by Noah Michael
“No.” Sarah followed Arias out of the room.
“Good night, Sarah,” the Chief called after her.
She continued walking, not looking back. As she followed Arias down the long, stone corridors, Sarah couldn’t take her mind off Maximus and Raiden. She knew they were coming for her. But until then, she was on her own. She tried to process this strange day.
Until now, I only knew Shadows who were out to hurt or kidnap me. They were monsters. But the Chief isn’t like the rest of them... Even though he’s a Shadow, he’s wise and just. But at the same time, he commanded his men to kidnap me at all costs, even harming Maximus and Raiden in order to do it…
Her thoughts were interrupted by Arias’s voice.
“How many years have you walked this cursed planet?”
“I’m ten.”
“Ten,” Arias repeated pensively, “When I was ten, I taught myself to hunt. It came in handy, as my parents were killed when I was still young. How about you? Where are your parents?”
“I’m an orphan.”
“It looks like you and I have more in common than we thought.”
“I’m nothing like you. I’m not a Shadow.”
Arias hesitated. “I know how you feel, little one. People like you and me are forced to grow up much faster than most. We face our lives alone, but we end up with an advantage. One day, you’ll realize that there is strength in forging your path alone, as I did.”
His words stuck like needles in Sarah’s heart. All her life, her only wish had been to find someone who loved and cared for her unconditionally. But she would not let herself cry in front of a Shadow.
When they reached her quarters, Arias opened the door, moving aside for Sarah to enter a room much larger than that of the Chief. The bed was fit for a king, with red and gold bed sheets and a dozen soft pillows. Two golden walls were filled with portraits and lined by massive bookshelves. The northern wall was made of glass, giving a breathtaking view of the vast fields and villages surrounding the school. Through the window, Sarah watched in awe as the setting sun cast a shimmering array of colors above the mountaintops.
Captivated by the majestic scenery, she didn’t notice as Arias left the room and closed the door. Almost immediately, he heard footsteps coming from the staircase at the end of the hallway. It was Yuran. The Chief walked up to Arias and put out his hand.
“Good evening, brother.”
Arias clasped his hand. “Good evening, my Chief.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, you need not call me that when we are alone? I consider you an equal.”
“It is my honor to give honor to the Chief.”
Yuran smiled and let go of Arias’s hand.
“What do you think of the girl? Are we succeeding?”
“All she has ever known of Shadows is that they chase her and hurt her friends. It will take time. Maybe you should explain to her that Roko ordered the violence, not you. She is a smart girl. She will see the truth.”
“I can’t tell her about Roko. No one can know. Tomorrow I will show her who I truly am, and then I will state my request.”
“What do you intend to do with her if she says no? Roko will still be looking for her. We cannot simply let her go free.”
Yuran frowned. “Your question has been troubling me for a long time. I would like to offer her to stay here, but that would endanger the lives of my people. Perhaps I will send warriors to look after her.”
Arias hesitated before continuing. “Roko will not stop until he gets the girl. From what I heard of the man’s strength, our warriors wouldn’t be enough.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I...I am suggesting the possibility of war, my Chief.”
“You say we should go to war, risk hundreds of lives, for the sake of one girl?”
“If Roko sees warriors guarding her, he’ll attack anyway. We made a deal with him. He tells us where the girl is, and we find her and enter the mirror together. If he finds out that we’ve found her and hid her from him, and even more so if we enter the mirror without him, there will be war anyway.”
“Then we may have to give her up.”
“You would leave a ten-year-old girl in the hands of a monster?”
“I would sacrifice a life to save a thousand. Besides, I made a deal.”
“She is just a child!”
“I cannot endanger the lives of my people for her sake!”
“What about Mara!?”
They froze in silence and locked eyes. Yuran’s face grew pale. “You have no right to-”
“Bringing the girl here in the first place has already endangered all our lives. If Roko finds out, there will be war. What makes Mara’s life more valuable than Sarah’s?”
That hung between them for a moment before Arias continued. “If you are a true judge, you weigh each life with equal value.”
Yuran leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. A pang of guilt stung Arias’s heart. Perhaps he’d pushed too hard. “My apologies, my Chief, if I have overstepped my bounds.”
The Chief opened his eyes. “No, Arias. You are right. I have not been fair or just. I must protect this girl.” The Chief put his hand on Arias’s shoulder. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you, my brother.”
Yuran put forth his hand. Arias grasped it, firmly and faithfully. “I must go now to prepare the new warriors for their induction tomorrow.”
“Will you send regards to my sister? Tell her I would not miss it for the world.”
“Of course. Atara has been chosen from all the new recruits as commander of her rank.”
Arias smiled. “She always had the spirit of a warrior. I told her it was a man’s job, but she never listened. When she sets her mind to something, she is unstoppable.”
Yuran chuckled in agreement. “Goodnight, Arias.”
“Goodnight, my Chief.”
The Chief walked back down the hallway to the staircase, joined by his other two guards. The soon-to-be warriors were waiting for him on the training fields just outside the school. If a war were to break out, the Chief would need all the soldiers he could get.
The doors of the school were big enough to fit all three of them through their burnished golden frames. As they opened, the Chief was met with cold, desert night air. The school was situated in a valley, surrounded by towering mountains. During the reign of the Alliance, tall watchtowers and great battle fortifications filled the mountaintops, defending the school below. The valley was vast, and many areas ripe with crop. Farms and fields cluttered the fertile land, while villages and training arenas filled the rest of the valley. The school itself was surrounded by an array of training arenas, coliseums, and barracks for warriors, separated by rank. Each warrior was assigned a rank from one to ten and trained with warriors of similar rank. When their superiors felt they were ready to move up, they would be tested in the coliseum by a warrior of greater rank. The first and highest rank training arena was at the entrance to the school. The rank ten training arena, where the Chief now headed, was situated at the back.
The guards followed their Chief onto a wide, metallic platform that encircled the school. Above the platform was a magnetic rail-car. The Chief climbed into the rail-car, along with his guards. “Arena number ten,” the Chief said.
The car made its way around the school. Training arena number ten was the largest of all, as it held most of the warriors. The back of the arena was lined with cabins, each storing different weapons, armor, and training supplies. Shadow warriors were expected to be able to fight in any terrain, so the arena contained miles of forest, desert terrain, water, rocky hills, and more.
The arena was also where the welcoming ceremony for new warriors took place. As was custom, the Chief met with the new recruits the night before to speak with them personally. The soon-to-be warriors awaited the Chief in the front of the arena. They were lined up and dressed in their uniform and swords. At the front of the line stood Atara, the only w
oman in the group, her expression fierce and determined. Unlike most women in the tribe who never cut their hair, Atara’s black hair was the same length as her fellow male warriors, since Shadow tradition dictated that all warriors begin that way. Long hair signified an accomplished and seasoned warrior, as any time a Shadow lost a battle, he was forced to cut off a lock. The Chief scanned the line, looking each of them in the eye. “Our tribe is a tribe of honor.”
The Chief walked up and down the line. “What is a Shadow? What has earned us that name?” He paused, allowing the warriors to ponder the question. “It is a common misconception, that a Shadow is a servant of the darkness, that a Shadow creeps behind man during the day and hides himself during the night, that a Shadow sneaks and slithers, schemes and deceives in the ways of a coward.” The Chief stopped in front of Atara. “Is that so?”
“No, my Chief!”
“What is a Shadow?”
“A Shadow is a thunderous being, facing the demons of the night with vigilance and strength, becoming one with its worst fears and emerging victorious!”
The Chief stepped back, his voice booming. “A Shadow is the heart of the immortal! The sword of the unconquerable! The spear of the Titan! And tomorrow, as you receive the responsibility of defending the name of the Shadows, you shall display all three!”
The night air resounded with energy, filling the young Shadows’ hearts with fire. The Chief walked down the line again. “What is your name, Shadow?”
“Saruk.”
“For what do you strive, Saruk?”
“To reach rank one, my Chief!”
Saruk bowed in respect, and the Chief moved on. “What is your name?”
“Balin.”
“For what do you strive, Balin?”
“To become leader of the Chief’s Guard, your honor!” Balin bowed in respect, and the Chief moved on. He went Shadow by Shadow until finally he reached Atara.
“What is your name, young Shadow?”
“Atara.”
“For what do you strive, Atara?”
“I strive to be Chief of Shadows!”
Everyone waited to see how the Chief would react. Atara met the Chief’s eyes, her gaze burning with fire. The Chief stared back and nodded. Atara bowed with respect.
“You are dismissed. Go now. Sleep if you can. Tomorrow you become warriors.”
Atara stayed behind. When all had left, she approached the Chief. “With permission, my Chief.”
“When we are in private, Atara, you know you never need my permission to speak. You are like a sister to me.”
Atara smiled. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening. After all the endless training, I’m finally going to be named a warrior.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. After what you said a few moments ago, the Chief would have to be a fool to name you a warrior,” Yuran said jokingly.
Atara laughed. “You know I would never challenge you. I just think that one day, you will grow tired, and wish to pass on your title. I want to be there on that day to replace you.”
“A Chief does not grow tired.”
“Your eyes beg to differ,” she teased.
“Honestly, I don’t know how your brother manages on so little sleep. I have slept three hours the past two days, and that is still more than Arias.”
“I haven’t seen him all week! Why are you working him so hard lately?”
The Chief’s smile vanished. “We are facing challenges right now. Grave challenges. It is best you do not know of them.”
“But we’ve always had challenges, have we not? We have always overcome them. Besides, we have a new secret weapon now. A new warrior, of unparalleled strength.”
The Chief’s smile returned.
“I need to get some rest now,” Atara said, “but send my regards to Arias, and tell him he must not miss the ceremony!”
“I do not need to tell him. He would not miss it for the world.” Atara gave Yuran a hug and ran off.
Yuran smiled as he watched her go. He could not believe how much the girl had grown. Tomorrow, she would be a warrior.
Chapter Thirteen
Training
Discover Inc.
July 18
7:30 a.m.
Alia woke up. She reached to turn off the alarm on her watch, then realized that the current ringing signaled she had a call. She moved her wrist to her face. “Receive call,” she said.
“Alia, did I wake you?” It was Roko.
“I’m awake.”
“You ready for today?”
“I’m always ready.”
“That’s my girl! For your new level of training, I’ve sent a uniform that will track your physical progress. After your physical training, I’ve instructed Marcus on a new simulation program for you.”
She ended the call and ordered eggs, toast, and jam for breakfast on her watch, even though toast and jam weren’t strictly on her training diet list, and it was delivered almost immediately to her door by a robotic table on wheels. She ate and showered quickly, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and walked over to the wardrobe.
“Training uniform.”
The wardrobe opened, revealing a completely white, full body uniform, including white boots. She put it on with slight difficulty and looked in the mirror. She chuckled as she realized she looked like she’d come right out of the pages of a comic book, but she liked the outfit. She was a new person. She felt powerful.
She made her way to the training gym. It was filled with trainers and soldiers. She knew which ones were Enlai, as they wore uniforms similar to hers, although the men wore black instead of white. The gym was split into six main sections; treadmills, tracks, and running equipment, a weight and strength building section, an aquatics section with a pool and swimming equipment, a rock-climbing section, a gymnastics section, and a martial arts section filled with mats, punching bags, and weapons ranging from swords to bats to guns. The martial arts section also contained a simulator. Alia spent around seven hours in the gym every day, building her strength and learning how to fight. The rest of the time she was either sleeping or in the simulation room.
“Alia!” It was her trainer, Gunner. “Roko informed me we are only to train for one hour today. He has a special assignment for you in the afternoon.” Gunner stood six feet eight inches tall and had biceps the size of tanks. In his skin-tight training uniform, his muscles bulged out like beast. He was Roko’s chief trainer and director of the gym. He’d been specially assigned to train Alia as quickly as possible.
Gunner threw her some climbing gear which she donned as fast as she could. “You think just because you got a pretty new suit you can take it easy, eh girl!?” Gunner roared at her as she fastened her equipment. “We’re climbing the fifth wall today. If you make it, I’ll kill you in the next exercise. If you fall, I’ll kill you. Now get climbin’! You have ten minutes!”
The seventy-foot wall did not have many protruding rocks and sat on an incline with a large ledge in the middle of the wall, which would be extremely difficult to overcome.
Taking a running start, Alia jumped, grabbing on to a rock with her left hand and stuck her left foot into a crack. She saw another rock five feet up on her right. Pushing off her left side, she reached the rock with her right hand. Her right arm ached as she searched for her next move, spotting a rock to her left. She swung her body left, catching the rock with her left foot, leaving her hanging horizontally on the wall.
“You’re only at twenty feet! At this pace, you’re only gonna make only fifty feet! Speed it up!” Gunner had out an electronic pad which fed him the data. It was in sync with Alia’s uniform.
Come on Alia, push it! You’ve been through worse!
She pushed herself up with one hand, grabbing a rock with her left hand and finding a crevice for her right foot. The ledge at thirty-five feet would make or break it. She would have to climb completely upside down for about ten feet. On the bright side, the rocks under the ledge were built with slight
ly better grip. As she pulled herself under the ledge, she fastened both hands tightly into rocks and both feet into cracks.
Every muscle in her body seared with pain. Of every exercise she’d completed, she’d never yet been pushed to this level of difficulty. But she would not give up. She moved forward, crack by crack, rock by rock. She wiped away all thoughts and feelings, adrenaline pumping through her veins, focusing on the task at hand.
As she neared the end of the ledge, her left arm slipped, leaving her hanging upside down by her feet. Blood rushed to her head. Alia tried to calm herself, even as her legs slipped out of the cracks and her thighs burned with pain. She swung her body backwards and forwards, gaining momentum. Just as her legs were about to slip out, she swung upwards, launching herself to the top of the ledge. Her legs were too sore to stand. She fell to her knees, laughing in relief.
“Alia! Did I say you get a break!? One minute remaining! You’re not burnt out yet!”
Alia looked up. There was another thirty feet. But there were plenty of rocks and cracks on the second half. She jumped, and despite the numbness in her limbs, she climbed rapidly, getting faster with each rock. The bell. She needed to ring the bell.
“Twenty seconds!”
Alia climbed, ignoring her screaming brain and body.
“Two seconds!”
The bell was too high, but she was too close to fail now. She jumped.
“Time!” The bell rang as Alia hung, swinging from its string. Her face glowed as she yelled with pride, looking down at what she had accomplished. Gunner looked up, his serious face glowing with pride and approval. “That was quite a show, Alia. You’ve come a long way.”
Gunner lowered her down and they walked over to the recovery station filled with body-shaped machines that looked like the ones at a tanning salon. The machine massaged and stretched every muscle, while reducing body heat and inflammation using water at various temperatures. Then it healed all her torn muscles with special protein creams, which her body converted to new muscle. The recovery machine was one of the main reasons why Alia could gain strength so quickly.
