The Circle of Warriors

 "Ahhhhh.....!"

"Calm down," kafas heard a familiar voice speaking in a soft tone and felt the hands of two others holding him down...

"You're awake, thanks be the Gods for keeping you safe," the old priest said to him with a cheerful smile on his face.

"I just saw myself being beheaded," kafas thought while touching his face to be sure if this is real or another dimension of the damn nightmare...still shaking visibly due to the shock of almost being killed.

"I'm alive, right?" with a scared look,kafas asked the priest standing by his right side, expecting an immediate response...

"Yes kafas, you're with us now."

The priest on his right was none other than Master kino, the old priest in charge of the temple....smiling...., raising him, he said...

"We're done with the cleansing ritual, you can rest now kafas," he continued...

"Get him a cup of water," Master kino echoed to Umar who was sitting at a corner close to the door.

"Yes, master kino!" replied Umar and immediately rushed out to get the water.

"Oh! so the old priest's name is master kino, well, I never asked that's why I never knew his name but how could it cross my mind with so much fearful drama surrounding me."

However, kafas was still mystified, wondering how he managed to survive that clean hit by Dracos.

***Sigh***

"Could it be that he missed? of course he did miss, if not, how the hell am I still alive. I will be dead by now..a.....a....and how did I even imagine such a foolish thing in the first instant," kafas thought to himself.

***Mtcheewwwwww***

***Long hiss***

"That's a foolish one you know...and where the heck is this damn mark?" staring intently at his left hand in search of the Drainer which was nowhere to be found.

"Here's your water," a cup of water was handed over to him by Umar.

"Thanks a lot, Umar."

***Gulp!gulp!gulp!***

***Sigh***

"Hmmm"

"How do you feel now?" master kino asked kafas as he handed the empty cup over to Umar.

"I feel calm now, Master kino, "kafas replied, though still shaking quite visibly.

Turning to Umar...

"We all need to rest, so Umar, see kafas to his room."...and turning back to kafas.."see you in the morning kafas."

On his way to the room,kafas learned from Umar that it took a whopping four hours to extract the mark of Dracos from his left hand.

Umar also discloses to him how he was emitting white light from his back and the dagger.

*At the room door*

"Kafas!I know already that you're the liberator,.... good night, see you tomorrow." Umar said in a hurry before shutting the door.

Kafas wasn't surprised that Umar knew immediately cause the white light gave him away already....on his bed,kafas thought of his experience with the monster and desiring to know more about the one who's so bent on destroying him...

"Who is Dracos?" the thought of him kept kafas awake all night...

*********

The next morning, Umar came Knocking on kafas' Door...

***Knock!knock!***

"It's Umar, master kino ask me to come to fetch you for Breakfast,"..." please hurry up."

Since Knowing that kafas is the liberator, a sense of respect for him has somehow found its way into Umar's mind.

"On my way," kafas replied.

***Kriiiiiii***

**door opens**

"Lead the way, Umar, "kafas spoke to him.

At the dining hall sat a large dining table, having the priests sitting at the far end and eldest warriors sitting close to the priests, followed in succession to the youngest warriors.

On entering the hall, master kino beckoned on kafas and pointed out a reserved spot at the middle for him to sit.

"Please feel free to have your meal for the first time with these humble warriors of Upawa kingdom," said master kino with a smile.

Looking at the warriors being referred to,kafas felt very honored to be in their midst.

They are a combination of twenty-five eldest warriors who have taken the heat of battle and have fought alongside their village men, leading and protecting them in battle and twenty-five trainees.

According to the law of Upawa kingdom, every twenty-five years, the twenty-five villages will bring forth a Boy child who will be trained to become a guardian of his village; coordinating and leading them in times of war in absence of the Liberator.

**********

Immediately after Breakfast, master kino called all the warriors to the pavement for a special announcement.

**clears throat**

**Hum! hum!!**

Beckoning to kafas and putting him forward...

"I want you all to meet kafas, the servant of Oasis who we all have been praying for to lead us to battle against Dracos and his princes," said master kino with a smile...and continued...

"He's here to stay with us until he masters the elemental power of summoning his spear."

Hearing the information from the Priest, all the warriors began to be jubilant, saying words of joy and dancing...

"Now there's a glimmer of hope for our existence!"

"We can face and defeat that evil king and his army of foolish betrayals of princes."...and so on...

"Fighting side by side the liberator will be the greatest honor of we, the warriors of Upawa kingdom, for we know that his leading will bring victory."

Truly speaking, a liberator's strength far exceeds that of an ordinary warrior, and only by his leading can they stand equal before their most dreaded foe. This they know and thus spoke likewise...

"I will teach him personally on the ways of the spear," the eldest warrior among them spoke in ecstasy.

"We will teach him all we know," the whole band of eldest warriors echoed while smiling.

"Oh, don't be too hasty, when he gets to age, then can you be able to tutor him but now its time for his meditation lessons; self-discovery," master kino said with a smile... and continued....."aaaaand that will be all for now."

After dismissing the warriors, master kino took kafas on a walk around the temple, showing him different artifacts and explaining in detail what each stands for.

At the end of the temple was two outstanding Statue facing each other with spears locked up in battle, but one looked extremely familiar...

"Ahhh!!! Dracos!!!" Kafas exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, Dracos! The most handsome of the children of the supreme Gods, who later became a monster due to his atrocities," the priest buttress.

"Who is Dracos?"kafas immediately asked master kino...