The Dragon Knight Order, page 6
“Yeah, a truly beautiful night. I have never seen so many stars before,” I said trying to sound friendly.
“Seems more alive today then it normally does, doesn't it?” asked the woman.
“Funny that you should say that, I was just thinking the same thing,” I said wondering who she was.
“Today is the celebration of the birth of the Dragon Knight Order. It is said that when dragons die they become stars in the night sky and they shine especially bright in days of importance to the dragon race.”
“Really? I wasn’t aware of that.” Odd that master wouldn’t share the anniversary of the Order with me, I thought to myself.
“A Knight that is not aware of the anniversary of the Dragon Knight Order?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
“I kind of skipped over the first parts of Dragon Knight School. Missed all the history classes,” I said jokingly.
She laughed. It was a weird magical laugh. It was perfect; beautiful, and glorious. The world seemed to react to the laughing and the colors of everything seemed more vivid. And then when she stopped, the world became grey. I was perplexed by what kind of magic she would have possibly used to cause such an effect.
“A humorous Knight, that is a very rare trait in Knights today.”
“I have been told the same thing quite a few times,” I said. Whoever she was, I liked her. She seemed fun.
“And why have you neglected your studies Knight?” she asked noticing my release of tension from her presence.
“I haven’t neglected them, I have just had very little time to study the ways and history of the Dragon Knights. It was decided that I should first learn the combat aspect, as I might need it to defend myself sooner rather than later,” I responded feeling a strange trust towards this woman. It was as if I knew her and this feeling became stronger every second I was in her presence.
“And how do you feel about that?” she asked with her bronze eyes staring me down.
“Well, at first it was all very confusing and frustrating, but then it got easier to understand and I got used to the rhythm of the training. But I still would have preferred to learn it the traditional way.”
“I meant how do you feel about having to fight?” she asked in a very serious tone.
“The Order exists to protect sentient beings. The most obvious of which are dragons and humans, might the threat be Irkanian or from within the species. If fighting is the only way to solve a problem, then so be it. But if negotiations and mediating are still options I would rather try to reach a peaceful agreement.”
“You will make a fine Paladin one day and on that day, you will also make Shadow the proudest dragon ever to have lived. But remember young Knight you have a duty to all living things regardless of their intentions; you must try to safeguard all life. It is sadly something most Knights have forgotten.”
“What do you mean with becoming a Dragon Pal-…”
“I better leave. It has been a pleasure Alex, you are far more interesting then I had been told. We will be meeting again soon,” she said cutting me off.
“How do you know my n…”
She had suddenly vanished into thin air. I used a variety of methods to track people that Master had shown me but they all failed to detect the woman. Whoever she was, she was now gone. The impression she left on me however, was permanent. It was odd how I felt comfortable enough to answer the questions of a woman I had never met before but I didn’t think any harm could come from it. One thing is for certain though; she was very powerful and filled me with nostalgia.
I took one last deep breath of the night air and headed to the Dragon Hold, thinking about my strange meeting with the woman and my conversation with Adria. Being a Knight was turning out to be far more troublesome then I had imagined.
Training
Master had not been kidding when he said I had to forget about rest. He pounded me constantly, ordering me to try out different spells and each one was more complex and difficult than the one before it. If by the end of the day I wasn't tired beyond belief, I knew tomorrow awaited a new set of trials I had to pass that would be harder than the ones of the previous day. But it wasn't that bad as I had finally gotten the chance to eat a normal lunch with my friends in the mess hall. I saw Adria all day long and Max and Axcel would join from time to time in our training. The speed with which I was gaining strength was astonishing; Master said it was due to pushing my limits, every time I was left nearly empty of magical power I was able to store more in me. It was a dangerous way of training but results were spectacular. As I got stronger, so did Adria and our teamwork improved to the point where it had become flawless.
It was the week before the new Knights were supposed to arrive. Master let us have a day off because he wanted to teach us a new and more powerful spell that would consume all of our magical powers unless we were fully rested.
“I don't expect you to master this spell in one week or in a whole year for that matter, but when you do master it, you will be on the same level in terms of power as a general in the Imperial army. Just keep in mind this spell carries a heavy burden on the wielder, for you Adria, it will feel like someone is draining your magical powers from you at an alarming rate. Alex, you carry the most risk even if you are proficient with the basic elements of magic, as your strongest and by far most used magical attribute, has become darkness. That means that you always feel a drain when using it. When you use this spell, it will feel as if a giant boulder was placed on your shoulders to hold and a drain you of energy equal to when you attempted to form 3 darkness Vorms during training. It is not a spell to be used outside of special circumstances or extreme combat situations. Eventually you will have enough stamina to use it in conjunction with various spells or simply sustain it over a long period of time.”
He continued, “Brunas is one of the great five spells created by the first chairman.”Brunas' is one of the few spells that needs to be said in order to activate it. You can't use your mind to activate it no matter how much you practice because of the extreme level of complexity involved in forming it. It is also one of the few spells in which you can actually see the magic forming into the armor that is Brunas. When active, it will act as an exoskeleton. You will, for all intended purposes, become a superhuman being able to take direct attacks that would normally kill you, raise your spell power and make you as strong as a stonewalker. It’s hard to explain in words but it will make you very hard to harm. It would be easier to show you its effects but since only three people in the Academy can use it, you will have to learn from observing each other. Remember, at first you will feel terribly tired during and after using Brunas, but after you have gained more experience with it you will be able to use it for longer and handle the energy drain it places on you. Oh and just so you know, if you manage to activate it for more than 10 seconds on your first try, I will be deeply impressed.”
I could hardly sleep that night. My body was completely shattered. Brunas was every bit as destructive as Master had said. For thirteen seconds I was on par with a dragon in terms of raw power. Then the power left me and with that, I crumbled to the floor. Adria suffered the same effect but slightly less since she was only able to last ten seconds with Brunas active. Master had predicted correctly that it was close to impossible to hold the spell for long periods of time on the first try. Regardless of that, Master tested my Brunas to great lengths, even going as far as bathing me in his black flames and striking me with his tail.
When I wasn't training, Master was teaching me how to be a senior Dragon Rider. During one of his classes I learned that the name Dragon Knight was the name given to all members of the Order. Dragon Dealer is the lowest rank and Dragon Paladin was the highest given only to the very best. For the most part, all I learned was what my role would be in their training and what I was supposed to teach them. I wasn't sure what to expect from the two girls. I didn't have a high opinion of the Noble girl but the commoner was a different story. She was like me, an orphan. Her parents had died fighting in the border with the Irkanians, her mother was a well-known mage in the frontlines and the father was also a fairly respected healer. As for the Noble, her parents came from the House of Halla, also known as the Ice Dragon Knights. They were the founding members of Halla, the northern academy, with which they share the name and to this day serves as the chairman and directors of that academy. If I get lucky she will be like Axcel and at the worst like Eric.
New Arrivals
When the day had finally come for the new Knights to arrive, I woke up and headed to the mess hall. My friends were already there. It had become a habit ever since we started hanging out again. It was rare for the academy to accept transfer students and when they did, they were always either very powerful or already Dragon Knights. Gossip about the new students had already spread through the whole school and I was constantly bombarded with questions of when they would arrive, what they were like and if they would be joining the Dragon Knights.
“So Alex, do you think it's true that the new transfer students are going be Dragon Knights like you?” asked Daniel, a friend from the orphanage that had been selected into the commander’s branch.
“I can't really say Daniel. I mean it would be cool to have someone besides Master Shadow and I in the Sky Dome, but being a Knight can be hard sometimes. I am not sure everyone is cut out to be one.”
“It’s not so bad. You have the best dorm in the whole school. You get the best treatment and you’re also one of the strongest students. I would give up anything to be a Dragon Knight,” he replied.
“I guess you’re right. It is pretty cool when you put it that way, especially when I am strong enough to beat all of you,” I said pointing with my spoon at all my friends from the orphanage that were sitting at the table.
“Ha! You might be able to beat us, but not Adria. She's a natural and she has been training with you and that dragon. There is simply no way you could beat her, unless you have some sort of abilities that you haven't told us about,” said Daniel laughing.
“Who knows?” I said winking at Adria.
“He may or he may not. All I know is I am going to win in the examinations next week,” commented Max.
“Give it up Max. There is no way a healer can beat a Dragon Knight or a Natural battlemage. It's unheard of and in all of history only commanders and battlemages have been able to beat Knights in a one-on-one combat,” said Rod
“Like you would do any better, scribe? Besides I wasn’t counting on fighting them. Odds are they might end up fighting a Noble or each other. In the end they would be too tired to continue and it would be my victory,” said Max sounding entirely sure he was calculating everything correctly. He always had a habit of thinking he could do things, even when they were quite far from his reach.
“If only it was as easy as you say,” replied Rod.
A voice we all recognized called from the table across the dining hall. “If any of you think you’re going to win, you are all sadly mistaken. In the last twenty five years, a first year commoner like you has never beaten a first year Noble like us in the tournament,” said the ever hateful Eric.
“He's right and rumor has it that one of the transfer students is going to be a Noble and Dragon Knight. That means Alex won't be the strongest student within the first years, a title that should rightfully belong to a Noble. You’re going to lose at the examination next week Alex. That’s what you get for hanging out with commoners like them,” said Lester in a matter of fact tone that irritated me to no end.
I felt my anger boiling inside again. Unlike last time, I was in more control over my abilities and with Brunas, I was sure to win if I had to fight them again. But before I could even start to gather my magic, Adria squeezed my knee and looked me in the eye warning me not to start. I let out a heavy sigh.
“We’ll see if you are right or wrong,” I calmly responded.
“What will we see?” asked Axcel standing behind Eric and Lester smiling.
“Nothing,” said Eric looking down.
“This has nothing to do with you Axcel,” said Lester standing up and leaving.
“Sigh… Those two never learn do they? Then again most Nobles never seem too,” responded Axcel.
“Thanks for making them leave Axcel,” I said, and then a thought came into my mind. “How come they are always so scared and respectful of you, Axcel?”
“Well, aside from me being a third year, the Noble families work in the same way the dragon race does. The weaker you are, the less power you hold over the rest. Elemental dragons being the weakest, followed by attribute dragons and legendry dragons being at the top. The fact I belong to the House of Dextra puts me well beyond either of their spheres of influence,” he said as he walked away.
For a Noble, Axcel had turned out to be a very cool guy. He was well mannered, always joking around and more importantly, always kept Eric and Lester in check.
The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. We didn't have any classes that day. So after breakfast I headed back up to the Sky Dome with Adria.
“Good morning Master,” we both said in unison to the giant obsidian dragon that lay lazily at the entrance of the Sky Dome.
“Good morning,” replied Master raising his giant head lazily. He had been sleeping. “You need to get ready Alex, the new students will be arriving shortly. “
“I am already ready, Master.”
“I believe you have not been to your room. You will find something new has been added and you should change into it as I find it to be more befitting of your power,” said Master smiling, if dragons could smile that is.
I ran off before he could say anything else. When I walk into my room, hanging there in my closet was the Dragon Knight black uniform. I closed the door behind me and change into it. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was so excited I could barely contain my emotions. For the first time since coming to academy, I was overflowing with happiness.
I headed back to where Master and Adria were standing. I couldn't help but smile to myself like an idiot. A small victory and a major achievement; I was now a fully fledged Dragon Knight.
“From that foolish expression, I take it you like it. I am glad Alex! You deserve it. Usually there is a ceremony to accompany your official entry into the Dragon Knights, but given the circumstances of your graduating from Dragon Dealer and the fact you're the only current Dragon Knight ascending in rank, I hope you will forgive me for not holding the ceremony.”
“Of course, Master,” I said happily.
I turned to face Adria and then I remember she didn't know what the new uniform meant. She was about to ask me, when a loud voice said, “Attention all residents of the Central Academy. We will be having a welcoming ceremony for the arrival of the Heads of the Dragon Council, Lord Vicis and Lord Lux. Also arriving with them will be the new transfer students, as well as the highest ranked member of the Dragon Knights, Lord Arthur. Please assemble at the Dragon Hold's main area in one hour.”
“Well, shall we get going then?” said Master.
“I will meet both of you when you arrive,” said Adria keeping the rules in mind. “It wouldn’t be proper for me to arrive with both of you to such an event.”
“Nonsense, Adria you are a student of mine. You might not have a deal with a dragon but you have just as much right as Alex to sit in the Dragon Knight table. You practically have been living in the Dragon Hold and Sky Dome these last two weeks that you have been training under me. I have come to see you as a pupil of mine, even more so than Alex, since you are here by your own hard work. I will have you walk and sit with us at the ceremony and I will not take no for an answer,” he said staring at her with one giant eye focused on her.
“Thank you, Master for your kind words,” said Adria beaming with pride and happiness. I couldn't help but think that if Adria had ever become a Dragon Knight she would have been by far the best one ever and I was almost jealous at how fast she had managed to bond with Master Shadow.
Adria and I walked down to the Dragon Hold’s main area while Master flew. When we got there, he introduced us to the two dragons that were there; one the same size as Master and the other much bigger.
“These are Vicis, Lord of Time,” he said expanding his left wing. “And Lux, Lord of Light,” motioning to his right.
Both Adria and I bowed down to them. It was the first time Master had used the word Lord to describe someone and I recognized the name Vicis from one of the history books in the orphanage.
“Please, no need to be so formal,” said Lord Vicis. “You may stand before us without having to bow.”
It was harder said than done, to stand straight and look at the massive bronze dragon in the eyes. It demanded courage. Its presence commanded the respect of everyone including Master Shadow and Lord Lux. There have been legends about him for a long time. The dragon that was born with the world, the first sentient creature, the Head of the Dragon Council, the Noble family whose ancestors were trained by him controls the other eleven Noble Families and now he is also the Head of the Dragon Knights. He is the embodiment of power. It is also said that he blesses all of the emperors even if they are born into the title and those he doesn’t have had short and miserable reigns. He suddenly cleared his voice to get our attention.
