by Lakshman, V.
Dragor looked at the young initiate, his concern for her plain on his face. His eyes searched hers, then softened in defeat. He shook his head and said, "Pay attention, then." He backed away, then nodded to the lore father.
The lore father looked at her and intoned, "Jesyn Shornhelm, do you wish to continue?"
Jesyn took a deep breath, her mind racing. What was she missing? Something nagged at her, a detail, something small. Then, a moment in the fight leapt into her memory. The water elemental! It had had her at its mercy. Why then, did it release her? The lore father had not yet called time for rest, so why had it given her respite?
Then she asked herself, had it given her a chance, or had it been forced? Her mind narrowed the possibilities, something fell into place, and she looked at the lore father and said, "I do."
Giridian locked eyes with Jesyn, assessing her will, then said, "I cannot stop the test from here out, so I must ask again, do you wish to continue?"
Jesyn took another deep breath, exhaling out her fear, and replied, "I do, Lore Father. Let them bring their best."
The lore father sighed then said, "Continue."
The elementals moved into action, but something in Jesyn’s manner was subtly different. She didn’t move forward to engage the first that moved, but instead focused, watching.
The earth elemental moved in, its earth and stone fists ready to finish the dance of pain they had started on her body, but Jesyn shifted. As the earth elemental struck, she pivoted under the strike, then used the creature’s great strength against it. She pulled it toward her, spinning in place, then added a shove from behind.
This sent the creature made of earth stumbling forward and into the target Jesyn had chosen, but it was not another elemental. Jesyn had cleverly pivoted and pushed the earth elemental into the boundary wall made of water! The elemental struck it, then stood upright, trapped by the current of the wall. Slowly its body began to dissolve into a sludge as the wall of water ripped its earthen skin away.
Jesyn didn’t stop to gloat over her victory. Her match with Piter had taught her a valuable lesson, and she did not hesitate. Biting down on the pain that shot from her ribs, she charged the water elemental that had nearly choked her to death.
The creature moved to encompass her, but Jesyn struck with open palms on the creature’s body. The elemental relaxed, making its body less dense to absorb the blow, something Jesyn had counted on.
She slapped her hands together inside the creature, creating a shockwave of force throughout the elemental’s body. The double shattered into tiny droplets, but Jesyn’s strike directed it to rain on the wall made of fire. An explosion of steam billowed out and the water elemental disappeared with a scream.
Jesyn moved quickly and put her back to the wall of earth. She could see the air elemental moving toward her, but in order for it to cause harm, it had to find purchase. With her back to the wall, the elemental could only try to dislodge her. She smiled and waited. It would have to close, then she would have the advantage.
The air elemental looked at her and paused, as if understanding her strategy, then dove at her, a dart made of wind. Before Jesyn could move, it had surrounded her completely, whirling about her limbs and pulling her away from the safety of the earthen wall. Every time Jesyn tried to breathe, it sucked the air from her lungs. She had not expected this and as a result found herself gasping. Her vision began to dim and she heard a mocking version of her own laugh as she fought desperately to breathe.
Her eyes cast frantically about, looking for something, anything that could help. Then her gaze fell upon the fire elemental, still standing with its arms crossed. Why did it not attack?
The edges of her vision were now going from gray to black. Tunnel vision: a sure sign she was losing consciousness. She sucked in a little air stolen from the winds surrounding her, as her mind kept turning the question over with lightning rapidity. Why had the fire elemental stayed back?
Then she had it and forced herself to remain calm. Her battle-sense took over and time for her slowed in response. She knew what the fire elemental feared, and with supreme effort, she twisted herself in mid-air so one foot came briefly in contact with the stone wall behind her. Before the air elemental could react, Jesyn pushed with all her might and threw herself and the air elemental into the fire elemental.
The three collided, surrounding her in a fiery maelstrom.
She could breathe again. The air elemental fought to disengage with her. It knew what she attempted, pitting wind against flame. Jesyn shook her head. They would not escape so easily.
Her push had positioned them against the corner of the walls made of water and earth, leaving no direction for fire to escape. It forced them into the same space, and in doing so, made each choose. Would fire burn brighter, sucking in air? Would air blow harder, dissipating fire? Her strategy worked, as both elementals sought to protect themselves from the other.
The conflagration surrounding her brightened and the heat grew in intensity until it shone like the sun, surrounding her in a whirlwind of fire and air. Jesyn felt the pain but remained calm, ignoring it. Her training and mental discipline offered her that focus and she used it to center herself on the Way.
The heat became greater and she could feel her skin burning, blistering along her back. She could smell her hair burning away, but closed her eyes and kept her focus. She was the master of her body, not the other way around. The elementals would destroy each other before she would let them go, and this further strengthened her resolve.
"You will die, Jesyn." She heard the fire elemental say in her own voice. "You will throw your life away, needlessly."
Jesyn tightened further on the two, feeling the skin on her arms blacken and burn. Still, she did not let go. She knew they could not kill her. The Way was everything. All they could do was return her to it, in one form or another, but the price for their victory would be their own destruction. She could no longer see and knew much of her face must be burned away. A small laugh escaped her then, a protest at the absurdity of a test that killed the tested, but she still said nothing.
"No!" screamed the air elemental. "I acknowledge your worth, you may relent!" She could feel the air elemental stop fighting her, but she did not let go nor drop her guard. She would not fall to trickery, again remembering her duel with Piter and the lesson the masters insisted on in rhan’dori. You never stop until victory is achieved. She understood that now.
"What of you, fire-born?" she croaked blindly, her eyes having been burned away entirely. Though she could not see anything, she could feel its gaze upon her and continued in a hoarse whisper, "Do you... yield?"
Slowly the heat reduced in intensity and she could feel the fire elemental acquiesce. "I acknowledge your mastery, Adept Jesyn. We submit." They dimmed themselves and waited to be released. When Jesyn did so, both coalesced back into strange elemental versions of her, uncanny in their likeness, more because their movements were so similar to her own.
As soon as they retreated, Jesyn collapsed into a smoking heap, barely conscious. Her body lay blackened and burned, without hair, eyes, or other recognizable features. She did not move, but whispered, "Then I prevail." A small smile escaped through charred lips, then the barest of sighs, before Jesyn sank into oblivion.
The two remaining elementals were joined by earth and water, reformed by their walls. The fighting square became opaque to any outside view, as the four elementals bowed to her, palms to foreheads. They intoned into the air, "Anala, come forth and be bonded in Ascension."
From behind Jesyn’s crumpled form came a light, shining pure and silver. It flared like the moon, bathing her in its argent brilliance. Out of that light stepped the winged figure of a female warrior, an angel who looked born and bred for battle.
It was immense, powerful, armored in silver and blue. Its wings stretched to each side, each feather a blade made for killing. Its visored helm sat across glowing eyes, eyes that demanded nothing less than fealty. The daz
zling light receded and Anala of the Fire stood above the still form of the adept-to-be, called forth by the elementals of the test.
"Do you accept the bonding, Lady Anala, knowingly giving your life for hers?" intoned the fire elemental with deference.
The angel tilted its massive head, looking down on the smoking ruin that was Jesyn’s frail form. "It has strength and nobility, but most of all, perseverance." The voice was soft, but held the edge of a finely forged weapon. She seemed to smile, then completed the ritual, "I accept the bonding, and surrender my life to become one with her."
The fire elemental stepped forward. "Welcome, and rejoice. You shed the ephemeral and ascend to a new life." It spread its arms wide and stepped back and all four elementals went to one knee, waiting.
Slowly, as if sinking into the ground itself, Anala gathered Jesyn into her powerful arms. She pulled the young girl to a kneeling position and then held her still form from behind. Her armored wings embraced Jesyn, enclosing her in a cone of feathered steel and pure light.
Anala’s form became potent with power, glowing softly at first, but quickly becoming a dazzling star of white, silver, and blue. She gave her the life-force that flowed so strongly and deeply within her, within the Way. The incandescent star that was Anala became part of Jesyn, who still knelt on the floor, head bowed and lifeless. As the elementals knelt in reverence, Anala became one with Jesyn and that light faded like a song’s last note.
A moment passed, then two. Something happened then, a change that snapped Jesyn into the here and now, a change she could feel deep in her very bones. She arched up and a gasp tore out of her. She drew in air as if she could gain sustenance from the entire room in one tortured lungful, her form blazing blue and white.
She could feel her strength magnify. It was as if something had settled over her and become part of her, a feeling of comfort and strength. It wrapped around her, holding her within its ethereal arms. Liquid power incarnate, a pure note of the Way sounded and she felt the cool wash of healing and rejuvenation flood through her entire body.
Her wounds began to heal, burns disappeared, ribs and bones reknit, hair and skin re-grew, and her fears vanished. She breathed in a painless lungful of cool, clean air, and could feel the Way permeate every part of her being.
She had heard the name, Anala. Was that her true name, whispered on the wind? Before she could ask, the water elemental stepped forward and bowed to her, saying, "We cannot be destroyed, for we are the Way, as are you." The elemental looked to its brethren and nodded.
Earth then stepped forward and said, "There are more worlds than this and you are a defender of the Way, in all its forms. Do not forsake your duty."
"You have earned your flameskin and more," the fire elemental continued. "You may bring it forth whenever needed. Become one with the Way and it will shine with light as unblemished as the sun. Its purity will reflect your mastery. We pledge you shall never be without it, or Anala of the Fire. You are one now."
The air elemental stepped forward and said, "None outside this square can see or hear us. They are not privy to your Ascension, only the outcome. Do not share what you learn here with anyone. Mastery must always be earned through self-sacrifice."
All four elementals bowed again, palms to foreheads, and said, "Welcome and rejoice. Through sacrifice, you Ascend to a new life." With that, they vanished and the four elemental walls disappeared in a flash of power and sound.
At first, the room seemed black, pitched in darkness. Then Jesyn realized she still knelt with her head in her hands. She looked up, a stunned expression on her face. How had she been healed? Her fingers ran nervously up, touching her face and hair as if to confirm what she already knew. She had been healed and was truly whole. The act left her smiling and shaking.
Dragor stood before her, looking at his former student with pride. Her face was clear of pain, her wounds healed. She radiated strength and might. He could see she was now connected to the Way more deeply than ever before, save for one final detail, her Oath.
He moved forward, picked her up and hugged her, saying what was in his heart. "You are well met, Jesyn Shornhelm. I am so proud of you."
Lore Father Giridian also stepped forward and bowed. "Welcome to a new life. You have succeeded where many fail, but I never doubted your resolve." His face became a little harder when he said, "You understand now why we cannot tell you of the test?"
"If you had, I would never have passed," Jesyn replied. "I had to truly believe in myself." Something in her knew this to be true, just as she would have failed if she had given up and succumbed to the pain.
"If you had known you would be healed in the end, would you have hesitated?" asked Giridian. "Would your sacrifice have been honestly and truly given?"
She shook her head, no, though the details of her healing were still unclear. The only way to become a true adept was to triumph without assistance, on her own merits, with her own hard-earned skills. One had to be willing to sacrifice everything and understand their place within and as a part of the Way. Defeating the elementals did not matter. Giving up, not fighting till the very end, did.
Now she felt the benevolence, the embrace of something far more powerful than herself. It conveyed a sense of pride in her perseverance, an acknowledgment that she had offered every last breath and in return had risen whole and new. She knew her spirit had truly been tested and like a blade forged in an incandescent fire, she had emerged tempered, finer, stronger.
She lived because she had been willing to die, and her conviction in herself never wavered. She walked through death’s door as Jesyn Shornhelm and returned as something more. She sighed, a happy sound this time, one the others could appreciate, for they too, had given everything of themselves to stand here with her.
Lore Father Giridian nodded and said, "Then let us complete your Ascension and take the oath, so you may add your voice to our council as a true Adept of the Way." He said this with a smile, but behind it ran a discordant tenor.
Jesyn stepped forward and took a knee. She knew the words of the oath by heart, something every initiate memorized as they dreamed of one day earning the Black.
She looked up at the lore father and said, "By the blood of my forefathers, I take this Binding Oath of Fealty to the land and her people. I will not cause harm, either through my action or inaction, without just reason, for I am the shield of the weak, the blade of the helpless, the healer of the sick, and the spirit of the Way. I pledge myself to the service of these duties and obedience to the will of this council."
Lore Father Giridian’s tone became more serious as he spoke. "I hear and accept your Oath of Fealty. Arise, Jesyn Shornhelm, for thou art now a full and true Adept of the Way."
An intense yellow flash occurred then, Binding Jesyn to the words she had just spoken. She could feel her body begin to attune itself to the land and its need. It was a feeling of oneness she would soon share with every other adept and master on the Isle and suddenly whatever had been missing, whatever felt somehow amiss, was gone.
The Way cleared her senses, and for the first time, she saw the world the way the other adepts did. Every motion, every detail, was magnified. She drank it in, reveling in the newfound precision that coursed through her body and mind. By comparison, her earlier skills now seemed ungainly and rough, like a child’s drawing. Upon completing the oath, she had truly Ascended, her potential had been realized, and her options were becoming limitless.
"Your training and discipline gives you faith in yourself. Never forget, this is the basis of your power," said the lore father. He looked at her for a moment then laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and said, "I hate to greet you with this, Adept Jesyn, but you Ascend at a perilous time. Come, we have much to speak of regarding this council, events in the world, and your friend, Arek."
BLACKFIRE
Perception comes from an open mind,
Power from focus,
Speed from a relaxed body.
Perception, power,
and speed,
When applied properly, promote damage.
—The Bladesman Codex
Arek moved quickly to intercept the assassin, his mind clear and his breathing even. Unlike facing the dragon, Rai’stahn, he felt no fear this time, nor had he for the entire time he’d been within Bara’cor. It was as if his very proximity to the Gate had infused him with a kind of preternatural strength and confidence. That or the dragon’s aura had somehow negatively influenced him. Arek didn't know, but whatever the cause, every detail seemed magnified and slowed. He could dissect the combat in pieces, feel each heartbeat pass by in detail, and see everything.
On his left, Niall had imperceptibly shifted his weight back, giving their attacker a slight advantage. On his right, he saw Tej’s fingers tighten on her grip, readying herself for the point of engagement. He could feel the air shift as his attacker moved toward Niall, lengthening his distance from Tej.
Arek knew a small increase in speed and a slight shift to his left would bring him to the assassin before the assassin could reach Niall. The problem was his foot. Though almost healed, it still felt like a piece of meat tied to his ankle. It was sluggish and did not move with the training and efficiency the rest of his body enjoyed.
To his right ran Tej, her short sword ready. She had chosen a path to bring her up and beside the man. Perfect, thought Arek. She, at least, seemed to know what she was doing.
When the assassin turned and charged, Arek was not at all surprised. It was smart, as the assassin would face two of them, instead of all three. Niall would have to scramble forward to attack at the same time and would never make it, his inexperience hard to hide. Arek appreciated the speed in which the assassin had discarded any idea of attacking a lone victim, dropping it as soon as the strategy proved untenable.
Arek anticipated the assassin’s moves like a player at Kings and smiled at the man’s overconfidence. He decreased his speed toward the man in black, easing the pressure on his lame foot. The move caused a gap large enough that his attacker would have to choose one of the three, instead of two. Arek knew that momentum mattered and the assassin’s instincts would drive him to continue his assault directly toward him. No doubt, by now the man had identified him as the leader. Killing him would make the other two easy prey.
