Kassius was happy with his first few months at Baelvaire. His days were spent learning about the world he was now living in and spending time with the friends he’s made. While they are far from normal by Gaian standards or otherwise, they were all outcasts, freaks to everyone else. For the first time, Kassius felt normal and relaxed.
Two months have passed since Kassius started in Baelvaire. The month of March began, and classes have been normal thus far. Kassius has settled in nicely with the overwhelming classes, thanks in most part to Gwin. While he struggles in magic, he is able to get by simply casting the bare minimum of what is asked. His other subjects were simple enough to get through as a lot of them didn’t really involve practical activities. Kassius was surprised to find himself excelling in combat class. While he never fought in his life, he had a natural talent for it, being able to perform the activities easily. What really surprised him was that he was excelling without the same thing that happened to him with his fight against Auralius happening again. While he didn’t know it, Kassius has always wondered what happened to him at that time.
Kassius had been sparring with Hazel, with Hazel using a staff and Kassius using his daggers. They trade blows frequently, not taking the exercise as seriously as most of the class. Kassius turned over to his friends sparring pairs. He saw Fenris struggling not to use magic and focus on his staff, Gwin was holding her own but she too was having trouble using a weapon. Evaline excelled in her use with a bow, even when her opponent tried to make the fight close ranged, her fighting style was so versatile that it seemed like she could do anything.
“That’s enough.” Auralius yelled authoritatively. The class stopped their exercise and turned to Auralius. “Well done everyone, you’ve improved since our trial fights. Some need to improve more.” he said, eyeing a few students that were struggling with their fights.
“All of you might want to step up your game, in two weeks time, the war games will begin.” Auralius said. The class looked confusingly at each other, wondering what he meant.
“The war games will be a series of games to test your abilities, both physical and mental.” Auralius explained.
“In these war games you will be making your own teams, consisting of four.” Auralius said. “I suggest you get to practicing, you never know what the games will entail. Class dismissed.” Auralius finished and left towards the main hall.
The class dispersed and Kassius met with his friends. “What will we do?” Gwin asked frantically. The rest of the group looked at her confused.
“We already have our team, what do you mean “what do we do”?” Fenris asked. Gwin hit his shoulder and Fenris recoiled.
“How are we supposed to beat other teams when we don’t even know how to fight, idiot?” Gwin said, frustrated.
Kassius knew what she meant and understood her worry, Evaline and Kassius could manage no problem, but Fenris and Gwin were not at all the fighters, in the way that Kassius and Evaline were.
“We can help you.” Evaline said casually. Kassius nodded agreeing along with Evaline. Hazel chimed with his usual upbeat character.
“It’ll be fun finding a team, but who should I ask?” Hazel said, putting his arms around Kassius and Fenris.
Fenris hated how Hazel was always happy, and even Kassius grew annoyed by it from time to time. Eager to get Hazel away from them, Kassius thought of the perfect excuse.
“I think you should try asking Peony. I’m sure she’ll be eager to be in a team with you.” Kassius suggested, as he gestured towards Peony walking towards the weapons rack.
“Hmm……That’s a great idea! Thanks, Kassius.” Hazel said brightly, hugging Kassius tighter, nearly choking him before he let go to approach Peony.
As the class left for their next classes, Kassius and the others began to stress out about the war games. They ended up agreeing to meet in the woods during the weekend to practice.
The rest of the week passed by in a blur as Kassius only thought about the war games. He was dreading what it could possibly entail. His mind went from a free-for-all battle to a one-on-one fight. He even thought of a possible fight in a maze using both his intelligence and physical ability to get through. Kassius saw that even his friends were thinking about the war games, Gwin being the least subtle, absorbing every information she could from every class, whether it was significant or not. Kassius was relieved that classes finally ended and the weekend came, and he could finally focus on what he excelled at, and practiced.
Kassius and Evaline, brought their personal weapons to their practice, Kassius with his sword and Evaline with her handmade bow. Gwin and Fenris brought books, arguing that they needed the “mental'' aspect of the games. Kassius didn’t want to argue with Gwin as she seemed stubborn about keeping the books. Kassius paired off with Fenris to spar with, and Evaline with Gwin. Kassius brought out the hilt of his sword, and he turned it into double daggers. Fenris readied his books to cast offensive spells, while Kassius readied his stance to dodge them.
Before Kassius knew it, Fenris casted his spell without uttering a word, and lightning bolts raced towards Kassius. Kassius couldn’t think fast enough but he felt his body move as if it had its own mind, and he dodged the bolts. When he got his footing, Kassius sprinted towards Fenris and put his blade to his neck, ending the fight.
They looked over to Gwin and Evaline, and it looks to be a better sparring session than theirs. Evaline avoided any of Gwins' attempts to trap her with quick set-up enchantments while also keeping herself from attacking Gwin. Most of her arrows were directed at the traps and enchantments, while some were warning shots aimed near Gwin, signaling her to move. Kassius and Fenris watched impressed at how good Evaline was at teaching, she knew exactly what she was doing and she was able to do it without uttering a word. Though Gwin deserves credit too, as she is able to go along with Evaline.
The two seemed to be more in sync each passing day, despite their first meeting being as rough as it was. Kassius and Fenris resumed their own sparring session. Fenris continued to use elemental spells for pure offense, and Kassius continued to rely on his instincts. Through their sparring session, Fenris began to use his spells more flexibly, not only using them for offense and defense but manipulation as well, using wind to throw Kassius off balance to open him up for an attack. Kassius was proud at the improvement, and he in turn, had gotten used to dodging quick projectiles, relying less on his instincts.
They kept practicing throughout the morning, making the most of their time determined to improve. They eventually took a short break in the afternoon to catch their breath and eat. Evaline brought a packed meal enough for all four of them. They set up a makeshift picnic and relaxed after an intense first morning training.
"You guys are intense when you fight." Gwin sighed loudly.
"No joke, half the time I think you're about to kill me." Fenris sighed along with her. Kassius couldn't tell if that was a backhanded compliment or not. He looked over to Evaline and saw her slightly blushing.
"Where did you even learn to fight?" Fenris asked, eyeing both Kassius and Evaline. They both fell silent, Kassius didn't know what to say, most of his "combat prowess" was due to instinct and whatever he had during his first fight.
"I mostly taught myself." Evaline answered. The group looked at her awestruck, Evaline turned an even more noticeable shade of pink.
"The.....other girls would always make fun of me for being beautiful." Evaline explained.
"They would say the only thing I knew was how to make myself look good and that I'd be useless in anything else." Evaline continued, earning a pitiful look from the group but she shrugged it off.
"Don't worry, it gave me the guts to pick up a bow and just start shooting."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"I failed the first few times but I got the hang of it, since I practiced every time I was able to get away from royal duties." Evaline finished with a smile on her face, trying to reassure the group and lighten the mood.
It succeeded as the group smiled along with her. As she finished her story, the group then turned to Kassius, hoping for an interesting answer like the last.
"I don't know how I learned, I just did." Kassius said, unable to come up with a better answer. The group stared confused at what they just heard. "How do you just know?" Gwin asked.
"I don't know, everytime I fight its like my body already knows what to do before my head does." Kassius explained sincerely. The group sat silent for a while thinking about what Kassius had said. Kassius hoped that there would be an explanation for this in this world but he sat disappointed and concerned that none of his friends could answer him.
"So you were serious when you said you didn't know how you beat Auralius?" Fenris asked, with a little concern in his voice. Kassius nodded.
The group fell silent for a second as they were deep in thought, perplexed at what Kassius had said and thinking about what to say. Before any of them could say anything, Kassius heard a faint voice.
"Come...." a whisper from in the woods said. Kassius looked towards the deep and darker part of the forest for the whisper. "Gather...." the voice said. Kassius stood up and slowly walked towards the darkened forest.
"Where are you going?" Fenris asked. "I hear something." Kassius said, continuing to walk. "There's nothing, Kassius." Gwin said. "We don't hear anything." said Evaline, as the group focused and looked around trying to listen for something.
Kassius stayed focused on the voice, calling for him, urging him to come closer. "Come...." the voice said a second time, more intense and urgent, Kassius then bolted towards the direction, the group following suit. Without knowing where he was going, Kassius ran through the forest without a care, his friends doing their best to follow after him. As abruptly as he had left, Kassius stopped, tripping over a rock in his way tumbling through bushes and down a muddy slope and into a stone pavement.
"Kassius! Are you ok!?" Evaline yelled, concerned.
Kassius was unable to yell back, groaning and grunting in pain instead trying to get up from the fall. Fenris slid down carefully and Evaline flew down with Gwin, and they all gathered around Kassius, supporting him.
"Don't run off like that," Gwin said in a scolding tone. "Yeah, at least warn us before you do that or we all could've been a little worse for wear." Fenris said.
Kassius apologized seeing the worried look on their faces. When he got up, he looked around the area for the source of the voice. The group found themselves in stone ruins. Stone pillars surround them, with stone steps in between each pillar. In the middle, was a stone circle, and in the center of the circle an altar. Kassius focused his ears, but he couldn't hear the voice anymore.
"What are you looking for?" Fenris asked, with fear rising from his voice. Kassius was too focused on hearing the voice again to notice Fenris' question.
Looking in every possible direction, he was desperate to hear the voice without even knowing why he was so desperate.
"Kassius..." Gwin said in a worried voice.
The group turned to her and saw her looking over the altar. They went towards her to see her staring in shock at the altar.
"What's wrong?" asked Kassius.
She didn't answer him, instead she pointed at the top of the altar. He looked to see what she was pointing at, to his shock, he saw his name on the altar. Kassius stood speechless, he couldn't comprehend what was going on. Suddenly, the ruins seemed more ominous and unsettling by the second.
"This is freaking me the hell out, guys." Fenris said.
The rest of the group tensed up at the sudden feeling of dread. As they were trying to calm themselves, they heard a rustle in the bushes and a twig snap. They quickly ran up the steps and hid in the trees and the bushes, hoping they weren't seen.
Two dark hooded figures appeared from the direction of the noise and walked towards the center of the ruins. The group stayed as quiet as they could to avoid being noticed as well as eavesdrop on the two figures.
"Are you sure we should be here this early?" a deep intimidating voice said.
"I don't like it either but I'm only following what he says for the sake of our lord." a feminine voice said. After the brief exchange the two figures pulled down their hoods to show themselves. There was a red haired slender woman and a tall muscular, dark haired man.
"Lady Victoria, I don't think that obeying him this time is wise. What if one of the students notices any of us? It will cause an uproar." the man said full of concern, surprising coming from an intimidating man like him.
"Hugo, I understand your concern, but he would not have called us if it wasn't important." the woman said, putting her hand on the man's shoulder. Two more figures appeared from the same direction the other two came from.
A dirty and rugged man stumbled down the steps followed by a clean and well-mannered man. "You two sure came here in a hurry." the dirty man said. "Do try to maintain yourself, Xerx." the well mannered man said.
"Oh fuck off, Fergus." the dirty man said, nearly stumbling over himself. The well mannered man sighed and rolled his eyes. "Are you ever sober, Xerx?" asked Victoria.
"Only when you agree to be mine." Xerx said as he approached Victoria slowly. Victoria then kicked him in his midside, making him curl to the ground. "You bitch!" Xerx yelled in pain.
As the group watched the mysterious people converse, the growing dread in the atmosphere grew even more intense as they noticed the sky darkened and fog enveloping their surroundings. As suddenly as the others appeared a cloaked figure appeared from the smoke in the center of the stone circle. The mysterious group looked towards it and bowed their heads. The figure seemed awfully familiar to Kassius.
"Children, all of you." the figure said. The mysterious group stood silent, as if frozen at the sight of the dark figure. "Bickering amongst each other, it is a wonder how we've survived so long."
The group still stood frozen, seemingly fearful of the figure before them. Kassius and his friends felt the same unsettling and dark feeling. He couldn't quite place it, but Kassius knew he felt this way before.
"Onto the matter at hand, the return of our lord will soon be upon us." the figure said. The group around the figure, brightened slightly at the news. "How soon?" Victoria asked.
The figure raised a shadowy hand, signaling her to be silent. "Patience, there is still much work to be done, but I have found a crucial factor in his return." the figure said. "The "catalyst" of our return. " the figure said. Kassius and his friends began to listen intently to this news.
"Why don't we just get this catalyst thing and start already?" Xerx said impatiently. Suddenly the wind around the area stirred violently and swiftly, and the figure's voice grew loud. "You dare question me, Xerx?!" the figure said growing even more sinister every second.
Kassius felt any warmth leave his body at that moment, and he saw his friends shivering, even Fenris who was no stranger to anything of the dark arts sat terrified at the sight before them. Kassius turned his attention back to the other group and saw Xerx bow his head again and backed away. The air grew calm again and everything was still.
"The catalyst is not ready." the figure said.
"It will take time to be ready, and when it does. Our ascension will begin." the figure said. As he said those last words, the group in front of him looked up with determination and fire in their eyes.
"The Forgotten will be remembered." the group said in unison. At this sight, Kassius felt something grab his sleeve.
He turned to see Fenris grabbing his sleeve, and Gwin and Evaline urging him to leave with them. Not thinking twice, the group ran as fast as they could out of the area and back into the sunlit part of the forest.
When they reached their picnic site, they dropped to the ground and took deep breaths, taking in as much as they could. "What the hell was that?" Fenris said, breathless.
None of them could answer him. They all tried to process what they saw, but they couldn't. "Kassius, how did you know they would be there?" Gwin asked. Kassius shook his head before speaking. "I didn't." he said. They all looked at Kassius with fear and concern.
"I didn't know!" Kassius said frustrated. They all recoiled away from Kassius, shocked from his outburst. "Ok. We understand." Evaline said, trying to calm him down.
All of them took a few more deep breaths before finally calming down. All of them took a few more deep breaths before finally calming down.
"I didn't know they were going to be there. I just followed the voice." Kassius said, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry, I'm just scared, I forgot you're new to everything." Gwin said, apologetic.
Kassius shook his head and gave a weak smile. After a few moments of silence, they decided not to discuss the encounter any further and focused on training, the best they could. After a few more hours, they noticed that it was sunset and decided to end their session for the day.