Hail's Disciple

by A. J. Morton

  “Right now,” Krysta answered.

  “Are you joking?” Ana gasped. “We need to pack!”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her. Now that I’d thought about it, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d truly laughed. Being all alone on an island was torture. But now… With these people… I felt like I finally had a family.

  “First thing you should know about Krysta,” I said, still chuckling. “She never jokes.”

  Chapter 5

  “Weigh anchor, Strelitzia!”

  “Travis, we’re in the middle of the ocean.”

  “I’ve just always wanted to say that!”

  “Would you two be quiet? Some people are trying to sleep!”

  “Aw, you’re no fun Ana…”

  After picking up Dia and Ana, we’d departed on Krysta’s ship. There was no way that all five of us were going to fit on that tiny canoe, so Krysta took us all on her personal ship, the Excelsior. It was a massive armed battleship, the quarter deck having nine spacious rooms. I couldn’t help but wonder if Krysta had planned that number out, considering that was the perfect number to hold all nine Disciples.

  We were taking shifts steering the ship to Pyros, which was pretty much just straight ahead. It was Travis, and Strelitzia’s shift. Krysta, the Luz sisters, and I, were in our rooms. Really, I was pretty sure Travis was just mucking about while Strelitzia steered the thing. Ana, being the wonderful person, she was (note my sarcasm), was not having it.

  “We can hear you from our rooms, you buffoon!” Ana yelled from her room. I could vaguely hear Dia trying to calm her sister down to no avail. “The walls are thinner than paper!”

  “C’mon, Ana! Where’s your sense of adventure?” Travis called from the stern.

  The two continued loudly bickering, but I just ignored them. I was sitting on my bed, trying to see if I could reach out to Glacia, who’d gone silent after the encounter with Terra. She’d mentioned something about a war… The ‘War of the Heavens’ she’d called it. Glacia’s mind was merged with mind. I felt her presence within me. However, it was like there was a thin line between her thoughts and mine. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking at any given point in time. She was hiding something. I knew it.

  I continued trying to reach out to her, trying to break through that thin line. This went on for a while before a knock on my door broke my concentration.

  I heard Dia’s voice on the other side. “Xander? May I come in?” She knocked again.

  I blinked. “Sure, just a sec,” I told her. I hastily ran to the door and opened it. “What’s up?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you,” Dia apologized. “Ana just needed some time to herself. She is prone to motion sickness, which makes her quite irritable.”

  “I understand,” I said. I’d never been at sea myself and the feeling wasn’t exactly pleasant. “But why did you come here?”

  “Well… I figured now would be the best time to… Ask you some questions…” Dia was clearly nervous about something. It was probably my eyes, being a Glacian and all.

  “Me? Okay then. Come in.”

  Dia came into my room, closing the door behind her. I invited her to sit on my bed, but she rejected. I shrugged and sat on the bed. The way she was just standing over me made this feel more like an interrogation than a conversation.

  “So, tell me…” She started, still hesitant. “What does… One of your kind… Have to gain from saving Ubiaxus?” Dia may have not blatantly said a ‘Glacian’ but she may as well have.

  I just sighed. “Nothing really…” I answered. “It’s more about what comes while saving Ubiaxus for me.”

  Dia just stared at me suspiciously. “And what would that be?”

  “It’s… Complicated, okay?” I replied. “Why all the questions?”

  Dia hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. “I suppose there’s no point in hiding it from you…” She submitted. “And you do deserve an explanation. Are you familiar with the Church of Lumos?”

  “Yes,” I told her. “Strelitzia mentioned something about it.”

  “Then I suppose you also should know that I am a priestess at the Church?” Dia inquired.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Good, that saves plenty of explanation,” Dia said. “What you probably don’t know is that I am more than just a priestess. I am actually the high priestess of the church. I took the position from my parents after they passed away.”

  “Oh…” I lamented. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Dia looked away wistfully. “They were murdered,” She said. “By Glacians.”

  “What?!” That was impossible… Glacians couldn’t even be on the mainland. “But how? How did the Glacians get to Lumos?”

  “They didn’t,” Dia said. “My parents went to Glacia to try and treat with the Glacians. They never came back.”

  “Ah…” I remembered what they did to outsiders. They truly believed that they were superior to all of the others in Ubiaxus. Outsiders were executed or exiled. It seems like the former was the option that they chose. “I’m sorry…”

  “After they died, Ana was devastated…” Dia’s voice faded as she took a moment to listen to Ana in the next room, still yelling at Travis. “I promised her that I would always be there for her. That I would never leave her alone. Because I love her after all.” As she thought of her sister, she smiled and began to suddenly radiate an amber light that filled the entire room. I felt power in her light. It was energizing and calming at the same time. I could hear Travis and Ana abruptly stop arguing.

  I realized something. I’d heard stories of the god Lumos being the kindest to his followers. When they prayed to him, he could save them even from the icy grip of death itself. He could give them the strength to do anything. It was his love for his followers that was his power. Hers had to be the same. Her essence had to be love. What I was feeling right now was the physical embodiment of the love that she had for her sister.

  “Your power… It’s incredible…” I remarked, astonished by the wave of bliss I was experiencing. I suddenly winced, feeling a strange sensation on my side. I lifted up my shirt. A long scab that I’d gotten while on a mission a few days before Strelitzia came was completely gone.

  “It would be, wouldn’t it…” Dia said. “Were it only not just as much of a curse as a blessing…”

  “What do you mean?” I inquired.

  Dia shook head. “Sorry…” She said. “I’m afraid I don’t trust you enough to tell you that much.”

  “Fair enough I suppose,” I replied.

  I could hear Ana retching. Dia turned to leave. “Oh my, that doesn’t sound pleasant…” She said, concerned. “I should go check on her. I’m sorry for wasting your time.

  “No problem.” I said, as the beautiful lady exited my quarters.

  She had her own reason to fight, just as I did, just as Strelitzia did, and just as Travis did. Her love for her sister drove her forward, and her determination to always stay by her sister’s side shone brighter than any light. Her love was the source of her strength.

  I felt a smile creep onto my face. “Stay strong, Dia.”

  * * *

  A couple of hours later, and still no luck reaching out to Glacia. It was Krysta and my shift steering the ship. I tried striking up a polite conversation but talking to Krysta was just annoying. She kept finishing my sentences before I was done with them, saying conversation was pointless considering she already knew everything I was going to say before I even finished speaking. I’d eventually realized that conversation was pointless and gone back to my mission to try and contact Glacia.

  I was sitting on the floor near the mast, meditating. I could feel myself bridging the small gap between our consciences. But Glacia still felt just as far away as ever. An idea suddenly came to mind. I looked at Krysta. “Hey, Kry-”

  “You want to know what Glacia’s hiding, don’t you?” She interrupted me yet again. “Honestly, I figured you would ask me a few minute
s sooner.”

  I nodded. “She’s hiding something from me,” I said. “Some type of war. The ‘War of the Heavens,’ she called it.”

  Krysta looked at me apprehensively. She began to open her mouth but closed it again. This was the most indecisive I’d ever seen her. After what felt like a few minutes, she spoke. “I know of this war,” She informed me. “It took place in an age before mortal conception. In a time when the gods still inhabited Ubiaxus. So, I, being gifted with Kronos’s blessing, am the only mortal who knows of it.”

  “Wait… But that would mean…”

  “Yes,” Krysta told me. “The war took place between the gods themselves.”

  “But why would-”

  “Xander, at this point, you ought to know how much I hate questions.” Krysta cleared her throat. “The chronicles tell of the nine gods wandering the plains before creating all of Ubiaxus. But they skipped a part in between. The War of the Heavens.”

  Krysta sighed and continued. “After they wandered the plains, the gods wanted to claim land for themselves. But as time went on, they grew more separate. Eventually, their greed and want for land and power overshadowed their judgement, and soon a full-on war was waged. The most massive war to ever take place. War of the Heavens.”

  “The war extended for a century. By its end, the world of Ubiaxus had been nearly destroyed. Her plains were burned to deserts. The very oceans we sail in right now were drained dry. The mountains were crumbled. There was no light. No darkness. No time. Just a barren wasteland, all the magic drained from it.”

  “It was only then that the gods realized the error of their ways. They realized that they were unworthy of Ubiaxus. They didn’t deserve the land they walked on. So, to right their wrongs, they restored the Ubiaxus to the beautiful land it is today. And with it, they created us, their followers. People who could usher Ubiaxus into beautiful place it is today. As a result, the gods were completely drained of their power. And so they faded away. The end,”

  I realized something didn’t quite add up. “But Glacia is more powerful than any of the of the other gods,” I said. “So how come she didn’t win the war instantly?”

  “Simple,” Krysta said. “Glacia remained strictly neutral. She didn’t win the war, because she didn’t participate in the war.”

  “Huh? Why not?”

  “That much, I don’t know,” Krysta explained. “I can see all the events of the past, but I can’t see the intentions of the people who spurred them into the action. I can guess. But I can’t really infer any logical reason why Glacia would stay out of the war.”

  “So, we’re back at square one…” I muttered.

  Krysta looked out into the sea. “It shouldn’t be much of an issue anyway,” She answered. “Just focus on the task at hand. Find all the Disciples and work with them to defeat the Umbran Empire. You will have your answers soon enough.”

  “Fair enough.” I started to get up off the floor. “Our shift will be over soon, right?”

  “Yes, but that’s unimportant,” Krysta answered. She pointed forward. “The kingdom of Pyros is just up ahead.”

  I looked around the mast. As if on cue, a blob of land started to come into view. As we came closer, I noticed a strange smell. Soon, I was coughing and wheezing for air. “Ack!” I covered my mouth and nose. I looked at Krysta, who was beginning to put on an air mask. She tossed me one, which I swiftly put on. “You could’ve warned me,” I said, still hacking.

  “I know I could have, but this was far more entertaining.” Somehow, I got the feeling that she was smirking through her air mask. “The kingdom of pyros radiates fire magic just as the kingdom of light radiates light magic. So, the air is so hot it’s on the verge of burning. Your aura should protect you well enough from the effects it should have on your body.”

  “Get down here!” Krysta called to our friends in the quarterdeck. “We’re less than three minutes away from Pyros!

  Our group hastily assembled on the upper deck. Krysta handed each of them an air mask. Strelitzia was the only one who didn’t need one, being Pyrean.

  Speaking of Strelitzia, something was off about her. Her eyes were too the floor and she was frowning, visibly dismayed about something. You’d think that she would be happy, returning home. Instead, she seemed to be saddened by something. As we walked off the gangplank onto the dock, I tried asking her what was wrong. But she just shook her head and told me she was fine even though she clearly wasn’t. However, I decided that it was probably best that I leave her be.

  As we exited the dock, we were greeted by a man dressed in a black tunic. “Ah, Lady Strelitzia. You have finally returned.” He gestured to a large horse drawn carriage behind him. “Please do come in. You and your companions as well.”

  Strelitzia put on a regal smile that could only be fake considering the way she was acting when we stepped onto the gangplank. “Thank you,” She said. She glanced at the rest of us. “Do come on. We haven’t a moment to lose.” We all filed into the spacious carriage.

  Travis seemed awestruck. “A horse drawn carriage. Is this what it’s like being royalty?”

  This comment was answered by a small giggle from Ana. “Anyone with money can ride in a carriage,” She remarked, still laughing. “Do you not have them where you come from?”

  “There aren’t even horses in Glacia,” I answered for Travis.

  “Oh…” On that note, Ana went silent and remained silent for the remainder of the trip.

  I cast my gaze to Strelitzia, who was sitting in front of me. Her fake smile seemed to have disappeared the moment she’d stopped speaking to our driver, replaced by an expression of worry and tenseness. But I knew she wouldn’t answer me if I pressed her about it, so I just rode the rest of the way in silence.

  Instead, I focused on something different. The moment I stepped foot onto the port, I’d felt a sudden bit of discomfort. Like every fiber of my being was telling me not to be here. It was so subtle that I didn’t notice it at first, but the carriage moved further inland it only got stronger. It was sapping away at my strength at this point. I couldn’t help but slump a bit in my seat.

  Strelitzia noticed and tossed me a small vial. I just barely caught it. “Drink that. It’ll help.” She said.

  I looked at it skeptically. “What is it?” I asked.

  “The discomfort you’re feeling right now is called ethereal rejection.” Strelitzia explained. “I felt it too, when I was coming to Glacia. Being a Glacian, the land of Pyros itself is rejecting you. In that vial is a tonic that should fortify you.”

  “And if I don’t take it?”

  “The further inland we get, the more uncomfortable you’ll get, until the discomfort eventually turns into excruciating pain.” Strelitzia answered.

  I shuddered at that thought. “I get the picture. Down the hatch.” I forced down the questionable contents of the vial and the discomfort went away immediately.”

  Strelitzia’s manservant called from the front. “We’ve now arrived at Castle Cadenza.” The carriage stopped and a few moments afterwards, the manservant opened the carriage doors for us. One by one, we all filed out.

  I was simply awestruck by the majesty of the castle. My cottage back home may have been cozy and comfortable, but it had absolutely nothing on this. In fact, my cottage could fit into this place about 10 times.

  Strelitzia guided us all in through the grand entrance into the foyer. Waiting for us there was a couple probably in their mid-forties. “They would be my parents. Please conduct yourselves properly.” Her eyes seemed afraid and sad at the same time.

  Her parents on the other hand were all smiles. “Ah! You’ve finally arrived!” Strelitzia’s father said. He was a portly man with scarlet hair, the same shade as his daughter’s. Aside from that, I found no similarities between them. At first glance he seemed happy to see us but upon further inspection there was also something off about his expression. His eyes seemed… angry. At the moment, I just dismissed it as my imagination.
“I am King Corvus Cadenza.”

  Her mother was a stunning beauty with bright vermillion black hair and a slender figure, dressed in a vermilion gown. Save for the hair, I would say that she looked the most like Strelitzia. She smiled at us all elegantly. Still, I noticed something very off putting about her eyes. They looked straight through us, as if they were silently judging us all. Her voice, on the other hand, was soft and gentle. “I am Queen Lucinda Cadenza. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  King Corvus called to a maid on the other side of the room. “Caroline! Show our guests to their rooms!” The maid, apparently her name was Caroline, scurried to the nearby stairway.

  “Caroline will take you all to your rooms,” Queen Lucinda said. “Be in the great dining hall in an hour. We shall dine together.”

  Caroline guided us all to our rooms. Mine was on the end of the hall next to Travis’s and across the hall from Strelitzia’s. Caroline gave me some clothes and told me to change into them. Looking at them, my mouth fell agape. It was a navy-blue suit lined with fur and gold. The kind of clothes a noble would wear.

  I fumbled until I managed to put the thing on. The large coat that accompanied the outfit was surprisingly light in my shoulders. I turned and looked into the mirror. I looked like a true noble, unlike the outcast I was when I was in Glacia. Looking up, I noticed something different about my face. My hair typically blocked the view of one of my eyes. I’d always styled it that way and kept it that way. Even if it fell to the other side, I always put it back. But it’d fallen this time and I didn’t even notice it.

  Then I realized the reason why I used to hide my eyes. Because they were the only unchangeable sign of who I was. A reminder of my failure. Of how unworthy I was to be considered a Glacian. But on that day when Strelitzia came and I found out just how strong I truly was, I became prouder of who I was.

  Snow-white hair and cloudy gray eyes now meant something different. Thanks to the Umbrans, I was the last of my kind. No. I was the only one of my kind. Snow-white hair and cloudy gray eyes were the sign of just one person. The sign of the Disciple of Glacia. The sign of Xander Faust.