The oath has been sealed, the connection was broken and a firm, unbreakable bond was created between the broken dark blade and its partner. All the blades, which were made from black flames, around Arthur started vibrating then, all at once, flew straight at Makaze. The millions of swords disappeared in a second, leaving behind a deep growl that resonated in the whole area, shaking the sand and cracking the earth.

Though Makaze was still broken, from the way it was vibrating right now, it was apparent that it regained some of its vitality, no longer being a normal blade that can be defeated by any low-grade artifact.

As he stared at his sword with a somewhat absent-minded gaze, Arthur mumbled

"Once the blade leaves its sheath, blood shall be spilled, no room for mercy, no room for redemption, by my will you shall kill, by your will I shall fight."

When the last word left his mouth, a thick pillar made of ominous black light rose in the air, splitting the flames, clouds and even the sky in two halves.

**********

"This event marked the birth of the Dark Blade's oath and the rebirth of Makaze, one is the eyes and the other is the sharp edges."

In an unknown place, where there's nothing but a peaceful hill and a large tree full of vitality, sat a slim long-haired young man with a black bandana covering his eyes. Although he covered his eyes and his hair was long enough to hide some of his facial features, even getting a glimpse at his face would make anyone assume that this youth was handsome.

The youth wore a ragged cloak and tight black clothes, white bandages were wrapped around his skin and not an inch of it(skin) could be seen.

Before this relaxed and nonchalant youth stood a tall blue-haired woman, she had an expressionless face and a beauty that not every girl could have. She wasn't as beautiful as a fairy but she had a certain charm that no one could deny, what stood up the most was her demeanor, she seemed indifferent to everything and anyone who knows her can do nothing but bow his head in fear and respect.

Yet this infamous empress was patiently standing there and listening to the youth, contrary to her usual behavior, she didn't act high and mighty or show any sign of arrogance because, in front of this youth, she's nothing but a young child that still didn't learn how to walk.

"Then what happened?"

Hearing her talk for the second time since she arrived, the youth smirked and replied

"What, you say? Well, that's a story for another time."

The woman was clearly displeased as she expected another answer but despite what she was inwardly thinking, she performed a polite bow then disappeared from that hill.

As he leaned on that tree and enjoyed the breath-taking scenery, where there's nothing but stretched green planes and a peaceful atmosphere, he let out a long sigh and went back to his real form.

Within that quiet hill, with the exception of the lonely tree, there appeared a dark blade that was stuck in the ground, just a few centimeters away from the tree.

Wind whistled for a few seconds as it passed the hill and when it was gone, the sword vanished, returning to its deep and long slumber, never to wake up in the next thousand years....

....

In some area called the Water Region, the blue-haired woman appeared in a majestic palace. It would be an understatement to call it a palace, it was so grand and large to the point that it could house thousands of people.

She didn't bother greeting the elders or the training disciples. She appeared in a luxurious room with dense Water and Ice energy in it, the room was several layers underground and was a secret hideout no one but her and few others know about.

Just when the tall woman appeared in that room, another shadow followed right after. Upon a closer look, it was a short girl dressed in a white robe, she was a bit chubby and had a baby face but underestimating her will only cause the fool who did so to die without realizing how he perished.

"How did things go?"

As she asked the little girl, the blue-haired woman seemed in deep thought, she wasn't even looking at the girl as if her mind was troubled by something else.

"The search finally bore fruit. From what I deciphered, most of the pieces of information in the ancient record are ninety percent false but there are some small similarities between them, they all point toward one location."

When she heard the rather good news, the empress finally shifted her attention to the girl, she furrowed her brows as she didn't expect to find anything worth investigating. Almost all the records from the past were erased, even someone with her power and influence only managed to find a couple of dusty old books thanks to her connections or by venturing in extremely dangerous areas where she almost died more than one time.

"Where?"

The little girl shook her head in disappointment and replied

"It's a nameless place, pinpointing its exact location would need more time and it's certainly located outside of the Eighteen Regions, even beyond the Blood Sea."

"I don't care, just find me its location."

The tall woman ignored the strange look the little girl was giving her. After hesitating for a bit, the shorty added:

"B-but going beyond the Blood Sea would be violating the 'High Rules', knowing their attitude toward lawless people, they'll certainly act against you within a day at most."

Still showing total indifference to what her subordinate said, the tall woman retorted

"Hmpf! Isn't the Fire Region sending multiple groups and seizing our lands? That's already a violation of the third rule, they will be busy dealing with them rather than us, I'll have plenty of time."

The subordinate nodded her head and vanished into thin air, leaving only the tall woman in the luxurious room.