The stronghold remained towering as ever, and the late summer sun shone just below its midday point, showering the valleys in its dazzling rays. Through the crevices of the weathered walls resounded the familiar echoes of swords clashes and chants, only to be interrupted by the chimes of the bell.
The divided groups assembled into one large gathering, with few remaining behind. The march for the mess hall made the dirt ground ramble, the sound of footfall reverberating down the long hallways and concurrent with the loud murmurs arising from the crowd.
The gathering arrived at the mess hall, each boy grabbing its own trencher and awaiting in a disorganised way for their supper. However, with their limited patience, many would attempt to pass each other so that they may eat meals on time, as a result the hall would quickly descend into anarchy.
Vasil groaned in astonishment, shaking his head, and returned his empty trencher to the table. He strode in the opposite direction of the gathering turmoil and towards the frame leading outside, making his swift exit before the arrival of the strident instructors. In an exasperated sigh, he quietly uttered, “I guess I will be skipping lunch today…” and proceeded on his usual route.
Heading for the inner courtyard, where he had previously completed his morning training, he pressed on, his thoughts unattached to his surroundings. It would only be a few seconds till he arrived at his destination, his discrete training grounds. In his sight stood a tall figure wearing a tunic with a youthful appearance, in good shape and sporting short textured brown hair. He laid atop the hill on the lush ground.
The boy's face produces a tiny grin as his gaze meets Vasil's. Lifting himself up to meet him halfway, he smiles and says, "Yo, grunt!" He finishes his greeting by throwing a little bit of a stale beard with his bandaged right palm. He catches the hardy bread midwalk, casting a meandering gaze upon it. “Yo Kajin… When did you get food?” He inquires in a curious tone.
Finally meeting atop the small hill, Kajin lays his arms on the back of his head and in a nonchalant tone proclaims, “The pyros finished early today.” The mention of the pyromancer group was enough to draw Vasil’s attention to Kajin’s bandaged arm, and with a slight frown he asked rhetorically “Your arm is still like that?” before proceeding with his remark “It’s been like that since we met two months ago..” His discouraged words forced the sentence to wane out.
Kajin's body trembles briefly before regaining its composure and saying “Oh, that? It is what it is.” His gaze shifts to the side, away from Vasil. “Anyways, you couldn’t get food?” He questioned as they made their way to the centre of the field, where there stood a lone old tree.
---
Vasil swung his familiar wooden practice blade, knotted with many more stones than before. Although he showed struggle, his swing remained solid and in form. Meanwhile, Kajin lay on the ground, his face illuminated by the skies as he sat without a worry, which contrasted to Vasil’s case.
As he dejectedly swung his sword, his distorted face revealed not just his exertion but also his thoughts. Each strike brought back horrible memories, the brutality vividly displayed in his thoughts and stinging with the same anguish he had felt before. His power returned as fast as it had fled, and soon he was unable to endure the torture.
Letting the tip of the blade rest on the ground, he gave it a long hard stare and he clenched his fist tightly. His frantic breathing gradually calms as he regains the ability to think clearly.
‘I am still weaker… I have yet to grow stronger.’ His gaze darted to the side of the calm Kajin, frowning slightly and letting out an angry groan. The blade in his palms felt ever so heavy and his hands trembled. He took a deep breath, gripped the blade's hilt tightly, and resumed swinging.
Kajin raises an eyebrow to the change of pace in Vasil’s hacks of the sword, prompting him to turn his head and observe his movements. The ferocity of his new swing unravelled before his eyes. ‘What got him worked up?’ He thought without delving into the matter.
~Crunch-crunch-crunch~
Sound of footsteps arose from the blue, dragging the boys’ attention to the side and prompting Vasil to cease his training. Ascending swiftly within their sights was Reiziko, but behind him stood a shorter unknown figure with short blonde bangs that faded into the back of his head, and bearing a worn-out brown tunic.
Kajin sprung back up, his face bright with a smile, and dashed up to Reiziko. “Yooo Rei!” He shouts as he wraps his arm over Reiziko's rigid shoulders, nearly shoving the depressed-looking boy to the side. “Where you’ve been?” His excited voice quickly waned out as he gazed at Reiziko’s sombre visage. Kajin followed his concentrated look to the boy standing next him, who was covered in bruises and had his head dropped in retaliation.
Kajin swiftly let go of him, his grin quickly fading into a neutral expression, prompting him to utter in a calmer voice “Who’s your friend?” Reiziko turned his cold gaze at Kajin, dressing him with a feeling of dread, before speaking, “Let’s go; Vasil needs to hear it.” His voice was buried in deep melancholy.
The group moved in sync towards the centre of the opening they were standing in, as well as the fatigued Vasil. He lay there, catching his breath as the throng marched towards him. Before long the group veiled him in its shadow as he posed on the ground, forcing upon himself a careful pace of his breathing upon their arrival.
“We’re here now Rei.” Kajin said in a slightly annoyed tone, “So, what did you plan on sharing with us today?” He inquired quickly and curiously, drawing Reiziko's attention in the process.
He sighed, leaving his mouth agape to speak. “I’m gonna address the obvious first.” He uttered in a calm tone, returning his focus to the boy standing behind him. “His name is Innacco, and he is not from our group.” As if on cue, the boy stepped forward in the midst of the small crowd, drawing cold and calculated looks from those around him.
“My name is I-Innacco, I come from a h-hamlet in Falchia…” The child murmured in a measly voice and attempted to elevate his head, but his efforts were disrupted by his own subconscious. “I was found by Sir Y-Yoel after a raid took place in my village, my parents perished and I had nowhere to turn t-to…” His voice waned with each word he uttered, yet he managed to capture Vasil's attention with intensity.
“But if I k-knew my fate here…” His voice became more visceral and ever more quiet as he expanded on his thoughts, providing an eerie feeling to those surrounding him. “I’d rather have perished back at the fire.” Innacco whispered, his cold blank stare reflecting the atrocities he had witnessed and gone through.
Reiziko clasped the feeble boy's shoulders with a pained grimace, prompting his eyes to return to its original brightness. When he looked around and saw the pained grimaces on Kajin's and Reiziko's faces, his heart filled with a little more tranquillity. In contrast to the group’s atmosphere, Vasil’s distorted visage betrayed a different range of emotions, albeit short-lived.
The silence that had been established moments prior is immediately broken by Kajin’s inquisition, his young vigorous voice ringing in everyone’s ears. “So, what now Rei? I don’t believe you brought him here just so he can tell us his story?” Reiziko offered a modest nod, prepping for his response.
“Innacco is not alone… I saw at least a dozen others…” He left a gap in his speech in reaction to his shaking lip. He clutched hard and continued, “This situation can’t prevail any longer.” His eyes glimmered in the bright light of hope, yet his vague remarks failed to stir up the others.
“I’ve… I've been thinking about this for a long time… The best course of action appears to be a mass exodus.” His feeble tone does not detract from the weight of his statements. The group's faces were left gaping, their eyes widened, and even Vasil's indifference was broken and turning to him in awe.
“Y-You are serious about this?” Vasil murmured, his voice just reaching Reiziko's ears.
Reiziko lowered his head, and with a hushed voice he uttered, “It’s the only way.”
“But why can’t we just kill the bad actors?!” Yelled Kajin in protest, thrusting his body forward and howling with rage. Reiziko’s distorted expression contorting even further as his grievance intensifies.
“You think such a plan would suffice?! We would end up dead, like T-Tho..” He responds with uncontrollable wrath, only for his voice to wane as a thought or rather a memory crosses his mind. Kajin gazes, his pained look not uttering another syllable, synchronising with Vasil’s wild expression and widened eyes.
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Reiziko makes a sudden pivot to stand face to face with Innacco, his sincere but pained visage betraying his next words. “Listen to me, Innacco… Prepare for three days from now, we will be leaving this place.” Taking hold of his trembling voice with a steady inhale, he proceeds, “Tell as many as you know, I will too.”
Innacco could only nod in response to Reiziko's plea, as the sound of commotion started to arise once more. The signal was clear, their break was almost over and with a collective nod, everyone began to march back to their regularly scheduled activities. Everyone remained quiet, engrossed deep in their thoughts. Vasil remained bewildered, chewing his nail as cold perspiration flowed down his cheeks.
His mind ran wild, bombarded with a cluster of convoluted thoughts and questions. ‘Why would he go to such lengths for nobodies? This is a suicide!’ He reflected, bearing in his head the most apparent worry. Distracted by the voice of his mind, his environment went by unnoticed, almost to the point of missing the abstract maiden standing by the gravel pathway in the shade.
“AAAH!” He shouted and collapsed to the side on the rough ground. His wide, focussed stare stayed fixed on the person, while cold perspiration streamed down his face once more. The rest of the crowd made a leisurely spin to face the source of the ruckus.
Her lustrous silver hair reaching her shoulders almost hid her abyssal face delving into an empty void, which carried no semblance of similarity to any living creature, instilling a sense of dread to anybody that witnessed it. Her immaculate white garment covered practically her whole body, obscuring any traits that would have stuck out other than her head. And yet, despite her abnormal appearance, nobody save Vasil reacted to her presence.
“Did you get possessed, Vasil?” Inquired Reiziko, almost worried after witnessing Vasil’s wild look. He trembled upon hearing his response, barely managing to lift his hand and point forward to the place he had been facing. He flicks his head back and forth, hoping for someone to point out her presence, but is swiftly confronted with the unsettling truth.
“A-Are you guys blinded? Don’t you see her?” He slowly backed up with each and every measly word he uttered. The three could only look at him with a raised eyebrow as he exclaimed his strange remarks. But Vasil persisted, peering at the nihility and trembling. Suddenly, the maiden broke her motionless stand and, with her first stride, shattered the barrier Vasil had created between them.
~Prevent his idea, if you please~
She had vanished from his sight, yet a pleasant but faint voice echoed in his left ear. Terrified to investigate the source of the voice, his head slowly shifted to the side as he bore no choice in the matter. His eyes widen with shock as he comes in opposition with the void, an endless expanse of abyss stemming from a young girl’s face, burying all the natural features behind it.
“W-What are y-you…?” He yelped quietly, his hollow breathing causing his voice to falter with each word. The young girl retaliated in response, gradually backing down and coming in opposition to Vasil once more. In desperation, he attempted to crawl towards his comrades, kicking his legs to drive himself backward. However, to his dismay, the scene he witnessed contradicted all he had seen in his boyhood.
His friends, unresponsive, unbreathing and yet standing ever still, in the state they were moments prior. They stood like fleshy statues, with no quiver in their bodies, causing Vasil to stifle with horror. Yet, his unresponsiveness would be undone by the recurring soft voice hummed by the standing maiden.
~The future that awaits you is dim should he continue along this course~
No mouth to replicate words, and yet her voice resounds clear in his head, carrying alongside it a wave of calmness and serenity almost turning this bleak and obscure scene into a tranquil sight. Her presence waning, she took a few steps in the opposite direction and then behind Kajin, who stood ever so still, and finally made her exit.
Her disappearance resembled nothing Vasil had ever witnessed before, the suddenness betraying the idea that she herself might not belong in the physical realm. But he wouldn’t dwell on it for long; by the time he took to process what had occurred, the people who stood near him had already called out to him.
“Vasil! Cut it out; we have to hurry back, training is starting soon.” Reiziko’s voice ringed in his ears but it wouldn’t faze him. He answered with a hollow and empty stare, remitting no emotion, and providing an unsettling feeling.
“Did a bee spook you, Vasil? Come on, I don’t want to get ass-whooped by Gethin.” Kajin inquired jokingly, piercing the cold atmosphere and helping Vasil lift himself. Back on their feet, the four of them hurriedly started sprinting back towards their training of which its beginning lay imminent. But his mind still remained vacant of thoughts, blighted by the scene he had experienced previously.
---
“Ten more sets! I will be watching closely.” Yelled the instructor as he strolled by the row of boys performing their push up repetitions, all saturated in sweat and half of them performed shirtless; the merciless heat spared no one. This image was a far cry from where they had begun two months ago, their progress and physique prevailing. Though, as their abilities flourished, so did the difficulty of their training.
Vasil, on the other hand, saw their workouts as the least of his concerns. ‘Had I been visited by god?’ He contemplates, but his idea quickly gets shut down by the vivid memory flashing by his mind, depicting the maiden’s empty face. ‘No… That was no god…’ Vasil took a brief pause in his set, grunting with fatigue.
“Eighty five…” It wouldn’t last long; cognizant of his duty he continued with his exercise, however he would persist to dwell on her words, conscious about what they might entail. His visage was full of struggle and yet it also conveyed a sense of dread. ‘Prevent his idea, huh? So that’s what the devil commands…’ As the notion crossed his mind, a shudder ran up his spine.
“Ninety two..” His repetitions would soon come to an end, and while some of his fellow subordinates already finished theirs, he remained one of the few to finish so quickly. He gritted his teeth and with his two clenched fist, he repeated the knuckle push up eight more times and finished the last set. However, he ensued with his repetitions, waiting for his instructor to declare his completion.
Enough time had passed and the sun started to descend, the fortress was veiled in an orange light of the sunset that remained concealed behind the weathered stone walls, the sound of footfall echoed throughout the halls as everyone returned to the mess hall for their final meal of the day.
Vasil, in opposition to most, marched towards his sanctuary despite his depleted look. In his bloodied and muddy hands lay a piece of half-eaten bread, which remained a luxury for those who finished late.
‘Damn that Gethin… Took him a decade to notice me.’ In spite of his negative thoughts, he lifted his hand which held the food and gave a slight grin before taking a mouthful. Still, the bread turned sour as soon as the notion of what he had to do crossed his mind, only to be soothed by the tranquil surroundings.
Walking up the same hill, he witnessed the same familiar sight he had seen many times before; this time, though, it was both Reiziko and Kajin that stood on top of the hill, their silhouettes moving their lips as the faint sound of words faded into Vasil’s ears. The sound of the fumbling grass were enough to make the two turn their head to his presence.
He faced them from a distance, wearing a sombre expression and a distorted frown; the subject of the discussion about to occur was obvious. Vasil took advantage of the chance to speak his remarks now that he was closer to them. “Reiziko… I believe your p-plan might be a bad idea.” His voice quiver at the notion of his straight-forward objection.
Reiziko glared at him with a dead-pan face, not hesitating to speak his mind on the matter. “And why do you think that, Vasil?” He asked, his voice devoid of any emotion but tinged with slight wrath. Kajin could only observe as their conversation progressed, his countenance maintaining neutral and reflecting his position on the subject.
Vasil felt his spit get stuck midway down his throat before he continued with his statements. “I just have the feeling that our exit w-will end in disaster..” He mumbles in a low voice while vivid memories of the maiden’s face cross his mind. From Reiziko’s lips left a shallow sigh, his eyelids lightly close while he contemplates.
‘Why would he wish to protect weaklings?’ That anxiety began to engulf Vasil's consciousness, his gaze darting to the side, but his inner inquiry was soon to be quenched.
“Sorry Vasil but I have thought this thoroughly… I can’t break my promises now.” Reiziko answered stoically, but he would be cut off by Vasil before he could expand on his remark.
“Only d-death awaits us if we get found out! What may you do then..” He spoke with agony, and yet it didn’t manage to faze Reiziko, but Vasil elaborated on his views before he could respond. “Your life in the fortress is well; why bother with others?!” Upon realising the volume of his voice, he abruptly halted his remarks.
“And what do you say about yourself? Had I not helped you, would you not remain like the rest?” Reiziko inquired, his apathetic voice broken with a dash of wrath and anger in his words. Vasil could not help but remain quiet, a contorted frown formed on his face as he lowered his head in retaliation.
Reiziko sighed once again, but this time took advantage of the stillness to follow his ideas. “Let me tell you Vasil, I have seen far more cruel injustice as opposed to this fortress… But the same does not go for others.” He paused, took a breath, and resumed his discussion. “Still, I know that the world outside holds a brighter future rather than heading down this path, at least if we remain together.”
His voice weakened as his words came to a conclusion, yet he eventually murmured. "At least that's what my brothers wanted..." His final comments go ignored by the others, and he ultimately returns to the matter at hand.
“Let me ask you this, Vasil. What is it that fuels you? What makes you want to get stronger?” He curiously inquired, raising his voice once again.
“I-” Vasil glared with a spacious look, terrified to face the truth. Delving into the pits of his mind, and yet his memories remain absent, prompting his anxiety to skyrocket. Cold perspiration flowed down his cheeks and ultimately his back; this terror was all too familiar. ‘My wishes and desires… W-Where do they stem from?’ Unbeknownst to him, pictures of the faceless girl entered his head as this thought occurred.
Reiziko’s tolerance had soon been exhausted, so with a final remark he ended their conversation. “Three days. Me and around twenty or so others will make our grand leave, come or don’t. I can't take any more concerns.” He spoke, regaining his impassive tone of voice, making his exit even more grandiose as he marched back towards the main encampment.