“The Polus kingdom has stood firm for many millennia, a testament to their military discipline and sense of unity. However, they have one fatal flaw that prevents them from conquering all others. They are soft. Emotional. Capture one man, and ten more come running to their deaths. Capture their leader? Then you’ve already won.”
Grand General Xeros, Ruler of Nox Caelum.
———
The Officer
The sudden scream frightens the guards and alerts everyone in the vicinity.
“Well, you were right,” the officer says. “You can certainly hear them coming.”
“It must’ve taken days to reach here on foot,” the guard replies solemnly. “The Miasma’s been torturing them this entire time. I’m surprised the poor bastard hasn’t perished from insanity yet.”
“What matters is that they’re still alive. If it’s not one of ours, the least we can do is give them a swift end.”
The officer swiftly gathers together a retrieval team and prepares a medical area just outside the forest; the screams of the unknown individual becomes louder and more frantic, unnerving everyone in the camp.
”Remember, we don’t know how they’ll act within their crazed state,” the officer advises. “You’ll have five minutes at the most within The Miasma before it begins to affect your mind. If you can’t bring them back in time, locate the general area that they’re in, come back outside, and rotate with the next team.”
“Yes sir!” the retrieval squad replies.
“Alright, move out and stay safe!”
The retrieval squad springs into action, sprinting as quickly as they can towards the direction of the screams. The Miasma begins to inhibit their movements, but their minds remain clear.
It doesn’t take long before they locate the source of the screams. A lone knight shuffles towards them, jerking and twitching erratically. It cries and hollers at the sight of the squad and attempts to reach out to them before collapsing on its knees.
”Contact confirmed!” the squad leader yells out to the officer. “One lone knight bearing our emblems found. They appear to be part of the combat personnel sent out with the Alexandria.”
“Acknowledged! Retrieve the knight and head back as quickly as you can!”
The squad leader picks up the crazed knight and slings them across their back. As they make their way out of the forest, the knight mutters a word of gratitude before falling silent.
Once they are out of The Miasma, the survivor is immediately set upon a stretcher and carried to the medical tent. A healer attempts to pull the armor off of them to search for any wounds, but is met with harsh refusal and pained cries.
”No! Off! Off! Touch, hurts, help! Stop!” the knight wails.
The officer comes up from behind the healer and pats them on the shoulder.
“Let’s just monitor their condition for now,” the officer says gently. “The Miasma is still affecting their mind. Give them some time alone to recover. They’ll eventually realize that they’re in a safe place.”
“Should we not sedate them? I’m worried that they’ll harm themselves if we just simply leave them alone…”
“I understand, but that will only worsen their condition. I know not of what The Miasma may do to their mind if they are to become unconscious. Right now, they’re fighting the influence with all their will, and I fear that sedating them will only weaken that struggle for control. If they do become dangerous to the others, then we will act accordingly.”
“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that. But…I can’t check their physical condition if their armor isn’t off. What if they succumb to their internal injuries first, rather than The Miasma?”
“Damn… is there any way we can be assured of their health without restraining them? I would really prefer if we could avoid aggravating them in this state. This is supposed to be a sanctuary, and I don’t want to make them associate the camp as a place of pain.”
“Um, I might be able to examine their body for any internal bleeding or infected wounds with the right machinery, but… we aren’t really equipped for this sort of situation since the camp’s pretty new. I do have the ability to cast a rejuvenation sorcery and that will heal the major ailments, but to cast a more powerful incantation, I would need multiple people’s worth of aura.”
“Ah, that is a simple matter then. I can gather some volunteers and we’ll transfer our energy to you when the sorcery is being cast.”
“Are you sure? It’ll place a great burden on your body. It won’t have any lasting effects, but you will be out of commission for the next couple of days.”
The officer lets out a small chuckle while a joyous grin tugs at his face. If a few days of fatigue is all that’s needed to help a sibling-in-arms, then he will gladly offer himself up for such a cause, and he knows the others within the camp will feel the same way.
“You need not worry. We’d gladly lend our services if it is to help one of our own. Remember our principle?”
“…Together. United as one,” the healer says with an embarrassed smile.
“Exactly. Just wait for me here; I’ll bring some people along before you know it.”
The officer swiftly leaves the tent and begins to look around the camp for suitable vessels. Everyone has a different capacity when it comes to wielding the power of Creation. Some have small amounts of aura within them, while others can use it often without fatigue. The knights of the order tend to have a larger storage capacity due to their intense training, so he decides to make his way down towards their barracks.
He finds the old, stone lodge and opens the door to find a couple of off-duty knights resting at their beds.
“Oh, Officer Dariel, what a surprise! What brings you here?” one of the knights asks. “I thought you were helping out with that survivor found in The Æternum.”
“Ah, I actually came to find you all. I need a couple of volunteers to help supply madam Lily with some aura. We’re attempting to cast a high-tier healing sorcery, but we need a large amount of aura in order to activate it. Fair warning though, you’ll probably feel like trash for the next couple of days.”
“Say no more,” another knight replies. “We’d be happy to, right everyone?”
The knights nod in unison and they all begin to leave their quarters when the officer quickly interjects.
“Woah there, I only need a couple of people to come with me, about three to four.”
The knights stare at each other and a mischievous look flashes across their faces.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“What’ll it be lads?” one asks.
“How about a bout of arm wrestling? It’s been a while.”
“The winners gets to nobly sacrifice themselves. Are we in agreement?”
“Clear as day.”
The barracks dissolves into a messy storm of competition as the officer slowly shakes his head in disappointment. The knights are compassionate in nature, but their methods are… unorthodox, to say the least.
“Hurry up, please. We don’t have all day!” he hollers while rolling his eyes.
Eventually, the winners are decided and the officer heads back towards the medical tent with four other, slightly bruised, knights in tow. A smug smile of satisfaction is plastered across the winners’ faces, and the defeated quietly mourn their loss as they’re left behind.
“Oh, you’re back!” the healer chimes in. “They haven’t really done much since you left, so I think it’s safe to say that they won’t be a harm to the camp if we leave them alone.”
“That’s great!” the officer beams. “I’ve gathered our willing sacrifices so we’re all set to start the incantation when you’re ready.”
“I’ll begin the chant right now. Make sure that you’re all in direct contact with me during the process or else I won’t be able to siphon your auras as efficiently.”
The group nods and they all form a line behind her, each one placing their hands on the other’s shoulder so that the energy flows in a stable manner. The healer takes out a wooden staff and begins to request assistance from Creation’s energy around her.
“O’ great mother, creator of the verdant green below, please lend me your soothing touch so that I may bring respite to those shadowed from your gaze. Let this poor soul be brought before your loving embrace, and set their sights upon the beautiful clear sky once again.”
A gentle green aura leaks out from the healer’s staff, slowly drifting towards the survivor’s body. The room fills with the scent of fresh pine, and an earthly aroma caresses the nose of all within the tent. The green aura eventually seeps into the survivor through the cracks in their armor, and they begin to glow a slight mint hue before the aura dissipates around it. The dirt and grime previously covering the armor is now purified, and an air of freshness coats the knight within its serene presence.
The exhausted group collapses onto the floor, their breath ragged from the intense concentration of energy used for the incantation. One of the knights passes out while the healer struggles to climb back up from the ground. The officer merely lays on the floor, content with having the carpet be his bed for the remainder of the night.
“You can’t… you can’t stay here,” the healer gasps in-between her tired pants. “It’s not… sanitary. I-”
She crashes onto the ground before she can finish her sentence, the last speck of her energy completely drained. The noise alerts the others in the vicinity and they come barreling into the tent, concerned for the group's safety, only to find them sprawled out across the floor.
The responders sigh and shake their heads as they carefully bring the emptied husks back to their resting quarters. The officer wants to let the sweet kiss of sleep take over, but he cannot slip into unconsciousness just yet. A report needs to be sent to the capital to alert The King of the survivor’s presence.
The officer slowly writes down a summary of the recent events and encloses it with an official stamp bearing The Polus insignia. He meekly calls out for a messenger and hands them the sealed report, warning them to take great care of the letter and to ensure that it reaches directly into the hands of the King.
“Bring the report straight to the castle and let them know that we’ve found a survivor from the Alexandria. With this, we may be able to get an eye-witness account of what happened at the wreck,” the officer wheezes from his bed.
The messenger salutes and heads off, boarding a new metal carriage brought straight from The Futurum, a land of technological advancement much further along than the Polus kingdom. The two nations are in friendly relations with each other, and many of their citizens come to Polus’s entertainment district in the capital to thrive in revelry, so their recent inventions are brought to the kingdom as offerings of peace. The officer still remembers when they gave The Alexandria to Polus at the treaty’s signing, his spirit filled with hope and fervor at the newly-established bond, but now the technological marvel is but a mere ruin trapped within the baleful mist.
He wearily closes his eyes and lets sleep overtake him. With a survivor discovered, Lorelai’s fate will finally be revealed, and the officer predicts that the answer won’t be what they hope to hear. Nonetheless, the nation needs to know what happened that day if it is to move on.
Perhaps, when the truth is revealed, The King will finally receive some closure.
———
The Knight
Night falls on the third day of The Knight’s arrival and the majority of the camp personnel head off to sleep, leaving only a few knights to guard the vicinity of the forest. The medical tent that it resides in is steeped in silence, and only the cabinets and gurneys of the room accompany it. Various boxes and containers clutter the area as the tent appears to serve as both a clinic and storage facility, but the medicine and equipment within remains sealed in their packages.
A large flux of aura previously turned the room into a disorderly shamble, but a couple of attendants came to clean up the mess the following day while they checked The Knight’s condition. It didn’t want to recover too early from its supposed insanity since its unnaturally quick recuperation would bring suspicion upon it, so it remained silent for the past couple of days. It also gave it enough time to thoroughly decipher the language, and now, it is able to speak like a native
The Knight makes sure the surroundings are empty before letting Aegis out of the pocket in its armor.
”You can come out now, Aegis,” it mumbles.
Aegis angrily kicks its chest-plate, upset at being confined in a small space for so long, before sliding out. The Knight snuck in some food for him while the Polus guards busied themselves away from the tent, but the captivity greatly annoyed the little infant.
He plonks himself down on the floor, a big pout covering his tiny face, and refuses to look at it.
The Knight sighs and scoops up the rebellious baby.
”I suppose now is a good time to teach you about invisibility sorceries.”
It points at a flat area of the tent devoid of other objects.
”Pretend that you’re the same color as that section of the tent.”
Aegis looks at him blankly.
“No? Well, let’s try this.”
The Knight stands up and crashes into the table, creating a deafening reverberation that alerts the entire camp. The faint sounds of the officer can be heard in the distance, assuring the others that they’ll investigate the source.
Aegis panics and flails around trying to find someplace to hide as the sound of footsteps approach the tent.
“There’s nowhere else to hide Aegis. You need to use the energy around you to veil yourself. Focus on hiding away from everything; create a space in which only you can see through.”
The footsteps become louder, each step on the earth creating a resounding echo.
The door to the tent opens and Aegis closes his eyes.
“Are you alright?” the officer asks.
The Knight slowly picks itself up off of the floor, appearing dazed and confused to the outside viewer.
”Where am I?” it asks hesitantly.
”Easy now, you’re safe here,” the officer gently replies. “You’re at the northern border of The Æternum. We discovered you stumbling through the forest; The Miasma consumed your mind.”
“The northern border? Does… does that mean I’m…?”
”Yes, you’re home.”
The Knight smiles.
“What about the others of the expedition?”
A solemn look shadows the officer’s face as he awkwardly takes a seat near it.
“I apologize, but no one else has been found other than you.”
“I… I see.”
“I know it must be painful for you, especially after enduring The Miasma this entire time, but are you able to recount what happened to the Alexandria? What about Lorelai and the rest of your crew?”
Lorelai must have been the Throne that previously owned the twin blades. It remembers seeing the head of a corpse adorned with a golden, winged helmet spread across the mud; The Shell slayed her while The Knight remained deep in slumber.
“I’m sorry, but I need some time to collect my thoughts.”
”I understand. Keep resting for now. A representative of the capital will be coming to pick you up and take you home anyway, and I’m sure you would rather give your report while far away from the forest.”
The Knight nods and the officer lingers for a period, conducting a small health check-up, before eventually leaving the tent. Aegis is still scrunching his eyes shut in desperation, his appearance veiled by Creation itself.
“You can open your eyes now Aegis.”
The invisibility sorcery wears off and Aegis collapses on the floor, exhausted after the mental burden The Knight has inflicted upon him.
”That was a wonderful display. Whenever you want to hide, close your eyes just like that and imagine the world sheltering you from the outside.”
Everything is going well. The Knight has managed to infiltrate The Polus and gathered some valuable information on the current state of the nation. Once it makes it into the capital, it’ll need to investigate the strength and power of the current King.
For now, The Knight slumbers, accompanied by a bundle of warmth that it hasn’t felt in a very long time.