“Hey Edward, I’m sorry to interrupt your free day like this, but it’s important…”

Master Tarquin stood in the middle of the round hall, his hands hidden behind his back. The instructor's serious eyes were glued to the newly arrived duo.

Ed froze in his steps on the sight of him. What’s that old man doing here? Tarquin has always seemed like a man of his word to Edward. If he decided to interrupt his sabbatical, the reason must be serious.

“What is it sir?” Edward’s tone betrayed his concern.

Kat looked between the two, she clearly had some assumptions already, and none of the possibilities looked bright to her.

The shadows in the room seemed to grow deeper and the flames on the torches flickered, as Tarquin spoke.

“You’re being…” the instructor's eyes jumped to Katrina for a moment, before rephrasing his words.

“There is a mission, your ears only. Follow me for the briefing.”

Tarquin turned around, but just as Edward was about to go after him, Kat took a step forward.

“He’s being sent to the frontlines again, isn’t he? That’s what you wanted to say…”

Master Tarquin stopped in his tracks for a moment. An eerie silence filled the room, as if confirming her suspicions.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” She could barely keep her voice from shaking.

The old man deliberated for a moment, before answering in a somber tone.

“Yes child… yes he is…”

***

The wooden door slammed shut behind Edward. He found himself in a small room, surrounded by thick windowless jagged walls. Marcus and Layla were already waiting for them, sitting by an old oak table in the center of the room. There was no sign of the usual mischievous smile on the brown-haired warrior's face. Layla wore the cold look that usually appeared only before a duel.

When the new arrival sat down, and everyone greeted each other, silently, in short nods, master Tarquin began the meeting.

“As you already know you’re being sent to the frontlines. The east front in the Balkan Peninsula is getting overwhelmed by the House of Han. They seem to have joined forces with the House of Lu Bu and are starting to push heavily against the border.”

The trio of Marked furrowed their brows, and one of them especially, didn’t seem happy with the explanation.

“I’m sorry master, but can someone finally admit the full story?! Everyone seems to be disappearing, the House is almost empty, and now we find out a full scale war is brewing? The borders have been relatively stable for the last 100 years! Why now?” Edward squeezed his fists tightly.

Tarquin leaned on the tables with his straightened arms.

“Fine… some of you probably have parts of the information, others have their conjectures. The truth is… the legends are fading, you three, along with one other person currently fighting in the north, are our only Marked of this generation.”

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Tarquin paused for a moment, a hint of sadness appearing on his impassive face.

“With the advancement of technology came more powerful weapons of war. With that the protection from the Legend’s bloodline, that you inherently possess, became a minimum requirement to survive long enough on the modern battlefield, to even have a shot of gaining a Valkyrie’s recognition. And very soon…”

“...even that won’t be enough,” Layla finished for him.

“Exactly.” Tarquin nodded his head.

“Traditional combat is outdated, and without warriors on the battlefield there will be no new Marked… and without Marked, there will be no new Legends either…the age of Legends… seems to be coming to an end.”

Maybe it was just a flicker of light, but just for a moment it seemed as if a tear appeared in Tarquin’s eye.

“Since the same problem affects other Houses as well, everyone is scared for the future. Without the power of Legends their position will become unstable. Because of that, some of them decided to expand their influence, and make it unshakable by eliminating the opposition.”

Everyone present seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, heads tilted down, unmoving. The gloomy atmosphere spread around the room, like a cold wind of early winter. As minutes passed, and still no one said a word, Edward gathered himself, and leaning against the table asked.

“In that case, what’s the plan for the mission?”

The others glanced at him from under their brows. Tarquin was the only one who could still keep his composure.

“You leave tomorrow morning. We meet on the roof, be there at 8. You will receive more information when you land in the base, but each of you will be leading a small squadron.”

This news threw Edward into the back of his seat.

“We’re going to be leading a team? With all due…”

“You received the same lessons as Marcus and Layla, you can handle it. The responsibility on your shoulders will only grow Edward, that’s the part of a Legend’s path the songs don’t mention.”

After that, there were no other questions in the room.

“Dismissed,” Tarquin announced curtly, leaving the youths with nothing, but the grim reality awaiting.

The next morning the trio of Marked was waiting on the roof. Fresh military suits clung tightly to their bodies, leaving only their hair fluttering in the wind. The rising sun painted the sky in an orange hue, but none of the present bothered to admire the beautiful sight.

The young warriors gazed forward, towards an old man in grey robes approaching.

“Everyone ready to go?” Tarquin’s loose robes seemed to gain their own life in the strong winds.

The trio nodded. Edward glanced down at his black bag, containing a change of clothes, emergency rations and some basic necessities. His sword was already attached to his waist, and a round metal shield covered his back.

Suddenly a large shadow blocked out the sun. The winds seemed to rise in strength, bringing along a deafening noise of multiple helicopter blades.

A matte black chopper landed right in front of them, occupying the empty space in the center of the roof.

As Marcus, Layla and Edward boarded the machine, instinctively bending down when nearing the constantly spinning rotors.

‘I wonder if Valhalla’s rules would protect me, if I put my hand in there…’, as Edward chased out the stray thoughts, he noticed that Tarquin stayed on the roof, unmoving.

“I thought you’re coming with, master?”

“Unfortunately not, I’m needed elsewhere. I’m just here to send you off. But you better not die, or else all the training will be a terrible waste.”

As the ground started receding further away, the grey figure grew smaller until it only resembled a stone statue, as if it was standing there for centuries. When even that faded from view, Ed finally turned his head towards the horizon.

In the House of Alexander a short figure leaned out of the window. She stared towards a small black dot, barely visible against the bright rising sun. When the giant circle of fire swallowed the dot completely, Katrina turned around silently, and disappeared in the darkness of the halls.