CG Chapter 58: Crazy Old Man
Tom carefully examined the scene in front of him without seeming too worried; he displayed the look of a proud yet cautious young man.
Surveying the area inside the gate, Tom noticed that the ground was made of rough, rocky material; he then noticed the wooden dolls that stood around, with some of them having broken parts here and there.
The area was surrounded by strange-looking trees that were enshrouded in darkness.
Witnessing this, anyone with half a brain could tell that this was a training camp, let alone Tom, who noticed some secrets that were hidden in hindsight.
"Come on, go inside." The man pushed Tom inside before he quickly closed the gate behind him.
"What is wrong with you?" Tom asked. He looked irritated by the sudden act of the man, then began to glance around the empty site and shout, "Hello! Is there anyone here? I have an important message."
Suddenly, masked men resembling the one who led him there began to jump from the trees, one after the other.
In a flash, they surrounded Tom from all directions.
The scene would instill fear in any man standing there – masked people who looked identical moved all around with no discernible pattern.
It wasn't long before the masked men began to speak. The sound came from every direction, causing Tom to look around in confusion. He appeared lost and uncertain.
While examining the place, Tom focused on a specific moving figure for longer than the others. It was short enough that no one would notice but long enough to where he could examine the man.
"Stranger, what brings you here?" They spoke as one, asking, "You know this place isn't somewhere a young boy such as yourself should come to."
Despite the untrustworthy appearance of the masked men, the strangeness of the place, combined with the uncertainty of their sudden movements, made it uncomfortable to look at, let alone stand in the middle of.
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"Speak!" They shouted.
"Where do you come from?"
Tom admired how coordinated they needed to be to pull this act; the training they needed to go through was something else. However, he was annoyed by their mind games as it was, but child's play to him.
He didn't want to waste time playing with them; he wanted to go to the grand library of Solaria to find out about a certain matter. So, he quickly took out the letter given to him by Folek from his pocket before speaking.
"I came here on my father's orders to deliver this letter to you," Tom stated.
"Open it, read it," the men quickly turned their heads toward Tom before abruptly stopping their movements.
"Alright, I initially thought I needed to deliver it to your leader, but if you insist." Tom ripped the seal on the letter; this new seal looked identical to the original Folek had given him. However, it failed to escape the curious eyes of a certain experienced forger.
~ From Folek Von Flameheart, the baron of blood and flames.
Following the ancient covenant between Flameheart and Alamut, we send min child today to take part in the inheritor trial, whether he passes through both the flame of family and the coldness of the order and gains the true title of Flameheart or falls and becomes part of the shadows.
To walk the path between ice and fire and be bestowed with the mark.
Burn the letter, burn the man, freeze the heart.
By my name and the flame I hold. Begin the challenge. ~
"Well, well, well, would you look at that? How long has it been since your father came here? 20 years? 30 years?"
"I am not sure; time passes differently when you are stuck in these fucking mountains." Suddenly, an old, muscular, bearded man emerged from among the numerous masked men. He started to take off his mask and hood while laughing.
The man had long silver hair that moved with the wind. He looked to be at least in his 60s, if not older.
"I assume that you have understood the situation after reading the letter. If you wish to become the inheritor of Flameheart or even leave this place in one piece, then you must gain my acknowledgment." The man grinned at Tom with a devilish smile while chuckling.
He suddenly paused, "By the way, I neglected to mention, you can refer to me as Hidden during your hellish short time here." Hidden advanced towards Tom as he audibly cracked his joints.
"And how can I gain your so-called 'Recognition'? I doubt you would want to fight me since we would both lose, no matter the outcome. If you win, then you will simply be bullying me, who hasn't grown up yet, and if I defeat you, it will be hardly a feat to boast about, defeating an old, dying man such as yourself." Tom, of course, wasn't stupid to anger Hidden for no good reason; seeing the environment he stayed in and how he acted, he understood that people around him most likely acted like puppets, which would bore any sane man to death.
"Haha, I already like you more than your father. He was all stuck up, saying, 'Flameheart this, Flameheart that.' However, that fucker was resolute. He stood up no matter how many times I knocked him down. Let's see if you can stand up for your words or if you're just a little child with a big mouth that I should rib.
"I don't like to complicate things, so the rules will be simple: I will attack you, and no matter how many times I do, you must stand up again and again. I don't care if your bones get broken or your ribs get shattered; all I care about is seeing whether, no matter how low you fall, you can stand against me."
Hidden raised his right hand and called for Tom. "Are you ready?"
Looking at Hidden, Tom thought, 'It seems my hunch was right; this man seems to have a screw loose he's too excited. He won't give me what I want if I don't show him enough strength. But this simplifies things for me; as long as he enjoys the fight, I will get out of here quickly.'
Tom's crimson eyes shone as he spoke with excitement that matched Hidden's. "I am ready."
The two stood facing each other, a challenge that would determine the fate of Flameheart.