The waxing moon was nearing its full brilliance over Fort Rey. Master Nero had gotten the three acolytes back to base late by preferring the scenic route over magical means and now they must rest before the big journey that is ahead of them.
James could not sleep, initially, so he went for a walk along the corridors of the fort.
'Maybe I'll just go outside to get some fresh air... Wait, there's light coming from Nero's room, is he awake?' with that thought James decides to check it out.
Standing by the entrance he sees the door slightly open and so he peeks in: he sees Nero standing at his desk, putting objects in a briefcase.
With his back towards James Nero says while continuing:
- You know, I'd make a joke about charging you some coin for watching, but that would be inappropriate wouldn't it, Jimmy? - Nero jokes and after that he turns around
'Damn, he knew?!`
- Come on in, I can't sleep either. - Nero reassures him
James walks into the room, lit fairly bright by the chandelier with several candles and the fireplace burning. He sits on a chair close to the desk Nero stands next to.
'I've got so many questions, should I just shoot them at him?'
- You wanna know what we're doing tomorrow? It's gonna have to wait 'till morning, I want to tell all three of you all at once, not have to repeat myself... but if there's something else on your mind? I imagine that's the case? - Nero asks him
- Everything's on my mind... and yet nothing since I'm not sure of most of my memories. - James replies with his sight away, deep in thought
Nero turns the chair closer to the desk to face James and then takes a seat.
- I can't imagine what you're going through lad, but I hope I can answer most of your questions. So go ahead, don't hold back. - Nero says that to him as he grabs a glass and pours himself a little too much whiskey
'Should I start from the beginning? Or perhaps MY beginning?'
- Well I remember how everything works, largely, it's almost like most of the things that I've forgot are about my own perception on stuff and personal memories... but that brings me to my most important question, who am I? - James asks sincerely
Nero looks away for a moment, recollecting all memories they shared and then answers:
- James Reeves, 'tis your name given to you by your mother. - Nero tells him
Though that's a fairly deep story. - he continues
- Please, I need to know. - James does not hold back
Nero nods and understanding James's feelings he says:
- 18 years ago you were found on the beach near one of the villages in Hawaii, a woman, your adoptive mother, took you in. She raised for quite a few years as her own, but you had a sibling, her actual biological daughter...
'Do I have a sister? A family? All I feel tells me Nero's all the family I got... and maybe now Cass and Lex -'
- ... the issue was, you see, you started showing sings of arcane potential fairly early on. But that was a family of normal people, on an island with no protectorate. - Nero explains
'Uh-huh, I guess I should've asked for the beginning, now I have to ask about this.'
- What's a protectorate? - James asks
Nero stops, locks eyes with James, sits for a moment and then bursts out laughing:
- Ha ha ha! You poor boy, you're like a fish out of water! - Nero makes light of the situation
Then he resumes:
- You know James, the world wasn't always like this. We are remnants of magi, think of it as a slightly different race than humans, that's because magi are attuned to the arcane: a mystical force that appeared long ago for reasons still debated. The Church of Arcane will tell you that the 'Arcane' is an actual being who came to our lands from a higher plane, "gracing" us with it's presence, that it chose it's champions and only those were to ever use this potential power. Sounds mad, I know, all rubbish and completely unjust...
'That is indeed a theory... Sounds like Nero is not satisfied with it... for good reason I imagine-'
- ... most of us suspect there's a scientific component, at least in a genetic sense. You see, you can inherit this potential from your parents. To our knowledge one must have at least one parent with this gene, active or dormant. - Nero explains further
- So then... my real parents could have been magi themselves? - James asks filled with curiosity
- Well, they could have lived their lives as normal people, never knowing. But getting back on track: ancient mages were far more numerous when they first started popping up. Naturally way stronger and definitely ambitious. They built an unstable society that shattered into different sides. After hundreds of years of fighting, killing innocents in the process, magi and human alike, magi hated each other and humans joined in on the sentiment. Combine that with the fact that there's a decline in magi fertility and you get to where we are now: a minority with dangerous potential. - Nero tells James in a serious tone
- That's a tough pill to swallow... - James responds to all of that
- Sadly there's no way around the harsh truth, but you needed to understand. Protectorates are areas designated exclusively for the magi. Small areas all around the world, with barely any technology, almost like we're being kept in the era when magi were the oppressors. - Nero explains and continues:
It takes a master a lot to get the warrants necessary to visit areas that don't belong to a protectorate. - he tells James
- Costa Estrella is under such a protectorate status then. - James states
- Good deduction. Protectorates also have their own division of mages, tasked with policing the other residents. These "protectors" are usually masters trained specifically in defensive spells, while most residents of protectorates have never trained in their lives and only wish to live normal lives, most even hate their nature and curse the elder magi that they are not humans living normal human lives right now. In fact, they are not allowed to use the arcane, ever, in the first place. Unless you become an acolyte and are assigned a mentor to keep watch over you, of course.
'That seems excessive, but I don't know the whole history and all the details, it might be justified... I fear it is.'
James thinks of another question and asks:
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
- What about those champions the Church talked about, are those the archons? - James asks
- Bollocks no, Jim... - Nero answers quickly while finding the questions funny and then explains:
... Archons have administrative purposes. They keep the Order running smoothly so that humans stay off our backs...
- So they aren't necessarily strong? - James asks, unaware
- No. - Nero answers with haste, but continues just as quickly
They are incredibly strong. So strong in fact they make masters look like humans. - Nero answers with a serious look
'What?! How is that possible?!'
- Throughout history the most powerful magi had such a reputation that they were known as arch-mages. Now that word has been dropped for many years, simply because it evoked too much power. The ones that remain don't all fit that bill, especially since most of them don't even use their powers anymore, and there's also just no logical reason to, though like I said I doubt that all of them are that powerful, but some of them, could be the case, I could feel it...
'Of course, he must've met the archons when he became master himself, I'm fairly excited to meet them myself now!'
- But then who were these champions you talked about? - James continues, his thirst for knowledge limitless
- They had a pretty specific power, unique to them, they were titled "Lightbringers". - Nero answers promptly
'Woah... that sounds cool!'
- Let me guess, they had something to do with light? - says James
- Incredibly creative, I know son. - Nero replies and continues
There's three recorded cases of such Lightbringers, but they all vanished.
- I'd love to hear more about them...
'But something else is on my mind right now... I almost chose to ignore it, but I can't.'
- ... though I'd rather ask about something else right now master Nero... it's my family.
Nero hears the weight of the coming questions before they are even asked, he worries how James will react.
- Why?! Did they hate me for what I was? Why did she abandon me? - James ask in a sad, slightly frustrated tone, trying his hardest not to crack under the pressure of these feelings
Nero takes one long sip, finishing the glass, putting it on the desk, looking into James eyes and says:
- Your mother did not hate you James... not like most humans hate magi. In fact, she was worried about you, and her daughter. When you were 4 you started exhibiting sings of arcane potential, but by the time you were 7 you became a possible threat, to them and to yourself. One day you just wanted to play, but the wooden house caught fire. Luckily your mothers brothers where nearby and put it out before it brought the house down. Your mother started thinking about options at the time. They heard stories of an orphanage for the magi, but she wanted a second opinion.
- Is that when you came? - James asks, hinting that he's almost remembering things
- Yes. I was called because they thought maybe the fire had started from your powers. To add to that one of her brothers was an acquaintance of mine that I had made during a mission in the US, he suggested that I come and help with the situation. - Nero responds
- A fire? - James asks
- Yes, but by the time I got there it was basically impossible to tell if you had conjured fire directly or if you did something else to ignite the stove for example. And naturally since that was the nature of the event, it was obvious for them to call the only master with a sorcerer's affinity to fire.
- What? - James responds, slightly shocked
- Oh, I figured you would remember... there's a slight complication with how fire is seen as an element. One: it's rare, I would say maybe a dozen magi at a time in the world, not something crazy like lightning, though, Lex is one lucky lad for that one, there are only legends of the last lightning sorcerer. Two: it's dangerous, unpredictable and hard to control in general. And three and I saved the best for last: there's this myth that all mages with a sorcerers affinity to fire are descendants of a cabal of wizards who sacrificed an entire human town to demons to have these powers. Now fire spells like what I've thought you are fine since they are in a controlled format. But using fire free-form like I can if I want to... it's a no-no to them, pfft, crybabies.
James was listening with full intent to Nero's words, but at that part about demons his eyes opened even more, 'could that be true?' he thinks to himself.
- What do you mean "sacrifice"? What do you mean "demons"? - James asks thinking about the weight of those words
- Kid, don't get your knickers in a twist, it's all bollocks anyway, ain't it? - Nero tries to reassure him
- Don't you know more about the story? - James asks
- I can tell you what I've heard myself. The town burned, it had mostly human residents, allegedly there was a mage who looked to sacrifice their own followers and the town in exchange for powers that could help them slay the arch-mages who would oppose this magi and his plans. It's this story that bred the reputation necessary for most mages to scorn the magi born with an affinity to fire, and it's mostly because it made humans hate mages even more. Some say magi with fire affinity are either descendants of that specific mage, of his followers that managed to escape the slaughter, or just straight up descendants of demons.
- Is there more to why humans hate all magi for this? - James inquires
- Oh yeah, it created a dimensional fissure that allowed demons to latch onto human souls, possessing them and feeding off of them. Allegedly.
- You mean demons are real?!
- James, my boy, I assure you there's naught to be worried about. Like I said, stories. Plus the same stories say magi are safe because the arcane provides some sort of protection over the soul. - Nero tries to calm the boy down and proceeds to tell him:
Now lad, listen here, you need to go sleep. We can talk about these stories some other time, but I want you three to have a head-start on the other acolyte squads. Getting there faster will leave a better impression on the archons so let's be smart about this.
James's heart would want to hear more about his family and his mind about this world he's born into, but he understands the reasons behind Nero's worries.
- We'll have competition? - James asks Nero
- Something of the sort. If you see other acolyte teams on the way, they may try to sabotage you so I would say stay on track and ignore them, well unless you know them personally. Actually with your memory... it might make more sense to rely on Cass's or Lex's judgement.
- Now that you mention it... I think I remember something! - James reacts
'That's right, this talk about other acolytes! I remember that day!'
A bundle of events start swarming James's memory, an important day: the acolyte combat trial. The last time he set eyes upon another master and their two acolytes. It was master Marva Senya, a good friend of Nero's and her two acolytes Jack Quinn, who had a small rivalry with James, and Ryan Martinez, who was fairly new into the order. He starts to remember that day with fair clearness: the Order had built an arena on a field in Ireland, surrounded by big stone walls, where acolytes were put in combat to test their abilities and their mindset in battle without limits.
[Read '[Interlude] Chapter II (B) - The Acolyte Combat Trial' to read about this memory in depth]
- Oi, what is it James? You zoned-out for a good second. - Nero asks him
James snaps back to the present.
- Oh, yeah... I remembered the combat trial, well the last part anyway. When Alexander came with his father requesting that you take him on the team while me and Cassandra were fighting master Marva's acolytes.
- Aha! Of course, damn good day. By the way James, you know Marva's squad is taking the same route tomorrow too right? - Nero tells him
'I remember... if there's one thing protectorate's have that humans let us have in them technology wise... it's trains. We have to live like we belong in a different era, but the Order convinced them to let us have trains that have tracks between protectorates of the same continent. There are no stops other than the next protectorate, and trying to jump off-course is heavily forbidden, essentially putting a target on your back and making you a rogue mage. This also means Marva's squad has to take that same path if they want to essentially leave this area towards wherever we may need to go, even more so because we're in a fairly southern part of Spain, and the only other protectorates are up, in the north. '
- You want us to get up early so that we can get a head-start on them, take an earlier train, I get it. I'll go back to bed, I think my head is actually starting to hurt, either I'm tired or it's the remembering that's at fault. - says James
- Or both. - Nero responds
James stands up and is ready to leave the room, but he asks one last question:
- But where are we stopping?
- Like I said James, I'll tell the three of you tomorrow. Just rest my boy, you need it. - Nero reassures him
Back in his bed James drifts away. Initially he is torn about the memories of his mother, he could barely piece together a face, hoping he would remember more about her and his sister, but it did not go anywhere. He regretfully accepts his condition for the moment hoping that one day his memories will fully come back.
As he seeps into a blank calmness he starts to dream about the memory he remembered when he got out of the Halls of Being. About what he saw in that room before he lost his memory. The thing that filled him with the conviction to seek out becoming a master himself and say that he'll see it through.
It was that same room, the apartment, except he went in that first time he walked by it. Stepping deeper into the room, wanting to get a view of that city at night he started hearing something.
The swinging.
The swinging of that 'pendulum' like object.
When he turned the room was pitch black, with only that pendulum in the middle of the nothingness, swinging. There was no way out now. Behind that pendulum appeared a shadowy figure with a swirling purple outline. An entity guiding James to come forth and take the pendulum for himself.
When he stepped forward though, James started having visions of everyone who he held dear being defeated in a great battle, approaching their demise, needing him, but being powerless to help.
That is when he yelled: "No!". That is when he lost all of his memories. Blinking back into a complete unfamiliarity and feeling lost.
But now James's memories are coming back, and with this event etched in the back of his head he vows to do everything in his power to be prepared to save those around him no matter what may come his way!
And something is...