Several weeks passed, the sun and moon rose and fell as it had done for the eternities before. Everyday there were countless number of people who begin to experience the world for the first time, and even more who must climb past hardship.
A man relentlessly climbed a massive cliff face and the universe payed no mind. Just another human, it seemed to think, being completely normal - living.
Elsewhere two young acolytes were standing watch under the stars seeing them as they never had before. And the universe cared not for their awe, continuing its never-ending spiral from night into day.
Often times things that are set in motion begin with the smallest most inconsequential ripple, and from there exponentially expands into something grand.
Noone sat alone but content in a crevice he had carved out for himself. He was only a few meters above the cloud layer, and he looked over the vast field letting his imagination run free with thoughts of what might be out there - if anything. He was grateful, and out of some instinct thanked the ancestor for not being attacked while climbing through the clouds.
Noone rushed day and night through the clouds, without rest except when absolutely necessary. Now, he thought to take a moment of time to sit and watch the sun set. It looked completely different when it set beneath the clouds than it did setting beneath the oceans horizon he mused. Light continued to peak through and up from underneath, creating a cascade of beautiful rainbows washing through the clouds like a blanket of colors and hues.
Noone wasn't sure when it had occurred, but at some point, he began sitting crossed legged staring out over the sun-set. His back was straight, and his breathing was rhythmic and steady. He wondered if – in that moment – he looked like Elder Azelle.
He looked across the quickly darkening world. There was a breeze floating above the clouds that whistled gently across the cliff face. Water and humidity floated about, not being cold enough to condense and join the clouds but filling Noone’s lungs with heavy air.
Before the light completely disappeared Noone fell silent and closed his eyes. All of the sensations he felt intensified. He focused on that feeling, on the feeling of the light against his skin, and then the absence of it. The air the he breathed and the sounds he heard. It felt close but far, like something that could be seen but never grasped on to.
Suddenly he felt a hum echo in his body, like he was a gong and someone had struck him. He gasped in a quick breath and his eyes instinctually opened. The feeling he had been experiencing disappeared instantly. A frown appeared on his face when he realized that he had missed out on an opportunity to slip into a trance.
Noone waved his hand in front of his body, attempting to feel the minute changes in the wind again, however it was no use.
He sighed. His eyes now cast out from the darkness and onto the woven cloth of stars in the sky. He was unable to see them before, while being under the clouds. Seeing them now after so long felt relieving. Like the sun or the moon, the stars could always be relied on to exist in their permanent places.
Hundreds of thousands of tiny white dots glittered and shined into the night sky, even without the moon they were illuminating the clouds just enough to create a gray blanket stretching into the distance. Noone looked out, recognizing constellations he had been taught when he was a child by Elder Azelle and Liter.
He chuckled a bit at the memory.
While lamenting the loss of whatever feeling he tapped into before, he laid back into the crevice he had carved, maneuvering so his head could stick out and he could watch the stars for a little longer.
Counting the stars in the sky, his thoughts drifted further. His mother who was named Stara, used to love looking out at the stars. Liter used to tell him how she would often perch on the edge of the cliffs face just waiting for night to come.
Noone thought about the stars he saw, they were the same stars she would look out at.
"Mom." He said. His voice cracked slightly.
"A lot has happened since you've gone.
Despite being born attune less, I managed to get along with people, even if speaking with them was often impossible." Noone felt a little silly, his thoughts drifted to the past as he watched the sky.
"I know when you left, it wasn't because of me. I know how much you loved dad…" Noone’s eyes sparkled in the night, reflecting the stars. The past for him had its good times, but there were things he wishes could have been different.
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"Elder Azelle took care of me like you knew he would." Noone said.
"And Liter too, he would tell me when I was really young about you and him, and how you got along. I don't think he remembers it, but I do."
"Everyone was devastated back then, I can tell. I see it sometimes when they look at me. They miss you too."
"None of them knew what to do." A tear rolled down his cheek, surprising himself. He shut his eyes, immersing himself in complete darkness.
"Some of us still don't." He said.
Eventually, the night took him… leaving him to his dreams.
…
Sarah and Feylin both circled the camp they had based around their cart, doing a final sweep before waking Sally to switch lookout with them. Their legs hurt from sheer exhaustion and they wanted nothing more than to rest.
Their steps lightly thudded against the dirt clearing, creating small footprints where they had been pacing for the last 3 hours. Their packs and weapons were still on their backs, they had not been removed since the morning when they started their days trek.
One of Tobias' trainings was to give Sarah and Feylin first shift every night. Of course, they were not left alone. Rae was further out scouting more discretely. Tobias told them it was to build up their endurance and mental strength. "Sleep deprivation," He would say, "It's what really tortures you. Anything else is easy compared to it."
The two acolytes were unsure if they believed him or not, but they had to admit, running on a measly four hours of sleep every night was indeed torturous.
Instead of having them take up post, Tobias instructed them to march a perimeter around wherever they camped. During which, he gave them a special lesson on walking in a way to make the least noise. This is what they practiced.
When the two acolytes had first met Tobias, they had actually noticed how quietly he moved despite basically being encased in metal. After seeing him demonstrate the walking technique, they couldn't be more impressed by the Paladin if he were to suddenly pull a sword out of a hat.
Time for the switch was rapidly approaching, however before they could mention it to each other, they each felt an immense force suddenly pull at their packs.
Without hesitation Sarah tucked her arms in through the straps and rolled away from the direction of the pull. Dust sprung up and after a half second of reorienting herself she stood crouched low to the ground. Her right arm gripped her weapon out to the side ready to sweep at the first sign of continued attack. Unfortunately for Feylin, he did not respond as quickly. He was jerked backwards - clear off his feet by his pack. Instead of trying to get away at this point, he made the hasty decision to draw his sword.
He pulled it from its sheath with his left hand and using his momentum he stabbed it backwards with a reverse-grip towards where he thought the assailant was.
His sword and his momentum stopped suddenly. The sword refused to budge even an inch.
After a second of pause, he was dropped to the ground. He quickly sheathed his blade and scrambled to his feet. Now that he was able to compose himself, he could see Tobias standing in front of him like an immovable statue.
Sarah quietly joined Feylin in front of the paladin.
He smiled a broad grin. "Sarah! Feylin! Very good, you both need more practice, but very good."
Suddenly clapping was heard to the side. When they looked over, they saw Rae and Sally standing there. Rae of course, was clapping. Sally stood there nodding her head in approval.
"Sarah." Tobias continued. "You reacted swiftly and with finesse. You immediately went into a good defensive pose and began to assess for more threats. That kind of instinct will serve you well." Sarah nodded in response giving her thanks for the praise.
"Feylin. Although you were slower to react, it cannot be helped. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. What I will commend you for is your decisiveness in deciding where and how to attack. Although the execution was a little clumsy, in theory it was perfect." Feylin smiled up at Tobias, ever since leaving for this assignment, he had quickly come to revere the paladin.
"And finally, Sarah." The smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and it was replaced by a neutral stoicism. The look in Tobias’s eyes caused Sarah’s comfortable expression to freeze. "As soon as you saw there were no more threats to be managed, you should have rushed in to help your partner. Even if you only distracted the assailant for a second, it would be enough time for you and Feylin to regroup and work together." His tone made it clear his feelings on her inaction.
"Because we can only make these so real despite being mock-ups, we can’t truly force you into fight or flight surprise scenarios. But it is something to think about for the future." Tobias easily went back to his usual gentle smile after that, getting his point across. "Switch with Rae and Sally for now. Get some sleep you two. Another long walk ahead of us tomorrow."
"Yes sir," they both said quietly.
Exhausted from the day, they didn't even bother to talk about the surprise attack. It had become relatively common place among the group, and there was only so much that could be said.
Feylin fell asleep immediately after hitting the pillow, not even bothering to take his sword from his waist.
Sarah laid there alone, looking up at the stars. Her thoughts drifted to the past. Something Tobias had said brought up old memories.
"It’s not that I chose not to rush in, Tobias… I just… couldn't bring myself to do it…" Her eyes closed and she tossed for a while before finally falling to the night.