by Jarod Meyer
William counted in his head. “That leaves one. Gaia, I think,” he said, staring at his notes.
The others in the class turned to look at him, their expressions hard.
“This is a history class correct?” William asked.
Laurence looked at him and nodded. “You are correct, tainted one. It is thought that the grief was too much for Gaia, seeing her brothers and sisters destroyed. She passed into Oblivion, and was never seen again.”
“What is Oblivion?” William asked, before being interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Oblivion surrounds the worlds of Archonia, and Dichonia. It is an endless fog with no land above or below. Many Archonians have attempted to find their way through the fog, but it inevitably leads them back here,” Juarez said.
William knew that he needed to know as much about this world as possible if he was to defend it. He smiled at Juarez, and finished his notes. He had all the Archons accounted for. The only two that remained were Lucifer, and Gabriel. He thought it very unfair that the evil of one could cause the destruction of so many and still live. He wondered why Gabriel hadn’t attempted to destroy him. Perhaps he was not strong enough. Or maybe he couldn’t bring himself to kill his brother.
The class dismissed for the day, so William jumped up and caught up with Juarez. They both wore their white linens slacks and shirts so they could head straight to the training grounds after their courses.
“Juarez,” William said, matching the smaller man’s stride.
“William, how are you?” his Spanish friend asked.
“I’m okay. Crazy stuff back there, huh?”
“Yes, Amigo. Those were very difficult times for everyone.”
Something Juarez said the night before had been eating away at him the whole day, and he felt compelled to ask.
“Did you go through hard times back on Earth?” William asked, seriously.
This surprised Juarez, and he sort of looked away. “Yes, William. My past is a sad story,” he replied.
“I killed a young boy in the line of duty on Earth, barely old enough to hold a weapon, Juarez. I doubt it could be any worse than my story,” William said, pushing.
There was more silence while they walked down the vast corridors of the castle. William gave him his space. He didn’t want to upset his only friend. To his surprise, Juarez spoke.
“I too killed a man on Earth. To this day I do not know how I was allowed to come to Archonia. I was a priest in the Catholic Church almost my entire life. I followed the rules and laws of God. Though there were many things I disagreed with, I always tried to obey the mandates of the church. However, my bishop was a sadistic murderer. Not only was he a glutton, but he would use the name of the Lord, and his position in the church, to lure young women to his chambers. There he would rape, and torture them to death. He was a demon, but nobody could find proof. Those that had it were paid well enough to cover it up.
I alone knew the reality, and nobody would believe or help me. The Lord had faced me against a monster to test my faith, and I failed time and time again to bring the bishop to light. One day, I learned the horrible news that my little sister had been asked to come before the bishop. He claimed that the Lord had commanded him to speak with her about becoming married to God. I knew exactly what was going to happen to her, and I asked God for forgiveness. That night, before my little Hermana was able to see the bishop, I took up the sword,” Juarez said, a tear running down his smooth, dark face.
William didn’t know what to say. The rest of the story didn’t need to be told, as he could deduce the rest, but Juarez finished it anyway.
“They tortured me for my blasphemy, and desecrated my body. My family became outcasts. I came here and……” he tried to finish.
“I’m so sorry, Juarez. But you did the right thing. Sometimes you must do a little evil for the greater good. The man was a monster, and you did everything you could to stop him,” William said, putting an arm around him.
“From then on I decided that my atonement would be devoting my life to the safety of this world,” Juarez said, wiping his tear away.
“And I’m going to help you every step of the way. I’ve got quite a bit to atone for myself. I’m going to need your help too!” William said.
Chapter Ten
The Test
There were originally ten new Guardian recruits that started with William. After two weeks there were only six. Of the five other candidates there was one, a girl named Katrina, took a particular liking to William., She seemed to gravitate towards him every time they sparred. He couldn’t tell if it was because she thought he was the toughest, or if there was attraction at work.
She was short, with cropped brown hair, and an athletic, chiseled physique. William marveled at the changes to his own body. Katrina explained it while they were sparing.
“You don’t actually build muscle here. Your body simply reflects the strength of your mind,” she said, striking hard. Her stature, of course mattered little here, and William was rocked by the force of the blow.
“Harder, William!” Juarez shouted cheering him on.
Katrina was the one person who had been lapping him and Juarez during their runs. She was very fast, but William believed that he was stronger. He gritted his teeth, and leapt into the sky as Katrina came forward at lightning speed. He avoided her attack, but dropped so slowly that when he returned to the ground she was already waiting for him. He caught a hard fist to the jaw, and quickly found himself on the ground.
William got slowly to his feet, coughing up sand.
“Bested you again,” Katrina said with a smirk.
William growled with rage, and shot forth. He caught her by surprise, grabbing either side of her head, and with all his might, flipping her into the air and smashing her against the ground. He jumped on her, and reared back to drive a fist into her face when a wooden staff swung into his throat.
“Enough!” Cheng Fei shouted.
Silence fell over the training ground, and Chang Fei tossed William aside like a rag doll.
“We do not attack out of anger,” Chang Fei scolded, pointing his staff down at William “You will swallow your pride, initiate, or you shall be punished.”
William stood, saluting, one hand balled up into a fist over his chest, then bowed.
“Yes sir,” he said, glancing over at Katrina, who was dusting off.
Apparently it was important not to be selfish or prideful in Archonia, but from what William had seen, everyone was a hypocrite, just like in his previous life. His words, or his actions, wouldn’t change it, however. So why should he care. What was done was done, and he knew that his attitude showed it.
Chang Fei made him stay after the other recruits were done to lift the atlas. It was a stone created by a man during the time of the Greeks. He built strength by hoisting the massive stone ball for hours on end. Eventually the Greeks began worshipping him as a titan.
The stone Atlas used on Earth weighed several hundred pounds. The stone here Archonia was just plain massive. It sat in the middle of the training grounds so that everyone could see it. Most would congregate around it to poke fun at those who were forced to lift it for punishment.
William had been holding it on his back for just a few minutes when Katrina strolled up she knelt down next to him and groaned as a tremendous amount of weight lifted free.
“Why the charity?” William asked, straightening his back a little and looking up.
She was wearing linen garments like him, except she had cut off the pants, revealing her long slender legs, and instead of a shirt, a simple wrap covered her breasts. William had found that people in Archonia possessed as much modesty as he did, and apparently had most of the same rules about sexuality as they did in his former life.
“I’m bored,” she responded, “and I do not think that I am ready to meditate yet.”
“Well, thanks I guess. You know if Chang Fei catches you, he will probably make you hold it up by yoursel
f after I’m done,” William stated, shifting the weight.
“Let him,” she said. “The old man is getting on my nerves.”
She scowled when saying his name. William chuckled, finding it funny that she called him old. Chang Fei didn’t look any older than she did, despite being in Archonia for a great deal longer.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” William said.
Katrina huffed and rolled her eyes. “Please, William. I do not think that you could hurt me if you tried!”
He laughed. “Okay, then I don’t feel nearly as bad.”
There was a moment of silence, before she said, “I would have done the same thing. I should not have goaded you like that.”
William said nothing, instead continued to stare at the distant sunset. The temperature was already dropping.
“Thanks, but Chang Fei was right. I should not have attacked you out of anger and pride,” he said finally.
“Maybe not, but next time I will not turn my back on you,” she said with a chuckle.
The two continued to talk for some time, sharing the burden of the atlas stone. Katrina, it turned out, was a soldier in her previous life. She had lived during a time when women were not supposed to be soldiers, and yet she joined the revolution anyway. Her father and brothers were killed trying to bring freedom to a group of colonies in North America. In the end, she gave her life for the same cause. She lived a very good life, and only killed those who attacked the helpless. She had been selected and brought to Archonia when one of the watcher Guardians decided she was worthy.
“So, Will, why exactly does everyone hate you around here?” she asked, in a slightly mocking tone.
Apparently, she was as in the dark about everything as he was. William cast her a sidelong glance, and smiled, taking in her small, mouse-like features.
“I guess I have some dirt on my record. Gabe brought me here when I wasn’t supposed to come,” William said casually.
“Gabe! You mean the Archon Gabriel!?” Katrina asked, her interest obviously piqued.
“Yeah, why?”
“It is just… well… he is an Archon,” she blurted.
“I only knew him briefly, but now have to prove that I am worthy enough to be here. That’s the only way he can come back. He traded his place here in Archonia so that I might be given a chance,” William said.
“The rumors are true then. You really do have a tainted soul?” she asked, but it sounded more like a statement.
William’s anger bristled. “Look, I don’t know what my soul looks like, okay. I just want to live my life as best as I can!”
“Good! They told me I could not be a soldier back on Earth, but I proved them wrong. I would love to help you prove them wrong as well,” she responded.
William’s anger melted away as quickly as it rose, replaced by a warm, tingly feeling he wasn’t used to. He didn’t have much experience with friendship, but was pretty sure that this was what it looked like.
“So, how did you end up kicking the can?” William asked.
“Kick what can?” Katrina asked. William squinted in annoyance but changed his tact.
“How did you end up dying?”
“Well, like I said they told me I couldn’t be a soldier, but I wasn’t going to have a bunch of men telling me what to do my whole life. I had taken care of my bedridden mother and my younger brothers and sister after father and some of my older brothers went to war. Apparently it was noble to die in combat for your ideals and leave your family at home defenseless.
“Well, our home was near the front and the lines broke so quickly nobody had the time to evacuate. I was only fourteen years old anyway and couldn’t very well manage such a feat.”
“But you could manage to be a soldier?” William asked skeptically.
Katrina sighed heavily in annoyance and the weight of the stone shifted slightly. “Fine William, what do you want me to say? That I was a stupid kid that thought I could hold off the entire battalion of redcoats that occupied our town?”
“Hey no worries, I’m sorry. You can be honest with me. No judgments here,” William replied.
“Well, I did make some bad choices. I thought I would be the hero of the town. I took one of my father’s old muskets he had left behind, and it turned out it was for good reason. Father never taught me how to clean or care for a rifle, because I was a girl. The thing was caked in powder residue.”
“Oh god, it backfired on you? Is that how it happened?” William asked with wide eyes.
She shot him an annoyed look. “…perhaps if you would let me finish.”
“Sorry, please continue.”
“As a matter of fact, it did backfire. I had a brilliant idea that I would sneak into the enemy camp and blow up their powder magazine. This would hopefully stunt their march and then the continental army could swoop in while they lay defenseless and save the town. Sneaking in was easy, and so was lighting up the powder, but when the chaos started the redcoats began shooting. One stumbled in front of me while I was running away. I should have just kept going, but I wanted to be brave and I leveled my father’s rifle at him. I remember it was so heavy in my arms. I had to nearly bend over backwards to hold it up. I was lucky in the fact that I was holding it at such an odd angle. When the powder ignited my face could have been burnt clean off. Luckily I was only blinded. My shot missed horribly and the soldier instinctively returned fire.”
“Quite a story,” William said after Katrina paused. She gave him a quick look, her face a mixture of sadness and embarrassment.
“Well at least I died in one shot. That flintlock blew a gaping hole in my chest. Honestly it was better than having one of those bastards rape me and send me back home. I don’t regret what I did.”
William remained quiet. He didn’t really know if his normal sarcastic response would be appropriate.
Just then a Guardian Captain arrived, releasing them from their punishment.
They walked back, and Katrina started talking about Guardian training and how excited she was about the prospect of graduating and forging their own armor.
William listened, his thoughts straying a bit. He’d never been in such a long conversation before. In fact, save for Juarez, nobody had ever really taken the time to talk with him before. In the military it had all just been banter and he had learned to create a wall of sarcasm to block out the seriousness of life.
“Thank you,” William said, stopping and interrupting Katrina.
Katrina stopped, a confused look on her face. “What?”
“Thank you,” William said again. “Nobody has ever talked with me for so long.”
Katrina’s mouth hung open. “I guess the people from your time are not very kind,” she said slowly.
“Some were, but most just kind of avoided me,” William responded honestly.
Katrina smiled. “Well, you are in a new world now, so you should have a fresh start.”
The next day William roused from his meditations to find that it was the end of an Archonian month. He had been in this world for one hundred days already. At the end of each week they had a sort of weekend, but unfortunately it was only one day. This day was supposed to be for rest and recovery. But the Guardian initiates had no such rest this week. Their final test was approaching. It was basically a fitness test to prove you have what it takes to be a guardian. There was a test of strength, one of endurance, one of knowledge one of martial technique, and finally one final secret test. Nobody knew what the final test was – not even Juarez, as he had never made it this far in the training. They couldn’t seem to pry it out of anyone either.
If they were able to complete this test then they would be inducted into the Guardian Corps and allowed to forge their armor, the final step in becoming one of the elite warriors.
For the next couple of days Chang Fei drilled them relentlessly for hours without breaks. William and Katrina exchanged many glances, both determined not to be the first one to drop out or fail. It was during those mo
ments that their extra work at the atlas stone seemed to pay off.
Of the six initiates left the ones William had not gotten very close with were a woman named Venice, and two men, Samuel, and Ulifrig.
Ulifrig was a beast of a man, and built much like Brock, only taller and not as bulky. He had long blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. He had lived in the age of the Vikings, and had sailed longboats across the cold waters of the north into unexplored territory, living, exploring, and raiding with his brethren.
Ulifrig seemed to be very close to the other man, Samuel, who had only been in Archonia a short time by comparison. With short brown hair and dark eyes he had lived in a time of war as well. William knew very little of the other girl, only that she had done the bare minimum to reach it this far in her training.
Juarez and William chatted while sparring, the smaller man talking animatedly about how long he had wished to be a Guardian.
“Why is becoming a Guardian so special?” William asked, deftly dodging a meek punch from his friend.
“William, the Guardians are the only branch of the Archonian military that sees real combat. The Crusades take you face to face with the evil ones. The Sentinels may act tough, but most have never even seen a real fight. The Adjudicators squabble and delegate, and do nothing that really matters, because this world has been at peace for thousands of years. The Guardians have the chance to change the world and fight the evil that seeks to destroy it...”
“While the rest cower behind the barrier between worlds,” William finished and wrapped his arms around his friend in a submission hold.
He felt the smaller man tap on his shoulder, signifying that his friend had yielded, and let go. William thought long and hard on this subject for the remainder of training. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he wanted it too.
They got to their feet and dusted off, William shook Juarez’s hand firmly. The day was winding down, and William had beaten everyone in the sparring circle. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a blur of purple. Looking over his stomach twisted into a hard knot as he spied Meredox standing next to his Captain. They were speaking in whispers, and Meredox held out a large scroll sealed with golden wax.
