Path of Lightning: Origins

Chapter 14: The alliance

"This is entertaining but I have to go. We have a meeting with the wizards." Aiko chuckled at the scene, and stood up.

"Wizards?" Liz turned to her, curious. "Is Bo- I mean the author with them?"

"The author?" Aiko titled her head, trying to remember. "Yeah! The author is one of the brightest wizards of this generation. How do you know him?"

"He's my friend." Liz answered. Aiko hummed then left.

"How would someone like you know a wizard?" Nosaru asked, raising an eyebrow. Liz frowned, grasping her right arm, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"What? Are you saying that because I was a mercenary I'm not allowed to know respectable people?" Liz asked then scoffed. She buried her hands in her jacket's pockets and wore a somber expression. "Can't you see me as more than just that?" She asked the startled girl but didn't give her a chance to speak. "I'm going to look for Yuki..."

A heavy silence fell as the blonde walked away. The copy cat broke it with a remark that earned him few glares. "Women."

"That was u-uncalled for, Nosaru." Tara approached her, and if it was someone else, she would have snapped at them. The brunette was so sweet and pure that no one could be mad at her. "Liz is... Liz is nice and caring. She deserves a new start. Everyone... everyone does."

"I know." Nosaru said, feeling guilty for what happened. "I'm just not good with words." She realized she must have hit a nerve.

"That's okay! Just be honest and you'll say the right thing!" Tara said smiling, making the girl smile back.

-P.O.L: Origins-

Aiko walked through the hallways, heading towards the meeting room. She almost bumped into someone, but luckily her reflexes saved her from it. The man blinked, and seemed startled. He had spiky raven hair, coffee colored eyes, and he had a bit of hair on his chin that was hard to see unless you were standing close to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized. "I am the author and I came for a meeting, but I lost my way."

"I'm Aiko. I'm Hiroshi Akina's daughter. It's nice to meet you!" She said with a smile and reached her hand out for a hand shake.

"Likewise." Bob said and shook her hand.

"The meeting is about to start. I'll show you the way." She said, as they started walking, with her ahead to lead him. "So, what do wizards want with us? I thought they hated Penergy users."

"They still do." Bob said, smiling slightly. "If I tell you now, that would spoil the fun, wouldn't it?" Aiko looked at him with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged.

They walked into the meeting room. There was a big round table that had many men surrounding it. One of them was Hiroshi at the front seat, and the others were the wizards.

Aiko nodded to the author, then took the seat next to her father. There was an empty chair on his other side that she took notice of, but didn't comment on.

"It is an honor to meet with you here." Hiroshi started, with his fingers interlaced and his gaze sharp. "However, I must say I am curious. Wizards have never been fond of us, so may I ask why are you here?"

The guests exchanged looks for a moment.

"We have a favor to ask you, Mr.Hiroshi. We might not be fond of Penergy users, but we respect them, and we respect you. You have a great reputation." One of the wizards stated. He seemed older than the others, and more experienced. His white hair showed, under the hood of his white and gold robe. "After long years, we finally found a treasure we've been looking for. That treasure belonged to our ancestors, and we're asking for your help. We need to get it to our headquarters to protect it, but we can't ask our people to transfer it there."

"What is this treasure?" Aiko asked.

"It's a necklace that was created after the war, thousands of years ago. It is said that our ancestors locked a huge amount of magic in it to protect themselves in case a new war happened." The author stated. "However, the object seemed to have a will of its own. It chooses its owner and that's how they lost it."

"Why would you ask us to do this ask?" Hiroshi asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Penergy users hardly know of its existence, but wizards do. Some would want to steal it. We might be peaceful and organized, but there will always be traitors." Bob answered.

"We have some places where we can transfer from to our headquarters, but we don't want to raise suspicions, and that's why we decided to ask you to lend us some of your members to protect it until it gets there." The old man explained. "Of course, they will be accompanied by a wizard."

The author raised his hand as if saying that he was the one for the mission.

"We know that you are trying your best to keep the world from losing its balance and that's why we're putting our faith in you." The author said. "The other reason is that we want to make an alliance. The wizards and Penergy users should work together."

"Wizards have been avoiding us for thousands of years. Why would you want this alliance now?" Aether's boss asked.

"Don't you think it's time for a new generation to rise?" Bob smirked. "There is always a first time for everything. We have had the same goals from the start, but our ancestors preferred to work on their own."

"There is only so much we can cover on our own." The older wizard stated. "And the same goes to you. We will give you full access to our areas and magic, if you give us help whenever we need it."

Hiroshi and Aiko exchanged looks.

"So, what you need is for us to make up your lack of power?" Aiko asked, causing some of the wizards to glare, but the older one nodded.

"We are a peaceful organization as you know. We can't engage in battles often, and our powers are more restricted due to our contracts."

Hiroshi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Aiko, I want you to prepare a team for this mission. We will discuss the terms of this alliance."

Aiko nodded and left the room. The author looked at the old wizard beside him, who gave him a nod. Bob smiled, and stood up. He wanted to meet a friend.

Next chapter: The knight.