by Milo Woods
Seeko looked back up and replied, “I hate it! Being a hero isn’t what I imagined.”
“Suck it up. Ya get to sit here and rest. Getting to take a bath is better than fighting the Halcyon and demons all day like the rest of the army. You’re getting royal treatment compared to the rest of us. We live with the aches and pains, whereas ya get personal trainers and healers.”
“I never asked for this.”
“Did any of us?” Kazuma said while staring into the water. “We never wanted war or to watch our friends get devoured by demons. We don’t have a choice, and neither do ya. The only choice we have is whether or not to try, and I’m not about to give up and let the Halcyon overrun the world with demons.”
Seeko couldn’t look at Kazuma. He knew he was right, but did not want to admit it. “I know I have a reason for being here, and I’ll find out why.” He pulled himself out of the bath and walked back to his quarters, leaving Kazuma alone.
/ / / / /
Seeko was quickly thrown into a strict training regimen: wake up, magic, archery, sword. The training felt useless, however, and Seeko quickly burnt out over the weeks. Was he making any progress? He hoped so. The weakest part of his training was magic. He just didn’t understand the silly concept. At least the sword and the bow were physical objects that made sense to him. The spark garbage was useless. He didn’t even know what element he was.
He was best with the bow. After only a week, he graduated to smaller straw dummies, hitting them proficiently from thirty yards away. Raltz was impressed with his progress and, honestly, so was Seeko.
Seeko dueled with Kazuma when he got the chance. But Kazuma was busy often, so Seeko sparred with other soldiers. He lost most of the time, ending up with bruises and welts, which were later healed by the Irenic healers. He lost emotion during these battles, keeping a distant look. Seeko tried to intimidate his foes, with some success. They feared him because of their expectations of their hero, and because they couldn’t accurately gauge his strength. And Seeko was fearless in battle. The healers wouldn’t let anything happen to him, and he knew that. So he fought recklessly, and was often chastised for it.
The emperor would check on Seeko once a week. Seeko strove to learn more about this man, but his guards were ever vigilant, and he found it hard to get alone with the man. When he was, the emperor was mysterious about his past.
Seeko also questioned about the empress. Something had happened to her, as no one would even mention her. Kazuma and Tenumi were equally silent on the matter, and Seeko did not want to ask Raltz. So, Seeko kept wondering about his family, questioning his heritage. He was adopted on Earth. He never knew his real parents. The emperor could have been his father if his memories were to be believed.
So Seeko believed. He had no other memories of them, so they might as well have been royalty.
Still, he had questions—questions with no answers.
/ / / / /
“Well, kid, see ya around,” Kazuma said as he walked toward the rest of his company. The time had come for Kazuma to return to battle. “General Todd needs us back there as soon as possible.” He faced Seeko, standing at the edge of town. “Don’t worry; Raltz will continue your sword training where I left off. Ya get along with him from what I hear. And, just between ya and me, I think that you’ll make a fine hero someday. Maybe even beat me!” With that, Kazuma saluted, then led his company off into the distance with a smile.
Seeko didn’t want him to go, but he knew he couldn’t stop him. There went his first friend in this world, and he wished him luck in his struggle.
He looked back at the city of Asilis behind him. This was the first time he’d really had a chance to roam around on his own since he’d arrived. He walked through the town, observing the people around him. It was mostly elderly and children. All the young people must be in the army, Seeko concluded. The people watched cautiously as he wandered, so he avoided eye contact with them, enjoying his time alone.
He did not wander for long before getting hungry. He had skipped breakfast to see Kazuma off. Looking up at the castle grounds, he decided to head back for food. Once in the courtyard, the guards sealed him in, trapping him in the castle for his training. He frowned, savoring his final moments of freedom.
Before long, Seeko was dressing down for his daily sparring match with the soldiers. Today, he would face off against a girl, which was not surprising to him. The Irenic army consisted of both genders fighting side by side.
“Today, you will be facing Mori, daughter of Luxant. She’s uses a different fighting style, so stay sharp,” said Raltz, leaning against a wall.
Seeko looked back toward Mori and held out his wooden sword. “Alright, I’ll stay on my guard.”
She held out her wooden sword with one hand, standing with her side facing Seeko. The two touched weapons to signal the start of the sparring. Seeko swung quickly, but Mori spun her sword around his and jabbed him hard in the gut. She smiled at Seeko, her red hair flowing between her eyes.
He retaliated with another swing but was met with small, quick jabs to his chest and stomach. “Fencing? That’s not fair,” Seeko said, then coughed.
The girl smirked and went in for another jab. Seeko pushed this one away and stabbed her back, landing a blow on her chest. I’ve seen this in movies before, Seeko thought. Mori looked amazed that he actually managed to hit her.
He pushed his sword toward her, hoping to score a hit, but she blocked his blade and twisted it out of his hand. She hit him hard in the stomach, and he followed his sword to the ground. Mori giggled as she walked away, gleaming at him until she was out of sight. But her giggle stuck in his mind, her wicked smile warping into a sinister grin. He tried to deny her, ignore her, but the more he did, the more he saw her smile, heard her laugh. I hate her already, he thought, groaning at the pain.
“You did surprisingly well,” Raltz said, “considering you’re only used to fighting one style of swordsmanship.” He helped Seeko of the ground.
“Yeah, I’ve seen that before,” Seeko gasped out between breaths. He looked into the direction she left in. “She was only playing with me, though.”
Raltz led him over to a bench where a water healer sat. “I agree. She must have been distracted. You’re our hero, after all.” He took a deep breath. “She probably won’t make that mistake again. That jab you gave her looked like it hurt.” He walked away, leaving Seeko with the healer. Raltz seemed impressed with his swordsmanship, at least this once.
After being treated by the healer, Seeko walked toward the bathhouse, ready to end the day.
“Hey,” said a voice behind Seeko.
He looked back and saw Mori, getting a good look at her for the first time. Her hair flowed far past her shoulders, and her red shirt cut off below her breasts, showing off her stomach. She also wore a red skirt with long boots to complement it. She carried a medium-sized water-skin on one hip, indicating that she could use water magic. On her other hip hung a rapier.
“Uh …” he said, awestruck at the underdressed woman. The image of her grinning was suddenly more frightening. It bothered Seeko more now.
Her blue eyes beamed at him. “It’s not nice to stare.” She smiled at Seeko and walked alongside him. “You knew how to counter me—exactly what I would expect from our hero.”
Seeko looked ahead, knowing she was just trying to encourage him. “It was a lucky shot. Nothing to get excited about,” he replied.
She looked at the ground as they walked toward the bathhouse. “It was a compliment.”
“Hmph. I don’t need your sympathy.”
The two arrived at the bathhouse and stopped.
“Well,” she said, “I asked Raltz if I could spar with you more often, and he agreed. So both of us will be able to improve from one another. I guess I’ll see you around then, Seeko,” she said as she walked away.
What does she want? Raltz, why? Seeko turned from her and walked into the bathhouse, finally free to himself.
&n
bsp; But Mori wouldn’t leave Seeko alone. She ended up sparring against him more than anyone else. It didn’t help that she always won, making him angry and disappointed in himself. Every free moment that he could get away from training, she would intrude. Seeko grew more irritated with her and only found refuge in the bathhouse. Soon he woke up every morning thinking about her. In the day, she was there, and when he slept, she invaded his dreams.
And she was always smiling that wicked smile, the one both beautiful and dangerous.
5: Yoshino
22 Maer, 112 AV: Day 61
Seeko wandered the streets of Asilis alone, happy to get away from Mori and his training, if only for a morning. This was his only downtime—time he wasn’t even allowed to take. Tenumi was going to kill him when she found out he skipped her training again. Not like it mattered. He still couldn’t access his spark.
He carried no weapons, but still felt safe in the city. Asilis had never been attacked by the Halcyon. They would have to get through Irris, Fort Zan, and Envoran, and then climb the cliff before they could get here.
And so he breathed in the cool morning air without worry. He strode around with no destination in mind. It was almost impossible to get lost in the town, since he just had to head back to the giant castle atop the hill when he was done.
After nearly an hour, he trudged back the castle to eat. He approached the castle gatehouse as another man strode toward him. The man had his hands in his black cloak and was looking down, a hood concealing his face.
He wore strange garb for Asilis. Instead of the normal whites and blues that dominated the city’s citizens, he wore a loose black shirt, black breeches, brown boots, and of course his black cloak. Soon the stranger drew close enough for Seeko to see his face.
White hair and red eyes.
The man from Earth! The man who started it all!
He walked past Seeko and rounded a corner, continuing at his brisk pace. Seeko spun around and pursued him.
Apparently, the man knew someone was after him, for when Seeko rounded the corner, the man was running. Seeko chased after him, slowly gaining on the tall figure.
Eventually, the stranger ran down an alleyway with Seeko close behind him. The alley came to a dead end, and the man stopped, turning slowly around.
Seeko stood several paces away, recovering. “Hey! You! Who are you?” he said in between breaths.
The man squinted at Seeko. “Who are you?”
“I’m the one asking questions!” Seeko snarled. “What did you do on Earth? Did you create that portal that I went through? Who are you?”
“Earth? Is that a city? I’ve never heard of it. Please, I don’t want any trouble; I just want to get to my destination. I’m a very important man.”
Seeko changed his approach: “Have you ever helped a kid walk into a dark portal? Tell me!”
The man stroked his eyebrows. “Look, kid, you’re obviously insane. Let me go.”
Seeko took a step closer. “Who are you? Answer your hero!”
The man flinched at that. Now he knew who Seeko was. “You’re Seeko Dris?” The man chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Thought you were taller.” His laughter subsided. “I expected more from the Irenic hero. You can’t even use magic, can you?”
How did he know? “Just answer my questions!”
The man lowered his head. His hood shadowed his face, giving him a menacing stare. “Get out of my way.”
A sound behind Seeko caused him to look back. A figure approached at a jog. Mori drew close, a silver rapier hanging on her left hip.
Seeko almost groaned. “Mori, can’t I just get a moment alone?”
She came up to his side. “Seeko! I’m glad I caught you! This guy is bad news!”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s an awful person! I saw you following him and I came to warn you!”
“Why? Who is he?”
“He’s Yoshino! I’d recognize that hair and those eyes anywhere!” Mori moved to shield Seeko and drew her rapier. “Stay away from him, you monster!”
Yoshino smiled. “I didn’t want any trouble, but since you children keep insisting on it, I have no choice.” Yoshino raised a hand to the sky, warping the air around it. A sword quickly materialized in his grasp.
Magic! Seeko thought. He’s going to kill us!
Yoshino brought the sword down gracefully. “Ready your blade, Mori.”
Seeko reached out to her. “Mori, no! Don’t!”
She hesitated, then flung herself at Yoshino.
It was over in seconds. Yoshino shifted to the right as she dashed forward, backhanding her with the flat of his blade. It was almost too fast for Seeko to follow. She fell to the ground, landing of her stomach, and did not get back up.
“No!” Seeko cried out. What could he do against someone like him?
Yoshino cocked his head. “You care for Mori? Poor girl.” He smirked. “How lovely. As for you …” He raised his free palm. Air coalesced in front of the palm, and then a ball of air fired forward at Seeko. It smashed him in the stomach, sending him into the cobblestone.
A dazed Seeko stared at the sky. Yoshino approached, invading his vision with a palm pointed at his head.
“You are very interesting. You say you’ve seen me before? Hmmm … I’ll have to think hard about this. I usually never forget a face … Anyway, we’ll meet again, Seeko. But for now, good night.”
He fired another pressurized ball of air at Seeko’s face and all went black.
/ / / / /
“Get up, hero.”
Seeko opened his eyes. Tenumi’s cold face stared down at him, disappointment etched on her face.
“You skipped magic training again. This is the fifth time you’ve done it. You think we aren’t watching you?” She helped him up. “If you could use magic, you wouldn’t have gotten into this predicament. You could have beaten him.”
Yeah right, Seeko thought. Yoshino destroyed us. “How’s Mori doing?”
“She’ll be fine. She can use magic. She recovered before you and healed herself.”
“Where is she?”
Tenumi headed to the castle, motioning Seeko to follow. “She headed back.”
“Why didn’t she wait for me?”
“She didn’t leave with you.” Seeko caught a hint of a smile on Tenumi’s face, but as he stared at her it disappeared. “She’s a lord’s daughter. I assume she didn’t want to be seen walking with you. She wouldn’t want people to think strangely of her, now would she?”
People already thought strangely of her, Seeko assumed, since she wore that skimpy red uniform. “Uh, alright. I don’t see why she didn’t heal me or use magic during the fight.”
Tenumi ignored him and started toward the castle.
Seeko kept his head down on the walk back. He had just lost the man who knew the answers. Somehow, Yoshino was connected to him.
When they arrived at the gatehouse, Tenumi said, “From now on, you will not be allowed to leave the castle without my permission.”
“What? No! You can’t do that!”
“Shush. You can’t go around alone like that. What if you had been killed? Then where would we be? Hero-less. I do it to protect, not to punish.”
It made sense, but didn’t make Seeko feel any better.
They headed to where they normally trained in magic. “You think that just because you are the hero, you are invincible,” Tenumi continued. “Not true. You could easily be killed by almost anyone here. This is why you must learn magic. It is your greatest defense, better than sword and bow. Now, ready yourself for the training.”
But, of course, the training was futile. He felt as if he would never gain control over this magic garbage. Seeko voiced his concerns to Tenumi at the end of his session.
“Why do you act like this?” Tenumi said. “Acting like a child gets you treated as such. Show me that you deserve my respect, and you will have it.”
Seeko sta
red at her with malice before meeting up with Raltz for archery training.
As Seeko trained throughout the day, he heard several rumors involving him. The soldiers’ confidence in their hero had waned, much to his displeasure.
His worries were confirmed during his sparring match with Mori.
“They see you differently now,” she said as she lunged at his chest.
Seeko parried the stab, and countered. “What do you mean?”
They exchanged a few more blows. “The soldiers no longer fear you. You are not idolized anymore.” Another blow. “You’re just … another human.”
“So … what should I do?”
“We need a way to restore their faith in you. Perhaps Physis will have an idea? I’ll ask him.”
Physis? Seeko jerked back. The reaction got him stabbed square in the chest, ending the match. “You know the emperor personally?”
She smiled. They sauntered to the bathhouse. “Yes, I do. He and my father go back. He’s like an uncle to me.”
“Crazy,” Seeko said.
Before long, they stood before the bathhouse. Now that they were done dueling, he could finally talk to her about what was really on his mind. He took a deep breath.
“So … who is Yoshino? Is he a bad guy or what?”
Mori’s smile faded. “He was my father’s sage. I found out that he was experimenting with demons in the cellar and I told my father.” She stared into the distance, contemplating her words. “Yoshino turned it around and embarrassed me in front of my entire family, and I had to leave. I headed here to get away from him, only to learn that he is here too! Why can’t he just leave me alone?” She was nearly yelling by the end of this. She lowered her voice and spoke again: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted.”
Hmm … A surprisingly large amount of information from an annoying, secretive girl.
Seeko shrugged off the apology. “So he experimented with demons? What was he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Mori said. “I only saw it once and it scared me so badly that I fled before they saw me.”
The portal flashed into his mind. “Was there any darkness around? Like a black sphere large enough for someone to go through?”
