Darkness was all he saw. In every direction he looked, his eyes only took in the inky blackness that made up his world. From the dark came the sounds; of fangs gnashing, claws scraping, wings beating, and from within him the sound of his heart pounding. He ran blindly away from the sounds, yet they chased him, growing louder with every step. Perhaps he wasn’t running away from the source, but towards it? He couldn’t tell. A stream of flame burst forth, cutting through black, and he felt his skin burn. He screamed. He saw the flash of golden eyes, the glint of silver teeth, felt the piercing pain, and watched the scarlet rain shoot up into the darkness as it took him once more.
He awoke with a scream. Drenched in sweat, he sat up in his bed and whipped the quilt off as he heard footsteps thunder in the hall outside his room. His bedroom door swung open, and in rushed a young woman with dark brown hair worn in long heavy curls, her dark blue eyes wide in shock.
“What is it? Are you alright, Athurious?” she panicked, rushing to his bedside and setting her hand on his forehead. It felt cool against his skin.
“Yes, I’m fine Maria.” he replied. He gently brushed his big sister’s hand away and collapsed back down in his bed, his chest heaving as his breathing calmed. “Just had a very strange dream.”
“Strange how?” Maria asked, walking across the room and opening the curtains, showering the room in the golden glow of the morning sun.
“I think I died,” Athurious replied, drawing an ice-cold stare from his sister. A second set of footsteps approached the bedroom door, accompanied by the dull thunk of a cane between every two steps, and a third entered the room.
“Now that is not something one hears every morning,” the new one said with a smile, dark brown hair with some early signs of gray, salt and pepper in his scruffy facial hair, an eyepatch over his right eye. He wore a heavy black long coat with a white shirt and blue pants underneath, brown leather boots and leaned heavily on the black and green cane in his right hand. “Are you sure you are still alive, baby brother?”
“More alive than you are,” Athurious mumbled, drawing a glare from his sister and a chuckle from his brother.
“Athurious! That is no way to talk to William!” Maria snapped, and Athurious looked away from the two of them.
“Whatever.” he grumbled, refusing to look at either of his siblings. He heard Maria shifting her weight from foot to foot, her hands rubbing together as the silence grew louder in the room. After what felt like an eternity William let out a defeated sigh.
“You should get ready, Athurious,” he said as he turned to leave the room. “Today is the ceremony, after all.”
Athurious cracked a smile at these words. He had completely forgotten about today. His sister looked at him with concerned eyes.
“Must you?” she asked as he jumped out of the bed and walked to the giant oak dresser and pulled out a pair of brown slacks, a white button up shirt and a black vest.
“I am not changing my mind, Maria,” he said as he dressed, “I have been waiting for this day my entire life!”
“But-” she started before being cut off again.
“Don’t worry about me.” Athurious said with a cocky grin. “I am Athurous Pendra! Son of Lance Pendra! I shall become the greatest Knight this Kingdom has ever known! And it all starts today!”
His sister sighed in defeat, knowing that he would not be talked out of it, and walked out of the room. “Comb your hair before a crow tries to nest in it!” she said as she exited the threshold.
Athurious grabbed a brush and stepped in front of the mirror in his room. Wavy brown hair, dark blue eyes, high cheekbones and a strong jaw. He was, in his mind, the best looking boy in the capitol. Combine that with his broad shoulders and sharp facial features, he truly did cut a dashing figure. He brushed his hair into a semi-controlled state and tossed the brush back onto the dresser before grabbing a belt and his black leather boots.
“Athurious! Breakfast!” Maria called from downstairs. He pulled the boots on and stepped out of his room and onto the interior second floor balcony of their house, leaning over the guardrail to look at the kitchen table below, where his sister had set out a bowl of scrambled eggs along with a stacked plate of buttered toast and bowls of oatmeal. Athurious rushed down the stairs and grabbed two pieces of toast, heavily covered them in scrambled eggs, and carried them out the front door.
“Sit down and eat!” he heard Maria shout, but didn’t listen as he kicked the door shut behind him and walked out into the busy streets of the capitol, taking a giant bite out of one of his pieces of toast. The cobblestone street was the main road in the city; to the right, leading down to the heart of the city and out to the main gate. To the left lead up through the rest of the residential district and to the castle gates. Athurious never understood why his ancestors had opted to live on the edge of the residential division, bordering the rich and poor sectors of the city. They should be right up beside the castle; no, they should be living in the castle. He would see to it that that is where they would be. His family had made too many wrong choices through their years. He would correct them all.
Taking the final bite of his first piece of toast, he turned a corner towards the castle and caught a momentary glimpse of aqua-blue hair before feeling like a bull had slammed headlong into his gut. He crashed backwards onto his rump, dropping his untouched toast and choking on the final bite he had just swallowed. He beat his chest until the food painfully worked its way down and took a moment to breathe before looking to see what he had run into.
“Who the hell do you think you-” he fell silent as he found himself face to face with a young woman with wide bright violet eyes, snow-white skin, and wild aqua-blue hair. Her lips were spread in a wide, curious smile and she herself wore what Athurious could only describe as a patchwork outfit of what appeared to be rags. He found his eyes unconsciously wandering into territories of the girl’s attire that brought a rush of blood to his cheeks.
“Hey!” she suddenly said, her voice youthful and energetic, and he snapped his gaze back up to her face only to find that she wasn’t looking at him anymore, but at the fallen piece of toast on the ground. “You will eat?”
“Uh…. no?” he asked, feeling extremely confused. Why would anyone eat something that had touched the filthy ground? Apparently this girl, as she snatched it up and, with a single wide bite, downed the entire thing.
“Thank you!” she said with a bright smile. Athurious found himself almost blinded by her smile, it was too pure to be real. Yet he kept himself grounded by one reality; this girl is a commoner! He couldn't be seen with her on top of him like this! Quickly crawling out from under her he got to his feet and, like a proper gentleman, offered her a hand up, which she ignored as she sprung up to her feet. Athurious took a moment to collect himself.
“So what your name?” she asked, and Athurious once again felt completely out of control. Who was this girl? How did she not know who he was? How did she not understand the difference between them? And what was with the way she spoke? Was she a foreigner?
“It is rather rude to be asking for someone’s name without first giving your own, or do you not even know the most common of courtesies?” he asked, looking down his nose at her as he tried to regain control of the situation. The girl blinked dumbly at him for a moment before smiling.
“Oh, you right! My name Willow! What your name?”
Athurious chuckled to himself. This was his moment to overpower her. His name alone would subdue her and reign in her childish antics.
“I am Athurious Pendra!” he proclaimed loudly, puffing out his chest in pride. She blinked stupidly.
“Weird name.” she replied, and he felt his chest deflate like a popped balloon. Who was this girl? How was it possible for anyone not to know his name? He gritted his teeth in frustration and pushed past her. He had better things to be doing.
“Where you going?” she asked, skipping along behind him.
“To the Church.” he replied through gritted teeth.
“How come?”
“To participate in the Awakening Ceremony.”
“What that?”
Who was this girl? Athurious stopped and spun around to face her. Her eyes were still wide with wonder, her lips still splayed in an innocent smile.
“You honestly have no idea, do you?” he asked, and she responded with a shake of her head, the smile never wavering. Sighing in frustration, he pointed out over the rooftops of the houses to a large building just outside the castle walls.
“That’s the Church. Within are the Clerics; wise men who can perform the coming-of-age ceremony known as the Awakening by which they can separate a person’s Spirit from their body, granting them the true power sleeping within them. Most people do this when they are fifteen.”
“So… what is Spirit?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Athurious sighed. This was like dealing with a child. He pointed down the street to the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. Within were dozens of people carrying bags and crates, and walking alongside most of them were animals.
“Spirits are the manifestation of a person’s inner nature, given a physical form.” He explained. “The Ancient Druids, who came before the Clerics, believed that within every person dwells an animal that represents that person’s inner nature. So they devised the Awakening to pull out that animal, the Spirit, to be an aid to their Master.”
As they watched, a man made a small motion with his hand and the dog beside him glowed a strange light, then vanished in a flash, re-appearing as a shovel in the man’s hand. Willow squealed in amazement.
“What that! Was that?” she asked, hopping up and down while pointing at the shovel.
“Spirits are able to transform into the object most suited to their Masters. For a commoner like him, a shovel will help him with his day to day life. For a merchant, it could be a set of scales. A soldier would have a weapon or armour. The Spirits naturally know what they will become to best serve their Masters, but Masters cannot force a Spirit to become something that isn’t suited for them.”
“You know lot about this!”
“Of course!” Athurious’ chest puffed out again. “I have spent my entire life studying and training in order to become the greatest Knight this Kingdom has ever known!”
Willow seemed to ignore him, instead watching as the shovel reverted back into a dog and proceeded to run around its master in joy. With a finger pressed against her lower lip, she frowned for a moment before smiling again.
“Okay! I do Awarenessing too!”
“You mean Awakening?” Athurious asked, baffled that she had already forgotten the name of the ceremony. “Why? You just learned about it.”
“That why!” Willow exclaimed, beaming. “I want know my Spirit! What it become!”
Athurious eyed her up and down as they walked. He still could not wrap his head around this girl. She seemed like nothing more than an airhead, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this girl than she let on. She noticed him looking at her and she leaned forward, hands clasped behind her back, her smile still on her face.
“What? Is there bug on my face?” she asked, and he looked away.
“No, it's nothing.” he felt his cheeks burn red.
Without even realizing it, Athurious and Willow found themselves outside the gates of the Church grounds. The large iron gates were already wide open to allow access to the grounds. Athurious glanced over at Willow, bewildered as she stared up at the top of the stone walls surrounding the grounds, leaning back as her eyes scanned up to the top of the 30 foot tall ancient stones. Shaking his head, he continued forward to the open gates.
“Hey! Wait for me!” he heard Willow call after a few moments, her footsteps audible as she ran to catch up to him.
Stepping through the gates of the Church, the two found a large group of young men and women in the Church grounds. Willow let out a sound of awe as Athurious made his way through the bodies, trying to lose the girl. He did not get very far before he heard a voice call out to him.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Athuious Pendra, brother of William the Bold. Oh wait, I meant William the Broken!”
Athurious stopped and whipped around as the crowd parted. A group of four boys stared at him smugly, each well dressed and sporting a Noble Crest on their shirts.
“I am surprised to see you here, Athurious. I honestly thought that you would be too ashamed to show your face here. Or does your family intend on going for three failures in a row? A brother who had to leave the Order of the Cross after becoming a cripple, a sister who failed to Awaken, what else is there to do? You going to die during the Ceremony?”
The group of boys started laughing, and Athurious’ fists clenched in anger. As he was about to rush them, another voice cut in.
“That is enough, Gregory.”
From the crowd to Athurious’ left emerged another young noble with jet black hair, pale skin and piercing light blue eyes.
“Are you truly in any position to be talking trash about another family, considering the position of your own?” His tone was monotone and even, yet cold. The one named Gregory gritted his teeth and glared.
“You mind your own damn business, Kerach!”
His words drew a glare from the black-haired boy, and all four fell silent, shaking under his gaze. Slowly, they backed away and vanished into the crowd.
“No need to thank me,” he said without turning to face Athurious, who glared at the back of his head.
“No worries, I wasn’t planning to.”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“Who that?” Willow asked as she popped up behind Athurious, who jumped in shock.
“Where did you come from?”
“Over there.” She pointed behind them, then back to the black haired boy. “Who he?”
Athurious sighed, reluctant to speak but figured it would be easier and less of a hassle to just get it over with.
“That is Jethro Kerach, son of Samuel Kerach, Captain of the Royal Guard. He is an arrogant, cold-hearted bastard who looks down on anyone he deems ‘unworthy’ of his time.”
“Oh, is that what you think of me, Pendra?” Jethro slowly turned to face him. “Athurious, second son of Lance Pendra, the selfish, spoiled little runt of his once great House who thinks only of himself and believes that everyone owes him something just because of his surname?”
Athurious took a step towards Jethro, his fists clenched once more.
“Big words, coming from the son of a man who could never ascend higher than Captain.”
Jethro took a step forward as well.
“Big talk from a boy who keeps trying to ride the coattails of a failing House.”
The two were now face to face, their noses inches from one another as they glared daggers at each other. Willow stood beside them, her eyes darting from one to the other.
“You two will kiss?” She asked suddenly.
Both boys immediately turned to face her, flustered.
“WHAT?!” Athurious shrieked.
“I WOULD NEVER!” Jethro bellowed.
“Then why your faces so close?” she asked, touching a finger to her cheek as she thought. Jethro shook his head as he regained his composure.
“You keep strange company, Pendra.” he said as he walked away.
“I don’t keep company! I can’t get it to go away!” he shouted after him.
The sound of heavy metal groaning drew a silence across the entire crowd as the giant double doors of the Church began to open. Athurious turned to watch as the Clerics slowly made their way out, Willow quickly hopping around behind him to watch from around his shoulder. Six elderly men slowly marched out, each wearing a gray robe with the black Crest of the kingdom on the back and a red inverted triangle to represent gods of the Church. The six stopped at the bottom of the old stone steps leading up to the Church doors, forming a semicircle towards the crowd as the Grand Cleric now made his way out of the Church, his attire identical to the others, only with the addition of a heavily ornamented gold chain draped around his neck. Stepping into the middle of the others, he raised his hands and spoke to the crowd in a gentle yet commanding voice.
“To those who have come to face their Destiny, welcome! It is a brave and noble choice, to see what Fate has cast for you; to see who you truly are, and what you will become. It is a choice, and moment, that unites all of us as one; Noble, Royal, rich, poor, common. None of these matter in the Hands of Fate. A lowly commoner may find themselves as a knight, while a Prince may discover that they will never command an army. The Awakening is a humbling, and uniting, and life changing moment for all who choose to step forward and face it.”
As the Grand Cleric spoke, Athurious’ mind wandered to his future. The grand Spirit that he would Awaken, the fame and fortune he would acquire, him taking his place on the Three; no. If his Spirit is spectacular enough, he won’t just become a member of the Three. He will become the next King of Drakara! He began to chuckle to himself as his fantasy began to fill him with euphoria, causing those near him to slowly edge away in concern or disgust.
“Sir Pendra! There you are!”
Athurious was brought back to reality as three young men edged through the crowd and approached him in a familiar yet timid manner.
“Ah! Fred,Tim, Olly! I’ve been wondering where you all were!” Athurious said, smiling at his friends, “I was beginning to think you three had chickened out of the Ceremony!”
“Not quite sir. You see, Olly had too much for supper last night it seems, and woke up suffering from, how would you say, troubles?”
Athurious laughed and waved a hand towards the most rotund of the group.
“Oh dear Olly, I’ve told you that if you keep eating like that you will one day not even fit through your doorway.” The four all laughed at his words, with Olly meekly nodding his head.
“Just as you say, Sir Pendra. I truly do apologize.”
As the four boys laughed amongst themselves, Willow suddenly popped up behind Athurious’ left shoulder, staring in wonder at the three new faces.
“Who these suck ups?” She asked bluntly, causing the four to fall silent and nearby onlookers to snort.
“Suck ups?!?” The one called Tim snapped at Willow, getting right up in her face and wagging a finger under her nose. “I will have you know that we have been friends of Sir Pendra since we were children! And while we three may be of lower ranking Noble Houses, we are like brothers to Sir Pendra!”
“Oh, that so?” Willow asked with a tilt of her head. “Then that make you my friends too! Nice meet you!” She exclaimed with a smile as she hopped out from behind Athurious. The three boys yelped in shock and leapt back as they saw Willow’s attire.
“Ye gads! A commoner!” Fred said.
“Not just a commoner: a FILTHY commoner!” Olly shrieked, shaking in his boots.
“Sir Pendra!” Tim cried, looking at Athurious as though he had gone mad, “Why does this peasant speak so casually towards you?”
“Well you see,” Athurious started, turning his ‘Nobility’ up to eleven, “She appeared before me this morning as I left my house, lost and alone. And being a commoner, she had no grasp of to whom she was speaking, nor the honor she was experiencing being in my presence! But alas! What was I to do? I could not just abandon a poor girl in need, regardless of her status or position! So I brought her here, so that she may Awaken, and hopefully discover what her life will become!”
Willow crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow, looking upwards as she thought back.
“Is that what happen?” She asked out loud as the three groupies all applauded.
“Oh Sir Pendra! You are a Saint! A Savior! A truly noble soul!”
“Oh, stop,” he replied, his ego swelling, “I merely did what anyone in my position would have done.”
“If you ladies are quite finished,” Jethro growled at the group, “The first Awakening is about to take place.”
All fell silent and all eyes turned forward to the Clerics, who had now formed a circle and were each holding a glowing stone in their hands. The light from the stones reached out to one another, forming a seven pointed star on the ground between them.
“Who will be the first to approach and discover their destiny?” The Grand Cleric asked, and the crowd shuffled nervously. After a few seconds a young woman broke away from the crowd and slowly approached the Clerics, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her breathing coming in sharp, uneven bursts.
“It is alright, child,” the Grand Cleric spoke as she reached the edge of the circle. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Now come and stand in the center of the circle.”
The girl swallowed nervously, then stepped into the circle. Once she was in the center, all seven Clerics closed their eyes and began to chant in a low, throaty voice. It was almost like they were singing, or perhaps saying a prayer? Athurious was not sure. Suddenly the light from the stones grew blindingly bright, and everyone shielded their eyes from it. It lasted only a few seconds before fading back down to how it was before, and as the crowd looked forward again the air became full of gasps and sounds of awe. Beside the girl stood a leopard, its body placed protectively between the girl and the onlooking crowd. The Grand Cleric smiled.
“Well done, young one. Now tell us; what is its name?”
“Its… name…?” She repeated nervously, looking down to the leopard as it turned its head to face her. The two locked eyes for a few moments, and then she spoke. “He says… his name is Ruka.”
The second the name left her lips the leopard began to glow with a faint blue light, then vanished in an array of lights that gathered and swirled around her right hand. The lights collided together in her palm, and in her hand now set a large, curved bladed dagger with a golden hilt and pommel, its handle wrapped in rich brown leather. The gathered crowd erupted into cheers at the spectacle, and the girl herself began to cry in joy, hugging the dagger to her chest as the Grand Cleric stepped up to her and gently patted her back. In the crowd, Willow was bouncing up and down, her hands on Arthurous’ shoulder as she did so.
“Did you see! Did you see? She did it! The kitty became blade!”
“That is an Awakening,” Athurious said with a smug smirk, playing it cool as inside of his mind he was screaming in anticipation of his turn. “She got a weapon, so she will be going to the Royal Knight Academy. Considering her lackluster appearance, that means she will be moving up in the world, from a mere commoner to a Knight.”
“Are Knights important?” Willow asked, leaning forward to look up at Athurious’ face.
“Of course they are! Knights are what protect us from enemy soldiers, savage animals, and the monsters that pour out from the Eyes!” He snapped at her, slightly outraged at her question. Her expression did not waver; she just continued to smile at him. He sighed. “A Knight Recruit, like that girl, is given the same status and privileges as a Lesser Noble, which is a huge difference from being a simple commoner. Assuming she doesn’t die or drop out of the Academy, she can go on to form her own House and completely change her family’s legacy forever.”
“Is that how your family become important?” Willow asked excitedly, putting her face a mere few inches from his. Arhturious felt his cheeks burn as he looked away from her.
“Hardly,” he replied nervously, “my family helped found this Kingdom! Without my ancestors, the Kingdom of Drakara would not exist!”
“Hoooooooooooooooh….” Willow’s mouth was a gap in amazement, her eyes wide as it finally sunk in for her how important Athurious’ bloodline was.
“Indeed,” Athurious continued, feeling his ego swell at finally putting this poor girl in her place, “and not only that, but one of my ancestors was one of the first to ever be Awakened! They say that his Spirit was so incredible that he could split a mountain in two with it!”
Willow paused for a few moments as her mind worked out the mental image of someone actually splitting a mounting in two. Upon completing it, her eyes snapped wide as she let out a high pitched ‘eep’.
While they conversed, people kept going up to the Clerics and Awakening. Soon the area was even more crowded as people stood around with their Spirits, chatting with their neighbors or bonding with their animals. Another blinding flash of light came from the circle, and all who were watching gasped in shock and awe as a great white bear stood on its hind legs, towering over the Clerics and roaring out in dominance.
“Whoa!” Willow exclaimed, using Athurious as a riser to see better over the crowd. “That Northern Moon Bear!”
“I can see that,” Athurious said, a note of jealousy in his voice as he watched the creature drop down to all fours and still stand a good three heads taller than the Clerics. “Whose is it?”
As though to answer his question, Jethro Kerach stepped out from behind the bear and placed a hand against its side, staring coldly at the onlookers.
“Shiver.” He said, and the bear vanished in a flurry of ice and snow, reappearing in Jethro’s hand as a two handed battle axe. The gathered crowd applauded and cheered as Jethro walked out of the circle and set the axe on the ground, where it reverted back to the bear.
Athurious and the three stooges stood in awe at Jethro’s Spirit, each with their jaw hanging. Tim was the first to recover his wits.
“Well… that was… certainly unexpected.”
“Not that it matters,” Olly continued, “because Sir Pendra will have an even more amazing Spirit!”
“But of course!” Athurious chimed, his composure regained. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I shall have the most powerful and impressive Spirit here today; no! Of all time!”
The three stooges applauded as Willow rushed past them all.
“Me next! Me next!”
The four stood as statues, feeling somehow left behind by the strange girl.
Willow stepped into the circle, gaping in fascination as the light from the stones shone around her. She turned to face the Grand Cleric, who smiled warmly at her.
“Well hello there young miss. You seem to be a rather unique one.”
“Willow! What your name, old-timer?”
The collective gasp from the crowd was heard down in the marketplace.
The Grand Cleric closed his eyes and laughed heartily.
“My my! You are indeed a unique child! Willow, was it? Back in my youth, I was called Gandor, but I now simply go by Grand Cleric, or Father.”
“Grand Cleric… Father…” Willow pondered, tapping a finger against her cheek as her brain worked the names in her head. “Okay! You Grandfather!”
The Grand Cleric stood in silence, staring dumbstruck at Willow. Slowly his eyes closed and his frame began to shake as he tried to contain his laughter. He failed, and roared in amusement in front of the entire crowd.
“Indeed! Indeed!” He shouted as he laughed. “Yes, that is a very fitting name for the children of your generation to call me. Yes! I am Grandfather to all the young ones!” He laughed and reached out a hand, tussling Willow’s hair as she stood before him, beaming. “But now, let us see your Spirit, shall we?”
Willow nodded and closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath as the night from the stones intensified. The light dimmed, and curled around Willow’s arms and neck was a viper; its scales seeming to glisten the colours of the rainbow in the sunlight. The viper slithered across her towards the Grand Cleric, reaching out to him and flicking its tongue along his beard and face. The old man smiled and gently rubbed the snake’s head, which in turn rubbed its head against the old man’s hand for a moment before curling back around its master. Willow put her hands on either side of the viper’s head and gently rubbed it, her face ecstatic with joy. She then leapt out of the circle and threw the viper up into the air.
“Terra!” She called out joyfully, and the viper’s head reached down and touched the tip of its tail, forming a perfect circle before glowing silver and spinning. The glowing ring fell into Willow’s waiting hands and flashed away, revealing a beautiful bladed ring. Without any concern for the razor sharp outer edge Willow slid the ring over her shoulders, down around her waist and began to dance, twirling the hoop all around her body as the crowd watched in amazement. Athurious himself could not look away from Willow, his eyes following every little motion she made in her shoulders, hips, arms, neck. He was fascinated.
“She’s beautiful…” he breathed, and the three stooges nodded in agreement.
Willow ended her hoop dance, the viper reappearing around her shoulders as the crowd cheered and applauded. She bounded back into the crowd and up to Athurious, breathing a little heavily and sweating from her performance.
“Did you see? Did you see my Spirit?!” She asked excitedly, and Athurious had to take a moment to recompose himself.
“Yes I did. That was quite… good…” he said, trying not to praise the commoner too much. Gods forbid she get an overinflated ego. The viper glared at Athurious and hissed, opening its mouth enough for the boy to see several rows of sharp curved teeth. The boy took a cautious step back as Willow giggled.
“She no bite.” She assured him, though Athurious didn’t fully believe her as the snake continued to glare at him.
Another flash of light from the stones was followed by another wave of amazement from the crowd. Athurious turned to see a young man he did not recognize with uneven dark red hair standing beside a twin headed wolf. The Grand Cleric’s face was etched in shock.
“An Orthrus!” He exclaimed as the beast’s owner looked down at it with no change of expression. “A Mythical Spirit! It has been decades since we last saw one!”
“Is that so?” The young man replied, reaching down and scratching the wolf between its two necks. He then walked away without a word, leaving Athurious once again steaming in jealousy.
“A Mythic Spirit! To that nobody?” He thought angrily to himself. “How does that happen? If I do not get a Legendary Spirit, then there is no justice in the world!”
“Go on, Atruis!” Willow said, shoving him in the back with a smile. “Your turn go!”
Athurious stumbled forward, too shocked to correct her blatant mispronunciation of his name. The crowd before him parted, giving him a clear path to the Clerics, and he quickly recomposed himself before walking with pride and purpose towards them. Stepping into the circle, he turned to face the Grand Cleric, who smiled at him.
“Ah, another Pendra I see. Your father and brother were both most surprising in their Spirits. I trust you too shall be as well.”
Athurious puffed out his chest and smiled smugly.
“Naturally.” He said, arrogance oozing off of every syllable.
The Clerics closed their eyes and began the chant. Athurious stood waiting, smiling as his heart beat like a jackrabbit’s foot in his chest. The stones weren’t reacting. It was taking too long. What was going on? He didn’t feel anything!
He could hear the crowd begin to mutter amongst themselves and felt his face start to burn. This couldn’t be happening! He had to have a Spirit! He was a Pendra, damnit! He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, fighting back the tears of shame that were threatening to escape his eyes. This can’t be happening! He is going to be a Knight! A great Knight! The greatest Knight the world has ever known! And his Spirit is going to be the greatest Spirit of all time!
“Come out,” he thought to himself, feeling his body temperature rise as he stood in the circle. “Come out come out come out come out!” Nothing. He opened his eyes and glared at the ground, the backs of his eyes burning as he fought back the tears of humiliation. “I am Athurious Pendra, dammit! I know that I have a Spirit! I know you can hear me! And I am ordering you to reveal yourself and come out!”
He felt a tear slip from his eye, and the stones suddenly reacted; blinding him as they glowed in a bright red light. He heard the Grand Cleric gasp and cover his own eyes until the light faded. Athurious looked around eagerly for his Spirit as soon as the stones had returned to normal. There was no sign of one anywhere around. His mouth fell open in confusion, and he turned to the Grand Cleric, about to ask what had gone wrong when he saw the old man staring at the top of his head. He then felt something shift its tiny weight in his hair, and he reached up, feeling a small frame with four legs, a tail, and dry leathery skin. He lifted it off of his head and brought it down to eye level, feeling himself sweat as he came face to face with his Spirit. A lizard. A palm-sized, red-skinned, yellow-eyed lizard with a tiny row of black scales running down its spine. It yawned wide, making a throaty growling sound.
“This….” Athurious said, his eyes wide in shock, his voice slightly cracking. “This can’t be happening!”