Chapter 25: Father's Fury
As the golden light spilled across the courtyard of the Abyssal Sect's fortress, so did the shadows of Soso and Echo emerge from the shadowy stone hallways within to find the courtyard echoing with the resounding sound of retreating sect members departing the Abyssal Sect's stronghold.
Soso was free!
The ritual was destroyed!
Both Soso and Echo felt elated by their victory over the Abyssal Sect, but there was no peace to be found just yet!
Ahead, they could see a grand, golden-sheathed carriage being pulled by monstrous armored beasts and surrounded by numerous guards clad in polished silver plate armor. At the center of the carriage stood a man who practically exuded power and commanded everyone's attention as if it were wrapped around him like a second skin.
His dark, penetrating eyes fell immediately on Echo's person, and with conviction, he announced, "You are the one who had the audacity to enter the Abyssal Sect fortress?"
When Soso's father bellowed his son's name, disbelief and fury echoed through the courtyard, resonating with the power of his command that had been gathered over a lifetime. There was a quick glance at Soso before turning to Echo again with a more intense fury growing stronger with each passing second.
Soso's father was a man with high status — a noble with long-established power both politically and magically.
To the father, Echo was merely a lowly freshman with no magical abilities and no ranking or value whatsoever.
Despite being nothing more than a lowly academy student, Echo put his own life on the line for the sake of the father's daughter, who was in imminent danger of death.
"Who do you think you are?" the father shouted, as he thrust his arm out toward Echo. "Do you even realize how much trouble you have created for my daughter? And for yourself?"
Echo stepped toward the father confidently, yet humbly. "Sir," Echo said, speaking firmly and respectfully. "Soso was in danger of losing her life. I could not just sit idly by and let that happen. When a person's life is in jeopardy, rank means nothing."
Echo held the father's gaze. As he spoke, he spoke from a place of strength and conviction — as one who had given of himself completely to save Soso.
The father's face contorted by rage and disbelief.
"You…a lowly student with no magic, no title, no position — how can you think you have any right to interfere?"
As the father spoke, the guards shifted their weight, hands on their sword hilts, ready to act at any moment.
In that instant, the action occurred.
One of the young guards lunged at Echo with a sword in hand.
The speed at which Echo moved was incredible.
He wove around the leading guard smoothly, flashing his dagger once. The guard's sword was immediately redirected back toward him and the guard's arm was caught and locked to the side of the guard's body at the wrist. With a mighty forceful push, the guard was sent stumbling backwards into a pile of broken pieces of wood and stone.
"I do not wish to harm you," said Echo in a controlled tone of voice. "But if it comes to it, I will protect myself."
The fury of Soso's father continued to grow.
Using his hand as a signal, he urged the remaining guards to advance.
Four of the guards stepped forward, moving as a unit with confidence and power provided by the combination of magic and number.
Echo lowered himself into a fighting stance, with eyes ready to attack and every muscle prepared for action.
The guards rushed him.
Echo moved like a shadow.
He cleared the head of the leading guard and jumped to the ground behind him, quickly kicking the leading guard in the back of his knees.
Echo kicked out with his leg to sweep the following guard out from under him, twisting his body as he did so.
Echos next motion was to rapidly spin around and use his palm to strike the third guard, sending the guard's sword flying into the air. As rotation from the spin sent him into the air above the third guard, Echo could see that the third guard now had both of his hands trying to deflect the sword in the air.
Using the published weight of the third guard above himself to push himself above the third guard's position, Echo used the third guard as a pivot to launch the third guard into the fourth guard on a direct collision course with one another.
Every move Echo made was beautiful, smooth, clean, and nearly perfect in execution.
Soso was stunned at what she was seeing before her eyes.
The Overdrive energy that swirled and crackled around Echo was faint but visible, and he was clearly controlling it with precision so he didn't destroy (violence) anything nearby.
Her father had witnessed many a warrior defeat their opponents in battle, but for the first time that day, he was speechless.
In that moment, he understood that this young man, this "one who has (no) magical abilities" was an incredible warrior in a class all their own.
"Your power is - I don't know how to put it into words," Soso mumbled somewhat to herself. "That is a special ability."
There stood Echo; he remained firmly planted and kept Soso tucked securely behind him - yet he was fixated on the noble man and the guards.
From out of nowhere, a guard called out a spell and threw a small lighted symbol at Echo, thus creating an explosion of flame that went off above his head as he rolled toward the guard and up with his dagger out and the glowing and burning symbol from the guard's hand falling out before he was able to even react to what he had done.
The guard went to the ground completely defenceless and breathing heavily.
The remaining guards stood completely still for a second, having just realized that they were completely defeated by Echo and had no hope for a future in which they could defeat him.
For the first time that day, Soso felt the shift in her father's frustration; it was a change from furious to almost complete and utter disbelief before changing into something entirely different. He was beginning to comprehend the truth of what he was seeing.
There was no doubt about Echo's courage and ability as well as his overall control.
Nonetheless, he did not yield due to his pride.
"You've saved my daughter," he growled, "But you will always be who you are!"
As the second guard quit his post to try and catch Echo off-guard, the first swing was caught unnoticed as Echo ducked below the sword's arc and flipped over a large piece of broken masonry.
Echo landed gracefully and twisting the wrist of the first guard caused him to drop instantly.
The second guard ran towards him as Echo lunged forward.
As the guard ran towards him, Echo grabbed the guard's wrist to make a quick disarm move with a quick thrust of the dagger, followed by a kick to the chest of the guard to send him smashing to the ground.
"That's enough!" Echo stated, breathless yet calm. "All your guards are out, and you have seen what I am capable of as well as why I am here."
After confidently stepping forward and speaking to her father very firmly, Soso continued, "Father, Echo has just saved my life and given me everything. I hope you understand that courage, skill, and heart do not need a rank to prove them."
The blow from Soso's words hit harder than any weapon forged.
Soso's proud and fearless stance with Echo caused her father some temporary silence in their exchange.
Echo stood there in silence, as his past actions have spoken loud enough for him to not have to speak for himself.
Although Echo's father seemed to relax slightly, he had not lost any of his pride.
He approached, looking at Echo with a critical eye as if determining whether he would present a threat or whether he was worthy of recognition for who he was.
"I don't know if you really are what you appear to be; but you put my daughter at risk when you made that choice."
"We're here for Soso, and that's all matters to me," Echo responded softly.
There was a heavy silence while the two men processed what was said; not as a defense, but as a fact.
As the tension shifted, the remaining guards put away their weapons and the sounds of their armor dissipated into the surrounding wind.
Soso's father took a deep breath and relaxed his posture for the first time.
"You put yourself in harm's way for my daughter," he quietly stated, more to himself than anyone else. "This should be acknowledged."
While there was still anger in his voice, there was also some hint of pride for what Echo had done to aid Soso.
He could now resolve himself to the idea that Echo had demonstrated true bravery; and that Echo's feelings for Soso were sincere.
Soso was relieved when she saw this change in her father's tone and the gentle yet subtle way he regarded Echo.
All was quiet in the courtyard.
All evidences confirm the events which had just transpired: the ruined stones, the deceased guards and the losing light.
Echo and Soso stood together in victory — although they were both exhausted and bruised.
Across from Echo and Soso stood Soso's father. While still proud, he no longer looked only with contempt but instead looked upon them with some sign of support — as evidenced by the subtle nod giving them permission to exhale after the storm had passed leaving behind a stillness with a different respect than that which existed before.
"You have proven yourself, Echo; the rank you held during this battle is insignificant compared to your actions, which speak far louder than any position could; you have earned my respect," he finally said.
Echo, humbled, replied, "I only wished to protect Soso, and that is all I care about."
Though there was a longer period of silence than either had previously experienced, the exchanges had the qualities of hesitation, inquisitiveness, and perhaps eventually trust.
He had seen Echo's strength with his own eyes, comparable to the strength he had exhibited during their return from the battlefield to home with his daughter.
The sun continued to set behind the walls of the Fortress, illuminating the courtyard in a golden and shadowed light.
Echo and Soso left the fortress that had held her captive hand-in-hand.
Her dad was there, still proud, still watching, but no longer an enemy. There was now respect—still fragile and still uncertain—but there was genuine respect.
The air was lighter. The danger had passed; however, the next chapter of her life had just started to begin.
Echo thought to herself, 'The anger of my father is still there.' 'But the respect has been gained, and the way is open.'