Log #5: Kingdoms
For the most part, the academies of Devarden and Ismira follow a three-term school year, starting in April. The first term ends around July 20, and summer vacation is enjoyed until September, where the second term begins. Around December 25, winter break begins, and lasts until early January. The third and final term lasts from January throughout most of March. That schedule is the standard for Devarden and Ismira, however there are exceptions in certain private schools and academic colleges. Dominic schools tend to favor a two-term school year; however, the current King of Ismira is pushing to have that system changed to match the other two kingdoms. It is an uphill battle, however, and Dominic is expected to continue with its semester system for years to come.
-General Elvira Ramos
0500 BPE
My first sensation was touch; I could feel our house reverberating quietly yet intensely throughout the thunderstorm outside. My dream of wielding wings freely was still little more than a dream, the fantastical world of Alfheim only existing in the mind. The thunder had rolled endlessly outside reminded me of a cobra that dances to the flute, ready to strike at any moment to the unsuspecting earth. About four hours ago, my peaceful slumber had been interrupted by a bolt of energy that nearly struck one of the four beams that supported our two-story house, summoning a fearsome crackle of light through my window.
The only sound louder than the sky's rage was my little sister Rosa, snoring her little head off in the bed beside mine. She was normally quiet, snoozing softly and soundly, but tonight was different.
Tomorrow was different.
At the ripe age of fourteen, Rosa will be a freshman at Sentinal Academy, one of many schools for physically gifted children. And I, too; I will be a third-year, along with any friends I've met along the way. Sentinal's purpose was to train our finest young warriors to be Chorus's newest defenders.
Heh, defenders.
We call ourselves Chorus's defenders, but it would be far more accurate to call us Chorus's enemy. Ah Chorus, a majestic beast constantly trying to rid itself of its fleas. By fleas, I refer to us humans, of course, the pests we are to this world. Almost a millennia ago, it is said that our world used to actually be peaceful, or as close to that as people can manage, and was called "Earth". Few believe that legend, though, since in a good thousand years we have somehow destroyed all past records, so no one can actually prove any claims they had about the past.
Without proof, claims are nothing but rumors.
To be fair, the planet wasn't physically trying to kill off the humans, it's just a metaphor we used for the countless species of monsters outside the Barricade that do their best to eradicate mankind. Almost exactly nine-hundred and ninety-two years ago, they almost succeeded, wiping out over seven billion humans after mysteriously appearing somewhere on the planet. Now, in BPE, or Before Painter Era, humanity was finally regaining some of its pride.
Or that's how the rumors go.
Anything said about Earth or anything around that time was debatable, and people have actually started to believe there was no time before humans were locked away within kingdoms, our own cages of safety.
The very idea was ridiculous to me.
It was wrong for us to be so much further advanced intellectually and technologically than the beasts outside, yet we were the ones trapped in our own cages. That's why I was training to be a Slayer, through Sentinal. Two years later, I would be able to apply for Arcos Academy, where my strength would truly be put to the test, and where I would either be deemed worthy or not to be one of the select many who risk everything to retake the land that rightfully belonged to us.
I say that with all of this confidence, but the truth is that we don't actually know who occupied this planet first.
We just claimed to be the first.
Which meant that was technically a rumor, too.
Every new thought that rushed through my head summoned another like it, providing an endless supply of excuses for my insomnia. The excitement of the years to come between Rosa and me was almost parallel to the excitement roaring outside, as another lightning bolt pounded the ground angrily. I honestly hadn't the slightest idea how my sis slept so much; I'd always been a terrible sleeper. She certainly didn't get it from Dad, who's an insomniac like me as far back as I can remember. Mom disappeared when I was two, so there's no telling if she got it from our mother's side. As I finally decided to get up and out of bed at five in the morning, I remembered my gear, and felt that a little hunting could do the body some good before school. Ten minutes later, I'd packed some PB&J's for a snack, geared up, and sheathed my silver sword, Ginshi. It's thin and long, yet fairly heavy, which made it impossible to dual-wield with anything but a shield.
Not that I had any interest in shields.
As I headed out into the brisk night, I closed the door carefully, trying not to wake up Rosa. There was a beautiful forest between our neighborhood and the Barricade, a marvelous sight known as the Forest of the Crimson Crest.
It was the most amazing sight in all of Devarden; with shades of crimson, goldenrod, and sunset orange, its leaves truly appeared to be suspended in autumn. I was hardly here to sight-see, however, but to practice my hunting nearby my old hunting stump. For years I had gone to this same spot about twenty yards into the forest, where there was a clearing with a large rock in its center that looked just like a petrified stump. I never went too deep, though, because it was way too dangerous to be anywhere near the Barricade for a new Junior such as myself. I laid down my backpack, took out two of the five packed sandwiches, and rejuvenated my energy from the hike.
About fifteen minutes later, I hid my pack and PB&J's, donned my dark leather cloak, and headed inward, closer to the Barricade. The energy from the storm felt refreshing and alerting. Perfect weather for a good hunt.
Thanks to that awareness, I hadn't wandered ten meters before I could feel them. Four burning red eyes in the underbrush, glaring directly at me. I barely had time to unsheathe my sword and get into a defensive position before two sleek white wolves the height of my thighs leaped out of the bushes and rushed me, snarling viciously.
One managed to nip me in the thigh while Ginshi parried the other. Both Silverwolves reoriented themselves behind me, and in that brief moment, I leaped at the one to the right, slashing downward. At the last second, it skidded to the side, barely harmed by the silver blade. Before it could pounce at me again, I lunged at the same wolf, spearing it in the chest. Quickly scanning to my left, I caught the other wolf slowly backing away from its fallen comrade, so I gave it some encouragement by flinging its comrade at it, forcing a retreat into the crimson trees.
Giving chase, I rushed into the trees. My racing heart and mind were only magnified by the electricity in the air. But after a few minutes, something felt terribly off.
Too quiet.
I checked my six with a painful jerk, only to be greeted by the Silverwolf leaping out and taking me to the ground. It had me pinned on my back, jaws mere centimeters from tearing apart my throat. One of my hands was barely holding the weight of the wolf atop me, while the other was reaching out to my right, where Ginshi had escaped my grasp. It was barely out of reach; I was using the majority of my strength to fend off the Silverwolf, so I made one last-ditch move to force my assailant off me, a technique once used by Queen Arya herself when attacked by assassins.
Curling my legs up to my chest, I exerted all my force into a dual-legged kick, nailing the wolf in the gut and sending it tumbling a few feet behind me. Wasting not a second, I rolled over and snatched my sword, clutching its helm tightly. We stood in unison, wolf crouching threateningly as I held my sword out, poised to strike.
In a simultaneous motion, the Silverwolf pounced in a trajectory to my neck while I jumped at it, Ginshi prepared to pierce the glistening fur of the wolf. As it neared me so much as its foul breath stung my nostrils, I crouched in a barrel roll, diving underneath the surprised beast, and thrust my sword with all of my strength, the shining blade slicing effortlessly through flesh and bone, emerging through the other side of the wolf. Releasing the helm, the wolf tumbled to the ground as I thudded in kind, sending pain rippling through my spine. I rolled over, wincing from the pain, and inspected my assailant; once I was convinced it wouldn't get up, I collapsed into the leaf-covered dirt, finally relaxing my tense muscles and heartbeat alike. The next half-hour was spent gathering the two carcasses and relocating my base of operations, then packing it all up and heading home.
The walk took slightly longer than normal, but I was soon at the porch of my house, and as I emerged triumphantly from the doorway, my little sister Rosa emerged awkwardly from the peak of the stairs, still in pajamas. Somehow even in sleep she kept her long red hair perfectly silky and flat. I wasn't really jealous, though, since ruffled and messy was the perfect hairdo for me.
Tossing in my bed did the hair job just right.
On the TV, there was a news reporter, a woman with black hair in a bun. She was talking about news in Viscor, something about there being little new information on the gang that resided somewhere there. Apparently some people who disapproved of the kingdoms' way of rule had gathered in a group, and were stirring trouble around the newest kingdom. It was cool and all, but I had too much already on my mind.
"Good morning, sunshine! How's your sleepy morning been?" I chirped positively while putting my stuff from the hunt away.
"Morning Kaze," she yawned in reply. "Still trying to be the angstiest Slayer of them all, I see."
"H-Hey, come on. Sorry if I like a bit of stealth with my fights! Plus, it's a comfortable fit."
"Haha. Whatever you say, EP," she smirked, hopping down the stairs.
"E... P?"
"Emo Protag."
"Rosa!"
It took another hour to set up breakfast, organize supplies for school, put on our respective outfits, and lock the house. Rosa wore a light red sweater with dark purple shorts. Her hair remained silky and to her waist, since she absolutely refused to shorten it. Her black boots went up slightly past her ankles with a little red design on the sides. As for myself, I simply sported a slick black leather jacket with sleeves down to my wrists, and black leather pants, a comfortable and effective fit when engaged in battle. My shoes were dark silver, and hands remained bare. Aside from color, it was somewhat similar to my hunting getup, but with more "badassery" as me and my friends always called it. Once that task was finished, we were excitedly walking towards school, buzzing about what our first day would be like and how we would get along with all the people there.
We almost made it all the way to the academy without a single interruption.
Two blocks away from the campus, Rosa and I were laughing about rumors of the odd teachers at Arcos Academy, when a warm gust picked up from the side.
Originating directly from a wall of buildings.
We both fell silent simultaneously, shifting our attention to the phenomenon. Sure enough, a warm wind was blowing directly from a building wall, right into our faces. We might have considered it a pleasant omen about the year to come, warming our hearts and lifting our spirits, if footsteps from behind us hadn't instantly brought with them a deep, consuming dread, like heavy footsteps following you into a murky alley of a bustling city. Neither of us turned around to face the owner of the footsteps, and from a sideways glance I could see that Rosa was just as rooted to the sidewalk as I.
The footsteps came closer, tapping lightly yet dreadfully on the pavement at our backs. With every advancing step, the outside world faded into the background, until everything was nothing but an all-encompassing black void and three characters within. And as one finishing touch to set the mood, the figure whispered in my ear four, simple words.
"You look like fun."
I needed no further convincing of my next move, and in a single motion, slashed at the figure with Ginshi. The humming of the blade and the sudden motion returned the world to its previous state, as the figure leaped back with a hop that entirely defied physics. The entire time she was airborne, her body faced me without turning or tilting a single degree, and mystical, green eyes lingered with amusement on my own. Even on landing, she appeared entirely unaffected by the impact, and even concluded her stunt with a bow.
She looked to be no older than I was, but her posture and gaze promised maturity beyond both Rosa and me. Her hair was a fairly dark, gorgeous blue and fell down barely past her shoulders. Her clothes were of a similar dark palette, but at the same time exuded wealth and prestige. A hairpin the shape of two horns intersecting, as if clashing together, was the only visible accessory on the girl, and the eyes that stared so intently at the two of us were those of somebody who was never satisfied with what they had, and was never fully pleased with what they were given. She eyed us hungrily, eager to indulge herself in any pleasure she desired.
Rosa backed up behind me, since I was the only one armed. It wasn't the fault of Rosa's; I had only brought Ginshi with me because of my hunting expedition less than an hour prior.
The girl stood up straight, her ever-present smile persisting even in speech. "Oho! Wouldja look at that pretty little thing! As I thought, you'll be a ton of fun to play with. If only she hadn't run off towards that toy store...Anyway, I got a little question for you. Do you like a good story?"
"A story? What? Who are? A student...Sentinal? Another?" My line of questioning may not have been the most fluent response in history, but the girl seemed to understand perfectly.
"Yes, a story. A good one. I'm not a student at Sentinal or other, and in fact I don't even live in Devarden! So? Do you?"
"I mean, who doesn't like a good story? I mean, what could be better than a story that gets you completely and utterly invested in it when you're feeling down, or even just bored?" Answering her odd question was fine and all, but there was no way I was lowering my blade. Not after the lingering impression she made.
"Right?! A good story is impressionable, incomparable, and absolutely irreplaceable! Nothing beats them! So, with that being said...heads up!"
The girl whipped out three clear blue stones, and tossed them high in the air towards Rosa and me. As they fell down, I raised my sword to block the attack. The moment I did, Rosa called out from behind me.
"Look out, in front of you!!"
The girl had used the stones to close our distance, and was on top of me in an instant. The stones exploded into flames upon contact with Ginshi, and the girl thrust an open palm into my gut. In that single strike, she sent me stumbling back, coughing and shaking. Despite the pain of her overly strong strike, I cleared my head best I could, and stood back up. Rosa was still unarmed behind me, so there was no way I could falter and let her get injured. I had to defend, and stay standing, no matter what.
Thankfully, endurance was my one strong suit.
The girl darted at me with alarming speed and precision, aiming another strike at my chest. Instead of blocking, I ducked low and leaped at my opponent, wrapping my arms around her waist and bringing her down to the pavement. With attacks as dangerous as hers, there was no room for hesitation or restraint. As soon as she hit the ground, I let go and rolled away from her, crouching with my sword ready. To our surprise, she stood back up with ease, rubbing her head like she'd bumped into a tree.
"Hey, not too shabby. I like that! How about we make things even more fun?!"
She held out a hand, and out of the very air, a sword materialized. It looked like something straight out of a fantasy world, with a blade shaped like an animal's horn.
What the hell?! Where'd that thing come from?
The girl smiled at my incredulity, holding out the weapon in my direction. Once again with an impossible quickness, she closed the distance between us, slashing downwards. I blocked the strike well enough, but upon contact her weapon made a terrible noise, like that of fingernails clawing at a blackboard. In that moment, everything appeared to twist and distort. The next instant, the girl planted a shoe on my stomach, forcing out a wheeze. I fell back, gasping for air, while the girl turned away from me, slowly, as if building suspense to her next action. She didn't need to turn around fully for me to realize her intent, and my next move. I gathered my remaining energy to grasp Ginshi with both hands, and heaved the sword across the street, right as the girl bent her knees to charge again. In a blink, she was towering over Rosa, slicing upwards with her blade of horn.
The attack was parried by a rather inexperienced strike of Rosa's own, but it looked to be taking all of her effort just to deflect the attack. The girl spun around, slicing sideways in a fluid motion, but this time, Rosa defended with a sturdy block, grimacing from the resulting screech. Her previous stumble had only been because she had caught Ginshi in the same swing, but the second strike had given her a single instant to get comfortable with Ginshi's weight.
"Hmm? Oh darn, I thought I'd getcha with a follow-up. Oh well... Still, you two are quite an interesting pair indeed. I think you two will be perfect for my next story." The girl backed off, and I half-ran, half-stumbled over to Rosa's side.
"Nice catch."
"Nice throw."
We stood together, facing the girl as a single front. It appeared as though our stunt had only excited her further; she could barely hold her weapon still at her side.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it, since we've, you know..."
Rosa chuckled at my broken attempt at a one-liner. "Yeah. Sure has."
We both looked up at the girl, staring defiantly into her eyes. It didn't matter that she was far superior in skill, nor that she defied physics with every motion. Together, the two of us would not lose to her. We couldn't lose to her.
The girl crouched again, her smile wider than ever. "All right! Time to see the true power of siblings! Don't you disappoint me now-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!!"
A man had appeared, or rather, walked up from behind her, and proceeded to grab her by the ear. None of us had been paying much attention to the people around us, but looking back, he really had just walked up slowly during the fight, watched the girl for a minute, and grabbed her like so. He wore a traditional butler uniform, with no facial hair and slightly graying hair combed to perfection.
"Come now, Lady Minas. Haven't you harassed these students enough? They'll be late for class if you hold them up for much longer. Won't you now?"
In stark contrast to the girl's wild, semi-adult tone, this man's words were smooth and gentle, each syllable clear and distinguished. He reasoned with the girl as if we were his only concern, but his eyes had darted around the small crowd that had begun to form around us as he spoke.
"Uh, yeah, thank you."
"Oh, it's my pleasure. I do apologize for Lady Minas's conduct. Come now." He dragged her away like a parent scolding a misbehaving child, while she merely went limp and moaned in discomfort. In less than a minute, the two were long gone, the crowd had broken apart, and I was finally able to catch my breath.
------------------
The term "school" was a grand understatement. The word that its official name recognized, "academy" was much more accurate. As an example, my friends and I refer to its largest room as "The Mansion", known by everyone else as "The Multipurpose Room". When Rosa and I had finally arrived at our destination, the adrenaline and fear from before had melted into excitement about the year to come. Since this was Rosa's first day at Sentinal Academy, I let her exhibit our combined enthusiasm as she jumped around, rambling on about how cool the buildings were, how intelligent the design of the academy was, how amazing the entire structure seemed, and how we'd only been showcased the exterior! I wasn't really paying attention to her, but instead walking blindly while scanning the crowd for two specific individuals. Because of that, I didn't really notice that she had long since been enveloped into the crowd of students, or that there was a different red-haired girl almost on top of me.
The collision was sudden and painful; more so for the girl, since all the papers she had cradled in her arms were now strewn across the pavement.
Naturally, she was not happy about it.
"Hey, what the hell?" she exclaimed, shaking her head.
"Oh, s-sorry about that, here..." I stuttered as I garnered as many papers as possible (simultaneously making more of a mess) and put them in a pile that she had made. Within seconds we had successfully recovered all of the documents, and we stood back up in unison.
"Well, thank you, I suppose, for helping," she reluctantly added.
"Happy to help. Hey, uh, what's your name, if you don't mind?"
"Sarah," she sighed, "Sarah Arcos, daughter of Arcos Academy's headmaster, blah, blah, blah."
"Wow, cool. I'm Kazuki. Kazuki Yuki. Sorry again for bumping into you like that, I was just looking for some..." I trailed off, getting a better look at my fellow student.
The first and most noticeable thing was that she was at least a foot taller than me, and that her vivid red hair was pulled back into a ponytail that stopped just past her shoulders. Her armor was dominated by powerful red cloth with sharp golden highlights. The plating that protected her emanated wealth and prestige, distinguishable by their durability and lightweight attributes. Of course, I hadn't actually experimented with her armor, but the design and appearance reminded me of a certain type of armor made from a special metal that had those qualities. The metal could only be extracted beneath Ismira, and only the highest class of warriors had access. On her wrists she wore gold bracelets, an intricate design reaching all the way around her wrist. For some reason, those bracelets were entrancing, and with a single glance I could feel my mind slipping away from my body, drowning in the golden beauty and delicate pattern that danced up her forearm. Her armor and boots were polished, and her demeanor was composed; lean yet powerful, welcoming yet warning. Other than her bracelets, I couldn't make out any forms of jewelry on her; a surprising detail knowing that she was the heiress to the headmaster at Arcos Academy.
"Yeah, well, whatever. I don't care, just watch where you're going next time, 'k?"
"Of course, see you later, I guess!" I called back as she strode away, leaving me alone to ponder the events that had already transpired on my first day of school.
------------------
That night, perhaps as a result of the unusual encounter, a strange dream entertained my rapid thoughts. I was alone in darkness, clouds swirling and passing by slowly all around me. Above, below, behind; wherever I looked, there was nothing but blackness and fog. The air was thick and heavy, each breath only escaping my lungs with noticeable effort. Also, there was fear. A palpable tension dominated this dark world, consuming every other emotion. It was a place of sorrow, of endless misery. A place I couldn't bear.
I took multiple labored steps forward, vaguely searching for something beyond the despair and pain that stretched on for eternity. I pushed past the tension, gasping for breath and the courage to push on. Through the darkness before me, the swirling clouds rippled. A reward for me getting as far as I had, perhaps. The cloud distorted, and a murky, distant scene emerged.
A young girl in rags and no more, curled up in the arms of another girl of a similar attire next to a busy sidewalk. People rushing past them, ignoring the children's suffering. An upside-down top hat, empty by the girls' side. Their eyes were empty and hopeless, scanning the crowd distantly.
The scene faded into darkness, and the world returned to as it was. But that little, fleeting scene was enough proof to me. There was more to this world, more than pain and despair. I wasn't alone! There was more!
Determination and hope swelled within me, and I stumbled on. The tension in the air had thickened, and soon became a physical barrier that fought back against my advance. Still, onward I pressed. I had to see more. That scene replayed in my mind, over and over again. I had to see more.
And sure enough, the clouds began to distort. This time, however, there were two separate scenes.
A girl of no more than thirteen, laughing in a classroom surrounded by students. Her eyes shone with energy, but within them a shadow of suffering was clear. The faces of the students around the girl were covered by shadows, giving the appearance that the laughing girl was alone. Most of all, there was an aura of sadness. Inescapable, eternal sadness.
So much sadness, in fact, that I couldn't bare to look at that scene any longer. I turned to the other.
A boy lying on a couch, sprawled out carelessly. In the background, a man and woman screamed at each other, ignoring the boy entirely. The room they were in looked expensive. The boy's posture was that of an independent, apathetic teenager, but he looked to not even be in his teens. But he was suffering. That was obvious, from the way he acted.
Before long, those scenes faded into darkness as well, and I was alone in the world again. There had to be more. I didn't want to be greedy, but I had to see more. Just one more. That was all I needed. I carried on, trudging through the murky air, pushing past the aches and sores accumulating on my skin. Perhaps the air had turned to acid at some point. But I needed more. I needed at least one more before I could be satisfied. Come on, come on! One more. That was all.
Something felt strange. My legs had stopped functioning. I was on the nonexistent ground. It felt cold. The burning sensation had spread throughout my body, and without a single flame, I was burning alive. But before this world could reject me completely, I reached my hand out, towards one, last scene that had appeared before me.
A young girl. Younger than anybody else in this world. She stood still, a world of nothingness all around her. Shadows reached from the darkness towards her, grasping and touching her. Some pulled at her, some rested themselves on her body. Throughout it all, she never resisted, nor did she acknowledge their existence. She stood perfectly still, her eyes downcast, slightly covered by hair. But as I reached for the scene, as my body burned to ashes, suddenly the girl raised her head. She looked directly at me. Her eyes widened, and her mouth uttered words not meant for my ears. Holding out her hand towards my own, she ran towards me. Even though she was in another world, she reached for me.
And in that one instant before everything turned to ash, I could have sworn that something grasped my outstretched hand.