《Elementals: Heroes of Tomorrow》


 Prologue: The Crimson World

    Screams of pain and groans of agony pierced the air mixed in with cries of mercy and desperation for it all to end. The sounds were very human which could cause any sane man to tremble in fear for the creatures guilty of the noises were not human. Instead the humanlike noises came from a mountain of corpses made up of lions, snakes, boars and many more creatures.


    The iron scent emitted from the corpses traveled through the air where the scent made its way to a boy around the age of twelve who stood at the very foot of the mountain made of corpses. The child stood in an ocean of blood frozen in fear and confusion.


    Afraid something would hear him if he made a noise, the boy chose to maintain his silence. Standing still, he took the time to observe his surroundings. Taking in the scene around him allowed the boy to realize that the mountain in front of him wasn''t the only mountain of corpses as eight others stood around him greeting him with the same pleas. The only difference the boy could discern was the mountain in front of him was the tallest mountain, as he couldn''t see the top of the mountain that was hidden by an abundance of red clouds that barred his view, only allowing a blurry view of the top.


    After a minute of standing in silence with no signs of life aside from the constants shrieks and groans coming from the dead creatures, the boy decided to move, hoping he could find a way out. The plan quickly changed once he realized he didn''t have the ability to move. The boy attempting to move let out a few grunts to accompany the screams and shouts. After a few minutes of attempts, the boy gave up with a sigh of frustration, tears gathering in his eyes at the thought of death coming for him. Trying to calm himself, he took a couple of deep breaths. His breathing session echoed through the crimson world before he attempted another escape leading to his grunts to travel through the silence. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The boy abruptly put a stop on what he was doing to listen to his surroundings.


    Silence


    The boy heard nothing but his breathing and beating heart that was increasing in speed. The cries, the groans, the screams all of it gone. Silence was all that greeted the boy and that terrified him more than the noises from before.


    Suddenly a squelch was heard from the mountain in front of the boy. The boy''s eyes filled with fear scanned the mountain of corpses and quickly spotted a human figure with its back facing him, making its way up the mountain. Although it appeared human, the boy didn''t want to take the chance and instead chose to observe the mysterious figure. After every step the figure took, a squelch or groan would follow. When a groan was heard the figure would halt and stare down at the creature that produced the noise as if it was angered that it dared to make noise in its presence before it would continue its journey up the mountain. It was as if the figure demanded silence.


    And the boy was willing to follow as he didn''t make a move or utter a sound the moment he laid eyes on the figure. The boy kept his eyes on the shrinking figure as it passed through the red clouds and still chose to remain silent. After what felt like a lifetime of squinting past the red clouds , the boy was able to pick up movement at the top of the mountain. The figure appeared to have reached the top and simply stood there before clouds blocked the boys vision. Suddenly after a few moments of nothing, the red clouds quickly dispersed allowing the boy to see that the figure no longer had its back towards him but was instead facing him. The boy froze as he locked eyes with the mysterious figure''s crimson colored eyes.


    "DAMON"

 Chapter 1: The Nightmare

    "DAMON"


    Damon awoke with a start. Breathing heavily from the horrifying nightmare, he took a moment to just stare at the ceiling in hopes of calming himself. Suddenly a small face masked in worry blocked his view of his grey ceiling. Damon let out a groan upon the seeing the perpetrator guilty of waking him up looming over him.


    "Damon" Going by the excited squeaky voice calling out to him once more, Damon knew the perpetrator''s face no longer bore the look of worry from a moment ago as he turned to his side fighting back a smile.


    A giggle escaped the little perpetrator after seeing her older brother groan in frustration. A mischievous smile soon followed as she got ready to to complete her morning tradition of waking up her big brother.


    Reaching for her hair that was styled in a bun, she released it from the band that held it together and lowered her head to allow her blonde hair to brush against her brother''s face, which usually did the trick. And as usual it worked seeing as Damon sat up to glare at her.


    "Do you always have to wake me up like that Riles?" Damon questioned his little sister


    "You always wake up from that." Riley replied innocently with her round blue eyes that were of similar color to the oceans he saw in illustrations. It always roused envy out of him as he was stuck with their father''s plain brown eyes.


    "Well have you tried other ways?" Damon asked.


    Riley put a finger to her chin as she took a moment to think about it before answering with a shake of her head causing her unbound hair to flail side to side hitting her face causing a smile to form on Damon''s face.


    "I just did your hair sweetie." A voice of frustration came from the doorway.


    Looking towards the doorway, Damon found a slim blonde woman wearing an ankle long blue dress to match her eyes with her fingers massaging her temple hoping to soothe the oncoming headache as she leaned against the doorway. The woman bore a striking resemblance to the little girl currently hiding behind her big brother with a golden stuffed dragon toy clutched to her chest as she peeked out from behind Damon to stare at the woman.


    "Well mom, maybe you should''ve thought of that before sending her here knowing how she wakes me up." Damon defended his little sister as he turned around to scrunch his nose at Riley who let out a fit of giggles. Turning back to his mother, he was met with a frown she was trying to keep but the smile of fondness could not be held back.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Well son, maybe if you didn''t take after your father''s sleeping habits where only a dragon''s roar could wake the both of you up." Damon could only smile sheepishly in response.


    "Or in your case, an owner of a dragon." Reaching out a hand for her daughter who came out from behind Damon and hopped off the bed making her way to their mother whilst dragging her stuffed toy across the floor.


    " I wouldn''t have sent my last resort if you had woken up. I''ve been calling your name for the last ten minutes before deciding to send the little one." Raising Riley''s hand who nodded her head with a smile.


    A groan came from the hallway that grabbed their attention, especially Riley who ran out the door excitedly towards the noise. Shaking her head head at the sight with a smile before turning her attention back to her son. "It seems your father is finally awake. Which means we should be leaving soon, so get your butt up and get ready. I don''t want to be stuck in line for hours in this weather." Damon watched his mother tilt her head to look out the window beside him that welcomed in the glaring sunlight of the tail end of the summer season.


    A nod of understanding was all his mother needed as she closed the door behind her allowing Damon some alone time to recall the dream he just had.


    During the entirety of his conversations with his mom and sister, Damon never once revealed his hands that were hidden underneath the warmth of his blanket. He was afraid his mother would smother him like she did when he first got the nightmares.


    Taking a deep breath, Damon pulled his hands out from underneath the blanket and the results were the same as last time: Trembling hands and numbness.


    Damon recalled calling out for his parents the first few times it happened after his tenth birthday. The fear and confusion increased after every nightmare and continued to do so as he had more nightmares, only it felt like more details were being added after every nightmare: First was the ocean of blood. Then the crimson clouds and lastly, it was the mountains of corpses that grew in numbers after every dream until it reached nine and stopped, except they never uttered a noise. After a month of waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweat, the nightmares all of a sudden stopped and never made a reappearance again.


    Until today. After two years, the nightmare came back and this time he was given the full picture in detail. A very gruesome picture. Damon felt chills as recalled the crimson colored eyes that found his before waking up.


    "Its just a dream, its just a dream..."  Damon muttered to himself before taking a deep breath to calm himself.


    Hoping to forget the nightmare, Damon turned towards his window to see the sunlight illuminating his room with natural light. Placed right in front of his window was a desk that held his writing materials for school and his favorite books with their spines facing him. Damon took a second to scan his small collection of books with pride: ''Heroes of the Republic'', ''The Elements'', ''Lords of Elements''...".


    A frown soon found its way onto Damon after noticing a book missing from his collection. Closing his eyes in an attempt to remember where he last put the book, after a few moments, his eyes shot open and he yanked the blankets off of him in search of the book he was reading yesterday. Finding nothing on the bed, Damon shifts his attention to the floor where he finds the book''s corner peeking out from underneath his bed.


    Damon pulled the book out from underneath his bed and with a brush of a hand to get rid of the gathered dust, Damon read the title aloud with an excited smile.


    "Awakening"

 Ch 2: The Beaumont Family

    After getting ready, Damon raced down the hall to get to the kitchen only to pause at the sight of a thin man sitting down hunched over the dining table with his head in his hands. Beside the man was Riley with her hair done in a braid playing with her dragon stuffed toy on her lap.


    "Morning dad." Damon''s excited greetings were answered with a grunt from his father who didn''t bother raising his head. Damon raised his brows hearing his father before turning to his mother who had her back to him overlooking a pot Damon assumed to be breakfast.


    "What happened to him?" Damon asked


    "What happened to him?" Damon winced upon hearing the rising anger in his mother''s tone that she tried to hide in sarcasm but her aggressive stirring of the pot revealed her true feelings. Damon witnessing this and not wishing to be on his mothers ''angry at'' list, beelined to the dishes and utensils on the counter to help set the table, smiling sweetly at his mother while doing so.


    "Robert, you heard the boy. Why don''t you explain why his father is hungover on the day of his son''s Awakening Ceremony?"


    "Yea, explain" Riley, like her mother, demanded answers with her hands on her hips that quickly shifted to catching her dragon stuffed toy that fell from her lap.


    Peeking out from the corner of his eye, Damon was greeted by the sight of his father lifting his head out from his hands where strands of his shoulder-length brown hair fell over his brown eyes that were currently glaring at him. Damon smiled sheepishly in response.


    "C''mon explain to the boy." Damon watched his mother bring the pot to the center of the table before scooping the soup out the pot to pour it in everyone''s bowl. Leaving her husband for last, she paused to glare at her husband who could only respond by grabbing his bowl and lifting it, not forgetting to accompany the bowl with an apologetic smile. Damon watched his mother''s eyes soften before pouring the soup, rolling her eyes while doing so.


    With everyone seated and the table set, no one picked up their utensils to eat. Instead they waited for the chef to give the signal to bless the food. A moment later the lady of the house cleared her throat and said "Bow your heads for the spirits that come to bless the food."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    With their eyes closed and mouths shut, they gave the Spirits their moment to bless the food. After a full minute, ten seconds given to every Spirit to bless the food and ten seconds to leave, the Beaumont family opened their eyes and dug in.


    Damon immediately began devouring his food, ignoring the the giggles coming from Riley and the heated glare from his mother. The only thing on his mind was the Awakening Ceremony that is to be held in a few hours and he couldn''t wait to get there.


    "Are you ready son?" Damon paused his meal to nod, an answer his father wasn''t fond of as he asked another question." I mean, are you ready for the outcome? You have to remember that only two to three awakeners are found every year here in Sparking City."


    "Robert." Damon bowed his head, choosing to swirl the soup in front of him after hearing his mother''s stern voice. " I''m sure he''s well aware of his chances."


    "Is he? His chances at Awakening are nearly nil, Lisa." Damon heard his father adopt a stern tone similar to his mother and knew an argument was coming.


    Damon shifted his attention from his meal to his parents who were currently having a conversation with their eyes while Riley sat in between them with her stuffed dragon clutched to her chest. Feeling responsible for the situation, Damon answered his father.


    "I know dad. I am well aware of my chances. I know small cities like ours only get around two to three Awakeners every year and in worst cases only one. But..." Damon paused for a moment after seeing he got his parents undivided attention " But that doesn''t mean anything to me. Two to three people out of the thousands that show up will Awaken, those are still chances I''m willing to take. Spirits, even if it''s just one person that Awakens in the entire city" Damon with a confident look on his face jammed his thumb to his chest "I''ll be that one."


    Damon watched his parents stare blankly at him for a few moments, nearly causing his confidence to waver before smiles broke out on their faces. Damon watched his father let out a proud laugh and his mother go back to helping Riley with her food whilst carrying a small smile on her face. Without turning to face her son, she reprimanded him "Don''t ever use the Spirts name in vain again." A bitter smile was the response her eldest gave.


    "That''s my boy." Damon sent a proud look at his father that quickly morphed into a grimace after witnessing the proud smile on his father''s face fade into a wince of pain as he went back into having his head in his hands. Damon once made a promise to himself when he was younger that he would never drink alcohol and from observing his father, he mentally patted himself on the back for his wise decision.


    "Yea, go wake up big brother." Riley shouted her support for Damon who rolled his eyes his eyes with a smile before correcting her. "It''s Awake- you know what forget it. Thank you, Riles."Damon smiled at the sight of his smiling family and was grateful for their support.


    He just hoped he could live up to his own words.

 CH 3: Awakening Day

    "Where in the Spirits is the rest of my logs? We had an agreement..." A wealthy looking man stood outside a small store berating an elderly man that stood with a nearly empty wagon bowing his head down in apologies.


    Near them was a group naughty children approaching the wagon in silence before pausing and turning away after hearing the conversation.


    " We got lucky last year with that boy from the Briggs family. We probably won''t get another genius like him for awhile."


    "He ain''t no genius. Commander Ricks was a genius. Too bad he died in battle. He could''ve been the greatest Elemental to ever come out from our city." Across the street, through the crowded streets, was a group of older gentleman sitting down arguing about other people''s greatness while sipping their tea.


    "How many you think our city will get?" "I say two. We had four last year. We need to balance it out." Passing by the group of old men were a group of ladies making guesses on the amount of Awakeners there would be before passing by a pair of boys who looked to be around the ages of twelve to fourteen.


    "Are you scared?" Damon scoffed at the question while dodging a group of giggling ladies before turning his head to the boy walking beside him with a sneer. The boy a head taller than him merely responded with a mocking smile below a growing mustache as they walked the crowded streets of Sparking city.


    "Me? Scared? C''mon Roddy." With a brow raised in disbelief at the question. "Why would I be scared?" Damon asked, clutching a pouch around his hip as the contents inside were of major importance. And with today being Awakening Day, he was on the constant lookout for thieves who became very busy during this time of year.


    "Then what took you so long to leave the house? Praying to the Spirits that they showed pity towards you." The taller of the boys threw his head back in laughter at his own joke causing a few dark strands of hair to fall on his forehead, escaping his messily made bun. Damon still wondered how he left the house like that knowing how much importance his friend''s mother held on presentation. Especially on a day like this.


    "No" A sarcastic smile creeped its way onto Damon as he immediately thought of a comeback after a smiling group of courtesans walked past them leaving behind a scent of flowers in their wake that his friend took the opportunity to relish in. " It''s just that my family and I came together to pray to the Spirits that when we leave the house we wouldn''t have to see that perverted mustache of yours."


    Rodrick gasped "Impossible" Rodrick covered his mustache in horror "Little Riles wouldn''t participate in such a demonic ritual."


    "She''s young." Damon countered. " She doesn''t know that some monsters come in human form."


    Damon looked up to the clear blue sky and grinned in victory feeling he won before it quickly morphed into a grimace as his view of the clear blue sky quickly turned into the gray cracked streets of Sparking city due to being held in a headlock. Damon, aiming for revenge, pinched the sides of Rodrick drawing out a shriek from him catching the attention of those around them. Frowns and smiles of amusement were sent their way resulting in both boys releasing their hold of each other to smile and bow in apology. Side-eyeing each other with pursed lips, both boys broke out in a fit of giggles before continuing their journey through the busy streets of Sparking City.


    ***


    The city of Sparking City was always alive during this time of year. Mainly due to the influx of visitors from outside the city in the forms of townspeople and village folk from the surrounding areas who came to support their children who are eligible for the upcoming Awakening Ceremony. And with more people meant more pockets. Merchants, peddlers, farmers and many others came to the city in droves hoping to catch the waves of silver and gold making its way through the city. With a big boom in population, the sights on the streets of the city were many.


    As city locals, the boys had certain a level of experience. Walking through the crowded streets dodging elbows, fists and spit, the boys were able to spot the familiar and unfamiliar sights. Peddlers selling their items from their carts as they pulled them up and down the street shouting out their wares. Merchants standing outside of businesses, complaining about products that should have been ready for them, leading to shouting matches or in some rare cases, fights. A sight most common after sunset. Parents scolding their children after witnessing them take a tumble or being the reason why someone else took a tumble, much to the amusement of the duo. The sights were many in the now crowded city.


    As the duo continued their journey, they noticed a small crowd off to the side expressing aloud ''oohs'' and ''aah'' catching the attention of the duo. Rodrick glanced at Damon who shrugged his shoulders before making their way to the crowd. Slipping past bodies and dodging elbows was the path taken by Damon. Rodrick with his tall stature had to push past people with smiles and apologies before he could get to where Damon was standing, welcoming him with a broad smile. "Your height didn''t help you there did it?"


    Rodrick gasped, wearing an exaggerated look of concern while pointing at Damon''s cheek. "Hey, I think you weren''t careful enough, it looks like you might have bumped into someone''s shin on the way here." Damon stuck his tongue out at his friend who responded with a smile of victory.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    With their quick battle of wits over, they shifted their attention over to the reason for the crowd. A shirtless man stood in the middle of the crowd carrying a torch in both hands, waving them around as he danced in the center captivating the crowd with his elegant and dangerous stunt. Awe and curiosity could be found on the faces of everyone within the crowd including Damon and Rodrick. Although they have seen similar performances in the past, they never got tired of them. It was the closest thing to a legendary Fire Elemental that they ever got to experience. Or any type of Elemental, since Elementals were rarely seen in the Outer Districts. Most are usually personal guards of those of status or they are sent to outposts on the Republics borders.


    Damon watched the performer swinging the torches in hands without fear of burning himself. It was like the performer was able tame the fire. Damon flinched before letting out a laugh after the man lifted both torches up to the sky and blew them causing a burst of flames to shoot up into the air. Applause and laughter broke out from the crowd as the man took a bow signaling the end of his performance.


    All of a sudden, the near midday sun''s rays of light was blocked and a shadow was cast over the crowd of spectators. Damon, turning his attention to the sky, froze in shock after witnessing a dragon flying overhead. The sight of the creature elicited shrieks and shouts of fear from the crowd as everyone stepped back, ready to run at the sight of the behemoth roaming the skies before pausing and taking a closer look. The giant creature that spread fear across the crowd wasn''t a dragon but a ship. An airship. Damon had seen airships before like the ships the Academy sends every year to pick up their students. But the airship in front of him differed from the familiar wooden airships. The airship currently sailing across the skies for one had a dragon head that everyone had mistaken for a real dragon of lore as the bow of the ship and at the stern of the ship was a tail swishing back and forth.


    The dragon head was covered in black scales the size of an adult human that shimmered around its nose from the sunlight hitting it. It''s nostrils occasionally released smoke to add a more realistic approach and its eyes made up entirely of rubies sparkled every few seconds as if it was observing its surroundings with majesty. At the stern of the ship was a tail made up of similar material as the dragon head, swishing back and forth releasing bursts of flames similar to the flames the performer from earlier produced only bigger. Connecting both ends was a ship covered in the same black scales.


    On the side of the ship visible to Damon, was a sigil he recognized from the many books he read. With a ruby red background as its backdrop, a black dragon with ruby colored eyes raised its head to release a roar towards the skies.


    Damon and everyone around him watched in silent awe at the ship making its way to Governor''s Mansion where the only landing platform existed. A piercing cry from a baby broke the silence bringing everyone out of their trance.


    "I''ve never seen an airship like that before." Rodrick said as he marveled at the retreating ship. "Its way better looking than the ships that came before." Rodrick widened his eyes "Hey, maybe thats the ship the Academy sent to pick up this years Awakeners."


    Damon hearing this perked up before quickly deflating.


    "Sadly, you''re wrong." Damon doused the older boy''s excitement.


    "What, why?" Rodrick asked for an explanation and before Damon could explain a voice cut him off.


    "Because that ship doesn''t belong to the Academy. A flamboyant ship like that would never be under the flag of the Academy." A tall muscular man with dark shoulder length hair styled in a ponytail interrupted their conversation to explain the reasoning why they won''t be using the flying dragon ship. Beside the man was a short slightly chubby woman who was carrying a bundle in her arms being shaded by an umbrella the intimidating man who interrupted their conversation was holding.


    "The ship belongs to House Lyle. If you paid more attention in school maybe you would have known." Rodrick adopted a bland look, scanned his surroundings for anything interesting to escape his father''s scoldings. Frowning at his son''s reaction, the tall man ready to utter a barrage of scolding was stopped by the woman beside him who elbowed him


    "Kade" The short woman said with a glare.


    "I''m sure our son just forgot. Right Roddy?" Rodrick''s mother smiled at her eldest who nodded halfheartedly.


    "Answer your mother with words boy." The stern voice of Rodricks father passed through the air infecting it with tension.


    Damon witnessing this could only smile awkwardly and hope someone would break the heavy tension.


    "DAMON. Did you see Sparky''s brother?" Riley came running with their parents trailing behind. Damon glad someone came to slice the awkward air in half, happily dove into the conversation with a frantic nod at his sister who held up her dragon stuff toy towards him.


    "We sure did." Rodrick answered enthusiastically, also happy someone came to save him. "Your brother got scared but don''t worry I was here to protect him." Rodrick patted himself on the chest, face filled with pride.


    "Were you scared" Riley asked her older brother who rolled his eyes at the question.


    "Me? I guess you don''t remember the time I looked under the bed to make sure there weren''t any monsters hiding? Or when you were too scared to walk down the dark hallway to get a glass of water so I followed you to make sure nothing happened? Hmm?" Riley nodded her head at the memories of her brother braving the scary world for her.


    "I''m not afraid of anything." Damon slapped his chest in pride, satisfied with himself and his past actions. That is until he felt eyes on him. Looking towards the right he saw his parents staring at him in amusement. Feeling his days of being afraid of the dark coming to light, he quickly grabbed ahold of Riley''s hand and said "Onwards"


    Rodrick grimaced at his friend''s choice of words, muttering to himself " What a weirdo."


    Sadly for Damon, he managed to hear the remark causing him to redden in embarrassment. "How about you give your mother a break and take your brother off her hands." Waving the hand that held Rileys "Be a good big brother for once."


    Rodrick offended at the brash remark marched his way to his mother to grab his baby brother swathed in a bundle of blankets. With a smile of reassurance to his mother, he was able to have his brother in his arms. Turning around and pointing to the center of the city mimicking his friend  "ONWARDS."

 Ch 4: Desperation or...

    "Arghh" A loud shriek was released into the air attracting the eyes of those around, Rodrick walked with a pep in his step hoping it would soothe his baby brothers cries. "It''s okay, it''s okay,"


    "We''re almost there Riley." Damon pointed at the high walls of green and black that towered over its surroundings to his exhausted little sister. "See? We just go to that building and then we''re there." The pair of boys probably regretting choosing their pride over their abilities, attempted to ease their siblings suffering with their parents behind them holding their amusement.


    Riley nodded with a yawn at the information. "You want me to carry you Riles?" Rodrick noticing the exhausted expression on the little girl''s face offered his strength.


    Although taller than Riley, Damon couldn''t really lift his little sister anymore who was on the way of following their father on the road to the tall category. Although the offer from Rodrick was genuine it couldn''t escape Damon who grew up beside the mustached schemer.


    Despite the chance for an easier journey Riley shook her head "No, I''m okay." Rodrick could only smile bitterly before going back to trying to soothe his baby brothers cries while Damon wore a proud smile at his clueless little sister.


    After a while, the two families were close to reaching their destination. The building with high green and black walls that towered over the surrounding buildings was the destination. And after passing a few more buildings and taking a turn, their destination was finally in sight.


    Damon once again laid his eyes upon the shocking familiar scene with both awe and respect. With the walls now in front of him and no other buildings blocking his way, Damon had a clear view of the walls of the old arena that was once used as a fighting pit until the Crimson Fires from six hundred years ago burned the city down, leaving behind a ruins of a once famed building.


    Although in ruins, the arena still held enough of itself for it to still be useful. If one was to observe carefully they could find signs of the fires from six hundred years ago that left the high walls with cracks and burns. From the cracks grew vines and plants giving the building a more approachable look. With these colors together it gave the walls a blend of green and black to welcome its visitors.


    From the very first time he saw it, Damon thought the building gave an ancient and grand aura. A well earned presence considering it still stood after surviving the Crimson Fires from six hundred years ago. A feat very few buildings have done. Damon believed that the rich history of the building was the sole reason why it was chosen to hold the yearly Awakening ceremonies.


    Taking his eyes off the walls, Damon set his eyes on the sight in front of him where a crowd of thousands gathered. The two families'' destination laid past the immense crowd that anyone from outside the city could have mistaken as the city¡¯s marketplace. The crowd was mostly made up of people like Damon, Awakeners from within the city and outside the city who came with their families for the Awakening ceremony. The rest were made up of merchants and vendors who stood beside their stalls or behind them shouting out their prices and wares to their surroundings hoping to entice a few customers.


    Damon walked beside Rodrick after giving their younger siblings to their parents to watch over as their child strength wouldn¡¯t be much compared to an adult. No matter how much they bragged.


    ¡°I could easily take a thief with one hand.¡± Rodrick complained to his friend after being told to give up his younger brother as it wasn¡¯t safe for him to hold him. Damon rolled his eyes already used to the overconfidence of his friend.


    ¡°Yea, sure.¡± Damon said sarcastically ¡° And I can take a dragon on with one finger. Roddy, just because you can beat up a few guys from school doesn¡¯t mean you could beat a grown adult.¡± Damon rolled his eyes before being bumped by someone. Widening his eyes he grabbed the pouch on his waist and opened it. Finding everything there he let out a sigh of relief.


    Rodrick noticing this raised an eyebrow in Damon¡¯s direction who responded with a strange smile ¡° Secret¡± Rodrick rolled his eyes before taking in the surroundings.


    "You think we should buy anything?" Rodrick looking unsure, asked after seeing the bustle going around.


    The question caused a grimace to form on Damon¡¯s face ¡° Why in the Spirits should we do that? You know everyone here is just a scammer. Just look around.¡±


    ¡°A necklace blessed by the fire spirit. When worn, the chances of you awakening the element of fire increases.¡±, ¡°A lucky charm bracelet that could let the eyes of the Spirits land on you for a few seconds.¡±, ¡°A ring of fire blessed by a priest of the Sun Deity. Awaken and become a fire elemental. Only seven silvers¡±


    Damon frowned hearing all of this. Damon could not believe how shameless these people were. Five silvers for a common household is worth around two months of work. The average household earns around 25-30 silvers a year. It would take them around five years just to earn a hundred silvers which was equivalent to one gold coin. A feat deemed near impossible with taxes and bills.


    "Listen to all this." Disgust clear on his face, Damon shook his head, vehemently against the suggestion. "No way we''re wasting our time and money on these type of stuff." Damon walked away not noticing an odd expression flash across Rodrick''s face after hearing Damon''s take.


    ¡°Do these people not have any brains?¡± Damon questioned after seeing a couple purchase their son a glove that could apparently preserve his power until the time he started his Awakening Ceremony.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°I mean c¡¯mon¡± Gesturing to another couple buying some type of rock when rubbed could summon Earth Spirits to bless someone. ¡° Did they leave their brains at the front gate?¡± Damon chuckled at himself before saying ¡° What could possibly lead them to believe-¡±


    "Desperation." A cold voice cut him off. Damon startled at the voice turned around to see a rare serious expression on Rodrick''s face.


    "When life beats you down for not meeting expectations. Either from others, your parents, friends, or... yourself." A heavy sigh escaped him "You start searching for something. Anything." A memory from a year ago popped into Damon''s head after seeing his friends defeated expression reminding him of the pouch on his side. Fighting the urge to open it, Damon decided that a a simple apology would do but before he could do that, he noticed his friend''s attention shifted to a commotion up ahead.


    Following his friend''s line of sight, he found a hunchback old man accompanied by a young girl that seemed around the same age and height as Rodrick stood in front of a stall arguing, catching the attention of those around them.


    Damon observed the two who appeared to be grandfather and granddaughter arguing about an item the stall owner was selling. The old man with a long unkempt white beard that reached his neck hovered over a box that carried an item he was considering buying. But from the young girl waving her hands around, she was most likely strongly against such a purchase. Damon scanned their attire and agreed with the young girl.


    The old man wore a plain brown robe that was torn near the bottom leaving the robe to be uneven with unknown stains found here and there. The young girl was probably the reason for the attention of those around them. With her shockingly red hair and green eyes that must''ve matched her dress before it was washed one too many times for the green was slightly faded but still, it could not mask the beauty of the young girl that many recognized.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need it grandpa.¡± The red haired girl pulled her grandfather¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s probably just another scam, just like the others.¡± reminding the old man about his previous purchases. Her comment on the Stall owner''s product caused the crowd of spectators to frown at the man behind the stall.


    ¡°Are you planning on buying something? Or are you just going to question my credibility all day?¡± The stall owner questioned with a frown after hearing the accusation.


    ¡°No, no, no. We¡¯ll buy it.¡± The old man reassured the stall owner before turning around to give a smile of reassurance to his granddaughter. ¡° Don¡¯t you worry little phoenix this time it¡¯ll work¡± he said softly.


    ¡°But Grandpa¡­¡± Her need to challenge him was waning after seeing his face. She pleaded one last time in a whisper ¡°Please.¡±


    Her last desperate pleas resulted in the old man hesitating.


    Feeling his money was on the edge of flying away, the stall owner grabbed a jade phoenix from the box in front of the old man and described the item with flair. ¡°This is probably the only jade hairpin this market has. And it was even blessed by the spirits.¡± The stall owner lifted it up to the sun ¡°Look at the way it glints under the Fire Spirits radiance. You won¡¯t find anything like it.¡±


    With a look of determination, the old man pulled a worn and torn satchel from within his robes that appeared to have accompanied the old man for years carrying around whatever he needed. And today he needed ten silvers, which the satchel provided.


    With a glint of disdain in his eyes that paired with his greedy smile, the stall owner snatched the ten silvers from the old man afraid he would change his mind. Grabbing the ten silver, he tossed slid the box that held the hairpin before waving away the the old man and girl.


    Witnessing this, Damon attempted to step in to put a stop on the daylight robbery happening in front of him. A hand fell upon his shoulder, preventing him from taking another step.


    ¡°Father?¡± A look of confusion was sent towards the owner of the hand only for a shake of the head to be the reply he received from his father.


    Giving Riley to his wife where they would follow uncle Kade down to the arena.


    Rodrick, still wearing a serious look, gave one last glance at the old man and his granddaughter before following his family.


    Damon watched them leave before he turned to find his father smiling at him, only it wasn¡¯t his usual smiles that made him feel at ease but one that told him something was wrong.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve helped them.¡± Damon informed his father with conviction in his tone.


    ¡°Yes you could''ve. But what then?¡± Damon¡¯s father challenged him ¡° What will you do when they find another stall? Hmm? Are you going to stop them again? Are you going to follow them around? Are you going to do it every time they want to buy something?¡± Damon was bombarded with questions that wavered his previous confidence.


    ¡°Of course¡± He answered, although not as confident as he was before. Damon narrowed his eyes ¡°We know awakening items don¡¯t exist in the Outer District. It''s all just fairy-¡±


    ¡°And so what?¡± Before Damon could say finish he was cut off by his father. His father''s smile from before was no longer there. Instead replaced with a glare that made Damon lower his eyes.


    Feeling slightly guilty, Robert lowered himself to be eye level with his son.


    Damon slowly lifted his head from the ground to lock eyes with his father who smiled at him gently.


    Before he could say anything, Robert saw something from behind Damon that caught his eye.


    Damon watched a small smile soon find its way onto his father, leading to him looking at his father with confusion.


    Grasping Damon¡¯s shoulder and turning him around, Damon was able to see what was the reason for his father''s smile.


    Damon watched the old man he was planning on saving reach up to place a jade phoenix hairpin on his granddaughter who lowered her head for the old man to reach. The red haired girl¡¯s face bore disapproval that gradually morphed into a reluctant smile after seeing her grandfather take a few steps back and smile at her clearly happy at the result.


    ¡°He was looking for something¡± Damon felt a hand on his head before Damon¡¯s father turned him around to once again become eye level ¡° And he found it.¡± The words immediately reminded Damon of his conversation with Rodrick.


    Damon was confused and his father, seeing that, smiled. ¡°If you ever Awaken Damon- no when you Awaken, remember this. When times are rough, and desperation takes over, the search begins."


    "The search for-¡±


    Dong dong


    A bell tolling echoed through the city signaling it was time for participants of the Awakening Ceremony to start entering the Arena.


    Robert smiled at Damon before standing up and saying ¡°You heard the bells."


    "It''s time."

 CH 5: Its Time

    ¡°IT IS TIME.¡± A man from atop the gates of the arena shouted to the long line of people making their way in an orderly fashion through the gates. ¡°Your time to awaken is here.¡± The shouts continued to fall from the atop gates.


    ¡°After passing through the gates, there will be a staircase on your left. That is only for family members or guardians of our future Awakeners. The Awakeners will continue down the hall. After passing through the gates¡­¡± A soldier from the city garrison walked down the line of Awakeners and families repeating the instructions.


    ¡°Future Awakeners? What? The Spirits blessed everyone here with their powers or something.¡± Rodrick said sarcastically with a sneer.


    ¡°Well, there are bound to be a few. Even if our city is a small one. We will most likely have at least two to three awakeners if we go by our history.¡± Damon replied, tiptoeing trying to see how close they were to the gate as his excitement and nerves grew the closer they got to the gates of the arena.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Rodrick rolled his eyes in frustration. ¡° They¡¯re talking as if everyone here is going to awaken when we all know that''s not true. Two or three is the number. Last year we were lucky enough to get four.¡± Rodrick shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Future Awakeners? Spirits, the ones that will awaken are probably already inside. We all know most Awakeners come from nobility.¡±


    Damon furrowed his brows by the end of his friend''s rant. As they got closer to the arena, Damon noticed his friend¡¯s growing negativity and did not like it. But he held his tongue as he knew that this was Rodrick¡¯s third attempt at Awakening, making it his last. Which reminded him of the conversation they had earlier after seeing that granddaughter and grandfather duo.


    Damon forgot that his friend was suffering from the back to back failed results of becoming an Awakener for a moment, leading to him saying some insensitive things. Thinking back on it, if he was in the same boat as Rodrick he probably would have bought something to help him increase his chances of Awakening even if he was to be seen as crazy from someone like himself. But his earlier comments probably prevented his friend from finding something to ease his nerves.


    ¡°Hey about earlier-¡± ¡°Nope. No need for apologies. It''s fine. I guess I just got carried away. That''s all.¡± Rodrick interrupted Damon¡¯s potential apology with a forced laugh.


    Feeling a bit awkward, both boys followed the line in silence. Damon¡¯s earlier excitement was diminished and Rodrick¡¯s complaints were pushed to the side due to the weird air surrounding them.


    ¡°For our future Awakeners, follow the path straight once you pass the gates and you will enter a hall where someone will be there to instruct you.¡± Damon observed the soldier shouting out instructions as a way to escape the awkwardness.


    The soldier responsible for shouting out instructions wore an old leather armor that bore a sigil on his chest and pants that were absent of any armor.  The soldier paced around, spear in hand that was chipped near the tip and a sword strapped to his waist continuously shouted out instructions. The familiar attire was of the city garrison who usually worked overtime during the Awakening Ceremony making sure everything goes right.


    Damon watched the soldier get close enough to him to make out the sigil placed on the left side of his chest. The sigil broke into five parts with a water drop on the top left, a mountain beside it, a tornado on the bottom left, a flame on the bottom right and lightning bolt in the center of the four. The famous sigil of the Republic.


    The sigil stuck out for it was the only thing on the soldier that remained spotless and undamaged. Damon remembered his father told him that soldiers were never allowed to dirty the sigil of the Republic as it was seen as disrespect. A tradition that even the city garrison followed.


    ¡°Do you still want to Awaken the Earth Element? I remember you said you wanted to create a mountain where only you and your future wife can stay.¡± Damon raised a brow at his friend in amusement.


    The memory brought a chuckle out of Rodrick. ¡° Yeah it still is. Just add a few animals, then I¡¯m all set. I think it¡¯s something my dad would¡¯ve appreciated having after an argument with my mother.¡± The conversation slowly eased the tension.


    ¡°And did he tell you that?¡± A woman¡¯s face popped into their conversation from behind the pair of boys.


    Both boys winced after hearing the familiar voice. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Rodrick turned around and reached his arms out to his baby brother. ¡°What was that? You want big brother to hold you Randy? C¡¯mere, c¡¯mere.¡± Rodrick ignored the glare from his mother and attempted to grab his baby brother from her only for her to shift the baby and pinch her eldest ears causing Rodrick to hiss in pain.


    Damon stared off to the side hoping to escape any accusations or scoldings from his aunt.


    ¡°Damon, come here.¡± Robert called for his son who was happy for the escape.


    ¡°You ready Damon?¡± The question brought him back to the reason he was here. Damon didn¡¯t know the answer but he answered anyway with a nod.


    Robert chuckled after seeing his son nod despite the fear and nervousness clearly spread across his face.


    ¡°It''s okay to be scared.¡± His mother¡¯s reassuring voice came from beside his father as she elbowed her husband with her free arm that wasn¡¯t connected to Riley to stop him from laughing at their son.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± Damon scoffed as he tried his best to put on a nonchalant look that was obviously not working after seeing the amusement clear as day on his parents'' faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Reassuring her son ¡° We were all the same way when it was our Awakening Ceremony.¡± Turning to her husband for support which she got in the form of a nod.


    Damon felt a little better after hearing his father, who he saw as the strongest person he knew, went through the same emotions he was currently feeling when he did his Awakening Ceremony.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± Feeling a bit embarrassed that his own little sister was the one directing the question, Damon wore a smile of confidence that was about to be followed by an answer of confidence until he stopped himself. Staring into Riley''s eyes that were filled with worry he nodded his head.


    ¡° A little.¡± Damon brought his forefinger and thumb to form a pinch. Damon watched in curiosity as his little sister glanced down at the stuffed dragon toy in her arms before looking back at her older brother and then back to the toy. With a nod she stretched out her arms with the toy dragon in hand.


    ¡°Do you want to borrow Sparky?¡± Damon froze at the question. Stunned that his little sister would even offer the dragon. Sparky has accompanied Riley since the day she was born. She never went anywhere without it.


    Knowing the importance of the toy, Damon''s heart was immediately filled with warmth at the sweet gesture.


    ¡°Thanks Riles, but I got this.¡± Pointing his thumb to his chest with a smile that bore true confidence that formed after hearing his little sister''s words.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Riley asked again, wanting to make sure.


    Damon reassured her with a nod. Damon imagined himself walking up stage to Awaken with a stuffed dragon toy and let out a chuckle at the image. He could already hear Rodrick laughing at him.


    ¡°Here Damon. If you can¡¯t accept her help, at least accept mine.¡± Lisa reached for the clasp of her necklace around her neck that carried the symbols of the five elements similar to the Republic''s sigil and handed it to Damon.


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    ¡°But mother¡­¡± Damon trailed off after seeing his mother¡¯s glare. He knew the importance of his mothers necklace. It was something his mother always grasped tightly whenever trouble came or her children worried her. An image of his mother kneeling beside his bed when he was plagued by nightmares, praying for the nightmares to go away was a memory that could never go away.


    ¡°Thanks mom. I¡¯ll keep it safe.¡± Damon assured his mother.


    ***


    ¡°After passing the gate, family members will take the staircase on the left. While future Awakeners will continue down the hall.¡± A voice from beside the gate entered the ears of everyone passing the gate. Damon swallowed his saliva hoping to alleviate his dry throat that didn¡¯t seem to want to go away once he realized they were finally about to pass through the gates.


    A few minutes after passing through the gates, Damon immediately spotted a large open doorway leading to a dim tunnel with a staircase beside it leading upwards. Knowing what was coming Damon turned to his family.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Whatever the end result is, you''re still our son.¡± His father was the first to send some words of encouragement followed by his mother. ¡° Your father¡¯s right Damon. We will always be here for you.  And besides  you could always come back next year if you fail.¡± Damon watched his mother¡¯s eyes widen after realizing what she had just said. Quickly turning to Rodrick who wore a bitter smile. ¡° Of course Rodrick will have to meet you there at the academy at that time. Hopefully he could show you the ropes.¡±


    Rodrick muttered a thank you with a smile that he tried to make as genuine as possible before making his way down the tunnel. Lisa could only mouth an apology to her friend Emily who shook her head saying it was okay before they made their way up the stairs.


    ¡°Great save mother.¡± Damon said, holding back a smile.


    ¡°Be quiet and go. And don¡¯t forget to pray to the Spirits to bless you before going up.¡± Damon laughed at his mothers reddened cheeks as he waved at his family before making his way down the corridor to catch up with Rodrick.


    Midway through the journey he realized the entire corridor slightly going downhill.  Similar to the mining shafts that his father worked at. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Damon sped up a bit to catch up with Rodrick. Only he was having a hard time picking out Rodrick in the crowd due to the only source of light being the torches hanging on the walls every few feet and the small light at the end of the tunnel resulting in Damon only being able to see the silhouettes of people. After a minute that felt like a lifetime and still no sign of Rodrick the light at the end of the tunnel was finally growing larger signaling the end of the journey.


    Damon winced once he reached the bright lights before his eyes adjusted to the scene in front of him.


    What welcomed him was a giant hall spacious enough to fit around a few hundred carriages or even a half a dozen of those dragon styled Lyle airships. A fact supported by the amount of space there was in the hall even with over three thousand children present.


    Scanning the rest of his surroundings he found pillars that reached the ceilings carved with dragons wrapped around them scattered all around the hall. While scanning the pillars he took notice of how bright the hall was. Looking up, Damon widened his eyes once he got a clear look at the ceilings. Or more so what he saw hanging from the ceilings.


    ¡°Is that¡­¡± Damon left his mouth open in awe.


    ¡°Illumination Stones? Yea, I was just as shocked as you were when I first saw them. Spirits, I still am. Just look how many there are.¡± Rodrick suddenly appeared beside Damon with his experienced knowledge.


    Spread across the ceilings were hundreds of Illumination Stones. An invention that was created back during the Golden Era. After so many years the identity of the inventor has faded. There are speculations that it was a mortal man. Others say an Earth and Fire Elemental came together to create the stones. And most people around Damon believed it to be a gift from the Spirits. Damon didn¡¯t care which one it was, he just knew Illumination Stones were key items to any household. And the Republic knew this as well, which is why Illumination Stones are usually sold for around five silver and could last a year. They were usually around the size of a baby¡¯s fist and could light up a small room. But the ones Damon was currently staring at were much larger. Damon could see the details of some Illumination Stones from where he stood so he could probably guess the size of them.


    ¡°How much do you think they spent on this?¡± Damon pulled his attention from the goldmine hanging from the ceiling to his friend.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Rodrick shrugged ¡°Probably all their money they were supposed to arm their garrison with.¡±


    Staring back up at the ceiling, Damon attempted to count the Illumination stones before being cut off by Rodrick pulling his shirt to bring him up to the front.


    Ten long lines of people greeted the duo. Placed in front of the long lines was a desk that seems to be manned by a Government clerk who appeared to be handing out badges to people. Beside the clerks were a group of soldiers in leather armor and spears lined up watching over everything, probably making sure things were going smoothly. Standing behind the ten clerks were another group of awakeners now broken into lines of seven in front of the giant double doors.


    Damon and Rodrick chose a random line and waited quietly. Whispering to each other every few minutes after noticing the solemn atmosphere. After half an hour they finally reached the middle aged clerk who looked like he wished to be anywhere else but here.


    ¡°Name?¡± The clerk asked, not bothering to look up.


    ¡°Rodrick¡± Rodrick answered with a raised brow.


    ¡°What? No last name? Are you an orphan?¡± Reaching for farthest the pile of badges from him, still not bothering to look up.


    ¡°No,¡± He answered sternly. ¡° I have a last name.¡±


    ¡°Then what''s your last name?¡± Pulling his hand back before placing it back on top of the pile in front of him.


    ¡°Margrave¡± Rodrick answered calmly, now staring into the now shocked eyes of the clerk with his own.


    The clerk scanned the boy in front of him wearing a shirt that probably cost a silver or two and pants that appeared faded from the constant use. ¡°Ah, the commoner side.¡± The clerk laughed to himself. "Of course it''s the commoner side. Having one of the Great Houses visiting is already a miracle. Two is just a dream." Shifting his attention back to the book in front of him, he threw a badge across the table.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    Rodrick glared at the man before grabbing his badge and walking past the clerk towards the group of Awakeners lined up in front of the giant double doors.


    Damon, seeing all this, glared at the man as soon as it was his turn.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Damon Beaumont¡± Damon hoped his glare was burning the top of the disrespectful clerks head. Catching his badge that was thrown across the table, nearly falling off, Damon knew his hopes fell short. Sending a final glare, Damon walked past the clerk choosing to side with peace. Glancing down at the badge in his hand, it read ¡°D¡±. Looking up to the five lines he tilted his head in search of group ¡°D¡±. Within a few moments, Damon found it and made his way there.


    Reaching his destination, he took the opportunity to scan his surroundings and fellow line mates. Giving a quick scan he found no signs of his tall mustached friend. Each line had about a few hundred people which was growing by the minute. Damon was having trouble finding his mustache wearing friend.


    In his search, he found a red haired boy standing at the front of the ¡®A¡¯ line that was made up of noble children. The red haired boy was staring straight ahead, not bothering with those around him. Damon observed the boy to be around his age and of average height. Of course aside from his height, everything else screamed ¡®special¡¯. The boy wore expensive looking red silk robes that had a design of a black dragon peeking over his shoulder from the front as if it was watching the boy''s back for anything brave enough to touch the him. On his waist was a black sash that appeared to match in color with the black dragon making it seem as if they were connected. From what he noticed, the boy held a status way higher than any noble here.


    Damon had a feeling that the red haired boy might have been riding the black ship that he saw flying over the city earlier in the day. With his outfit and demeanor, it would make the most sense in his eyes.


    After finding no one else familiar nor anything interesting Damon shifted his attention back to the ceiling to once again begin his count of Illumination Stones in hopes of speeding up the time. After an hour passed and losing the will to count after messing up his count a few times, a man dressed in silver robes, stood atop a small box grabbing his attention.


    ¡°Attention Awakeners.¡± His voice echoed throughout the giant hall silencing the chatter and whispers from the Awakeners. With their attention now his, the man on the box continued ¡°Behind me are the doors to your fates. The beginning of your journeys¡­¡± The man paused before continuing ¡°or the end of your hopes.¡±


    ¡°Whichever outcome it is, you will only find out once you pass these doors.¡± The man gestured to the doors behind him. The Awakeners looked towards the giant double doors with a mix of emotions: Fear, excitement, nervousness, and hope.


    Satisfied with the reactions, the man continued with a nod ¡° Now for instructions. Listen carefully because I won¡¯t say it again. Once you pass these doors in front of you, there will be seven stages. Each stage from left to right, are from A,B, C and so forth. Your badge will tell you where you belong. Once lined up, you simply wait your turn. Simple enough right?¡± Without waiting for an answer the man stepped off the small box and moved to the side. The man stood there with a stoic expression that did not change even with the thousands of eyes that followed him.


    The confusion and nervousness was plain to see on the Awakeners whose heads were on swivels wondering what to do. Although the crowd of children were skittish, not a single person let out a noise. Everyone held their tongues and stood waiting.


    After a few minutes, their wait finally came to an end once a soldier came running out the cave to whisper into the ear of the official who gave the speech.


    Damon watched the man turn to the soldiers by the doors and nod. With the message received, the soldiers pulled open the giant doors that held his fate and the fate of many others.


    Damon just hoped it would be a fate he could be proud of.

 CH 6: Lets begin

    The silence within the hall was shattered by the giant doors opening with a creak that echoed through the hall and the loud cheers that rushed in with it. Sunlight broke through the gaps of the widening doors illuminating the halls and its guests who covered their eyes from the sun that welcomed them.


    ¡°Go forth young ones, your fate awaits you.¡± The middle aged official said


    Hearing this the nearly three thousand kids with squinted eyes warily walked out of the hall and into the arena that welcomed them with cheers the moment their feet left the marble floors to greet the earthly sand.


    Damon glanced around the arena once his eyes adjusted to the light and took in his surroundings.The arena was large enough to hold around seventy thousand people and the current crowd made up around a tenth of that number within the seating area.The sight of the crowd in the stands surrounding him and drowning him in cheers only caused his nerves and fear to creep up. Scanning his fellow awakeners he found some bore the same meek expression and timid gait that he had. While the rest wore nervous expressions, only it didn¡¯t seem to come from the immense crowd of people cheering but the seven wooden platforms in the center of the arena.


    The wooden platforms were elevated a half a dozen feet in the air by four pillars on each corner. A staircase led to the elevated platform. In the center of the platform was a crystal clear ball the size of an adult human head.


    Recognizing the crystals from the books he read-Awakening Crystals- Damon knew that the moment he had been waiting for was getting closer. In desperate need of support, Damon scanned the crowd in the stands in search of his mothers warm smile, his fathers nod of assurance, and even his little sister¡¯s adorable toothy smile. Sadly with the amount of people in the stands his little side mission was hard to accomplish. In his search for his family he glanced over the area behind the platforms where a small group of people, probably people of importance if Damon was to guess by their attire stood conversing with each other almost like they were having a small little banquet to themselves as they waited for the ceremony to start.


    The group of people wore silver robes similar to the clerks in the hall except they bore bronze stars right below the Republic''s sigil signifying them as officials. Damon glanced over this group for a few seconds before resuming his search for his family but to no avail.  Feeling his nerves rising his attention was once again back to the area where the officials resided and widened his eyes in shock at something he saw.


    In front of the group of officials were two men. One was a balding man in his fifties wearing an expensive looking robe bearing the three star medals right below the Republic sigil. Only it was not bronze but silver. An item only Governors could wear. The mans¡¯ status or presence was not what shocked Damian for he  has lived in Spark city for twelve years now and seen the Governor before during the New Years celebrations. The shock came from the actions of all the officials including the governor who shockingly wasn¡¯t sitting but standing behind a bald elderly man whose clothes bore the same colors of the red-haired boy who was currently leading group A.  The old man was casually sitting down in the chair usually reserved for the governor enjoying the many exotic foods on the table in front of him.


    ¡°Come forth¡± A voice beckoned the group of awakeners towards the line of platforms where a dark haired average looking man in official clothes and  two silver stars on his shoulder announcing his rank as Lieutenant Governor stood on one of the platforms.


    Damon and the group of awakeners trudged their way through the sand to stand in front of their designated platform. Damon stood in front of platform ¡°D¡± that was right beside the platform that the Lieutenant Governor positioned himself on.


    Lieutenant Governor scanned the awakeners below and with a satisfied look, turned towards the murmuring crowd with a dissatisfied look. He narrowed his eyes before snapping his fingers. In an instant a loud bell tolled throughout the arena.


    Damon quickly covered his ears whilst turning his head left to right in search of the guilty object. A few awakeners turn to face the doors they entered from and pointed. Damon, seeing this, looked over his shoulder to see a giant bell tolling right above the double door they entered through. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    After a few seconds, the tolling stopped and was followed by complete silence. The Lieutenant Governor shifted his attention from the audience to the children in front of him. Clearing his throat he said


    ¡°Welcome Awakeners. I am Lieutenant Governor Wilkens. I will be in charge of this year¡¯s awakening ceremony...¡± Lieutenant Governor Wilkens spoke with a firm tone as he explained what to do when you step on the platform.


    Already familiar with the steps, Damon discreetly began scanning his surroundings in hopes of finding his best friend. A minute was all he needed to find his mustache wearing friend who stood within group ¡°F¡± a couple rows away from Damon with a rare serious look.


    ¡°Now,  a word from Governor Grayson.¡± Lieutenant Governor


    Damon, hearing this, looked up to see the Governor walk up to the balcony overlooking the awakeners, but not before bowing his head to the old man sitting down, causing Damon to scrunch his brows in confusion witnessing this scene. Many others bore the same expression as they turned left and right as if they were looking for someone to tell them they weren¡¯t imagining things. That they didn¡¯t just see the most powerful person in the entire city just bow his head.


    Damon had a guess where the old man came from but not who he was. For this old man to make a Governor bow, his status must be high.


    Governor Bob Grayson began walking to the edge of the balcony with a large welcoming smile as he spread his arms to the side.


    ¡°Welcome¡± Greeting everyone within the stadium. ¡°Citizens of Spark City. Families, friends¡± He greeted the crowd before tilting his head down


    ¡°And Awakeners.¡± Governor Grayson smiled at the potential awakeners. The Governor spoke with a firm yet friendly tone that was shockingly being heard from everyone in the stadium. Damon, who was behind a hundred plus people and a large platform, was left in awe that he could still hear the Governor. This small glimpse of power caused excitement to stir within Damon. Damon knew Governor Grayson was an Elemental, all City Governors were, but he had never seen him use his power he was gifted by the Spirits.


    ¡°Today is a special day.¡± Governor Grayson smiled at the crowd in the stands before turning his smile to the crowd of young faces below him as he lowered his arms.


    ¡° Especially for you special lot¡±


    ¡°For today is the day you find out how special you are. What fate awaits you? What path will you take? Where will this path lead?


    "Of course, to answer these questions you must first be able to see. For how can you know what path you have taken if you cannot see?¡±  The Governor paused with his hands behind his back and began pacing the balcony as he continued his speech.


    ¡°Well?¡± The Governor raised a brow. ¡°Can you see the paths in front of you? Do you know which to take? Can you see your destined path?


    The group of awakeners shook their heads as they murmured a chorus of ¡°no¡±.


    ¡°No?¡±  Shaking his head, Governor Grayson continued his pacing with a grin. ¡°Do you wish to?¡±


    Silent nods and timid words of agreements came back as answers. A lack of confidence was plain to see.


    Shaking his head in disapproval the governor said ¡°Do you truly wish to see?¡± Damon flinched. The words entered his ears as if the Governor was no longer standing on that balcony but standing right beside him.


    With a frown he continued ¡°Because it does not sound like it. Do you want to see?¡± He repeated once more.


    ¡°Yes,¡±  a few others shouted back. Damon witnessing this felt his excitement rising and goosebumps spreading across his body. His lurking urge to Awaken somehow made its way through the nerves and fear inside him


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU¡± Governor Grayson yelled


    ¡°YES¡±


    Tightening his fists, Damon shouted with all his might as many others mimicked him. The shouts echoed from the nearly three thousand awakeners that it could probably be heard from those outside the arena.


    ¡°Good.¡± Nodding in satisfaction ¡°For Today is the day you find out all the answers to all your questions.¡±


    ¡°Today is the day your eyes will open.¡± Governor Grayson raised his arms up to the sky.


    ¡°Today is the day the world will show you¡­who you are?¡±  The Governor spoke to the skies.


    ¡°And who you will be. For today¡­.¡±


    The Governor paused as he scanned everyone in the stadium before turning to the sky where the sun¡¯s shine seemed to break through the clouds. The Governor¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the sight because the sun was not by itself but was shockingly surrounded by seven stars.


    ¡°... Is the Day of Awakening¡± Cheers came from all over the arena.


    The Governor returned to his spot behind the old man who was no longer eating but staring up at the sky with a frown. The Governor paid no attention to the old man as he nodded to the Lieutenant Governor who turned to the group of awakeners.


    ¡°Lets begin¡±

 CH 7: An Awakened

    ¡°Seven?¡±


    Governor Grayson scanned the skies for the missing seven stars he saw a moment ago but found no trace of the uneasy anomaly. He had heard rumors of the anomaly but the stories told were of five stars not seven. If the rumors were true then he hoped the the more number of stars the lesser the danger. Of course, deep down he didn''t believe that. He just hoped his city wouldn''t be involved.


    A loud boom coming from the fireworks in the sky brought the Governor out of his reverie followed by his Lieutenant Governor announcing the ceremony to begin. With the ceremony about to begin the old man from House Lyle put a stop to his meal to turn his attention to the Awakening Ceremony.


    Governor Grayson still couldn¡¯t believe the old man in front of him was actually here in his city, sitting on his chair and eating his food. He couldn¡¯t believe that he would ever be in the presence of the most famous war general alive, Victor Lyle, who was given the moniker, The Old Dragon of the South. A name spat out by the Southern Kingdoms in hate and respect. For he was the reason they could not set a foot into the Republic during his nearly forty years of guarding the Southern Border.


    Although retired, the old man is still considered a legend in the military world. Not only for his feats on the battlefield, but for his feats off it as well. During his twenty years in retirement he has taught some of the most famous Generals and Commanders of today: The Unmoving Turtle, The Watcher of the Sea and the famous War Hero, Commander Ricks, Sparking City''s very own. Of course the general populace only knows of the name-Old Dragon of the South- but not the man. If they knew they would have thrown a parade for the old General.


    With all these achievements, Governor Grayson didn''t mind having to stand off to the side as if he wasn¡¯t a Governor and if he ever had a belly full of complaints, he wouldn''t dare to utter them in fear of offending the man. With his military deeds a city wouldn¡¯t be enough to be considered an award. Let alone the head of a man who ruled one. He would offend every soldier in the Republic if he even caused a twitch of a brow on the old man and so his eyes never left the old man who looked like he would die from a cough too strong.


    While keeping his eyes on the old man Governor Grayson noticed the famous general straightened his hunched back and adopted a serious look that rarely ever showed itself outside of battlefields. Turning his attention back down to the group of awakeners, he began his search for the reason for the old general¡¯s reaction.


    ***


    The stadium was silent as the first group took their place on their designated platform. Among the group was the red-haired teenager donning a red silk robe with a black dragon wrapping itself around the waist of the outfit where its head ended up peaking over the boy''s right shoulder.


    As the red haired boy stood before the platform that carried his fate, he held no hesitation once he was called upon. With determined steps, he made his way up the stairs followed by a creek that seemed to echo in the surroundings with each step he took.


    His body radiated the confidence of a descendant of an ancient house. But his eyes told a different story, a story that can only be seen by those close enough to  witness the storm of emotions in his eyes. For example the Lieutenant Governor who made his way from ¡°D¡± platform to ¡°A¡± to personally officiate the Lyle boys¡¯ Awakening. Considering who the boy was, it was only right that someone of his status would oversee his awakening. Watching the young boy of House Lyle make his way to him, Lieutenant Governor took the time to observe the boy¡¯s body language.


    Every step was filled with poise and grace. His face carried a calm and serene look but as the boy made his way closer, LT. Governor had to hold back a smile as the eyes of the Lyle boy were clearly filled with nervousness. Looking closely he saw something else as well.


    Fear.


    Remembering who the boy was, LT Governor no longer felt like smiling. Instead he sent a silent nod of support as the boy stood in front of the table he stood behind.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The table carried a cloudy sphere placed right in the center, the size of an adult human head. If observed more closely you could sometimes see a flash of different colors as if something was happening but it was being hidden behind the clouds. It is said that only those monsters of legend could get a glimpse of what secrets hid behind the clouds. Considering that they were all dead, Lt. Governor will probably never get the chance to ask if it''s true and if it was, what was behind the cloud? Unless he had the guts to ask an Apostle of the Windy Pavillon. The thought quickly dissipated once he recalled the uncomfortable feeling he got when he met one of their members. Broken out of his reverie by the noble boy who made his way to him, he shifted his focus back to the task at hand.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Lt Governor asked the young Lyle boy who stood ramrod straight. Towering over the boy he had to look down to stare into the-red and the other a plain brown-eyes of the boy. A shock for anyone who had laid their eyes on the young Lyle descendant for it is known that descendants of House Lyle possess ruby red eyes.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡± Stuttering over his answer before clearing his throat to answer again, dissatisfied at the way he answered.


    ¡°Yes¡± The young Lyle descendant repeated, this time without a stutter hoping to fool others or maybe himself with his firm and confident tone. Although Lt Governor Wilkens found the quick scene amusing, he did not show it in fear of offending the boy who came from a background that wouldn¡¯t have a hard time stripping him of his status or kicking him out the city. Or worse, send him off to the Southern Border to die and be given the title of a so-called Hero.


    Sending a nod the boy¡¯s way, he began instructing the boy.


    ¡°All you have to do is place your hand on the sphere for a few seconds until the clouds go from white to whatever element that you have affinity with. Once done you will have the strength to answer all your questions. ¡° Smiling gently at the young descendant of House Lyle in hopes of easing his nerves and fear.


    ¡°Take your time¡± Continuing to smile at the boy closing his eyes and taking a few moments to himself before opening his eyes. Whatever crossed the young noble boy''s mind within those few moments must have been all he needed as the fear in the boy¡¯s eyes seemed to vanish, causing Lt Governor to slightly raise a brow in shock seeing as the boy¡¯s eyes now seemed to carry the same confidence and determination his body exuded.


    With the confidence he needed, he raised his hand and placed it on the sphere. The sphere showed no change for a few seconds before the clouds started to slowly swirl. The speed of the clouds sped up until the colors of the clouds showed tints of red that darkened as time went by. Eyes filled with relief and anticipation Lt. Governor turned to see the reaction of the boy whose awakening result can probably shut down the few rumors going about.


    Instead of finding relief or excitement on the boys¡¯ face he found nothing. The boy¡¯s expression was blank. Feeling that the boy¡¯s expression was due to shock, he reached his hand out to place it on the boys¡¯ shoulder and congratulate the future Lyle powerhouse.


    ¡°Con-¡±


    ¡°SILENCE¡±


    The word travelled its way into his ears and only his ears, echoing inside his head causing him to quickly retract his hand and silence himself. Quickly turning his head to the balcony where the fragile looking old man of House Lyle left his seat to stand with his hands on the balcony looking over in his direction with a smile on the verge of forming. Right beside him was Governor Grayson who used the wind to send the warning into his ear, standing with a stern look on his face whilst shaking his head slightly at him.


    Seeing this, Lt Governor turned his attention back to the boy before cautiously taking a step back. The moment he took a step back to observe the boy, he saw something that he had never seen throughout his entire time officiating Awakening Ceremonies.


    With a blank expression, the young Lyle descendant stood completely still, staring into the now dark red sphere with clouded eyes that replaced his original brown and red. It was like the clouds within the sphere transferred itself from the sphere to the boy¡¯s eyes.


    A few seconds later the boy¡¯s eyes returned to normal. His blank expression gone. Instead replaced with confusion, as he scanned his surroundings, appearing to be lost for a moment before realization hit him once his eyes locked onto the sphere in front of him that was slowly losing its red hue. Joy quickly took over the boy.


    ¡°Did I?...¡± The Lyle boy looked at Lt Governor Wilkens with excitement before asking with a big smile on his face that mirrored the old man standing over the balcony. The Lt Governor had never seen an expression like that on either of their faces during the entire duration of their stay.


    Choosing to keep his thoughts to himself, he nodded his head in affirmation before turning to the crowd that was filling the air with murmurs of excitement.


    ¡°Draven Lyle¡­¡± Scanning the crowd of excited and eager faces, he gave the answer they were all waiting for.


    ¡°Has Awakened.¡±

 Ch 8: Awakening

    ¡°Fail. Next.¡±


    They were only words. Two to be exact. And yet they felt like daggers to Damon as they continued to reach his ears. The pair of words became more clear as his line continued to shrink. With every elimination, he became closer and closer to the platform that held his dream.


    Or his nightmare.


    ¡°No. I have been waiting my entire life for this. I won¡¯t fail. I can¡¯t fail. I refuse to.¡± Damon muttered to himself in hopes of washing away the fear that was wreaking havoc on his mind.


    Damon remembered the boy from house Lyle who was the first to walk up to the platform. His entire being screamed of confidence that was obviously absent in his fidgety fellow awakeners.


    ¡®Of course he would feel confident. He is a member of House Lyle. Descendants of one the most famous Elemental Lords in history. Of course he would awaken.¡¯ Damon nodded to himself. Happy at his perfect excuse for any future comparisons he knew his mind would conjure up between himself and the noble boy.


    ¡°FAIL. Next¡± The Lieutenant Governor once again yelled the fate of another kid who went down the platform with tears similar to those who came before him that left the platform with the same results.


    Lt. Governor Wilkens who oversaw the boy from House Lyle returned to Platform ¡°D¡± where he was originally to officiate group ¡®D¡¯ . The smile he wore when he tested the noble born from a Great House has never resurfaced again after the multiple tests he has done have all resulted in failure. This caused most people that have yet to take the tests themselves feeling anxious and afraid.


    It has been an hour since the Ceremony began and there have been around forty plus that have taken the test in his group, including the six other groups with similar numbers, making it around three hundred people who failed to awaken.


    Scanning the remaining awakeners he realized that Rodrick was about to go on. There were only about six to seven people in front of him. Damon wondered if his friend knew he was close because his head was down and stayed that way until there were only two people in front of him. Rodrick finally lifted his head and turned to scan the rest of the groups while wringing his hands which was a sign he was nervous. As he observed his friend, he noticed his tense shoulders and his constant head swivels from being anxious.


    Damon smiled to himself as he recalled the conversation they had on the way to the stadium. The statistics and chances of awakening-if Damon remembered correctly-would stand to favor his best friend seeing as there was only one person who Awakened and it happened at the beginning of the ceremony. The next person to awaken should be soon. Damon hoped Rodrick would be the one to Awaken.


    ¡°Kira West¡± The lady in charge of Platform ¡°C¡± shouted out a name capturing the attention of everyone in the arena.


    ¡°Has Awakened¡± Finishing her announcement with a smile, cheers filled the stadium. Of course most of the Awakeners didn¡¯t join the cheers. Including Damon.


    Shock coursed through Damon as he recognized the familiar girl as the red-haired girl from the market. The girl wore an expression of disbelief even when her hand was raised in the air by the woman in charge of her awakening, showing the arena who the chosen person was. The red haired girl was soon escorted to the tent behind the platforms just below the balcony where the officials stayed.


    With her announcement of her new status, all the tests were put on pause for a moment to announce her Awakening and give the girl her moment. And now with her moment finished, the tests resumed.


    Damon set his sights back on his friend, only to find despair written all over his face. Rodrick, as if he felt the stare, happened to turn around and for the very first time since the Ceremony began both boys locked eyes with each other. Damon, seeing this, tried to reassure his friend by sending a smile that was accompanied by a thumbs up.


    Rodrick nodded to Damon with a small smile, grateful for the support before turning around as it was now his turn to step up.


    Damon¡¯s eyes were glued on the back of the tall figure of his best friend, watching his shoulders rise and fall from the deep breaths he was taking to calm himself. The sight made Damon recall the many memories they shared.


    Skipping school to go hear stories told by traveling merchants in the market, sneaking out towards taverns to listen to stories from travelers from outside the city, coming back home to angry mothers, they bonded over it all. Especially the stories their mothers told of the Lords of Elements. The mighty heroes of the Republic who were responsible for making millions of kids in the Republic wish they were Elementals.


    Awakening was a dream for both of them when they were younger. Although Rodrick wasn¡¯t as vocal as he was back then, especially over these last two years that silently chipped away his dream of awakening, Damon knew that his friend''s urge to awaken was just as big as his.


    Damon hoped that his best friend who had grown up with him, fought with him and protected him would achieve his dream and Awaken. This was Rodricks last chance unlike him, so he prayed to the spirits that his best friend opportunity would come.


    ¡° Please, if you are listening, let him Awaken.¡± Clasping his hands together and with his eyes closed, Damon prayed to the Spirits.


    Rodrick being two years older than Damon meant that he was the first of the duo to attend the Awakening ceremony. Damon remembered the confidence his friend carried with him as he warned Damon that when he came back from the ceremony, the first thing he would do would be to use the Element of Water to shoot beams of water at him or use his Earth Element to shake the ground underneath him to wake him out of his daze.


    Damon remembered it all.


    Including the time he wanted to buy his friend a cake after the ceremony finished to congratulate him, not noticing the unsure and worried looks his parents were exchanging with each other as they followed him to buy a cake. Standing outside the house with a cake waiting for his friend to come back, Damon imagined Rodrick splashing him with water or shaking the ground he stood on causing the cake in hand to fall. The image in his head pulled the corners of Damon¡¯s mouth into a smile of amusement.


    A smile that slowly faded as time went by and his friends'' absence was felt. Damon recalled the sinking feeling inside of him that seemed to coincide with the sun as they both started to fall. His parents finally made the decision to come outside of the house and bring their son back inside, instead of staring at their eldest from the window discussing what to do or say. Both of them carried tightlipped smiles as they told their son that Rodrick and his parents were maybe celebrating and forgot the time. Damon nodded his head in understanding before asking if they could visit. Before they could answer, uncle Kaden appeared around the corner of a building with slouched shoulders that were burdened with carrying the bad news- Rodrick did not Awaken. Damon, still holding the cake, offered it to uncle Kayden in hopes of lifting his friend''s spirits. Uncle Kaden accepted it with a grateful smile.


    The year after was the same result in both the Awakening and Rodricks reaction of immediately going to bed and not leaving his house too ashamed to see his friend. The only difference was that the cake wasn¡¯t delivered by Uncle Kayden but by Damon himself who had to climb the window of his friend¡¯s house after climbing out of his own in secret. The memory of his smiling friend with tear stains across his cheeks was something he could never forget. The sadness and shame his friend had hid behind a smile was too painful to watch especially since he didn¡¯t know what to do at the time. Damon could only offer a cake which they both silently ate looking at the stars pretending there weren¡¯t tears falling down their faces.


    The heartbreaking memory brought a sad smile to Damon¡¯s face and a plea to his heart as he prayed to the spirits once more.


    ¡°Please. Let him Awaken. Open his eyes to the world he has always wanted to see¡± He repeated the prayer again and again. Hoping they would answer. Hoping they would show favor to his friend. ¡®Please, please let him Awaken¡­¡¯ The prayer cycled through his head again and again until he heard it.


    ¡°Another one¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s awakened¡±


    "Spirits. He got lucky."


    Hearing the murmurs around him Damon slowly raised his head to see who it was.


    And there he stood attracting everyones¡¯ eyes on him with his hand raised.


    ¡°Rodrick Margrave¡±


    ¡° Has Awakened¡±


    Damon¡¯s face broke into a full blown smile as he joined the cheers screaming and shouting for his friend who walked off the platform with a big smile and worry free shoulders to the tent that the red-haired girl from earlier entered.


    Feeling relieved that his friend finally awakened, Damon felt his earlier nerves ease up a bit. This feeling lasted only for a few moments before realization came crashing down on him as he tuned into the murmurs and whispers surrounding him.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, isn¡¯t it?¡± A boy in the group beside Damon said.


    ¡°Has the quota already been reached?¡± A girl not that far in front of him said with regret evident in her tone.


    ¡°We¡¯re only halfway in. How could this be?¡± Damon heard the boy in front of him muttering to himself with despair.


    The multiple conversations happening all around were all saying the same thing.


    The average amount of awakenings happening in a city as small as Sparking City are usually around two to three a year. The chances of another awakener appearing would be miniscule.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡®No, I can still awaken. If it happened before why can¡¯t it happen aga-¡±


    ¡°Miles Briggs¡±


    ¡°Has awakened¡±


    The announcement felt like a dagger to the heart as Damon stood frozen. Shock filled Damons¡¯ core before a few seconds later despair replaced it. Damon knew that although the chances of awakening as the fourth person was extremely low, he still had a chance. Now however with a fourth already found, it was a different story.


    The Day of Awakening has been an event Damon has been waiting all his life for. He has studied every bit and even tried to talk to those who had family members that did awaken to find out what they did to awaken. What did they eat? What did they do to prepare? Who did they meet the night before? Damon studied everything he could about the Awakening ceremony.


    So Damon knew what the current situation meant. He knew that he would most likely not awaken this year. Nor will he join his best friend on his journey. Because although there have been cases of four awakeners throughout the years there have never been a case of five Awakeners in the entire three hundred year history of Sparking city since its rebuild.


    ¡®Awakened? Someone else Awakened? But how? Why?¡¯ Damon only felt despair as he tuned out the world and only heard his own thoughts.


    Should I have gotten here earlier? Was it because I stepped on that crack on the way here?. D-Did I do something wrong?¡¯ Damon sighed with regret and tears in his eyes.


    Looking around, he found everybody else appeared to be in the same boat as him. Damon hated the fact that he felt comforted at not being alone in failure.


    ¡®Whatever. I still have next year. I also have the year after that. This year doesn¡¯t matter¡¯ Damon attempted to comfort himself as the tears were threatening to spill out as he was left alone in his thoughts.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± A voice faintly entered Damons ears but was ignored.


    ¡° Hello? Are you ok?¡± The soft voice, now much louder, pulled Damon out of his thoughts for a moment and allowed Damon to know the voice belonged to a girl.


    ¡° Um yea, yea, I¡¯m fine¡± Damon cleared his voice before answering the person behind him, not bothering to turn around. A quick glance at the line, he noted around a dozen more people in front of him.


    ¡® What now? Is this it?¡¯Clenching his fists tightly as he felt the anxiety growing inside of him the closer he got to the platform.


    ¡°Fail. Next¡± The two words were becoming louder and more clear.


    ¡®Four people have already awakened. What¡¯s the use of continuing this.¡¯ Negative thoughts continued to plague Damon as announcements of failure and dreams being shattered proceeded to echo throughout the arena as time went on.


    ¡°On average, a city like ours, only awakens around two to three people a year. But we got four this year.¡±The same soft voice came from behind Damon and made its way to his ears once again. This time Damon didn¡¯t brush it off. Fishing for even a minuscule chance of hope, he turned around to give the girl his full attention. Except she was not on the same page as he was if Damon was to go off the fact that the top of her head was the one to greet him instead of her eyes that found the ground to be more appealing.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Damon had a look of confusion plastered on his face as he greeted the girl.


    ¡°What were you saying?¡± Damon scanned the girl with long dark hair the color of midnight, that popped out from her pale skin covered by a short sleeved navy blue dress that reached her ankles. Damon bent to the side to find out who he was talking to. The investigation led to the girl to quickly turn head in the opposite direction. Although the movement was quick, Damon was still able to catch a glimpse of her face.


    ¡°Hi Amelia.¡± Damon chuckled as he remembered the shy and kind noble girl from school. Amelia was one of the nobles in the city that didn¡¯t mind talking to commoners. This could be further proven by the fact she was in group ¡°D¡± instead of Group ¡°A¡± where most of the nobles stood.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Amelia returned the greeting.


    ¡°What were you saying earlier? I wasn¡¯t really paying attention.¡± As they both took a few steps forward as the line shrank once again.


    ¡°Amelia?¡± Damon called out to her as he turned back around to her hoping the conversation could distract him.


    ¡°Forget it, I was just talking to myself¡± Amelia quickly changed her mind of talking to him as she shook her head.


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s fine. C¡¯mon tell me.¡± Damon reassured the girl.


    ¡°I-I just think we have to think positive.¡± Amelia whispered under her breath.


    ¡°And how do we do that?¡± The suggestion brought a frown to Damon¡¯s face as he sent the question backwards. Damon did not find the suggestion to be very helpful as his voice took on a more unfriendly tone.


    ¡° Well, like I said before, cities like us get around two to three Awakeners a year. Anything more would be considered a miracle right?¡± Damon nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°And if we ever had such a year it would be a long time before we get another right? And yet¡­¡±


    ¡°We had another¡± Damon filled in her pause. ¡°Last year we had four awakeners.¡±


    ¡°And this year we got four again. That¡¯s two miracles in a row. Why can¡¯t there be a third?¡± Amelia smiled as she finally lifted her head to meet Damons¡¯ brown eyes that had a sparkle in them that went missing after the fourth Awakening.


    ¡°A third?¡± Damon raised his brows in question.


    ¡°Yes. A fifth Awakener.¡± Although hesitant at the possibility, a possibility is still a possibility. Damon saw a glimpse of reasonable hope and that was all he needed.


    ¡°Thank you¡± Damon sent a big smile to the girl who once again found the sand to be interesting before turning around.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Why can¡¯t I awaken?¡¯ Damon clenched his fists tightly as he questioned himself.


    ¡®Although there are already four Awakeners, what¡¯s stopping a fifth from appearing. Like the saying goes "there is always a first." Why can¡¯t that first be me?¡¯Damons¡¯ eyes began to regain their former spark with the realization.


    ¡°Fail. Next¡± Damon lifted his head after hearing the Lt. Governor once again announce the sad fate of yet another Awakener within his group, leading there to be only three people now in front of him.


    ¡°I can do this, I can do this, I can do this¡± Damon said under his breath with his head lowered. After lowering his head he remembered the necklace gifted to him by his mother and reached under his shirt to pull it out.


    Clasping the necklace his mother gifted him tightly for support as he still had not found his family in the huge crowd. With his family on his mind, Damon wondered what their reaction would be if he failed.


    ¡® Would mother hug me and tell me that the spirits probably didn¡¯t think this would be the year? Would father give me his signature look of a small smile and simple pat on my shoulder? Should I have taken my Sparky when he was offered? No.¡¯ Shaking his head in hopes of clearing the negative thoughts that plagued him.


    ¡®I have been waiting for this day, I won¡¯t fail.¡¯ Damon let go of his necklace and turned to the crowd. As if it was fated, he finally spotted his family in the crowd by the bright yellow stuffed dragon toy being flung around by his little sister who sat on his fathers shoulders. His mother stood beside them with a smile similar to his fathers.


    Feeling a smile spreading across his face, he waved at his sister who happily waved back with both hands causing her best friend Sparky to flop around as he was still in her hand. Damon shook his head as he laughed softly at the sight. Feeling his family¡¯s support he nodded to himself.


    ¡°Fail. Next¡±


    Turning his head back to the platform, he noticed it was now his turn to go up and find out his fate. Looking up, he met the eyes of the Lt. Governor and thought.


    ¡®Those words will not be uttered in front of me¡¯


    Receiving a nod from the Lt. Governor set Damon in motion. And up the stairs he went. Damon felt like his feet weighed a ton. Step by step, one trembling foot after another. A breath was taken and released for each step taken until he finally reached the top of the staircase.


    Damon let out a sigh once both feet were planted on the platform. Remembering Draven from the legendary House Lyle that he only read in books made him grit his teeth in frustration as he compared his shaky, unstable and hesitant walk up the stairs to the elegant, confident, and calm strut of the young noble boy in his head.


    Damon shook his head to clear the useless thoughts swirling in his head and focus on the task at hand. With his feet moving towards the Lt. Governor, his built up confidence he received from Amelia was being left behind bit by bit the closer he got.


    By the time he stood in front of the Lt. Governor, he could not hear anything. All the surrounding noises seemed to disappear. The nervous murmurs, resigned comments, and sobs of broken dreams no longer entered his ears.


    All Damon could hear was his heart pounding in his chest on the verge of bursting. In front of Damon was the Lt. Governor and in front of the Lt. Governor was a table carrying a sphere the size of an adult human head.


    Damon had only seen Awakening Crystals in books and never got the chance to see it in person. His excitement at seeing such a legendary object up in person allowed him to forget his prior emotions as he took his time scanning the object in awe.


    Within the crystal sphere were white clouds that if closely examined, could be spotted moving slightly. Damon felt like the white clouds were similar to hands clasped together. As if they were trying to protect something.


    Or hide something.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± The question pulled Damon out of his reverie. Glancing up at the Lt. Governor in embarrassment, he realized he ignored the first half of what the man said.


    ¡°Just put your hand on the sphere and concentrate on the clouds.¡± The Lt. Governor must have also realized this as he rolled his eyes before instructing him.


    Nodding his head in understanding, Damon took a deep breath to prepare himself of what was to come- success or failure.


    ¡®No, failure won¡¯t be my end result.¡¯ Damon placed his hand on the sphere and stared into the sphere that held his fate.


    After a moment of staring into the clouds, he noticed the color of the clouds darkening into a color but before he could determine the color, the clouds split as if they were pulled back exposing the darkness hidden behind the clouds.


    Within that darkness was a speck of red that was growing bigger by the second. Widening his eyes at the sight, a smile soon broke out on his face.


    ¡°Red? Does that mean I have awoken the Fire Element?¡±.Excitement masked his face before it quickly morphed into horror as the entire sphere was transforming from darkness to a familiar crimson red before shattering the sphere and out shooting out a giant ball of flames.


    Damon flinched and shielded himself from the flames with his arms before letting out a scream of terror as the flames engulfed him. Only the pain of burning was absent.


    After a few moments of silence, Damon gained the courage to open his eyes and begin lowering his arms to find only darkness and no signs of the ball of flames. No matter where he turned, all he saw was darkness. Looking down at himself he realized he could see himself. With this discovery he did a thorough check on his body. No burns, scars or scratches met his gaze. With everything fine, he took in his surroundings, which wasn¡¯t much as Damon only saw darkness. The Lt. Governor, the other Awakeners, Rodrick, Riley, mom and dad. Everyone was gone.


    ¡°HELLO?¡± Damon shouted out to the darkness hoping to find someone. ¡°IS ANYONE HERE?¡± His thumping heart was the only answer he received. Silence surrounded him for the next few minutes leaving Damon sitting down with his head hung low, scared and desperate.


    ¡°Please, somebody.¡± The whispered pleas continued to echo through the eerie silent darkness.


    ¡°Argh¡± A groan shattered the silence that Damon now missed.


    With his body frozen in fear, Damon chose to force himself to turn around and find out what made that noise. Slowly turning around, he was met with a familiar yet unfamiliar scene.


    In front of Damon stood the same mountain from his dream. The familiar mountain of corpses of different creatures invaded his head once again only this time all the corpses eyes were wide open staring right at him.


    Damon could only close his eyes tightly and hope to wake up from the nightmare before him. With his head in his arms and knees brought to his chest, he rocked back and fourth whispering pleas to the Spirits, his mother, his father. Anybody to come and save him.


    All of a sudden a voice entered his ears interrupting his desperate pleas.


    ¡°Congratulations¡± On each side of his ears a woman and a man congratulated him


    ¡°Damon Beaumont¡± Both saying his name only this time the woman''s voice was fading. Damon did not know why but he felt an overwhelming amount of sadness wash over him after hearing her voice fading.


    Feeling that he would regret not seeing who the woman was, he opened his eyes only to see Lt. Governor standing in front of him with a smile on his face before opening his mouth to announce the news.


    ¡°Has Awakened¡±

 Ch 9: Awakening (2)

    Gold and Gray.


    That was the color Damon saw fade away before the sphere went back to its original white color. Lightning. The gray clouds and golden flashes behind them represented the extremely rare lightning element. Damon would have jumped with joy if he could but the dream he had stole that moment from him.


    ¡®Dream, was it a dream? Do you fall asleep when you Awaken?¡¯


    Confused, dazed, scared, relieved, and happy. Damon felt all these emotions at the same time that he didn¡¯t know how to feel or how to react. He could barely hear the cheers over the constant buzzing in his ears.


    ¡°Mr. Beaumont¡± Damon locked eyes with the Lt. Governor who now bore a slight smile.


    ¡°I think congratulations are in order.¡± Confusion must have been on his face because he was quickly given a reason as to why he was congratulated a second time.


    ¡° Breaking a record like this will be the talk of the Republic. A small city like ours having a fifth Awakener will bring shock to all of the Republic. And not only did you Awaken, but you Awakened with the rare Lightning Element¡± Damons¡¯ eyes widened after hearing this.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. I am the fifth awakener. I actually awakened. I really did it. And it''s the Lightning Element¡¯ A full blown smile came across his face before facing the crowd to find his family. Finding his family caused immediate tears to form as he saw the reaction of his family. Sparky was being swung around as Riley jumped up and down. While his mother and father were holding each other with smiles on both their faces.


    ¡°Alright, go ahead and head down to your fellow awakeners.¡±


    Damon turned back and nodded his head before making his way down the platform with a smile. At the bottom of the platform was Amelia, the very same girl who gave him a much needed boost in confidence. She was surprisingly staring right at him with a congratulatory smile. Seeing this he gave her a nod and a smile which led to her once again beginning her staring contest with the ground.


    ¡°Good luck.¡± Passing by her he did not forget to give his fellow classmate a quick few words of encouragement as the ceremony resumed and he could not talk to her for long. As he walked a few steps, he suddenly stopped.


    Damon quickly turned around and called out to the girl.


    ¡°Hey Amelia¡±


    Stopping in front of the stairs, Amelia turned around at the sound of her name.


    Damon saw the nervous look on her face that he probably had just a minute ago and realized he was doing the right thing.


    ¡°If a fifth miracle exists why not a sixth¡± Damon sent a smile her way which Kira happily mirrored as they stared at each other.


    ¡°Ahem¡±


    A loud cough was heard from the platform where Lt. Governor stood with a stern look. Damon bowed his head before quickly turning around after feeling his face heat up from the many pairs of eyes that witnessed their little interaction.


    Damon quickly made his way to the large tent for Awakeners in hopes of dodging the stares he felt from behind.


    As he was escorted to the tent for Awakeners, Damon felt a wave of relief. He Awakened. He really did it.


    Ever since he turned eleven, his shoulders sagged with the constant weight of the unknown. The fear of the results, the fear of not being able to live his dream, and the fear of what he would do if he failed.


    The weight of it all left bit by bit with every step he took to the tent where he hoped his parents were. He hoped to be met with a warm embrace from his mother, or hear the encouraging words from his father that made him feel taller than he really was.


    But they weren¡¯t there.


    Instead Damon was met with a sight that wasn¡¯t half bad.


    ¡°Found yourself a little girlfriend did you?¡± A teasing voice welcomed him the moment entered.


    Damon held back a smile as he scoffed at the familiar voice before sending a retort. ¡° Shut up. Unlike you, I actually try to get to know them.¡±


    Damon smiled once he met the eyes of his best friend who was making his way over to him with his arms spread and a big smile on his face.


    ¡° I knew the spirits wouldn¡¯t allow me on this journey without you¡± Rodrick pulled Damon in a hug as Damon shook his head as he returned the hug.


    ¡°Well of course. Who else is going to be there to lend you their shoulders when you get rejected by every girl we meet?¡± Damon said as he let go of his friend.


    ¡°The moment they see-¡± Rodrick, offended by the make believe scenario, was cut off by an announcement that froze everyone in the tent


    ¡°Congratulations¡± The familiar voice of the Lt. Governor reached the ears of everyone in the stadium.


    ¡°Amelia Granger¡±


    ¡° Has awakened.¡±


    Everyone in the tent froze at the announcement. Another Awakener.


    ¡°Impossible¡± a whisper broke the silence of the tent and brought everyone out of their stupor.


    Damon turned to scan the room for the voice and found all the awakeners were here except for the boy from House Lyle. After scanning the room he found the voice to belong to a boy of similar age as him with short blonde hair wearing a long black robe with gold trimmings. Underneath was a gold tunic with black laces and pants to match.


    ¡°Five is something very few cities like ours have witnessed but to have recorded six awakeners is a first for small cities. We have already passed the threshold of mid size cities.¡± The boy continued after seeing the attention was on him.


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    ¡°Mid-sized cities usually record on average around six to twelve awakeners a year. This will most likely be the talk of the Republic.¡± He continued his explanation feeling satisfied that he caught everyone¡¯s attention so he can brag about his knowledge.


    Damon switched his focus from the boy, to the front of the tent as he heard footsteps approaching the tent.


    ¡°Hey Amelia¡± Damon greeted the girl once she entered the open tent.


    ¡°Hel-¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how you greet a noble you idiot.¡± The boy who was giving an explanation earlier scolded Damon before turning to the noble girl to bow his head as it is customary when meeting a noble.


    Amelia formed a frown at the interruption that wasn¡¯t seen by the boy in gold as his head was still bowed. A few moments later her frown turned abashed as everyone in the tent copied the boy¡¯s movements and bowed their heads including Damon and Rodrick who were a few seconds late.


    ¡°Get up quickly. You don¡¯t have to do that¡± Damon pulled his head up with a smile as he witnessed her flustered expression. His smile didn¡¯t last long as a nudge from beside him made it known that his actions were seen by a certain someone. Standing up straight Damon ignored the constant nudging from beside him and pretended not to hear his friend¡¯s snickering.


    ¡°Congratulations. I knew you could do it.¡± Damon smiled at the shy noble girl who nodded her head in thanks.


    ¡°What were you guys talking about?¡± Amelia asked, hoping to quickly move the spotlight away from her.


    ¡°We were just talking about how crazy these awakenings are. Five is crazy but six is just insane. There have been only five cases of a city our size giving birth to a sixth Awakener and the last one was over three hundred years ago. We literally broke a record. If we can break into the double digits we can compete with those cities watched over by Great Houses ¡± Miles responded, excitement crept into his voice by the time he finished.


    ¡°How do you know so much?¡± Rodrick inquired.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m Miles Briggs from the Briggs family¡± He lifted his head with a proud look. Although Damon found the look to be annoying he knew that a family background like his was worthy to be proud of. The Briggs family is a half a century old family with businesses all over the city due to them getting lucky and finding an ore deposit. Although luck gave them the opportunity they didn¡¯t waste it as they turned the company into a local powerhouse with some influence in other cities. Damon was familiar with the business not only from the stores he saw but because his father worked for them as a supervisor at one of their mines.


    Miles wore a proud look once he saw the awe on his fellow Awakened.


    ¡°Where is the boy from House Lyle?¡±  Miles¡¯ proud look morphed to disdain after hearing the question. Turning to Damon and finding his clothes to be no more than a few silvers his disdain heightened.


    ¡° In his own tent¡± Miles replied as if the answer was obvious. ¡°You think he would stay here with us?¡± Shaking his head in disappointment after giving the whereabouts of Draven Lyle.


    ¡°He is from the legendary House Lyle, descendant of the Third Lord of Fire, the famous Dragonlord who earned his moniker after taming a dragon that hadn¡¯t been seen since the first generation of Elemental Lords. With an Elemental Lord in their bloodline, it would make them a Great House with history spanning nearly two thousand years.¡± Miles ended his explanation with a look of fanaticism.


    Damon frowned as he already knew this and was only looking for the boy from House Lyle in hopes of asking him questions about his household but before he can explain himself he was cut off by a cough from Rodrick who stood beside him causing Damon to shift his attention to his friend who gave a pointed look at Miles.


    Miles, seeing this, became confused for a second before his eyes lit up in realization. Quickly turning around to find Amelia staring at him with a frown.


    ¡°Of course, I only meant us and not you Lady Amelia. You are also of noble birth-¡±


    ¡°Lady Amelia¡± Miles¡¯ attempts at giving an explanation was cut short by a soldier entering fully decked out in silver armor with the republic¡¯s sigil splayed in the center of his chest plate holding a silver spear that looked like it had it¡¯s experience in a fair amount of battles. All these signs let everyone know that he was not just any soldier but a soldier from the Governors manor. And the Governors Manor only recruited the most experienced soldiers.


    ¡°Lord Draven heard there was a fellow noble that awakened and wished to invite you.¡± Damon frowned after hearing this from the soldier. Turning his head he saw Amelia bow her head in acceptance with slightly furrowed brows.


    ¡° I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡± Amelia said to everybody before nodding at Damon as she walked out the tent and trailed behind the soldier.


    Damon¡¯s eyes watched her leave with a slight smile that was quickly washed away from an elbow to his ribs. Frowning at Rodrick¡¯s weird smile, he rolled his eyes as he turned his attention to the dwindling lines of Awakeners.


    ¡°You think anyone else will awaken?¡± Shock filled everyone¡¯s faces as they turned to the red-haired girl who still wore her phoenix hairpin, as this was the first time they heard her talk.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± With their jaws still hanging the red-haired girl changed her mind.


    ¡°No, no, no¡± Waving his hands with a smile Miles happily explained his stance on the matter to the girl. ¡°I still think there could be somebody. I mean we just crossed the halfway mark. Who knows what could happen.¡± Miles smiled as he happily explained whilst ignoring the glares from Rodrick.


    Damon chuckled as he watched Rodrick make his way over to the duo to make his predictions known.


    ¡® I finally did it. I Awakened. Not only that, I Awakened with Rodrick. Both of our dreams came true.¡¯ Smiling to himself at the realization. ¡® Wait we both awakened¡¯


    Reaching for the pouch on his waist, he quickly opened it and found it. Looking over at the trio, he found the tall lanky Rodrick and stubby Miles arguing while the red haired girl continued watching the ceremony. Shaking his head at the sight he called over Rodrick before fists started being thrown.


    Rodrick, seeing this, walked away but not before throwing a final glare at Miles and a smile at the girl with the phoenix hairpin who probably regretted opening her mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Rodrick greeted his friend who only responded with a smile. Rodrick looked his friend up and down in confusion which made him realize Damon had his hands behind his back.


    ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Rodrick questioned his suspicious friend with squinted eyes. Rubbing his growing mustache in wonder as scanned his friend. All of a sudden his eyes widened ¡° Don¡¯t tell me you finally made your first love letter and wish to let me be the first to see it before giving it to that girl.¡± Rodrick was answered by a smack on the side of his head resulting in him letting out a fit of laughs which slowly died out once he got a good look at what Damon was holding.


    In Damon¡¯s hands was a pink box the size of an adult hand familiar to Rodrick. It was something that Rodrick would never forget.


    ¡°Is this¡­¡± Damon nodded his head to the question after placing the small box in Rodrick¡¯s hands. Opening the box allowed the familiar sweet smell to enter their nose. Rodrick looked at the small red and gold cake then at Damon with confusion.


    ¡° I guess I don¡¯t have to ask if you recognize this cake.¡± Damon stared at the cake.


    ¡°It was the cake you sent me when I failed the awakening the first time. And then I ate it again once I failed the second time, the only difference was you ate it with me.¡±  Rodrick smiled at the memory.


    ¡° Yes, but¡± Damon grabbed the cake from his friend¡¯s hands before continuing ¡° it originally wasn¡¯t meant for cheering you up.¡± Rodrick bore a look of confusion. Damon seeing this continued with a smile.


    ¡° It was meant to be a congratulatory cake. And today it lives up to expectations.¡± A big smile found its way onto both boys.


    ¡°Congratulations Roddy.¡± Damon looked up at his tall friend with a smile.


    Rodrick laughed out loud before grabbing the cake out the box with his bare hands and breaking it in half.


    ¡° You mean congratulations to both of us.¡± Rodrick lifted his cake in cheers and Damon mimicked his actions with a smile.


    ¡°Yes. Congratulations to the both of us.¡±

 Ch 10: The Talk

    Bang Bang


    Damon watched the colorful fireworks add more color to the blue sky as he stood with everyone who had awakened on the only remaining platform that was placed right below the balcony where the Governor  was currently standing giving a speech.


    Damon couldn¡¯t focus on the speech as butterflies filled his stomach as he watched the stadium break out in cheers. He still couldn¡¯t believe that all of this was true. Everything he wanted to happen came true. He hoped to Awaken and it happened. He hoped that he could Awaken with Rodrick and he did. Everything felt too good to be true for Damon as he took the time to  scan the people who were lined up beside him as a way to show off the record breaking amount of Awakeners.


    Regretfully, no one else after Amelia was able to Awaken. So there were only six people on stage beside the Lt. Governor who stood on the opposite end of the line right beside the red haired girl named Kira who was attempting to keep a calm facade but her trembling legs gave her away. This tale wouldn¡¯t have been told if not for Miles who stood next to her, sacrificing a hit to the arm for pointing it out resulting in everyone letting out smiles. Everyone except a red haired boy. The boy stood out even with a gaudy merchant¡¯s son and lady of a noble house standing on either side of him.


    Draven Lyle. Red haired with red silk robes over a black tunic and black pants that matched his boots. One red eye and another brown but both filled with confidence. Everything about him screamed special.


    Damon always wanted to meet descendants of the famous heroes he read about. Wondered what they were like and how they looked. Draven answered all his unanswered questions without uttering a word to him.


    ¡°Careful, you might just burn a hole through his head¡± Rodrick muttered.


    ¡°Tch¡±  Damon let out scoff and quickly shifted his attention away from Drayven after hearing this. Damon focused his attention back to the Governor who was wrapping up his speech to the masses with a big grin on his face that Damon never saw leave his face after the merchant boy named Miles Awakened.


    ¡°The Spirits have blessed us.¡± Holding up six fingers to the crowd he said ¡° Six.¡± He emphasized the number of Awakeners with a grin. Clearly very happy at the result.


    ¡°Six Awakeners have had their eyes opened today. A record, the city has not seen for centuries. Take a long look everyone, for these six awakeners are our future heroes. They will be the ones to guard the southern borders from those traitorous bastards of the southern kingdoms. They will be the ones to protect our shores from the greedy pirates of the Eastern Isles. They will be the ones to keep the monsters from the Dark Forest from crossing over. They will be our guarantee of a future.¡± A proud look replaced his wide grin as he scanned the crowd before shifting his attention below to where the six Awakened stood.


    ¡°They will be our Heroes of Tomorrow¡±


    ***


    While walking back home Damon felt giddy with excitement that he practically skipped his entire way home. A sight that he hoped no one saw. Or at least anyone he knew. Both parents held back their smiles seeing their eldest son like this with his shoulders squared and chin up. Damon spoke of his future accomplishments with them and little sister to the point where even his little sister¡¯s energy was drained after listening to him, leading Lisa to carry her the rest of the way allowing her to sleep and escape from her brother¡¯s tales of fighting monsters. Both parents inwardly jumped with joy after seeing their home come into view.


    As they got closer, they found a small crowd of people standing in front of their house. Both parents took a moment to glance at each other in confusion before warily making their way to the crowd.


    The crowd must have heard their footsteps as they turned around and immediately bombarded the Beaumont family with congratulations. The whole neighborhood must have heard the news as Damon recognized quite a few faces from the crowd even the grumpy old man from a couple houses down who scolded him and Rodrick a few times for laughing too loudly by his house was here replacing his usual frown with a smile.


    Damon, not used to the attention, quickly hid behind his mother with flushed cheeks and folded arms. Laura, witnessing her son¡¯s reaction to the crowd, grabbed her son¡¯s hand and kept a tight hold while holding her now awake daughter who bore a look of confusion and slight fear as they weaved through the crowd following her husband.


    ¡° Congrats Robert. You birth yourself a fine son¡±


    ¡° Looks like your eldest is soon to be a hero, Robert.¡±


    ¡°You raised a good kid Lisa¡±


    The crowd showered the Beaumont family with compliments. Robert simply nodded his thanks to everyone he passed with a tight-lipped smile while leading his family through the small crowd to enter their home. Robert finally reached the door and ushered in his family before turning around to address the crowd.


    ¡° We thank everyone for taking time off their busy days to offer their praises and well wishes to my family. But my son will be leaving tomorrow and I hope that we can have some alone time as a family to celebrate this lifetime achievement from my son.¡± Robert¡¯s stern and loud voice let the crowd know that it was time to go home. Robert entered his home ignoring the grumbling from those who hoped to get closer to his son for whatever reason.


    ¡°Are they gone?¡± A worried voice welcomed Robert into the home.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re gone.¡± Robert answered his wife with a smile before scanning the room.


    ¡°The kids are in their rooms.¡± Lisa answered the question posted on her husband¡¯s face.


    Looking up the stairs to make sure the coast was clear, Lisa asked the question that has been on her mind since they left the arena.


    ¡°Well was he one of them?¡± Laura rolled her eyes in exasperation at the confusion on Robert¡¯s face before continuing ¡° The boy that the Wind Whisperer talked about. The grandson of your boss. Did he awaken?¡± Robert grimaced before nodding his head.


    ¡°You know what this means don¡¯t you? What happens when a Wind whisperer gives out visions? Our son-¡±


    ¡°I know what it means¡± Robert cut his wife off before brushing through his brown hair. Rubbing his face, Robert turned to his worried wife and pulled her to his chest.


    ¡° Don¡¯t worry. our son only needs to stay away from that kid and the troubles of the world won¡¯t bother him.¡± Robert attempted to reassure his wife only for her to scoff at the statement.


    ¡° You think our son who has been reading books about heroes since the day he learned how to read would just turn around at the sight of trouble. Do you not remember the amount of times we had to visit his school because he got into so many fights because he was trying to protect people from bullies.¡± Laura reminisced with a smile that carried both pride and worry.


    ¡°We can only hope he listens to us.¡±Robert carried a proud smile of his own at the memories before releasing a sigh.


    ¡°Wait, did you tell Kaden?¡± Laura tilted her head up to see Robert wince at the question. Smacking her husband¡¯s chest in disapproval. ¡° How could you not tell him? He was the one that told you all about the Wind Whisperers.¡±


    Releasing his wife he explained ¡° I was planning on it. But the celebration from last night that Mr. Briggs threw. I couldn¡¯t get myself to walk to Kade¡¯s house drunk. And with the Awakening ceremony, I was waiting for a time when we weren¡¯t surrounded by a bunch of people and we entered indoors. But with the whole Awakening Ceremony and Damon Awakening¡­¡±.


    Massaging his brows he said ¡° ¡°It must¡¯ve slipped my mind.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have to tell him now.¡± Laura said to him with her hand on her hips.


    ¡° Now?¡± Robert asked befuddled. Robert turned his head to the small window in the kitchen to see the outside darkening. ¡° But it¡¯s about to get dark. The city becomes an entirely different place during the night, especially with today being Awakening Day.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you have to hurry then. And you can use this time to pick up a cake on the way back.¡± Laura turned and headed up the stairs.


    ¡°Wait, what?. You didn¡¯t pick up a cake this morning?¡±


    Without turning back she sarcastically replied


    ¡°It must¡¯ve slipped my mind¡±


    ***


    Lisa stopped right outside her eldest child¡¯s door and took a deep breath before she reached up to knock on his door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Damon shouted from the other side of the door.


    Lisa popped her head in with a big smile that mirrored her sons¡¯. Closing the book on his lap, Damon got up from his bed.


    ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡±  Damon tilted his head to look behind his mother.


    ¡°He went to pick up something from work.¡± Lisa gave her husband an excuse.


    Lisa paused at the doorway to take a few moments to scan her son from head to toe with growing tears in her eyes. Remembering the first time she held him. The immense joy and love she had the moment she set her eyes on him. Her eldest. Her first child. Reminiscing the times she had with her son over the years led to her eyes welling up with tears. The first time he walked. The moment she finally heard him speak coherent words. The moment he called out to her.


    ¡°Mom¡± The memory of a small chubby Damon soon merged to present day Damon who stared into his mother¡¯s teary eyes with worry.


    ¡°Mom. You okay?¡± Lisa shook her head with a sad smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Reassuring her son she looked behind him at his closet before turning her attention back to her son. ¡°How about we start packing things up so we don¡¯t have to worry about them later.¡± Damon nodded at his mother with a smile.


    ***


    "I¡¯m back.¡± Robert entered his home and announced his presence to his family. Hearing the incoming giggles caused a small smile to find its way onto his face as he yanked his shoes off quickly knowing what was coming.


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    ¡°Dad!!!¡± Opening his arms wide to welcome his youngest barreling out the kitchen straight to his arms. Stifling a groan, Rob picked up his growing youngest. Brushing away the blonde hair that covered her face.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Were the first thing his youngest said once he brushed the hair from her mouth.


    ¡°Yea dad. Where did you go?¡± Robert saw Damon standing a few feet in front of him trying his best not to look like he was searching for something. Holding back a smirk, Robert reached down behind him and pulled out a familiar white box.


    ¡°Cake!!¡± Riley¡¯s shriek of excitement cut off his well thought out story.


    Damon quickly ran towards the box and grabbed it.


    ¡°Thanks dad¡± Damon didn¡¯t forget to thank him before scurrying back into the kitchen. Riley attempted to wriggle herself free from her fathers arms before he let her down with a laugh. Shaking his head, he followed his children into the kitchen to find his wife already making Damon¡¯s favorite meals.


    ¡°No dessert before dinner¡± His wife¡¯s stern reminder to the kids was what welcomed him. Robert let out a chuckle as he made way to his wife passing his frowning kids.


    ¡°Need any help?¡± Robert asked with a smile.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Laura ignored the question and went straight to the point. Robert¡¯s hopes that he could ease into it were shattered.


    ¡° Nothing¡± Laura raised a brow at Robert who shrugged before continuing ¡° All he did was nod. But his face, his face told a story¡± Laura¡¯s only response was a sigh.


    ¡°I think it would be hard to explain all this to him¡± Robert whispered as he watched his son set the table whilst watching over his younger sister salivating at the cake they were told not to eat.


    ¡°We still have to tell him. He could be endangered if we don¡¯t tell him.¡± Laura challenged her husband in a hushed tone. Robert wasn¡¯t sure how to go about this because on one side he didn¡¯t see the need for his son to know about how the world moves in the shadows. He believed that if Damon should know he should first experience it himself to truly understand. And on the other hand, he was afraid his son without sufficient knowledge would make mistakes. Maybe even fatal ones.


    Knowing his son, if he ever saw someone in need he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to save them and that worried him. If the stories Kaden told of Wind Whisperers were true then he would be in agreement it would be best if his son stayed away from that Miles kid from the Briggs family. Only he had no idea how to tell his son.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think he would do the opposite of what we told him if we asked? Damon would become curious and that will lead him to doing exactly what we told him not to do.¡± Robert glanced over his shoulder to see his son keeping his eyes on his little sister who kept side-eyeing the cake.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen because we have never made a request like this before. We have never told him not to talk to people or help people before and that will let him know how serious we are.¡± Finally shifting her attention away from the pot in front of her to her husband she continued.


    ¡°He will listen.¡± Robert stared into his wife¡¯s eyes for a few seconds before choosing to side with his wife for this.


    ¡°What about Kaden? Is he planning on telling his son about this?¡± Robert nodded. Once he told Kaden the news he saw an emotion that hadn¡¯t crossed his friend¡¯s face in years. The last time Robert ever saw a similar expression was their first battle at the borders they shared with the southern kingdoms where they were ambushed by hired mercenaries.


    Fear


    Death was all they could think about as their battalion was constantly shrinking. It was only thanks to their Commander who sacrificed himself that they were able to survive.


    ¡°He said he will tell Rodrick.¡±


    ¡°Good. See? We should do the same¡± Grabbing the pot she shoved it in front of Robert. ¡° Now take this. C¡¯mon everyone, dinner is ready.¡± After handing off the finished food she announced it to the house.


    ***


    After a scrumptious dinner and an hour of fun games it was time to call it a night. Robert followed his son up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs he felt a tug at his shirt. Turning around to see his wife holding a sleeping Riley in one arm and Sparky in the other. Nodding her head at Damon, Robert understood what she meant.


    ¡°Damon, let¡¯s have a talk.¡± With a sigh he said.


    At the top of the stairs Damon turned around with a look of confusion on his face but still nodded his head. Following his son to his room he all of a sudden forgot the speech he had memorized.


    ¡°Dad. I know what this is about.¡± Quickly turning his head to his son he questioned him. ¡°You do?¡± A skeptical look on his face. The skeptical expression remained on his face after seeing his son¡¯s blushing face.


    ¡° Yes I do. And I just want to say that I already know all about this.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Robert carefully made his way to his and sat on his bed next to him. Watching his son nod his lowered head slowly not daring to make eye contact.


    ¡°How?¡± Confused at how his son has heard of a secret only known to the Great Houses and other major powers of the world.


    ¡°Well, Rodrick told me about it before.¡± Robert was confused because he knew his best friend Kaden and he would never tell his son something he has no business knowing about. Especially if it were secrets privy to the major powers.


    ¡°When did he tell you this? How does he know?¡± Robert was now extremely curious how Rodrick got the slip on his father.


    ¡°Well, us and a few others were talking about marriage. And a little later the ¡°birds and the bees¡± topic came up so¡­¡± Robert¡¯s look of confusion slowly morphed into realization after seeing his son with a red face whisper the last few words under his breath.


    ¡° I know I¡¯ll be gone for a while but you don¡¯t have to worry. I plan on waiting until mar-¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡± Robert hearing this could only let out a roar of laughter that lasted for a solid minute.


    ¡° You done?¡± Damon frowned at his father wiping his tears


    ¡° Sorry kiddo. Its just...I¡¯m not here to talk about that.¡± Robert calmed himself before letting his son know that they were not having that type of conversation.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Embarrassment made its way onto his face after seeing his father nod.


    Adopting a serious look, Robert stared into his son¡¯s eyes whose shaky pupils already announced his nervousness.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Wind whisperers?¡± Robert asked Damon.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve heard of them, dad.¡± Damon answered with certainty before continuing ¡°They¡¯re from the Windy Pavilion. Not a lot of people talk about them because of the rumors that they can talk to the wind. And the wind talks back. They can hear secrets drifting towards them simply by listening to the winds. And some secrets come from the future.¡± Damon finished telling his father what he knew.


    Robert, noticing the skepticism on his son¡¯s face, asked ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe the stories?¡±


    ¡°Nope¡± Damon shook his head slightly. ¡°If they could tell the future then why didn¡¯t they stop the Quint Empire from falling? Why didn¡¯t they stop the invasion from the Starry Palace during the Rising Era. What about the Quint Royal Family invasion of the Golden Era? Or even the Traitors¡¯ War. They should have taken the Southern Kingdoms out before they could even backstab us.¡± Damon shook his head in disbelief. ¡° All these wars and they couldn¡¯t stop it from happening. There is no way they can tell the future.¡± Damon ended his rant with a resolute expression.


    Robert shook his head at his son¡¯s black and white view of the world. And yet he felt envious that his son still saw the world this way. After his son leaves and truly experiences the world, Robert was sure his son¡¯s view on the world would carry more gray than black and white. A world similar to his own after returning from the southern borders.


    ¡°Damon,¡± Robert grabbed his son¡¯s shoulders. ¡° This world isn¡¯t like your books.¡± As he faced his son he happened to see the stacks of books on a table behind his son and one particular book stood out: The Republic¡¯s Heroes.


    After seeing this book he continued ¡° I want you to know, son, that the titles of Heroes and Villains aren¡¯t so straightforward. A hero can be a person who killed a thousand enemies to achieve victory for his country. But...¡±


    Robert sighed as he stared out into space ¡° But on the losing side they are seen as villains or in the words of the thousand broken families- Monsters." Robert could still recall his memories from the borders vividly. The waft of iron scent mixed in with human waste still hits his nose randomly. The screams could still be heard. The bodies holding broken shields and armor still visit him when he closes his eyes. It was like he was still there.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Hearing his son¡¯s concerned voice brought him out of his reverie.


    Bringing his attention back to his son. ¡° I just hope you remember this conversation.¡±


    Robert hoped that this lesson would stick with his son. He knows what type of kid his son is but he hoped that his son would remember this conversation and would think twice before jumping into situations without knowing everything just because someone told him to do so..


    ¡°Anyways, let''s go back to the Windy Pavilion members. You said you¡¯ve never seen one right?¡± Robert continued after seeing his son nod his head ¡° Well, what if I told you I know someone who has?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Damon exclaimed in excitement.


    ¡°Do you remember that Miles boy? The one who awakened with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡± A chubby kid with slick brown hair wearing gaudy robes and a cocky smirk entered his head.


    ¡°His grandfather was the one who met a Wind Whisperer. He told the old man that his grandson will Awaken.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Damon asked.


    ¡°Yes and not only that Miles, was not the only grandson to Awaken. He has another one from last year-  ¡±


    With eyes filled with shock Damon cut his father off to question the story¡¯s validity ¡°Last year? Oh yeah, the fourth Awakener wasn¡¯t it? He didn¡¯t take the Briggs family name. Wow, I forgot  they were related. Wait, how do you know all this? Did he tell you?¡±


    ¡°Hang on, hang on, let''s slow down now.¡± Robert unknowingly took his revenge on his earlier cutoff from his son by stopping the barrage of questions.


    ¡°You remember this morning when your mother almost killed me for having a hangover?¡± Damon nodded with an amused smirk.


    Robert choosing to ignore his son¡¯s smirk, he continued ¡°Well it was because I was with Miles grandfather celebrating his grandson¡¯s Awakening, a day before the Awakening Ceremony. Everyone was confused on why they were celebrating until the old man got a bit too drunk that he started telling everyone about his meeting with an Apostle of the Windy Pavilion. It was then when I found out.¡±


    ¡°Wait but I thought only descendants of the Great Houses could give birth to more than one Elemental in the same generation.¡±


    ¡°There are exceptions and the Briggs family happen to be one.¡±


    ¡°So they really can tell the future?¡± Damon became dazed from the realization.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± Bringing his son out of his dazed state he continued.


    ¡° The point is that the Briggs family is an exception known to the Windy Pavillon. The visit of the Windy Whisperer being the glaring tell.¡±


    ¡°Why is that a big deal? They must have done it hundreds of times before. Especially since that¡¯s their power.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different this time. Wind Whisperers majority of the time would tell the future of someone within their Windy Pavilion. It is why thousands visit the Windy Pavilion in the Capital to have their futures told. Only in special cases would Wind Whisperers travel outside to tell someone¡¯s future.¡±


    ¡°Special Cases?¡± Damon inquired what his father meant by that


    ¡° Future Divine Generals¡­¡± Robert stared into son¡¯s widened eyes. Taking a deep breath he continued ¡°Or Lords of Elements.¡±


    ¡°So¡­. you¡¯re saying-¡± With his jaw dropped Damon had a hard time forming a sentence.


    ¡°No Damon. What did I tell you? This world is not like some hero book. They don¡¯t tell you the full stories. They don¡¯t tell you the horror stories before the happy endings. And some don¡¯t even have happy endings. Especially for those around them.¡± Robert explained to his son once again hoping it would pierce through his world of fantasy.


    ¡°Damon, you have to stay away from him. Chosen ones like Miles attract danger from all around them. Staying too close to him would mean you could get hurt. Your mother and I do not want to see that happen.¡±


    Grasping his son¡¯s shoulder, he looked into Damon¡¯s eyes to let him know how serious he was. ¡°We have never made a request like this before Damon. And I hope you could do this for us. We can¡¯t have anything happen to you. Do you understand?¡± Robert watched his son slowly nod before releasing his hold on Damon¡¯s shoulders feeling that was the best answer he could get.


    ¡°Wait, what about Rodrick?¡± Damon remembered his best friend who also interacted with Miles.


    ¡°No need to worry. Where do you think I got this information?¡± Robert faced ahead as he answered Damon.


    ¡°Uncle Kade?¡± Damon received his answer in the form of a nod from Robert.


    Robert quickly turned to his son ¡°Don¡¯t mention this to anyone. Don¡¯t even talk about it. Even if it¡¯s with Rodrick, okay?¡± Mirroring his fathers answer from before Damon nodded in understanding.


    With a sigh ¡° With that conversation over,¡± Robert side eyed Damon with a smirk


    ¡° How about we continue that Birds and the bees talk you were talking about earlier?¡± A groan of despair and a laughter of joy echoed throughout the room.

 Ch 11: The Journey Begins

    Cough cough


    Damon ignored the obvious call for help and continued making his way down the bustling street. After already bumping into three people this morning on their way to the Governors Manor on the north side of the city, Damon was focused on making sure a fourth wouldn¡¯t appear. He already felt a bruise forming after the  third bump from a young man in his late teens who appeared to be running late for whatever appointment he made for the morning.


    This was a regular occurrence for the City of Sparks and many other cities. As the day before, to celebrate the Day of Awakening most people were given the day off. So those who had nothing to do with the Day of the awakening would take this chance to celebrate with more than a few drinks leading to the sight in front of Damon. People running to and from. Others with bags under their eyes dragging their feet whilst letting out a yawn every now and then.


    Damon frowned at the sight. He never understood the allure of those adult drinks. When he became an adult he would keep clear of any alcohol. Damon cringed inwardly after imagining himself in their shoes.


    Cough cough


    ¡° I¡¯m not carrying him Rodrick¡± Damon looked at his friend carrying his baby brother in his arms as the baby smiled at Damon and Damon sent a smile of his own while pinching the chubby cheeks of Randy.


    ¡° Just for a few minutes, Dame. ¡± Rodrick begged


    ¡° No just carry him, he¡¯s your brother after all.¡± Damon used the family card as an excuse so couldn¡¯t carry the year old baby that fussed in Rodricks arms. Damon reminisced about his times with Riley and shuddered.


    ¡°But my arms are killing me.¡± Rodrick continued his attempts.


    ¡°Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t have taken him from your mom just so you can get the attention from those ladies we were passing by earlier.¡± Damon smirked before it was wiped off quickly after dodging another fellow who probably should have made better decisions the night before.


    ¡°I know. And it didn¡¯t even work¡± Rodrick let out a sigh of regret as he followed Damon in front of him and also did a sidestep to dodge the man.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re just not as much of a ladies man as your big brother eh Randy.¡±


    ¡° He just turned one.¡± Damon said with a deadpan before taking a glance behind him. Rodrick held his baby brother in his arms and looked down at him with a small smile that spread to a full blown one after hearing the giggles Randy let out. Damon shook his head with a smile at the scene before turning back only for his eyes to widen at the sight.


    ¡°We¡¯re here¡± Damon announced to his friend who quickly looked up with the same excitement as his best friend.


    ¡°Remember- behave.¡±  Rodrick¡¯s mom suddenly appeared beside the boys to remind them. Both boys nodded their heads after hearing this. Right in front of the Beaumont and Margrave family stood a silver gate with the sigil of the Republic in the center guarded by two soldiers on either side of the gate. With their full body iron plated armor and spear in hands they were strikingly different from that of the city guard who only wore armor for the key areas of the body. The difference demanded a different type of respect.


    Damon witnessed his father and Uncle Kaden walk up to the soldiers with a gait that seemed less relaxed and more disciplined. Both fathers seemed to embody their former selves in the military. The guards scrutinized the two men approaching them. Watching the confidence in both men led to the guards tightening their grips on their spears and the leading guard behind the gate to place his hand on his sword by his waist.


    Robert witnessing this gave a side glance to his friend who did the same before they reached the gate. Saluting the guards, their actions were mirrored by the guards. Leading the guards was a man that had armor that was different from the others around him. With a closer look the armor had little dents and scratches that were absent on the armors of those around them.


    ¡°Sgt. Beaumont¡± ¡°Lt. Margrave¡±


    ¡°Sgt. Rider¡± The leading man hearing the rank of Kade directed his salute to Kade. The rest of the guards quickly did the same.


    ¡°At ease. We¡¯re here on the invitation of the Governor.¡± Kade signaled behind him where the rest of the family stood. The remaining members of the family made their way to the gate after being called over.


    Damon scanned the guards with envy and awe at their shiny glimmering armor and intimidating armor. Damon wondered if he would ever be given armor like theirs.


    ¡°We greet the Awakeners¡± All the guards bow their heads at Damon and Rodrick. Rodrick quickly bowed his head as well, Damon still staring at the armor bowed his head a few seconds later.


    After scanning the guards, Damon turned his attention to the gate behind the guards. The gate matched the color of the men guarding it and towered over them at a dozen feet. The gate glimmered under the sun, especially the center of the gate where the sigil of the Republic was embedded. The sigil shined as if it was screaming for everyone to notice it.


    ¡°Wow. So pretty¡± Damon turned to Riley at his side holding his hand and staring at the sigil of the republic with her mouth open. Chuckling at the sight he nodded as he joined his little sister staring at the sigil. Damon for some reason felt glad that someone else noticed its majesty.


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± Rodricks excitement was obvious in his voice. ¡°We should be allowed in. We¡¯re one of the awakeners.¡±


    ¡°Patience. A few minutes shouldn¡¯t be hard for you Rodrick.¡± Uncle Kade shook his head at his son¡¯s impatience. Rodrick didn¡¯t have to wait that long as the gate opened inwards separating the sigil.


    ¡°Welcome Awakeners. I am the Head butler of this Manor. You can call me Mr. Ham.¡± A tall lanky middle aged man welcomed them with a slight bow showing the sparse hair on his head showing his age. Lifting his head up he swiftly turned around and led the way.


    ¡°Follow me¡± Damon felt that the old man was disrespectful and Rodrick seemed to be the only one with the same sentiment as no one else wore a frown on their face. Damon believed as awakeners they should be given the respect of an Awakener even if they hadn¡¯t learned how to control the elements they are bound to learn it anyway.


    Damon glared at the back of the head of the butler as he thought that in the future he would come back here when he learns how to control his lightning and see if he would be given the same treatment. Smiling at the thought, Damon straightened his shoulders and continued following the butler with a more expanded ego than when he was outside on the other side of the gate.


    After walking down the gravel road they then took a turn down another road. The road didn¡¯t seem to lead to the manor so Damon asked ¡°Are we not going to the manor?¡± Robert turned to his son with a crease in his eyebrows before shifting his attention back to Mr. Ham who answered


    ¡°No, I am leading you to the air docks.¡±


    Damon, although disappointed at the missed opportunity of entering a Governor¡¯s manor, it was quickly morphed into excitement at the thought of his dream becoming much closer. The excitement made him feel like he was flying and his excitement was shared with his best friend who was forcing himself not to skip his way to the air docks.


    The air docks soon came into view and awe could be found in the eyes of everyone in the group including Robert and Kade only it wasn¡¯t as much as their children with stars in their eyes. The object of awe was not the giant stairway leading to a platform that could fit over a hundred carriages, instead it was what laid upon the raised platform.


    Atop the platform was a ship as tall as the Grace Bank that Damon¡¯s mother worked at which had four floors. The ship extended as far as around twenty meters in length. The ship was made entirely of wood just like the Lyle ship only it was not colored in black, instead choosing to keep its original earthly color. The ship also carried flags bearing the sigil of the Academy.


    The flags decorating the ship were white with an eye placed in the center. The eye was outlined in black and the pupil carried the colors of all five elements Blue, red, green, and earthly yellow. But right in the center of the pupil, as the flags waved a flicker of gold would appear.


    After a few moments Mr. Ham led them to a group of people that appeared to be waiting by the ship. As they got closer Damon recognized the group as their fellow Awakeners. Immediately he  spotted Amelia in red robes standing beside a man in similar robes as hers. Damon gave a quick scan of the man and came to the conclusion that he must be her father if he was to go off their similar looks and hair. Damon sent a small smile her way which she reciprocated after making sure the man beside her wasn¡¯t looking.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After that Damon observed the rest of the group and found Kira with the same old man from the market. Kira catching his eye gave a nod of acknowledgment before going back to listening to the old man. Shifting his attention he found the boy who was the cause of his ¡°talk¡± from last night following a man in his sixties making their way towards their group.


    ¡°Robert. How are you?¡± The man in his sixties shook hands with his employee with a big smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine sir. How about you?¡±


    Damon watched as his father put on a forced smile and pretended to care about the man¡¯s struggles with his wife who couldn¡¯t make it due to a fever. Shaking his head, Damon turned his head to face the giant ship hoping Miles wouldn¡¯t talk to him.


    Standing right below the ship allowed Damon to get a more detailed observation of the ship. The airship was of the similar type of build as the airship owned by the Lyle family. But the similarities ended there. The Lyle ship focused more on a more somber yet extravagant design whilst the Academy ship leaned towards simplicity. The entire ship beside the flags and the side of the ship where an academy sigil was bare of decorations or designs. It looked like any ordinary ship sailing at sea, only this ship sailed through the air.


    ¡°How many people do you think can fit on this giant thing?¡± Turning to Rodrick who appeared by his side, he thought to himself that Rodrick must be thinking the same thing as him as Damon heard that he was given the ¡°talk¡± by his father as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe a few hundred. Or more. I mean look at the thing.¡± A look of wonder graced Damon as he stared up at the ship that he had only seen from afar. Throughout the years he was never given the chance to to set his gaze upon an airship from this up close until today. And very soon he would get to ride this legendary behemoth across the Republic.


    ¡°This ship is going to take us through the Republic. Not by sea but by air. This is an opportunity given to very few.¡± Damon scanned the entire ship as the thoughts of himself owning an airship of his own crossed his mind. ¡° We should work hard so we could own one and then we can set sail on our own-¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡± A mocking laugh cut off their daydreaming. Miles carried his disdainful smile their way leading to a frown to be found on both boys.


    ¡°Own one? You want to own an airship?¡± His tone was filled with ridicule as he looked up and down at the two friends.


    ¡° A ship like this can only be owned by the most powerful forces of the Republic. Powers like the Ancestral Houses, the Great Houses, the Grace Bank, the Windy Pavillon and of course the Academy. There are a few other powers that might own an airship but they wouldn¡¯t own more than one or two.¡± Miles sent a look of derision at the boy¡¯s fantasy.


    By the time Miles finished explaining Rodrick and Damon¡¯s dreams of owning an airship vanished. The powers he named all had connections to former Lords or Divine Generals. And such titles were given out to only two hundred people over the nearly three thousand year reign of the Republic.


    Although annoyed at the rich merchant teenager, both boys ignored Miles hoping he wouldn¡¯t talk to them if they gave him the silent treatment. A plan that quickly failed after hearing the words that left Miles'' mouth.


    ¡°Ah, that''s right you need permission to speak to someone of higher status-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not of higher status. You''re a commoner just like us. Only a bit richer.¡± Damon retorted with a glare.


    ¡°A bit richer?" Miles scoffed at the words of choice to describe his family. "My family owns the majority of the mines here in this city. We even have an Elemental working for us.¡± Wearing a proud look Miles continued ¡° We-¡±


    ¡°Greetings Governor.¡± The voice from behind them caught the three boy¡¯s attention.


    Heading their way with an entourage in tow was the Governor and the remaining Awakener from their group, Drayven Lyle. Mr. Ham quickly made his way over to the group to talk about whatever he needed to talk about and Damon took the time to  scan the Governor¡¯s group and found no sign of the old man who was at the Awakening Ceremony. Damon assumed he left since the air dock had no trace of the black airship from yesterday.


    Miles'' grandfather made his way to the Governor to greet him before waving over Miles. Miles obliged but not before sending a smirk towards the duo. His pride swelling at the fact that he could meet the Governor while the two could only look from afar.


    Damon and Rodrick could only glare at the cocky kid. As Miles walked away their glares continued to follow him secretly hoping the boy would trip and fall on his face on the way there. Sadly their hopes were dashed once he got there without any bruises.


    ¡° I wished he fell. You?¡± Rodrick brought his thoughts out to the world hoping his friend was of like mind.


    ¡° On his face. Leave a couple bruises maybe.¡± Both boys nodded, satisfied with their shared thoughts. Side eyeing each for a second they suddenly bursted into laughter before telling each other the tales of what they will do in the future.


    After a few moments of chatter, the Governor made his way to the ship and stopped right beside it.


    ¡° Where are you? Hurry up and lower the ramp.¡± The Governor yelled at whoever was in charge of the ship.


    A loud laugh came from the top of the ship in response. ¡°What¡¯s wrong old man? Old age getting to you? You seem more grumpy than the last time I saw you.¡± Damon and everyone else on the ship raised their eyebrows in shock after hearing the mocking tone from the person on the ship. To mock a silver rank official and not just any silver rank but a Governor. A Governor with a military background at that. The man must have guts to spare.


    The Governor responded with silence, a trick he must have known would work as the man on the ship quickly followed the Governor¡¯s request


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±A few seconds later with no reaction from the Governor, the courageous voice was once again heard from the ship followed by a ramp being lowered from the deck. ¡° So boring¡± The man on the ship continued before revealing himself to be a tanned man that seemed to be growing taller the closer he got to the group as he made his way down the ramp. Each step was followed by a creak as if the ramp could not hold the man.


    Damon observed the seven foot tall man that made him think the giant race from legends still existed, making his way down the ramp towards the governor with a big welcoming smile. The giant man spread out his arms that were corded with muscle the size of an adult man¡¯s thigh for a hug only for the Governor to send a deadpan expression to him.


    ¡°Commander, why the long face?¡± Witnessing his positive attitude not being reciprocated he questioned. Damon saw the giant man frown before looking behind the governor to scan the Awakeners one by one. The moment the giant man¡¯s eyes found his, Damon felt his entire body freeze for a second before the feeling quickly left him and Damon let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding.


    ¡°Six awakeners? Based on last year''s reports you had four¡­¡±


    Damon no longer paid attention to the two men as he knew what would come once they were done talking. Damon headed to his family only to be greeted by little arms wrapping around his waist tightly. Damon looked down to see his sister grasping his robe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± A muffled plea entered Damon¡¯s ears. The plea caused a wave of sorrow throughout his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Riles, I¡¯ll be back. I won¡¯t be gone for long.¡± Hugging Riley, Damon attempted to ease his little sister¡¯s sadness. Her reply to his attempts was to tighten her hold on him.


    Witnessing their children with fond smiles, Robert and Laura attempted to help their eldest ease their youngest worries.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Riles, you can just write to your brother when you miss him. And he can do the same.¡± Laura said.


    ¡° I don¡¯t know how to write.¡± Riley pointed out her lack of abilities.¡° And I don¡¯t how to read¡±


    Lisa became flustered at the reminder that her youngest was still six years old. Although she goes to school, her skills at writing and reading were still at the level that needed supervising. Witnessing no other actions from her youngest as her eldest looked at her pleading with his eyes.


    Lisa turned to her husband who gave her a nod.


    ¡°Damon won¡¯t be gone for long, sweetie. He will come back for the new year and when he does he will show you all the magical things he learned at the Academy.¡± Robert used his youngest love for the elements that she adopted from her big brother.


    ¡°That¡¯s right Riles. Remember those stories I told you about. Lord of Storms or the Golden General?¡± Riley slowly lifted her head from her brother¡¯s chest to look up at him with her ocean blue eyes filled with tears. Damon seeing that he got her attention continued ¡° I was lucky enough to get their power. And the only way for me to know how to use magic like them, I have to go to the academy to learn. Ok?¡±


    Damon said this but even he knew that such a statement could be considered to be only a dream. To use the power of Elements like a Divine General  or one of the stronger Elemental lords was mere fantasy. But she didn¡¯t know that so Damon raised his brows at Riley waiting for her answer. After a few moments Riley slowly let go of her big brother. Damon smiled gently ¡°When I come back I will show you all the things I learned.¡± Riley glanced up at her brother before holding her pinky ring up to him.


    ¡°I promise¡± Damon smiled before wrapping his finger with hers.


    With a nod Damon held Riley¡¯s hand and they made their way to their parents. Their parents greeted them with smiles and tears. Mainly their mother who couldn¡¯t stop wiping the never-ending tears rolling down her face. Damon witnessing this, Damon had tears of his own making their way down his face similar to his mother. Damon walked right into his parents arms where they held him tightly. Damon didn¡¯t know how long he stayed in their arms, but he continued to stay there.


    Their moment was quickly interrupted by a shout from Mr. Ham.


    ¡° Alright. All Awakeners please board the ship. I repeat all Awakeners please board the ship¡±


    Hesitation filled Damon after hearing the announcements. Now bearing an unsure look on his face, he turned to his parents who both gave him nods of encouragement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t skip any meals. Go to bed early and study hard. Show respect to your teachers. And stay away from troublemakers. Okay?¡± Damon chuckled at his mothers nagging before giving her a nod. Damon then stared at his father who now bore a serious expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our talk. Okay?¡± Damon nodded, bearing a similar serious expression.


    ¡°Both¡± Damon watched his father¡¯s serious expression morph into a smirk before turning into a full blown laugh as Damon quickly turned around with an embarrassed look and made his way to the ship. Rodrick was walking in front of him and Damon couldn¡¯t resist smacking the back of his head as he ran past him laughing.


    ¡°Get back here, dwarf.¡±  Rodrick shouted after him while clutching the back of his head.


    Passing Mr. Ham, both boys stopped in the middle of the ramp to turn their heads to the side and wave to their families. Rodrick waved at his smiling parents and his cute baby brother who was waving back with the help of their mother. Damon waved at his parents who were holding each other watching their eldest leave the nest. Damon let out a laugh seeing Riley using her stuffed toy to wave goodbye. Both boys let their tears fall as they engraved the precious sight into memory.


    ¡°Alright boys come on¡± The giant man called out from the top of the ramp with the same smile he had earlier.


    ¡°Your journey has just begun¡±

 CH. 12: Inner District

    Knock, knock


    ¡°Get up Damon¡± knock knock


    Damon hearing the noise, let out a groan of frustration at his beauty sleep being disturbed. He hoped that his friend could take the silence as a hint and leave him alone so he could enjoy his sleep.


    ¡°Get up Damon. We¡¯re here. We¡¯re really here¡± Damon rubbed his eyes after hearing this and slowly sat up on his bed to make sure he heard right. ¡° Damon, we¡¯re about to pass through, hurry up. We¡¯re finally-¡± Rodricks excited voice pierced through the door hoping the news would wake up his friend. And it did.


    Damon opened the door and barreled past his friend to make his way up the stairs at the end of the hallway but not before saying ¡°C¡¯mon slow poke.¡±  Rodrick chased after his friend down the hall causing a ruckus that roused some of their fellow floor mates from their sleep. Angry expressions met their expressions of excitement as they made their way to stairs at the end of the passageway. ¡°We¡¯re here sleepy heads, we¡¯re about to enter the Inner District.¡±. Excitement quickly took over their bodies hearing the news and hurriedly followed after the duo up the stairs.


    The floor above was for the commoners with status such as children of merchants or government officials. So the boys were not shocked after spotting their fellow Awakener Miles.


    The same could not be said about Miles as he watched in shock at the sight of his two fellow Awakeners rushing up the stairs followed by a stampede of teenage boys.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Miles observed the sight for a few seconds before shouting at the group of excited boys.


    ¡° I said, what¡¯s going on?¡± Miles asked again only to be ignored a second time.


    Although he was annoyed at being treated invisible, his curiosity couldn¡¯t be sated because from the way they were moving it seemed they didn¡¯t plan on slowing down even though the floor above was for nobles. His annoyance faded slightly at the thought they would get a scolding for disturbing the nobles. Straightening up his clothes, Miles paused. Taking a glance down at his clothes made him realize he was still dressed in sleepwear as he was on his way to the shared restroom that was down the hallway unlike the nobles who had their own personal restroom. Miles looked up at the stairs, hesitating on whether he should go up dressed like he just woke up or go back and look presentable. A few moments later he sprinted up the stairs no longer able to hold back his curiosity.


    Damon and the rest of the group made their way to the nobles floor and knew that they should move quietly but their eagerness to see the view up top exceeded their fear of offending the nobles.


    Due to the noise Draven could not focus on his daily morning meditation. Clenching his jaws, he opened his eyes and sent a glare at his door imagining that whoever was responsible for the loud noise would feel his glare and shut up. A few seconds passed and the noises only got louder. Losing his desire to continue his meditation, Draven jumped off his bed and donned his robes bearing his family¡¯s sigil, ready to scold the idiot guilty of all the ruckus. Before he could walk outside a voice caused him to pause.


    ¡°Young masters, we¡¯re about to enter the Inner District.¡± Hearing this, Draven''s annoyance dissipated at the news. He felt relieved that this journey was finally coming to an end. By now the word of his Awakening should already be known to his family. Knowing what came with the title of an Elemental, he was eager to return home and find out the situation.


    ***


    The door at the top of deck was bursted through by Damon whose excitement was ignored by the ship¡¯s crew doing their daily chores. Through that same door came Rodrick a second later and not that far behind was the rest of the group. Both boys ran to the side of the ship and set their sights on a scene that they have only heard about and read from books.


    ¡°Wow¡± Rodrick expressed his awe and Damon could only nod his head in agreement as they flew towards the Inner District gradually getting closer and closer to where an endless expanse of green that covered the horizon awaited them, a sight unfamiliar to those of the outer district where its land was nearly barren of greenery and sparse with trees.


    Damon learned that the Outer District wasn¡¯t always barren though as greenery and bodies of water used to be found almost everywhere in the outer district. The outer district was even considered to be more rich in resources than the Inner District. But that all changed after the Crimson War.


    The Crimson War happened during the time of the seventh generation of Elemental Lords and was considered to be one of the bloodiest and most shocking wars during the time of the Republic. Bloody because of the amount of lives lost and shocking because the majority of the lives lost came from the Republic. Known for its strength and dominance over the lands it came to a shock to the rest of the powers of the world that the strongest power on the mainland was losing. And they were losing to one of the weakest powers of the world, The Southern Kingdoms.


    The Southern Kingdoms were formerly a part of the Republic before betraying the Republic to find their own kingdoms leading to the Fourth Calamity the Republic had to face, the Traitors War. Due to the equal strength of the Elemental Lords on each side, so in order to win the war they would have to rely on their soldiers. And the Republic''s soldiers did not disappoint as they won the war in less than six months making it the shortest war ever fought. Although the Republic won, the Southern Kingdoms still had an Elemental Lord of similar strength to the Republic even though they had two. So instead of fists, they fought with words. After a few negotiations the split became permanent and the Republic no longer had anything to do with nor did they care for them as they were always seen as the weaker of the duo for they never had more than one Elemental Lord.


    That is until the Crimson War where the Southern Kingdoms had two Elemental Lords and the Republic only had one. A first for both powers and the Southern Kingdoms weren¡¯t going to let the chance of defeating their long time rivals slip away.


    The war began and shockingly on the war front, the Republic was losing. Although they were outnumbered by Elemental Lords their soldiers were still considered the best. And yet in just one year, half of the Outer District was captured. As time went on the winner was becoming more and more clear. The seventh generation Elemental Lord of Fire knew the Republic was extremely close to being defeated and had to come up with a plan that would ensure the Republic¡¯s survival.


    The Lord of Fire was willing to do anything, even if it would cost the Republic an arm and leg. He was willing to make the sacrifices.


    A year and half into the war, the Crimson colored flames broke out in the Outer Districts, not allowing anyone to leave or enter, trapping the army of the Southern Kingdoms. And while doing so trapping his own people. By the end of the war, half of the Outer District''s population was gone. Turned into ashes from their own Lord who was supposed to protect them. This plan earned him the moniker the Crimson Lord and had the war named after him.


    From the sparsely populated plants, withered trees, and dried lakes, the aftermath of the war is still seen even after six hundred years have passed since that dark time.  Damon and almost everyone on the ship  grew up in this environment where greenery was absent. So the excitement at seeing simple things such as the earth being covered in green grass and flowers to add a bit more shine to the earth was understandable.


    ¡°Look at all those trees.¡± Damon pointed at the upcoming trees with excitement. He saw trees before but he had never seen so many in one place. Wearing an eager expression, Damon waited for the ship to reach the tree line so he could have a closer look.


    The exciting chatter spread amongst the boys, including the nobles who were having a hard time holding back their looks of wonder and anticipation in their eyes as they stared at the trees, gradually getting closer and closer.


    ¡°Wow, look at that over there.¡± An excited voice came from the opposite side of the ship. Damon turned towards the noise and found a group of girls, the other half of the Awakeners, pointing and observing the view from their side of the ship. Damon scanned the group and found Kira and Amelia standing together enjoying the view from their side. Seeing this Damon shifted his attention back to taking in the sights. A minute later the ship finally passed over the tree line signaling they had reached the Inner District, a place Damon never thought he would ever get the chance to visit.


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    As they flew over the rich green land of the Inner District, Damon took the time to look over the beautiful sights they were currently flying over. Damon watched as the towering trees covered the ground only giving glimpses of what lay beneath their canopy. The mystery enchanted Damon and many others as the only noise came from the sailors as the Awakeners were too enraptured by the sights.


    Damon¡¯s mind was already filled with creatures he learned about during his time at school: A deer, tiger, or maybe a bear. The mystery of what lay below the canopies of the many trees enticed him. The many adventures he could possibly do crossed his mind.


    ¡°I saw it, I saw it. I saw a monkey.¡± A boy with a much smaller stature than everyone, even Damon, exclaimed while pointing down below the ship with nearly half his body hanging off the ship. Hearing this a chubby boy a bit shorter than Rodrick who was transfixed on the marvelous view turned around to see the potential danger the boy was in and quickly pulled him back, panic written all over face. Damon quickly recognized the excited little boy and chubby teenager as Sunny and Baron. They were part of the last group that was picked up after Damon and like Damon, they were both of commoner descent. Only they were the only commoners in their group.


    ¡°Be careful Sunny.¡± The chubby boy scolded his friend.


    Ignoring his friend, the boy bounced up and down with so much excitement that he didn¡¯t see that someone was behind him until he heard the yelp of pain. Whirling around, Sunny saw a lanky boy with his long dark hair in a bun that was being held by an expensive looking purple comb that looked more expensive than everything the little boy owned.  Sunny looked at the teenage boy in vibrant purple and black garments glaring at him and knew he was in trouble.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so-sorry. I didn¡¯t m-mean to¡± Sunny quickly bowed his head with his eyes quickly filling up with tears that led those around him to feel pity for the boy. But that¡¯s all that would be felt as no one watching wanted to get on the bad side of the nobility. Especially the fuming lanky noble boy in front of them.


    ¡° Didn¡¯t mean to what?¡± The noble teenager shoved the little boy causing him to fall on his butt. Standing over him he continued ¡° You think what? An apology is going to cut it huh? These shoes cost over thirty silver.¡± The noble gestured to his shoes in anger. Baron opened his mouth in an attempt to help his friend ¡°Am I talking to you fatty?¡±Cutting off Baron he quickly turned back to Sunny on the floor. ¡°Well?¡± With arms folded and his foot tapping the deck he asked


    Damon witnessing this could no longer hold back ¡°You''re a noble ain¡¯t you? Why not just buy another pair or is your family going through troubled times.¡±


    The offended noble boy sneered at Damon, insulted that someone actually had the guts to challenge him. ¡°And who the hell are you? A friend of his? If so you can help pay the fee. Judging off your clothes that probably cost around a few silver, I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t have enough to pay me. So how about combining your little bag of silver huh?¡± The noble boy changing his focus to Sunny bent over to get into Sunny¡¯s face that had tears rolling down and snot making its way down his top lip to ask.


    Damon was ready to hurl another insult at the arrogant noble but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking over his shoulder, Rodricks face of disapproval met him.


    Disgust took over the noble boy as he backed away before his face went back to being angry. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re going to do, cry? Be a man will you.¡±


    ¡°A man? And what do you know about being a man, Kesh?¡± A sarcastic voice came from behind Damon countered. Damon turned around to see a boy that can easily be described as a ¡°golden boy¡± with his tall and lean physique that was easily shown through his unbuttoned shirt, showing a part of his chest that was partly covered by his long golden locks he let down. Completing his look was a sword strapped to his waist, a rarity amongst the group of awakeners.


    Walking past Damon the golden haired boy made his way to Sunny and picked him up off the floor. Sunny looked up at the Golden haired boy with tears in his eyes and muttered a thank you followed by a deep bow causing a smile to appear on the golden haired noble¡¯s face.


    Although the sight angered Kesh, he held himself back as he reminded himself who stood in front him. He can bully commoners no matter the background with his background as a noble. But his fellow nobles were a different story as classism also existed within the noble ranks and the boy in front of him came from a more distinguished family.


    ¡°You preach about being a man and yet you bully a boy nearly half your size. Doesn¡¯t sound very manly to me.¡± The Golden haired teenager locked eyes with Kesh who could only bow his head. The Golden haired boy smirked after observing his fellow noble clenching his fists at his sides. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s all that talk about being a man?¡±


    ¡°Throwing your weight around again Tristan. Don¡¯t you have anything better to do than stand around playing hero.¡± The golden haired teenager named Tristan glanced around to locate the voice laced with mockery. Tristan clenched his jaw after spotting the culprit split the crowd with merely his presence alone.


    Standing in front of Kesh whose humble look from before now carried a victorious smile, was a red haired individual with his chin held high and red robes bearing a black dragon with ruby colored eyes fluttering from the wind making it look like the dragon was moving.


    Draven Lyle


    Damon and everyone on the ship knew who he was. Everyone treaded lightly near him in fear of offending him or to be exact his House. Every noble that boarded the ship paid their respects to him once they got over the shock that a member of House Lyle was on the same ship as them. Everyone except Tristan Grier.


    Of course, Tristan Grier is a special case. He is the only noble to not fear Draven nor his house because he shockingly came from a Great House as well. Damon had heard that a great house stayed in the Outer District but only considered them to be rumors as any sane person would choose to reside in the inner district. Damon and many others only found out about this from Sunny a few days ago who gave them the history of the House Grier.


    House Grier was created during the last generation of Elemental Lords, the Civil War Era. The Civil War is considered the third bloodiest war after the third war and the Great war as the war was purely fought amongst the families of the Republic. It was the first time since the second generation that all Elemental Lords were citizens of the Republic. A time that was supposed to be of celebration quickly descended into chaos. The Grier family whose ancestor was the Elemental Lord of Earth and was the only commoner amongst the Elemental Lords was said to have felt a responsibility to the people of the Republic who suffered during the time of the Crimson war and chose not to take part in the war. Instead choosing to protect those of the Outer District from the Great Houses from the Inner District. House Grier took it a step further by deciding to move to the Outer District a couple decades ago to honor their ancestor who chose to protect the people instead of chasing after power like their fellow Great Houses.


    An idea shared within his descendants. One of those descendants being Tristan Grier, second eldest to the patriarch of House Grier and a future powerhouse for the family. A boy who appeared to hold similar values to his ancestors.


    ¡°Draven¡± Tristan spat out the name of his fellow noble as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.


    Damon rarely ever communicated with Tristan but when he did, the golden haired boy always wore an easy going smile or was filling the air with his boisterous laughs that seemed to always put those around him at ease. So, the frown he saw and tone he heard came as a shock to him and those around him. Damon sifted through his memories and realized that he had never seen Tristan and Draven in the same room. Although Tristan only boarded a few days ago, Damon could still not remember such a scene.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet a descendant of the Great House of Lyle. I cannot wait to brag to my family and friends back home.¡± Tristan slightly bowed his head in greeting to Draven.


    "It is indeed an honor¡± Draven looked up at the sails, as if he never saw Tristan¡¯s actions.


    Kesh seeing this could not hold back a smirk after seeing the man who made him lose face also lose face. His humiliation, no longer present but instead transferred back to the man who dished it out to him.


    ¡°They will be filled with envy once they hear the news.¡± Tristan, raising his head, turned to stare at the sails that Draven found more interesting than him before continuing ¡° To meet a Descendant of Lyle is one thing,¡± Tristan scoffed ¡° But to meet one of the heirs to the Great House of Lyle. It must be fate¡± Tristan smiled as he continued to stare at the sails that Draven no longer found interesting. Instead choosing to glare with his ruby colored eyes at the Grier descendant.


    Damon and everyone else was confused on why Draven who was usually calm and collected would show such emotion.


    ¡°All right kids, breakfast is ready. We should be reaching the Soaring City by noon, grab a bite to eat and rejuvenate.¡± Captain Hendrix announced as he made his way out of the Captain¡¯s Quarters allowing the rising sun to beam off his bald head as he stretched. The sight allowed the tension in the atmosphere to dissipate as the awakeners held back a laugh at the sight.


    ¡°What are you brats waiting for? MOVE IT¡± Swallowing back the laughter threatening to escape them, the group quickly made their way to the Mess Hall.


    Captain Hendrix inwardly smiled as he watched the awakeners rush down the stairs. Raising his brow, he watched Grayson and Tristan¡¯s glaring match before letting out a cough. Hearing this both boys ended their glaring match, choosing to not get on the bad side of the owner of the ship they were on.


    Shaking his head, Captain Hendrix turned his attention to the sun slowly rising over the horizon signaling a new day. Another day added to the journey of escorting the ¡°heroes of tomorrow¡±, a saying made famous from the academy to make their students feel more special than they already are with their powers and the status that came with it.


    Letting out a sigh, he looked over his shoulders at the area where the awakeners once stood and wondered if any of them would be the ones to live up to their designated title.


    ¡°Hopefully whatever comes they can handle it¡±

 CH. 13 The World Prepares

    ¡°Argh¡± A faint screech travelled through the air breaking the silence between a group of armored individuals traversing the rich forest.


    ¡°What was that?¡± A bald young man whispered. His voice laced in fear and his eyes infected with the same emotion scanned the surroundings. Sadly everything looked the same. Trees, trees, and more trees.


    ¡° That was something far away from us. Which means it¡¯s of no concern to us, kid. Now keep moving.¡± A man carrying a double edged axe and a shield on his back leading the group of armored individuals answered the youngest member of the group.


    Behind the axe wielding man was a chubby man in his forties who turned to the back of the line to offer a few words to their rookie. ¡° Don¡¯t worry kid. If that thing ever came running here you won¡¯t be its first option.¡± The man snickered at his own joke after gesturing to his round belly ready to break free from the black colored restraints called armor.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid. I¡¯m eighteen.¡± The young man attempted to tousle his curly brown hair that he had since he was a kid in frustration, only for his hand to touch skin. A painful reminder of the prank his fellow alumni pulled on him. Telling him that in order to be safe, it is best to go completely bald to make sure nothing latches onto your hair and that the Honor Guard would praise those willing to make sacrifices for the mission.


    Although he loved his brown curly hair, he wanted to make a good impression and followed the words of his fellow alumni. Of course their words were nothing but a lie.


    A lie that was exposed once he joined his current squad of the Honor Guard and is probably the reason why it is impossible for him to leave the title of ¡°Kid¡± behind due to his gullible decision he made when he retold the story to his squad. He could still hear the boisterous laughter of the squad in his sleep.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kai. You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± A woman¡¯s voice entered the young kid¡¯s ears. The soft voice felt like a spark of light in a place where the only source of light was the occasional ray of sunlight that managed to pass through the dense canopy of trees.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± The bald teenager no longer having troubles with the nickname answered the lady with a shy nod.


    ¡° Careful Greta, you know how powerful that voice of yours is. You might just seduce the boy.¡± A tall lanky man with a bow slung over his shoulder warned his squad member. His warning earned him a glare from the only woman in the group.


    Kai, wishing to change the topic, asked about their mission. ¡°Who exactly are we escorting? You guys said we would know once we get there.¡± Kai gestured to his surroundings. ¡° Well, we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°The kid is right, Cap. Who are we here to escort? And does he really need an escort if he lives¡­¡± The chubby man paused after hearing a roar from the distance. ¡°Here.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to escort the man.¡± The man wielding an axe answered their question with an answer that only led to more questions.


    ¡°So, it''s a man.¡± The disappointed voice came from the archer of the group. ¡° I was hoping it would be some long lost Elven princess.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing an escort mission?¡± The chubby man asked, his voice covered in confusion. ¡°But the mission clearly stated it was an escort mission.¡±


    Greta glanced over to the archer in disdain. ¡° Did you skip history Hal? How in the Spirits would we find an extinct Elven princess?And even if we did, how can she be a princess if there is no kingdom for her to rule.¡± Greta finished her


    Kai voiced his support for Greta. ¡°Yeah, and if there was a kingdom we would have known about it.¡± Kai thought out loud his opinion on the possibilities of an Elven princess. ¡°Maybe a small village? I think that''s more realistic.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to deliver a message.¡± The Captain of the small squad of five paused for a moment as the entire attention of the squad was now on him.


    ¡°A message?¡± The chubby man scrunched his brows in confusion.


    ¡°Yes a message, York¡± The Captain of the squad of soldiers


    ¡° It''s laughable to even think there is someone who can escort the man we are planning on meeting. There is not a single person strong enough in this world to say they can escort our target. It would be more like him escorting us.¡±


    The words of their Captain caused everyone to freeze. The hint hit them hard as they swallowed their saliva at the info.


    ¡®Grandmaster¡¯


    The title shot through everyone¡¯s minds.


    Kai felt excitement shoot through his body at the news. He has never met a Grandmaster outside of the Dean of the Elemental Academy. A whole bunch of guesses of what he would look like and act like crossed his mind.


    Greta shook her in disbelief before voicing her opinion that reeked of judgment at the news. ¡°He should have just walked himself out then. If he could walk himself in, he could¡¯ve walked himself out. Make the mission easier.¡± Before the group could voice their similar opinions a voice interrupted them.


    ¡°Sorry, your higher ups must have guessed I would need a few people to carry my bags.¡± A voice unfamiliar to the group replied to their complaints with sarcasm.


    The Honor Guard squad quickly broke into formation: The Captain of the squad had a shield held in one hand and an axe in the other. York stood behind his Captain with a giant hammer made entirely of stone over his shoulder ready to crush his opponents. Greta held a wooden handle that quickly spawned a whip made of water. Behind her stood Hal, with his bow in one hand and the other pulling back a bowstring made of fire and a flaming arrow ready to leave the string. Kai stood beside York holding up his spear trying his hardest to calm his trembling hands.


    In front of the squad was a thin bald old man with gray sideburns that he was scratching as he observed the group in front of him. Nodding at what he saw, with a look of satisfaction. ¡° Not bad. Quick reaction and eyes that say you''re ready for whatever comes.¡± The old man paused after his eyes landed on Kai who swallowed nervously once their eyes met. ¡°Well, except him. But if we go by the looks, I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s the new recruit.¡±


    With a scan of the group once again. ¡°Not bad, not bad. But for what''s coming next they probably should have sent someone much stronger.¡± The old man stared behind the group of armored individuals after seeing something making its way towards them. The experienced soldiers didn¡¯t bother turning around. Instead choosing to keep their eyes on the old man who managed to sneak up on a squad of the Honor Guard.


    Kai did a quick scan of his fellow squad members, wondering if anyone was looking behind them. Kai hoped Hal would sneak a glance in.


    ¡°Something¡¯s coming.¡± Hal¡¯s voice announced the presence of an incoming creature.


    A second later, the ground began to tremble. Kai and the rest of the squad members maintained their stances, not bothering to look behind. ¡° Hal?¡± Cap asked without taking a glance over his shoulder.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it.¡± Kai felt the ground shaking more than before, almost like whatever was coming was much closer than a second ago.


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    ¡°HAL.¡± Captain shouted this time.


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T SEE IT.¡± Hal shouted back his voice exposing the fear of the unknown.


    Fear creeped itself up on the squad after hearing the news. Kai kept looking in the corner of his eyes until the old man smiling caught his eyes.


    ¡° Don¡¯t worry, how could I let my own guests come to harm?¡±  The old man¡¯s creepy smile and dangerous glint in his eyes was the last thing Kai saw before the old man disappeared right in front of his eyes.


    Roar


    A loud roar came from behind. Kai turned around to see Hal slowly lowering his bow, in awe. Right in front of them was a War Bear. It was Kai''s first time seeing a War Bear- a local beast within the Dark Forest- in person. The only chance he ever got to see a War Bear was from illustrations in books. The books told of a creature in the form of a regular bear but much bigger and deadlier. And with the creature now in front of him, he realized the illustrations from his books didn¡¯t do the creature justice.


    It stood at the height of a story house but once standing on its hind legs, its size would probably dwarf the many houses back home in Granite City. It had the strength to destroy an entire squad of Elemental soldiers with a swipe of its giant sharp claws and teeth the size of a child that would make a quick meal out its prey. Finally, with its black fur with red tips that could withstand the strength of an Elemental attack. It is a top apex predator, especially with its ability to camouflage itself in darkness, a specialty very appropriate in a place like the Dark Forest. With the only way to take down a beast of its caliber is to send a dozen Elite Elementals, it is considered one of the most dangerous creatures to exist.


    And yet here the mighty creature stood on its hind legs, stumbling back and forth resembling a drunk on the night of the new year. Only the creature wasn¡¯t stumbling due to the many drinks he consumed but from the many wounds he suffered from.


    All across the War Bear were countless cuts and gashes inches deep, pouring blood out, painting the dark green grass crimson. With each step it took, a whimper would follow. After a few moments the mighty creature gave one last silent roar to the old man standing in front of it before it fell to the ground.


    ¡°Greetings Grandmaster Ken.¡± Captain started off with a greeting before diving into the mission.


    ¡° We, the 4th squadron of the Honor Guard, are here to deliver you a message.¡± The words got a brow raise from the old man.


    ¡°A message? The Academy¡¯s very own Honor Guard came here personally to hand deliver a message. And not only that, they sent the legendary 4th Squadron. Isn¡¯t your Squadron led by the man they call ¡®Berserker¡¯? I guess you I was wrong about you bunch not being able to take the beast.¡± Grandmaster Ken smirked at the Squad Captain.


    ¡°There is nothing to hand deliver Grandmaster. It¡¯s more like telling you the message.¡± The Captain ignored the tales the old man was saying and simply stuck to the mission.


    ¡°Tell?¡± The old man, now giving his full attention, turned towards Captain to face him. ¡° What message could be so important that they wouldn¡¯t even risk writing it down?¡±


    Taking a deep breath, the Captain of the 4th squadron uttered the message that was made of two words that his squad risked their lives to deliver.


    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t understand what those words meant he knew they held significance. And from the reaction of the Grandmaster, he knew that he was right.


    The Grandmaster''s eyes widened a bit before a smile found its way onto his face.


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    ***


    ¡°They should¡¯ve reached him by now.¡± An old man sat in a chair beside a fireplace, spoke to the room full of Professors while staring at the flames crackling in the fireplace.


    ¡°Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Headmaster?¡± A man in his thirties wearing black robes with red accents, tone full of uncertainty asked. ¡°Grandmaster Ken is known to be¡­¡± Pausing for a moment to find the word that would fit the Grandmaster but at the same time, not offend him.


    ¡°Eccentric.¡± A middle aged woman of dark brown hair that reached her waist completed the sentence. ¡°I think the word Professor Harris is looking for is eccentric.¡± After helping her fellow professor, she began walking around the room with her black robe with brown accents flapping around exposing her full figure as she scanned the book shelf for anything interesting.


    ¡°Yes, thank you Professor Laura.¡± Professor Harris nodded his thanks at Professor Mara before turning around to continue baring his worries to the Headmaster. ¡°Grandmaster Ken is known to be Eccentric. Not only that he isn¡¯t afraid of anyone or anything. It would be hard to keep him in control.¡±


    ¡°In control? What is he? An animal? A pet?¡± A blue haired man donned in black robes and blue accents standing by the arched windows behind the Headmaster¡¯s desk, raised a question.


    ¡°W-what? I said no such thing.¡± Professor Harris guffawed at the accusation. ¡°Grandmaster Ken is a man worthy of his title and the respect that comes with it. I would never slander his name. Don¡¯t put such egregious words into my mouth Professor Laurel.¡± He finished with a glare at the back of Professor Laurel¡¯s head.


    ¡° You don¡¯t have to say the words hidden in between the spaces for us to know.¡± Professor Laurel rolled his sky blue eyes before he continued to gaze outside the window, not bothering to send a look towards the man who was the target for his words.


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± The old man sitting by the fireplace interrupted the argument before it could get any further. ¡° Commander Grant,¡± A man dressed in golden plated armor made his way from guarding the door to landing on a knee beside the old man. ¡° No one was given word of the mission to the Dark Forest, correct?¡±


    ¡°No one Headmaster. The only ones who were privy to the news before today were me and you. Captain Spark was simply given the message.¡±


    The headmaster nodded before a cough escaped him. Cough cough ¡° Good. And what of the others?¡±


    Commander Grant cleared his throat before answering. ¡°Our reports say that all the major powers are on the move. Including the Southern Kingdoms and the Eastern Isles. The royal families from each of these powers have sent their heirs and followers. They should be here in a week''s time.¡±


    With a nod the Headmaster turned his attention to the Professors in the room. ¡°You ask why send for Grandmaster Ken despite his¡­ shortcomings?¡± Cough cough ¡°Well, the signs are here. And everyone in the world has read them. The pieces on the board are moving and with the storm brewing, I believe we are in need of more pieces.¡±


    ***


    In a room that''s only light came from the flickering flame of a candle, a man in silver robes stood. By the window, the man stood looking up to the sky where a lone moon stood, like the candle, the only source of light in darkness. The flames of the candle lit the man¡¯s backside whereas the moon lit the man¡¯s front up, exposing his white well kept beard surrounding thin lips that were currently teaming up with the man¡¯s furrowed white eyebrows that hung above a pair of blank clouded eyes to make up a frown of confusion.


    Creak.


    The loud creak from the entrance to the room announced someone¡¯s presence to the old man by the window.


    From the crack of the door, a boy of twelve slipped into the room behind a young man in his twenties carrying a crystal ball that was flashing with gold. ¡°Lightning, grandfather.¡± The young man announced the Element but not before bowing to the old man whose attention never left the sky.


    Silence was the response the long platinum blonde haired young man received and the boy with similar hair beside him lifted his head to sneak a glance at the old man. The room''s only noises came from the people breathing and waiting.


    The two boys waited for a sign to continue and the old man stood by the windows waiting for a sign to move.


    Silence filled the room for a time until finally the old man turned his head to the side to acknowledge the pair.


    Seeing this, the older of the two broke down his report on the Awakenings. ¡°A surge. All over the Republic, a surge of Awakeners have broken out. Every city has reached past their average quota of Awakeners. Quite a few rare elements have also been reported.¡± Gesturing to the boy of twelve beside him. ¡°Garret and a few others have Awakened the Element of Lightning. A few wood Elements have also been reported, one of them being from the Southern Kingdoms-¡±


    The young man paused his report, after seeing the old man turn his head back to the window to continue gazing out the window.


    The pair bowed their heads, continuing the silence from before.


    ¡°Garret,¡± The old man waved the boy over. The boy quickly made his way over to the old man after seeing the old man call him over.


    The old man without pulling his gaze away from the sky asked ¡°What do you see boy?¡±


    Garret scanned the night sky to find a moon surrounded by stars. ¡°I see the sky.¡± Garret answered while secretly keeping his eyes on the old man to see his reaction. The old man shook his head.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Feeling the answer was important, Garret scrutinized the sky for a few moments, hoping to find the answer in the sky. ¡°It''s¡­ the moon. All I see is the moon.¡± Garret answered unsure if he got the correct answer not bothering with the stars that surrounded the moon.


    The old man who held no reaction the entire time the pair entered the room abruptly broke into laughter, shocking the pair who turned to glance at each other for a quick second to see the question in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yes, yes. All you see is the moon. Good.¡±


    ¡°Theo,¡± The old man called out for the young man who took a few steps forward. ¡°Make sure all preparations are in order. Something is coming out the horizon. And whatever it is¡­¡± The old man gazed at the lone moon in the night sky, a ripple of emotion flashed across his face.


    ¡°We must be ready.¡±

 CH. 14: Welcoming the Awakeners.

    ¡°Are all preparations in order?¡± A short stout man with a full beard that made up for his lack of hair asked the group behind him. His brown eyes filled with focus as he set them on the horizon as if he was expecting something.


    ¡°Yes Governor, the feast has been set with the most exotic foods from around the lands. Some delicacies even came from the Eastern Isles. We were lucky enough to have a merchant that originated from the Eastern Isles visit yesterday.¡± A young man in his late teens answered the man who he bore a similar resemblance to. Only difference was the presence of brown hair that was tied in a bun and the absence of a beard.


    Scanning the skies for any sign of their guests, the young man continued ¡°The rooms have all been set and the city garrison have been sent a heads up on our visitors. The Commander of the City Garrison was also told to remind the local gangs to not try anything during our visitors'' stay.¡±


    ¡°And have you sent the invites to the Awakeners of our city?¡± The rotund Governor inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Governor. All of them have guaranteed their presence.¡±


    ¡°Any nobles or notable families?¡±The Governor asked but this time his head shifted a bit showing his interest in the number of the prominent families attending.


    The young man cleared his throat before answering ¡°No. Just us. The rest of the prominent families went to ride the airships of our neighbors.¡± The young man set his sights on the Governor, curious how he would react but he received nothing.


    ¡°Where is Louis?¡± The lone man in front asked whilst still keeping his eyes on the horizon, choosing to accept the choices of the families.


    ¡° Well, he didn''t think his presence was necessary. The Lady went to grab-¡± The young man paused as he heard a commotion from behind him. Turning around he saw atop the stairs of the platform a dark haired middle aged woman and a child of around twelve making their way towards them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. It''s just a bunch of country bumpkins. I see no need for me to be here, mother. I should have been on the ship with the other Inner District nobles.¡± The child who bore resemblance to the older woman beside him complained.


    ¡°And whose fault is that?¡± The woman questioned her youngest son¡¯s claims.


    The youngest challenged ¡°That bastard had it coming.We are a part of the Legendary Ancient House Laurel. We should tolerate no disrespect from Houses that don¡¯t even belong in the Ancient Families.¡±


    The child brows furrowed over green eyes and a snarl formed to complete his look of fury. ¡°He dares to talk about us. Ronin¡¯s the heir of this family and will soon lead this family with power that would make others tremble before us. And then there¡¯s Reed who¡¯s at the Academy probably learning how to fly already if those letters of him being a prodigy are true. And of course I will follow the same path as Reed. We deserve the same level of respect. ¡± The younger child pouted frustration written all over his face. Reaching Ronin, he looked up at the eldest of the family and stuck out his tongue.


    Ronin chuckled before saying¡°Yes, I agree. But that is status that comes from the future not now. So try to be humble and play nice with these Outer District Awakeners.¡± He finished his advice with a tousle of the boy¡¯s dark hair.


    The boys¡¯ mother smiled at them fondly as she passed them to stand beside her husband whose eyes never left the horizon. Frowning at the sight, she looked over her shoulder to see her boys conversing. She said ¡°Peter, I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t hear our son''s complaints.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a boy. He¡¯ll get over it.¡± The chubby man answered and from the glare his wife was giving him, it was not a satisfying answer. Continuing ¡° Lily, the boy is like this because you coddle him too much. He will soon be leaving us and the boy still thinks¡­¡± Tapping his foot on the platform below them ¡°we stand on the same platform as those True Nobles.


    ¡°Do we not?¡± With clenched jaws she challenged him.


    ¡°Of course not. We were merely a merchant family before all this. Our resources wouldn¡¯t even make up a tenth of theirs. All they have to do is push a little more resources and we¡¯ll be done.¡± The Governor calmly explained to his wife with his eyes still not leaving the horizon.


    ¡°But we are in-laws of House Laurel. Your sister got us this position with the help of her husband. A position many people had their eyes on. And yet we still were able to obtain it. This clearly shows that House Laurel favors us. Our enemies-¡±


    ¡°Favors?¡± Finally taking his eyes off the skies, he turned to stare into wife¡¯s eyes ¡°Did you forget that your arrogance nearly made us lose the very ¡®favor¡¯ you place so much importance on because you wanted Louis to grow up knowing he was a proud member of House Laurel. The brainwashing you did on him was so strong it led to him punching an heir of House Killian. Nearly getting himself killed. If it wasn¡¯t because of Reed¡¯s status as a prodigy and my brother-in-law begging for Louis to be spared, our son would be lying in dirt somewhere being used as fertilizers to those pretty gardens that House Laurel owns as an apology to House Killian.¡± The stout man no longer carried a look of nonchalance but anger, anger that was found in both his face and tone. His wife bore the same emotion.


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    ¡°House Laurel wouldn¡¯t kill their own family. They are one of the five Ancient Houses of the Republic. They literally founded this country. Why would they be afraid of some Great House found centuries after them.¡±


    The Governor, now red faced, glared at his wife. Astonished by her blindness. ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Father.¡± Ronin cut off his parents'' arguments by pointing to the skies, grateful for the ship¡¯s timely appearance.


    Ronin spotted a dot in the horizon that he knew was his family¡¯s guests. The moment the dot in the sky was spotted by him, he saw his father in front straighten out his maroon robes, fix the three silver stars on his breast and put on his signature welcoming smile that he only used for those of importance.


    Befuddled at the sight of his father¡¯s actions, he wondered who on that ship could warrant a reaction from him. He has seen nobles and their heirs arrive here and the man never bothered to welcome them in person. Unless of course a lord from the Great houses showed up.


    Shoving his thoughts to the side, he put on the same welcoming smile he was trained to do since he was a kid, a smile very similar to his fathers.


    As the ship approached, it gradually grew in size and once it got close enough, Ronin was able to examine the flying ship known as a Horizon Chaser as it prepared to land. The ship brought out the same emotions he felt the first time he saw one of these behemoths. The air of dominance it held as it towered over him and made him feel small. The artistic design and attention to detail. Even the simplest ones like the one in front of him held a certain level of grandeur. He always wished his family owned one.


    Once the Horizon Chaser landed, the crowd of people below waited with bated breaths as it seemed everyone shared the same thoughts, ¡®who is on the ship and what kind of status do they hold that the person could make the Governor of the Soaring City wait on them.¡¯


    A few moments passed before the ship lowered its ramp and a crowd of excited young kids led by a man that could be mistaken as a giant made their way down the ramp to the group that had been waiting for them since sunrise.


    Ronin and Louis took a moment to scan the giant man who looked like he could punch a hole in the wall with his bare fists with ease as he approached the governor with his arms spread and a big goofy smile whilst ignoring the spears pointed at him. Governor Lennox waved off his soldiers as he smirked at the sight of the human tower making his way over.


    ¡°Lennox old friend, how have you been?¡± The giant man greeted the governor with a smile and a hug that he had to lower himself so he could reach his friend.


    ¡° Greetings Lady Lennox¡± The giant lowered his tone and volume when he greeted the wife of his friend.


    ¡°How did you get the job of being in charge of Awakeners? With how important these Awakeners are, I¡¯m surprised the Academy gave the job of escorting them to you. Shouldn¡¯t a giant lug Captain like you be at the borders?¡± Governor Lennox ignored his friend¡¯s greeting and questioned him instead to find out how he broke the strict Academy traditions.


    ¡°Well, it is a special day and that comes with its special rules.¡± Captain Hendrix winked before gesturing to the kids behind him. ¡°Plus, I wanted to see if I could spot a ¡®Hero of Tomorrow¡¯.¡±.


    ¡°And did you?¡± Governor Lennox inquired with a raised brow a bit too quick.


    Captain Hendrix wore a sly smile choosing silence as his answer. Taking his eyes off his friend, he found a pair of boys who caught his attention.


    ¡°Your sons I presume?¡± Captain Hendrix nodded at the young men who bore similarities to his friend and his wife.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Governor Lennox turned around to beckon his sons. ¡°This is my eldest, Ronin, a smart lad and knows just what to do without me having to tell him.¡± Ronin bowed in greeting which Captain Hendrix acknowledged with a smile before turning his eyes on the smaller brother who was staring up at him as if he had seen a giant of lore.


    Governor Lennox, seeing this, patted his youngest son¡¯s shoulders to wake him from his stupor ¡°And this my youngest. He will be traveling with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, another future prodigy then.¡± The words brought a smile of pride on the Lennox family. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, I''m not a giant. I just simply drank too much milk.¡± Captain Hendrix smirked at the youngest of the Lennox family who let out a giggle before stopping himself and going back to a serious look that seemed he stole from his older brother.


    Governor Lennox continued the introductions. ¡° This giant here is Captain Stuart Hendrix. He and I went to the Academy around the same time.¡± Governor Lennox finished with introductions turned to the group of anxious children waiting and smiled. ¡° Speaking of the Academy, why don¡¯t we meet our future fellow alumni.¡±


    Turning their attention to the crowd of Awakeners, they found a jump in the usual numbers of Awakeners from before. A very obvious jump.


    ¡°Greetings to our ¡®Heroes of Tomorrow¡¯ and welcome to the Soaring City.¡± Governor Lennox introduced himself. ¡° I am Peter Lennox, Governor of this fine city¡­¡±


    Ronin shifted his attention to the group of children staring at him with curious eyes and did a quick scan of the group and found two groups that stood out:


    One group appeared to be of commoners descent. Or at least most of them as he spotted a teenage boy standing in the middle wearing golden robes that matched his long silky blonde hair with white tusks on his breast signifying his noble status.


    The other group belonged to those of noble descent wearing bright colors with looks of disdain aimed towards those around them that weren¡¯t of similar status.


    Standing in the middle of the bunch of human peacocks was a young teenager that immediately caught Ronin¡¯s eye due to his robes. A quick scan over the boy was enough to find out a probable reason why his father himself came out of his office to greet these Outer District folks. The boy¡¯s red hair and robes to match was enough to find the boy¡¯s background. Only the boy¡¯s brown eyes were something that would raise questions. But the black dragon with ruby red eyes on the boy¡¯s robes would silence those of doubt.


    ¡°Ronin, why don¡¯t you give a tour for our future heroes?¡± The sudden attention and abrupt question brought Ronin out of his reverie.


    ¡°Y-yes yes, of course¡± Ronin inwardly shook his head before sending a quick glance at the red haired boy, afraid he made a bad impression except the red haired boy appeared to not care as he continued to wear his nonchalant expression as if everything happening around him didn¡¯t concern him.


    If it was any one else Ronin would think lowly of them but given the boy¡¯s background Ronin would take his expression as goodwill, for who knows when that nonchalant attitude turned into something serious. Ronin hoped that would not happen here in his home. And if it did, his family wouldn¡¯t be the reason.

 Ch. 15: The Banquet

    ¡° Stupid nobles, stupid ranks, stupid fancy titles¡­¡± Damon grumbled to himself as he stood in front of a mirror.


    Washing his face in the mirror, Damon felt emotionally drained. Throughout the journey he was constantly being reminded of the importance of status.


    Back in Sparking City, nobles and commoners got along well. They went to the same school, ate at the same table and conversed with each other as if there was no difference between each other. Excluding Miles and his like minded individuals, everyone was fine with interacting with each other no matter the status. That all changed once he stepped foot on the  airship.


    In the beginning of his journey the lines of status and rank weren¡¯t prominent. The Awakeners on board were too busy with their feelings of fear and excitement to care. The few cities that were picked up after Sparking city shared the same feelings. All except Miles who seemed to happily volunteer to be Draven¡¯s assistant.


    Every time a noble would board the ship Miles would immediately greet the nobles before letting them know Draven Lyle was on board. The nobles would go and greet Draven as it was customary to let your presence be known to those of higher status. But that was it, as they went back to worrying about their future as they have never been in this position before.


    A thought that was not shared with the nobles they picked up as they traveled further inwards towards the Inner District where the lines of those with titles and those without became more distinct.


    Damon recalled the arrogance and disdain on nobles'' faces as they walked through the ship as if they owned it. Those feelings must have been a disease as those nobles who once didn¡¯t place much importance on status suddenly switched sides now carrying similar looks of arrogance and disdain.


    What hurt Damon more, was watching Amelia mingle with them. Although she never threw her weight around, the sight of her laughing and smiling created an ache in his chest.


    Damon never thought that the shy and kind Amelia would even give the arrogant nobles the time of day. Damon was very close to losing hope in the nobility until Tristan Grier appeared.


    Tristan Grier was picked up from the last city in the Outer District before reaching the border called the Golden City. The largest city on the eastern side of the Outer District. A place surrounded by golden sand with dangerous creatures lurking underneath.


    It was the last place someone would think of being a home to a Great House. But it was. And the reason for it, was because Tristan¡¯s grandfather thought that it wasn¡¯t right that the Outer Districts held no Great House to defend it unlike the earlier years of the Republic where Great Houses were found everywhere in the Republic, even the Outer District.


    Many advised against the decision and many thought of him as crazy but it didn¡¯t matter to him as his family¡¯s legacy held more weight than the words of those who couldn¡¯t understand him.


    So, he took up the mantle and brought his family to the Outer Districts sixty years ago, a deed Damon thought was honorable and made him regret not reading about the Grier family instead of the Lyle.


    Just thinking of the Lyle family caused a frown to be found on Damon¡¯s face. Recalling how the clerk, who was actually the eldest son of the Governor, grovelled at the feet of Draven hoping to get his attention. The constant glances and smiles sent Daven¡¯s way irritated Damon who shook his head before walking away from the mirror to continue his grumbling.


    ¡° Stupid nobles, stupid titles, stupid Draven¡­¡± Damon continued his grumbling as paced the room waiting to be summoned. He didn¡¯t have to wait long as a minute later a knock came from his door.


    With a jolt, Damon looked over his shoulder before rushing to the door, glad he could finally leave his room. Yanking the door open he greeted the maid he came face to face with, slightly startling her causing her smile to falter.


    ¡°Greetings Mr. Beaumont. I¡¯m here to escort you down to the Gardens as everyone is heading there now. Are you all Re-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready¡± Damon interrupted her with an eager smile that took over his frown from earlier. The maid returned a smile of her own before turning around and walking down the corridor. Damon assumed this meant to follow her and so he did.


    They knocked on every door in the corridor to bring out a fellow Awakener who Damon greeted with a smile. Some returned the smiles and some just ignored him. Damon didn¡¯t mind as his excitement couldn¡¯t be doused as he knew after the banquet, the Academy will send a ship to pick up all of the Awakeners and send them straight to the Academy where he could finally begin.


    Damon took the time to observe his surroundings as they rounded up the rest of the Awakeners on the same floor as him. Although he already witnessed the grandeur and opulence of the corridor when he got dropped off to get ready, he was still in awe at the sights that greeted him.


    The corridors were lit up by the beaming sunlight passing through the multiple arched windows that had white curtains pulled back to allow the natural light to light up the soft sky blue carpet. The white curtains like many items of the house carried the five elements sigil of the Republic. Even the white and blue walls that held wooden carvings of the Republic¡¯s sigil that were placed right next to an Illumination Crystal. Although the crystals weren¡¯t as large as the ones from the stadium back home, the quantity was enough for Damon to let out a sigh of disbelief.


    After a few minutes, Damon was surrounded by around twenty other Awakeners as they made their way down from the 4th floor to the 1st but not before picking up the rest of the Awakeners.


    By the time they reached the first floor a crowd of nearly a hundred Awakeners filled the hall with excited chatter and worried murmurs.


    ¡°This is a whole lot more than usual¡± Rodrick leaned down to make sure his friend heard his remark ¡° I mean from what we¡¯ve been constantly told when we were kids the usual number of Awakeners that came from the Outer Districts  never exceeded a hundred.¡±


    ¡°You still are a kid.¡± Damon reminded his friend.


    Waving off his friend¡¯s comment ¡°Look at all these people.¡± Rodrick gestured to the crowd surrounding them. ¡° Let¡¯s not forget there is another building just like this one. And if their numbers are identical to ours, that¡¯s almost two hundred people. Counting the nobles as well, that''s nearly three hundred from the Outer Districts alone.¡± Rodrick said with exasperation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the girls¡± Damon reminded his friend of another group to add to the growing numbers.


    ¡°THE GIRLS¡± Rodrick shouted. ¡° How could I forget the girls?¡± He looked up to the ceiling in shame.


    Damon laughed at his friend¡¯s theatrics before spotting a familiar face within the crowd. More like a pair of familiar faces as one popped out from the crowd every once and awhile hopping up to wave at them. Damon waved at the pair as they made their way over where Damon and Rodrick greeted them with smiles.


    ¡°Hey guys¡± Sunny greeted the duo excitedly with Baron right behind him wiping his sweat that came down from his slick back dark hair. Damon couldn¡¯t blame him since he was always looking out for the energetic Sunny.


    ¡°Hey Sunny.¡± Both Damon and Rodrick greeted the youngest of the group who turned twelve back on Awakening Day before sending smiles and pats on the shoulder of an exhausted Baron. Baron could only respond with a close lipped smile.


    ¡°I wonder when we will leave. I heard the banquet is going to be filled with all types of delicious foods.¡± Sunny stared into nothing as he tilted his head up imagining the delicacies he would get to try.


    A flick on his forehead from Baron was enough to bring him out his trance. Sunny placed a hand on his wounded head and glared at Baron who responded with a glare of his own. ¡°The banquet isn¡¯t for you to find out your new favorite dessert, Sunny. The banquet is for you to find out a potential place for you in the world after the Academy.¡± Sunny¡¯s response was simply sticking his tongue out and Baron could only sigh.


    Baron turned towards Damon and Rodrick. ¡°What about you guys, you got any idea on where you would be interested in going to.¡±


    Damon¡¯s eyes lit up at the question as if he has been waiting his whole life to hear that question. Taking a deep breath he uttered his answer with a tone filled with reverence. ¡°The White Cloaks¡±


    The White Cloaks were famous around the world. They are the special forces of the Republic that are only deployed when the people of the Republic are in danger. And if there was no such occasion they would be watching the borders ready to take down whatever tried entering their home. They are considered one the most skilled groups.


    ¡°The White Cloaks?¡± Baron widened his eyes at Damon before turning to Rodrick who shrugged his shoulders. Baron, noticing the over zealous expression on Damon decided to to ask Rodrick who Baron always thought was the crazy one but it seemed he was too quick to judge. ¡°What about you Rodrick?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± With a chuckle followed by a shrug he continued ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe a soldier. My father was a soldier, so maybe I could follow the family line. And plus I heard they love Fire Elementals in the army.¡±


    ¡°And you Baron?¡± Rodrick returned the question.


    ¡°Well I Awakened with the Wind Element, so I thought maybe I can try to be a Captain of an airship.¡±


    ¡°Well I don''t know what I want to be but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll do good at whatever it is .¡± The boys couldn¡¯t help but smile at the optimistic ray of sunshine.


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    ¡° I agree and plus you have the next half a decade to decide. So no need to stress I guess. This banquet is simply a preview for graduation.¡± Rodrick said with his hands clasped behind his head smiling at the ceiling with no worries that could be found on his face.


    Damon noticed his friend''s worry free attitude and felt happy for him. The last two years must have been stressful for him and Damon felt happy to see him like this.


    ¡°Ok everyone follow me¡± The same maid that led Damon¡¯s group downstairs took the lead with a hurried gait as if she were late leading to those behind her to hurry up and follow her trail out the twelve foot double doors where they were greeted by blazing heat coming down from the sun.


    Walking down the cobbled stone path they met up with the second group of Awakeners made up of around fifty to sixty children of bronze rank officials and merchants with a bit of status. But still no nobles in sight.


    After a few minutes they found themselves in front of a pavilion with its doors wide open to welcome its visitors. The maid that led them quickly left after they made their way into the pavilion.


    In front of them was a cobblestone path that had flowers arranged on either side. At the end of the path it opened up to a large clearing with ponds and statues placed here and there. At the center of it all was a platform Damon assumed will be used later on.


    The awe on the crowd of people must have been obvious seeing as mocking laughter was sent their way. Damon, hearing the laughter, looked towards the noise and found a group of adults and kids on a balcony on the second floor looking down with disdain.


    ¡°Hey look, it¡¯s Kira.¡± Rodrick, who ignored the snobby group of people, pointed out the red haired girl wearing a green dress that brought out the crimson color of her hair that was done in a bun being held by her phoenix hairpin her grandfather gifted her.


    ¡°Hey Kira¡± Kira, hearing this glanced over her shoulder only to roll her eyes once she saw the owner of the voice calling out to her.


    Damon didn¡¯t know if his friend noticed but if he did, he was doing a good job pretending he didn¡¯t as he dragged Damon along with a big smile with Sunny and Baron in tow.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Kira asked in an exasperated tone once she saw the group of boys approach her.


    ¡°Well, we just saw you were lonely and thought you might want some company.¡± Rodrick explained their presence with a big smile.


    Kira hearing this puffed her cheeks in annoyance ¡°I wasn¡¯t lonely¡±


    Rodrick waved off her comment ¡°C¡¯mon no need to- ¡°


    ¡°She¡¯s right. She wasn¡¯t lonely¡± A voice from behind the group informed them.


    Tristan appeared with his golden hair in a ponytail and golden robes that probably hid his sword carrying a glass of water and made his way to Kira¡¯s side to offer her a drink which she accepted with a slight blush. Damon was shocked at the sight as he couldn¡¯t recall Kira and Tristan ever sharing more than five sentences together.  Turning to his side he saw the big smile on Roricks face become stiff.


    ¡°Tristan¡± Sunny excitedly said the noble boy¡¯s name as he jumped up and down. After Tristan saved Sunny from Kesh on the ship, he left a good impression on the commoners and his continued respect he gave when he talked to them was a plus. Especially Sunny who thought of Tristan as a hero.


    ¡°Hey little guy.¡± Tristan ruffled Sunny¡¯s hair before sending smiles to the rest of the group.


    Damon held a fist to his mouth to hide the smile he was fighting to hold back as Rodrick was glaring at the closeness of Tristan and Kira. His eyes were set on their shoulders as they stood side by side hoping they would not brush.


    Damon, seeing his friend nearing heartbreak, decided to save him. ¡°How about we go grab a bite to eat before this whole thing starts.¡± The group nodded in agreement before heading to the table filled with all types of food to enjoy.


    After grabbing his food Damon made his way to a table large enough to fit his friends and sat down. A moment later a plate was placed next to his causing him to look up to find Kira take a seat beside him and dig into her food.


    ¡° She¡¯s up there.¡± Damon raised his brows after hearing her. Kira rolled her eyes before informing him of her observations.  ¡°Don¡¯t try to pretend. Your head was constantly on a swivel and you kept staring at me as if you wanted to say something.¡± A look of embarrassment found its way onto Damon.


    Kira smirked after witnessing his reaction. Pointing towards the balcony overlooking the banquet on the second floor, she repeated herself ¡° She¡¯s up there. With her fellow nobles and Sponsors.¡±


    Damon followed her finger to see noble children and adults that he guessed were the Sponsors he¡¯s been hearing about, laughing and giggling together.


    ¡°They were already there when we got here¡± Kira informed Damon who furrowed his brow in confusion. ¡°That was half an hour ago. The Nobles and Sponsors have been up there for an entire hour enjoying themselves and not bothering coming down. Enjoying their shade. Amelia came down a few times but her noble friends kept calling her back up there.¡± Kira brushed the hairs that escaped her bun from her face but had a hard time due to them sticking to her forehead from the sweltering heat.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean an hour ago? I thought it just started and we just happened to be the last to show up. And what do you mean the Sponsors never came down? Aren¡¯t they supposed to come down and try to recruit us for their organizations? Why would they do that?¡± Damon let out a barrage of questions after hearing this. His anger from before about status and titles threatened to come out before someone interrupted them.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re idiots.¡± Tristan placed his tray across from Kira with a smile before sitting down. Pointing up at the Sponsors up on the balcony he continued ¡°All those Sponsors, really just recruiters, are idiots. The ones you see now aren¡¯t that important. So don¡¯t bother riling yourself up about the treatment.¡±


    Instead of explaining his reasoning, Tristan gestured to the food as if to tell them to eat first as he led by example by digging into his food.


    Kira and Damon could do nothing but abide. Soon everyone was eating. One by one they finished their food as they waited on Tristan who was still halfway into his food. Not bothering with the glare Rodrick was sending his way.


    Finally finished with his food Damon watched Tristan wipe his mouth from any residues from his meals taking his time. Tristan finished cleaning up and began ¡°Right where was I?¡±


    ¡°The sponsors are stupid.¡± Kira hurriedly answered


    ¡°Ah yes those sponsors are stupid¡± Tristan pointed at the balcony correcting her. ¡° But the ones that are accompanying the Governor are a different story.¡±


    Tristan gestured for the group to come closer ¡° You see all those sponsors up there. Not a single one comes from an organization worth noting. Why? Well because not a single one of them comes from an organization that survived a Catastrophe.¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Baron wondered aloud.


    ¡°Because it shows strength. Foundation. It tells the many powers around you that have the power to survive whatever comes your way.¡±


    ¡°So what are you saying? We shouldn¡¯t bother with sponsors.¡± Damon questioned Tristan who shook his head.


    ¡°At least for these idiots, they don¡¯t know the importance of you yet.¡± Tristan said with a glint in his eyes.


    ¡°Importance?¡± Rodrick repeated with a frown.


    A horn sounded catching everyone¡¯s attentions including those on the balcony who hurriedly made their way down.


    ¡°Welcoming Governor Lennox of the Soaring City, accompanied by Lt. Margrave of the White Cloaks, Lady Gwen of the Mystic Bank, and Lord Kravis Laurel¡­¡±


    Damon observed the people making their way to the platform in the center of the courtyard. Damon saw the familiar round figure of the Governor walking into the pavilion. Standing to his right was a blond haired woman in her thirties wearing a purple dress that complimented her slim figure with a light purple shawl over her shoulders and a beauty mark near her lips that were the same shade as her shawl.


    On the other side of the lady was a man clad in white shiny armor from head to toe that bore the Republic¡¯s sigil in the center of the chest plate. By his waist was a sword that nearly grazed the ground every time the man moved. A shock to anyone considering the man was nearly seven feet tall only being dwarfed by Captain Hedrix. Connected to his pauldrons was a white cloak signifying his specialness as the average soldier does not wear cloaks. Damon recognized the white cloak and armor. And the knight would have caught his attention if not for the man on the Governor''s left.


    With his slick back black hair with streaks of blue he stood tall and proud wearing a navy blue robe over a black tunic and trousers. On the man¡¯s left chest was a sigil with a navy blue backdrop and light blue nearly clear droplet of water in the center. Damon recognized the sigil as it was one of the sigils that is used for the Republic¡¯s emblem representing the element water. A sigil only one family could bear.


    Kravis Laurel. The last name caught Damon¡¯s attention and everyone else¡¯s as the last name was famous across the lands and not just within the Republic.


    Damon was shocked. A descendant of one of the Five Ancient Houses was right here in front of him. Damon¡¯s eyes were glued to the Laurel Elder who walked with a certain level of poise and grace that seemed lost amongst the others who stood beside him.


    ¡°A Laurel? Here? Why would someone of such high status come down here?¡± Similar remarks could be heard everywhere. Damon, wondering why someone of such high status would be here, turned to the only person who could make sense of the situation except when he did, he found the golden haired teenager also dumbstruck.


    ¡°Welcome young Awakeners¡± Governor Lennox wore an inviting smile ¡° Or should I address you as ¡®young heroes of tomorrow¡¯¡±


    The greeting captured their attention and sent a ripple effect through the crowd of proud kids. Damon being one of them as he tilted his chin up and puffed his chest out. A look he despised not so long ago.


    ¡°It¡¯s with great honor that I was given the opportunity to host a banquet for such distinguished guests of the Republic.¡± Damon heard a scoff from Tristan after the sincere statement.


    ¡°As you can tell this is not just any banquet.¡± Governor Lennox gestured to the adults in the courtyard who let their presence be known by raising a glass towards the Governor who nodded at the gesture.


    ¡°This banquet is a chance.¡± Governor Lennox spread his arms wide, staring at the proud proud and eager expressions on the few hundred children in front of him.


    ¡°A chance to rub shoulders, to shake hands...¡± Governor brought his arms in front and clasped his hands. ¡°And forge connections.¡±  Putting his arms down he continued ¡° For you are the future. And you as one man¡± A cough came from Lady Gwen of the Mystic Bank interrupted the Governor who reacted with an annoyed side eye before continuing ¡° Or one woman, cannot withstand the weight of the Republic people¡¯s hopes by yourselves. Our first Lords of Elements are proof of this.¡± All eyes quickly shifted to Lord Kravis Laurel who nodded in agreement.


    ¡°They stood side by side to face the catastrophes ahead and behind them stood their trusted Divine Generals and behind them were the brave soldiers of the Republic.¡± Governor Lennox looked up into the sky as if he was imagining the scene himself.


    Damon and many others were familiar with the story of the founding of the Republic. How Demon Creatures from faraway lands came upon the shores and took over the lands of dragons, elves, dwarves and humanity. As time passed races were slowly being wiped out until humanity was all that was left.


    The Quint Empire, the last power of humanity and the Lords of Elements fought back against the creatures of chaos for decades before achieving victory. Sadly by the end of the war, what was left behind was a country that was on its last legs.


    Due to the Quint Empire losing all of their heirs, the remaining powers within the empire came together to form the now renowned Republic with the Lords of Elements spearheading the newly found power as they were seen as heroes who would lead them to a new era.


    ¡°With their bravery and sacrifices, we were able to create a home for humanity. A home that has lasted for nearly three thousand years with the help of the many Elemental Lords and Divine Generals that came after them. We honor the heroes of yesteryear by following their example. So go fourth Awakeners. Find your fellow brothers and sisters in arms.¡±


    Governor Lennox stared into the eyes of every Awakener, ensuring he had everyone''s attention for his next words carried only truth. A truth that he hoped they would remember.


    ¡°You will need them.¡±

 CH. 16: The Banquet (2)

    ¡°Alright this is your chance. And forget the other Sponsors, aim for the ones that came with the Governor.¡± Were the words left behind by Tristan. With that the small group of friends separated hoping to find a glimpse of the path destined for them.


    Damon scanned the nearly dozen individuals that came with the Governor only for his eyes to find its way to the Knight in pristine white armor with an unsullied cloak. A staple for the White Cloaks. The Knight stood surrounded by dozens of other Awakeners hoping to catch his attention. Damon held the same hopes as he watched the Knight in admiration.


    Damon imagined himself in place of the Knight, with nobles fighting to get his attention and hoping to get on his good side without a care for his background. The image brought a smile to Damon¡¯s face. With the image still in his head, Damon took a step towards the knight only to pause after hearing someone behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it¡± Damon whirled around to set his eyes on the arrogant face of Kesh who stood with a glass in hand and a sneer on his face. ¡°Someone like you wouldn¡¯t even make it past the front doors.¡±


    With a frown, Damon challenged the noble ¡°They¡¯ll accept me. Just watch.¡±


    ¡° They won¡¯t. Majority of the White Cloaks come from nobility. And the commoners that make up the rest of the numbers are from wealthy merchant families or have someone in their family who had some weight to their name as an official.¡± Kesh felt giddy at the frown making its way onto Damon. ¡° They don¡¯t accept people that could dirty the cloak. Like their motto says ¡°Untainted and Pure.¡±,


    ¡°And if the description fits you, I¡¯m sure they will open their doors for you.¡± Damon and Kesh quickly became slack jawed at the sight of the blue robed individual who managed to sneak his way beside them without them noticing.


    ¡°Greetings elder Laurel¡±, ¡° Greetings¡± Both boys bowed their heads immediately after their shock wore off. Both boys stayed bowed, not daring to get up from their position, afraid of offending a mighty pillar of the Republic and one of the strongest powers in the world. If they did, no one would even know how they died.


    ¡°Hello,¡± With his eyes still set on the Knight and his crowd of pleasers ¡°You may lift your heads.¡± Damon sent a questioning gaze to Kesh who could only nod back at him signaling him to go first. Damon furrowed his brows before mirroring the noble boy¡¯s action which quickly led to a battle of pointing fingers but instead of fingers they used their eyes to tell one another to go first.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Is the grass more pleasing to the eye than me? Should I add them to our Gardens back home?¡± An amused smirk formed after pulling his attention back to witness the two boys immediately raise their heads to deny the accusations. ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m only kidding.¡± The middle aged man bellowed a laughter while brushing his black and blue hair back.


    ¡°So, the Order of the White Cloaks huh? A well known organization and rich in history.¡®Untainted and Pure¡¯ is what those walking lumps of armor say. One of the reasons they don¡¯t have many members.¡± The Laurel elder said, muttering the last part but it was still loud enough for Damon to catch.


    ¡° I thought they don¡¯t have that many members because it''s hard to get in.¡± Damon wondered.


    ¡°It is. But it¡¯s much harder to stay due to their strict rules. Many of their members have been spotted breaking rules and having no respect towards their superiors. A stark contrast to its early years of discipline and respect.¡± Elder Kravis Laurel said, giving Damon a more in-depth look into the organization.


    Before a word could leave Damon a voice interjected ¡° Why not get more specific since we¡¯re airing out the business of my Order .¡± The Knight of the White cloaks said as he walked over with his spotless armor and large sword emitting clinking noises every time it scraped the ground.


    ¡°Why, hello Lt. Marten. I was just giving a possible prospect for your order some insight into the White Cloaks.¡± Elder Laurel smiled at Captain Marten.


    ¡° Yes, insight.¡± Lt. Marten turned to Damon ¡° Well how about I go deeper into these insights this lord has told you. Did he tell you that the ones guilty of breaking those rules merely belong to a small part of the Order and were heavily punished for their actions. It is due to these punishments that not many are willing to don the cloaks of our Order as it holds no leniency with those that break the rules laid down by our founders.Those who choose not join in fear of possibly breaking the rules of our Order, deserve no spot among our ranks.¡± Captain Marten gave the behind the scenes story. ¡°And besides, everyone goes through tough periods¡­ sometimes those periods last for a moment¡± Shifting his eyes on the Elder of the Laurel family, he explained ¡° Sometimes longer,¡± With a smile he continued. ¡° Much much longer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is true. In times like this it''s hard for influences to stay afloat: Families, organizations, or even Orders. It¡¯s best to find someone or someplace that can help sail the rough seas for you.¡± Elder Kravis Laurel smiled at Damon ignoring the Knight who bore a frown he couldn¡¯t hide. Damon could feel the tension surrounding them and hoped he could escape the conversation.


    As if the Spirits heard his pleas, a commotion was heard from a group of people staring up at the sky. It wasn¡¯t long before the reason for the commotion announced its presence by casting a shadow over the banquet that was being hit by endless rays of light from the afternoon sun.


    ¡°It seems our conversation will end here young hero.¡± The Laurel Elder let out a full blown smile that appeared to have held back a plethora of words before turning to Damon ¡°It was nice talking to you Damon Beaumont of the rare Lightning Element. Once you graduate you will be about a man''s age. By then I hope your fear towards my family name will disappear.¡± With that Elder Laurel carried a smile that hid his intentions as he walked away with his chin high and blue robes flowing behind as if waves followed his every move.


    ¡°If you wish to have a cloak like this hanging from your shoulders,¡± The Knight pulled Damon¡¯s attention back to him where he gestured to the famous white cloak hanging off of him, ¡°then you must have the strength and willpower to carry it. In times of war the blood spilled must only for the greater good and in times of peace, you must do everything in your power to ensure those times last without having to turn at the sight of your reflection. Untainted and Pure.¡± He finished it off with the organization''s motto.


    The Knight turned his attention to Kesh who wore a respectful look. ¡°And anyone who can follow this code is welcome in our lands. No matter the background.¡± Kesh could only smile at the reproachful expression on the Knight''s face.


    ¡°Well, I shall also take my leave Damon Beaumont.¡± Damon nodded his understanding ¡° Oh right, I am Lt.Marten. I hope to one day see you don these cloaks. We don¡¯t get that many Lightning Elementals.¡± Damon solemnly nodded at the knight who mirrored him before walking away.


    Although Kesh recognized the man as a son of a Minor House, similar to his own, with the status as a officer of one of the most powerful organizations in the republic, Kesh could swallow down any grievances he had towards the Knight walking away with a crowd of nobles in tow smiling and gloating at him after witnessing the scene.


    Damon solemnly nodded at the knight who mirrored him before walking away.


    From the conversation with the knight, Damon felt he found the place for himself after the Academy.


    In the corner of his eye, Damon could see Kesh clutching his purple robes out of anger and embarrassment. But Damon didn¡¯t care. He felt the arrogant noble deserved it with the way he was acting. Feeling good, he sent a victory smirk at Kesh before leaving to find Rodrick to tell him of what just happened.


    ***


    A few apologies and elbow blows later, Damon was able to spot Rodrick talking to a small group of girls who appeared to be having a giggle fit at whatever story his friend was telling. Shaking his head in exasperation at the sight, he made his way over to Rodrick to pull him and give a good scolding.


    ¡°Hello.¡± the soft familiar voice greeted him from behind freezing Damon.


    Slowly turning around with a close lipped smile he said ¡°Hello Amelia. Great weather.¡± Damon mentally slapped himself at the embarrassing line.


    ¡°Oh, yes it''s a very beautiful day. Perfect weather for a banquet.¡±Amelia looked up to the sky with flushed cheeks and a small smile that captivated Damon.


    ¡°Yes, very beautiful.¡± Damon replied softly, keeping his eyes on her and the cute canines that appeared when she smiled.


    ¡°I guess I am the third vote.¡± A loud voice interrupted their conversation. Damon winced once he heard the familiar voice. Damon wondered why his idiot best friend chooses now to appear.


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    ¡°Hello Rodrick.¡± Amelia did a small wave at the tall boy who returned her greeting with a smile.


    ¡°So what are you guys talking about?¡± Rodrick wiggled his eyebrows at the pair.


    ¡°The weather.¡± Damon answered his friend in a monotone voice.


    ¡°Rodrick rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, how about before that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, I-I just came up to Damon to ask him if he saw Kira.¡± Amelia stuttered out her answer.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen her since we split up.¡± Rodrick said with a regretful sigh before turning to Damon ¡°You?¡± Damon answered with a shake of his head.


    ¡°Oh, well I¡¯m going to look for her. Bye.¡± Amelia said before making her way through the crowd to continue her search.


    Watching her retreating figure, Rodrick shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Wow. Who would have thought that she was the same girl who could barely get out a whisper.¡±


    ¡°Oh and by the way, the weather?¡±Rodrick''s tone leaked of incredulity. ¡°You talk to the girl for the first time in two weeks and your first topic of discussion is the weather?¡±


    Damon narrowed his eyes. ¡°She just walked up to me out of nowhere and started talking to me. I wasn¡¯t ready. What was I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Don''t talk about the weather.¡± Rodrick tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at his friend.


    The duo continued their conversation as they walked around the banquet until the conversation about what happened with Kesh was brought up by a smirking Damon.


    ¡°So in other words, you now have the eyes of the White Cloaks and House Laurel on you. What exactly did you do to earn the blessings of the Spirits?¡±


    Damon shrugged with a look of confidence. ¡°Guess I was just born with uncontrollable charisma.¡±


    A scoff was the response he got as they continued their stroll around the banquet for around half an hour before a commotion that garnered a small crowd was spotted. Curiosity filled, the pair of boys made their way over to find a standoff between three individuals.


    Tristan stood on one side and Draven stood on the other. Shockingly both boys were glaring but not at each other. Instead they were glaring at a boy of dark hair clothed in silver and blue robes with his back towards Damon and Rodrick keeping his identity a mystery.


    ¡°House Grier. A Great House full of wannabe heroes.¡± The mystery third party shockingly began belittling a Great House.


    ¡°You dare-¡± Tristan was cut off before he could get more words in.


    ¡°And then House Lyle. Supposedly dragon owners once upon a time.¡± The mysterious third party began talking and turned towards the crowd, ignoring the fuming Tristan whose hand seemed to be getting closer and closer to his waist, where if his sword wasn¡¯t stored away somewhere in the mansion then the only place it could be found is on his waist.


    ¡° Both Great Houses, yes, but are they fit to carry the name nowadays? No. The Grier family only had one Lord of Element and he was too much of a coward to choose a side that could have ended the Civil War that killed millions.¡± The mysterious third party finally turned to face Damon who widened his eyes at the reveal.


    ¡°SLANDER.¡± Tristan shouted taking a step forward but a hand from a fellow noble from his city clamped on his arm to stop him.


    Louis Lennox smiled at the crowd pleased to have caught their attention. ¡°And then House Lyle.¡± Draven kept his eyes on the ranting individual, paying close attention to what he had to say about his House.


    ¡°The descendants of the mighty Dragon Lord. The Third Lord of Fire.¡± Louis began to shake his head in disappointment before continuing ¡°You would have thought they¡­¡±Pointing at the now frowning Draven ¡°descendants of such a mighty figure would have produced some people of talent. Sadly, all they got were two Divine Generals and not a single Lord of Element has come from their house.¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH.¡± A shout interrupted Louise speech. From the crowd, Ronin stomped his way over to his brother and yanked him away but not before bowing his head in apologies to the two descendants of Great Houses.


    ¡°Brother, I didn''t finish I¡­¡±Damon didn¡¯t get the chance to hear what he was planning on saying as his figure disappeared into the mansion with his older brother.


    With the show now over the crowd began to disperse which revealed Amelia and Kira together walking away. Rodrick, seeing the girls, immediately grabbed Damon and made his way over to talk to them.


    ¡° Awakeners, the Republic''s ¡®Young Heroes of Tomorrow¡¯. It is time. Your ride to the Academy is here.¡± Damon watched as the Governor suddenly stomped his foot and Damon¡¯s attention was pulled away from the Governor to behind him where a wall made of stone simply fell back without making a sound or shaking of the ground to reveal the large airship they all saw a while ago.


    Damon was in awe at the sight. Not by the behemoth of a ship but the power that the Governor revealed. It was the first time he had ever seen the powers of an Elemental on display. A likely experience shared with almost everyone around him. The excitement and eagerness coursed through his veins once he imagined himself being able to control his lightning. Standing in the middle of a storm and calling upon lightning to strike down on his enemies. The image poured a wave of giddiness through him.


    ¡° The ship that will take you to your home for the next five years ¡­¡± Governor paused to point at the giant ship significantly larger than the Horizon Chaser Damon rode. ¡°Is called The Beginning. Considering this ship will drop you off at the Academy, where you will learn all you need to know about the powers of an Elemental and the responsibilities of an Elemental, I believe the ship''s name is quite apt.¡± Clasping his hands together, he scanned the Awakeners in his sights ¡°With that being said any changes of mind?¡±


    As if insulted from the question, the Awakeners didn¡¯t even bother answering, simply letting their eyes and smiles of confidence speak for them.


    ¡° I didn¡¯t think so.¡±Governor Lennox smiled


    ¡°Let us do a final cheer..¡±Governor gestured to the crowd of Awakeners before continuing ¡° to our Heroes of Tomorrow. For one day they will become the Heroes of today."


    ¡° TO THE HEROES OF TOMORROW.¡±


    The cheers echoed through the banquet and smiles spread throughout the crowd.


    ¡°TO THE HEROES OF TOMORROW.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Governor, throughout the entirety of the banquet we found no trouble during its run. The gangs kept quiet and no signs of any powers besides the ones invited made any moves towards the Awakeners.¡± Ronin stood beside his father as the Lieutenant Governor gave his report. Ronin as the heir of the family had no choice but to stay and hear the reports: Major and minor.


    ¡°Good. Take the time off Arthur you have been running around the entire city ensuring everything went right. You deserve some well deserved rest.¡± Governor Lennox seated behind his mahogany desk with clasped hands nodded his thanks to his right hand.


    ¡°Just doing my duty sir.¡± Ronin watched as the old man that had been beside his father since he was a child leave the room without lifting his head once. Ronin heard from his mother it was to show subservience to those of higher status but he knew that it was something only servants of Nobles did. Ronin loved his mother but sometimes she tends to go overboard with the whole status quo.


    ¡°Well, what did you observe son?¡± Pulling Ronin from his thoughts, Governor Lennox asked about his son¡¯s time during the banquet.


    ¡° The Mystic Bank sent Lady Gwen, niece of the President of Mystic Bank. The Knights of the White Cloaks sent Lt.Marten of the Flaming Sword, known for his human sized sword that can shockingly handle his Elemental flames without melting, helping him earn the moniker Knight of the Flaming Sword. And finally House Laurel surprisingly showed up. A first since we have been inviting them for the last decade with no response until today.¡±


    Governor Lennox, staring straight ahead, asked ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Father, why did you welcome them yourself?¡±


    Governor Lennox knew the question was soon to be asked. ¡°Why do you think I did that?¡±


    Ronin¡¯s eyes kept tracing the room, a sign he was thinking, ¡°Someone of major status?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Governor Lennox let out a laugh. ¡°Yes, yes indeed.¡±


    Ronin only became more puzzled at his father¡¯s answer. So he waited for his father to continue but he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Ronin immediately knew the conversation was over and began thinking about the banquet. "Besides Louis embarrassing rant. I knew I should have pulled the boy away from your mother the same way I did for you and Reed."


    Ronin trying to keep a straight face perused through his memories before coming up with one scene he observed from a far.


    ¡°A dispute.¡± Ronin answered a little too loudly as if he finally managed to get the answer after a long day.


    Governor Lennox tilted his head and Ronin took it as a sign to continue. ¡° Lt. Marten and Kravis Laurel They appeared to be discussing their backgrounds to a boy. One of the commoners. The Knights of the White Cloaks surprisingly were not afraid of the Laurel family despite them being one of the Founding families of the Republic and even said something¡­ daring.¡± Ronin watched his father ready to witness his father show emotion at the words he held on his tongue.


    ¡°Lt. Marten hinted at the Laurel family was going through hard times.¡± Ronin couldn¡¯t help but whisper whilst scanning the room, afraid someone was listening.


    ¡°Did you just now notice?¡± Governor Lennox said in exasperation.


    Ronin, feeling a scolding was coming, bowed his head and took a small step back ready for his father to tell him where he was wrong and how he should look more deeper into certain info more clearly.


    But it never came.


    Ronin lifted his head up to see his father rubbing his hands together still having his eyes staring straight ahead. ¡° Do you remember what happened to Louis?¡± Ronin answered with a nod.


    ¡°Your younger brother slapped a member of the Great House Killian and not just any member but a member of the main line. An offense that would get any other power killed or punished heavily.¡±


    Ronin remembered that day. It was the first time he saw his father ever show fear. He remembered his father trying to mask his fear behind a calm facade, but his trembling hands gave him away as they walked to the Great House of Killian to apologize and beg for mercy. But on the way there they met aunt Rose who was accompanied by her husband, Jared Laurel, fourth son to the Patriarch of the Laurel family, a fact that saved them.


    ¡°Yes, aunt Rose and uncle Jared saved us from being punished.¡± Ronin said with a slight smile of relief as if he was living that moment again.


    ¡°Yes they did. An act that tore the Laurel Family¡¯s face.¡± Taking a deep breath, Governor Lennox finally rose out of his seat and made his way to the window that gave a view of the setting sun. ¡°The Laurel family is an Ancient House. Meaning they are one of the Founding members of the Republic. They should stand above all else beside the other Ancient Houses. And yet they had to send one of their direct descendants to apologize to a power that should have been beneath them.¡±


    ¡°Times have changed¡­¡± Letting out a sigh he continued


    ¡°And I hope we are ready for what that means.¡±

 Ch. 17: Welcome To the Academy

    The rising sun peeked over the horizon, bringing light to earth and sky, reaching a flying three masted ship cruising through the air over a mountain range with a flag bearing a multi-colored eye that glimmered under the sun.


    On the upper deck of the five decked ship, was a crowd of a few hundred people. With the light of the rising sun reaching the ship, the shadows casted over the few hundred slowly retreated to reveal the crowd was mostly made up of kids.


    The sun slowly rising from the east was the scene set as the background for the eagerly waiting Awakeners. With the sun to their backs and their destination in front of them, they kept their eyes peeled for any signs they were near their destination.


    ¡°How long have we been up here? The sun is already up.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Captain said we were here.¡±


    ¡°Can you see anything?¡±


    ¡°No. Some pine tree is standing in the way.¡±


    A boy of around twelve pursed his lips after hearing the comment, trying his best to hold the laugh that was on the verge of escaping to dodge the glare a teenage boy was sending him but his eyes full of amusement gave him away. With a glance from the corner of his eye, Damon spotted Rodrick rolling his eyes at the comment on him. Not bothering to give the comment or his friend any more attention than he already has. Instead he focused on what was ahead of them like everyone else.


    Each kid stood shoulder to shoulder attempting to look through the morning mist with excited and eager looks as they passed through the mountain range and the many trees that decorated them. The excited murmurs and chatter continued on until the morning mist began to gradually make its way to the ship dozens of miles in the air.


    Once the mist reached the ship, the excited chatter and anticipated looks from before disappeared the moment they discovered the morning mist rose up and covered the entire ship, making it difficult to make out the trees below or the mountains that surrounded them just a few moments ago. Even the sun''s light began to dim, leading to the unsettling silent atmosphere.


    ¡°Are we sure we went to the right place?¡± Sunny spoke out the words on everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°The captain said we¡¯re here, so I guess so.¡± Baron attempted to calm everyone with his statement including himself.


    Damon squinted trying to get a good look on his surroundings, his chest rose and fell as he attempted to take a few breaths to calm himself. He didn¡¯t believe that they were at the wrong place but he did feel a bit uncomfortable at the thought of mists surrounding him.


    Damon didn¡¯t like the idea of mists surrounding him, it reminded him too much of his nightmares.


    ¡°SOUND THE HORN.¡± Captain Hendrix shouted.


    Honk


    Suddenly a deep blaring horn erupted from the watchtower or the Crows Nest from what the sailors say.


    Every Awakener on board covered their ears but surprisingly, no faces bore annoyance or anger at the sound. Instead the feelings of excitement and eagerness were heightened with the fidgety body language and tip toeing individuals trying to get a better look.


    Honk


    A few seconds later a horn from below travelled its way up to enter the ears of the Awakeners.


    The moment the horn was sounded, the heavy mist began to swirl. The swirling mist began to gradually speed up, converging to a point, which then revealed the scene hidden in the mist and the Awakeners were given a sight they would never forget.


    The Awakeners stood open-mouthed, astonished by the sight of a giant mountain that towered over the surrounding mounds of earth giving off an aura of regality and loftiness. Below the mountain was all greenery, trees covered the lower half of the mountain and the grounds surrounding it.


    Once they got closer though, they realized the giant mountain that dwarfed its surrounding family, shockingly, was sliced in half losing a good portion of its upper half and although not in full form, nothing around it came close to its imposing size and grandeur.


    Once the ship brought them closer to the mountain, they were able to see that atop the cleaved mountain was a cluster of gleaming buildings that shone from the sun beaming down and a river that glimmered under the sunlight as it coursed through and surrounded the entire town. From up above Damon realized after following the river with his eyes made a pentagon shape and each section held buildings of different color that matched with the symbolic colors of the Elements. At the center of it all was a lone island with what appeared to be a single building inhabiting the land.


    Hovering over the mountain top were a few ships flying in and out of the mountain, carrying goods or in their case people to a silver landing dock bearing the sigil of the eye of the Academy.


    ¡°Are those¡­?¡± Rodrick-the first person to break the silence of awe and reverence-spoke out of shock at the sight in front of him.


    Damon simply nodded his head too shocked at what he saw.


    After getting closer to the mountain top, they were able to find out that some of the ships that were flying around were not ships. Instead they were the legendary mounts of the Academy-Mystic Cranes.


    Mystic Cranes were magical creatures that enjoyed taking in the breeze in the air and were the size of carriages. Damon has only read about Mystic Cranes in his books and it was always a dream of his to see one in person.


    The creatures were similar to the normal White Cloud Cranes founded in the Southern Kingdoms. They are known to be both docile and friendly, even similar in build and color. The only difference was the feathers on the crown of the heads of Mystic Cranes, where the colors on White Cloud Cranes were white, Mystic Cranes feathers on the crowns of their heads could be either blue, red, green, brown or gold and each color corresponds to one of the Five Elements they are able to control. It is said that only the most gifted students or alumni of the Academy are able to own one.


    With these magical creatures leaving the books from back home to now appear in front of him in real life, Damon felt he was dreaming.


    ¡°Alright, I hope you kids got a good look because we are now about to land on your new home for the next five years.¡± Captain Hendrix brought everyone out of their reverie. The Captain was shockingly piloting the ship-The Beginning- after leaving his own ship-The Horizon Chaser- back at Soaring City.


    Damon remembered his father talking about those people who were Captains of their own ship who wouldn¡¯t even think about sailing another ship but their own. And yet there Captain Hendrix stood behind the steer smiling and laughing like a madman.


    Captain Hendix as if he heard the thoughts of Damon abruptly turned around and smiled. Damon nearly had a heart attack until he realized the Captain was smiling at something in the sky behind the ship.


    Damon turned around to spot a ship of the same size as their ship trailing not that far behind. Damon was confused on how the ship got there considering they were the only ship to make it their way. A question he would save for the golden boy.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Captain Hendrix laughed out loud before saying ¡°Captain Jakob, how was the trip to the spoiled lair?¡±


    A high pitched voice answered Captain Hendrix with annoyance clearly heard in his voice¡°You idiot. You¡¯re not supposed to say it to their faces.¡±


    Captain Hendrix simply laughed in response as he slowly landed the ship on the Academy¡¯s landing docks that were currently holding around a dozen airships, but none came close to the size of The Beginning.


    Damon and company waited with bated breath and excitement as the ramp was slowly lowered. Everyone on board soon began to make their way down the ramp, anticipation clear on their faces.


    The moment the Outer District Awakeners had their feet planted, they took a moment to scan their surroundings. The flying cranes and ships carrying people from all over the lands were eye-catching. And behind them was a cliff overlooking the rest of the mountain range was a sight to behold. They took it all in, treasuring the moment.


    ¡°This way.¡± Their treasured moment was abruptly spoiled by a nasally voice that caught their attention. Walking towards the Awakeners was a group of black robed individuals who bore different types of Elemental symbols on the left side of their chest. Leading the group was a rotund blonde-haired woman who looked like she was waddling her way towards the Awakeners who bore looks of annoyance at the interruption of their moment.


    ¡° I said ¡®this way¡¯. Your group of people deaf or something.¡± The woman''s interruption, her voice and now her comment, already had her on everyone¡¯s ¡®don¡¯t like¡¯ list.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I¡¯d listen if I were you. This woman is Grace Moon, the Assistant Department Head of the Earth School. So try not to piss her off.¡± Captain Hendrix said as he passed by the Awakeners, sending a wink towards the round woman who replied with sneer before making his way to a tall pale gaunt man who appeared to be sick. ¡° Captain Jakob, old friend, how are you?¡±


    ¡°Like the Giant said, I am Grace Moon, Assistant Department Head of the Earth School. You can call me: Ms. Grace, Assistant Department Head or Ms. Graceful.¡± Satisfied at the few nods she got, she turned to the group of black robed individuals behind her. ¡°Alright, escort the brats to the Welcoming Hall. There is still one more ship.¡±


    Damon¡¯s group were quickly escorted by a group of individuals in black robes with the Academy sigil-An eye with its iris made up of the colors that represented the Elements- to the giant building made up entirely of stone that was being held up by pillars around the same size as the pillars from the Arena back at Sparking City. From the beige color and appearance, Damon assumed the building to be made up of the surrounding mountains.


    The building was so enormous it blocked the entire landing platform from seeing what lay behind it.


    As they got closer toward the giant building, Damon was able to get a good look at the building to find a plaque hanging over the giant stone door.


    ¡®The Welcoming Hall.¡¯ The plaque was written in elegance and gave off a calming aura.


    The Outer District Awakeners stared at the sign with awe and respect, feelings that were pulled out of them the moment they set their gazes on the plaque.


    Creak


    The giant stone door slowly split open to reveal what it hid behind it. Dust and wind hit the around three hundred Awakeners who raised their hands and arms in defense. A moment later the Awakeners lowered their arms to find a hallway lit up by Illumination Stones embedded into the walls. Walls that were covered in intricate designs and swirls of colors that if observed more closely, could be seen moving.


    ¡°This way, Awakeners.¡± A girl in her teens wearing white robes lacking an Elemental symbol but still bore the Academy sigil, welcomed the Group of Awakeners with a bow before gesturing to them to follow her.


    It did not take long to reach their destination. Their destination was a giant hall at the end of the hallway with an elevated stone platform in the center that was being lit up by a giant hole in the ceiling allowing light to enter and illuminate the hall that was for some reason lacking Illumination Stones.


    Standing in front of the platform were around two hundred people in lines waiting in silence, watching them enter the room. Damon and Rodrick glanced at each other before shrugging their shoulders before following the group to stand next to a group of around twenty other Awakeners who were taking a look at their group. After a quick scan, whispers broke out amongst the crowd of Awakeners.


    ¡°Is that a Lyle?¡±


    ¡°Where? There you idiot. With the big dragon on his robes.¡±


    ¡°Look, it''s Tristan Grier. I wonder if he is as good as they say with a sword.¡±


    Similar whispers echoed through the silent hall until a loud creak travelled its way over to the five hundred Awakeners.


    Damon believed this was the group that was being led by Captain Henrix''s friend, Captain Jakob.


    ¡°That¡¯s Himel Killian ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Esther Yara.¡±


    ¡°It seems like the City of Embers is here.¡±


    Damon heard the whispers surrounding him, and turned to find the two people they were talking about.


    Leading the group was a teenage girl and a boy  who appeared to be the same age as Damon.


    The boy wore robes of orange similar to the color of flames and if someone wasn¡¯t familiar with the color of flames, the robes carried the design of flames on the hems of the robe that ended in black. A clear sign of what the family element consisted of. Besides the robes, the boy was adorned in jewelry from head to toe, showing off his wealth with a proud smirk.


    Damon observed the boy, watching as the necklaces he wore swayed just enough to spot his House sigil on his breast, a flaming bear coming out a burning forest: House Killian.


    Beside the boy was a pretty girl wearing a pink floral dress, also adorned in jewelry, only they appeared on her hand, which made it easier for Damon to spot the flaming rose in front of a green background: House Yara.


    Damon watched the group of nearly thirty people stand beside his group not bothering to look over. That is until someone caught the attention of Himel.


    ¡°LENNOX.¡± Himel shouted, his voice obvious with anger.


    ¡°Killian.¡± Damon turned to see Governor Lennox youngest son, Louis, glaring at the heir of a Great House with folded arms.


    Himel remembering the embarrassing memory of him being punched to the ground caused his face to flush with anger. ¡°YOU-¡±


    ¡°Silence¡± A raspy voice interrupted the soon to be argument.


    ¡°But big sister Esther, he was the one that¡­¡± Himel trailed off in fear of the older girl who was glaring at him.


    ¡°We are in the Academy, not Ember City. Show some respect.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Esther.¡± Himel nodded before he turned over his shoulder to glare at Louis who returned the action.


    With the short debacle over everyone went back to talking to themselves in their heads or doing whatever to keep themselves busy without making a sound.


    Damon simply began taking in his surroundings with curiosity. The hole in the ceiling was what caught his eye and after a few minutes of observation, he came to the conclusion it did not seem as if it was a design but a mark. A mark of battle. When? Damon was clueless. But for something to leave such a big hole at  The Academy. It must have been strong.


    With his investigations on the hole done, Damon shifted his attention towards the Platform that was being carried by four pillars similar to the ones outside only much smaller. Leading up to the platform was a stone staircase. What caught his attention was that the stone staircase seemed to glimmer for a few moments before going back to being a plain staircase.


    After observing the platform for a bit, Damon noticed the entire platform did the same thing. The pillars seemed to follow the walls in the hallway bearing intricate designs barely moving but glimmering. The entire thing glimmered simultaneously after every few seconds. It looked like the entire thing was alive. Like it was breathing. As Damon continued to watch the platform that was slowly being lit up by the rising sun peeking through the large hole in the ceiling, captivated by its actions, he realized it was not breathing but beating.


    Creak


    Once again the stone doors entrance was opened and everyone¡¯s attention shifted to the hallway waiting for the last group. From the way everyone adjusted themselves and the slight bows of head from those that once carried arrogance, Damon assumed that whoever was coming must be of high status.


    ¡°Welcome, Young Lord Leon Terre and Lord Garret Flint.¡± The same girl who escorted the Awakeners shockingly paused in front of the hallway and announced two names that carried history.


    Damon widened his eyes at the famous names of:Terre and Flint. Both Ancient Houses.


    A large group of around forty individuals came out the hallway being led by a pair of boys the same age as Damon smiling and scowling.


    One of the boys came out the hallway with a scowl aimed towards those in sight while wearing red robes and a golden ring, nothing to block the way of his House Sigil on his chest of a flaming fire: House Flint.


    The smiling boy in brown robes beside him simply wore a stone bead necklace that had symbols on each stone to match the sigil on his chest of a mountain: House Terre.


    The large group led by the pair of boys made their way to the center of the multiple lines. There, the groups that took up the center silently moved to the side making space for the large group who wore arrogance on their faces.


    With all groups present, it wasn¡¯t long before someone came to welcome the five hundred Awakeners.


    ¡°Welcome, young heroes,¡± A raspy and breathless voice greeted the gathered children from behind the platform. With the sun now bearing down a beam on the platform, they were only able to make out seven figures a half a dozen meters up.


    Snap


    A quick snap followed by a ball of flame appearing out of thin air, lit up the seven figures revealing an old man accompanied by six other people trailing behind him as they walked out of a doorway in the wall that no one ever noticed.


    After walking out, the doorway in the wall closed up behind them, making it appear as if the hole in the wall never existed. The display of Elemental skills did not stop there as the old man took a step and with each step a small stone platform would shoot out from the wall creating a staircase leading to the ground.


    The Awakeners kept their eyes on the small group of seven making their way to the platform in the center with synchronized footsteps that echoed through the silent hall.


    As they reached the platform, they waited in front of the stairs for a few breaths before making their way up the steps.


    The moment their feet landed on the steps, the pillars lit up with swirls of colors and symbols as if the stone platform was welcoming their presence.


    All seven individuals now stood on stage with the old man in front, scanning the crowd in front of them.


    Damon followed their actions and scanned the intimidating seven individuals standing on stage.


    ¡°Greetings Awakeners, I am Professor Richard Harris. Department Head of the School of Fire.¡± A middle-aged man in black and red robes-that like the pillars, had intricate designs found swirling in certain areas-took a step forward to introduce himself.


    After the man was the black and brown robed woman beside him who took a step forward to introduce herself with a confident smile, a smile that couldn¡¯t be missed with her green lipstick that stuck out. ¡°Hello my adorable future students. I am Professor Mara Lynn, Department Head of the School of Earth. You can call me Professor Mara or Professor Lynn. Whatever you prefer.¡± The woman ended her introduction with a flip of her brown hair that matched her robes and a smile that was mirrored by the majority of the boys, including Damon and Rodrick.


    ¡°I am Professor Gregory Quails. I am the Department Head of the Lightning School.¡± After the woman was a short bulky man nearing his fifties who bore an intimidating glare that was helped by the burn marks on his neck that peeked out his black and gold robes who spoke only what he needed to.


    Next to the intimidating man was a woman just as intimidating with her green eyes staring into the Awakeners eyes below the platform who reacted with a break of eye contact to glance at the ground or ceiling.


    ¡°Hello. I am Professor Blair Sunders. Head of the School of Wind.¡± The short haired woman started and ended her speech with no emotions.


    ¡°Good afternoon young heroes. I am Professor Lancel Laurel. I am the Department Head of the School of Water. I hope to get the chance to teach you to become Elementals whose names will echo through time.¡±


    Damon¡¯s eyes went to the Golden armored individual behind the Professors for an introduction but it seemed he wasn¡¯t going to give one and movement from the old man in front solidified his guess.


    The old man slowly walked up to the very center of the platform breathless. After a few moments of trying to catch his breath he gave a quick scan of the Awakeners before a wide smile broke out on his face. ¡° I am Lucas Fray. Dean of this Academy. And as Dean of the Academy it is my responsibility to do the honors.¡±


    ¡°AWAKENERS.¡± His shout reached the ears of the Awakeners.


    ¡° I WELCOME YOU TO THE ACADEMY OF ELEMENTALS¡±

 Ch 18: First Day

    A roar of cheers echoed through the halls. Damon and many in his group shouted and screamed at the welcome. The joy and excitement in the hall was overwhelming. Even the Professors and Dean up on the platform couldn¡¯t help but smile at the eager and excited children.


    The Dean lifted his hand and the cheers slowly died out after witnessing his actions.


    ¡°Awakeners, young heroes, I understand your eagerness and anticipation to learn about the world of Elementals. But, before you leave this hall you must first understand the responsibilities that come with entering the world of Elementals.¡± The Dean adopted a serious tone that lowered the heightened atmosphere down to a more serious and solemn one.


    ¡°I am sure you heard the stories, bad and good¡­¡± The dean paused for a moment before continuing ¡°With you now walking the path of an Elemental, these stories you heard can no longer be seen as just stories.¡± Dean Fray scanned the crowd below with a serious expression.


    ¡°They are lessons: The Civil War, The Crimson War, The Starry Nights¡­These events and the many like it should no longer repeat themselves. History is meant to teach those listening to understand the mistakes, the failures and the successes of our predecessors. We must choose wisely how we journey the path ahead." The Dean paused.


    "Because the journey will always inspire the result.¡±


    The Dean¡¯s serious demeanor soon morphed into a friendly neighborhood grandpa as he spoke with a smile. ¡°Grant.¡± The moment he called out, a black and blue haired young man in his twenties donned in purple robes walked out of the hallway to make his presence known.


    ¡°With that being said, go forth young heroes. Go and create the path that many others will proudly follow.¡±


    ***


    The afternoon sun bore down with sweltering heat, attacking the many people under its gaze. Although the summer was ending and the fall season was entering, the heat was still unbearable. The many folks of the Academy from servants to guards and students to professors everyone was feeling the effects. The only group who held no care for the heat was a crowd of around five hundred kids happily touring the Academy, their new home for the next five years.


    Walking towards whatever destination they were heading to, Damon and his future classmates took the opportunity to take in their surroundings, pointing out scenes that caught their eye.


    ¡°Look at the building over there it has fire blowing out of it.¡± Rodrick pointed out a black and red building that resembled a tower with five floors releasing occasional bursts of fire from each floor.


    ¡°Look at those trees. They¡¯re huge. And look at all the different colors of leaves.¡± Is that a deer? The thing over there, look.¡± They pointed at a deer with three pupils enjoying its day traversing the woods of the Academy that could be entered through the Wind District.


    ¡°What are those for?¡± The question on everyone¡¯s mind was the same as the speaker as they were staring at the staircase that led to a platform around a half a dozen meters above ground in confusion and curiosity. A fair emotion to be had as the area they were in was the Lightning District.


    ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°They look like they have been for a long time.¡± Six boulders laid in a circle surrounding a pedestal that held a small rock was the next spectacle to catch the attention of the kids. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s to help the Earth Elementals to control their powers.¡±


    ¡°Is that a Lake? Behind those buildings.¡± Sunny spotted a crystal clear body of water laying in between a cluster of what appeared to be huts.


    The crowd of Awakeners were enjoying the sights they were getting with their  tour of the Academy. Visiting all five districts and spotting all sorts of interesting sights from buildings to natural resources to animals and even people.


    ¡°Look over there, they¡¯re training.¡± Damon pointed to a group of around a dozen teenagers standing side by side in a line on a small clearing that seemed to be used for training as they were just about to leave the Water District to reach the center of the Academy where they will be learning for their first year.


    The group of teenagers stood still in blue robes billowing from the breeze as they were being instructed by a man in black robes with a blue water emblem on his chest. Although they couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying, he must have been teaching them ways to control water because the moment he stopped speaking, the small group pulled out the canteens on their waists and opened them up.


    The moment they did water slowly came flowing out the canteen to form a floating ball of water in front of them.


    The magical sight kept the Academy¡¯s arrivals, frozen in awe. An amusing sight it must have been as laughter broke out in front of them. The around five hundred Awakeners whipped their heads to the noise spotting a teenage girl donned in similar blue robes to the rest of the students here in the Water District.


    ¡°Forgive me, you all just made quite a sight.¡± The girl giggled before fixing the blue strand that escaped her bun behind her ear after giving a bow. ¡° I am Kriston Laurel. Second year. Pleased to meet you all.¡± Kriston smiled before spotting the young man in purple robes leading the group making his way from the front to the back to stand in front of her. ¡°Oh, hello cousin-I mean Assistant Professor Laurel.¡± The blue haired girl bowed her head once again after seeing the tall man.


    ¡°Hello Kriston. Do you mind telling me why I see you out here but not with your class down there?¡± Assistant Professor Laurel spoke with a hint of reprimand hidden in his voice.


    Kriston could only let out a nervous giggle at the question before she quickly looked over her shoulder to shout ¡°What was that Professor, you want me down there? I¡¯ll be right there.¡± After answering the voice only she could hear, she turned back towards the frowning future Professor and the smirking first years behind him ¡°You heard him,¡± She pointed her thumb behind her. ¡°Gotta go.¡±


    Damon watched the girl rushing down the stairs with her blue hair nearly leaving its bun with a smile of amusement.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Rodrick cleared his throat beside him pulling Damon¡¯s attention but before he could lay his eyes on Rodrick, he locked eyes with a pair dark brown eyes, nearly black.


    Damon smiled at Amelia who quickly turned her head and began to walk with the group.


    ¡°Uh oh. A lovers quarrel? Tut tut.¡± Rodrick whispered into Damon''s ears resulting in a glare.


    ¡°Shut up. What about you? What happened to Kira?¡± The name instantly brought an aura of gloom around the tall mustached teenager. Rodrick didn¡¯t even bother saying anything. Instead, all he did was point with his chin and Damon following the direction found Kira and Tristan walking together. Sunny and Baron walked in front of them leading the way.


    Damon pointed at the pair of boys and said ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn they were right beside us.¡±


    Rodrick, annoyed, explained ¡°They wanted to know about the history of the place.¡± With a roll of his eyes he continued ¡° So what if he¡¯s from a Great House. Its history couldn¡¯t compare to the other Great Houses here. He probably doesn¡¯t even know that much more than us.¡± Rodrick ended his complaints with a fold of his arms as he kept side-eyeing the group.


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    Damon could only leave his friend alone with his jealous thoughts as he continued to scan his surroundings. Building after building entered his sights. Damon was at first confused at the numerous buildings he spotted because as far as his knowledge goes, the number of students registered into the Academy should not have exceeded more than twelve hundred and the number of Professors and other staff should not be more than two hundred. The amount of buildings he spotted should at least be around two hundred.


    But during the tour, he found out that many of the buildings were used as training facilities, storages, supplies made for the Academy and then dorms for the workers that man them.


    After leaving the Water District, they began to make their way towards the center of the Academy to an island in the middle of all five districts that was connected by five bridges each leading to a district.


    The one in front of them was the bridge connected to the Water District. A drop of water was the emblem embedded into the ground in front of the stone bridge to help understand where you stood.


    Damon followed the bridges connecting to the island to find it held no other buildings but one.


    The building, unlike the others from the five districts, held no elemental color. The tall building was bare of any bright colors. The large midnight colored building consists of ten floors and is the center of knowledge for all Elementals. It is why it is known as the heart of both the Academy and Republic.


    Humanity¡¯s Gift.


    Those were the words that welcomed the Awakeners on the other side of the bridge, from a giant plaque that was hanging from in between the ninth and tenth floor of the tower.


    ¡°This building here is called the ¡®Heart¡¯ for the inhabitants here or ¡®Humanity¡¯s Gift¡¯ for those outside.¡± Professor Laurel¡¯s face was filled with reverence as he looked up at the tower in front. Standing this close to the lone building was just enough for the Awakeners to feel the grand and ancient aura exuding from the tower.


    ¡°It earned the name after the Great War due to it giving birth to the first generation of the Lords of Elements. The Heroes of Humanity.¡± Professor Laurel wore a proud look on his face as he continued. ¡°Humanity¡¯s Gift. The name it bears has lived up to its origins for thousands of years. Heroes in the forms of Divine Generals and Lords of Elements have entered this building as budding heroes before leaving it as ¡®Heroes¡¯. Heroes worthy of the title¡±


    The words put the ambitious bunch in a trance, imagining themselves saving people, having people chant their names in reverence or having tales told about their life hundreds of years in the future.


    ¡°Right,¡± Professor Laurel clapped his hands together bringing everyone out of their reverie to focus on him and the next words he was about to say.


    ¡°Well I believe that should be the end of the tour everyone.¡± Professor announced to the five hundred Awakeners who groaned in response.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go in?¡± Himel Killian voiced out his complaint only for the girl in her teens, Esther Yara who stood beside him to elbow his arm.


    Assistant Professor Laurel smiled at the sight before explaining. ¡°Well we can''t, not everyone is here.¡± His explanation immediately resulted in raised brows and glances to their surroundings wondering who was missing.


    Assistant Professor Laurel prepared himself for what happened next as he knew what was to come once he voiced the other half of the explanation.


    ¡°The Southern Kingdoms and the Eastern Isles will be attending the Academy. They will be here tomorrow¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even get to the latter half of his explanation before his prediction came true.


    Chaos.


    ¡°The Southern Kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to learn with traitors?¡±


    ¡°And thieves. Why in the Spirits, weren¡¯t we given notice?¡±


    ¡°Does my father know of this slight?¡±


    ¡°My brother died in the Southern Borders. How in the Spirits am I supposed to learn with my brother''s killers?¡±


    Questions and statements of disbelief and hatred were thrown at the now frowning Professor Laurel.


    ¡°Ahem¡±


    After a minute of constant complaints, Professor Laurel finally chose to butt in by clearing his throat and it was enough for the chaos to die out.


    ¡° I understand your frustrations, believe me. Many of my ancestors have died fighting the Southern Kingdoms at the borders or during the many wars and the Eastern Isles have been a long time enemy of my House. I was angry as well when I was told of these plans. But¡­¡± Professor shared his thoughts before trying to explain to the angry children in front of him. ¡°But don¡¯t you want this to all end? This a chance for there to be no more bloodshed. No more pain. No more hate. If this succeeds we will be halving the world''s problems and making our descendants'' lives much easier¡±


    Professor Laurel scanned the more tamed Awakeners for a moment before taking this chance to separate them. ¡° Well, just think about it. You should all know where your dorms are, head there now and get yourselves ready for tomorrow. The sun is coming down and Classes will begin tomorrow once the bells toll and those doors behind me will open for you budding heroes. For you, Heroes of Tomorrow.¡±


    ***


    Damon and eleven others stood beside him, staring at an old man slouched over sleeping behind a desk.


    Ding ding


    ¡°Sir, hello? Sir?¡± Damon watched a short blonde chubby girl wave her hands at the sleeping old man, something she has been doing for the last five minutes.


    ¡°Ughh, Forget it. I guess it''s your turn.¡±  Damon frowned  before focusing on the old man behind the desk that they have been trying to wake up for the last half an hour.


    ¡°Sir, please wake up. We¡¯ve been here for nearly an hour. Our legs are killing us sir.¡± Damon pleaded for the man to wake up and give them their keys.


    ¡°Like I said, just jump over the table and grab our keys.¡± A platinum blond haired boy similar in age to Damon, only taller, rolled his green eyes before once again suggesting his idea that was brought up earlier but was rejected, only now gaining support the more time passed.


    The chubby blond girl replied to the boy''s suggestion ¡°You keep saying that but I have never seen you take one step towards the desk.¡± A sneer soon formed on the chubby girl¡¯s face ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it? You¡¯re the one that keeps suggesting the idea.¡±


    ¡°How about you get over the table? Afraid it¡¯ll break?¡±


    ¡°What did you just say, pretty boy?¡± The chubby girl with trembling cheeks and tearful eyes glared at the blond boy who rolled his eyes at her gathered tears.


    ¡°Should I repeat it?¡±


    The question pulled a fighting reaction out of the chubby blond girl who ran to the cause of her tears only for her to be pulled back by a pair of girls who were the only other girls amongst those who Awakened the Lightning Element.


    ¡° What¡¯s going on here?¡± A voice from the entrance interrupted the soon-to-be fight. All eyes shifted over to find a teenage boy with a blonde buzzcut standing at the doorway of the building donned in golden robes.


    Silence was the only answer the teenager in golden robes received, an answer he wasn¡¯t a fan of. ¡° I am not going to repeat myself again, what is going on here?¡±


    The chubby girl wiping her tears, pointed at the sleeping old man behind the desk before explaining their troubles.


    The boy in gold robes after hearing the tale frowned before he marched his way over to the slouched old man. ¡°Did you enjoy the show, old man? If you did, reward them with their keys to their dorms.¡±


    All twelve Awakeners immediately frowned after hearing this, before scrutinizing the old man.


    Damon doing the same spotted a twitch in the side of the old man¡¯s mouth and instantly felt enraged.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t. I will shoot down to the Heart to report you again.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± A groan left the old man once he heard the boy. Rubbing his eyes, he squinted at the younger kids before saying ¡° Ah, new Awakeners. Why didn¡¯t you wake me? Mhm? Jasper, what are you doing here?¡± The old man feigned surprise at his visitors causing those around him to glare at him. Ignoring the glares he reached down underneath the desks and pulled out a few keys. ¡°The boys take the left stairs and the girls take the right. Enjoy your stay.¡± The old man placed the keys on the counter before smiling.


    Damon, annoyed and tired, just chose to grab his keys and dart to his assigned room. Once there, he opened the door and took a scan of the room. There wasn¡¯t much. It had a bed, a small window above it and a wardrobe on the opposite side of the bed. Although quite plain, it was enough.


    Diving into his bed, Damon stared up at the ceiling with a smile. A smile of excitement and anticipation for what was to come before going to bed.


    His first day.

 CH. 19: The Heart Known As Humanitys Gift

    The sound of a bell tolling travelled through the air causing a murder of crows to take to take flight towards the dark skies of the early morning leaving behind their temporary rest stop of gargoyles.


    The stone gargoyles stayed crouched over arched windows overlooking the ground below with amethyst gem filled eyes. Although eye-catching, it still could not compare to their grinning faces that revealed rows of sharp teeth. An intimidating sight for both enemies and allies.


    Damon felt glad he was the latter. The mystery of what would happen to him if he was an enemy, sent chills down his spine. Although he wasn''t an enemy, he couldn¡¯t help but spare a few more glances at the grinning gargoyles, afraid they would move or even twitch if he wasn¡¯t looking.


    With the building they being the Heart of the Academy, who knew if the gargoyles were actually just statues or secret guardians.


    Spotting no movement with the stone creatures, Damon shifted his attention to the statues that he was quite positive were secret guardians of the Academy:


    The Twins.


    The Twins were two bowing statues guarding the front doors to the Academy. It said if any enemies were to cross any of the five bridges and enter the lone island of the Heart, they would change from bowing to standing tall to reach their full height of ten meters, a sharp contrast to the ten foot double doors they guarded.


    The ten foot double doors were the last guard to the Heart. It is said it was made out of rocks falling from the sky, gifts from the Spirits to help guard the place of knowledge. No one knows how strong they are and Damon hoped he would never have to know.


    ¡°DAMON,OVER HERE.¡± Damon, hearing his name called, was pulled out of his reverie and followed the noise where he spotted Rodrick sticking out with his tall stature among the crowd of a thousand Awakeners. A record breaking number that hasn¡¯t been reached since the Traitors War. Likely because the reason for the shrink and increase was finally attending the Academy of Elementals.


    Damon spared a glance over at the foreigners standing off to the side. Damon never met people from the Southern Kingdoms, so his eyes couldn¡¯t help but gravitate towards them. Especially considering that they all looked ¡®normal¡¯. From all the stories he heard from when he was younger he thought they would be more¡­ferocious.


    Damon reaching Rodrick couldn¡¯t help but notice the new clothes on his friend. Rodrick donned a red robe that had a black sash tied around the waist to keep the robe tight with an eye that had a flame for a pupil placed on his left breast. Damon was in a similar style robe, only it was in gold with a black sash and the eye had a lightning bolt for a pupil.


    ¡°Well, what number did you get?¡± Rodrick tossed a question out the moment Damon reached speaking range.


    Damon lifted his hand up to show a piece of paper in his hand.


    ¡°Nice. We got the same number:1¡± Rodrick smiled as he showed the piece of paper given to him before crossing the bridge. Rodricks smile quickly shifted to puzzlement. ¡°What do you think it means?¡±


    Damon shrugged before turning his attention to the extra five hundred plus Awakeners.


    ¡°They got here last night I heard. Just a few hours after we were sent to our dorms. Spirits, it''s cold.¡± Rodrick shared his recently acquired information with Damon with folded arms. ¡°Speaking of dorms, I heard you Lightning Elementals all get a room to yourselves since there aren''t a lot of you.¡± Sunny playing with his black sash that held his brown robes said in a tone full of envy.


    Damon raised a brow at Rodrick, confused at the question. ¡°You share your dorm?¡± Damon asked his friend for confirmation.


    The question immediately brought frowns on his friend¡¯s faces, especially Kira.


    ¡°What''s wrong Kira? Your roommate, giving you troubles?¡±


    Kira responded to Damon with a simple shrug. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡±Kira spoke with gritted teeth.


    Damon laughed at the amusing reaction before turning his head to continue his earlier observations of the foreigners. His first choice of observation was the Southern Kingdoms where a pair of silver-haired twins were the first to catch his eye not only for their eye-catching visuals but their presence. The pair of girl and boy standing in front of the Southern Kingdoms with a wide berth of space gave a hint who held the power amongst the Southern Kingdoms.


    During his observation, he couldn¡¯t help but glance at the pair''s attractive silver hair. A genetic trait found only in the Royal family of the Silver Lake Kingdom. A kingdom famous for its many military accolades, mainly against the Republic.


    Behind the pair of twins was another eye-catching individual standing around the same height as Rodrick but with a build that was chasing after Captain Hendrix. With his physique, it was obvious he was from the Kingdom of Harkon, a well known warrior like kingdom that wasn¡¯t known for their strategies in war, but their pure savagery for blood.They were probably the closest description to the horror stories told about the Southern Kingdoms.


    A few meters away from the Southern Kingdoms, was a boy in his early teens who easily caught Damon¡¯s attention with a toothpick in his mouth and an arrogant smile on his face.


    The first thing Damon noticed about the boy was his navy blue hair that he first mistaken as black before faint lights from the horizon broke. The second was the tattoo of what appeared to be a trident on the side of his head that would be easily covered if he let down his hair or cut it.


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    The Trident. The sigil for the Royal Family of the Eastern Isles, descendants of the famous Pirate Queen who was responsible for the war known as the Commoner¡¯s Call.


    Damon was sadly disappointed at the attire of the Eastern Isles. From the stories he read and tales he heard, pirates walked with one leg and wore eye patches. But from the bunch in front of him, it appeared they were not as fond of missing a few pieces of themselves.


    ¡°Sunrise is what I heard.¡± Pulling his attention away, Damon tuned into the conversation his fellow Outer District inhabitants were discussing.


    ¡°I heard we were getting in at noon.¡± Sunny happily added in his own rumor that not a single one believed, causing the youngest to pout at his failed attempt at starting a rumor.


    Damon shook his head in frustration, ¡°Why bring us out here so early? Why sunrise?¡±


    The question found no answers from the group. Damon had a feeling no one knew why they had to wake up well before the bell. Why the old man from last night who was manning the front desk would be at his door shouting for him to wake up before the sun even graced the lands with its warm presence.


    ¡°Look up there.¡± A voice pulled everyone¡¯s attention to a balcony on the seventh floor of the towering building. Movement came from within and out came the familiar figure of Dean Frey, being flanked by Commander Grant in his golden armor.


    Complaints from earlier no longer left the lips who told them, instead kept inside in fear of the Dean hearing them. So silence was all that met the ears of the Dean whose eyes never left the horizon.


    Damon, curious about the Dean¡¯s actions, mirrored them and in a few minutes spotted a beam of light break out from the horizon followed by many others which dyed the former night sky into a pale soft blend of pink and orange across the that was on the verge of turning into a blue sky.


    After a few more minutes, the round gold ruler of the skies appeared on the horizon, bringing light while pushing back the darkness to reveal what lay underneath it.


    Damon watched the scene in awe at the beautiful view. His earlier complaints receded from his mind to make space for the view to fill his head so he may once again visit the memory again if he ever left.


    The dozens of mountains surrounding them lit up by the orange and now yellow glow with Mystic Cranes cutting through the air. passing through the forested surroundings that were waking up from its slumber.


    Damon enjoyed the gorgeous view. A sight he believed his family would enjoy. Damon let out a sigh at the thought of his family and wondered what they were up to.


    As the darkness began to retreat, sunlight gradually reached them giving off a warm glow that made the earlier morning chill dissipate.


    ¡°Attention.¡± Shifting their attention back to the balcony, they saw the Dean of the Academy turn around and look up towards the very top of the building. The many eyes that were on the Dean quickly followed to find out what caught his attention.


    Damon scanned the building and found nothing in his search for the last minute or two, so he instead took in the art of the building in more detail as he never got the chance to see since yesterday they never crossed the bridge to get the heart of the Academy and when he got here, the building was barely visible. After a quick scan, Damon found no other balcony other than the one the Dean stood on.


    All he saw were familiar little swirls that were found on walls and engraved wordings he couldn¡¯t decipher or recognize being lit up.


    Seeing it was useless to try and decipher it, Damon switched his attention to the gargoyles that stood above every arched window like guardians with their amethyst gem filled eyes as they stared out. The entire building gave off an aura of mystery.


    With the rising sun, its light slowly reached the midnight black tower causing an immediate reaction from the tower. Waking up the once drowsy crowd with the words and swirls on the building lighting up in purple. The gargoyles that Damon was observing earlier began gleaming under the sunlight and their eyes started to glow. As the sun began to rise its light slowly lit up the entire building pulling shock and reverence out of the spectators. Finally the building was fully lit up by the sun casting an amethyst color glow over its spectators.


    The purple swirls and unfamiliar writings slowly began to dim after a few minutes. Until only a single area of amethyst light remained.


    Up at the very top of the tower was an eye. An eye that was glowing.


    Everyone watched the mysterious amethyst colored eye for a moment until the eye suddenly blinked and the amethyst color was replaced by the five colors of the element: first red then blue then to green and from green to brown to finally ending in gold.


    The eye blinked again and all the colors disappeared, returning to its plain silver colored pupils overlooking the Academy.


    Dean Fray bowed to the eye, an action mimicked by everyone, before turning back to the Awakeners with a smile.


    ¡°The Academy welcomes you.¡±


    A loud groan emitted from the large double doors brought the nervous but excited first year''s attention back down, ready for whatever comes their way.


    Colors.


    Bright Colors are what immediately greeted the first years after passing the double doors, a sharp contrast to the dark and gloomy exterior of the Heart.


    A large hall painted in gold with high ceilings covered in the same swirls and inscriptions from outside welcomed the First Years.


    Chandeliers full of Illumination stones hung from the ceilings, ready to light the room once the golden glow coming through the multiple arched windows from outside would disappear. Couches, chairs, and tables scattered across the entire first floor. While bookshelves could be found attached to the walls of the first floor carrying books for the curious and knowledge hungry.


    The entire hall gave a more welcoming and relaxing air in comparison to its exterior.


    ¡°Welcome Awakeners,¡± Everyone¡¯s attention shifted their rights and found a double staircase leading up to the second floor where a man in purple robes stood and welcomed them with a smile. ¡°Nice to see you all again. I hope you had a good night''s rest.¡± Assistant Professor Laurel greeted the large crowd whilst sending a smile of acknowledgment to those he recognized.


    ¡°Are you all ready for your first day?¡± Assistant Professor Laurel asked


    Nods, nervous chuckles, and involuntary shaking of heads were the responses given.


    "Well, the moment you come up, you better be.¡± The Assistant Professor looked over his shoulder before nodding and turning back to the crowd of Awakeners. ¡°Right, I shall keep it simple and short so listen carefully.¡±


    ¡°There are five rooms numbered 1-10 on them. Whatever number you were assigned you will enter that room¡­¡± Assistant Professor Laurel paused to scan the crowd and found a good number of nods before continuing. ¡°Once you enter, have a seat and wait for your assigned Professor.¡±


    Ending his instructions with a nod, Assistant Professor Laurel looked over his shoulder once again before turning back with welcoming smile.


    ¡°Come on up, your first day begins.¡±

 Ch.20: Elemental History

    The air of classroom 2-1 was heavy with tension. Whispers broke out amongst the around one hundred seated students who were split down the middle by a staircase, where it led up to another area filled with a smaller amount of desks occupied by around a dozen individuals who were given a more aerial view. All three sides were eyeing the other with wary glances. A clear sign that the three sides held no positive views on each other.


    The whispers quickly died out the moment the entrance to the classroom opened and in came a middle-aged man in black and red robes¡° Hello class 2-1, I am professor Harris. I will be your professor for your entire duration as a first year. Of course, unless something comes up. Hopefully nothing does.¡± Professor Harris muttered the latter part before smiling at class ¡°During your duration as a student of mine, you will be learning Elemental history, responsibilities of an Elemental, differences in strength between Elementals, basics of Elements and of course, meditation.¡± Professor Harris ended his lesson plan for the year with a clap of his hands. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    The entire class scanned each other, trying not to get the attention of the professor. Of course there were a few who would relish the chance of receiving the attention of a professor.


    A boy a bit on the heavier side with blonde slick back hair raised his hand, waving it frantically, in fear of the professor not being able to see it although the boy sat in the front.


    Professor Harris nodded at the eager kid to ask.


    The chubby kid stood up and began to clear his throat before asking¡°Why are you here professor? Shouldn¡¯t you be in an office somewhere? You¡¯re the Department Head of my Fire School.¡± The chubby blond kid gestured to his attire of red robes. ¡° You should send someone else and take a break.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you not wish for me to be your professor?¡± The question immediately flustered the boy who frantically shook his head in denial.


    ¡°No, no, I-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Professor Harris let out a laugh before telling him he was merely joking.


    ¡°Name?¡± Professor Harris smiled at the blonde boy who replied with ¡°Miles Briggs.¡±


    Professor Harris paused for a moment after hearing the name, appearing to be in thought before recognition fell on his face. ¡°Ah, yes. Your Mathew Briggs younger brother.¡±


    Miles couldn¡¯t help but stand a little straighter after hearing this. His brother being known by the Department Head of the Fire School must¡¯ve meant his half-brother was doing extremely well for himself.


    Professor Harris gestured for Miles to take a seat before he began pacing the floor ¡°In regards to your question, the Academy thought it would be a good idea to have the Department Heads to take lead in your education this year considering¡­¡± Professor Harris waved at the three sides. ¡°We have a much larger group this year.¡±


    All sides of the class hearing this shared a quick glance at each other before shifting their attention back to the professor who was watching their reactions with a small smile.


    ¡°Any other questions? Anything about the lesson plan? No? Ok, then let''s start.¡±


    Damon watched Professor Harris with his back turned to his students writing down on the chalkboard in big lettering:Elemental History.


    ¡°Can anyone tell me the story of our beginnings?¡± Professor Harris asked the students, putting an emphasis on the word ¡®our¡¯. Considering the Southern Kingdoms and the Eastern Isles were still a part of the Republic at the time, the word ¡®our¡¯ fit. No matter how many glares and sneers were formed at the word, it was the truth.


    A girl from the Southern kingdoms side was picked to retell the tale of these lands when it was once formerly known as the Quint Empire.


    Damon recalled his history lessons about the founding of the Republic. Monsters invading the land, Quint Empire falling after losing their heirs. The Republic after this then chose to form after the collapse of the large empire. It was history taught to everyone since they were a child. It was also the same story as the girl who was chosen to reiterate the tale told.


    Professor Harris carried a hint of a smile by the end of the story. A mocking smile.


    ¡°Is that the history you were told?¡± The hundred plus students, although confused at the question with an obvious answer, still chose to nod.


    ¡°Do you believe it?¡± Puzzlement filled the classroom of 2-1 at the question. The question made everyone feel as if the story they learned wasn¡¯t true.


    Damon and Rodrick shared a glance of confusion before turning back to their grinning professor.


    ¡°Well,¡± Professor Harris began pacing the stage he stood on. ¡°what if I told you¡­¡± Locking eyes with every student he passed, professor Harris paused and abruptly turned around to face the word ¡®History¡¯ written on the board before continuing ¡°The history lessons you got were missing a few parts.¡± Professor Harris shook his head, feeling his choice of words weren¡¯t right and corrected himself. ¡°No, no, no. I mean key parts of history.¡±


    Professor Harris pointed at the word ¡®Elemental¡¯ and said ¡°Elemental History is the subject. The key word is Elemental.¡±


    Professor Harris turned back to face his students ¡°The history you have been taught has come from the words of mortals.¡± With a face of disapproval he shook his head before continuing. ¡°What you will be learning today will be the history passed down from generation to generation through the written history of us: Elementals¡±


    Professor Harris'' disapproving look from earlier disappeared, replaced by a more serious and stern appearance.


    ¡°Today¡¯s lesson is about our origin.¡±


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    ¡°It all began over three thousand years ago when we citizens of the Republic were once under the rule of the Quint Empire.¡±


    Professor Harris walked to his desk and pulled out a pair of candles out of his desk before making his way to the side of the room. ¡°The Quint Empire was once a mighty empire that spanned the entire eastern regions on the edges of our continent: Elementia. It was a different time then.¡± Everyone in the classroom had their curious eyes glued on Professor Harris pulling the blinds of the windows down, darkening the room.


    ¡°The Eastern Isles of today did not exist as they were still a part of the continent not yet broken off. The Southern Borders did not exist either as the idea of splitting the Empire in two would do more harm than good and The Northern Ridges were not the desolate lands of today."


    "Of course the Quint Empire also came with some down sides. Anyone know?¡± Professor Harris couldn¡¯t help but lock eyes with every student he passed as he continued to pull the blinds down until he reached the last window and pulled. The room, now in darkness, only lit up by the small window on the door allowing light from the hall to enter.


    ¡°The Quint Empire couldn¡¯t compete with us in numbers of Elementals. They didn¡¯t even make up half our numbers.¡± A voice from beside Miles caught everyone¡¯s attention. The owner of the voice sat straight with a calm expression, not bothered with the hundred pairs of eyes on him.


    ¡°That is correct Draven. I see the Lyle family has been giving you a few well known secrets among us Elementals.¡± Professor Harris smiled before continuing his history lesson. ¡°Like what Mr. Draven here said, there weren¡¯t many Elementals. The reason being that at the time only those of noble blood could Awaken.¡±


    The reveal made everyone furrow their brows. To only give those of noble blood sounded impossible. Unheard of. As everyone knew the Spirits blessed all their children who they found worthy. No matter the bloodline.


    ¡°But that shouldn''t be the most shocking thing about history you should be all that concerned about. Instead it is the legendary Dark Forest¡­¡± Professor Harris paused for a brief moment before speaking of a shocking truth. ¡°for it was once traversable.¡±


    The history reveal instantly brought out reactions from shock to disbelief from the students.


    ¡°Yes, I know, I know I had the same reaction.¡± Professor Harris paused midway down the stairs after observing their reactions. ¡°The Dark Forest? The same one that has killed Lords of Elements and dozens of Divine Generals? That Dark Forest?¡± Professor Harris spoke out their thoughts before answering. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You see, the Dark Forest was once traversable because of the immense amount of resources coming from multiple powers.¡± Professor Harris once again began making his way down the stairs and back to the front. ¡°Of course only the Royal Family and their closest confidantes were able to take the path.¡± he muttered the last part over the chatter in the room.


    ¡°Yes, multiple powers, you heard me right.¡± Professor Harris made his way on stage only to stop midway and point at himself ¡°Us,¡± before moving his finger behind him and saying. ¡°And them. The Empires on the other side of the Dark Forest.¡±


    Classroom 2-1 broke out into clamors, arguing about whether it was true or not. Words of disbelief were out into the air at the shocking reveal of other human empires existing. Quickly followed by questions:


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t we been in contact with any of them?¡±


    ¡°Are we in contact?¡±


    ¡°Were they there during the Great War?¡±


    Damon, although also in disbelief that all this time they weren¡¯t the only human powers in the world, still chose to remain silent and keep his eyes on Professor Harris reaching the front door to grasp the beads on a rope.


    ¡°Dead.¡± With a pull, Professor Harris casts the room in darkness whilst silencing the rowdy students. ¡°They are all dead.¡±


    Snap


    With a snap of a finger, a flicker of a flame was summoned and lit the pair of candles in Professor Harris'' hand giving the room a small orange glow pushing back the darkness.


    Every pair of eyes in the room watched carefully as Professor Harris made his way back onstage.


    ¡°Killed and hunted by monsters on the other side of Dark Forest. The remnants of those once mighty empires who were afraid they would be wiped out of existence made the decision to travel the Dark Forest and find sanctuary in the Quint Empire. Over two hundred years ago was when they entered and we were introduced for the first time to dragons, elves, giants and dwarves who brought the news of the monsters on the other side.¡±


    ¡°And so the Quint Empire prepared. Standing ready for the last stand of all life. And they stood for over two hundred years but nothing came.¡±


    With both hands he pulled a small part of  the small flames from the candle to float in front of him.


    The students watched in awe at the show of Elemental power. It did not stop there as the small flames gradually grew in size until it reached the size of a baby and continued growing.


    ¡°After two hundred years, with no signs of movement or reports from their scouts, the Emperor at that time found it a waste of resources and abandoned the Western Side of the world.¡±


    The flame, now reaching the size of a washbasin. ¡°A mistake. A mistake that would cost the lives of millions and cause the destruction of the once mighty Quint Empire.¡±


    With a wave, Professor Harris created a creature of mysterious origin out of his ball of flames.


    The intimidating creature stood on two muscular legs that had thighs the size of a human waist with arms that could crush you in half and teeth that would have no trouble piercing through bone to reach your heart.


    Professor Harris scanned the dim room and was still able to spot the fear in his students eyes as they were stuck in a trance watching the creature.


    ¡°Enhancers. And from what the records describe these creatures as:They stand around seven feet tall with pale skin that is as thick as leather with purple swirls found across their bodies similar to the purple swirls in their eyes. They were heavily feared as they could shockingly take on the brunt of powers from Elementals with their enhanced bodies. Not only that but they also possess what we call Cursed Gems, stones given the ability to allow its user to use Elemental powers for a few moments¡±


    Damon watched the familiar creature made out of flames in disbelief. He has seen similar creatures before in some history books when he was younger. Except the stories talked about them having wings and claws, appearing hideous from scars and burns. Not standing on two feet, appearing similar to a human.


    ¡°And do not be fooled by their appearances. They are not human. With their numbers reaching thousands and having powers that could contend with strong creatures, it was no wonder they destroyed empires.¡± Professor Harris glared at his creation. "These things are simply monsters. Monsters created by a madman."


    ¡° From the records, they are experiments. Experiments from some madman on the other side of the Dark Forest.¡± Professor Harris wore a face of disgust as he explained in more detail about the creature.


    Damon and everyone in the class was dumbfounded at the constant secrets of their history. They knew creatures with the ability to take down Elementals existed but they didn¡¯t think those creatures amounted to more than a few thousand. And those few thousand all stay in either the Dark Forest or The Northern Ridges.


    ¡°Of course all those enhanced powers and Cursed Gems never met a Lord of Element.¡± Smiles and smirks that carried pride could be found on everyone¡¯s faces including Professor Harris. With a wave of a hand the mysterious creature morphed back into a ball flame.


    "Well, I¡¯m sure all of you should know what happened then.¡± And with years of practice,Professor Harris raised a finger and the bell rang signaling the end of their first class.


    ¡°Alright, that will be all class. You may now leave. And enjoy this week¡¯s single classes because next week you will all be assigned to more classes.¡± Professor Harris reminded the class as everyone began filing out with a secret only they as Elementals knew.

 Ch.21: Conflicts

    Walking out the double doors and past the Twins, Damon, Rodrick and Baron spotted Kira and Sunny. Making their way to the excitedly waving Sunny and the slightly embarrassed Kira both sides sent questions.


    By both sides, it was mainly Damon and Sunny.


    ¡°What did you guys learn?¡± Damon, eager to know if everyone was taught the same shocking history, asked.


    ¡°Who is your professor?¡± Sunny asked with curiosity dripping from his question.


    All three boys answered simultaneously ¡°Professor Harris.¡±


    ¡°History. The true history.¡± Kira answered Damon with a faraway look.


    Before Damon could ask another question, a hand landed on his shoulder causing him to stop and find out the hand was connected to a very serious Rodrick.


    ¡°Who is your Professor?¡± Damon, annoyed at his serious facade, was about to scold his friend but a certain individual with green lips and pretty face popped into his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get Professor Mara.¡± Kira, annoyed, gave a side glance at the trio she found pathetic at the moment.


    ¡°No, no, no. He was asking. Not me.¡± Damon tried to hide his guilt by passing it over to Rodrick.


    ¡°We just happened to be next to you guys and heard the conversation." Baron gave an excuse that made no sense causing Damon to glare at him.


    ¡°I did.¡± Sunny smiled happily, with his chest puffed out knowing the trio would be jealous. The glares he felt made him feel even more proud.


    ¡°Hey guys.¡± A familiar voice greeted the group from behind where a pale dark-haired girl came jogging over clutching a small bag.


    ¡°Why hello Amelia.¡± Rodricks voice adopted a more exaggerated tone at the girl¡¯s presence followed by the rest of the group¡¯s greetings.


    ¡°Where are you guys headed?¡± Amelia questioned.


    ¡°To the Fire District of course.¡± Sunny answered with excitement. ¡°I heard their food is the best out of the Five Districts.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Rodrick asked but not before giving Damon a wink.


    Amelia''s eyes shifted to the ground before lifting them back up to answer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not doing anything, want to come along?¡±Kira offered and received the answer in a form of a shy nod.


    Everybody turned around and began making their way to the cafeteria but the frozen figure of Rodrick halted everyone.


    Damon, worried about his friend, walked over and asked ¡°Hey you good?¡±


    Rodrick answered with a blank expression. ¡°She helped me out. She knew I was trying to get Amelia to come with us for you and she helped me out.¡± Rodrick''s face soon broke out into a full grin of happiness.


    Damon, appalled at his friend''s reaction, could only look up to the sky desperately.


    ¡°Spirits help me.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I swear she knew what she was doing. I¡¯m telling you.¡± Rodrick held the chicken drum in hand using it to point at the exhausted Damon. The boys continued their earlier argument as the girls headed to the restroom.


    ¡°And I¡¯m telling you for the thousandth time, she didn¡¯t. She just needed another friend who was a girl.¡± Damon wiped off the specks of sauce on his face from his friend¡¯s meal once again.


    Rodrick, tired of his friend¡¯s denial, turned to question Baron¡¯s loyalty ¡°You¡¯re on my side right?¡±


    Baron hummed too busy with the delicious meal.


    Rodrick gestured to the hungry boy as his backup while staring at Damon who wore a deadpan expression.


    ¡°Baron, do dragons still exist?¡± A similar hum from before was the answer given and Damon, still wearing the same deadpan look, stared at Rodrick.


    ¡°What? Hey, maybe they do exist. You heard Professor Harris. The other side?¡± Rodrick shrugged while pursing his lips.


    ¡°Spirits.¡± Damon rolled his eyes.


    ¡°What''s happening here that you had to call upon the busy Spirits?¡± Amelia snuck her way in, placing her tray down beside Baron, sitting diagonally across from Damon, while Kira sat beside Damon questioning the duo.


    A bit flustered Damon stuttered out an answer ¡°El-Elves. We were talking about Elves and all the mythical creatures, since you know, the whole history thing.¡± Damon nodded to himself satisfied with his answer, choosing to reward himself with the meal that has been waiting for him to dig in for the last ten minutes.


    ¡°I believe some do exist. I just don¡¯t think they are anywhere within the Republic.¡± Baron, finished with his meal, answered while patting his stomach.


    ¡°True. Word would have already spread.¡± Kira¡¯s words were met with nods of agreement.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re somewhere in the Eastern Isles.¡± An unfamiliar voice butted in catching everyone¡¯s attention on the table.


    Bang


    With a loud bang, the perpetrator did not just catch the attention of everyone on the table but everyone in the cafeteria.


    A blonde chubby girl was the one guilty of interruption as she stood wincing at the noise she created while offering a mouthed ¡®sorry¡¯ to everyone.


    ¡°Gina Wells.¡± The blonde girl''s embarrassed smile quickly morphed into one of confidence as she introduced herself to the group before taking a seat beside Damon.


    Rodrick gave a smile of his own before introducing everyone.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re a Lightning Elemental huh? I guess you''ve seen our friend here before?¡± Rodrick smiled while gesturing to Damon who could only glare at his friend''s upcoming theatrics.


    ¡°Any reason why you chose this table and not any other? Maybe another Lightning Elemental?¡±


    Gina smiled ¡° They weren¡¯t interesting enough. I was passing by and overheard you guys talking about dragons and elves. So I thought why not this one.¡± The group nodded satisfied with her answer before joining her in digging into their food.


    Rodrick smiled at Damon, answering with a nod.


    A few minutes passed and another tray was placed on the table only this time it was two.


    ¡°Hey guys.¡± Sunny bright voice met the ears of the group who smiled at him. ¡°I brought Tristan.¡±


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    Tristan gave a smile that resulted in Gina blushing and Kira giving side glances while playing with her food. A reaction caught by a frowning Rodrick.


    ¡°Hello Tristan.¡± Rodrick gave a fake smile before explaining the current situation. ¡°You see we have begun our meal and we don¡¯t want to be distracted so no talking.¡±


    Tristan chuckled before putting a finger on his lips.


    Their few moments of silence didn¡¯t last before shouts and clamors came from the other side of the room. The origin of the ruckus came from a pair of boys glaring at each other, each surrounded by a flock of followers but one group held the numbers advantage.


    ¡°Look around you Lennox, you have no one else around you. Just a bunch of Outer District idiots. Where are those House Laurel family members you love pretending you¡¯re a part of?  ¡± The youngest son of Governor Lennox, Louise Lennox stood there with a heavy frown glaring at the over a dozen confident individuals behind his nemesis Himel Killian while his entourage making up half his numbers were wondering whether to leave or stand with Louise.


    ¡°Is there a problem here?¡± A soft voice pushed its way into the tense scene, catching the attention of everyone. Kriston Laurel walked over to her uncle¡¯s nephew and put a hand on his shoulder hinting at the support Louise now had.


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t.¡± A raspy voice cut in and a teenage girl in red robes sauntered into the conversation to stand beside Himel with confidence. ¡°Himel is just a tad bit angry about how Louise here greeted him the last time but I¡¯m not sure how it concerns a second year student.¡±


    ¡°Esther, I see you made it into the Academy. Congratulations, Spirits do have their ways of doing things. I hope you¡¯re grateful they blessed you after two whole years.¡± Kriston congratulated her fellow noble with a smile that could not hide the hints of sarcasm in her tone.


    ¡°Yes, I thank the Spirits above for their blessings.¡± Esther maintained her calm and showed no signs of being bothered by the slight only patting the head of the glaring Himel. ¡°My dream of becoming just like my grandfather approaches. I will not only chase after his strength but his character as well. Steadfast, decisive¡­¡± Pausing for a moment she shifted her attention from Kriston to Louise. ¡°And Forgiving.¡±


    The commoners didn¡¯t understand it but the nobles whose entire lives revolved around gossip and rumors couldn¡¯t help but smirk and chuckle causing Kriston to grit her teeth.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re enjoying your time here ladies.¡± Interrupted, both parties pulled their eyes away and found a pair of silver haired twins walking over tailed by over a dozen followers.


    ¡°Prince Jansen. Princess Nessa.¡± Everyone bowed their heads in greeting. Everyone except Kriston and Louise. Something that caught everyone¡¯s attention even Kriston who frowned at the sight of Louise not bowing.


    The twins didn¡¯t bother with the actions of Kriston as she is a main line descendant of an Ancient House but the boy was another thing.


    ¡°And who are you? And why do you not bow?¡± Prince Jansen, curious about the boy, wondered if he was another kid from House Terre.


    With an arrogant look ¡°I¡¯m not like them, I am-¡± ¡°He is the in-law of my family. Forgive him.¡± Louise turned back to challenge Kriston but the death glare he was met with shut him up. The short moment was caught by everyone including Himel who couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡°How embarrassing.¡± Himel, not missing the chance to hit Louise when he is down, let out a few words under his breath that were of course heard by those near him.


    ¡°Indeed. Very embarrassing. The boy must think he¡¯s better than you all that he chose to not bow.¡± Prince Jansen agreed, clearly attempting to sow discord amongst the groups. A very blatant attempt that Esther couldn¡¯t even be bothered to reply to. Instead tapping Himel''s shoulder signalling him it was time to leave.


    Himel could only glare at Louise who mimicked his actions.


    ¡°I see. And here I thought House Killian moulded warriors.¡± Himel instantly turned around and said ¡°We are warriors.¡± Himel corrected the arrogant prince. ¡°And what do you understand about warriors? There aren¡¯t anything close to warriors down south.¡± Himel, not feeling he said enough, challenged Prince Jansen on his knowledge of warriors.


    Prince Jansen opened his mouth to counter only to spot something behind Himel that caused him to smile. ¡°Warrior? I know of warriors because a close friend of mine just happened to be one. Creto Harkon? Ever heard of him? If not introduce yourself, Cre.¡± Everyone¡¯s attention quickly shifted towards the giant of a teenager who stood behind Himel¡¯s entourage, looming over everyone.


    ¡°Are you a warrior? I am assuming you are since you claim to know what it is.¡± A deep voice matching the kid¡¯s stature came out to confront Himel.


    Esther stepped forward to stand in front of Himel and bowed to greet the prince. ¡°Greetings Prince Creto. Are you the warrior Prince Jansen named? If so I doubt someone of your caliber would stoop so low to challenge someone obviously not your match.¡± Although true, Himel still couldn¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable at the truth coming from Esther.


    ¡°That is true. My father does say ¡®do not seek challenges you know you could win for they are no longer challenges but chores.And nobody likes chores.¡± Prince Creto took a step back recalling his father¡¯s lesson.


    Prince Jansen frowned at the actions of Prince Creto who appeared to slightly back off. Not feeling satisfied with the current situation he attempted to sow more discord but a hand placed on his shoulder stopped him from doing so.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m bored.¡± Princess Nessa for the first time during this entire confrontation spoke.


    Although clearly regretful, Prince Jansen nodded at his sister with a smile. ¡°Well, it was nice talking to you all. See you around. C¡¯mon Creto. Let¡¯s go grab a bite.¡± The twins and entourage passed Himel and Esther to leave only to pause after seeing someone standing behind Creto.


    Creto, finding the pairs of eyes of everyone on him or to something next to him, turned around and met a teenager with a tall stature and golden long hair flowing over his broad shoulders that was connected to muscular arms.


    ¡°Tristan Grier. I have heard of you. The stories are that you are very deadly with a sword. Too bad you don¡¯t have one.¡± Prince Creto''s deep voice pierced the ears of Tristan pulling a smile out of him.


    ¡°Yes, too bad.¡± Tristan nodded his head still holding a smile on his face. ¡°Too bad.¡± Tristan repeated himself again but this time his voice carried a hint of regret.The tension between the two covered the cafeteria in a solemn atmosphere.


    The solemn atmosphere merely lasted for a minute before Princess Nessa cut in. ¡°If we¡¯re just going to be staring into each other''s eyes all day, I would like to do it with a full stomach.¡±


    Princess Nessa made her way to the food with her brother and entourage following after.


    ¡°See you around Grier.¡± Prince Creto walked past Tristan who still held a smile. ¡°See you around Harkon.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be a long five years.¡± Rodrick sighed. His words found support from his group in the forms of nods.


    Rodrick abruptly looked up to the ceiling with an eager smile instantly changing his reaction and said


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited. This is going to be fun.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Hey you alright?¡± Gina brushed a tendril of blonde hair behind her ear as she and Damon made their way back to the dorms.


    Damon, hearing the question, answered with furrowed brows ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    Shrugging Gina said ¡°Well, when I joined your table during lunch earlier you didn¡¯t seem all that talkative like you were before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well I guess I just was too focused on eating and digesting. Both the food and lessons from today.¡± Damon explained.


    Gina, feeling that wasn¡¯t the truth, pressed on ¡°How about when you stopped eating and everyone was just talking?¡±


    Damon felt a rising annoyance ¡°I don¡¯t know I just wasn¡¯t there I guess.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of me?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°But you stopped talking when I got there.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Damon shook his head ¡°I probably was just tired-¡±


    ¡°I thought you were thinking about the lesson?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was. But-¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°PLEASE JUST SHUT UP..¡± Damon shouted his frustration reaching its limit. Immediately after saying this turned toward Gina who wore a hurt look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-I just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± Gina offered a shaky smile. ¡°I can be a bit annoying.¡±


    Damon shook his head vehemently ¡°No it''s not you. It''s just I- I¡­¡± Damon paused for a moment before telling the truth. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡¯ Gina asked.


    ¡°About last night. At the front desk.¡±


    Gina wore a puzzled expression before widening her eyes. ¡°Ah, the whole fiasco with the arrogant pretty boy.¡± Damon nodded causing Gina to laugh. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I get it all the time.¡± Gina said.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Damon questioned with slight disbelief found in his tone.


    ¡°Yea, my old man says it builds character.¡± Gina said with a raised fist and narrowed eyes. ¡°And one day those words won¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    Damon chuckled before saying ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be proud that you got to that level or disappointed at myself that you did.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a ¡®you¡¯ problem.¡± Gina said with a teasing smile.


    Damon rolled his eyes ¡°Whatever.¡± The action pulled a giggle out of Gina.


    Damon continued ¡°Well the least I can do is apologize for not speaking up. I was probably filled with thoughts of the first day or maybe¡­¡±Damon paused for a second to think about what he just said. ¡°Forget what I just said. My father always told me when giving an apology, start with: ¡®I¡¯m¡¯, and end with ¡®sorry¡¯¡± Damon smiled fondly at the memory before turning to Gina to stare into her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Gina slightly blushing, accepted the apology with a punch to the arm of Damon.¡°Apology accepted.¡±


    ¡°Ow.¡± Damon winced, shocked at the girl''s strength. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    Gina speed walked attempting to hide her blush shouted over her shoulder. ¡°Physical pain for emotional pain. We¡¯re even.¡±

 Ch.22: The Eight Catastrophes

    ¡°You think we are still going to be learning about history?¡± Rodrick spoke to Damon and Baron as they made their way up the staircase to the second floor of The Heart to get to their class.


    Baron offered a shrug while Damon pursed his lips as he stared into space in thought. ¡°I think we should still be learning. I mean we learned about history almost the entire week. Why change now.¡± Damon gave his thoughts.


    A groan escaped Rodrick as he hung his head in frustration.. ¡°I hope we change. I¡¯m tired of learning about people constantly causing wars over small stuff.¡± Rodrick voiced his complaints. ¡°I mean what kind of level of crazy do you have to be to throw a war because the girl you like doesn¡¯t like you back?¡±


    ¡°Quick, what¡¯s that war called?¡± Damon abruptly faced Rodrick startling him with a sudden question. Rodrick placed his hand on his heart and shook his head at his friend¡¯s actions. ¡°C¡¯mon Roddy, we might just be tested on it.¡± The word ¡®test¡¯ immediately got the attention of Rodrick and Baron. Even some of their neighbors.


    ¡°Test?¡± Baron muttered, blinking fast at the thought of a test happening.


    ¡°That''s right, they usually make us take tests by the end of the week to test our knowledge.¡± Rodrick groaned before skimming through his thoughts.


    ¡°House Finn. The guy was from House Finn. A Great House that were descendants of Divine General Finn, right hand to the fifth generation Lord of Wind.¡± Damon nodded his head, gesturing to him to continue.


    ¡°A couple decades before the Crimson War, the heir of House Finn fell in love with a girl from House Flow, the House belonging to the First Lord of Wind. But she was betrothed to a member from House Laurel.¡± Rodrick shook his head in disappointment as he recalled the story. ¡° And the idiot was actually willing to go to war with an Ancient House for her. He summoned thousands of his people to fight a war. Only for it to last a month before he was assassinated.¡± The trio entered the class with Rodrick letting out a sigh after retelling-in his opinion-the pathetic story of someone who came from such an established House that lost all its glory because of one stupid heir.


    ¡°And that''s all I could remember.¡±


    ¡°That idiot is named Gregory Finn.¡± The trio was startled at the interruption from Professor Harris who appeared out of nowhere from behind them. All the students quickly stood up and greeted the Professor with a bow. Professor Harris waved at them to take their seats as he walked up the stage in front of the class.


    ¡°The man alone tarnished the reputation of his centuries old House. Now it is in shambles.¡± Professor Harris pointed his finger in Rodrick¡¯s direction. ¡°A very good retelling of that embarrassing part of history but¡­¡± Professor Harris turned to the class ¡° We won¡¯t be learning about those types of wars today. We will instead be talking about the Catastrophes of the World¡± Smiles and small pumps of fists were the reactions found in the class before Professor Harris continued ¡°But¡­ before we do that we will take a moment to discuss the responsibilities of an Elemental. A topic we here at the Academy love to instill into our students'' brains. It is why you hear so much about it.¡±


    ¡°Can anyone tell me a few responsibilities?¡±


    Miles raised his hand and answered after being chosen. ¡° To protect the people of the Republic.¡± The answer was followed by a proud smile.


    ¡°Correct. Protect the people of these lands¡± Professor Harris made a small but crucial correction.


    ¡°The Dark Forest. Whatever comes out of there, we have to make sure it doesn¡¯t harm anyone.¡± Damon answered, receiving a nod.


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°The Northern Ridges. The magical beasts hidden in the Northern Ridges should be held back.¡± Damon looked for the person who answered and found an arrogant looking Kesh.


    Kesh was a rare sight only being seen during class but not outside it. And if seen, he was always around Draven and a few others but they didn''t bother Damon and the others. Damon and friends did the same. The closest thing to communication was merely glares.


    Something Kesh was currently doing.


    Damon rolled his eyes at the arrogant noble attempting to show off his knowledge.


    ¡°Ok let''s not do the obvious. Does everyone remember what the Dean said on the day of your arrival?¡±


    The question had every student blanking out. Trying to recall the exciting but busy day was a challenge.


    Seeing this, Professor Harris offered a hint. ¡°I know I said we are learning about Elemental responsibilities but the history of our predecessors goes hand in hand.¡±


    ¡°To learn from our predecessors. Their mistakes.¡± Baron answered.


    Professor Harris smiled ¡°Yes. To learn from their mistakes and not repeat them. During this week I have taught you some of the most infamous wars in history.¡± Professor Harris gestured towards Rodrick. ¡°One of them being the War for Love.¡±


    Pointing at a student from the Eastern Isles. Can you remind the class of the other wars we have learned?¡± The chosen student abruptly stood up with a bang as his chair fell back leading to laughter breaking out that was quickly silenced by the glare of Professor Harris. The lanky teenager with warm brown eyes brushed his slick black hair with a shaky hand. ¡°The wars were uh, the- the-¡± The boy nervously licked his pale lips that stuck out against his dark skin.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Take your time, Kado.¡±Feeling the boy was about to pass out, Professor Harris offered him a few seconds to gather himself.


    The boy grateful for the few seconds offered a shaky smile of gratitude before taking a few deep breaths. ¡°The River Wars, The Fight for Dragons and The Underground War.¡±


    ¡°Correct. All wars that were fought for stupid reasons..¡± Professor Harris shook his head in disappointment. ¡°One wanted to own the entire Gale River. Another thought they stumbled upon a living breathing dragon¡¯s egg that hasn¡¯t been seen since the Third Lord of Flames, the Dragonlord and finally someone wanted to own underneath the earth believing themselves to be Dwarves.¡± Laughs and chuckles were heard around the room for the bizarre reasons people fought wars.


    ¡°Yes, you laugh but if you were there you wouldn¡¯t be laughing.¡± The eerie words instantly silenced the room. ¡°During the River Wars, towns and villages found near the Gale River were slaughtered and hanged by the river believing the citizens to be either citizens of their enemies or folks that didn¡¯t pay taxes. An ¡®intimidation tactic¡¯, they said.¡±Professor Harris shook his head in disgust. ¡°Lies. Lies for half of the people hanging came from towns and villages over a hundred miles away from the Gale River. They just wanted an excuse to kill. Even though they were already fighting a war. Bloodthirsty they were."


    ¡°Then the Fight for Dragons was a war between two Great Houses-who were descendants of Divine Generals- fighting over a dragon''s egg that was merely an ostrich''s egg. A small prank created by a few of their own descendants. A prank that led to the death of thousands. Embarrassed at the situation, they continued their fight for a few more months unsure what to do before choosing to end the war with a truce. It wasn¡¯t until one of the perpetrators revealed the secret in a drunken stupor to some of his soldiers that word got out. The news reached the other Houses leading to a complete eradication of the two Houses.¡±


    ¡°As for the Underground War it was a fight underneath a mountain that collapsed due to fighting below. The collapse led to the death of thousands once again. The noble houses were soon stripped of their status and reduced to commoners.¡±


    Professor Harris sighed before slowly taking in his students. ¡°We have, for thousands of years, been trying to minimize the mistakes of powerful individuals but every year we stumble on ambitious or stupid people. It is why we put so much importance on the subject of Elemental Responsibilities. Our jobs are not just about watching out for Elemental beasts but to watch over each other. To keep each other in check. ¡± Professor wore a serious expression as he explained.


    ¡°I hope none of you will repeat these mistakes. And I will continue to remind you all about Elemental Responsibilities in the future. I don¡¯t care if you get tired of hearing about it. I want you to instill these responsibilities.¡±


    Satisfied with the nods he switched over to a new topic. ¡°Okay, now let''s start talking about today¡¯s lesson:The Eight Catastrophes of the World. Can anyone tell me what the Catastrophes are?¡±


    ¡®Wars¡¯ and ¡®events with the highest amounts of deaths¡¯ were the two answers flying around the room.


    Professor Harris shook his head ¡°Yes and no. They are indeed wars but the amount of deaths don¡¯t matter. The Catastrophes just happened to have the most deaths out of all the wars.¡± Professor Harris searched the room to find someone he knew would most likely know the answer and found his red haired target. ¡°Draven, do you mind telling the class what qualifies as a Catastrophe?¡±


    Draven stood up and cleared his throat before answering ¡°The world must change after the event. Although wars change the world, they do not involve the rest of the world like the Eight Catastrophes.¡±


    Professor Harris not yet satisfied requested ¡°Examples please¡±


    ¡°The Great War. The first Catastrophe. It involved the entire Quint Empire and empires from the other side. The war lasting for nearly a century wiped out races, changed topographies, and created the now famous Lords of Elements.¡±


    Professor nodded before switching to a student from the Southern Kingdoms for another example. ¡°The Dark War. The second Catastrophe. A war that involved the Starry Palace, an organization that believed in the Element of Darkness. A major change as it was well known that only five Elements existed. A fact that soon changed after the Wood Element and Dark Element once thought to be a myth emerged.


    Believers of the power of Darkness believed that all the other Elements were merely second string to darkness. It is due to this theory that a major war erupted. One side wanted to conquer and the other wanted to silence. This war introduced new Elements.¡±


    ¡°You.¡± Professor Harris switched to another student from the Eastern Isles. ¡°The War for Hegemony. The third Catastrophe. Remnants of the Quint Empire emerged and attempted a rebellion. The war was spread across the lands. Including the Eastern edges that were destroyed during a battle between two Elemental Lords. The pieces of the land are now known as the Eastern Isles.¡±


    The nervous Kado was chosen once again. ¡°The- The Traitors'' War. Fourth Catastrophe.¡± Kado winced after hearing the words coming out of his mouth. The chosen Catastrophe immediately formed a tense atmosphere, ¡°The Republic split due to¡­¡± Kado froze as everyone stared at him wondering how he would word the conflict between the sides of the world. ¡°Differences in opinion?¡± Kado offered a tame reason.


    ¡°Give me another one.¡± Professor Harris, trying to change topics and not get into details, pointed to another student.


    ¡°The Fifth Catastrophe: The Commoners Call. Due to constant wars, the common people were suffering. Homes and loved ones killed. Sent to fight wars they didn¡¯t want to fight in. The common people were tired of the abuse from the higher class resulting in riots and protests in both the Southern Kingdoms and the Republic. The blood spilled everywhere including The Eastern Isles as they were constantly being fought over by nobles from both powers. It was only when the Pirate Queen emerged taking the title Lord of Water were the common people¡¯s voices heard.¡±


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°The Rainbow War. Sixth Catastrophe.¡± At the mention of the war, Rodrick lowered his head and busied himself with the lines carved on his desk.


    ¡°A war against a rising church called the Rainbow Church founded by a descendant of the Quint Empire who created a potion that could give someone power of two or even three Elements hoping to regain his family¡¯s lost glory. The Republic luckily stumbled on the project by accident. When the news was heard, all the Houses for the first time gathered together to wipe out the Rainbow Church. But it seemed some Houses weren¡¯t on the same page.¡± The words brought frowns and sneers. A few were sent over to where Damon was. Damon knew they weren¡¯t aimed at him but he wasn¡¯t going to let them get to their intended target.


    Damon stood up and simply said ¡°The Crimson War. Seventh Catastrophe.¡± No explanation was needed as the changes of the world from that Catastrophe were still felt.


    ¡°And finally the Warring Families.The Eighth Catastrophe. A bunch of families trying to take down The Ancient Houses, fools.¡± With a nod, Professor Harris continued. ¡°Yes. All Catastrophes. All events that changed the world. Every single Catastrophe has ended with lives lost, homes destroyed, and survivors broken.¡± The atmosphere now turned solemn. ¡°You may have not seen it happen but you will. And you must be prepared when it does.¡±


    The bell shattered the heavy atmosphere, signaling the end of class.


    ¡°Alright, next week, all of you will have four extra classes. Two will be mandatory and the other two will be of your choice. You were given the entire week to decide. Our class will still be in the morning and it will be a class you don¡¯t want to miss. So come early. It will be on the third floor of the practice rooms.¡± The students hearing this felt excited at the news.


    ¡°It is time to turn you into Acolytes.¡±

 Ch.23: And So It Begins

    Creak


    A hooded figure walked the dark corridors with a sway in his step, appearing as if he was a drunken fool stumbling to his room to try and sleep off the alcohol.


    Boom


    A flash of lightning from the window lit up the dark corridor for a moment to reveal the face of the swaying figure to be a weary young man with bags underneath his sharp brown eyes that were surveying his surroundings.


    Spotting nothing unusual, the young man in dark garbs stumbled his way down the end of  the corridor to reach a door that most likely had guests still awake if the young man was to go by the light coming from the bottom of the door.


    Knock knock¡­ knock


    ¡°Password.¡± A muffled voice came from the other side of the door demanding a code to enter.


    ¡°It''s me. Open up.¡± The hooded young man ignored the demand and instead  made one himself.


    ¡°Password.¡± The voice behind the door repeated itself once again followed by faint snickers.


    A resigned sigh came from underneath the hood. ¡°The gullible one.¡±


    The door immediately opened up and a whiff of alcohol escaped the room to enter the noses of those outside. In this case it was the hooded young man who couldn¡¯t help but welcome the familiar scent.


    ¡°Hey Rookie. Did you find anything?¡± The beer bellied York welcomed the new recruit of their team.


    ¡°No,¡± Kai sidestepped the second-in-command to make his way to a table where a man and woman sat cards in hands. ¡°As usual.¡± Kai reached for a cup on the table only for it to be yanked out of his hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± York grabbed his drink before sliding his cards that were on the table over to him. ¡°But you can have this.¡±


    Laughs came from the two other individuals on the table. The woman with a bob cut let out a smirk after seeing Kai grumbling to himself. ¡°Need I remind you of what happened a few days ago.¡±


    Kai winced at the memory of him celebrating completing his mission or halfway completing his mission with alcohol. His reaction got the three others seated at the table with him laughing.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Captain?¡¯ Kai noticed the Captain''s absence after finding the brooding man nowhere near his usual spot by the window.


    ¡°Where else?¡± Hal answered ¡° Making sure our guest of honor is nice and cozy.¡± Widening his eyes, he dropped a card in excitement resulting in Kai and Greta groaning in frustration.


    Gathering the cards on the table Kai asked ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Almost an hour.¡± Hal answered counting the copper on the table ignoring the glare being sent his way by York as it was his money that was up and not Kais.


    ¡°He sure does take his time," Kai said while passing out the cards to everyone at the table before reviewing their trip so far. ¡°Two days of preparing his stuff-¡±


    ¡°That he should¡¯ve already done.¡± Greta cut in with a complaint, narrowing her eyes at her cards.


    ¡°Three days of walking the Dark Forest-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget his reason: ¡®I must take it all in for who knows when I¡¯ll be back.¡± This time it was Hal that butted in.


    ¡° And then two days of shopping and an extra day to rest from all that work. If we don¡¯t make it back to the Academy in three days, Spirits who knows what¡¯s going to happen.¡± Kai broke down their adventure so far with a glint in his eye.


    York, scanning the cards on the table and the cards in his hand, warned his squad mates ¡°Lets not complain too much about the man. He is a Grandmaster after all. Who knows, he might just burst through that door to ask you all to say it to his face. Hahaha¡± York let out a laugh that combined with his large belly echoed through the room before dropping a card.


    The moment York let go of the card he placed on the table, another card was slammed onto the table.


    ¡°Hahaha, I WIN. Now give me your-¡±


    Boom


    The door burst open causing an immediate reaction from the famous Squad 4 of the Honor Guard: York immediately summoned the cups that were made of stone into a small shield and the water that was once held in the cups were now formed into a meter long snake that floated above Greta and Kai who stood a step behind her with a dagger in hand to guard Hal who was holding a bow and arrow made of the flames of the many candles in the room aimed at the intruder.


    The light from the flickering flames barely reached the figure standing in the doorway but it was enough to recognize the old man and their Captain who he held in his arms.


    ¡°CAPTAIN¡± ¡°Peter.¡± The worried squad mates quickly reached the two men and guided them to a table. Laying their Captain down, they quickly stripped him to reveal old cuts and new that marred his body. The new cuts being the ones that were currently gushing out blood. Black blood.


    ¡°Kai, go get my bag in the cabinet. The small peach colored pouch.¡± Kai could only silently obey the order not trusting himself to utter a word that could reveal his fear, not knowing his fearful expression was clear as day.


    ¡°What happened?¡± York, horrified at the sight of his old friend, demanded an answer. His tone was absent of respect that was usually given to those of the elderly man¡¯s status.


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    Grandmaster Ken scratched his bushy sideburns, revealing his hand was burnt.


    The sight caused York to freeze in shock.


    For a Grandmaster to be injured, someone of similar strength must have dueled them or multiple Masters must have teamed up to make up the strength.


    Both possibilities were horrible for it could mean there is a power that could spare a few Masters as there are bound to be deaths. The other possibility he didn¡¯t think was possible.


    The last time Grandmasters participated in a battle amongst themselves was during the Civil War that killed millions a few centuries ago.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a Grandmaster.¡± As if York''s thoughts were put on display, Grandmaster Ken reassured him by finally talking.


    ¡° Although my opponents weren¡¯t Grandmasters, I still nearly lost my life.¡±


    Kai entered the room to deliver the pouch to Greta who opened it up to reveal a Golden Petal.


    ¡°York¡± She called out to the second in command who turned his shield into a large pot without even turning around. Greta quickly filled the pot with water and placed the Golden Petal into the pot before feeding the tonic to the seriously injured Captain.


    Grandmaster watched the Captain¡¯s body slowly begin to stop leaking blood before he chose to reveal his opponents. ¡°They were Masters. Not just any Masters but assassins.¡±


    ¡°Assassins?¡± York was clearly confused and skeptical at the situation. ¡° How could assassins hurt you?¡±


    The reveal caught everyone¡¯s attention before a cough pulled their focus to the Captain who sat up with the help of Greta. ¡°Starry Palace. Assassins from the Starry Palace.¡±


    ***


    ¡°So, how was our little group of heroes¡¯ first week?¡± Dean Frey sat at his usual spot near the fireplace, staring at the small flames cackling.


    ¡°So far so good. A few arguments between the Republic and the Southern Kingdoms but none escalated to more than that.¡± Professor Laurel gave his report on the brand new Acolytes.


    Dean Frey nodded his head at the report, still having his eyes on the small flames.


    Professor Harris took a step forward once he realized Professor Laurel was done. ¡° I have a few letters sir, that have reached us but only one seems worthy of your attention.¡± Professor Harris kept his eyes on the side of the Dean¡¯s face preparing to see the reaction of the old man after hearing who the letter¡¯s from.


    ¡°Ahem¡± With a clearing of the throat to prepare for what was next, an action that caused a chain reaction of eye rolls from his other colleagues at his theatrics, he began ¡°Lady Ellis has sent a letter.¡±


    The name caused a chill to permeate the room. The breath of everyone was made clear from the smoke that came out their mouths. The small flame that was the entertainment for the Dean was quickly doused leaving the room in darkness.


    ¡°Let me see.¡± The voice of the Dean met the darkness to reach the ears of those covered in it.


    A small ball of flames was projected to the fireplace, holding back the darkness once again so those could see.


    Silence filled the soft orange lit room, before the ripping of paper was heard. All eyes gravitated to the Dean, curious of what his reaction would be. And after a few seconds they got what they were waiting for: A smile. That¡¯s all that he gave them.


    ¡°Very well, if that¡¯s all. You may leave.¡± All the Department Heads in the room bowed before silently leaving the room.


    ¡°Now, you.¡± Dean Frey spoke to the giant figure standing by the door. Walking towards the old man allowed the figure being masked by darkness to reveal himself to be Commander Grant.


    Taking a knee beside the old man, he presented a sealed letter.


    Grabbing the letter to examine, he found a tree to be the stamp to seal the letter. A tree if examined more closely would allow the reader to see multiple eyes faintly found in the leaves.


    With a simple wave, water from his cup on his desk behind him was summoned to him and used to cover his hand in ice. With his hand now covered in ice he grabbed the letter to rip open only for a small burst of wind blades to shoot out from the letter but were quickly blocked off by the Dean¡¯s frozen hand. A clean kill for anyone not of Grandmaster level.


    Reaching in and pulling out the letter, the Dean couldn¡¯t help but frown at the stains on the letter.


    Blood.


    Unfolding the letter, Dean Frey set his gaze on one word. The only word the letter carried:


    ¡®Trouble.¡¯


    ***


    In a dark cave, lit up by the full moon''s glare coming from a large hole in the ceiling of the cave, was a figure in white robes standing in a gleaming pool. The figure remained still, watching the puddle it stood in for any signs.


    All of a sudden, a ripple came from the part of the cave that the light of the moon could not reach. The white robed figure watched the ripple reach its location before lifting its face to reveal a white-haired pale woman whose beauty could compare to the moon. Pulling her blue eyes to the origin of the ripple, she found seven men in black kneeling on one knee with their heads down.


    A hum from the enchanting woman came and the man in the middle shoved his hood back to reveal his balding head and wrinkles, and inched forward as if he was too afraid to get close to the woman who many men would die just to get a glance from.


    ¡°We intercepted the target but¡­¡± The kneeling man in black paused trying to find the right words to explain as his explanations from earlier he concocted up disappeared at the mere sight of the woman.


    The pale woman looked up to the moon now blocked by the clouds and immediately the seven men prostrated themselves.


    The seven men¡¯s actions brought an enchanting smile to the woman¡¯s face ¡°You failed?¡± Her enchanting voice yet stern tone entered the ears of the hooded men who shuddered at the question.


    The leading man took a deep breath before answering with a ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯m sure you can at least give me a report, yes?¡± The woman¡¯s question caused the men to nod frantically. ¡°Well then tell me.¡±


    ¡°We confirmed it was Grandmaster Ken, The Windblade but he was also accompanied by the man known as Berserker.¡± The name of the Berserker got a raise of brow, catching the attention of the man reporting. ¡°He is the Captain of the well known squad 4 of the Honor Guard, yes? A Master of the Fire Element?¡± The woman stood still pondering to herself.


    The woman still staring at the moon hummed once again.


    ¡°With the help of a Master Fire Elemental and a Grandmaster of the Wind Element we stood no chance. Half of my men being dead is proof of this. The combination of Wind-¡±


    ¡°Or¡­¡± The leading man winced at the cutoff. ¡°It is simply proof you¡¯re all incompetent.¡±


    The woman took a deep breath filling the eerie silence of the cave.


    ¡°Did you injure any of them?¡±


    The man eager to prove his strength said ¡°Yes, the Berserker was seriously injured.¡±


    The woman gave an approving nod. An action all seven men saw as a chance. ¡°I guess that¡¯s good enough. It will at least leave them wary and distracted.¡±


    The woman now basking in the glow of the full moon raised her arms to her sides and smiled. A smile that held a deeper meaning. ¡°I am not fond of the color of this pool.¡± The woman lowered her arms and looked down at the clear pool surrounding her.


    Brushing back the falling white hair behind her ear, she turned and walked out of the pool with a pout. ¡°Change it for me.¡±


    Screams and shouts of pain echoed from behind as the white-haired woman walked away with a smile before muttering to herself.


    ¡°And so it begins.¡±