Chapter 21 - An Unexpected Power

"I brought you here to teach you a lesson that you won't forget. The lesson on not underestimating your opponent in all circumstances." Iraven said.

Aedan now is thinking that he is in a greater disadvantage now than when he fought Glyndwir before. He knows that Iraven won't hold back in this fight and he also know the fact that Iraven will keep on attacking his right side. 

"Crap. I have to find a way out of this mess." Aedan thought to himself.

"Glyndwir said that you have potential and I should give you chance. We'll just see on how great that potential is. I'll make you a deal. If you land at least one clean hit on me then I'll agree to train you and teach you everything that I know, but if you don't land a clean hit, I'll kill you." Iraven said as he rushed to Aedan to attack him.

Aedan defended with his sword but Iraven was too fast for him and he hit Aedan's right side with his sword hilt. Aedan fell down on the ground and he tried to get back up as fast as he can, but the moment he got up, Iraven was already behind him and he slashed his back  with his sword.

"Your wits don't matter if you can't defend your right side as well as your back." Iraven said.

"Heh.. And I thought you were just a drunk a*s b*****d." Aedan replied.

Aedan now rushed to Iraven and attempted to slash him. His effort was wasted because Iraven was too fast and he got to his right side again and attacked Aedan but to his surprise, Aedan defended his attack this time and countered with a slash of his own. Iraven defended this slash and got far from Aedan quickly.

"You're learning now that your right side is exposed but that won't be enough to hit me here." Iraven said.

Iraven now conjured a huge stone beast beside him and commanded it to attack Aedan. The stone beast moved towards Aedan and attempted to smash and crush him to a pile of rubble. Aedan just kept on dodging the attack attempts and then he slashed the feet of the stoned beast rendering it powerless. Iraven now made his way to Aedan to attack him and he succeeds. He sends Aedan flying across the dimension and he finally falls to the ground.

"He's too strong" Aedan thought.

"I guess it's time then." A mysterious voice said.

"No!! Not you again!!" Aedan thought

"You can't win without my power!" The mysterious voice said.

"No.... NOOOOOO!!!!!!" Aedan screamed.

Iraven noticed that Aedan was now being surrounded by Mana. He saw his eyes flashed with great power and then he said:

"A familiar sight eh?" 

Iraven knew that it was the trance state so he dared not to move. He has a trumpcard up his sleeve. Aedan rushed to him and tried to slash him but Iraven in an instant got behind him and slashed his back. Aedan did not feel it and he began attacking Iraven again but he dodged all Aedan's attempts to attack him.

"This is just like when I trained him." Iraven said to himself.

Aedan now rushed to Iraven and he actually hit him and sent him flying.

"S**t. The Redeemer is more powerful now, but why?" Iraven asked.

"The only way to defeat the trance state is to disarm Aedan." Iraven thought. 

Iraven now moved towards Aedan with light speed and Aedan tried to attack him. Iraven stopped his attack with his right hand and he tossed the Redeemer away from Aedan. The sword as he expected stopped lighting up but he noticed something different from Aedan. The trance state was still in him.

"Impossible! How the hell does he still have it?" Iraven said.

He noticed Aedan's right arm. An unfamiliar marking of black appeared on it. It looked like a flame crest. His arm suddenly was engulfed by the black flame from the marking.

"This kid can make Shadow Mana as well?! This goes against everything on what a Guardian is!!" Iraven said.

"This is...my true power..." A mysterious voice said outloud.

The markings in Aedan spread throughout his arm and the flame he formed in his right hand began taking a form of a blade.

"This is not the trance anymore.. this is something I've never seen before!!!" Iraven said as he tried to attack Aedan.

"You fool. The trance state has already ended the moment you removed the redeemer from his hands. This is something that is different from the Redeemer!!" A mysterious voice in Aedan said. 

"This is the kid's true power. The ETHEREAL Flame of Darkness!!" Aedan and the Mysterious Voice said together."

Aedan blasted Iraven with the Ethereal flame and he began to burn. Iraven rolled on the ground to get rid of the flames of death. Aedan now was preparing to strike him down with the Etheral Dark Blade until he heard another voice. This time it was a familiar voice.

"Don't do it..." She said

"Maiev?" Aedan said as he began to regain consciousness

"Do not succumb to the darkness Aedan..." 

Aedan was now regaining his consciousness and he noticed that he was not holding the Redeemer but a different blade. 

"What is this?!" Aedan said as he tossed the Ethereal Dark Blade away.

He saw the Redeemer sword and he picked it up but when he did that the Ethereal Dark Blade began to end up in his hands as well.

"Opposites do attract Aedan...." Iraven said.

"What the hell is going on?!" Aedan asked him.

"Turns out that the trance state that you've been using all along was not the Redeemer's but it was the Ethereal's blade." Iraven said. "Who knew that you held that cursed blade of eternal dark flame also?" he added

Aedan could not believe when he heard this.

"Well, we could forget that we had this fight. It looks like you need me to train you for your upcoming battles. Not only in the ways of the sword, but also on how to control those things you have." Iraven said.

Aedan was still speechless and awed. Iraven now returned them both to their regular world. 

"I think it is time that you know the truth about the power you have been using." Iraven said as he was about to begin to tell Aedan what he knows of the two blades.