Part 1
Entila lay flat on the ground, yawning and struggling to stay awake. She was hungry, so she reached into the leather bag strapped to her left leg, pulled out a dry deer meat stick and started chewing on it. At the same time, Jhossan continued to struggle to make a minor ember burn without exploding; Jhossan's fingers were dirty with black residue, and half of his left eyebrow was gone.
"Well," Entila sat up, "no one can say you give up easily."
"I don't get it!" Jhossan sat heavily on the floor. "I memorised everything you said and did everything you did; why is it not working!?" He lifted his index finger. "Oh, come on... You'd think by now I'd---" The vitaspira backfired again, and the explosion threw Jhossan on his side, leaving a smoke trail fuming out of his hair. "Oh, goddamnit!"
"Hey, don't feel bad... not even Jun nailed this the first time. Heavens know it took me forty-three attempts to get it done."
"Yeah, well, I'm on my 60th try by now!"
Jhossan wasn't peeking into the Yocan just then, but he was sure Hueco was laughing at him somewhere.
"Seventy-two, actually, but who's counting?" Entila licked a smudge of deer grease off her finger and cleared her throat. "You're going at this the wrong way; you have the theory down, which is good. But... the whole vitaspira thing... It's not about theory, really; it's about feeling it spin and radiate off your body, its pulse and humming."
Entila got up with an acrobatic jump. She stood still, raising a finger to her lips and closing her eyes. She smiled as she visualised every step in a couple of seconds: heat, length, width, temperature, shape, and trajectory. A small flame ignited above her finger, but as soon as Entila blew on the flame, it turned into deep magenta, and two sparrow-shaped firebolts shot out. They circled the room at slow speed, shedding sparks of white and orange as they spiralled upwards until they crashed into a shower of orange, magenta and white.
Jhossan watched awestruck.
"Amazing..."
"Come here." She snapped her tongue. "Let's try something different."
Entila got Jhossan up and had him stand up straight yet relaxed. She got behind him and got up close to him, her body moulded against his shoulder blades. Jhossan breathed in deeply and tried not to get too excited. She felt his heartbeat quicken.
"Don't fight it. Let your heart relax... Concentrate. Try to feel my heartbeat and my breathing." She had Jhossan make a cup with his hand as if trying to catch water and put her hands on his as if holding them. "Relax. Give it a minute." Let it flow... don't force yourself into calm. Ride the emotion... let it take its course..."
After a minute, Jhossan got what Entila meant; his heartbeat and breathing began to synchronise with hers.
"Close your eyes. Don't peek into the Yocan. Focus on your body. Feel it... that tingling inside your veins... the vitaspira being carried on your red blood cells... let it flow towards your palms... Those little sparks you can see when you close your eyes... what's their colour?"
"They are..." Jhossan tried to discern those sparks, but they were too faint. "I-I cannot tell..."
"Hold on..."
Entila breathed into Jhossan's head like an intimate loved one. Suddenly, the sparks became more vivid.
"O-orange! They are soft, warm orange."
"Good, good..." Her voice was soft, like honey. "Now remember the cellulose; think of a tree, then its bark, then the cellulose. Slowly. Don't rush."
She whispered every instruction into his ear; she was cradling him, and he felt safe.
"Now remember how heat feels, remember the temperature you need for fire... and will the vitaspira into heat and the required molecules. Let it be soft and gentle. Like a first kiss."
Jhossan only opened his eyes when he saw the flickering of the flames through his closed eyes. A beautiful orange flame burned softly in the cup he had made with his hands. His eyes watered up. Entila softly let go and stepped back, leaving Jhossan to live that moment on his own, allowing that instant to feel infinite, if only for a second. He closed his eyes and saw into the Yocan once more. Hueco was floating in his Sphere nearby, watching with a smile that his skull couldn't show, glad Jhossan was making progress. Still, the Amberite didn't see him, for inside the Yocan, Jhossan saw himself holding a small baby sun.
"This is..." Jhossan felt the fire flicker and crackle as his heartbeat went up.
"Your magic feeds off your vitaspira; if your emotions and heartbeat increase out of control, the intensity of your magic also grows because your vitaspira spins faster. Control yourself. You've got this. You must learn to differentiate when to make your vitaspira spin faster; if it happens during the 'formation' of the spell, you can create different spells; if it happens once the spell is formed, its intensity increases."
Entila stepped back again; it was like an old musician watching a younger one play music on his own. She smiled as she caressed a thin scar under her chin. She had been there many years ago. Maybe this is what her mentor felt back then. Jhossan was doing it, interiorising Entila's words, and slowly he made the flame bigger, riding the emotions as they came, allowing his heart to beat at a steady pace no matter how excited he got.
Jhossan smiled at his creation; it smelled of burned cedar and spring, childhood memories.
He wanted to try more. He wanted to do more. But maybe it wasn't the right time. Slowly, Jhossan fed the fire as long as he could, gradually increasing its size by reliving memories and allowing the temperature to rise. It was not easy, and he could feel his temperature increase, yet he stood firm until he knew he had got this one lesson proper. Finally, Jhossan let the flame die down and got on his knees, drenched in sweat.
"Congratulations, Jhossan," Entila said, kneeling before him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "You took the first step. Now it's up to you whether you follow the masters into the chasm or remain in the plains with the initiates."
"What?"
Entila rolled her sleeves to the elbow, and Jhossan saw scars, bruises, gauges, cuts, and burn marks, old and somewhat faint but present. She smiled proudly.
"Mastering magic is agony. Know why? Because a true master knows his body, soul and mind... and that is a tortuous journey."
Jhossan looked down, his sweat pooling beneath, exhausted but smiling. He had done it. He had dived into the abysmal ocean.
"If it means anything to you... I think you have what it takes." Jhossan lifted his face. Entila grabbed him by the shoulders, her smile broadening. "Stand tall, chase your dreams, and let no one put you down. Do you hear me?"
Jhossan looked around; he saw the burn marks on the floor and wall; he had left his first signature, a testimony that he had been born again.
Part 2
Nilo and Jun continued to walk; the topics of their conversation centred on the political aspects of the continent of Aurenia, and while Argy did not fully understand the most intricate elements, he did notice Nilo's urgency.
"What happens outside Xafar is none of our business," Jun said softly. "But... I'd be remiss if I said this would not affect us. Yet, I doubt the Iron Tower will try anything in the meantime. You mentioned they invested heavily in the coups, yes?"
"You're correct," Nilo said with a gasp as he rubbed his belly.
"Heartburn again?"
"Yes. I had a relapse during the Grand Audit."
"Let me take a look, please."
Jun led Nilo towards an empty table and had him open his robe and shirt. Jun placed his thumb on the centre of Nilo's forehead; the air hummed with his vitaspira, a high-pitched hum that lasted half a minute. Jun had his eyes closed, and Nilo's brain anatomy was drawn into his mind.
"Nothing there... Good. I just wanted to be sure. Lay down for me, please."
The Restorer placed his hands on Nilo's chest and stomach.
"What is he doing? Again, with wand-less magic? I don't know how he does it... or how that Nilo guy trusts him."
"Well, it is acid reflux; stress must have caused you to produce more acid. But you're inching closer to an ulcer. I'll fix it now if you don't mind."
"Heh heh... You always looked after me."
"I'll heal this for you, but you'll owe me a blackberry pie; no cinnamon, no bill. Using your mother's recipe! Nothing of that 'no-butter-no-sugar' thing your wife came up with. Okay?" Jun said with a smile as he searched in his coat and pulled out a metal tag. "This one will do... Okay, you know how it goes: don't move. Ease your thoughts."
Had Argy been aware of the Yocan, he would've seen Jun's spell unfold in intricate layers; the Restorer used his vitaspira to recalibrate the histamine and the stomach's acid pumps that were stimulating the acid release while neutralising the excess acid by generating alkaline components and mending the weakened intestine walls and the mucus membrane of the stomach.
"He's healing the Nilo guy with nothing but a tag; the Amber Codex does not describe cell-mending... Where did they get this knowledge?" From his vantage point, Argy began to discover a sensation of dread equal only to his curiosity. A part of his mind was worried he was turning into Jhossan.
For an instant, Argy felt watched; something moved, slithered, behind him, a few bookshelves away. The kid turned to see, but that something was simply out of sight; he waved his wand and recast a cloaking spell, bending the light around himself just in case, although Jun seemed focused on Nilo.
Six minutes later, Nilo sat up and stretched before closing his shirt and robe.
"You've put on a couple of kilos," said Jun with a smile as he disposed of the spent tag, now floppy from the used energy. "Carlotta must be feeding you so you don't run away."
"I only hear jealousy, Junny." Nilo slapped Jun's shoulder. Then his expression turned stern. "But... back to the Board matter. Are you in? Come on, we must all be present."
"All, you say? Then... that includes an Amberite representative, don't you think?"
"I was afraid you'd say that..."
"I'm not wrong.
"You're right when it's convenient for you..." Nilo rubbed his nose bridge. "I'll talk to the remaining Board members and see what they think, okay?" He pulled an empty bottle from his pocket. "I'm gonna need a refill on these... I feel I might need you to heal up a few more ulcers now that I'm back."
"Bet you regret leaving the bakery for politics now, right?" Jun took the bottle, which was an antacid medication. "Come on, I'll take care of this."
Then, steps were heard coming from behind. Jun, Nilo and Argy, still hidden, turned to see Entila emerge from the hallway, carrying Jhossan on her back. It smelled like burnt coal.
"What did she do to him!?" Argy was terrified. "I-is he dead!?"
"Oh, you're still here!" She said with a smile, coming closer. "It's been almost four hours."
"We had a lot of catching up to do." Said Jun with an uncharacteristic warm smile. "I trust Jhossan didn't give you much trouble?"
"Actually... he's pretty solid, Jun. Maybe a teeny tiny rough around the edges... but he has the spirit. This kid... he'll give you a run for your money."
Jun smiled at this, genuinely glad to hear this. Nilo recognised that look; he hadn't seen it in a while.
"Say, can you take Jhossan to the infirmary to get some rest? He's been casting nonstop for hours. And I still have to pick up some things; we made a mess in Room 1."
"Here, let me." Nilo took Jhossan in his arms. "Okay. The Amberite," Nilo turned to face Jun. "Why?"
The librarian smiled and shrugged.
"Truth be told... I'm not entirely sure. But... he and his peer feel like a breath of fresh air. A part of me feels we were missing something like that. Do you mind if we walk our way down? There's plenty I'd love to talk with you, Nilo."
Jun and Nilo bade their goodbye to Entila. She stood there and then turned in Argy's general direction. His stomach dropped, and his mouth turned dry.
"Come out. I know you're there. I cannot see you, but I can hear you." Entila took a step in Argy's direction. "You may have a cloaking spell, but it doesn't help if you're breathing with your mouth."
Argy clenched and flinched in his hiding spot. She seemed serious; Entila started walking towards the dark.
Argy held his wand tightly. He debated if he should make a run for it... and chose to do so. He had his cloaking spell in place and added a silencing spell so his footsteps wouldn't make a sound. The wand started quivering a bit; Argy ignored the fact that a beginner's wand could only hold so many spells at a time, and he had been casting spells for hours. Still, he slowly moved away while Entila closed in.
"This Librarian must have an office or something... I bet I'd find a journal or something there." Argy figured he'd not have many chances to roam the library without Jun being present. "I just have to get away from her."
Entila smiled; he hadn't had this much fun in a while. Meanwhile, Argy started moving erratically but ever forward, trying his best not to make a pattern she could recognise. However, he figured the silence and cloaking spells should have to suffice. Then, he stopped hearing her footsteps.
"This is cool!" Entila thought. "This person cast a spell that hides their sound and image... I'm really at a disadvantage. Damn! I should've kept my mouth shut! Think, Entila, think... Jun's gonna throw a fit if I let someone make a mess here..." She clapped. "Got it!"
Argy heard the clap.
"Damn! She must be casting something! I gotta hurry!" He took his wand while running; the spell he had in mind was more complex, but it would have to do the job, yet it would require an incantation of some sort. "Steps and sweat, find a trace; show me a path to whence he came!" He chanted in hushed tones, hoping Entila wouldn't hear him.
A small thread of pale yellow light came out of his wand, moving through the bookshelves. Argy smiled in glee and started chasing the thread. However, while he had stopped hearing Entila's footsteps a few minutes ago, he now started hearing something squeaking, like wood under pressure. He looked back and saw Entila's silhouette perched on the top of a bookshelf as if hunting. While still away, she was closing in. At the same time, the thread of light diverted from the bookshelves and led to a small hallway in the far back of the library; a silver portcullis lay worked on the black wall, although due to the distance and lighting, he failed to discern the glyphs and symbols carved on the frame of the portcullis; it lay thirty paces past the last bookshelf.
"There!" Argy thought; he was beginning to think that place had no back wall.
The kid rushed his silent steps and made a beeline for the door behind the portcullis. He was running when he looked back; Entila was sprinting atop the bookshelves, leaping from one to another until she made a final jump and landed on the ground with gymnastic grace, yet with the loud thud of a falling oak. She looked at the door, the goal, and smiled playfully, her blue eyes peeled. She was well over sixty paces away.
"She's crazy!"
Argy cast one more spell to hasten and strengthen his legs; he ran to the door, but it was shut! As he looked back, he saw a faint purple hue emanating from her lower body, and then she sprinted like a gazelle; every step she took seemed like a six-pace leap! She was fast like a firebolt! Argy turned and crossed his arms to ward off himself as he cast yet another spell. She was homing in on him like a missile.
"L-lead body!" The kid conjured, his voice tensed into a high pitch as she reached him.
Entila crashed against Argy, his body dense and heavy like a lead cube! She came in so strong that Argy left two ditches, one meter long each, etched onto the floor as she pushed him against the mahogany door, causing it to snap off at its hinges. They fell on the ground as a thick cloud of dust kicked up. The fall caused the air to be punched out of Argy's lungs.
"Gotcha!" Entila grabbed the still-invisible kid by the collar. She started shaking Argy. "Undo the spell, you Amberite jerk! It's over!"
"N-no!" Argy said, struggling to speak.
Entila let go of one of her hands and started slapping Argy until he was forced to break the spell; his cheeks were red, and he was holding back tears.
"A-a kid!?" Entila blushed in shame as she picked Argy up by the collar. "The hell you are, and what're you doin' here!? Speak!" She wiggled Argy around; his feet dangled off the ground by over an entire foot. Entila seemed huge in comparison to him.
"L-let me go!"
"Start talking, or I'll slap you into baldness!"
Argy shrieked. Entila lifted him even higher, now above her head.
"O-okay!" The amberite's legs flapped around in the air, occasionally hitting her abdomen; it was hard. "I-I am Argylan Tival Welbrom! I'm an amberite!"
"What are you doing here!? Hiding and cloaked!? Speak now, you pervy creep, and try not to lie!" She shook him and wound up her hand, ready to slap him.
"I'm Jhossan's roommate!" Argy screamed. "I'm his friend!"
Slowly, Entila put Argy down.
"Are you now?"
"Y-yes!" Argy rubbed his cheeks, still burning from the slapping.
Entila crossed her arms.
"And just what the hell are you doing---" She looked around, noticing she had broken into Jun's office, snapped his door, kicked up the dust, and generally made a mess. "...here? Ah, gods damn it!"
"I---"
"No lying." She raised her hand.
"Eek!" Argy took a step back. "That Jun man... I was looking for information about him. I don't trust him."
Entila rolled her eyes and sighed.
"At least you're cautious... But still, don't you think it's creepy that you're stalking him and, literally, breaking into his private affairs? If we had some juvenile court system, you'd be well behind bars by now."
It was odd; even though she was towering over him, she didn't seem mad; she was looking at him like a disappointed older cousin. Argy lowered his head and looked down, crossing his arms behind his back.
"I-I'm sorry..." He snapped back and lifted his face. "N-no. Hold on. How did you know I was there? I had a cloaking spell AND a silence spell!"
"Yeah, maybe, but you smell like lavender, and your wand leaves a vanilla scent trace when you use it."
"What? R-really?"
"Yeah. All magic leaves a trace. Haven't you paid attention? One way or another, when you cast magic, you leave something behind. Like a footmark, you know. Jhossan didn't notice, but when I cast a spell with my vitaspira, it smelled like roasted tomatoes. Why? I don't know."
"And how did you know I am an amberite?"
"All you amberite people smell like a damn perfume-skunk."
Argy looked around; he noticed that everything was in order and place; nothing was crooked or left lying around. His desk was neat and well-polished, and behind the wooden chair, a large mirror was covered with a canvas; he knew it was a mirror from the lower edge, and he could still see the surface. As soon as he saw it, though, the canvas waved as if the wind had blown.
What's the deal with the librarian?"
"Well... Not even I can answer that. Although..." Entila relaxed her posture and looked around. "These are his private labour quarters... and he ain't around."
Argy picked up on that; her tone was a bit lower, almost mischievous. He looked at her face, her eyes, and she had that playful smile again.
"Come on," Entila said. "Help me look around. We'll clean up on our way out. Besides, I've been curious about Jun for a while now... too many unknowns, you know. That's why I left his... 'course,' but then again, that's also why I came back when he told me about Jhossy. So we're in this together. At least for now."
"A-are you sure? It doesn't feel right..."
Entila glanced at Argy as she was ready to start perusing Jun's desk.
"Really? No. You're too far in this already."
"N-no. I mean... Wouldn't he leave traps or something?"
Entila gasped and pulled her hands from the desk.
"You're right... That's something he'd absolutely do! Ah... you clever snake...You won't get me!" Entila refrained from getting even near the desk and chair. "So... the desk's too obvious, and the books... I can bet you they are rigged. No. A safe! A guy like Jun would have a safe, for sure!"
"D-don't you think we should leave?" Argy asked, carefully looking around the shelves, finding many picture frames with images of different obsidians Argy did not recognise; he did recognise a small kid that could have been Jun back when he was seven or eight years old. "What if he comes back?"
"We'll be fine," Entila dismissed Argy's concern. "He's taking Jhossy to the infirmary and spending time with Nilo; they haven't talked in months, so they'll be at it for a while yet."
"Jhossy?"
"You know who I'm talking about." Entila looked around; the room had seven walls, a perfect heptagon. "Well... he's always been a control freak..."
"What do you know about him?" Argy began scrutinising the books; each one seemed written by a different kind of maniac. Although there was one that caught his attention, the words were written in a spiral from the inside out. "No one from my Pyramid knows anything about him, and the ones from here who are willing to talk, they roll their eyes or wince away."
"Well... he's one of us, I guess. Although he's the last Obsidian of his generation." This made Argy turn to face her; Entila was inspecting the floor, looking for loose tiles. "About 22 years ago, we had some sort of an outbreak."
"Outbreak?"
"Yeah. We... we had a lot of sick people. A plague or blight or... heavenly punishment, who the hell knows." She snapped her tongue as she took out a knife from her pouch and started loosening a tile. "We lost a lot of people. Adults. Young... even children."
The memory seemed painful.
"I didn't live through it. I wasn't even born. But Jun... well, the only survivors of the plague were Jun, Luca and Kanegari. Not the whole Pyramid fell sick, of course. But... many did. Jun must have been eight or nine back then, you know. Many people blamed him and the others for it."
Argy kept silent. Suddenly, the picture frames took on another meaning: memories of people he'd never see again. Without looking at her face, Argy knew it wasn't pleasant for Entila to say. The kid found yet another frame, this one featuring a drawing of three kids: Luca was the tallest of the three and had a freckled face; Kanegari, with curly, short hair and a wide, bright smile; and then Jun, already pale, with a dazzled expression and holding hands with Luca while Kanegari hugged them both.
"What happened to both of them, Luca and Kanegari?"
"They... they left when the disease took a turn for the worse. People were mean back then." She chuckled. "To be honest... I would've done the same in either case; either I would have despised that trio or fled this place. But Jun and the others... they took it to heart."
"What does that mean?" Argy took the frame in his hands and noticed the shelf had a hollowed-out frame.
"Well... he became deranged, I guess. He found this place and studied everything he could with the others. He wanted to find a cure and spent all thirty hours of the day studying. I remember we used to tell spooky stories about him and the others when I was a kid. We... heh... used to say he was a vampire... It's so dumb in hindsight..."
Argy searched the space he found and noticed a small diary tucked away; the pages were already yellowed. Most pages featured drawings of Jun, Luca, and Kanegari as grown-ups or how Jun imagined they'd look. Alas, he noticed watery stains on the edges of the pages. Argy felt something inside himself break; he wondered what he'd do if Maurol and Gonzaroc had the same fate. He turned the page and found another drawing of a man named 'Kly.'
"Anyway..." Entila sighed as she took away a floor tile and found, in fact, a small metal box. "Luca and Kane left when they turned sixteen. About eight or nine years after the outbreak. Luca left first for who-knows-where, and Kane... ran away after beating the crap out of Jun."
"What?"
"She'd always been the strongest of the three. Well, so says my dad." Entila tried the lock, but of course, it was locked. "My dad's brother's friend's nephew found Jun with a broken jaw and a dislocated arm in the creek in the forest. Man, she wanted to kill him. Damn nearly succeeded."
After what they had seen during the duel between Lloyd and Jun, this woman, Kanegari, seemed to be nearly unbeatable.
Argy kept looking at the picture, and on the back, he found a writ. As soon as he read it, Argy's mind was invaded by the memory of the kiss Jun and Kly shared that final evening, and the words written were the ones he thought back then:
"Please don't go," Jun's voice echoed softly in Argy's mind; at the same time, an image of Luca, now a young man, appeared as if living two moments at once. "I don't know how to live in a world without you."
Jun had said those words three times, once when Luca left him when they were sixteen, secondly when Kanegari abandoned him at the creek when they were seventeen, and then when Jun ended Kly's agony.
Entila inspected the box. "Rina made this... I can tell. Jun wouldn't trust anyone else to craft something he'd keep hidden. But these symbols... this means 'vacuum.' This one means 'hatred,' 'vermin,' oh, this is bad..."
Entila left the box in the same way she found it; she seemed spooked. Argy snapped out of it and left the journal in its place, and safely put back the cover of the shelf. Still, the mirror remained, and Argy decided to take a look.
"What's in that box?"
"It's not a box... it's a damn breeding container... Jun's creating a Chimaera."
Chimaera was an umbrella term for magi; the creation, natural or supernatural, of a monster born from the amalgamation of many lesser creatures; they are placed in a special container sealed with dogmas until the creatures kill each other until their remains turn into a venom or a new creature is born from them eating each other. Ideally, the creature is subjected to the magi's will, but at times, it breaks free.
Argy shivered at the thought, but then he walked up to the mirror and took off the canvas. What lay before him spooked and intrigued the kid: a vast, seemingly infinite wasteland of black sky and white sand.
"What the..." Entila approached Argy, watching from behind him. "No..."
Argy couldn't speak; he was mesmerised, and deep inside the mirror, this gate to someplace else, he saw something or someone walking up to them. Barely visible, a single dot in the distance was starting to grow larger. Argy tried to look away from something in the mirror that kept beckoning his gaze; Entila reacted and threw the canvas back on the mirror at the same time Argy hid behind her, pressing his head against his back, cold sweat sliding down his spine.
"Fool!" She exclaimed, upset. Argy flinched. "Not you, kid. Jun! That jerk! What was he thinking, crafting a Window? Crap... I didn't know we could craft those... I hope it was a Window and not a Gate. No wonder the Board has it in for him."
"A what?"
"I'll tell you later; now we have to get the hell outta here and never look back."
Quickly, both of them tried to make it seem they had not been there, cleaning every surface with Argy's wand. The only missing step was fixing the door.
"Okay," Entila put the door in place. "Now you have to fix it with a wand swish, and we'll be on our way."
"Ah, right. You know... It's a thick door." Argy pulled out his wand. "And I was dense as lead... to push me and snap the door like that... you were coming at me at... something near 50 kilometres an hour... which means your weight must be---"
"Don't you dare make that math."
"Y-yeah, miss... My bad... Okay. Back to it." He held his wand, and with a flick, the door was fixed and locked. The wand trembled again. "It's doing that again..." Still, Argy stood proud; where Entila's might failed, his wand prevailed.
"Hey, don't forget the ditches you made on the floor. Fix those, too. Can your wand handle that?"
"Right. Don't worry." He said with a cocky smile, making a flourish with his wand. "I got this." It was odd; he felt comfortable around Entila. There was something about her that made him feel at home. He made a line in the air along the ditch and patched the floor. "See? I got---" The wand trembled and shattered into a hundred pieces, "it."
Entila watched in disbelief, picking up some of the shards scattered around. She looked at Argy, but he was on the verge of tears.
"R-relax. I-I know someone who can fix it."
Quickly, the pair left the library, hoping to take the stairs down before something else happened. However, just then, the elevator began to move upward.
"D-didn't they say the elevator doesn't come this way up?" Argy asked.
Entila's eyes widened as she quickly got in front of Argy and took a defensive stance; she'd felt it, the storm, the mayhem coming their way.
"Damn! Damn! Damn!" She said under her breath.
She could feel what Argy could not see: a void of absence as the elevator reached them. It was dense and raging, like a storm bottled up.
Argy moved to the side to see what was happening, but something was keeping him in place; an unseen horror had taken over his nerves. What was it? He looked at Entila; she was terrified, sweating, and almost shaking, yet still maintaining her guard.
"What the hell is he doing here!?" She reached for the sheath she had strapped to the back of her hip. "This is his Presence... Why the hell is he here!?"
A man stood in the middle of the elevator, wearing heavy metal-plated armour. His helmet had been taken off, and he carried it in his hand. His sword was sheathed on his hip, slender and slightly curved at the end. His skin was ashen as if he had powdered it with bone ash. His eyes were of an electric blue but seemed dead at the same time. The man took a step forward, causing the entire floor to echo with his weight and might.
"The subjects Jun and Nilo," his voice was rough and low, like a colossal crocodile crawling through a canyon, "are not here." He turned his gaze towards Entila. "Are they?"
"W-what are you doing here?" Entila gathered the courage to ask. "What do you want with them!?"
"You are Entila. We had met before," the man tilted his head. "Under distinct circumstances."
Entila remembered that day.
"Where are the individuals I am seeking? Please, answer."
"I don't know... Now tell me what you want with them!" The words barely crawled out of her mouth.
"You, child. You shall give me answers."
Argy froze; he wanted to do something, but did not know what. Suddenly, he felt just as he had before, a few minutes before the duel between Jun and Lloyd —a something pulling his leg, very gently, a few millimetres to the right. It wasn't even a step; he just slid his foot. From there, Argy managed to see the dials that controlled the elevator's ascent and descent; the last combinations of digits used were '0', '0', and '0'; '0', '0 ', and '6'; '0', '1' and '8'.
"This man comes from the base floor, and the previous floor that used the elevator was the sixth, and before, the eighteenth... Okay. I think I got it."
The man noticed Argy's movements and fixed his eyes on him. Something was wrong; something inside Argy was pulling him towards the man, like a magnet pulling metal from his entrails. He was able to see the armour more clearly now; it carried words carved onto its uneven surface, almost as if the metal were alive. The words were not meant to focus vitaspira, no, they were meant to trap it somehow.
"Where did they go?"
"T-they..." Argy felt his bladder betraying him. "Left for the s-sixth f-floor."
"Six is the subject Jun's number of preference." The man looked aside, as if listening to someone. "This information is confirmed. Thank you for your assistance."
The pulling sensation disappeared, and the man got on the elevator. He input the sixth floor on the dials, and both Entila and Argy heard the mechanism take him down. They stood in silence for what seemed an eternity.
"W-who was that?" Argy asked.
"G-Gurion... Gurion of Vorpal, an Azator of Lunder-Ther..."
Argy knew about the Land of Vorpal and what the 'Azatores' were: an entire country occupied, razed, and colonised by a brutal yet effective militia driven by the belief in the Principality Lunder-Ther, the Founder of Domination.
Entila was fifteen at the time. She had run into this man during an errand on her way to make a delivery to a nearby city. She was ambushed by the man in question and fought over the package. She was no match for him, and Gurion cut her in half by the waist and took the package.
"H-had Romero not been around... I would've died... Fuck... We have to warn Nilo and Jun!"
"I think they are safe; they took Jhossan to the infirmary using the stairs."
Entila turned to look at him, surprised.
"I... heard them say that before they left."
"Good... that should buy them some time. Although... we gotta warn someone." Entila grabbed Argy and tossed him on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to make a rush for it."
She stepped to the edge of the elevator shaft; she looked down and snapped her fingers. Then, an extensive series of glyphs and mathematical symbols glowed on her skin.
"Hold on... I know where to go."
Argy screamed in panic as Entila leapt.
Part 3
The stench of sweat lingered in the air. As grunts and the sound of naked feet trotting on stone and dirt echoed in the arena, Philena could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She kept jogging weakly ahead; only she, Gloria, and a small number of merchants and obsidians remained in the arena.
The merchants and obsidians watched her stagger along, running laps on the dirt and stone; some giggled while others were rooting for her while tending to their tools and weapons. Gloria, however, watched, standing on a box, her arms crossed over her chest, her dark red hair tied in a thick, long ponytail that reached the end of her spine. She had a tense expression, her slightly hooked nose flaring at the sight of Philena.
"Hey, Glo." A short man approached the Vitalist. "Don't you think you could cut her some slack? You've had her run for hours now."
Gloria turned to look at him; her eyes expressed her annoyance.
"She wanted to get in shape. This is how."
"Oh, come on! You're just being mean!" The man poked her calf. "She'll end up running on her bones at this rate..."
"This is the same training we've had kids do earlier today. If she can't take it---"
"Then you must adapt your teaching methods! Come on, she's been coming to train after her shift for weeks now! Come on. Do you even know her name?"
"Don't care and won't remember." She took a look at her pocket watch. "I didn't expect her to last this long, though."
"That's what you said the first day she came... and the second... and every day ever since." The man pulled a stool and sat near the box. "You gotta admit... she's got... what do you call it? Moxie!"
"Moxie?" Gloria winced. "Ugh. I never should've let Arkhur talk me into it..."
"Into training her?" The man poked her again.
"Not kicking your annoying behind. You're asking for it at this point. Just look at her; she's got no grit, no spirit. She's like a slug."
"You don't know that." The man said this more seriously. "You don't know what she's been through. You know absolutely nothing about the amberites."
"I know enough about their lot." A bitter memory ran across Gloria's mind.
"Who knows? I hear Jun's got himself a good one; that Jhossan boy we had here yesterday. Should be coming in anytime now... For all the crap you talk about Jun, you sure are a worse teacher. Not even Arkhur will let that go by."
Gloria glanced at the man.
"Okay, Lalo. Fine." Gloria sighed and stepped down from the box, and hollered at Philena. "Stop! You can stop running or... whatever you're doing."
Philena fell to the ground as soon as she stopped. Her jagged breath made the dust pick up a bit; sweat was sliding into her eyes. Her feet were sore, and she could feel the skin peeling off. Gloria walked up to Philena; the amberite felt the vile coming up into her mouth.
"Get up." The Vitalist stood tall above Philena, watching with contempt.
"I-I... can't..."
"Get." Gloria tapped on Philena's back with her boot. "Up. Now."
"I-I'm... too tired..."
"Really? Is that what you're gonna say when they come for you?" Gloria's green eyes were piercing in the back of Philena's head. "Huh!? You think they'll let you rest!? Get up now, woman!"
" Who-who's coming for me?" Philena was too tired even to express any fear.
"Them! The enemy! Soldiers! Regulators! Azatores! Rapists! Bandits! Any person who may want to harm you! Do you expect them to show any goddamn mercy? Because they won't! They will chase you like the dogs they are and tear you to pieces. Now get the fuck up!"
Gathering what strength she had left, Philena got on her knees and then on her feet; the pain was searing and pinching at her nerves. Sweat and tears pooled in her reddened eyes as she gritted her teeth and slowly straightened up. Gloria nodded subtly, barely acknowledging her efforts. Philena stood like a soldier, her eyes fixed in the distance.
"What? You mad?"
Philena stood still, her legs shaking. She shook her head.
"You wanna cry, huh!?"
Once more, the amberite denied it.
"You gonna punch me, right!?"
"No, ma'am." Philena's voice was weak as if she stifled her words.
"Why not, then?" Philena didn't even glance at Gloria. "You goddamn amberites make me sick; you bunch of whiny vermin..."
Gloria turned, scratching her head, walking away, upset.
"...are not vermin..."
The Vitalist stopped; she'd heard Philena say something.
"What did you say?"
"I said: we are not vermin."
They finally crossed eyes. Gloria started walking back. The merchants began giggling and whistling at them.
"Repeat that, I dare you!"
"We're not vermin!" Philena flinched back, and she cowered as Gloria walked up to her face.
"The hell you aren't!" Philena was ready to argue back. "You all fled!"
Philena seemed surprised. The fatigue fell back for an instant.
"All of you amberite rats ran when the going got tough!" Gloria shoved Philena a few steps back.
Some of the obsidians got up; Gloria was crossing a line.
"You didn't put on a damn fight!" She pushed her again. "You had wands, a Pyramid full of them! And still, you ran away like cockroaches!" Gloria pressed her once more. "You had power I can't even imagine... and you chose to flee."
"You weren't there!" Philena yelled. "There was nothing we could do!"
"You could've stood your damn ground! You could've asked for fuckin' reinforcements! But you gave up before there was even a fight! You damn quitters." Gloria's eyes showed disdain, and her nose wrinkled. "And now we have you among us... and we have to try harder to carry your dead-ass weight on our backs so that you can quit on us when the going gets tough."
"Y-you're wrong." Philena locked eyes. "That's not who we are."
Gloria tightened her fist and took a step in. Philena flinched back.
"Heh." Gloria mocked. "Of course. Your brother ran, didn't he? Just vermin and cockro---"
Philena cross-punched her across the cheek once and followed back with a left. Something broke, something cracked, and Philena saw a stain of blood on her knuckles.
"DON'T YOU INSULT MY BROTHER!!"
It was like punching a log. The spectators got to their feet and moved closer, some trying to dissuade the fight, but the Obsidians allowed it to happen. They gathered around the fight, making a circle around the women.
As soon as Gloria flinched from the second strike, Philena picked a handful of dirt and threw it at Gloria's face. Philena jumped in for another punch, but Gloria put up her guard, grabbed her by the arm and head-butted her in the face. Philena took a few paces back and rushed to tackle Gloria; the obsidian withstood the tackle and pushed Philena down before elbowing her in the back. Philena fell to Gloria's feet and held onto her calf. Gloria grabbed her by the hair and took a couple of swings at her head, but then Philena grabbed a rock mid-desperation and smashed it against Gloria's kneecap, taking her down onto the ground with a grunt. Philena climbed on top of her and started swinging, fist and stone, one after the other.
The merchants and obsidians grew worried and tried to pull Philena away, but just then, Gloria reached out with her arm and grabbed the amberite by the neck, holding her tight. Philena attempted to break the grip out of sheer instinct, but Gloria got up just using the strength of her lower body, even lifting Philena and smashing her against the ground, knocking the wind out of her. Even then, Philena turned on the ground, looking for another rock, but when she turned, she found Gloria standing up, dusting off her clothes, bruised and bleeding from her lip, nose and eyebrow.
"You're scrappy. You have no idea of how to hold a guard or stand in a fight." Said Gloria, blowing a clot of blood out of her nose. "Not to mention, you don't know how to make a fist, which is why you broke a couple of knuckles. But... you are not the coward I imagined. I acknowledge that."
Philena was trying to gather her breath; while injured, Gloria did not seem truly affected.
"Let me be clear: I don't trust you; I still believe you will turn tail the second shit gets hard." Gloria sighed. "But I dare you to prove me wrong."
"W-what?"
Philena wasn't getting it.
"She says you start combat training tomorrow." Lalo interveined with a smile as he pulled a stool so Philena could sit down.
"I didn't think I'd see the day."
Jun added, walking into the circle; Nilo and Jhossan were with him; Nilo made a short bow to Gloria and Philena, while Jhossan seemed terrified at the scene and rushed in to let Philena lean on him.
"I didn't expect Gloria to take on any disciple willingly, but this... Attempted murder isn't a solid way to recruit trainees."
"You fuckin' hypocrite," Gloria said back at the sight of Jun. "Of course, you'd sneak your way in. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see my disciple make it safely."
"Oookay," Lalo sprang up and faced the merchants and other obsidians, "let's give 'em some space, yeah? Come on, I know an amazing nixtamal place!"
Lalo took the spectators away.
Jun looked at Philena, taking a seat, her shaking fingers sunken into Jhossan's arms; her adrenaline was fading as her face began to wrinkle in pain.
"Let me see..." Jun walked up to Philena and placed his left hand on her head.
"G-get off!"
Philena tried to push him away; after the duel, she witnessed Jhossan's constant descent into academic obsession, and there was no way she could trust him. Jhossan intervened and tried to get her to calm down; Philena felt as if an electrified needle had shot through her brain, not painful, just uncomfortable.
"The damage is not too severe... I can fix this quickly. How about you, Gloria?" He teased her with a smile. "Want me to---"
"Keep your pale hands off me." Gloria started walking away, her gait subtly affected by her injured knee. "Heal her up and get out of my arena..."
"It's good to see you as well." Jun giggled. "Go take a seat, Gloria. Nilo would like to have a word with you, too."
Jun managed to scan all of Philena's injuries but chose only to heal her knuckles and a couple of bone fissures made during the fight.
"I'll leave the least dangerous injuries be; using so much vitaspira without a good reason could harm you," Jun had his eyes peeled, fixed on Philena's.
"Focus on my eyes." Philena heard Jun's voice in her head. "Let me show you, not the next step, but a sidestep. Not what comes later, but what you're not seeing right now."
Jhossan closed his eyes; the world vanished as his mind was taken into the Yocan once more. This time, it seemed entirely at will, no longer a coincidence: inside the Yocan, Jhossan found Philena sitting inside a sphere, with Jun nearby, both mirroring their positions in the physical world. Philena seemed terrified.
"What... mirage is this?" Philena asked, looking at the barren wasteland of white sand and black skies.
Jun smiled; he had asked himself that question the first time he visited that place.
"I would like you to answer that question." The miragee turned to Jhossan. "What do you think this place is?"
But then... a void beaconed, and the Yocan became blurry. Jhossan opened his eyes and found Jun, Nilo and Gloria staring at the arena's entrance; under the grand portcullis, three armoured individuals stood watch.
"Azatores," Gloria said. "I take back what I said, Jun. Patch me up real fast."
"I thought I'd have more time..." Nilo walked up to Gloria's position. "I should've known better."
"It is in an azator's handbook to catch you off-guard," Jun added, standing next to Gloria and placing a hand between her shoulder plates; suddenly, a deep pink hue engulfed Gloria for a second. He seemed tense. "Still, just because they got us by surprise, "he pulled his scalpel from inside his robe, "it doesn't mean we have to make it easy."
Three against three, acclaimed experts of their respective crafts, were ready to clash against the sworn knights who had taken an oath to claim control of anything and everything under the heavens.