----------------------------------------
Chapter 32
Ezabel was at a loss for words. Her knowledge of the trials was rudimentary. All her time had been spent devouring the fantastical mythos of the Order of Attendant Knights. She knew the names and deeds of a few obscure Attendants. And, she knew an even larger list of famous, recognizable knights that history had produced. If any question concerning their folklore came up, it was safe to bet on Ezabel to provide every detail. There was an abundance of knowledge in that spinning head of hers, but at that very moment, none of it was useful.
She reeled and hoped to spark up some memory of her brief meeting with Jiro and eventually to her small store of understanding about the Echo. - Things were beginning to feel much more demanding, and Soren had yet to even begin! Ezabel was practically getting dizzy in her seat.
“Ezabel?”, Soren tilted his head.
“I don’t really know..”, she muttered toward the desk she had hid her arms under. “..I know I should probably have some idea, at the very least, but I don’t.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m here to help for that very reason.”
Ezabel turned her head toward him, who offered a reassuring nod. From the opposite end of the table, Soren lifted the first of a stack of four books and placed it gently in front of her. At a glance, it was an old book that had been clearly handled many times over. However, its binding still held as strong as its dark blue cover. Written in gold across its front was the title ‘Echo Echo’.
That was as much as Ezabel needed to discern the book’s subject matter. In fact, it was even enough to coax a little chuckle from her lips. The title was clever, albeit a little forced.
“You can spend a little bit of time reading through it, but my guess is that you would probably prefer to spend your day doing other things.”, Soren stated as he took his hand off of the cover. “So, I’ll try to summarize what I think you should know instead.”
Ezabel looked up with wide, ready eyes. Should she take notes? Was there anything to take notes with? How would she remember anything he was about to say? Her gaze could not figure out where to fall; she could not decide between giving her heed to Soren or the tabletop.
“Since a different Attendant is chosen to administer the trials every year, it is usually hard to say what a candidate like yourself should expect. However, there is one thing that always remains the same: The Last Labor.”
‘The Last Labor’, the name struck an interesting sensation in Ezabel’s mind. Whether it was in a book or through word of mouth, she had certainly heard of it before. Though, she could not quite put her finger on it. Her lips parted for a moment, as if to make an attempt at identifying it. But, nothing came out.
Soren continued. “It is the most important part of the entire festival. Bigger than tonight’s ceremony and bigger than the closing celebrations. - It is the moment in which the entire realm gets to see which one of you truly has the potential to become an Attendant Knight.”
“What is it going to make us do?”, Ezabel perked up. She knew that an explanation was coming, but she pried anyway, as if she would not find out otherwise. Soren had made it sound like ‘The Last Labor’ was where things began and ended for most candidates. And, she heeded his words. There was a significance about it now that she could not look away from.
“It is when you get your knightstone.”, the friendliness of Soren’s demeanor had suddenly gone away in favor of a far more grave tone. “No matter how well you do in every other aspect of the trials, no matter how much praise you receive, none of it will mean a thing if you can not secure a knightstone for yourself.”
Ezabel swallowed an empty mouthful. Even the air was beginning to feel tight.
“For the time being, my advice would be to forget anything beyond the Last Labor and focus on it alone.”, Soren turned his attention to the book once again. “To obtain your knightstone, you and the rest of your fellow candidates will be entering the Echo.”
°°
What more is there to an Attendant Knight than their unwavering strength? They were a beacon of hope and the light by which the realm of Ardyn flourished. They walk the path of duty and press into danger with their heads held high. For the sake of people and peace, it is on their shoulders that all adversity falls. Never once shall uncertainty tarnish their determination.
Of course, that was exactly the language used to portray the Order for as long as most could remember. Even Ezabel, who enjoyed the tumultuous, trying journeys of her favorite characters, knew that this was the way an Attendant should feel in the end. So then, why did everything feel so.. ..concerning?
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Her long, black hair fell down her cheeks and gathered in a small bundle atop the book. It laid open half way and sat on the tabletop she had been sitting beside for the last hour. She made an attempt to skim its contents. Several attempts, in fact. But, her focus was just not there. Instead, it was pulled away constantly by the sound of passing footsteps and the faraway sighs of candidates that were just as equally stressed.
There was a quiet, anxious air about her particular section of the library. And, it certainly was not because of its cramped spaces. Ezabel had assumed that most everyone had been expecting the Last Labor. Now that it was on the horizon, all their efforts were buckling down to ensure that they succeeded.
It was Ezabel’s every intention to give more of herself to the task than they did. The only way she knew how was to devour the book in front of her. It was how she did it all before. So, it should work now, should it not? - ‘Echo Echo’ was a textbook through and through. Ezabel had expected as much, but she still failed to latch onto its words. She needed a narrative. She needed something, someone to follow. So, after having told Soren that she would use the book to her best ability, she was left with nothing but pages upon pages of mind numbing paragraphs.
Regret began to settle in. She should not have asked for some privacy. It was against her better judgment from the start, but common sense dictated that she needed to be on her own in order to fully absorb the text. How stupid. Ezabel groaned aloud, only to cover her mouth the very next second. She was still in a library and she could practically hear the attention her slight outburst had just received.
“Sounds like everything is going well.”, Soren returned with a smirk. After making his way around the corner and back into their pocket among the bookshelves, he took a seat on the tabletop beside Ezabel. “Are you sure that this is how you want to be preparing?”
“I think I might have bitten off a little more than I could chew..”, Ezabel chuckled hesitantly. ”This book is not the easiest to digest.”
“Not to mention that it’s quite the boor. - Here, I brought you something.”
The rattling of ice sounded off. It was sharp yet tender. And, it came directly from the glass that Soren had slid so kindly in front of her. It glistened like a thousand raindrops against the sunlight that now fell harsh through the nearby window. Within, shards of ice floated in a drink that stood out with a light pink hue.
“What is this?”, Ezabel perked a brow. She had never once seen a beverage of such a color. The thought of a refreshment was welcomed, of course. But, who could blame her for being curious about Soren’s choice.
“Have you ever heard of the amai berry?”
“Amai berry? No, not at all.”
“It comes from Irora, in the east. They are much too sweet for me, but Leland seems to enjoy them.”
Ezabel took the glass in hand and tumbled the iced within. It swirled just as water would and even went clear at the surface. But, no matter her opinion on its appearance, the aroma that lifted into her nose the very moment the glass shifted was entirely intoxicating.
“What does it do?”
“Oh.”, Soren scratched the back of his neck in a trice. “It’s just a drink. - I figured that something sweet would help you stay awake.”
“T-thank you, Soren.”
Embarrassment quickly saw that Ezabel turned back and buried herself in the textbook. Only for her to realize that continuing to read was not going to make her any progress.
“Do you have any questions so far?”, Soren leaned slightly to take a glance at the pages.
“I think so.”, Ezabel turned back and forth a few pages. “I’m having trouble staying focused because of the way this is all written. - Everything seems broken up; disconnected.”
“That’s about right. To enter the Echo is precarious for many reasons. But, chief among them is memory loss. The text in front of you is just a collection of accounts and attempted explanations. Every Attendant that has gone through the Last Labor can hardly remember it entirely. Even myself. There are still holes in my memory of the time.”
“Memory loss? Why? Doesn’t that make you worry?”
“You learn to live with it.”, Soren exhaled and crossed his arms. “I don’t think about it as much as I used to. But, that is the price we pay for power. The Echo won’t let you leave without taking a piece of you.”
Anxiety. Uncertainty. Nervousness. The need to step away. - There was no better time for any of them to come screaming into Ezabel’s consciousness. The idea of being unable to remember something was frightening. She valued her experiences, especially those she shared with her family. Yet, none of it came to the forefront of her mind at that moment.
Instead, her concern was for a distinct look of sorrow on Soren’s face. His sight cascaded into nothingness, veiled only by the tumbling of silver hair across his brow. It was subtle and Ezabel herself was unsure of her assumption. But, if Soren was bothered by the topic, she felt the urge to change it.
“T-then, what else should I expect? It seems like there’s more to the Last Labor than I thought.”
“You’re right, there is.”, Soren shook away his moment and smiled. “The Echo is a mirror of our realm, only much more unpredictable. Everyone is going to experience it differently. Your senses will be out of line. You will see and feel things that others won’t. - It calls to your spirit and plays on your innermost character.”
“Everything that happens in there..”, Ezabel closed the book. “..is any of it real?”
“As real as our conversation is now. You will be tested in ways that can’t be predicted. Ascalon, House Skyward’s guardian spirit will be there to guide as many of you as he can. But, as powerful as he may be; even he cannot control the Echo in its entirety.”, Soren looked Ezabel in the eyes, as if warning her. “It is possible that many of you will fall into the hands of other echo spirits. And, whether or not you can leave with a knightstone will be up to them.”
“So then, we are going to be tested by spirits? What are they going to do to us?”
“Ascalon is infamous for being tough on character. We only know this because of the amount of Attendants that have been tested by him. There are enough of them to piece together his conduct. He is, afterall, the spirit closest to the Citadel. - As for other spirits.. It is impossible to say.”
“Now I’m afraid. What if I fall into the hands of something other than Ascalon? N-not to say that he isn’t going to be a tough thing to deal with either!”
“Stay true to yourself.”, Soren stated with absolute certainty. “You can not hide from the Echo, it sees through you and brings all of your self into the light. Determination is not enough to convince it of your worth. It will know it from the beginning.”
“Then, what is there for the Echo to test? What is there to prepare myself for if the Echo has already determined my worth?”
“You’re preparing to make sure you don’t get lost in there, or worse.”
----------------------------------------