*In the Catacombs...*
Kellen’s spear pulsed with Chi so dense that it distorted the air around its tip. He hurled it toward Kristian, who was lying on the ground, unable to react in time.
Katelyn stepped in front of him and activated in urgency...
< Steel Breath ! >
Chi surged into her arm, hardening her skin and bones to absorb the impact. Her rapier met the tip of the spear in a shock that resonated throughout the entire hall.
Katelyn’s blade shattered and blood sprayed onto Kristian’s horrified face...
" What the hell !? "
Katelyn spat a mouthful of blood while pressing her hand to her pierced abdomen.
« Ah... »
She turned toward Kristian, a twisted smile on her lips despite everything.
« You see... I don’t need protection, I can do it myself... »
« Ka... Katelyn ! »
Kristian sat up abruptly, ignoring the pain tearing at his ribs. His hands trembled as he grabbed Katelyn’s shoulders.
« Don’t move, don’t move, I’m going to... »
He didn’t know what he was going to do. The hole in her abdomen was too deep, and despite the regeneration proper to a Second Sense Chi User, the blood kept pumping, refusing to slow down.
’ Was that spear poisoned ?’
Kristian tore his sleeve and pressed it against the wound, his fingers already red.
Kellen sniffed and spun his spear, cleaning the bloodied tip with a fluid gesture.
« That wasn’t planned but this idiot got in the way... »
Katelyn let out a laugh that ended in a bloody cough.
« In the clan charter... *cough*... every member must protect the Patriarch and the heir. It’s our responsibility... » she murmured.
« Don’t say nonsense, this isn’t the time ! »
« You’re the one who always repeats that word, not me. *Cough*Hehehe.. "
« It’s useless, » Kellen said, his voice tense. « She’s going to die of blood loss anyway. »
He was annoyed by what had just happened. He had never wanted to kill Katelyn: after all, he had an agreement with Markus, not really an alliance, but an arrangement that was clearly profitable for him. Even if he killed Daemon, Markus would use his influence to spare the Spear Clan from everything that had happened in the Catacombs. But with Katelyn on the brink of death, that balance had just cracked.
Kristian didn’t even hear him. He held Katelyn against him, one hand pressed against the wound without knowing if it did any good, feeling the warm blood pass between his fingers, refusing to stop.
« That has nothing to do with it, Katelyn. You put yourself in danger for nothing, » he said.
« Like my father, You really take me for a weakling, Kristian ?... I’m obviously not going to die that easily...*cough*... I’m a Chi User, like you ! »
« That’s not what I said, I... KATELYN ! »
She was growing more and more drowsy. And Kristian knew that if she fell asleep, it was the end.
« *Cough*... Shit, why am I still bleeding out... »
« That spear seemed poisoned. Stay calm, I... I’ll deal with this problem. »
He turned toward Kellen, his voice suddenly hard.
« Kellen, you’ve gone too far ! Give me the antidote. If Katelyn dies here, our clans will slaughter each other. Is that what you want ? »
« You’re being too arrogant, Kristian. That genius title has gone to your head. You think I’m afraid of your clan ? »
" Kellen don’t be an idiot ! Time is pressing ! "
Katelyn’s glassy eyes sought his, and for once, there was nothing ironic in her gaze. There was a bit of sadness, and surprise: it was one of the rare moments she had seen him lose his composure. And yet, she seemed almost proud to die this way... She had lived as a woman good only for marriage to seal her father’s alliances, but she had decided to die as a warrior... A true Chi User who had sacrificed herself for her comrade in arms.
« I really would have liked it to end differently... Kristian... I— »
« Shut up. Save your energy. »
« I— »
« You’re not going to die, Katelyn ! Remember... I made you a promise ! »
She smiled weakly, her face livid, thinking of that day.
« Ah... you remember ? It seems that’s no longer going to be possible... Anyway... I didn’t have much hope after all, I’m a woman... "
***
*The year 1547... Domain of the Summer family of the Sword Clan, Ravenna Manor*
* At that time Katelyn was only 15 years old... *
The midday sun bathed the lush gardens of the Summer domain. Inside the Great Hall, the atmosphere was just as charged.
On this day of ceremony, nearly all the influential figures of the Sword Clan had answered the call. Patriarch Dorian Dagon sat on the honor platform, his angular face remaining as usual perfectly impenetrable. At his side, his wife Erinda Snowfall, head of the Spring family, observed the assembly with her piercing blue eyes, her upright posture radiating quiet authority.
Kristian, their son and heir of the clan, stood one step behind them. The Autumn family was represented by the massive Kreel Ingmar, who remained silent at the back of the hall. Only the Winter family was missing from the call, since its only legitimate representative had been banished for a few years already.
Katelyn Ravenna stood in the center, motionless under the heavy gazes of the Clan’s elite. At fifteen years old, she already possessed the slender silhouette and fine features of her mother.
In the Sword Clan, the designation of an heir was often done from birth, but the Ravenna house cultivated a different tradition. Julius Ravenna preferred to wait for the coming-of-age ceremony to confirm the choice of successor, claiming that the candidate needed time to prove their talent.
Katelyn had no doubt about the outcome of this day. She had trained relentlessly since childhood to master the rapier, that art in which her mother had no equal in Hundun.
Although Lancelot had remained in memory as the undisputed master of all types of swords, Brittany Ravenna had largely surpassed him in the precision of the rapier. Katelyn no longer really remembered her mother’s face, but she carried her martial heritage within her. She secretly despised her father, Julius, a mediocre former district chief who had only climbed the ranks through his strategic marriage to Brittany.
The ceremony began with the usual rites and the Patriarch’s words.
Julius Ravenna rose slowly from his seat. He swept the hall with a proud gaze before speaking. " Eminent members of the Sword Clan, allies and friends. The Ravenna house celebrates today the continuity of its heritage. "
Katelyn felt her heart beat a little faster.
’ Okay.. This is the moment...’
" Markus, step forward. " he declared suddenly.
"Huh!? "
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