《Haela-Magi》


 Chapter 1: Kyra

    Chapter 1: Kyra


    The winter was the hardest time for the soldiers in training. Their entire mornings would be occupied by clearing the snow-covered training grounds, and their afternoons would be full of hard training in freezing winds. Many soldiers died during the winter training, but in a kingdom on the brink of war there was no time to rest.


    Most soldiers who had trained for a few seasons could stand the cold pretty well, as their cores had grown to be strong. Soldiers that had trained for only one season had some trouble, but they tended to fair alright in the freezing conditions. The real victims of the winter training were the soldiers which arrived during winter. Those poor souls had no idea of what training was like, but they were thrown into the deep end regardless. The survival rate was drastically low, and the injury rate was incredibly high. However, the soldiers who arrived during the winter months and managed to survive with no injuries tended to become the strongest of them all.


    - 10th Commander of Reachan, Hawk Terka


    A kingdom on the brink of war can often be described as fiery and ready to explode, but in the very north of the Kingdom of Kregloa there was nothing fiery or explosive about. Instead, it was cold and frozen. The pine trees were encapsulated by thin sheets of ice, and any animal that lived in these parts definitely did not dare touch the surface. However, there was one animal, often described as the most dangerous and powerful of all animals, that did walk on the ice and snow. These animals are humans. The humans that reside here are soldiers, or rather soldiers in training. In the freezing conditions, survival rates were low, especially amongst new recruits, but the soldiers that managed to finish their training and leave the frigid environment were always strong. These soldiers had both the physique of a bear, and the terrifying nature of one. Women described them as beasts, other soldiers described them as monsters, and the king described them as useful.


    The training ground that breeds these useful, monstrous beasts is called Reachan Training Ground, and is located in the northernmost province of Kregloa, called Hael, which is derived from the ancient Kregloan word for cold: Haela. In Hael, it was the beginning of winter. It wasn¡¯t at the peak of the cold temperatures yet, but it would only take half an hour for a man that hasn¡¯t developed his core yet to die in the temperature. The beginning of winter also marked the time for the last batch of recruits for the year. These men had been drafted and had randomly been selected to go to the Reachan Training Ground, which the Kregloans described as ¡°shit luck¡±.


    At the top of the mountain on which the training ground stood, the commander sat in his office looking out at the currently empty training ground. Today, the commander would be responsible for one hundred more men. He was to give them the training to become a soldier, a job he had done for thirty years, and yet, even when his nose could no longer smell due to the stench of blood and sweat that the training ground possessed, his heart had still not grown accustomed to the death he had to see every day. Of the hundred recruits that would arrive today, he would see ninety die over the course of the winter. It was cruel, and the toll of death had done a number on him, but it was a job that must be done.


    At the bottom of the mountain, in the small military village Gadka, the hundred soon-to-be soldiers in training prepared food and personal items for their trip to the summit, where the training ground stands. Some of the men had already formed a bond. They knew they had been unfairly placed in a situation where they could lose their lives, and because of this they understood each other. In a sense, they had already taken the first step to becoming soldiers.


    One particularly brutish young man was bragging about how he killed the bear which he now wore as a coat.


    ¡°So I used my spear,¡± He said, demanding the attention of all the men there, ¡°and I stabbed it right through the heart. Look, you can see it on the coat. Y¡¯know, I almost died, but damn, I killed a bear! Hahaha!¡±


    The men laughed at the story of the young man. Nobody truly questioned the validity of it, and, to tell the truth, nobody really cared. They laughed because laughter was the drink which brought them back from the dead. Nobody cares how the drink tastes, but they cared about being alive, and that is what is important.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    However, even laughter cannot always save you from the despair of reality. When the carriage riders shouted out that there were only ten minutes left, the entire mood dampened and reality set in.


    ¡°Please gods, give me the strength to survive this!¡± said a middle aged man, who felt that divine intervention could save him.


    Another man cursed the gods, which nearly got him in a fight with the man who was asking the gods for help.


    One man, or boy rather, who found the entire situation rather amusing was a young lad called Kyra. He was a slightly naive youngster, who had been sitting on a carriage for half an hour already, silently watching all the other men. Kyra was only thirteen, but was considered eligible for the army as he was the only male left in his town. Most boys in the same position as Kyra would probably curse the gods, but Kyra did not view the events which had occurred with disdain, instead he saw them positively, and was filled with excitement and immense determination. Even in the cold, just the thought of becoming a soldier would heat him up and fill him with energy.


    Just as Kyra began thinking about becoming a soldier, a large, ugly, and overweight middle aged man sat down next to him, rocking the carriage slightly as he walked, and nearly toppling it when he sat down. The ugly man breathed heavily, and didn¡¯t even notice Kyra until he noticed the boy¡¯s squirming hand, which he had sat directly on top of. After being released from the buttocks of the beast, Kyra moved away a bit, in the fear that the scary monster may try to eat him once again.


    However, while the overweight man certainly had developed an interest in Kyra, he had no intentions of eating him. Instead, he fancied a bit of discourse with the young lad.


    ¡°You... seem rather young.¡± The ugly man managed to get out, he was still heaving from his steps up onto the carriage, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Kyra looked at the ugly man, specifically at his eyes. He noticed that while the ugly man looked like a beast, his beige eyes were like that of a puppy. They expressed true innocent interest and curiosity, as well as a bit of playfulness.


    Kyra deemed it safe to reply, but did so cautiously, as not to bring out the playfulness.


    ¡°My name is Kyra.¡± he said bluntly, ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Cain.¡± The ugly man, or Cain, said it quick response, ¡°You know, you seem a bit young to be a soldier. What are you doing here?¡±


    Kyra reacted in offense.


    ¡°Too young to be a soldier!?¡± He ranted, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that my father and his father before him were soldiers. I am the next generation, ready to fulfil my part in the family legacy. What time to be a soldier other than now? We¡¯re on the brink of war! Why would age matter!?¡±


    Cain sighed at the hotheaded young man.


    ¡°It matters because you are lesser physically.¡± He said, using a serious tone, ¡°A child cannot survive the conditions up there. You¡¯ll die!¡±


    ¡°Ha, coming from the fat man.¡± Kyra reacted angrily again, ¡°You¡¯ll probably have a heart attack before we even get to the peak!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Quite the contrary!¡± Cain exclaimed in quick response, ¡°I have the fat to survive the cold! Unlike you, a naive little skinny virgin who¡¯ll become an icicle the second you feel the cold!¡±


    Just before Kyra could retaliate to Cain¡¯s verbal abuse another man intervened.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± said the man, ¡°We are all brothers in this unfortunate reality. Let us not argue amongst ourselves, but rather be glad that we are not alone.¡±


    The flowery words of the man left both Cain and Kyra silent, but unimpressed. Kyra looked deeply at the man, trying to decipher his intent. He was a tall man with a thin frame. His hair was curly and long, and it was obvious that he would have been handsome many years ago, especially due to his broad cheekbones and sensitive look. However, it appeared as if age had done him no good as his face was riddled with wrinkles. Kyra could not sense any evil intent from the man, but his slanted, dark brown eyes were mischievous. Kyra would keep an eye on him.


    However, before Kyra had even decided to keep an eye on the flowery man, the opposite had already occurred. The flowery man said no more words, but his eyes investigated Kyra intensely. He looked deeply into the boy¡¯s icy blue eyes, and visually examined his pristine pale skin. What interested the flowery man the most, though, was the stone arrowhead necklace that hung around Kyra¡¯s neck. He found it familiar, but he could not remember exactly why.


    The flowery man¡¯s thoughts were cut short by the coachman, who loudly announced the departure of the first carriage up the mountain, making Kyra jump up in excitement and forget the conversations that had just occurred.

 A Conversation with the Coachman

    Chapter 2: A Conversation with the Coachman


    Often times it is not the cold that kills a man. They¡¯re physically strong enough to take it. However, what gets the man is his mind. When belief in oneself strays, or once you start perceiving yourself as a victim, you die. The men that live are not always the physically strongest men, or even the most skilled. The men that live are the ones that grit their teeth and do their damn job.


    - 9th Commander of Reachan, Hawk Palko


    After the coachman had announced that it was time to depart from the town and head up the mountain the horses began to move. Their tall and thick legs had stood still for a long time, and they had some problems when forced to move on such immediate notice. Luckily, Kregloan horses were strong and had a deep determination built into their souls. With the weight of a heavy wooden cart, twenty one men (including the coachman), and the supplies from the town and personal belongings of the men, which added up to several tons altogether, the horses moved slow and steady. Kyra finally understood why it was projected to take eight hours to reach the summit. It would be a dreadfully slow trip for the men, and a dreadfully painful one for the horses, specifically the two that dragged their carriage, as Cain weighed quite a bit. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t as if the soldiers could just walk up to the summit by themselves. They had all been told by the village folk and the coachmen that they were not to attempt to climb the mountain themselves, as it would most certainly lead to their death. In the end, every man had retired themselves to the carriage, and could only place their trust in the coachmen, who they had been told had been ¡°specifically trained to be able to guide the horses up the mountain even with their eyes closed¡±, and the horses, who were amongst the strongest breeds alive.


    The horses ascended up the mountain path. It was a fairly low incline, but, since the path was covered with snow and ice, the horses had to move slowly to avoid slipping. After around ten minutes of sitting in the moving carriage, Kyra began to notice something about his surroundings. He realised that he could no longer see anywhere further than two metres in front of him, making it difficult to even make out the man sitting across from him. Kyra worried that their travels would be delayed even further, but he noticed that the carriage had not slowed down at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± The coachman¡¯s raspy voice said from the front of the carriage, ¡°We¡¯re just going through the clouds. Only seven hours of this left. Hahahahaha!¡±


    Even though the coachman was laughing, none of the other men found it particularly funny. Seven hours with no visibility was a nightmare for the average man. When one sense was taken away, all other senses were heightened. A single cough or creak caused the men to shiver and flinch. They knew that no animals would confront them, but what if there was an avalanche? What would they do if the coachman made one wrong moves. No man would enjoy being in such a vulnerable position.


    However, Kyra wasn¡¯t a man, at least not yet. Rather than fear the sounds or lack of visibility he actually found it rather exciting. Every time the carriage hit a rock the men would react in fright, but for Kyra it got the adrenaline rushing. His heart beat fast at the prospect of danger, but it was not out of fear. Even when all the men were close to screaming, Kyra could only feel a tremendous energy rise from within him. His entire childhood had been fairly sheltered. He had never been put in a position of true danger, and being exposed to it was something strange and exciting.


    Suddenly, Kyra felt a cold, bony hand touch his shoulder. He immediately looked at who had touched him, but he couldn¡¯t see anyone. He looked to his left, where Cain sat. His hand was way too fat to feel like the hand that touched him. He looked to his right, but he sat all the way in the back of the carriage, and there was only a small wood barrier there. After a minute of looking for a potential source he gave up. He was probably just imagining things.


    But not even a minute later he felt the cold hand again. Again, he looked around, but couldn¡¯t find anything.


    ¡°Who touched me!?¡± He shouted angrily.


    Unfortunately, the men were too preoccupied with other things to pay attention to him. Kyra angrily smashed his hand against the wooden barrier. However, then he finally realised one more possibility. To his right was a small wooden barrier which separated the coachman from the other men. It was low enough for the coachman to have reached over and touch him.


    Kyra sneakily looked over the wooden barrier to inspect the coachman¡¯s hand. Sure enough, it was an incredibly thin and bony hand.


    ¡®He must be the culprit!¡¯ He thought.


    However, before he could make any accusations, the coachman grabbed him by the neck and placed him next to him in the driving seat.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kyra looked around, confused by what had just happened.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you scared?¡± The coachman asked him.


    Kyra regained his bearings and figured out what had happened.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± He didn¡¯t really know too well himself either.


    ¡°You know,¡± The coachman said, ¡°All the other men are terrified. In their minds it would only take one mistake and¡­ BOOM! We¡¯d all be dead.¡±


    Kyra wondered what he was getting at.


    ¡°But you¡­¡± The coachman said, ¡°You¡¯re different. I swear I saw you smile just a bit ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kyra said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of exciting isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, the fact that we could die! Isn¡¯t it kind of incredible?¡±


    The coachman stayed silent for a while.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of death?¡± He asked.


    Kyra thought for a bit.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so¡­¡± He said, not really sure.


    ¡°Ok, so you are afraid of death, but you¡¯re not afraid right now?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think I will die.¡± Kyra responded.


    The coachman started to get frustrated.


    ¡°You just said that you got excited because of the fact that we could die, but you aren¡¯t afraid because you think we won¡¯t? What sort of backwards logic is that!?¡±


    Kyra thought about it for a while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He said after a solid five minutes of silence.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The coachman couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the strange child.


    ¡°You¡¯re very strange, kid.¡± He said, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Kyra.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Kyra asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t say.¡± The coachman seemed a bit flustered.


    ¡°What? Why? I told you my name!¡±


    The coachman stayed silent for a while. There was a strict rule that they were not to get acquainted with any of the trainee soldiers. He had completely forgotten about it, and he had even asked the name of the kid. He could only smile at his own stupidity.


    ¡°Tell you what.¡± The coachman said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my name, if you pass my test.¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to pass a test to know your name? Do you do this to everyone?¡± Kyra asked, annoyed.


    ¡°You are merely a child, and yet you desire to know my name! I would say this calls for a test of sorts, to determine if you are worthy!¡± The coachman tried to play up his superiority.


    Kyra looked at him unimpressed, but considering that there were still hours left before they would reach the summit, he decided to do the test anyway.


    ¡°Ok, fine. I¡¯ll take your test.¡± He said.


    The coachman sighed in relief. As long as he could make the test sufficiently difficult then his name would be safe.


    ¡°Great!¡± He said, ¡°First question: How does a man train his core?¡±


    The coachman decided to start off easy, and bump up the difficulty exponentially with every question.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Kyra exclaimed in excitement, ¡°That¡¯s easy. You just have to sit down, cross your legs, close your eyes, clench your abdomen, allow your body to fall in a coma-like state, and¡­ then you just wake up after a while and you¡¯ve trained your core!¡±


    The coachman stayed still for a while.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re missing out on something, but I¡¯ll consider it a pass.¡± He said.


    ¡°How many questions are there?¡± Kyra asked.


    ¡°As many as it takes to determine if you are worthy.¡± The coachman said, ¡°Anyway, second question: What type of sword is required to destroy someone¡¯s core?¡±


    ¡°A large one.¡± Kyra said.


    ¡°Haha, nope!¡± The coachman laughed, ¡°You need a soul sword! How did you get that one wrong?¡±


    ¡°You can do it with a large sword as well.¡± Kyra said, unamused.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just more efficient with a soul sword.¡± Kyra said, ¡°You can use any sword, it just takes a long time, and whoever you¡¯re removing it from has to stay still.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right.¡±


    The coachman slapped himself on the forehead. He had gotten too excited when asking the question and had asked which sword was required rather than which sword was most efficient.


    ¡°What¡¯s the next question?¡± Kyra asked.


    The coachman cheered up again. He remembered he could virtually ask an infinite amount of questions.


    The questions continued for another hour. Who would have thought that the young boy would have had such an intricate amount of knowledge? However, the coachman had a trump card. Nobody knew the answer to the last question, only he did.


    ¡°The next question will be the last one.¡± The coachman told Kyra.


    Kyra didn¡¯t even care much more about learning the coachman¡¯s name. Instead, he found the entire quiz a decent time killer. There were still a couple hours left of riding on the carriage, and without the quiz Kyra would have been bored to death. In fact, he was actually quite sad that the next question would be the last.


    ¡°The last question requires a bit of backstory.¡± The coachman began, ¡°The coachmen riding the carriages up this very mountain are all related. We come from an ancient tribe that far precedes the Kregloan kingdom. The ancient tribe from which I came made a deal with a very powerful beast thousands of years ago. They traded their faces and the faces of every generation after theirs for an incredibly powerful form of ice magic.¡±


    Kyra looked shocked. He couldn¡¯t see the coachman¡¯s face as it was completely covered with a scarf, and he wore a hat to cover his head.


    ¡°But how do you eat, or see, or smell?¡± Kyra asked, incredibly interested.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the question.¡± He said, ¡°Please tell me exactly how I eat, see, or smell.¡±


    Kyra pondered the question for a moment. He didn¡¯t care if he got it wrong. There were so many follow up questions which he wanted to ask anyway.


    Eventually he came up with an answer anyway.


    ¡°I think that you¡¯re blind, you don¡¯t smell, but you speak and eat through some form of magic.¡± Kyra said.


    The coachman was actually rather surprised. It certainly wasn¡¯t the worst answer he had ever received to that question. But alas, it was incorrect.


    ¡°Wrong.¡± The coachman said, ¡°But a good attempt.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the answer?¡± Kyra asked.


    The coachman took off his hat and his scarf, revealing a completely faceless and bald head. Where there would normally be a mouth, nose, or eyes was instead just skin. It was perfectly smooth, and incredibly pale, probably due to the head not receiving much sunlight.


    Kyra looked at the coachman¡¯s head in shock. But as interesting and scary as it was, this didn¡¯t exactly answer his question. Luckily, the coachman answered that directly afterwards.


    ¡°Eating, speaking, breathing, smelling, and seeing are done through my soul.¡± The coachman said.


    Kyra looked at him in utter shock. How could one eat through their soul?


    ¡°You see, one of the powers that the ancient magic gives me, is that I can turn things that are not solid, into something solid.¡± He said.


    Kyra felt the coachman¡¯s cold hand on his shoulder once again, but the coachman¡¯s real hand didn¡¯t even move.


    ¡°Simply put,¡± The coachman said, ¡°I can manifest my soul externally and allow it to become a solid.¡±


    ¡°But that¡­ that¡¯s incredible!¡± Kyra exclaimed, ¡°Why on earth are you working as a coachman for a damn mountain!?¡±


    Even though it was impossible to see any expression on the coachman¡¯s face, Kyra could swear by the silence which followed that that the coachman was not smiling.


    ¡°Well.¡± The coachman began, ¡°My brothers and I fought on the wrong side in the last war. The Helden kingdom promised whatever was left of our tribe that if we found with them they would give us our land back. However, when we lost my brothers and I were taken in as war criminals before the Kregloan court of justice. In order to spite us they magically bound us to these lowly positions.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they put you to more use?¡± Kyra wondered out loud, perhaps somewhat insensitively.


    ¡°Haha, you sure are blunt.¡± The coachman laughed, ¡°They tried to put us to use in different ways, but we would always prove more trouble than use.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kyra seemed to be deep in thought.


    While Kyra was thinking the coachman quickly put his hat and scarf on again. He had completely forgotten about the rule of not getting acquainted with anyone.


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Kyra remembered what he wanted to say, ¡°What else can you do with your ice magic?¡±


    ¡°Not much at the moment, because they restricted my power. However, I used to be able to turn people into ice just by snapping my fingers. In my army days my brothers and I used to be able to take out entire cities by ourselves just by freezing the water supply to such a degree that it was impossible to melt.¡± The coachman said it with pride.


    ¡°Can you teach me your magic?¡± Kyra asked.


    The coachman laughed at the preposterous request.


    ¡°No! Of course not.¡± He said, ¡°Well I can¡¯t teach it to you. But maybe if you manage to find the powerful beast then he can give you the power.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Kyra asked innocently.


    The coachman couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the question.


    ¡°Nobody has seen it for thousands of years, but please. Maybe if wander around Hael long enough you might find him.¡± He said jokingly.


    Kyra laughed along with the suggestion, but within his mind he had already imprinted the memory of the beast.


    ¡°You should go back to your seat.¡± The coachman said after a few minutes of silence, ¡°It¡¯s going to get bumpy.¡±


    Kyra hopped back into his seat in the carriage and closed his eyes. The next four hours were bumpy and terrifying for all of the men, but Kyra slept right through.


    After those four hours the voice of the coachman sounded once again.


    ¡°Dear passengers.¡± He said, ¡°I hope you had a nice ride. We have arrived at the summit.¡±