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“It has been awhile since I’ve walked so long,” Arimus laughed heartily as they strolled along. Though they were moving across the vast expanse at a slow pace, they had rarely taken a break. A couple of the young Sages had asked why they were in a hurry, and James didn’t have a true answer. He could only say that time was short, and they had to get to their destination, wherever it was. He couldn’t explain it. There was something great waiting for them, and opportunity waited for no one.
“We won’t take a break until tonight,” Catherine said, speaking to Arimus but winking at James. She was loving how James was taking charge. It was like the man she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
“We might just take a break,” James said, sticking his tongue out at her.
“No, no,” she said, her face full of worry. “Don’t stop because of us. We’re fine. We’re following your lead.”
James laughed and picked up the pace. She matched it.
“But seriously, when are we going to stop,” she whispered. “If we end up having to fight, we’ll be too tired to be useful.”
“You’re right,” he said, keeping his gaze forward. “But we can take it. Whatever pain we’re in, we have to adapt. If the warriors of the past decide to combat us, we need to be as close to their level as possible. Don’t worry, I’m trying to think of everything. We’ll take a break before we end up in trouble.”
“Unless trouble comes to us,” she winked.
“Well, that’s true,” he chuckled nervously. He stopped in his tracks, turned around and put his hands in the air as if he was surrendering. “Alright everyone, hold up here. We’re going to take a break.”
“YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” Midori cried out as she fell backwards onto the grass and began making an angel. The rest plopped down on the field and formed a closed circle. James was the last to sit, yawning and stretching his arms before he joined them. He took a seat right between Catherine and Arimus and looked at the faces of each one.
Although none of them were breathing heavily, but they all a thin film of sweat coating their skin.
“How long is the break?” Pascal asked.
“Don’t mention it,” Catherine said, putting a finger to her lips. “Don’t remind him that we’re having a break or it will end. It’s kind of like believing in magic.”
“But magic does exist,” Midori said, sitting up straight. “I actually wanted to bring that up the next time we had a chance to talk.”
“About magic?” James asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I was wondering...why aren’t the Sages trying to adapt to the atmosphere? Why aren’t they trying to learn new abilities. Based on what my friends told me...their eidolons were getting weaker.”
“It’s true,” James said, finding himself looking at Ronan. “As long as the atmosphere continues to change, eidolons will be a thing of the past. And that is part of the reason I was excited that all of you are joining us. We have just as much to learn from you as you can from us. Why don’t everyone tell us what their abilities are, and what are their motivations on this journey?”
“Our motivations?” Ronan asked with bored eyes. “Why is that?”
“Because often new abilities emerge from our motivations,” James replied. “When I released my eidolon for the first time, it was because I was trying to save Catherine. There was a reason for its emergence. And so, I would like to see if there are parallels between your powers and your ambitions. I’ll start.”
James cleared his throat.
“I want to save the world and learn the Sages’ code. The original Sages. That’s my only focus, and I realize that that means learning more about the world that I’m trying to preserve. I’m terrified of losing power, but I’m excited about the transformation that may come about from embracing that change. It was when I was at my weakest, that I found my greatest strengths.”
“I’m trying to stay relevant,” Arimus replied, garnering a few chuckles. “Seriously. Even though I’m in Paragon, I still feel like an old man. Maybe it’s all in my head or maybe it’s seeing so many others that are younger than myself accomplishing great things. Either way, I want to prove that I can stand with the best of them, present company included. “
“I want to get the time I lost with my husband back,” Catherine said. “And I want to be more like my friend, Chloe. She’s a sweet and kind person that has stuck out in my mind over the years because she’s also one of the strongest women I know. It’s the kind of fighting prowess and power that I’m striving for.”
“My ability is rooted,” Midori paused and chuckled. “Heh, a little plant humor there. Okay, well, my abilities are plant based. I don’t really have many friends, and plants have never shunned me so...oh, that sounds so pathetic.”
“No, it’s okay,” Catherine said. “Say whatever you like.”
“Well, I’ve loved plants since I was a child, but not the ones in Paragon. They’re too perfect and artificial. I love the ones on Terra where you have to care for them. I love how plants can survive on their own without human influence, but when a human knows how to properly take care of them and performs the right techniques, those plants can transcend all others. I like that.”
“You grew up on Paragon?” James asked.
“I did,” she said. “But I have to admit...I really like the new changes in the atmosphere. I know it will be rough getting used to, and people will be hungry, but I’m excited that everyone will have to learn from me how to grow crops and take care of the world. That’s why I came. I don’t really care to fight, even though I can when I have to. But I think that when we find these Ancient Knights, they might be able to teach me techniques that I might not even know. If anyone is going to survive the new changes, it will be them.”
“Is that what the Paragon people call them? Ancient Knights? Why is that?”
“Because they all used to work for the King.”
“Who did? All of them?”
“Yes, all of them.”
Catherine, James and Arimus looked to each other for confirmation on what they just heard.
“Wait, wait,” James said, throwing up his hands. “Is this common knowledge?”
“I can’t confirm it,” Midori said. “It was all before our time, but that’s the story.”
“Tell it to me,” James said. “I would love to know.”
“This was before the Great Collision, of course,” Gwen continued with the story. “Back when Paragon had no enemies and only the good came here. The King had a system in place in which every warrior of significant power was asked to become part of his army. It wasn’t like they had to train or do anything special. All they had to do was give their allegiance to the King. If they did, they would get a house in the countryside, land of their own and countless other advantages. The Emissary was considered one of these Ancient Knights, just to give you an example, and he was one of the weakest soldiers.”
“How was he the weakest if he was used to power the gates between the worlds?” Catherine asked.
“It’s because he was used as a power source alone. If he was a powerful warrior, the King would have saved him for later.”
James sighed heavily. “Bastion is one of the most powerful soldiers I have ever known, and he was next in line to be the Emissary. Are you telling me that he’s considered weak compared to the Ancient Knights?”
“Very,” Gwen confirmed. “People don’t like Bastion because of his power, and because of how he transformed all of our lives.”
“Well, that’s not good,” Catherine sighed.
“The Ancient Knights were treated like royalty,” Gwen replied. “And not a single person said no to the King’s proposal until fifty years ago. A man named Sadon came.”
“The name ring a bell?” James asked Arimus. “If it was only fifty years ago then he was a young man on Terra before he came here.”
“Don’t know,” Arimus replied. “Someone stronger than Bastion walking around on Terra in our time? He had to have kept himself hidden.”
“Sadon is the man that changed everything. He convinced the Ancient Knights that change was coming, and that soon, their services would be required. The warriors who worked under the King accepted his invitation in the past because they assumed they wouldn’t have to do anything. It was Paradise, after all. But Sadon convinced most of them that they could keep their possessions and homes without pledging themselves to the King. See, the King needed them, not the other way around, and Sadon was so adamant in his stance that few questioned it.
“Sightings of the Ancient Knights got less frequent, and once the Great Collision happened, not a single one was found. Not a one.”
“No wonder the King hates the Sages,” Arimus said. “He sees us the same way he does the Knights. He needs us to fight for him, but he knows that we could leave him vulnerable at any time.”
“So the Ancient Knights...does anyone know what they’re doing now?” James asked.
“Not to my knowledge,” Gwen replied. “But that’s what we’re here to find out, right?”
“Anything else you know about Sadon?”
“I just heard his name being thrown around,” Gwen said, shrugging her shoulders. “That he’s the one to blame for the Knights leaving. My people are pretty pissed to have to rely on the Sages now.”
“We all do,” Ronan spoke up. “And that’s why I’m here. I have a decision to make concerning my future, and there are a number of groups to choose from. The Sages, the Solons, the Ancient Knights, the Sorcerers, Paragon, and Cimmerian. I’m not even going to count Terra because they’re basically dead on arrival. Paragon isn’t much further and I still have to see Cimmerian. The Sorcerers...I doubt I have a shot but I’ll show them what I can do.”
“And what about everyone else?” Gwen asked him.
“The Solons are okay, but I fear they’ll fizzle out. The way I see it, the only two choices I have in front of me are the Ancient Knights or the Sages. They’re the only ones that can make a difference.”
“Stop lying,” Pascal said. “You’re only with these Sages because they’re bringing you to the Ancient Knights.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Ronan said, looking at James. “But I can be persuaded otherwise if the Sages prove their worth.”
“It would be wise not to underestimate us,” James said. “We haven’t truly lost a battle yet.”
“A good point.”
“What about you?” Catherine said to Midori. “Why are you here with us?”
“I’m looking for my sister,” Midori replied. “She went on a mission similar to ours a few years ago and she never returned. She asked if I would join her, but I was too scared. Now I realize how much of a mistake that was.”
“She went looking for the Ancient Knights as well?” James asked.
“She did.”
“And what was her reasoning?” Catherine inquired.
“She was pretty intuitive, while I was usually the more carefree and air-headed one. She was aware of the changes in our environment while I only cared about my friends and who was dating who. She wanted to make a difference, and she didn’t think anyone was going to do it but her, so she left. It wasn’t until recently, with all of the rain and the small skirmishes with Cimmerian that I saw how right she was. I want to see her again, and tell her how wrong I was for not going with her.”
“Hopefully, you will be reunited with her,” Arimus lamented, turning to Pascal. “And you? Why are you here?”
“That’s easy,” he sighed, pointing a thumb toward Midori. “It’s because of her.”
James raised an eyebrow. “The two of you are dating?”
“Not anymore,” Midori said adamantly. “Not anymore.”
“I’m trying to win back her heart,” Pascal said, looking at her. She wouldn’t return his gaze. “Whatever it takes,” he said.
“That, you’ll have to do on you own,” Arimus laughed from his belly.
“No matter what our individual reasons are,” James said, “our odds of making them a reality increase the more we’re on the same page. And that includes you two, Ronan. Joining the Ancient Knights, if they’ll have you, is fine. But not at the expense of what we’re trying to accomplish. If there’s a way to make a clean break, then you take it, but if we’re in the middle of a conflict, you stick with us until it gets better or else we may have to turn on you, understood?”
“Clear,” he said, raising his head high.
James stood to his feet. “Break’s over,” he said. “We have to keep moving. I want everyone to think about what they said. Their motivations and how similar the others’ may be to their own. We’re in this together, to the bitter end.”
“And what if that end comes sooner than expected?” a soft voice asked from behind him. James spun around and saw no one. He looked to the group who were blinking at him in confusion.
“Did you hear that?”
“There was a man there,” Arimus said, pointing to a spot a few feet away from James. “One second he was there, and then he was gone.”
“What did he look like?”
“He was tall. Muscular. He had a long coat on him, similar to Kyran’s but not hugging his body as much.”
“Anything else?”
“You will only see what I want you to see,” the voice said from behind Arimus. James saw the man this time. It was as if he just blinked into existence, and then he popped out of it like a thought in someone’s head. He didn’t look intimidating, but his face was confident and smug. His face had been soft and young but his eyes had an edge to them. He had seen much, but he had experience little physical pain himself.
“Show yourself,” James said. “I’m not in the mood for games.”
“I was waiting for you to take a break,” he said. No one saw the mysterious man this time. “I wanted to face you at your best.”
“You mean us harm?”
“No, I aim to test your resolve.”
“Explain.”
The man suddenly appeared in the distance, his hand in his coat’s pocket as he stood wide-legged just over a grassy hill. He looked like a silhouette but his voice sounded as if he was right next to them.
“The body can do many magnificent things, but it is all up to the mind. I want to see how badly you want to accomplish your mission. How much you are willing to give up to see it through to the end.”
“I would do anything,” James said.
“Would you kill Catherine if I asked?”
“Never,” James said, clenching his jaw.
“Then you must not know the definition of the word, ‘anything.’ But I do not hold your answer against you. We are not that sort of people. I am here to assess your will, not your morals.”
“Are you an Ancient Knight?”
“Defeat me, and I will tell you.”
“Then let’s get this party started,” James growled. He threw his knapsack onto the ground, clenched his fists and took a wide stance. Instantly, his white Sage robe appeared over him, and his black and white eidolon appeared in each of his hands. Radiating with power, they hummed and glowed respectively, ready for battle. James did not hold back. He put every ounce of concentration and energy he could into their blades.
The rest of the group followed suit, throwing down their supplies and preparing for the battle ahead. Midori unsheathed both of the steel swords at her sides. Gwen began summoning vines from beneath the earth, coating her in the rock and dirt that it carried as it wrapped around her body. The vines continued putting a rock armor on her as it also reached up and put her hair up into a bun. Ronan took out his enormous sword and axe and craned his neck, stretching out his muscles. Pascal unsheathed his small daggers and Arimus transformed with James, calling forth his blue Sage robe and his windmill eidolon. Catherine whipped out her multi-colored sword, mostly with hues of yellow and red rippling down the edges as her purple robe manifested before their eyes.
The stranger did not appear impressed.
“You are further away from Terra’s borders, so the atmosphere has not changed as much out here. But even so, I can still sense the weakness in your eidolons. They are already gasping for nourishment. They are already reminding you of how fragile and weak your bodies become each and every day.”
“Yes, they are thirsty,” James said. “Now why don’t you come over here so we can give them drink?”
“If only it was that simple,” the man said. And then he disappeared and reappeared right in front of James. There were no weapons in his hands, but James could see in his listless eyes that he was certainly not playing around.
