the bloody body of the girl, Chayma, who was stabbed through her torso, the sword entered through around the right side of her hip and the tip was visible out of her left shoulder. Richard, without a word, took out his beautiful sword and walked back toward his allies.

- "His ability was too dangerous." Said Richard
- "Euhm, did you have to kill all three of them?" Asked Darian
- "That boy is not dead yet. But, yes. When I killed the old man because of his power, I had to make the spread of the information slower and their side weaker since we are probably starting a battle against them soon." Said Richard.
- "I see." Said Darian.
- "Why did you not tell me about your connection with Hypernova?" Asked Richard.

Darian was terrified by the man who was speaking to him. Before, he saw him as a figure of authority and power. But now he understood why he was feared and that his impressive presence was nothing compared to his strength. At that moment, he felt like a little boy, and it was apparent that Richard knew that. During Darian's silence, Richard went calmly to the fainted Zahid's side and stabbed his stomach.

- "Hypernova told me to not trust you." Said Darian
- "I see. Ivan! Bring your mother and Darian's mother, and come here. I have something to say." Said Richard

The mothers and Ivan were coming slowly, and Richard added:

- "Aurore, Edgar, come here too."

Edgar could now walk painfully, and he refused Aurore's help.

- "You lost your sword." Said Richard looking at the miserable Edgar.
- "I am deeply sorry, Master. I will accept my punishment." Answered the blond man.
- "So, now that everyone is here. Let me tell you a few things. First, I am heartbroken that you lied to me, Darian. Second, I am willing to work with you because I believe you have potential. Third, I also feel like your friends over there could be useful. So, if you accept, let Aurore check you a bit, and then we'll see how we proceed with that." Said Richard.

Aurore understood her role, and she started with Klara. She asked Klara to not move, and for the next 30 seconds, she had her forehead against Ivan's mother's forehead. When she finished, Darian asked :

- "What's happening?"
- "I am assessing you guys' potential." Answered Aurore.
- "Why do you do this now?" Asked Darian.
- "Because the master said so." Said Aurore.

She proceeded to do the same with Julie, but the woman tried to resist :

- "Do not touch me." She said.
- "Please, miss, let her do her thing; it will not hurt and will help everyone." Said Richard.
- "Yes, mom, cooperate. We do not have the upper hand here." Said Darian

Aurore did her thing again and continued with Darian, who also let Aurore grab his head. It took noticeably longer for him. Ivan was last, and Aurore turned to Richard and said :

- "Julie is a 2, Darian a 3, Klara a 4, and Ivan... I do not know."
- "Interesting." Answered Richard.

Edgar tensed up.

- "Are you sure Darian is only a 3?" Said Edgar.
- "Yes, I checked twice." Answered Aurore.
- "Very well, Klara and Julie, go with Aurore in the back for a second. Edgar, go get your sword. You have 4 minutes. And you boys, do not move. I will have a chat with you." Said Richard.

Everybody went in the direction of their task.

- "Darian, you have no talent. Ivan, you might have. I propose that you both come with me and work for the Pendragons. You will be protected, and trained, and as long as you are useful, you will have comfortable lives."
- "What does it mean that I have no talent? And what will happen when we are not useful anymore?" Asked Darian

Richard took a moment to think. Ivan felt tension filling the air.

- "Annoying. You are too smart for your own good. And you think you are smart enough to handle everything." Said Richard.

Richard reached out for his sword and with a sweep motion, he beheaded Darian. Drops of blood spilled on Ivan's face.

- "Aurore! Kill the women." Ordered Richard.

Ivan froze. The poor ginger boy was completely overwhelmed. He fell to his knees, and tears started dropping from his eyes.