"The Warrior Who Did Not Strike” [Part 3] Tengu Origins - An Infinity Kingdom Story

🔷 Introduction

Welcome to part 3 of my new Tengu series. 

This will be inspired by the new release of Tengu in our game and incorporating his legend within the realm of Norheim. His story will be roughly based on his historical legend with a twist from within the game we know and love. 

I will be bringing 1 or 2 new episodes per week so stay tuned for more!

🔷 Recap Part 2:  “The Warband of Iron Fury”

General Kurogane of the Iron Fury marched on Kurai no Mine believing that overwhelming force would shatter the Crimson Guardian. Instead, the Great Tengu stood unmoving, turning the army’s own aggression against them until Kurogane was defeated by the echo of his own strength.

🔷 Part 3:  “The Warrior Who Did Not Strike”

Word of the Iron Fury’s defeat traveled farther than any army could march.

It crossed seas.

It reached the ears of a knight who had never needed to charge first.

From the western kingdoms came El Cid, called Campeador master of the patient blade. He was not known for fury. He was known for inevitability. Where others swung wildly, he waited. Where others rushed, he measured. And when his counter fell, it ended wars.

He did not bring an army.

He climbed Kurai no Mine alone.

The Great Tengu felt him before he saw him.

No tremor of marching boots.

No tremble of hostile intent.

Only a steady rhythm controlled breath, disciplined steps.

At the stone torii, they faced one another.

Wooden wings folded.

Steel cloak resting still.

Two guardians of different worlds.

“You are the shield who returns strength,” Cid said calmly.

“And you are the blade who waits,” Tengu answered.

Neither drew first.

The wind hesitated.

Cid stepped forward not with a strike, but with a testing motion. A half-cut that stopped short. A feint without commitment.

Tengu did not respond.

Hours passed like this.

A strike that never fully formed.

A counter that never fully answered.

The forest watched as two masters circled the shape of violence without embracing it.

At last, Cid smiled faintly.

“You rely on the storm,” he observed. “But what if there is no storm?”

He sheathed his sword.

The wind around Tengu thinned.

For the first time since he had taken his post, the Crimson Guardian felt the edge of uncertainty. His power fed upon incoming force. But this knight offered none to consume.

The next few days became something unexpected.

Not battle.

Instruction.

At dawn, Cid would attack but only halfway. He forced Tengu to move first. To initiate small motions. To break his stillness. Each time Tengu attempted to wait, Cid reset the distance.

“Defense is control,” Cid said. “But control is not the same as dominance.”

They trained beneath falling leaves.

Steel rang softly.

Wooden wings shifted.

Mountain wind learned new patterns.

Tengu adapted.

He began redirecting before impact. He adjusted footing before pressure arrived. He learned to feel intention, not just force.

For a brief moment, they resembled master and student though neither spoke of who was which.

And yet… a subtle shift grew in Cid’s gaze.

Where once there was curiosity, now there was assessment.

Where once there was respect, now there was calculation.

On the seventh dawn, Cid finally committed to a full strike.

It came without warning.

Fast.

Precise.

Tengu met it cleanly not by waiting, but by stepping inside the arc. Their blades locked. The mountain wind surged between them.

The clash split a boulder behind Tengu in two.

They broke apart.

Silence followed.

Cid lowered his blade slowly.

“You improve quickly,” he said.

But there was no warmth in it.

He turned, adjusting his gauntlet.

“In my homeland,” Cid continued, “we do not guard mountains. We conquer them.”

The words hung like frost.

Tengu remained still, but the wind no longer swirled gently. It tightened coiled.

Cid stepped toward the torii gate, pausing only once.

“You have learned much,” he said without looking back. “But do not mistake adaptation for equality.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“When next we cross blades… I will not be instructing.”

He descended the mountain without another word.

The forest did not breathe until he vanished from sight.

High above, the Great Tengu stood unmoving.

But this time, it was not serenity that held him still.

It was anticipation.

📄 Recap Questions

1. If a guardian learns to strike first, does he remain a shield or become something else?
2. Has Tengu gained mastery… or stepped into a rival’s design?

🔷 Conclusion

A warrior who refuses to attack cannot be countered but a warrior who teaches may be shaping the battlefield long before the duel begins. And now, pride has entered the mountain wind.

See you next week!

🔷 Hades, Press Officer.

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