The Battle of Euangelion: Reborn

Chapter 4: A Bonus Chapter

(This is a bonus chapter which should be read in conjunction with Chapter 4: A New Life)

Alexis grew very close to her three new acquaintances in the ensuing weeks. Phoebus took her under his wing with sword training after the new recruit persisted in badgering him (during skillset trials, it became clear that Alexis had a way with spears and thus Gerald, the Red House spear trainer, limited her daily sword handling to that 'appropriate' for a subordinate skill); Aurelia was officially Alexis' personal encyclopedia concerning all things Euangelion; and Rufus, well Rufus was just fun to be around - he also scored points for being American.

Time had no authority in this Kingdom, and so even though they'd virtually just met, the four became as thick as thieves and soon resembled a group of friends who had known each other for years. The massive age gap that varied from decades to centuries also didn't seem to be too much of a stumbling block. The earliest human recruits always managed to stay up to date with the changing cultural and linguistic trends along with all the important historical events that took place on Earth through each fresh batch of Red-Robes they'd receive every time Riders dropped in to deliver their latest catch. (That didn't mean that some cultural references didn't need explaining every once in a while.)

All in all, the company was superb and the scenery was out of this world. The human recruits had the entire Island as their playground and wanted for nothing.

Fun and games may have been a huge perk but it was by no means the main objective in the castle. After all, they were all being prepared for something otherworldly; a battle of good and evil - a war of wars.

The physical training Alexis was subjected to on Sanctum may have been intense but it was also exciting. It was impossible to die due to the Island's regenerative properties; but this also meant that the trainers could simulate and train recruits through real-life combat scenarios, which at times turned very brutal. And although you couldn't die, you most certainly felt like you could after being struck, cut, or pierced right. It is for this reason the simulations were designed to make you tough, resilient, and exceptionally quick on your feet.

Euangelion Theory was also extremely important. Two months and several lectures later, Alexis had learned all about the benevolent King Dominus, the valiant Prince Salvatore, the Rider's Rebellion, the evil Diabolus, his repugnant curse on humanity, and the purpose behind rehabilitating the human recruits - each of whom fell under the protective care and watchful eye of Lord Castus, the Keeper of the Isle of Sanctum. She finally started to understand the things that a heart hardened to the magical Kingdom of Euangelion just could not comprehend. Her time on the Island had begun to counteract Diabolus' cursed infection which once ruled her cynical outlook on life. Alexis had never felt more alive, but she still had much more to learn.

The Kingdom of Euangelion boasted a rich and ancient history that long predated even the oldest of discoveries in the Realm of Universum. The exact origins were a bit uncertain as even the oldest of scribes and chroniclers' accounts were vague at best. One thing that they all agreed on was that the Four, being King Dominus, Prince Salvatore, Lady Justitia, and Lord Castus, were its founders. The main thing that had set the Four apart from the rest of the age-old inhabitants was the fact that they did not originate from Euangelion but from someplace else. They were the only known beings in existence that had pure, uncontaminated, and undiluted old magic running through their veins. This meant that they were truly immortal since the only thing that could harm old magic was old magic itself. The Four had founded and cultivated everything that would become Euangelion and everyone who would be born of its soil. The oldest example of these was the Magi: the eccentric yet incredibly intelligent beings who lived as Tree Tribes on the mainland. They spent their days studying matter and magic as well as its consequences and contributed in many ways to establish and govern the Kingdom that everyone knows today. The second oldest example was the gigantic Air Tribes who resided in air castles and strongholds hidden amid the clouds above Mount Mysticis (which also made them the closest Tribe to the Royal palace). It is ultimately from this Tribe that the King's elite guard known as the Inter-Realm Riders would be created. The Tree Tribes and Air Tribes' seniority is what secured the honorary representative seats for both a Magi and a Rider on the King's Royal Privy Council. Ever since its establishment, these seats have been occupied by Sage as chief Magi and Angelo as Rider General respectively.