I wake up with Kaori lying on my chest. It's comforting, like Lily or Amelia is here with me. I used to wake up with Lily on me every morning. I almost want to stay like this, but we need to get going. I still need to grab some spare clothes before we go back for training. I guess I should wake her up.
I reach my hand over to wake her up. As soon as I touch her she jumps up and screams. "Daddy!" She starts crying.
What was that? "Kaori?"
"I'm fine."
I put my arm around her and pull her towards me. "Come here."
She puts her head on my shoulder and cries.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Not yet. Can we just stay like this for a bit?"
"Yeah." I sit there holding her.
After a few minutes, she gets up. "Ok. I'm ready. Let's go."
"Alright." I get up and grab my gear. "We need to get some spare clothes. You know where we can go?"
She nods. "There's a shop not far from here. We can stop on the way to Cheryl's."
"Sounds good."
We head to the shop to grab spare clothes. I found a few white shirts. I can't find any jeans, thinking about it I haven't seen anyone wearing anything denim since I got here. I grab some black cloth pants. Kaori is just standing by the door waiting. I walk over to her. "You should grab some new clothes too."
"I'm fine. I don't need you wasting money on me."
"You earned it too."
"I got shot. That hardly counts as earning it."
"Quit being stubborn and just get some spare clothes."
"Fine." She walks around and stops in front of a navy blue dress. "This one."
"Grab it then."
The clothes cost us 1500 Aetheos. After that, we begin heading towards Cheryl's house.
"Will?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm ready to talk."
I light a smoke. "So am I. I think we both need to explain our pasts a bit."
"I agree." She takes a deep breath. "I already told you my parents died. The Agricultural District was trying to get more slaves. When we fought back, the guards that were sent to take us started to get aggressive. The first death sent everyone into a panic. Our guardian wasn't in the village at the time. My parents rushed us to our home. It all happened so fast. One minute I was hiding in the closet with my mom, the next my father was dead on the floor with my mom standing between me and the guard. After he killed my mother, he grabbed me. I was dragged out to the cart they brought to bring us back. All I remember after that is the blood. The guardian came back and killed all of them. He fought off a dozen guards at once to protect us. He was too late though. So many of us had already been killed, our homes burned to the ground. He hasn't left the village since that day. He never said it but we all knew he blamed himself."
I wouldn't have imagined things were that bad here. I've seen war, but what she just told me, it's not right. No one should be treated like that. "That's awful. At least he's there now. Seems like he won't let that kind of tragedy happen again."
"He's got the bounty to prove it. He's stopped a few more attacks since then. The nobles of the Agricultural and Mining districts both put a bounty on his head. 500,000 Aetheos each."
"Each? So if someone did kill him or take him in, they'd get a million Aetheos?"
"If they could take him down. I don't think even the King's head guard could beat him. He has a blind rage, like he can't be hurt when something he cares about is threatened."
"I think I'd like this guy," I smirk. "Is there anything else about your past I should know?"
"No. I've just been keeping my head down here for the past few years since I left the village." She looks at me. "Your turn."
I told her I was ready but I'm not sure if I actually am. I know I can't hold it in forever, but is now the time to tell her.
"I'm waiting."
"Alright. I told you I was a soldier. I lead a lot of missions from recon to assault. Only one went bad, but that one changed me. We were doing recon to plan for an attack." I take a deep breath. "It happened while we were all resting. A grenade landed in the middle of our camp."
"GRENADE!" a soldier cries out. Everyone takes cover. Shots coming from all sides.
"I can't tell where all these shots are coming from." another soldier says.
I look around. "I'll try to get to the tree line. Give me cover fire."
They raise their rifles over the barricade and start shooting in the general direction of the incoming shots while I make a run for the trees. When I get to cover I get down and start scanning the area for the enemy. One stands out among all the rest. That one enemy takes the shot.
I yell to my squad, "RPG!" but it was too late.
The explosion knocked me back, my ears ringing. I stand up and see my allies, my friends, lifeless bodies. Limbs blown off. I run, not looking back. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I keep repeating those words to myself as I run.
I found a safe place to rest. I waited for a few hours before I began walking back towards our camp. I kept my guard up. The enemy had gotten the jump on me once already, I wasn't going to let that happen again. I can't be the only one. I have to get back.
When I got back to the camp it was nothing more than ash. The bodies lay scattered. One of the other squad leaders crawled towards me, his leg gone. "Make sure our men aren't forgotten." He said to me before collapsing. I collected the dog tags of all 29 soldiers that came with me. 3 squads and I was the only one left. All our equipment was torched, leaving no way for me to contact command. All I could do was walk to the nearest town.
Kaori grabs my arm. "Will, you're burning again."
I look at my hands. "Yeah." I let myself calm down before I continue.
"You don't have to tell me more."
"Yes I do. You need to understand exactly what happened."
"Just try to keep calm. Okay?"
I nod. "It took a few days to get to the town. I was able to find a shop that let me use their phone to call for evac."
"Phone?"
I forget they don't have tech like we do back home. I pull my cell out of my pocket. "This is a phone. It lets you talk to people far away. This one doesn't work since it has no charge and I doubt I'd get a signal here."
"Ok. Kind of like magic then."
"Yeah, I guess." I put my phone away. "I called command and told them what happened and where I was. They told me where and when they would pick me up. They couldn't get a safe pickup for three days. All I could do was wait, but then I saw someone from the attack. The one who fired the missile. The one who started the carnage. I couldn't control myself. I pulled out my weapon in the middle of the street and killed him. Then I ran. I broke into a house, stole some clothes to blend in, and started walking to the pickup location." I look her in the eyes. "That was the first time I lost control, and that night was the start of the nightmares. I didn't sleep until they picked me up. Even then I had trouble sleeping."
"Everything makes a bit more sense now." She looks at me. "Your fire burns hot when you sleep, and hotter when someone you care about is in danger."
"So?"
"Emotion is directly connected to magic. When emotion becomes unstable, so does the magic within a person."
It makes sense, but I still don't completely get it. I may have anger issues, but I haven't let it get out of control since that day. "My emotions aren't unstable."
"You might think that but you completely change when something happens to me. You seem to only focus on revenge."
"That's not true."
"You broke a guy's arm just for grabbing me."
"He tried to hit me first, and wouldn't let go of you."
"You nearly killed the bandits after I got hit with the arrow."
"They were trying to kill us. I only did what I had to do."
"What about the fight with Rin?"
Okay. She has a point with that one. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to get some training to be able to control it."
"That's not the point." She snaps at me. "If you don't get your shit together you won't be able to control it. No matter how much training you get, you'll always have the risk of losing control."
"I get it. I'll work on it. Let's just get to Cheryll's so we can get this over with. We can talk more about this later."
"Fine."
She doesn't look at me for the rest of the walk to Cheryll's home.
When we get there, Rin is waiting for us at the gate. He guides us to the same room from yesterday. Cheryll is sitting in the same place with a single guard at her side. She stands and walks toward us. "William, you'll be in here with me. Kaori, you'll be outside with Rayne. She's second in command after Rin and the only Water master in my city. She'll be teaching you."
Kaori looks at me. "Are you ok with this?"
"No, but I don't think we have a choice. If you need me come find me."
"Don't worry. She'll be in good hands." Cheryll steps in front of me and places her hand on my chest. "And I'll take good care of you as well."
I back away. "Let's just get to it."
"So impatient." She looks at Rin. "Take Rayne and Kaori out to the pond."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to stay?" Rin responds. "After yesterday he may hold a gru-"
"Leave us at once. I have matters to discuss with William in private before we begin." She glares at him. "Now go. We will come to you when we are finished. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Ma'am." Rin waves them out of the room. "Let's go."
After they leave Cheryll waves for me to follow her as she walks towards her seat. "While I don't use fire magic myself, I do know how to teach someone to control it."
"That's all I need."
"Before we begin, I will offer again. Stay here by my side and help me rule this district. You and Kaori will be taken care of."
"I have no interest in ruling a district."
"Too bad." She sighs. "Tell me one thing then."
"What?"
"What is your goal? Why do you fight?"
"My goal and why I fight have nothing to do with each other."
"Then tell me both."
"I fight because people need protection."
"And your goal?"
"I just want my family back."
"What happened to them?"
"Nothing. I'm just lost and want to find them."
"May I ask one more question?"
"Sure."
"Where are you from? Your magic is strange. It's not like the magic in this world." She looks away. "However, I have felt this magic before. About fifteen years ago, a man now known as the Guardian of Shadowvale gave the same magic aura you do."
"So you know?"
"I know you're not from this world. I just want to know if you're from the same world as him." She looks me in the eyes. "Your world was Earth, right?"
My eyes widen. She knows. And on top of that, there's someone else here from Earth. The Guardian of Shadowvale. He only raises more and more questions every time I hear about him. I have no choice now. I will go to Shadowvale and find him. "Yes. I won't say any more than that though."
"No need. You were torn from your family when you were summoned here. While I can't understand how that must feel, I will support you in any way I can."
"I appreciate that. Can we get to the training now?"
"I don't believe you need training from me. It was an excuse to get you here again, but I will tell you how to train yourself for the time being."
"I should have figured it was something like that."
"Sorry. I do want you to stay, but I understand that you must go in order to find answers."
"So tell me. How do I control this magic?"
"It's as simple as managing your thoughts. Emotion can control the intensity of the flames. Learn to control your emotions properly and you'll be able to call upon fire at will."
"Are we done here?"
"Unless you've decided you want to stay."
"I'm good." Maybe I should ask her about the magic surge.
"One more thing before we go." She stands up. "The old nekojin innkeeper. He told you about magic proficiency, right?"
"How did you kno-"
"He's an old friend. But he doesn't know everything about that specific subject. Only the Nobles and king know the full extent of magic proficiency."
"What doesn't he know?"
"The Magic Surge isn't just a disaster. It's a level of proficiency that is uncontrollable, higher than that of even the World Magic Council."
"Explain magic proficiency."
"There are four levels of proficiency for each of the six magical alignments. Novice, skilled, proficient, and mastery. Mastery is very rare and only a handful of people in this country have reached that level. Seventeen water masters, fourteen wind masters, twelve ground masters, nine fire masters, seven light masters, and three void masters. I would say four void masters if you knew how to control it."
"Okay, this isn't that much more than what the old man told me."
"I'm getting to that. There is a fifth level of proficiency. Only six people in the world have this level, one of each alignment." She pauses like she's afraid. "The six of them make up the World Magic Council. That level is known as mythical proficiency. They are much more powerful than any master in this world."
"The World Magic Council. You don't like them."
"Many don't. No one can challenge them though. Any country that has, was annihilated. They formed three centuries ago. When one dies, a new mythical proficiency is awakened and takes their place. They look down on the rest of the world because we are all weak in their eyes."
"What about the magic surge? You said it was a level of proficiency?"
"Yes. The magic surge is a level of proficiency that we can't measure. It is labeled as null level. The one who is overtaken by the magic surge has shown levels of magic that are greater than that of even mythical proficiency. Null level is seen as a demon by most, while the Council are seen as gods. The six 'gods' are said to have been given their power by deities above and are worshiped as the incarnations of those deities."
"So I'm a demon. Seems fitting for someone like me."
"You must not let anyone else find out about this unless you know they can be trusted. If the Council finds out they will hunt you down and execute you."
"I understand."
"I'll send a message to Drake in the defense district asking him to have you and Kaori trained in the main facility. You can head out tomorrow with one of my transport carts. It will take about three days to get there from here, so prepare tonight." She smiles. "And if you ever need anything else from me send a message to me through the merchant network." She hands me a cloth. "Show them this and they will make sure the message gets to me. It has my family crest."
I grab the cloth and put it in my pocket with Elijah's pouch. "Thank you."
"Not a problem. You sure you don't wanna stay? I could use the company at night." She licks her lips. "Only if you want though."
I laugh. "I'm good."
"Oh fine." She stands up. "Let's go get Kaori. You two need to prepare for your trip."
She walks me out to the pond where Kaori is training.
She has a ball of water floating above the pond. It freezes and she drops it into the pond. She runs over to us. "That was quick. Are you done already?"
"Yeah. We have to get supplies. We leave tomorrow."
"Where are we going?"
Cheryll responds "You're going to the defense district to get proper training."
Kaori's eyes widen. "I can't go to the defense district."
"I understand your concern. You will be there as a guest of Drake. No one will touch you."
I look at Cheryll. "Why is she worried?"
"The defense district uses demi-humans for training. Targets, test dummies, and a lot of other things as well. Drake doesn't believe that's right but his efforts to change it failed every time." She shakes her head. "Even the nobles have limits to what they can do."
"Is there nowhere else we can get training? Somewhere that Kaori doesn't have to worry?"
"For her yes. She could stay here, but you need training from Drake specifically. I've known him since we were both children. He had the same issue you do, no control over his emotions."
"If anything happens to her, I'll be back. And I won't hold anything back."
"I'd expect nothing less." She smiles. "Now go get ready, I'll be sending Drake the letter shortly."
I look at Kaori. "Let's get out of here."
She nods and waves to Rin and Rayne.
We leave and gather supplies. Tomorrow we start a three-day trip to the defense district.