Transcendence, page 3
part #6 of The Beginning After The End Series
He had to die.
“That pretty little elf? What if it was me, brat?” Uto spit.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Aldir gave me no chance to act on my impulse. He moved in front of me with a stern gaze. “This is what he wants you to do. Don’t let him provoke you.”
I let out a deep breath. Of course I knew Uto was provoking us on purpose—anyone with half a brain could see that. As for whether it was with forethought or because he was just that impulsive… I had a feeling it was both.
Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I ignored Uto. Facing Cylrit, I asked, “Was there anything else that needed to be discussed? Or was that predictable threat all you came here to say?”
“You will be given two days to decide,” Cylrit answered callously. “If the royal families of Dicathen have not been surrendered by then, we will take that as your answer.”
I looked back at Virion, who had finally gathered himself.
“We’ll show ourselves out.” Virion’s words were clipped as he glared at the Vritra, but he smoothed over the creases on his robe casually.
As I turned to leave with Virion and Aldir, Uto’s voice rang out.
“You should’ve heard her scream,” he laughed. “Almost made me want to not kill her—keep her alive so I could keep making her scream, you know?”
I could feel my blood flowing faster, pounding in my head as I stepped toward the edge of the platform.
Aldir caught my gaze and prepared to lift me up with his aura, but I stopped him. Sending ice, lightning, and wind attribute mana into my palm, I raised my arm and whipped around to face Uto.
The thin, translucent beam of fused elements pierced the narrow gap between the two Vritra, creating a crackling gale in its path. The ray shot past them and into the water, and the ocean split from the force of my spell. The waves instantly froze over, then a current of electricity shattered the ice into shards of sparkling glass.
I could see Uto’s expression crumple, slowly giving way to one of doubt and shock. Even Cylrit’s cold face showed surprise as the shower of ice shards rained down on us.
“Whether or not we decide to proceed with the war, I really hope to meet you again, Uto.” I turned my back on him as the shadowy platform we had been standing on convulsed.
Aldir lifted Virion, Sylvie, and me into the air, and I fought the urge to turn back around. Staring at Virion’s face, lined with worry and frustration, I could tell he was thinking about the Vritra’s words.
“You’re not really considering their offer, right?” I asked as we rose above the clouds.
“No—but if they were to keep their word, imagine how many innocent lives could be saved,” Virion said, the creases between his brows thickening.
I scoffed. “That’s a big if to be sacrificing your and your family’s lives for.”
“Arthur’s right,” Aldir chimed in. “You know what becomes of the world under the Vritra’s rule. Even Epheotus won’t be safe from harm if Agrona is able to populate two continents with his half-breed descendants. It’ll be only a matter of a few generations before they strike against the rest of the asuras as well.”
“I know,” Virion sighed. “I’m not looking forward to the protests that will undoubtedly greet my choice, though.”
“You’re going to tell everyone?” I asked, surprised.
Tess’s grandfather nodded solemnly. “Trust is a fickle serpent; laboriously gained yet so easily lost. A leader must be trusted by his people, but how much do you think they’ll trust me after realizing I’m basically using their lives as a gambling token?”
“Not much,” I admitted, still reluctant toward the idea. I wouldn’t question Virion’s decisions, though. As far as leadership went, he had much more experience than me, even with both lives under my belt.
I could have offered a different perspective, but ultimately I trusted his choices, as did Aldir. When the asura had first come to Dicathen, killing the Greysunders in one sweep as soon as he had arrived, I’d assumed he would try to control Virion like some sort of puppeteer in the background. However, Aldir simply protected and advised Virion, never forcing him to take action. This said a lot about the asura’s respect for him.
As we flew back to the western shore, Virion used a mental transmission artifact to coordinate the arrangements for the public appearance that would supposedly take place tomorrow. From the bits and pieces I managed to pick up as Virion murmured into the artifact, it seemed all the major figures in the war would be present at the speech. The Lances, the royal members of the three races, and other influential noble families were to be gathered and stand beside Virion as a sign of respect while he made his speech.
We came through the teleportation gate and into the circular room in the castle just a few hours later. Before leaving the bland brick chamber, Virion patted my back.
“Get some rest, Arthur. Lord Aldir and I will handle the rest from here,” the white-haired elf said with a tired smile.
“I can help,” I protested. “There’s a lot you need to plan if the announcement is to be made tomorrow, right?”
“Let me worry about that,” he countered. “Your family is here, right now, waiting for you. After the true war begins, I’m afraid the amount of time you will be able to spend with your loved ones will be limited.”
“Listen to Virion,” Aldir agreed. “Judging by your little parting gift to those lessurans, you’ve prepared your body. Now, use this time to prepare your mind and heart.”
Tired and dirty from the journey, I relented, and we went our separate ways. I headed for the living quarters, which were on the upper floors. With the castle always shrouded by clouds, it was hard to imagine how large this floating structure must be to accommodate almost a hundred people while still having space for luxurious amenities.
Walking up the stairs with Sylvie silently scampering behind me, I thought about how everyone’s lives would change during this war. Until now, the battles had been isolated, taking place well past the Grand Mountains and never reaching civilization. There hadn’t been any civilian casualties, only military ones. But once the ships landed on the western border, that would all change—and for the civilians, it would come as an unpleasant surprise.
I feared how the inhabitants—the non-nobles—would take Virion’s announcement. At best, they would reluctantly accept the news; more likely, protests would arise, and it was even possible that the citizens the soldiers of Dicathen were trying to protect would betray us for the blind hope that the Alacryan forces would let them live if they cooperated.
I exited the stairway on the fourth floor and made my way down the wide corridor, warmly lit by orbs mounted on both walls. Narrower hallways branched off, with doors every few yards or so.
“How do you suppose we find our parents, Sylv?” I asked, veering right into a random hallway in hopes of running into someone who would know.
‘Searching for mana signatures seems over the top here and would probably alarm some of the mages,’ Sylvie chirped. ‘How about knocking on every door until we find someone who can tell us?’
I took another right at random and kept walking until a familiar sight caught my eye. A wide archway led to a patio garden outside the castle. I never thought I’d see such an open deck on a flying castle but the vast orange sky of a beautiful sunset, dimmed by the transparent barrier surrounding it, illuminated the area. Playing on the neatly-kept grass lawn were groups of children, some sparring with friends, others simply chasing each other.
What had made me stop, though, was the towering dark-brown bear playing amidst the scampering children. I spotted an uncomfortable Ellie just beside her bond, talking to a blond-haired boy about her age.
Puffed-out chest, chin held high, a fake smile that didn’t reach his eyes… If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was trying to flirt with my precious sister.
“Sic him, Sylv. Make him scream like a castrato.” I grinned evilly.
My vicious bond was scampering to my sister, sending a mental message asking me what a castrato was, when Ellie’s mana beast picked up the blond boy by the back of his collar and flung him away.
I locked eyes with the bear—Boo was his name—for a brief second. I gave him a stern but approving nod as I raised my right thumb.
Still seated next to my sister, Boo responded with a furry thumbs-up as well. At that moment I decided Boo wouldn’t be such a bad companion for my sister after all.
“Sylvie?” Ellie exclaimed when she saw the little white fox scampering towards her. She looked up, and her face lit up when she saw me. “Brother?”
The children—all nobles, who had come here for safety—whipped their heads around, dropping whatever they had been doing. Some of the parents, seated nearby on the patio chairs talking to one another, turned to look at me as well.
I walked toward my sister, feeling everyone’s eyes following me. Ellie scooped up Sylvie and embraced her tightly before looking back up at me. “Brother, you’re back already?”
“Yup.” I smiled, glancing around at the onlookers. I hugged my sister in greeting, whispering into her ear, “Why are they all staring at me?”
“There’s not a noble in Dicathen that doesn’t know who Arthur Leywin is,” she giggled. “You should see how those nobles treat me.”
“So that’s what it was. I thought I had done something wrong to your friends here.” I gave a relieved chuckle. Turning to Boo, who remained seated on his hind legs, I raised my hand. “Good to see you, Boo!”
The giant mana beast responded with a low grunt and received my hand with a large paw.
“When did you two get so close?” Ellie marveled.
“Men with common objectives tend to bond fast,” I answered as Boo and I nodded at each other once more.
“What? No—never mind, that’s not important,” Ellie amended, shaking her head. “It’s good that you’re here right now. You’ve got to stop them.”
“What? Stop who from what?” I could hear the worry in her voice. Ellie pulled me inside, off of the patio and away from the other children and parents. Her eyes darted nervously left and right.
“It’s Mom and Dad,” she said solemnly. “They’ve decided to join the war.”
Chapter 4
Unexpectedly
Leaving Sylvie with my sister, I made my way to my parents’ room. I strode down the corridor, my gait growing faster with each step as I arrived in front of the door labeled Leywin Family.
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. The thought of what Ellie had said, that my parents really planned to take part in the war, filled me with unease. A dull thud resounded as I knocked on the wooden door.
“It’s open,” the warm voice of my mother chimed from the other side.
The hinges creaked as I turned the knob and slid the door open. Bags lay open on the floor with clothes folded neatly beside them. I stepped inside, looking around to see my father polishing his gauntlets with a set of chainmail armor spread out beside him. My mother, who had been walking toward the door to greet their visitor, stopped when she saw me. She masked her surprise with a weak smile, and my father dropped his gaze as soon as he saw my expression.
“So it’s true,” I muttered, picking up a polished shin brace from beside my father.
“Son.” He put down the gauntlet and rag but remained seated.
“We weren’t expecting you back so soon,” my mother added, taking another step toward me.
“Were you planning on leaving without saying anything to me?” I asked, my gaze still focused on the shin brace in my hand.
“Of course not. But we wanted to finish preparing before you got back.” My mother lifted her hand, hesitating just a bit before she placed it on my shoulder.
A mixture of feelings welled up in me as I squeezed tightly at the metal armor—confusion as to why they had suddenly decided to fight, irritation that they hadn’t even bothered to discuss this decision with me, and anger that they’d be willing to risk their lives when Ellie was so young—barely twelve.
I finally lifted my gaze from the armor in my hand and looked at my father. “I thought you were both going to wait until Ellie was older before joining the war.”
“Commander Virion advised us to stay until Ellie was older—or until you came,” my father said, his gaze firm.
“I don’t believe you’ve suddenly decided to fight just because I came back,” I replied doubtfully.
“We didn’t,” my mother answered, her hand squeezing my shoulder more tightly.
“I just got a transmission from Helen.” My father stood up, his gaze unusually hard as he tested out his gauntlets. “They were attacked in a dungeon as everyone was leaving. They stayed back to buy some time for the younger soldiers to escape, but…”
“But?” I echoed.
My father, Reynolds Leywin, the man who had always endured every hardship with an optimistic smile, looked up with an icy venom in his eyes. “Adam didn’t make it.”
“No.” I shook my head. “That’s impossible. I was there just yesterday. I was the one who cleared the dungeon and killed the mutant holed up inside.”
My father nodded solemnly. “Apparently after you left, as everyone prepared to depart, another horde of mana beasts, led by a mutant, attacked them. Helen thinks the bottom floor of the first dungeon was connected to another dungeon.”
“The fight was a mess—no one had been expecting a battle,” my mother said. “The Twin Horns and some other veteran soldiers stayed to give everyone else time to get away. Luckily, the mutant was only B-class, but because its army was larger and caught them off-guard, there were more deaths than anyone expected… including Adam’s.”
A barren silence lingered in the room after my mother finished speaking. I couldn’t believe that someone I had just seen yesterday was dead. Then a sinking realization made me bolt upright.
Tess had been in that dungeon!
“Who… who else died?” I asked. Despite my worry, I didn’t want to seem insensitive of Adam’s death by asking if Tess was okay.
“That was all I was able to get from Helen. It was an emergency transmission, so the message was short. But she didn’t name anyone else, so I figure the others who died were soldiers we don’t know,” my father said, letting out a slow, weary breath. “Commander Virion probably knows more about the situation than we do.”
Surely Helen would have mentioned if something had happened to Tess, but I was still uneasy, to say the least.
“I’m sorry about Adam,” I said, trying to console my father. Adam wasn’t my favorite of the Twin Horns—I had found his quick temper and cynical sarcasm to be distasteful—but he had been loyal. Underneath his impatient and cranky exterior had been a trustworthy comrade who stood by my parents’ sides when they had been members of the party.
I could see now why the atmosphere surrounding my father was so heavy.
“Don’t misunderstand, Arthur. We’re not doing this out of guilt—a soldier’s life is always in danger,” my father said.
“Even so,” I said, shaking my head.
I knew I was being unreasonable. My father had every right to fight the battles he chose. But it was my own selfishness—wanting to keep the ones I loved safe—that made me want to try.
It didn’t matter what level your core was or how knowledgeable you were about mana manipulation. No matter how much you strengthened your body or heavily you equipped yourself, death could come at any moment in a battle. No matter how strong I became, I firmly believed that. Yet my father was willing to risk his and my mother’s lives when it was not only unnecessary, but reckless.
“Arthur, it’s not his fault,” my mother consoled me. “I’m the one who wants to go back to the Twin Horns and help out in the war.”
“What?” I blurted, completely taken by surprise. “You want to go to war?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“B-But you can’t.” I turned to my father, certain my bewilderment was written on my face. “I mean, Dad said you avoid using magic because something happened in the past. Why now...?”
My mother cast a glance at my father, who dipped his head in a solemn nod. “Arthur, sit down.”
I obeyed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed as my mother gathered her thoughts.
“What else did your fath—your father tell you?” She eyed me guiltily as she tripped over her words, but I didn’t take it to heart. She had told me she would need time to accept the revelations about who I was; it was clear that she was still conflicted, but I could tell she was trying.
“That was about all,” I said. “He said you would tell me the rest when you were ready.”
“What we never told you about the Twin Horns, Arthur, was that there was actually one more member.”
My brows furrowed and I glanced over at my father, who remained silent.
“Her name was Lensa. She was a talented young augmenter,” my mother continued. She told me the story of a very bright and hopeful mage who had joined the Twin Horns shortly after my father had brought in a young Alice from Valden City. My mother’s eyes glazed over as she described how she and Lensa had hit it off immediately, Lensa’s brash nature and straightforwardness meshing well with my mother’s timidity. Lensa had done well for herself as an adventurer even without the help of a party, and she was already fairly well-known. So when she had asked the Twin Horns if she could join their party, it came as a surprise to everyone.
My mother closed her eyes and paused for a breath. “It was only about two years after she joined that the accident occurred.”
I tensed in apprehension as I imagined what sort of accident had transpired, but my mother faintly smiled. “It wasn’t some dramatic calamity that befell us; not everyone’s life is as exciting as yours.”
Embarrassed, I laughed uncomfortably and scratched my cheek.
“We got careless and ran into an ambush by a pack of stingers. None of us had sustained any major injuries and I thought very little of it. I healed everyone’s surface wounds.” My mother pursed her lips to keep from crying. “The thing about being an emitter is that everyone expects you to know how to heal every injury—that your magic is a one-spell-cures-all when that really isn’t the case.”
