With the sun fully visible over the walls of Luro, Ilian and Kally calmly walk towards the school entrance, with mere minutes to spare. The school building, a small marble building with only one room, was once a church. With the construction of an even bigger cathedral closer to the castle, the church was repaired and gifted to the town as a place of learning. It can fit every student in each class even if they have to go shoulder to shoulder in each aisle.
"I can't believe you had me buy that frozen milk," Ilian says disappointingly. "That was my entire allowance for this week! You could have at least let me have a bite."
Kally exhales in a blissful haze, not noticing the little bit still left on her right cheek. "I doubt you would have enjoyed it with your picky eating."
"All I'm hearing are excuses to pig out," He shakes his head. Reaching his hand towards her cheek he rubs the speck off. "You owe me a treat now."
"That's not we agreed on!" She bitterly puffs her cheeks. "I asked if you would get it for me, and you said sure!"
"More excuses," he says, looking at the building's insignia. Every church has an insignia to represent their beliefs. This one is in a circle carved into two parts: The top part resembles a crescent moon glowing towards the stars, the bottom is the sun, shining down on the land below. Each part resembling the gods they revered. An extinct religion. Their faith was lost when their home kingdom vanished without a trace. The only remnants being these churches spread far across the world.
"Bully!" Kally yells, punching his shoulder, jarring him from thought. She sprints towards the entrance. "Hurry or we will be late again!"
Ilian charges after entering mere moments before the church bell chimed. The place was filled with students, twelve rows split in the middle, each half can sit an average amount of ten people, sixteen with kids, and if they really packed in, they could fit twenty. Currently, side is seating eighteen kids per row with only one open seat left in the very back right next to Kally.
Here goes one hour of my life, Ilian grunts in his head losing focus of what is being said. Classes go for the entire day, each taking an hour. The first hour is for announcements and plans pertaining to the day, then it's off to our subjects. Each subject takes a varying amount of time each day, they could take four hours, twenty minutes, or were not on the schedule at all. It's the students' job to pick and choose which subjects to attend based on the announcements. End of the day is marked when the church bell rings again.
"Today however, will not follow the normal schedule." Ilian was shaken out of his thoughts by the teacher's words. "You will be given your apprenticeships today. On the board I have written down three groups, look for your name under these groups and remember the numbers assigned above. Once you have found your name and number go back to your seats. I will explain what to do after." The teacher closes their book and flips over the chalkboard revealing the lists. "You may begin." The students rise out of their seats towards the board.
I already know which one I am under so why bother, Ilian assures himself. Kally starts tugging his arm.
"Come on. I know you believe we are last, but you can't be certain until we go check." she pleads.
"Fine, let's go see." he stands up leading Kally to the crowded board.
By the time the two made it to where the names were visible, half of the students have already sat back down. Without any thought Ilian quickly glances at group number three finding his name immediately at the bottom. As I thought. Last. He glares, starting to search for Kally's. To his surprise, he couldn't find her name anywhere in group three. He looked through group two, still nothing. There is no way she made it to group one, He thinks. Looking at every name in group one he still couldn't find it. Where is her name? Confused he starts walking towards the teacher who is reading a book on how to be a parent. The teacher is a bald, bulky man in his forties who looks like he spends every night at a bar losing every gamble. "Excuse me?" Ilian asks. "I can't find Kally's name anywhere. What group is she in?"
"I told you to only look for your name." He looks up from his book recognizing Ilian. "Oh, you're asking. Since she has only been here for four years, the council decided to hold her back so she could catch up to everyone that has been here for six."
The council: A group of old wrinkly nobles who answer directly to the king. They were put in charge of everyone's education as well as the licensing system. Whatever they decree is law unless the king objects. There are currently five of them and they look like they could die at any moment.
"Don't you worry," The teacher reassures him. "It will only be for a year. She will be back by your side before you know it, Ilian. Head back to your seat if you have found your name. It looks like everyone is almost seated."
Ilian listens and heads back down the aisles towards Kally, who looks gloomier than usual. "I'm not on the list. Why am I not on the list?" She says nearly tearing up.
Ilian quickly wraps his arm around her. "It's so you can have a better chance at a life after school." He calmly explains. "It will only be another year, and it's not like I am leaving home any time soon. We still have five years left in that place. Plenty of time until we are adults."
"Thanks." She mumbles, dropping her head onto Ilian's shoulder. "Five years left you say. Five more years after tomorrow." She raises her head slowly, revealing her tear-stricken face, her watery eyes, and a smile. "I can wait a little longer." She wipes her face just as the last student sits down.
"Now that you are all seated, I will explain what this means." The teacher speaks. "I believe most of you expected this or have heard about it from your parents, so I will be brief. This is the list of excellence. The people in group one having the most points, group two having an average amount, and group three having the lowest. Groups one and two, stay seated. Group three, head over to the barracks near the city's southern gate. You will be greeted by Instructor Kalen. Listen to everything he says. He will be your new teacher once you leave those doors. That concludes today's agenda. Group three, you may leave."
"Come on, Kally. Let's get you home." Ilian says. Helping her stand, the two left the school and started walking towards the Orphanage.
"Can I walk with you to the barracks?" Kally asks. "I'm not ready to go home yet."
Thinking about how sad she looked earlier he agrees, and the two change directions towards the barracks.
With how crowded the streets are, it took thirty minutes to reach the southern barracks entrance where a knight stands on guard with a list in hand. The knight, fully clad in polished iron and leather, creaks with every movement. "You apart of group three?" the knight asks.
"I am." Ilian replies, "She wants to join today's session. Is that alright?"
"Not my call. Talk to the Commander. He is in his office." The knight steps aside to let the two in. "While you are there, tell the Commander we are waiting on three more."
There are three barracks in the city, each one near the city gate: the western barracks, the southern barracks, and the northern barracks. The city considered adding an eastern barrack, but beyond the wall is a dense forest teeming with dangerous beasts, so they thought against it. This barrack isn't in the best conditions. To the right of the entrance are areas for archery training, sword practice, and mock battles. Each one looks worn down, begging for repairs. To the left are two buildings: The one closest to the entrance is what everyone calls The Office. It's a structure made of both wood and stone, designed to withstand against attacks and fires. The second building is a storage space built to hold the training equipment; it also doubles as a changing room. Straight ahead is the courtyard, where everyone is currently gathered around a stage, waiting for the daily assignments. Ilian spots a few students from group three among the crowd.
"We should hurry," Ilian says, walking Kally towards The Office. "Who knows how long we have left to ask."
Kally nods her head, following Ilian inside. The Office's interior resembles more of a cozy cottage then a war base. To the right is a room with a fireplace, and a table surrounded by four wooden seats. To the left is a closed door probably leading to the Commanders' quarters. Ilian knocks on the door. "Enter," a deep, coarse voice calls out. Ilian opens the door and the two walk inside. The room took Ilian by surprise. Inside is filled with shelves of books, the walls covered in detailed maps of the surrounding lands and villages. On the other side of the room is a desk finely carved with intricate patterns and swirls. Sitting behind it is a man with a large grey beard wearing a dented helmet and leather arm braces, writing on some papers. He sets down his quill and looks up. "How many left?" He asks the two. The man radiates authority, making Ilian hesitant.
"Three." Ilian replies nervously.
"Hmm. That's not right." The man ponders. "Who are you then."
"Ilian. This is Kally," Ilian looks towards Kally seeing her tremble. "She wishes to join today's session."
"Fine by me. From here on you will call me Commander Kalen or Commander." He speaks. "Gather with the others. I will be out shortly." He looks back down to his papers, picking up the quill, and continues to write. Ilian guides Kally outside the building.
"Scary!" Kally finally speaks, clinging onto Ilian as they walk into the crowd. "I hope his happy side is better."
A nearby guard, overhearing Kally's words replies, "Nope. That's his normal self."
Kally eyes widen as she grips Ilian tighter, giving him the feeling of his organs being crushed.
After multiple failed attempts and five minutes of pleading, Ilian manages to get Kally to loosen her grip just as the Commander steps on the stage. "Soldiers." he begins. "As you can see, we have some fresh faces with us, meaning it is trial day. We will be following the same drills we do every year at this time to see how valuable these children will be as fighters..." Ilian loses focus, Kally is shaking too much for him to pay attention to the Commander's words. Instead, he continues to calm her down any way he can.
*Cough*
Without Ilian realizing, the Commander had made his way right in front of the pair and was staring at them with an intense glare. "These two will go first." He declares. "Take them." He takes his leave.
Oh no. Stunned; Ilian is dragged into the storage room by two knights.
"I feel bad for you and your friend," One of them says. "Whoever he picks will not be walking for the next month."
"And he picked two this time," The other one adds. "It will be interesting this time around."
"What is about to happen?" Ilian asks.
"You and your friend are about to fight the commander," The second one answers. "You really agitated him. On the first day to!"
This knight is oddly excited for what they consider to be my death sentence, Ilian remarks. Better keep a close eye on them if I live through this.
The three enter the building and close the door behind them. Inside is filled with crates scattered about the room, the only light in the place is from candles hanging on the wall. In the back Ilian can barely make out a door. "The training gear is further back," the first guard says. "Grab what will fit and change in the back room. Come out when you are ready." Without any way out of this situation Ilian accepts his fate and hurriedly changes. Best to get this over with. Damn my luck today, Ilian curses in his head.
The training armor is made out of a lightweight leather for maneuverability. Perfect for beginners. When he is finished the guards open the door letting scared, trembling Kally in so she can change. The two knights direct Ilian to where the fight will be taking place, not that they need to. Everyone who was watching and a few civilians who overheard were gathered around a square sanded area passing around a helmet, and a paper note, betting on how fast the challengers would fall. This is reassuring, Ilian sarcastically thinks. I'm going to die, and they are making bets on how painful it will be. He enters the mock arena, waiting for Kally and the Commander. He can hear the cheers of the crowd, wishing him luck and a quick recovery. Soon after Kally enters the arena with the Commander right behind her. She can barely walk, fear has fully taken hold over her body, refusing to listen. The commander offers them both wooden swords. Ilian taking them both, he walks over to Kally, grabs her hand, gently putting the weapon in her grasp.
"Just stay next to me, I'll keep you safe." he whispers into her ear. She nods.
"This fight has two outcomes," The commander yells. "Either you both fall, or you hit me and win." He gets into defensive stance, glaring at his two opponents. "Charge at me."
Ilian races forward. If I can hit him, we win. Kally can stand there; it will be fine. It has to be. He thinks. He readies his swing but finds himself on the ground a mere moment later. What the- Interrupting his thought he spots a shadow looming over him. He rolls to one side barely dodging a strike to his head, but the Commander doesn't give him room to breathe. Just as quick, the Commander begins his second strike aiming at Ilian's chest. Without hesitation, Ilian goes to block, but he wasn't fast enough. The strike hits, knocking the wind out of him.
"Five years," The commander speaks, striking Ilian again. "I have five years to break you," another strike, this one at his right arm. "Five years to mold you," a third one at his left leg. "Five years to turn you into a soldier fit for war." Another strike hitting the top of his head. Again and again, the commander strikes Ilian, spouting to the crowd how he will make them into perfect soldiers.
"No," Kally weakly pleads. "Stop."
The commander turns his head towards her. "What is that? Stop?" he questions. "This is war. No amount of begging will save your life." Seeing as the commander distracted, Ilian swings the sword, targeting the knees, but the commander parries it while still looking at Kally, knocking the weapon out of Ilian's reach. The commander strikes Ilian's hand. "This is what you need to learn. If you want to live, you must be able to fight, to guard yourself against any blow."
Kally falls to her knees, weeping. "Please stop. He's had enough."
"Then protect him." The commander grabs Ilian's armor, lifting him slightly off the ground, and tosses him closer to Kally. "If you can do that, I will say you have won."
Kally looks down at her bruised friend with fear pouring out of her eyes. Ilian, seeing this, musters the strength he still has and lifts himself to his knees. "Hand me your sword," he asks Kally. "I can still fight. I can still protect you." Kally nods and offers her sword to Ilian, yet before he could grab it, he felt a sharp pain on his left side as he was flung across the arena.
Coughing and barely conscious, Ilian can't help but watch as the commander steps closer to Kally, readying one final swing. He watches as Kally shakes her head, pushing away, begging for mercy, trying to find a way out of it. He watches, and could only think, I can still fight, I have to fight. Get up, Get up. His body shakes and tenses, trying to move but to no avail. You have to, you said you would protect her. He tries again. She wasn't supposed to be here. She had one more year. And again. She wanted to tag along not get dragged along. And again. So, protect her, you have to. You must protect her.
"NO!"
Ilian hears Kally's screams and manages to focus long enough to see the commander about to land the blow, only for everyone to be consumed in a wave of darkness.
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Nul opens his eyes to find himself in a room filled with moving paintings. He sits up, looking for Meliana, but she is nowhere in sight. Confused, he stands. Surveying the room again he notices it rapidly changing, morphing into new shapes, expanding and contracting in size with new paintings, sculptures, and mirrors.
What is going on? Where am I now? Nul thinks.
"Where am I now?" The room echoes, gradually fading each time.
Yup, I hate that.
"Hate that," The room echoes.
This place is annoying, Nul believes. Where is the way out?
On cue, a door forms on the wall in front of him, leaving him baffled.
What the hell? What is this place!?
"Can't you tell?" Says a growly, disembodied voice. Turning towards the direction it came, Nul spots a portrait of a man with golden hair down to his shoulders and golden eyes that emanate deep hatred. It blinks. "I thought you were smarter than this. Oh, how times have changed."
Growing limbs unseen, the man claws out of the portrait, leaving behind an empty mural that melts back into the wall. "Finally, I can kill you." The man smirks maliciously, never letting Nul out of his sight. His eyes start glowing as waves of heat gather in his palms, his hair stands on end as if electrified. What once was a man is now a demon. Cackling, its hands glow, radiating pure heat, preparing a lethal blow. "You won't get away from me again."
Recalling a feeling of fear and hopelessness, Nul rushes to the door. It opens as he draws closer, slamming shut behind him. Nul, falling to the floor, closes his eyes trying to rid himself of the demon's laughter, but it echoes all around him, never ceasing in intensity. Bright. That thing is too bright. In a panicked state, he covers his face, griping his head with intensity. Wheezing and gasping for air, his vision blurs, feeling himself fall, only to realize he is falling. Still in a panic, he reaches out to grab anything to stop his fall, smashing into obstacle after obstacle.
Spiraling out of control towards what looks to be an infinite abyss of floating doors, paintings and mirrors, Nul frantically looks for a way to stop his fall. He spots a door with a frame carved to mimic growing sprouts with leaves at the top. That one, he thinks. He focuses on that door, thinking of ways to bring himself closer, only for the door to float closer to him, opening moments before impact letting Nul to fall inside.
The door opens to a serene valley surrounded by hills. Nul, without losing velocity, rolled down the edge of a hill into the valley below. Out of his shock, he breathes deeply, calming himself down as he lays in the grass. A gentle breeze blows past his face, and the sun begins to set with glitter filling the darkening sky. He leans his head back, looking up the hill he just fell from. The door is nowhere to be seen, in its place is a singular cherry blossom tree covered in red petals flowing in the wind.
Feeling pain from his freefall, Nul rolls onto his stomach and begins his crawl towards the tree, wincing at every move. A while after the sun had set, he makes it to the tree's base. Resting his back on the trunk, he glances around the open area. Nearby is a weathered rock, too tall to be natural. A little farther is a pile of pebbles and rocks, on top of the pile is a flag.
It's too dark to see it clearly. Nul thinks. He turns his head towards the valley. It really is beautiful here. Wherever here is. He leans his head on the trunk to rest for the night. Watching he sky he spots the moon glowing above the land giving it a chilly hue. I wonder where Meliana is, He drowsily questions, slowly closing his eyes.
"There you are!" Sunlight pierces Nul's eyelids, waking him from his slumber to see Meliana sitting high in the tree. "You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get past that seal."
Still tired and sore, Nul scoots himself up, turning to look towards the valley. "What seal?" He asks. "What are you talking about?"
"The one you, I mean the previous you, set up." She explains. "I am rather shocked you managed this before becoming my guardian. It looked like it was casted to silence a specific presence in this head of yours. It must not have worked sadly; I couldn't find anything there."
"Back up. Casted? Specific presence? My head?" Frustration begins building in Nul. "Where are we?" He looks up at Meliana.
"We are in your mind," she says waving her hands and wiggling her fingers past her face. "Everything that you see are reconstructions of your past. Ideas you have thought, emotions you have felt have all been personified or built here."
"If this is my mind then why are there so many things here? I thought I lost them all." he questions.
"Just because you can't recall them doesn't mean that you can't remember them." She speaks. "Ever had Deja vu, ever recognized something you have never seen before? That is your mind remembering those things not knowing why. Does that make sense?" She elegantly pushes herself off the tree onto the ground, tilting her head while looking Nul up and down. "What fresh hell did you walk out of?"
"I was attacked by a golden demon, and I didn't walk, I fell for who knows how far, hitting everything until I landed in this place." He expresses with a noticeable frustration. "When you said I casted it, you mean with magic?"
"This seems like a perfect time to go explain a bit more while you recover." She sits next to Nul, snuggling closely. "This world the humans call Nya Gara, is filled with magic, teeming with varieties of life, and races beyond imagination using their intelligence to grow with the world. This world," she pauses, "is a gift. It is our job as gods and guardians to protect this gift using our magic. As I have said before, we gods cannot directly affect the world."
"For some reason our abilities are nullified when it passes the sky, as if there was a barrier. We later found that our magic can pass through this barrier if it's given to a mortal on the surface, but not just any mortal can be gifted our power. These individuals are... special... in a sense, and newly born." she breaks, lost in thought. "Regardless, we still chose them, giving them an ageless life, powers only imagination can control, and an existence that can't be snuffed out through normal means. Are you seeing a problem with that?" She turns to face Nul.
"Are you saying I am immortal?" he asks. "And what do you mean by 'snuffed out through normal means'?"
"Yes, you are immortal. What I mean by that other part is that you can't die normally, only banished. There is only one way to end a guardian's life, with the chosen." she answers, "and that's not the problem I'm talking about."
"Then what is the problem?" Nul adjusts himself to be more comfortable, pushing Meliana away.
"The problem is with the guardian themself. After some time, their minds grow corrupted, they warp their perception of protection into a more personal and spiteful problem. They," she pauses for longer, tears forming in her eyes, "destroy anything they deem a threat, hunting people all over the world including other chosen." She begins to cry. "The only way to stop them is to have a chosen beat them and take their place. We had no other choice." She curls up, arms covering her face.
"How many times," Nul's frustration turns to anger, "How many times has this happened?"
"Twice when we started bringing in the chosen. Seventy-eight in total." She bawls. "We had a way to prevent it, but mortals have proven time and time again to be self-centered. Especially my last three guardians."
"What did they do?" he interrogates. "How do you have that much magic?"
"The first started a cult that believes in humanities superiority over everything, even us gods, he wanted to dominate the world and make all living things obey his will that he started the war of the races, the second vowed to kill me for her place in that war." She sniffles.
"To answer the second question quickly: We gods don't have that much magic: It takes everything we have to pick a chosen, we either rest to regain our power or have our followers gift us some of theirs. The second, believing that without magic I would die, invaded the church killing everyone inside, and ended our religion. All of that was before her corruption. After, she believed all religions and beliefs were her enemy. She went on a rampage, destroying the very history of this world and almost ending everyone's way of life forever. Her actions caused current historians to mess up how old everything actually is." Meliana eyes became lifeless.
"The third, your predecessor, was a kind man, helping everyone he saw. I was convinced he was incorruptible. His fall hurt me the worst. His partner guardian convinced him that I secretly wanted him dead, that I would send a fully trained chosen his way just to kill him. Unbeknownst to him and me; the partner secretly tracked and trained the next chosen in the ways of an assassin, but in a way that will assure defeat, and had the kid hunt the guardian until the kid died. Tricked, your predecessor learned a way to track the chosen with the help of his partner. Together the two hunted every chosen." She curls up more. "In a desperate act I overexerted myself finding new chosen, picking them in waves, hoping, pleading that at least one of them would live. I failed every time, until I found you. You were in the last wave, but something unexpected happened to you."
Her eyes showed life once again as she had a realization. "The medallions. Every chosen had a medallion." She started crying again. "That's how those two found them. I'm sorry little ones." She bawls once more. "You had your medallion stolen moments after you arrived. Those two went after the thieves instead of you. Knowing you had survived I stopped picking more and went to sleep." She looks up at Nul, who sits there shocked at the news. "In fact, I'm still asleep, this is just a magical mirage I use that barely spends any magic. I could keep this form going forever if I wanted. I recover more than what I'm spending." She quivers a smile. "I don't want to see you fall like the others. I can't handle anymore."
"I don't know how to give you solace," Nul wraps his arm around Meliana, "but I can give some hope."
"How so?" she asks.
"You said I sealed my mind. That should include the corruption." Nul turns and smiles. "I am likely uncorruptible. We also agreed that if it's for the better, you would seal my mind forever."
Meliana smiles back. "Let's hope you are uncorruptible. I would like you more if you kept these memories."
"We won't know until we try then." Nul speaks. He stands up taking a few steps forward and turns to face Meliana, offering his hand. "Shall we go and find out?"
"Let's." She grabs his hand lifting her to her feet. "Now how do we get out of here?"
"You say we are in my mind. All I have to do is think of an exit." Nul concludes. With that thought two sprouts grows from the ground forming an archway made of wood, a wall shortly forms in the middle, and a handle appears. Turning around, Nul gets one last glance of the landscape before opening the door and walking through, closing it behind them one last time.