“Yes, he is.”
A powerful voice enveloped me, and light flowed into the dungeon as the roof opened up. Kynari’s dad floated through the entrance and stepped onto the ground in front of me.
“Kynari, Suna, you have both done well,” Forza said.
He dropped a single piece of candy into Kynari’s palm. And then one into mine.
It tasted like fruit.
“Suna, what did you think of the dungeon?” Forza asked.
“I- I improved,” I said. “Umm, and I think I figured out the way to stay in Teshima Academy.”
“Oh?” Curiosity lit Forza’s gaze. “Tell me.”
Kynari shot me a confused look. I poked my tongue out at her and focused on what I wanted to say.
“Take your time,” Forza said, amusement lacing his features.
“Well, my brother says only people with worth deserve to live in the academy. And training is only given to people with worth,” I spoke slowly, but grew more certain with every word. “But my brother had it the wrong way around. Training feels good. It makes me feel worthy. So, if I train, I'll become worthy, and I can stay in my home. Even if I’m pathless.”
Forza’s lips curled into a smile, “I couldn’t have put it better myself. Success isn’t about avoiding failure, it’s about adapting to it. Most never face a setback like you have, but you’ve started to put it behind you already. Once more I ask you, do you really want to stay in Teshima Academy? Even if you might never unlock a path?”
I paused. Then glanced at the walls around me. They rumbled, letting me know that they would be okay with whatever answer I gave them.
“Of course I do,” I said. “This is my home.”
“Then I can offer you a referral. My referral,” Forza said. “But it comes with conditions.”
“Training,” I said, confident in my guess.
“Yes, training,” Forza said, his voice deadly serious. “Every second of every day. Harder, better, and more efficiently than all of your peers. Until you surpass them.”
“Better than people with paths…Is that possible?” I asked.
“Yes,” Forza’s conviction struck me before his reply did, his tone laced with certainty.
I wanted to agree with him immediately. After all, he was a paragon. He had to be right. But I caught the words before they left my throat and forced them back down.
Is he right? I wondered. Perhaps for the first time in my life.
I focused properly on what he’d said. He hadn’t told me what kind of training I needed, I knew that would come later, but Kynari’s dad was telling me that I had a chance. Which was better than nothing.
“That sounds hard,” I said.
“It is,” Forza replied. “Extremely so. I won’t go easy on you. I can’t.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Forza glanced at me with an unreadable expression.
“Okay,” I confirmed. “I’ll train. No matter how hard it is.”
“Then you have my referral,” Forza smiled, his eyes blazing with red light. “Now then, you’ve both had a long day. I will return you to the academy, and we will begin your training tomorrow.”
I was too tired to object, the rush of the day hitting me all at once as my adrenaline died down. Even when he flew us back to Teshima Academy, taking some slight detours to fool Kynari, I barely said a word. By the time I reached my room I was ready to collapse, the sun barely hitting its evening stride. Only one thing stopped me from collapsing onto my pillow.
There was a letter on my bed.
I picked it up, examining it with tired eyes. It was crimson in color, and the ink was shiny. As my eyes read over the contents my drowsiness disappeared, replaced by excitement and anticipation.
My brother had found a way to cure me.
****
Teshima City was alive with the sound of laughter and joy as I walked through its streets. Above me grand bridges graced the sky, guiding thousands of people to different parts of the city. The faint smell of blooming flowers tinged my nostrils, floating down from the garden islands that had been raised closer to the evening sun, which remained hidden behind an eternal layer of cloud. It was well past my bedtime, but I was brimming with energy and bouncing with excitement.
In my hand I held the crumpled crimson letter, refusing to let it go.
‘Suna, my dear brother, I wish to talk to you about your predicament. I believe I have found a way to solve our problems. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I must ask you to meet me at the Twin Paths Grotto, a fine establishment located just outside Teshima Academy. I have reserved an exclusive table for the evening. Make sure to come over promptly. Cuikhu Teshima.’
My brother’s handwriting and his signature were unmistakable.
Kynari and her dad are going to be so surprised when they see me tomorrow. I thought. I wanted to tell them straight away, but Kynari’s father had gone to the cloud layer after dropping me off. And Kynari was asleep.
As I stepped in front of the Twin Paths Grotto I gazed up at its exterior with a smile. Its walls were a murky red, layers of paint peeling off them. There was a larger painting behind the destruction that showed two muscular arms wrestling with each other, both flowing with valoa.
My brother used to come here often. It must be a place of heroes. I thought.
Inside I could hear yelling and crashes as dozens of patrons drank their afternoons away. The people inside carried mighty swords on their waists, and axes on their backs. A rare few had chains and whips, and others spears that glowed with valoa. Along the walls were racks of weapons, each one mighty and sharp.
The moment I stepped inside, a gruff voice hit my ears, “I think you’re in the wrong place, kid.”
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A tall man with dark red hair and a rough brown shirt loomed over me, his tanned arms crossed and a frown on his face.
“Is this the Twin Paths Grotto?” I asked.
“The bar and weapons shop,” the red-haired man confirmed. “I’m Earl. The new owner. Who the paths are you?”
“I’m Suna,” I introduced myself with a smile. “My brother’s waiting for me here. He has a reservation.”
“We don’t make reservations. Wait, right, Sheidra organized it,” Earl frowned. “I don’t care if she brings in customers, that girl’s been taking too many liberties lately.”
He turned around and led me inside. A giant mirror on the right wall reflected dozens of drunken patrons and wooden tables. Their faces were lit with a sun orange glow coming from a roaring fireplace.
“This is bad timing, kid. It's a cheaper drinks night and the patrons are fighters, not thinkers. Especially since they’re all drunk,” Earl said to me. “Someone paid for five rounds of drinks for everyone. It's a damned miracle that nobody’s drawn their weapons yet if you ask me.”
My brother’s name was on a table in the middle of the room, written on a piece of paper marked with the words ‘reserved for’. I pulled out a stiff wooden chair that was far too big for me, and sat down with a smile, kicking my feet in the air as I waited for my brother to arrive.
“Cuikhu, huh?” Earl glanced at the paper. “Sounds like a familiar name. Or maybe not.”
“You don’t know my brother?”
“I’m the new owner, kid. I had to slave away for years as a cook here, but I just bought this place last week, and, ah” Earl’s frown deepened. “You’re not interested in that.”
“I am interested,” I said.
Earl’s lips twitched upward, ever so slightly. His eyes were dull grey, but within them I saw a tiny glimmer of golden valoa.
“Well, this place used to be a mess. The previous owner? He’d let a bar fight go on until someone died or the Journeymen were called in.” Earl’s eyebrows furrowed with anger.
He leaned against the table as he spoke, and the flood of words gave me the feeling that he didn’t usually get to vent about his problems. “That old coot also hired Shiedra, saying a person with an ‘influence’ path ability would help sell. I don’t care how weak it is, when it’s used on drunkards, I call it mind control, and I don’t like it. As soon as I find another Insight that can access the Crossroads, she’s out of here.”
As Earl spoke, a shiver crawled down my neck, and I frowned. A man and woman were staring at me from a corner table. The woman wore the uniform of a waitress, carrying a tray of drinks in her hand. A faint blue glow flickered around her pupils, the valoa of the path of Insight.
She walked away from the table when I spotted her.
Left alone, the man looked away quickly and lowered his gaze. I tilted my head curiously as I saw the faint glow of green valoa on the man’s palm. Which meant he belonged to the path of Enigma and was using his path ability.
‘He’s here.’ The Enigma traveler whispered. ‘Yeah. Okay. I’ll do it now.’
It must be a communication ability. I thought. My brother had taught me how to read lips, but it wasn’t a very useful skill. Everybody always talked about boring things.
The Enigma traveler’s valoa dispersed and he raised his head, “Hey, shut up! The Crossroads stream is starting!”
Several patrons turned toward the man curiously, and then toward the giant mirror on the wall. Blue valoa flickered around it, and two numbers were displayed on the corner.
[Viewers: 1,398,425], [Nahcari: 31,227,109].
There are so many people watching. My eyes widened. Are there even that many people in Nahcari?
In moments the blue lights within the mirror were replaced by an image of six men, so clear and colorful that it looked like they were actually there. They stood tall and proud in the middle of an arena of stone, each with their backs straight and their eyes tense.
I recognized them instantly. It was my brother’s war band.
At their head was Cuikhu.
“That’s my brother,” I said, my voice filled with pride.
But why is he there and not here? I wondered.
“Oh, that guy,” Earl grumbled. “Yeah, I remember him. Who turned on the stream?”
Cuikhu stepped forward, clasping his radiant crimson sword tightly.
“I apologize for the delay,” Cuikhu said. “I thank all who have sent me their sympathies today, and their concerns. For those of you that do not know, Suna Teshima, my brother, has been declared pathless. The first of his kind.”
Silence fell as Cuiku’s words dismantled all other conversations in the bar. Even the drunkest of adults had paused, confusion pushing its way through their muddled stupor.
First? I frowned.
My brother’s sword glowed red as he injected it with valoa and held it up proudly.
“As you can see, contact with him has not affected me in any way. I can still use my valoa. Which is a relief to both myself, and my war band, The Crimson Blades.”
Wait… huh? My thoughts ground to a halt as I heard his words.
Then another detail caught my eye.
[Viewers: 1,456,229], [Nahcari: 36,318,470].
The numbers on the stream were growing rapidly.
“Of course, there is another concern. That I too may have become pathless,” Cuikhu continued.
My brother took his shirt off, crimson light exploding outward as two mighty wings made of valoa expanded from his back. He called them the Wings of Violence. They were his first path ability, and they made the viewers terrified to fight him.
“As you can see, my path is unharmed, but I have taken my fourth step onto the path of Violence. A privilege shared only by less than a hundred others in Nahcari. My valoa is also Deneb-rank. I cannot guarantee immunity for anyone on a lesser step. Or with lower quality valoa.”
Immunity? I wracked my brains trying to decipher his words.
A low murmur broke out across the bar.
“Did he just say we could lose our paths?” The Enigma traveler said.
It’s the same man from before. I frowned. The man that was staring at me.
But Cuikhu wasn’t done.
“Suna Teshima has now been excommunicated from my family register, and he has no further association with me. Nor will anyone face my reprisal in regard to matters involving him. His referral to Teshima Academy has also been rescinded,” Cuikhu bowed his head low. “However, this means that he will be walking the streets of Teshima City even as we speak. Alone, and vulnerable.”
On the screen Cuikhu’s war band raised their hands, valoa flowing out of their bodies. The valoa mixed to form the likeness of a new person, small and frail.
It was a perfect image of me.
“As you can see, he is just a child, born sickly and weak. I ask you to treat Suna Teshima kindly, as this is a difficult time. And, finally, I assure you that any relation he has to the viewers are just rumors,” Cuikhu said. “Those who are saying that he is a weapon, or even a plague, created by our enemy to destroy our paths, are simply speculating. Nothing has been confirmed. To my loyal friends who I’ve reached out to in this moment of crisis, thank you for your helpful words and the actions you’re taking to make sure I get through this. I am eternally grateful to have you in my life and I will reward that kindness handsomely.”
My brother looked to the side, and a faint smile touched his lips. I knew he was checking his Crossroad viewer numbers. More people, both enemy and human, were watching than Cuikhu had ever had in a single sitting.
[Viewers: 1,712,410], [Nahcari: 40,812,216].
Then the mirror flickered, returning to normal. Reflected on its surface were the expressions of the patrons, each one flooding with a mixture of confusion, fear, and tension.
“Teshima City?” A patron shouted in shock. “That kid could be here!”
“Paths,” Earl cursed.
The bar owner shifted beside me, his hand covering my features. But it was too late.
“Isn’t that the child right there?” Someone said, pointing at me.
It was the waitress I’d seen, her question asked without a hint of malice. The moment her words touched the air there was a chilling pause. My heartbeat quickened as the gazes of four dozen people fell onto me, their thoughts working through their muddled intoxication.
“Yeah,” a gruff man stood up, swaying slightly on the spot. “That’s him.”
Several people recoiled, unsheathing their weapons as worry filled their features.
“Oh paths, we’ve been in the same room as him for hours,” the Enigma traveler’s voice passed through the room again, filled with panic. “You heard the Deneb, he’s contagious.”
“Yeah, he’s right,” a person toward the back shouted. “What if he’s a weapon from the viewers? I ain’t losing my path.”
“Then we should do something about it,” the Enigma traveler shouted.
Earl pointed at him, fury warping the bar owner’s features, “You’ve said enough! After today you’ll never step in here again!”
“It doesn’t matter if that thing takes our paths away from us!” A new person replied. “I heard it. You heard it. He’s going to make us like him. Pathless.”
“Then we should stop him,” a soft voice broke through the cluster of fear and tension. “Before he infects all of Nahcari.”
Whispers filled the room, spoken first by one person, then gilding the lips of many.
“Stop the pathless.”, “Seize the pathless.”, “Cut down the pathless.”
Every patron in the bar rose in unison, and I thought I saw a hint of blue light within their eyes, but it disappeared as their expressions warped with desperation and fear.
One final sentence settled on all of their lips as desperation morphed into resolution.
“Kill the pathless.”