Author's Preface
That night Blue sat on the roof of the barracks. He stares at the moon. Yeol sat down next to him. "Tomorrow is a big day, why are you still up?"
"I saw her again uncle, and Ryul. I looked for Haejin. I was hoping he'd be here too. It's... just all too real." Blue looked at the moon as it lit up the area.
"Haejin passed first-rate long ago. As for Ryul... he took your death hard. He finally decided to be true to himself and recently started training." Yeol sighed. "Your sister on the other hand. She channeled all her grief, anger, resentment... into her martial arts."
"They are all so close... yet so far away." Blue looked at Yeol with a sad expression.
Yeol patted him on the back. "In due time nephew, in due time. For now go rest, the tournament starts bright and early."
Blue stood and looked across the courtyard for a moment. Then he jumped down to the balcony below and headed to his room. Silence fell for a moment, until a figure stepped out from the shadow. Wu Jin sat next to Yeol. "Will his feelings collide with his ability to win?"
Yeol looked at Wu Jin. "It won't. I know your desire Jin, but don't let it get in the way of truly leading these boys." Yeol stood and disappeared into the night.
The next morning all the participants gathered in the stands under their banners. Twenty-four platforms filled the arena. An elder of the Alliance stepoed forward. "Welcome to the annual rising dragon tournament. As you can see... there are Twenty-four platforms. When your name is called head the your platform. If you do not appear within sixty seconds, your match will be forfeit." The elder scanned the arena. "Let's begin."
The crowd cheered as names began to be called and fights took place on each platform.
"Ilho - Silent Edge. Wen So-Rin - Emei. Platform 16."
Ilho stood, Jinhu gave him a fist bump. Blue grabbed his arm. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Ilho nodded and jumped to the ground. Jinhu turned to Blue, head titled sideways. "Wouldn't you want to float like a bee too? Bees are much faster than butterflies."
Blue stared back at Jinhu. "For once you might be right."
As Blue finished another voice called.
"Jinhu - Silent Edge. Gwak Jinsu - Heavenly Demon Cult. Platform 1.
Jinhu jumped down. He looked back at Blue. "You know, you say the strangest shit sometimes." Jinhu started running his head still staring at Blue.
"Look ou-" Blue's laughed hysterically.
Jinhu tripped over the stairs to the platform. He stood, brushed himself off. When he turned back he noticed the stairs completely demolished from it's encounter with his legs. He turned, waved at Blue. Shrugged his shoulders and jumped onto the platform.
Above Wu Jin buried his face in his palms. Mu Jang let out a roar of a laugh. Sa Gwan muttered one word. "Savages."
Ilho stood in front of the disciple of Emei. They both bowed. So-Rin unsheathed her twin swords and dashed at Ilho. He gave her a small grin. She slashed, missing by inches each time. Ilho had enough. He disappeared, So-Rin looked up at Ilho came crashing down on top of her. Her body fell flat onto the platform with Ilho standing on top of her. "I yield." She turned her head and smiled at Ilho. "You're cute." Ilho jumped back and walked toward the stands. Glancing back a few times at the beauty he just embarrassed.
If Ilho's fight was elegant. Jinhu's was the opposite.
Jinhu stood in front of the Demonic disciple. He clanged his gauntlets together. He knew this tiny person in front of him could do nothing to him. Gwak Jinsu let his qi flared. Red and black qi surrounded him, he yelled and in a flash stood in front of Jinhu, he swung his sword. Jinhu caught the boys arm and laughed. "Can you fly like a bee?" Jinhu launched the boy in the air and off the platform.
"Blue - Silent Edge. Cheon Hwak - Heavenly Demon Cult Platform 19." A voice rang out as Jinhu and Ilho took their seats.
"Kick his ass Blue." Jinhu gave Blue a thumbs up. Jinhu tapped Ilho on the shoulder. "Would you really rather float like a butterfly instead of flying like a bee?" Ilho rolled his eyes. "Let's just watch his fight. We can have a philosophical discussion later." Jinhu tilted his head. "What's phila...philos.. whatever you just said?" Ilho shook his head as he pointed to Blue. The boys turned their attention toward platform 19.
On the platform the referee raised his hand and dropped it. Hwak stood, well over six feet tall, broad shoulders. A large hammer at his side. Hwak and Blue met in the middle of the platform. Blue dodged every attack. "You're slow." Blue let Flowing Steel carry him. He dashed around leaving small cuts all over Hwak. He fell to his knees. Blue pointed his jian at his neck. "Yield." Hwak gripped his hammer tightly. "Demons never yie-."
Blue gave him a cut to his cheek. "Yield. Don't make this more difficult."
"I yield." Hwak hung his head.
In the stands above So-Yeon stood. Eyes fixed on Blue. "Thats the boy Wu Cheng brought to the tryouts. Was that Flowing Steel?" She scanned the arena until she found Wu Cheng.
Wu Cheng stood and met her gaze. He grinned like a kid who just got away with stealing candy. He waved, completely shameless.
As Blue walked off the platform he noticed Ryul on platform one. He stopped and turned to watch the fight. For a moment he was no longer there, he was in the past. A courtyard. A sunset. Two brothers playing games, laughing. The scent of tea and pork filled the air.
Blue watched as Ryul stood face to face with a swordsman from Mt. Hua. That boy doesn't stand a chance Blue said himself. Both boys dashed. The fight was over in two moves. One feint from Ryul made the Mt. Hua boy stumble. The next move knocked him unconscious. Ryul turned and noticed Blue staring at him. Blue's fists were clenched. They stared at each other for a moment. Then Ryul nodded, Blue nodded back and headed towards his seat.
And so the day bled on more participants were eliminated. Most of the disciples couldnt hold a candle to Silent Edge. Namgung, and the mountain of Shaolin and the Demon of the Demonic Cult. Eventually the qualifiers for the quarterfinals took place. Out of all who fought and qualified three names stood out. Three that had dominated the competition easily and cemented their place among the quarterfinalists. Nobody expected three unknowns to dominate, nor to make it this far into the tournament.
The crowd buzzed as the names of the quarterfinalists lit up on the floating screens.
Jinhu. Ilho. Ryul. My Gyeol. Blue.
Three warriors from a group most had never heard of. Silent Edge
Beside them stood two names steeped in prestige...warriors the crowd had expected.
Mu Gyeol, the brutal rising star of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Ryul, the serene and dangerous elite guard of Wudang.
Only three slots remained.
High above, seated in the central viewing platform, Namgung Hyeon was seated. To his right, Jaegal Li sat in his light blue robes. A folding fan waved keeping him cool. He was the Alliance’s general strategist. A man revered for his military genius, and a master of arrays and formations. Every war the Alliance had survived, every gate break, every detail of bringing the sects together, had his name woven into the fabric of it all.
To the leader's left sat Seori, the youngest strategist in training in all of Murim’s history.
Hyeon looked at Seori. "What's your assessment of those three." He pointed toward the Silent Edge banner.
"I had thought prior, they stood no chance. I thought Wu Jin's demand was foolish. Those boys hold no lineage, no background. Seems we were duped."
Jaegal Li chuckled. "We were outmaneuvered. Wu Jin hid those boys until now it seems. Very cunning, and smart if I may add. I should've added stipulations to his deal." Li sighed. "He's not as incompetent and prideful as I thought."
Namgung Hyeon did not speak, his eyes were fixated on Silent Edge.
Across the arena in a private terrace, patriarchs of three major sects sat together. The Heavenly Demon himself, Yong Ma, sneered. "How far the orthodox has fallen." He gazed at the Mt. Hua patriarch. "Three nameless pups. No pedigree. No bloodline. Pathetic.
The Mt. Hua patriarch smiled. "That's alot coming from you. How many Demonic cultists had it through?"
Zhenghai, the Wudang patriarch, stood. “It seems my brother picking up strays and those left behind by fate finally paid off for him. Very interesting."
He looked at Blue's name. "...Still that's no ordinary talent."
Mt. Hua's patriarch stood beside him. "No, that boy is something else entirely."
The three men watched silently as the last matches of the qualifiers took place. Then the projection lit up. The crowd went wild with claps and cheers.
The quarterfinalists were named.
Blue – Silent Edge
vs.
Mu Gyeol – Heavenly Demon Cult
Ryul – Wudang
vs.
Namgung Ryu – Namgung Clan
Jinhu – Silent Edge
vs.
Hanjo – Shaolin
Ilho – Silent Edge
vs.
Namgung Jin – Namgung Clan
As the last gong echoed across the coliseum, the crowd rose to their feet. These were no longer just participants. These were warriors. And the real tournament… was only just beginning.