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Chapter 4: Lucian

"You think breaking the other tablets will allow us similar experiences?" Kasella shouted over the rush of sand and wind. "It's not only that." Thuren replied, "but those tablets separate the people of the world and if we are ever going to unite and stop all the needless bloodshed then those tablets need to be taken out of the equation." The desert winds finally died down enough for Kasella to not have to shout. "Maybe whatever is in this tower can help with that? Because the other tribes aren't going to just let you walk into their territories and destroy their tablets." "We'll see." Thuren replied stoically. Kasella was puzzled slightly by Thuren's response. Thuren raised his hand to signal the caravan to stop. "This is where you said the tower would be?" He asked. Kasella looked around then down at her map. "Yes this is the spot." She replied. Thuren side deeply. "Well, as you can see there's nothing here. We circled this whole area and found nothing. I can respect the wisdom of a vision but maybe you misinterpreted it? But this area isn't too far from where the Fohgeri tribe dwell, so we can go see their tablet." "Where's Sahn?" Kasella asked, looking around. Thuren didn't look up from the map. "He's been disappearing the whole trip, he's probably in the back of the caravan bothering the help." Kasella looked out over the desert again. "I'm sure it was here." She whispered to herself. "Onward to the Boepeen jungle!" Thuren commanded. The caravan of soldiers impersonating explorers moved on. Once the caravan was out of sight, Sahn appeared out of the other world with a wide grin painted on his face. He looked down at his feet and let the sand run over his toes. "Where exactly were you hiding?" A voice from behind him asked. Startled, Sahn jumped forward and turned around to see an old man dressed in a white tunic, holding a staff. "You weren't invisible nor did you teleport here. Did you perhaps emerge from the astral plane? Which suggests that you can move physically into that realm. Please come inside, I'd like to discuss this with you." Suddenly a stone tower appeared behind the man and he beckoned Sahn to follow him inside. Sahn stared up at the golden rings in awe before eagerly following him in. The man sat in silence as Sahn touched and examined everything he could get his hands on. The first level of the tower had shelves lining the walls from the floor to the ceiling all filled with books, and where there were gaps there were shelves or cabinets filled with trinkets, statues, and artifacts from all around Hyunda. "Young one..." the man called out. "My name is Lucian. How may I address you?" "Huh?" Sahn replied, not paying attention. But then Lucian's question caught up with him and he turned to face the old man. "Sahn Juber." Lucian chuckled softly. "Juber? I knew a Rais Juber once." Sahn's face twisted in confusion. "Knew him? How old are you because Rais was around when the blinding faded. That was seven hundred blooms ago." "I predate the blinding dear boy." Lucian replied Sahn's grin returned. "So having been around so long you must be strong right?" Sahn asked. Lucian laughed. "Well I suppose so." He replied. "Then fight me." Sahn demanded. "Very well, but after we shall discuss your abilities." Lucian agreed. Sahn's grin transformed into a feral smile.

In one of the lower chambers of the tower Sahn and Lucian stood at opposite sides of the room facing each other. Along the walls of the room stood several stone statutes. Lucian laid his staff against the wall and removed his tunic from his shoulders so it hung at his waist. He touched his fist to his palm and bowed. "What are you doing?" Sahn asked. Lucian completed the gesture before answering. "It is a custom from my time that signifies that both warriors are agreeing to an honorable bout." Sahn smiled and mimicked Lucian. "Then let us begin." Lucian said calmly. One of the statues against the wall began to rattle and pry itself out of its position. "Woah, how's that happening?" Sahn asked, fascinated. Lucian didn't reply, instead the statue rushed toward Sahn who quickly analyzed the situation, avoided the statue's attack and went for Lucian. "Your sense of battle is surprisingly honed for one so young, you must be Terrabeian." Lucian commented, impressed by the boy. Sahn replied with a grin and a right hand aimed at Lucian's face when suddenly a second, faster statue got in- between them and blocked Sahn's punch and countered with a swift kick that Sahn ducked to avoid. Sahn backed up into the first statue and flipped it over his shoulder as it grabbed him. He tried to smash its head but a third statue rammed into him before he could. The force knocked him into a fourth statue that knocked Sahn against the wall with a swipe of its stone arm. Sahn stood up and the four statues positioned themselves in front of Lucian. Sahn brushed the dust off his shirt, took a deep breath, smiled, then vanished with an exhale. "Ahhh, there it is." The blind hermit whispered to himself. Calmly Lucian sat down, crossed his legs and took three deep breaths as his statues began to shatter. Lucian's perspective shifted to his astral body just in time for him to witness Sahn plunging his fist into the last statue and it crumbling into a pile of stone. "Fascinating!" Lucian complimented. "You don't sound muffled, you're actually here with me?" Sahn asked, pulling his fist out of the rubble. "Typically people can only enter this plane in their astral bodies similar to what I'm doing now but you seem to pull your physical body here as well. It is a fascinating phenomenon I've only seen once before." Lucian explained. Sahn looked at his hands and contemplated something silently then he looked back at Lucian, "can we continue?" He asked. Lucian's curiosity couldn't let him refuse as he was too eager to find out what revelation Sahn had gained. "Of course." He replied. Sahn brandished his grin and scooped a handful of the subtlety vibrating not-air and clenched it tight in his fist then he returned to the material plane. Lucian stood, he was somewhat privy to what Sahn was planning but not exactly sure what would happen. He grabbed his staff and used its infused magics to erect a barrier. Sahn opened his fist and when the not-air mingled with material air an explosion that would have easily decimated any other structure along with half of the desert erupted inside the chamber. Lucian's barrier took the brunt of the force before shattering, snapping his staff in two and throwing him into the wall. The tower which was built by one of the Archons to withstand the destruction of Hyunda, absorbed the blast. Sahn tried to escape to the astral plane but the explosion happened there as well, he survived the blast but it rendered him unconscious.

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"Wake up dummy!" Sahn jolted awake, startled by Kasella's voice. He found himself lying in a bed in an all white room. On one of the walls stood a bookshelf which Thuren was perusing through. Kasella sat at the side of his bed staring at him. "How do you knock yourself out with your own move dummy?" "Haha, I guess it was just too great a technique." Sahn responded with a wide grin. "Where's the old man?" Sahn asked. The room didn't have a door until Lucian entered the room. He carried a tray with foods that Sahn had never seen. "Ooo what's that?" Sahn asked, reaching for the food before Lucian could put the tray down. "What is this place?" Thuren interrupted. Lucian could feel the presence of another coming from Thuren which made him apprehensive to answer, so he chose his words carefully. "This place has been here since the formation of the planet, built by someone or thing unknown." "How did you discover it?" Thuren's interrogation raised even more flags for Lucian. "The light of the blinding lasted many days. It was during that time that I was called to this place. I don't know by what." "It seems hard to believe that you've been alive that long and even harder that u can remember the blinding." "This gift left me more than just blinded." Lucian replied. "You're blind?" Sahn asked. Kasella slapped him upside his head, picked up on the tension and intervened. "Well, we thank you mister Lucian for looking after Sahn but we'll take him out your hair now." She rushed Sahn out of the bed and gave Thuren a scowl signifying that it was time for him to shut up and leave. "Very well." Lucian agreed. "You may leave from here." The wall opened up to reveal the desert and the caravan of soldiers waiting for them. "I'll be back to train." Sahn whispered loudly as Kasella shoved him out the door. Lucian responded with a smile. Their vehicle plowed through the sand with the rest of the caravan in tow. Sahn sat in the back seat casually practicing phasing his arm in and out of the astral plane. Kasella and Thuren were silent which was the usual for Thuren but out of character for Kasella. Sahn wasn't so perceptual with social interactions to pick up on something being wrong but he broke the silence anyway. "Where did you guys end up when you were looking for me?" Kasella's eyes focused on the bag sitting in the seat next to her. "We were looking for the tower, not you." Thuren replied dryly. Sahn ignored Thuren and snatched bag next to Kasella. "What's this?" He asked unzipping the duffel. Before Kasella could stop him he revealed another stone tablet, but this one was already broken in half. "When I broke that tablet the same event that happened in my room did not occur." Thuren in the front seat never turned around as he spoke. "I hypothesize that maybe the destruction of all the tablets may reveal more about what happened." Sahn looked down at the tablet then back up at Thuren. "Are you alright? You've been weird ever since that night." It caught Kasella by surprise that Sahn would ask the question she'd been too afraid to ask, It was so strange it even caught Thuren off guard. "You're right Sahn I haven't been myself. I think it's just stress from being the new tablet keeper and my parents being on my case. They almost didn't allow me to make the trip over here. I'll get some rest when we get back." Satisfied with that answer Sahn zipped the bag back up and continued his practice. "The young one is perceptive?" Suma asked Thuren inside his head. "No, he's a fool. You just carry yourself too unnaturally. Let me stay front and center for a while before Kasella begins to suspect something." "Very well."