Year 1052:
In a room within the Imperial Castle, an aged man walked back and forth before two children sitting in front of him, holding a scroll and reading aloud.
“In the year 239, after the tragedy that we refer to as the 'Collapse of the Heavens', the Eiloong continent was formed, merging all the landmasses into a giant continent.”
“Jomin-” the brown haired boy started to say.
“Airen Casteya, while in this hall you will refer to me as 'Teacher', how many times have I repeated myself?” Jourmind faked a sigh and lightly hit Airen on the head with the scroll.
“Hehe, you got scolded, Airen” the girl sitting next to him teased.
“But teacher, we've already talked about the Eiloong continent” Airen protested, hands rubbing his head. “And Yuli, you called him Jomin sometimes too!”
Jourmind hit Airen on his head again. “My name is Jourmind, Airen. Not 'Jomin' and your sister's name is Yuelei-- not 'Yuli'. But you are right, I have the wrong scroll.” He put down the scroll and picked up another from the mahogany cabinet behind him.
“In the year 423, after two centuries, five countries firmly established themselves on the Eiloong continent. First off was our country, the Kingdom of Macha. Then came the Red Slate Republic to our southwest, the Holy Land of Ecclisa to the north, the Dew Plains to our east, and the Kingdom of Four Winds to our south. There are also some minor countries that still exist that haven't been swallowed by one of the five countries yet, but as the prince and princess, those will be the ones you will have to deal with eventually.”
“Teacher, are they just like our country?” Yuelei asked.
Jourmind chuckled. “Not at all. The Red Slate Republic's lands are rocky, full of hills and mountains, the Holy Land of Ecclisa has its own unique religion, the Goddess Ecclisa, and it is covered in snow. The Dew Plains are vast, larger than all of the other countries put together, and the Kingdom of Four Winds has four separate rulers and half of it lies in the ocean. Luckily, our Kingdom of Macha is right in the middle of all these countries and has the best lands for farming.
“But if our lands are so appealing, and our country is right in the middle of all the other countries, wouldn't we get attacked?” Airen frowned.
“Of course we would-- But the Kingdom of Macha has the strongest troops of all the countries, and we’re also a vital trade spot for the other countries. Our country's tongue is Elonian, which is the common tongue throughout the Eiloong continent. There are areas near the borders of our countries that are teeming with monsters, and our country controls the few safe roads that go through those areas.”
“If our legions are so powerful, how come we don't just exterminate the monsters?” Yuelei questioned. “Then we can take over those lands and increase the size of Macha!”
Jourmind waved his hands around him. “Throughout the recorded history of the Eiloong continent, there have been several large scale expeditions to exterminate these monsters, In 460 -- the Ecclisa Knight-Templar Order launched an invasion into the Whitefrost Mountains to our north. Their numbers consisted of several hundred rank five weapon masters, fifty or so rank six mages, a couple of rank seven sword-masters, and a rank eight grand-master of the Soul-Scorching Sword School. It was said that day three days into the endeavor, they had lost over half their forces and were forced to retreat. The Order issued a vow of silence, and to this day, we are not sure what forced them to retreat.”
“Didn't they have a grand-master on the expedition?” Airen exclaimed. “Wouldn't that person also be at least a rank six mage as well?”
“Indeed, that person was a rank seven mage of the light affinity. However, he did not return from the expedition. They likely encountered monsters of ranks nine or higher. Rumors were that there were sightings of a Divine Beast during their expedition. Tell me Airen, what is the difference between a Divine Being and a Divine Beast?”
“Both refer to an individual of the tenth rank that have mastered both their weapon arts and magical affinity,” came the reply “Divine Beast is our term for magical creatures that have reached that level, while we refer to our own kind as Divine Beings”
“Correct, there are several rank ten individuals, but only six named 'Divine Beings' on the Eiloong continent, Yue, name them”
“Lord Dumeis, the 'Sword Emperor', dual wind and fire affinity. Priestess Geisla, the 'Soul Saint', pure Light affinity. Magus Telsi'n, the 'Necromancer', dual earth and dark affinity. Lady Elumia, the “Huntress”, pure wind affinity. Sage Grendel, the “Ocean Gaze”, pure water affinity.” Yuelei smiled, “...and Lord Father, Macha, the 'Fist of the Heavens', dual earth and light affinity.
“Very good Yue. Airen, name their weapon choices.”
“Lord Dumeis uses a sword, Priestess Geisla and Magus Telsi’n use a staff, Lady Elumia a bow and a spear, Sage Grendel a staff-twinblade, and our father uses gauntlets.”
“Correct, so you were paying attention after all, Airen. Continuing on, in 510, the Kingdom of Macha attempted to cut down the Sel Forest separating us from the Dew Plains, However, after the first day of lumbering, all of the trees grew back overnight. When we sent our Mages’ Guild to cast fire magic to burn down the unnatural greenwood, all of their spells backfired against them. It is said that a voice echoed from the forest warning them that next time 'it would not be so lenient.' ”
“Teacher, magical creatures and monsters can talk?” Yuelei asked.
“There are no records of talking creatures, but it isn't conceivable that high-ranked creatures or Divine Beasts would have such an ability. Because of that voice, we stopped our plans. And unlike the Ecclisa order, we made this knowledge public, called these new type of creatures 'spirit beasts', which is one of the reasons why our Kingdom of Macha and the Dew Plains have such a good relationship. But that was the last time any kingdom attempted to invade any of the monster infested areas, including the Hero's Desert to our south, and the Sea of Voices to our west. There are likely other areas, but since they’re not near our borders, we can ignore them.”
“Why do they call it the Hero's Desert?”
“Legend has it that the barren wasteland was formed after ten 'Divine Beings' fought with all their strength before the 'Collapse of the Heavens'. If you wandered for long enough in the desert and managed to survive against all of the monsters that dwell beneath the sand, it's said you can see grave-sites dedicated to each hero, or giant skeletons of their magical beast companions and mounts.” Jourmind replied as he walked in front of Airen, who was fast asleep. “It's said that those grave-sites hold great treasures” he whispered.
“Treasures?” Airen's head shot up. “Where!?” Down came the scroll again but this time Airen caught it between the palms of his hands. “Heh, not today Jomin” he said, just as a chop came from Jourmind's other hand.
“Less sleeping in class, Airen.”
“Sorry.” Airen mumbled as he rubbed his head.
Jourmind sighed.
“Sorry. Teacher.”
“Yuli, Yuli, Lord Father is coming back tomorrow, right?” Airen asked. They had just returned to their room after dinner.
“Yes, Airen.” Yuelei replied, sitting on her bed across the room.
Airen stared at his sister. Despite the fact that they were the same age, they looked vastly different from each other at twelve years of age. Yuelei had long black hair, a fair complexion and black eyes, but he had stiff and messy brown hair, a slightly lighter skin tone and brown eyes. He was the older one, but he didn't act like an older brother at all. Yuelei was usually the one pampering him.
“Good, then maybe we can finally tell him about step-mother.” Their mother died giving birth to them, or so they were told, and their father had only remarried two years ago. The new queen, Empress Xeina, was rather negligent and cold towards them.
“Say Airen, the Hidden Potential Ceremony is going to be in a week’s time, right? What sort of combination are you hoping for?” The Hidden Potential was a country-wide event where youths would be tested by high ranked mages and weapon-masters for their magic affinity and weapon of choice. Receiving a high review meant being invited to famous academies, and both Yuelei and Airen were hoping to enter a renowned school far away from the Imperial Palace.
“Hmmm, I don't really care for magic, so any elemental affinity is fine with me. It would be nice if I had potential for multiple weapons though. How about you, Yuli?”
“I don't really care for weapons, but I am rather interested in being a mage.” Yuli smiled. “Warriors win battles, but mages win wars.”
“....sometimes sis, you can be pretty scary.”
“Hehe, as your older sister, who else is going to protect you when you become king?”
“But I'm the older one” Airen grumbled. Nevertheless, he was quite happy with Yuelei's words. “I think you would make a better ruler than I would, Yuli. You're the brains while I'm more like the brawn. You have a certain grace as well, while I'm more of a free spirit.”
Yuelei walked over and patted Airen's head. “I don't have that aura or dignity that would make people want to follow me. I'm also not as considerate as you are.”
“But you're probably going to be stronger than me sis, you are always studying and practicing with such vigor and dedication. I.... I'm just doing it because I have to.”
“You say that but you're nearly as good as I am when you actually stop daydreaming and focus.” Yuelei admonished. “Don't worry elder-brother, you will become a great king one day.”
“Hopefully that day would come later rather than sooner. May father be long lived like the other Divine Beings, and I be free to roam the world for a while.”
“You really are too free-spirited sometimes, Airen. I wouldn't be surprised if you find out that you have wind or water affinity during the Ceremony.” Yuelei teased.
“And you, my dear sister, would have fire or earth affinity.” Airen replied.
“Oh, why would you say that?”
“Because we're total opposites, sister.” And a few seconds after, “...Not like that's a bad thing.“
The next day.
In a small courtyard, Yuelei and Airen were standing side by side, facing Jourmind. In their hands were two wooden rapiers.
“The Casteya Clan's weapon of status is a heavy rapier. Even after you two young ones go for the Hidden Potential Ceremony and find out your chosen weapon of choice, as a member of the Casteya Clan, you will always have the rapier to defend yourself.” Jourmind lectured. “Although the rapier is mostly a weapon for duels, today the both of you will spar with me. Victory to the one that lands the first hit.”
“Yes Teacher!” Yuelei and Airen shouted and readied their stances. Yuelei held the rapier to the left of her chest, the tip pointing straight up, her left foot and shoulder forward. Next to her, Airen held the rapier forward with one arm extended, his right shoulder forward.
“So Yuelei is the defense, and Airen the offense, eh?” Jourmind was an eighth-ranked duelist, and he observed them closely as he deflected the first thrust from Airen, and followed up with light swing which was promptly blocked by Yuelei.
“Hmm?” Jourmind exclaimed as Yuelei suddenly changed her stance and aggressively stepped into the swing and traced her rapier along the edge of his, the blade quickly closing in towards his face. He flicked his blade and knocked Yuelei off-balance. Just as he was about to counter-attack Yuelei, two well-timed thrusts flew past Yuelei’s shoulder forced him to defend.
“Not bad”. Jourmind took two steps back to put some distance between them. Yuelei had recovered and was standing next to Airen again. Jourmind had limited his attacks to that of a second-ranked duelist as to not harm the two, and after five more similar skirmishes, he decided that they were able to stand on par with him as long as he wasn't using any of his ranked weapon arts.
“Brace yourselves!” Jourmind took a stance with the rapier held horizontally and pulled back, like an arrow nocked onto a bow. Airen and Yuelei were familiar with this stance and jumped backwards. A rank one duelist weapon art -- Sonic Thrust. Jourmind released the art as the rapier thrust forward, and two bullets of force shot towards Airen and Yuelei. Yuelei managed to dodge the long ranged thrust of force, but Airen blocked it head on and was sent flying. He flew a few meters before falling to the ground. Seeing this, Jourmind closed the distance between him, and Yuelei and attacked.
“I had thought that your brother was the better one when it came to determining decisions, but seeing that he blocked the art, I suppose I was wrong.” Jourmind said as he traded blows with Yuelei, carefully controlling his power so she could block his attacks, but still enough to overwhelm her. “Unlike your brother who feints and attempts to outwit the enemy, you refine your moves to match the enemy. If it was your brother who was dueling with me now, I doubt that he would have lasted this long.”
“Thanks for the praise, teacher, but you must not underestimate Airen” Yuelei smiled and dodged to the left of Jourmind 's thrust with a light spin and attacked with a thrust of her own.
“He's already out of the fight, think of this as a supplementary lesson for you.” Jourmind replied, twirling her rapier out of her hands and onto the ground. “But it seems like this lesson is also over.”
“I think not.” Yuelei's eyes were smiling.
“?” Jourmind sensed a fast approaching object and turned around to see Airen finish releasing a Sonic Thrust at him. He stood his ground as the bullet of force flew towards him, blocking it easily with a flick of his weapon. “A... a Sonic Thrust?” Jourmind had never taught him the ability, thinking it was too soon. As he stood in shock, Yuelei had retrieved her rapier and lightly poked his behind with it.
“Teacher, I think we won.”
“This is really good.” Airen said, munching on a baked dumpling.
“Yes it is.” Yuelei said, already finished with hers and reaching for another one. “Airen, you absolutely must learn how to make these for me.”
“A prince that cooks in his spare time? What is going to happen to the poor Kingdom of Macha?” Jourmind sighed with a hint of a smile.
“Ignore him, Airen, any princess would fall for you if you can make food this good.” Yuelei responded between bites. “You should really take the culi-, what's that word again, Jomin?”
“The Culinarian Exam.” Jourmind replied. “There are several professions that are well acclaimed on the Eiloong continent, such as culinarians, alchemists, blacksmiths, and artificer-scribes. Each of these professions have five ranks in total, Novice, Apprentice, Skilled, Renowned, Artisan. Artisans are usually well received no matter where they go.”
“You hear that, Airen? If you become an Artisan Culinarian when you become king, people far and wide will come to the Kingdom of Macha”
“Wouldn't it be beneath a king to cook though?”
“No, it isn't uncommon for leaders of their countries to be skilled in a few professions. However, the knowledge is kept secret so only a few know about it.“ Jourmind answered. “It is said that Priestess Geisla is an acclaimed singer.”
“Why do they keep it a secret?”
“Because there are very few Renowned and above craftsmen, after reaching Skilled, you need to take a unique test in front of the respective guild leaders and gain their approval to advance. Every year, hundreds attempt to take the exam. Once every few years, someone manages to reach Renowned, and only a few every century manage to become an Artisan.“
“What does that have to do with kings and queens hiding their craftsman skills?” Yuelei objected.
“Since it's a public test, there are few leaders that actually make an appearance.”
“It seems like being a king is a lot more complicated than I thought.” Airen commented. “Even when Yuelei and I sneaked outside the palace, there's always someone following us.”
That 'someone' was me, Airen. “It is for your own good, Airen.” Jourmind said while shooting Yuelei a knowing look. At one point, Yuelei had noticed Jourmind watching them sneak towards the hole in the wall, and he had put his finger to his lips. She had put two and two together when Airen had forgotten his wallet, and Jourmind slipped a small purse into her hands.
“It's not easy being a prince~” Airen sang while jumping around.
“Or a princess~” Yuelei said, chasing Airen around the courtyard.
Jourmind smiled as he watched the two fooling around. He had come to adore them like his very own children, and he often wished that they weren't born as heirs to a kingdom. Little did he know that his wish would be granted all too soon.
“Jomin, tell us a story.” Airen and Yuelei had returned to their chambers as the colors of dusk had started to blanket the sky, and oddly, Jourmind had followed them. It was still too early to sleep.
“Of course.” Jourmind grinned and started in a matter-of-fact tone, just like when he gave lectures. “In the year 294-”
“No no no stop, Jomin!” the two little ones protested together.
“...There was a certain heroine during that time of war called Alesta of the Golden Lightning.”
“Lightning..? But I thought that-”
“Yes, that was what made her exceptional. This woman with hair a shade of dark red, instead of wielding water, fire,earth,wind,light, or dark elements, wielded lightning the color of gold. It was at that time the world was made known of variant elements, and we would eventually put these in a category of their own, called divine elements, because to be given one was considered to be blessed by the heavens. There are several theories out there as to how variant elements occurred: one scholar said that it was a combination of the parent's elements, another said that the individual was originally had dual elements but one of them was consumed by the other, another said it was a form of mutation, and one even claimed it was due to a pact with a spirit beast. To this day, we don't know.”
“Alesta must have been really special.” Airen said.
“No, Airen, she was human just like you and me. There are few records of her during her youth, but I would imagine that she would have had a rough childhood due to how different she was. But the world knew nothing of her for a long time. The largest empire at the time, the Gatun Empire, attempted to 'unify the Eiloong Continent’, and attacked a small village near its borders. The Gatun Empire was known for levying heavy taxes and forcing its non-citizens to work like slaves. The village resisted, and because of that, that village no longer exists today.“ Jourmind paused, giving some time for it to sink in.
“So the Gatun Empire were the bad guys?”
“There are no good or bad people, Airen, but I believe that the Gatun Empire's methods were 'wrong'. Perhaps, they wanted to set an example, but I believe that there was never a reason to wipe out an entire village’s population. Either way, their conquest went smoothly, and country after country were defeated and annexed by the Gatun Empire. The few countries that resisted were utterly crushed, their people raped and used as entertainment. Those that knew they had no chance had already surrendered helplessly, their rulers executed, and a dictator put in their place. Even the countries with a Divine Being were no match against the three that worked for the Gatun Empire. After conquering most of the continent, their final target was a small country to the west that inhabited the various islands that today are part of the Kingdom of Four Winds. They built large warships, each the size of the Imperial Palace, filled them with their troops, and set sail.” Jourmind wet his mouth with some tea before continuing.
“It was cloudy that day as if foreboding an ill omen, and the enemy fleet was intercepted on the Sea of Voices. Although the island country's ships were more skillful in naval warfare and their mages consisted mostly of the water element, they could not manage to stop the troops from reaching their major port.”
“Why not?” Yuelei questioned
“Because of the number of mages Gatun had. As the Gatun Empire's warships sank, their wind element mages would levitate the troops and fly them towards land. But as I was saying, the Gatun troops managed to land and were making their way onto the beach. It seemed all was lost at that point.” Jourmind paused, and meeting Airen and Yuelei's expectant gazes.
“And when one soldier raised his sword to strike at a fleeing girl, with a thundering crackle, a sword of golden lightning shot from the heavens and impaled the soldier through the heart. The rest of the charging soldiers stopped in their tracks. As they stared in shock at their fallen comrade who was a rank eight warrior and rank seven mage, five more swords of lightning fell from the skies.”
“That was when Alesta, the 'Golden Lightning', made her name known across the Eiloong continent. Alesta wielded a pure white blade of lightning, and flitted across the battlefield slaying one enemy after another. With each flash of lightning, she would vanish, and each clap of thunder, she would reappear, her sword sinking deep into another soldier's chest. What made her even more fearful was that she controlled those six swords of lighting as if were her own body, and soldiers died left and right as they made their way to shore. Despite all their numbers and training, none of the troops knew how to deal with this new type of enemy.
"They simply could not catch her. Before long the sand turned a shade of crimson, the water a dark red hue, and bodies piled up in the thousands. Yet, despite this, it appeared to the islanders as if not a single speck of blood had touched her nor tainted the color of her blades.”
“Why did she appear there and nowhere else when other countries were attacked?” Airen asked.
“Who knows. Human motives are always things that can never be understood easily.” Jourmind shook his head sadly. “But nevertheless, that was a turning point for the Gatun Empire. Four times they attempted to attack the islands, and each time they were repelled single handedly by Alesta. On the second attempt, they only sent rank nine individuals, on the third, they sent rank tens, and on the final attempt, two Divine Beings.”
“Are you saying she managed to defeat two Divine Beings at the same time?” Yuelei gasped.
“Very few managed to witness that battle, so we are not entirely sure. But what we do know that because of their battle, two more islands now exist in the Kingdom of Four Winds, and those two Divine Beings from the Gatun Empire were never seen again. It was at that point the noble-class rulers of the Gatun Empire knew that they had made an enemy of a very, very dangerous person. They sent a messenger with offers of riches beyond imagination and asked her to name what she wanted, and all they received back was the messenger's head with the words 'Nobody can bring back the Dead' seared into the messenger's face.“ Jourmind lightly shook his arm to shoo away a firefly that had landed on him.
“It is said that Alesta went to each conquered kingdom and town, executing all of the rulers put into power by the Gatun Empire. She left rebellion in her wake and exacted justice for the enslaved. Within a month, all of the countries and lands that the Gatun Empire had conquered was in open rebellion. Within another month, the rulers of the Gatun Empire were killed by Alesta.”
“Did she found a country like our grandfather did?” Yuelei asked.
Jourmind shook his head.“ She vanished after it was all over. To this day, many speculate her motives, who she was, if she is still alive, and even if she was actually human. But we would never know as none of the countries from that time exist today, and only a few even know of the legend of Alesta, the Golden Lightning.”
Jourmind patted both of them on their heads. “Now now, the both of you have been up long enough. It's time for the two little ones to go to bed. Look, Airen is already half asleep.” Jourmind picked Airen up and tucked him into bed. Yuelei had followed his example.
“Jomin?”
“Yes?”
“When I grow up, I want to be like Alesta”
“That's good, Yuli, but to do that, you'll need to rest so you can train tomorrow.”
Yuelei smiled and closed her eyes. Quietly, ever so quietly, Jomin tiptoed out of their room and close the door. His mind wandered as he slowly walked towards his own chambers.
There's two sides to every story, Yuli.
In a well-furnished room, Empress Xeina sat alone in the dark, illuminated only by the light of a single candle. If a servant would have dared to peer into the Empress's room at this time, he would have been surprised that the Empress was still awake, seemingly staring into the candle. If he peered even closer, however, he would notice her lips slowly moving, a whisper barely escaping, before he died on the spot.
“Did anyone see you enter the city?”
“No.” a hooded figure spoke, hidden between the shadows. “Why do you even bother asking? There are only five- no four named people on this continent that can actually detect my presence.”
“Four? I take it that our... arrangement is complete then?”
“It took eight legendary poisons, but he is dead.”
“And did you-”
“He is nothing but a walking corpse now.”
“Good.“ The tension in the room seemed to dissipate with the murmuring of these words. “At long last...”
“Relaxing already?” the owner of the voice walked into the candlelight. In the glow, he appeared to be an apparition, with hair of silver white and aged skin pale as death. The dark cloak he wore, inscribed with all manner of faintly glowing runes, only added to this skeleton-like image. “Hold out your arm so we can be done.”
“Is that the way you treat an Empress?” But she did as he instructed.
The man ignored her and opened an ornate chest he withdrew from inside his robe. To Xeina's eyes, it appeared to be a dark red crystal. Taking the crystal into his palm, a light purple flame started glowing from his fingers, and the crystal started to melt and drip onto Xeina's arm.
As the final vestiges seeped into her skin, the crystal formed a sigil, the only evidence of the dark pact that was just made. Without a word, she took out a lotus flower and placed it on the desk. “Here is the herb that you asked for.”
After carefully inspecting it, the man whispered to nobody in particular. “It took six years to procure it.... six years I have waited...“
At this, Xeina felt her anger began to rise. “Six years is a small amount of time for a legendary herb that wasn't even supposed to exist.” She stressed the last part.
In response the man slowly turned his gaze to Xeina, as if seeing her for the first time. His eyes lost its steely glare for a moment, and he opened his mouth a few times trying to form words. Finally he shook his head and simply said. “You needed something to even the deal. I am grateful that you managed to find this.” He cradled the herb as if it was his own child. “But we are finished now.” He turned around and started to leave.
“May we never meet again, Empress Xeina. I know not your reasons, but because of you, there are only four Divine Beings on the Eiloong Continent now. ”
Five, my dear Magus. But the world is not ready to know that yet.
“I thought we were going to be training today,” Airen complained to Jourmind as they entered the courtyard after breakfast, “isn't that what you told Yuli?”
“We are training today. Training your mental fortitude that is.” Jourmind replied as he pulled out two chairs for the two little ones. “A good warrior trains his mind, and a good mage trains his body. “
“Isn't it the other way around, Teacher?” Yuelei asked as she sat down. “Shouldn't mages train their mind while warriors train their body?”
“A good warrior already has a trained body, and a good mage has a strong mind.” Jourmind elaborated. “One must make up for their weaknesses before bettering their strengths.”
“I see.” Yuelei responded. “How would Airen and I practice magic if we don't even know about our affinities yet?”
“You'll find out the day after tomorrow during the ceremony. But today, I'll tell you a bit of magical theory so you won't be too overwhelmed when we start” Jourmind poured out some black-speckled sand from a pouch onto the floor in front of him. “Watch.”
Jourmind furrowed his brow and floated his hand above the mound of sand. The sand began to shift and condense into a small sphere. A few seconds afterward the sphere started to warp and grew a pair of arms and legs. Before long, a miniature Airen figurine was looking back at them.
“This is one of the middle ranked Earth affinity spells, Clay Image.” Jourmind explained. As the figure walked towards Yuli, she picked it up and held it next to Airen to compare.
“Wow, he looks exactly like you, Airen!”
Airen peered face to face with his miniature self. “Does not. My head isn't that big...”
“A higher ranked mage would be able to create a life-sized one, but it takes an enormous amount of soul power. Perhaps, you can ask your Lord Father to demonstrate when he returns tomorrow.” Jourmind smiled. “Put him back on the ground, Yuelei.” As she did so, the figure returned back into a pile of sand.
“The first of using magic is to gather the element in the area around you using soul power.” Jourmind waved his hand, and the pile of sand drifted towards him before settling in front of him. “The second step is changing it.” He furrowed his brow and the sand formed into the shape of a needle. “The last step is to manipulate it” After finding a target, with a gesture from Jourmind, the needle shot into the air and impaled a migrating goose, before returning with the corpse. “Each spell is different. For example, large-scale spells usually require a large amount of soul power to gather the elements, and magical enchantments require skillful manipulation. Generally speaking, it is up to the mage to create, shape, and use a spell.”
“If it's up to the mage to create a spell, how come people give certain names to common spells?” Airen asked.
Jourmind chuckled as he turned the earthen needle back to sand and started to skillfully de-feather the bird. “Most of the time, spells like this Earth Bolt, is given that name because of the magic's purpose and the way the magic is cast. Although I made it into a needle, I could have easily made it into a smooth round rock or a spiked ball. However, either way, it was meant to be formed quickly and shot at the enemy.” As he explained, he started to gut the bird, and a hole started to dig itself next to him “Basic magic manipulation can also be used to change the environment, for example, this hole is being dug with magic. I'm simply gathering the earth element from a specific area, and moving it elsewhere” Jourmind threw the innards and feathers into the hole and packed it with dirt.
“Are you going to cook that bird, Jomin?” Yuelei asked. “Should we ask the servants for some firewood?”
“I've already prepared some.” Jourmind grinned. He carefully prepared a spit-roast pit and placed the wood inside. Once he finished, he stopped and stared intently at the wood.
A few minutes passed, and Jourmind did not move or make a sound.
“Jomin?” Airen and Yuelei chirped quietly. They didn't get a response so they raised their voices and repeated themselves. At the interruption, Jourmind turned towards them and put a finger to his lips, and they quieted instantly. He returned to staring at the fire.
One minute passed. And then another. After a full six minutes, a flame burst forth from the wood, and Jourmind slowly coaxed it into a cozy campfire. Yuelei and Airen stood and stared at Jourmind, for they have never seen him use fire magic before.
“Are you a dual-element magus?” Yuelei ventured.
Jourmind chuckled. “No, I'm not your lord father with dual earth and fire element. I'm just a humble earth mage.”
“But... that was fire magic. We both saw it. “ Airen interjected.
Seeing his pupils’ faces, Jourmind couldn't help but start laughing. “Yes, yes it was.”
“Then-,” how did you do it? The unasked question hung in the air.
“Just because I'm an earth element mage doesn't mean I can't utilize the other elements. A mage can use any element, but it is extremely difficult to use an element that they don't have affinities with. As you saw, it took me a long time to simply create a small flame while it took a few seconds to create an Earth Bolt.” Jourmind revealed as he took out a dagger and cut snippets of meat for Airen and Yuelei.
“That's precisely why dual-element mages are dangerous. Although neither one of their elements are as powerful compared to an element of a pure-element mage of the same rank, they can combine the effects of both elements to create new spells.” Jourmind drunk from his canteen that he always carried around. As he watched the two little ones eat, he asked. “Do you know why your father was called the 'Fist of the Heavens'?
“Isn't it because he fights with gauntlets?” Airen asked.
“That's part of it” Jourmind responded. “There's several stories that most people don't know about that led to him getting his name.”
“Tell us Jomin.” Yuelei said. “Tell us!”
At their clamoring, Jourmind closed his eyes and tried to remember his adventuring days.
“The first event that set everything in motion was probably a tournament hosted in The Holy Land of Ecclisa. Your father did not know he was the heir to a kingdom at the time. He had no fame to his name, or country to call his own, or even a home that he can return to. His only valuable possession was the ring his mother had given him. He was just one of the wanderers in our small band of mercenaries. Despite that, your father was a strong and compassionate individual. When times were desperate, he would forego food so the young war orphans we picked up would be able to eat. I was one of them.“ Jourmind's eyes glazed over as he recalled the past.
“When our leader died in one of our missions, your father was unanimously voted to be the new leader. A few years afterward, he decided it was time that our rag-tag band would have a home, and participated in the tournament with all intention of taking the monetary prize. He was the only person without the name of a weapon school or magic academy backing him to pass the preliminaries. “
“I still remember how he climbed into the finals. All the spectators and judges were whispering among themselves 'who was this man'. None of them knew, but we did.” Jourmind smiled.
“ 'He was our leader,' we had thought to ourselves at that time.”
“When the final duel took place, that was when the foundations of his name was built. The opponent introduced himself as the son of the Acher Clan and asked for his name and status. Macha introduced himself as well, and the opponent, upon finding that he was fameless individual, started to insinuate that he was cheating. Your father ignored him and waited for the bell to signal the start of the match. Right before the bell went off, his opponent made the mistake of calling our small band a group of highway bandits. The fight was over in an instant. Macha had sent the enemy flying into the skies with a flaming uppercut. In stunned silence, the judges pronounced that his opponent had died.”
After another sip from his canteen, Jourmind continued. “Using our newly-acquired funds, your father bought a large estate that we started to reside in. After his display of strength, more and more people came to us for jobs. Our living conditions were much better than before.”
Jourmind 's face darkened. “It wasn't uncommon for people to die in the tournament, especially if they refused to yield, but the Acher house came for revenge. It was... a massacre. After waiting for Macha to go out on a job, they came and killed everyone. Our haven for wanderers turned into an execution ground. A few of us managed to hide in the hidden underground storage room, and we had to listen to the screams. After they were finished, they set the place on fire to hide the evidence. Black smoke started to waft in, and eventually, we passed out.”
Jourmind 's hands were clenched and his teeth gritted. Remembering that Airen and Yuelei were watching, he forced himself to relax. He started to wonder if this story was too gruesome for the two.
“What happened next?” Yuelei quietly asked.
“When I woke up, someone had taken me out of the wreckage. I sat up and saw Macha digging through the rubble trying to find other survivors. I took a look around and saw the eight of us, the eight that were hidden in the storage, on the ground next to me. We were the few that survived. I called out to your father, and when he saw I was awake, he rushed over to see if I was alright. His expression that day, I could never forget it. It was the face of a man devastated by emotions. And then I told him what had happened.”
“That was how we came to the Kingdom of Belsing in pursuit of the Acher clan, all for the sake of revenge. If you recall, Belsing was your grandfather's name. He had recently passed away and there was a war being fought over the succession. It was rumored that he had a son, but nobody was sure of who it was. As a result, several people came out claiming to be the son. The man your father killed in the tournament was one of these false pretenders to the throne. We infiltrated the Acher clan’s estate posing as mercenaries posing under a different name and sharpened our fangs. And one night, we returned the favor done to our home.” Jourmind paused.
“We spared anyone that surrendered. Just as Macha was about to strike down the Acher clan leader, that person noticed the ring Macha was wearing. With Macha's appearance, his power, and the ring, he put the pieces together and begged your father to spare the others’ lives in return for his own, calling him a 'benevolent king.' Perhaps it was the realization of who he actually was, perhaps it was the Acher leader's two daughters jumping in front of him, maybe both, but Macha's anger receded. He asked for the person that ordered the massacre, and found out it was the clan leader's second wife. And then he gave them an offer. Her life, his allegiance, one of his daughters, and he won't exterminate his clan.“
“The rest from there is unimportant. Your father had reached Divine Being status at that point, and he single handedly won the war. Some of the loyal factions he managed to persuade, several of the pretenders he crushed with an iron fist, but what made him king wasn't power but rather the admiration of the public. After five years of civil war, the masses were tired and hungry. Macha ordered the clans on his side to open their gates and use their money to feed the people. When fights broke out between factions, Macha would appeared and it seemed to onlookers that he fell from the heavens, as he slammed the ground causing the earth to splinter and crack. With both the backing of the public and several powerful clans, your father eventually properly succeeded your grandfather. And that was the story of how your father became the ‘Fist of the Heavens’ as well as how the Kingdom of Macha came to be.”
“What happened to the young girl that father took as a hostage?” Airen asked.
Jourmind stared at the sky that was starting to turn a shade of orange and red and chuckled. “It's funny how love works, because that girl was your mother, Airen.”
“What?” Yuelei exclaimed “How did that happen?”
“A story for another time.” Jourmind promised. “Right now, it's time for the younglings to be off.” He stood and ushering the two towards the Imperial Palace for their daily bath, ignoring their complaints and waving them off to a servant.
As Jourmind was cleaning the fire pit, a blue sparrow darted from the skies and onto his shoulder. Jourmind rummaged around his pockets and pulled out a small bag of nuts that he fed to the sparrow.
“To think that someone still uses our old band's method of communication...” Jourmind mused. “I wonder who it's from...”
As the bird pecked at the dried nuts, Jourmind retrieved the message that was tied to it's leg.
Reading the message, Jourmind's eyes first widened, then steeled into a glare. He glanced around him to check if anyone was watching. After asserting that there was no prying eyes, he hid the message within his pockets. He knelt down and brushed the sparrow's head a few times before finally pulling himself together. Jourmind quickly left, and when he returned, he tied another message to the bird's leg.
“Little bird, you may have saved us all.”
“Hey Yuli.”
“What?”
The pair were returning to their room after a lavish dinner. Airen fumbled around his brightly colored robes and pulled out a small box.
“We won't have time on the day of the ceremony, so...” Airen shifted his feet. “Happy birthday.” He presented the teal box to Yuelei.
“So that's what you were buying the last time we snuck out of the palace.” Yuelei teased. “It's funny because we think alike.” Yuelei also took out a mint colored box, slightly larger than Airen's and handed it to him.
They opened it at the same time. Within Airen's was a dark red piece of cloth embroidered with lotuses. Upon closer inspection the lines in the cloth seemed to glimmer slightly. Within Yuelei's was a beautiful hairpin encrusted with three deep blue gems.
Airen picked up the cloth, despite how thick it was, it was extremely lightweight and flexible. “So.... you first?” he ventured.
“Fine. This scarf is specially made from the fur of a rare magical beast that never dirties. You can use this cloth to wipe just about anything and it would still remain clean, and if it tears, it slowly fixes itself” she said proudly.
“That's... pretty useful” Airen conceded.
“Ok, your turn.”Yuelei pressured.
“That hairpin was made by a blacksmith, not a jeweler” Airen bragged. “Each gem has a special effect. Touching the smallest one would cause it to emit light. The medium-sized one changes color if it encounters poison, and the largest one can be used to find water.”
“Wow, where did you get this sort of thing?” Yuelei questioned.
“Actually... Jomin helped me pick it out” he confessed.
“Really? Jomin told me to get this for you too...” Yuelei said.
They both held their heads in silence.
“That Jomin... he really did ruin our competition this year, didn't he?”
“Either way, I would have won. Obviously my present was the better one.” Airen declared.
“Is not. You know I don't wear any of those weird hairpins. Plus mine is more useful.”
“But... it doesn't do as much stuff as mine does...”
Their argument continued until they passed it off as a tie.
Later that night.
Airen woke up with a hand softly covering his mouth. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and he saw Jourmind with a finger pressed to his mouth. Jourmind's piercing eyes stared at him, and Airen nodded his head. He gestured for him to wake up Yuelei as he walked to the door and peered outside.
“Yuli, wake up,” Airen whispered. After nudging her a few times, Yuelei finally roused from her sleep.
“What is-”
Airen put a finger on his lips.
“?”
Jourmind went over to both of them and knelt down so he can see them face to face. “Airen, Yuelei. First, change into these and listen to me closely.” Jourmind handed the pair some dark-hued clothing. As they fumbled in the dark to do as he bid, he continued.
“The capital is no longer safe. Your father tasked me to get you out of here.” Jourmind handed the two of them two large burlap sacks. “I know you two have questions but now is not the time. Right now, we need to escape.”
The two children were confused at first, but quickly followed Jourmind's instructions. After moving them to the corner of the room, Jourmind removed a few tiles on the floor. He placed his palm onto the ground and after a few moments, the earth started to shift apart until a small man-sized passage was made.
“Airen, you go first, Yuelei follow him. I'll be right behind you two.”
Once the children had moved ahead, Jourmind squirmed in and replaced the entrance with magic, hiding their deed. The tunnel was relatively straightforward, and by no means uncomfortable to traverse, if not for the dirt sticking to all three individual's clothes as they crawled forward. After an hour, someone broke the silence.
“Jomin, where does this even lead? And why did father ask you to take us away from the palace? Wouldn't we be safer there?” Airen’s words assaulted Jourmind, unable to hold back any longer.
“Lord Father is a 'Divine Being' isn't he? Why would anyone want to risk the wrath of someone like father?” Yuelei added.
Jourmind did not wish to lie to the children, yet at the same time he needed them to concentrate on the task at hand. “An incident befell your father and he was severely injured. There are rumors that the Imperial Palace has been infiltrated by assassins.” he replied. “This tunnel leads to the outskirts of the city where we are going to go into hiding for a while.”
“Are you going to protect us Jomin?” Yuelei asked.
“....I'm confident I could protect both you and Yuli, but sooner or later, a small mistake could be the end of us.” Jourmind explained. “When you're not sure who your enemies are, that is the worst situation to be in. Remember what I said about how to deal with your enemies? If your enemy is stronger-”
“Elude him.” Yueli said. “If your enemy is your equal-”
“then prepare for him” Airen continued. “And if your enemy is weaker-”
“Crush him” a female voice declared, and the ground started to shake. The earth above the three's heads splintered open and all three were ejected into the open.
Jourmind quickly oriented himself to land on his feet. He came face to face with Xeina and two masked men, each of them holding onto an unconscious Airen and Yuelei.
“It did not strike me that you too were a reader of the art of war.” Xeina commented. “But think you, a sixth ranked earth magus, can elude me? A tenth-ranked magus of the same element?”
In a flash, Jourmind drew his rapier and took a defensive stance. He glanced at the two masked men. “Put those two down. I do not know what sort of grudge you hold, but those two are innocent.”
“Innocent?” Xeina started to laugh, a grudging laugh full of bitterness and a hint of sadness. “Nobody is truly innocent, Jourmind, or should I call you by your full name? Jourmind Acher.”
“The Acher family banished me before I was even born into the world” Jourmind roared. “If your grudge is with me, then let those two innocent ones go, and I will come quietly and accept any punishment you desire.”
“Innocent?” Xeina repeated, her eyes narrowed. “Nobody is innocent, Jourmind, and certainly not the children of that man.”
“Macha?” Jourmind questioned. “His problem with your family was resolved when he and your sister, Aris, fell in love and got married.”
“Yet if they were in love, why did she die? Why did Macha, the mighty 'Fist of the Heavens', not protect her?”
“But that was an accident!” Jourmind declared. “Nobody could hav-”
“Perhaps not, but that doesn't change the fact that he came back one day, her body in his hands. If he had lied, who would dare not to believe him?”
Jourmind had no words to say. After a brief silence he muttered. “Macha really did love her, Xeina. I watched him hesitate for years because of the uneasy tension between him and the Acher clan. Your sister also hesitated, thinking that she was atoning for what the Acher house did to his- our family.”
Xeina snorted. “I, too, was willing to let bygones be bygones. I had sworn that as long as Macha held her dear and his love was true, I would be content with everything.” Xeina walked in front of him until their faces were inches apart. Jourmind braced himself, thinking that she was going to attack. But she merely whispered. “But she died under his watch.”
She turned around and walked back to where the two men were. “I could have forgiven our troubled history, but I can not forgive him for killing my sister. But what really caused everything was how quickly he took me as the new Empress. He did not even spend time to mourn and he had the gall to propose marriage... to ME, of all people.... ”
Jourmind opened his mouth to protest but Xeina cut him off. “He's dead now, and I don't regret doing it.”
Red mist started to seep into Jourmind's vision. The letter Macha had sent him was during his final moments, and it was only now that Jourmind found out who was the culprit.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you, Jourmind Acher, or would you prefer if I called you ‘brother’?” Xeina said, her back towards him. “You've always treated Aris well, and I would not prefer to kill my last sibling. These two however...” she brushed the sleeping Yuelei's black hair. “is a different story.”
“The Casteya clan is my family now, leader of the Acher house. And if you insist on harming those two, I have no choice but to be forced to fight you.” Jourmind channeled his soul power and poured it into his earth magic. Two, then four, then eight Clay Images of him appeared behind his back, each holding their rapier in a dueling stance. One of the masked men whistled at the sight.
Xeina said nothing and merely observed. Even as the Clay Images all charged towards them brandishing a weapon art, she seemed indifferent. When they finally reached within ten meters, one of the masked men started to walk forward, only to be blocked by Xeina's arm. A golden orange light flashed in Xeina's eyes as thousands of Earthen Lances pulsed forward in waves from her fleet and disintegrated all of the Clay Images. Several of them pierced and pinned Jourmind, delivering fatal wounds as they impaled him.
“What...” Jourmind spat blood, his eyes on Xeina who was calmly walking towards him. “You...”
“Yes, I'm a 'Divine Being' “ Xeina affirmed sadly. “I had wished that the world remain ignorant, but with the way things are, it seems I have no choice after all.” Her words slurred as Jourmind felt his vision and hearing starting to dim.
“Please...” Jourmind croaked out with the last bits of his strength. “Spare them.. they are also your sister's children.” He wrenched his hand off the Earthen Lances and placed it on Xeina's shoulder. The blood soaked into her gown but she did not knock it away.
He stared intensely into Xeina's eyes. A minute passed as Jourmind fought from falling into eternal sleep, and finally, Xeina mouthed “Fine.” Perhaps it was her way of saying goodbye to her last sibling, perhaps it was out of mercy, but as soon as she did, Jourmind Casteya, Traitor of the Acher Clan, passed away.
Empress Xeina stood there as the warmth faded from the hand on her shoulder. She sent out her magic and Jourmind's body slowly was buried into the ground.
“So... it's all over” Xeina murmured.
“Not quite,” a voice interrupted her. The masked men walked over and pointed towards the unconscious children. “Do we dispose of these two?”
Xeina walked over and caressed her hands through Yuelei's hair. During their minor interactions in the palace, Yuelei had painfully reminded her of Aris, while the shy Airen reminded her of her weak self. She recalled Jourmind's last words.
They are your sister's children.
“No, let them go.” she quietly said.
“Are you sure?” one of the men inquired.
“I'll return the favor Macha did to Aris and me. Send them away so that I may never see them again.” Xeina walked away and left the two men gazing at each other.
And if fate and fortune favors them, then one day they'll meet again. Empress Xeina thought.
End of Prologue’s Prelude.
-To follow Airen’s story, Read 1A. To follow Yuelei’s story, read 1B.
