Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4)

by Julius St. Clair

  “If he’s as powerful as you say, it’s a possibility.” James cast his eyes to the ground. “But if so, I don’t know why they would allow him to just run around free.”

  “Perhaps they have to persuade them to their side somehow, especially with knowing how strong he is. They might not be able to just force him into thinking a certain way.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on him,” James said, embracing her again. “But we have to confirm the Quietus’ stories as soon as possible. The servants know to stay on guard around them?”

  “Of course.”

  “Excellent. As long as we stay on our toes, we’ll be fine. Keep working at it, and I’ll take care of business on my end.”

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him a kiss on the lips. It was tender and sweet, and it drove James mad. He knew that it was a good-bye kiss, but he wanted so much more. He fought his desires, and put them aside. He was getting better at it with each passing day. It was kind of sad.

  “See you soon,” he whispered, as soon as their lips parted. James turned, and walked out of the room.

  * * *

  Bastion walked alone.

  With nothing but the clothes on his back and the tome under his arm, he walked forward, on a pilgrimage of sorts. He knew that he would remember the walk forever, for it would be the beginning of a new life for him and many others. It was the dawn of the Sages.

  The Sage Academy had been rebuilt, and within a few years, a new army would be created. And it wouldn’t be like the one of old—the one that had been obliterated by the Quietus. This army would have learned from the past and its mistakes. There was no more secrecy. There was little government. Queen Catherine had made sure of that with her open door policy. Everyone in the Kingdom knew everything that was going on, from the past to the present. Every student at the Academy would be on the same page.

  Bastion’s eyes widened when he heard footsteps behind him, gathering speed as they approached his back. Who else would be trekking along the outside of the Kingdom wall? Who else would be taking the long way around to the entrance of the Sage Academy, the former site of the Sentinel Academy?

  Then he smiled. Who wouldn’t? It was how the Sages of Old and the Sages of Today did it, after all. The students began passing him one by one, girls and boys, as old as him or younger, all holding their gigantic tomes. Some held their eidolons proudly in their hands. Others carried large knapsacks over their shoulders. All had a grin plastered onto their expectant faces.

  A hand slapped his left shoulder. He turned, and saw Kent there, giving him a wide smile. Another slap on his right, and Daisy’s lovely face greeted him. He felt no ill will toward her for rejecting him. He was just happy to see her.

  “You ready for this?” she asked, and Bastion simply nodded. He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his lips.

  “Let’s go meet destiny,” Kent declared as they turned the corner. Their gazes fell upon the entrance.

  The Sentinel Academy had been demolished, and the courtyard had been remodeled and widened, to accommodate the influx of new Sages. There was no gate leading into the courtyard. Everything was open. There were still pillars, but they were now made of polished white stone, and they were larger than ever, reaching so high up into the air that their tops disappeared into the fog above.

  The gravel underneath their feet was new, and it gave a satisfying pop and crunch whenever they took a step. Torches hung off of the pillars for lighting, and the courtyard was full of students, waving their eidolons in the air, brightening up the area more than it already was as they screamed and cheered.

  The Sage Academy itself was a massive structure, fashioned similar to the Academy of old that had been underground. Though the building was made of the same stone as the pillars, just painted a bright red, he had heard of the exciting additions inside. The glass floors suspended over an ocean of water. The training rooms. The study rooms. He couldn’t wait. He tried to see the ends of the Academy, but they stretched out too far. It must have went on for miles.

  The crowd got louder than before, and they began pointing to the top of the school roof. He cast his eyes upwards.

  James, Talia and Zhou were standing there. All of them in their full Sage garb. Their robes flowed in the wind wildly. They stared down at the students below with serious faces, but for some reason, it only elicited emotions of awe and admiration. Bastion couldn’t wait to get to know each of the Master Sages personally. Finally, he would find out where he stood in the world.

  * * *

  “There must be a couple hundred or more,” Talia chuckled. Zhou crossed his arms, his bronze colored robe lapping in the wind. James examined each of them one by one, having not heard what Talia had said.

  “James?” she asked, and he snapped back to attention.

  “Sorry about that,” he said. “I was looking for something.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need some rest?”

  “I’ve gone for longer,” James laughed, as the crowd began cheering at his response. James had no clue to what they thought he had done.

  “I’m not sure we’ll be able to handle this many students,” Zhou commented. “Not with just three of us. We may need to make some into Master Sages sooner than expected.”

  “There’s no rush,” James replied. “Let them become what they’re supposed to. Except him, that is.”

  “Who?” Talia wondered, crossing her arms like Zhou over her long black and purple robe.

  “Do not draw too much attention, but do you see the boy standing near the entrance? Between the Langoran and the Allayan girl? He’s one that we have to give special treatment to.”

  “Special how? As in we give him extra time on tests? Privileges?”

  “No. The opposite. We break him.”

  “But why?”

  “Because only then will we be able to properly mold him into what we need him to be. You may not have known this, but he’s one of the children that survived the Quietus kidnappings. He also happens to be the strongest kid in the entire school.”

  “Hmph,” Zhou grunted. “He’s small.”

  “Not that that matters,” Talia said, rolling her eyes. “Based on what I’m sensing, his abilities are slightly above average at best.”

  “It’s a mask,” James said. “There’s more there. Trust me. Look further, Talia. Don’t let your personal prejudice hold you back. You have far better senses than I do, and I was able to spot him in seconds.”

  “Fine,” Talia sighed as she took a closer look. “I don’t…James,” she breathed out, her face scrunching up as if she was in agony. “What is he?”

  “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

  “So how do we proceed?”

  “We divide them. Just follow my lead, and when you get your groups, just do what you will with them. Speak from the heart.”

  Before Talia could inquire further, James leapt off the roof and floated down to the ground. Landing gracefully on his feet, the students backed away to give him space. Talia and Zhou landed right behind him in the same manner.

  “Welcome,” James shouted for all to hear. He used a small portion of the Langoran abilities to make his voice louder and more pronounced. “I’m sure all of you are eager to enter the Academy and begin exploring your new home for the next four years. During those four years, we will be training you to become the best Sage possible. This is not the Infantry. No matter what happens, as long as you stick with us, you will be viewed as a Sage, and you will participate in any conflict we have in the future. You will become a warrior. That is a given.

  “But for some of you, you will transcend even beyond that. Talia, Zhou, and myself, are all deemed Master Sages because we have gone beyond unleashing eidolons. We can transform ourselves, we can manifest, and we know tactics and techniques that few others know. Some of you will become Master Sages, and sooner than you think. It all depends on you how fast you are willing to learn and embody the lessons we teach. But I must also say
this, there is a level even beyond that of a Master Sage.”

  Talia gave James an inquisitive look, but he didn’t register her motion. It had to be said.

  “There have been Sages regarded as legends in our history. One such Sage is Lakrymos—the warrior who died in the Siege. He gave up his life for the safety of our King and Queen. Notice that I didn’t say he was killed. I said he gave up his life. There is a difference. No one could kill this man. The enemy had to subdue him by other means. That’s how great his power was. For some of you, and hopefully myself one day, that’s how great our power will be. Do not settle on just weapons. Open your mind and learn to become more than what you have been told.

  “With that being said, we will now be dividing everyone into three groups. Group 1 will be Zhou’s. He will be taking all of the students that we have deemed ready for battle. He will be focusing on refining your technique and learning transformation if you don’t know it already. Talia will be taking those who are more adept to manifesting and tactical prowess. That doesn’t mean her class will be any less rigorous, it just means there is a different approach. Lastly, my group will be for those who need extra help in coping with their new eidolons. We don’t want anyone’s eidolon breaking unnecessarily. Understood? Okay, now we will begin going through the crowd and telling you to which group you belong. Just stay still until you are called, and then you may join your teacher.

  “Zhou will be heading for the center of the school where the Master Sage facilities are. Talia will be going east, and I will be going west. You’ll soon discover that each part of the school has been altered according to each group’s specific needs. Thank you for your patience.”

  The three Master Sages began examining the students one by one, looking into their eyes and then telling them who to go with. As they traveled throughout the crowd, the groups behind the Master Sages got bigger.

  Bastion bit his lip and waited, wondering why he didn’t push his way to the front of the crowd just so he could get his selection over with. When James came to him and his friends, he looked at the three of them, and then he pointed at Daisy.

  “Zhou,” he said to her. “Talia,” he said to Kent, and then he cast his eyes down upon Bastion. “You’re with me.”

  Bastion was taken aback, and he was sure his feelings were transparent. James’ group? What could he possibly learn from him? How to trip over your own feet? Bastion looked past James to the group that had assembled behind him. A misfit band of the crying, the homesick, and the terrified. No, there had to be a mistake.

  “Something wrong?” James asked, seeing the look on Bastion’s face. Bastion’s eyebrows twitched, but that was all that he gave away before he spoke.

  “I’m not sure why I’m not in Zhou’s group. Or at least Talia’s.”

  “Hold on,” James replied, turning to his colleagues. “You can take your groups inside now,” he said to them. Talia and Zhou nodded and then began barking orders, ushering the students inside. Daisy gave Bastion a shrug of her shoulders as she disappeared beyond the doors.

  “You were saying?” James said, his eyes bored and emotionless.

  “Why am in your group? I know how to release my eidolon.”

  “Then release it,” he said. Bastion looked around him at his classmates, studying their faces.

  “Right here?”

  “Right now. Release it.”

  “I…I really don’t want to right now.” What if his eidolon got out of control and he accidentally attacked one of the students? If they were having trouble releasing their own eidolons, there was no guarantee that they would block it in time. He would have been a lot more comfortable with Zhou’s group. At least then, he could fight harder without worrying as much about his classmates’ welfare.

  “Why not? Still having trouble releasing it? That’s what I thought,” James said. Bastion tried not to sneer at him. Why was he acting so high and mighty? “Come on, students, let’s go.”

  Bastion took up the rear, his head bowed down as they made their way inside the school. How long would it take before James realized he was ready for the battle group? And how could he show James without hurting the others? He would probably have to make it a private session with the Master Sage, but even then, he was apprehensive. He already looked down on James, and his words had irked him. It would be way too easy to put him in place, to give in to the urge to…

  No.

  He just had to accept his fate for now.

  The moment he lifted his head inside the building, his jaw dropped. It was magnificent. The foyer was furnished with light blue and gold colored carpets that were stretched out over hardwood floors. One carpeted path led to the middle, up a small set of stairs and through a set of steel doors. The steel doors were currently open, and Bastion could see Zhou’s group inside. It was the part of the school that had been fashioned like the old Sage Academy.

  He couldn’t see the sea of water from where he stood, but he could hear the lapping of the waves, and the giggling of the students as they leapt from the platform to the glass floors in the distance. There were ten floors, each of them designed for a different purpose. He watched in awe as the students began engaging one another in battle on floor seven.

  James waved a hand forward, and a hard gust of wind shut the steel doors, obstructing their view.

  “Sorry, I’m sure Zhou would want privacy,” he said. “Now, down to the east is where Talia’s group is currently.” He pointed the way as if they were unaware of their sense of direction. “The libraries, dining halls and dorms are down that way. We are currently heading to the west, where the more spacious training rooms lie. The walls have also been reinforced with a foot of steel. We’ll be able to train to our heart’s content in there.”

  Bastion gave out a heavy sigh as they proceeded forward along the carpet, heading west and walking along the curve of the school. As they traveled, they passed by paintings and renditions of fallen Sages throughout the school’s history. He had seen them in his tome, so he didn’t pay them much attention, but one in particular caught his attention. It was of a couple. A young girl with dark hair and a dirty face, and a muscular boy. The names underneath were “Leidy and Jennings.” Who were they? They weren’t any Sages that he had ever heard of. He would ask James about it once he had the chance.

  They reached a turn off point. They could keep following the carpet forward and into a gigantic, empty hall, or take a left and head toward a number of other mysterious rooms. They entered the hall.

  The floor was of cobblestone, and nothing was clean and polished. The walls were unpainted and bare, revealing the steel barriers that James had spoken of. There was a gigantic sun roof, so light poured in from above. Bastion looked around him. It was nearly as large as the new courtyard. It was definitely a training room.

  “We’re going to be engaging in some training exercises for today. Not too long, since I want all of you to become acquainted with your other classmates. I want all of you to meet me here tomorrow morning at dawn though, so we can really get started.”

  One of the boys raised a hand. James pointed to him. “Master James, what is our group’s focus exactly? I know that we’re going to get help with our eidolons, but then what happens? Do we just move on to Talia’s group or something?”

  “No, you’re stuck with me,” James replied, to which Bastion shut his eyes. “But I promise you, you won’t regret it. By no means is any group better than another. As a matter of fact, a few months from now, we plan on having groups battle each other to further hone your teamwork. But like all things, there has to be some training first. All of you have trouble releasing your eidolons. I’ll start with explaining how they work first.”

  Bastion kept his eyes closed as James spoke. He was just rehashing the same material they all should have read in the standard issued tome. How the eidolon was actually your soul, and that one needed to will it out of their body and into the form of a weapon. He talked about how everyone was given that ability
because of the stones of power, but because they were destroyed, eventually…there would be no one with powers, no more Sages. The stones of power had to be destroyed, in order to ease the minds of all the Kingdoms and promote the unity. No weapons meant no unrest…no more war.

  “Divide into pairs, and we’ll get started,” James said to the group, before resting his eyes upon Bastion. “I think I’ve found my partner.”

  Bastion opened his eyes and stared at James curiously.

  “Why me?” he asked, and James remained straight-faced.

  “You know why,” he said to him, and then he turned to the rest of the group. “You know what, hold off for now. Bastion and I are going to show you something. I want you to watch our movements as carefully as you can. Excuse us for a moment.”

  James threw an arm around Bastion and pulled him aside. Bastion glared at the hand dangling off his shoulder.

  “I can sense what you have inside of you,” James whispered, to which Bastion squirmed out of the Master Sage’s hold. “And I need you to release that now. Don’t worry. You won’t do anything that will jeopardize the lives of these students. I will make sure of that.”

  “Are you sure?” Bastion said, not mocking, but out of genuine concern. “I can’t control myself once I hit a certain point. I’m not used to pain. I—“

  “You need to have more confident in yourself,” James said, looking down at him. “You’re going to be the beacon of this school one day. Everyone will look up to you.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Bastion replied. “I’m no leader.”

  “No one is born a leader, but anyone, with the proper guidance can become one. Of course some are better at it than others, but you, you have a gift inside of you. A gift that people will be drawn to. You have to let that light shine.”

  “And what if it isn’t light? Did Catherine tell you about me?”

  “A little. I don’t see how that matters. If anything, you should be the least affected out of all of the survivors. Not with what lies inside you.”