by Iaz Grant
“After Emerald passed, when Aero was born, I started to see strange things happen around him as a child. Bamboo that grew outside would stand taller when he would touch them, and like his mother, plants would sometimes pivot in his direction, yearning to be closer with him. I have known of my sons powers for a long time, you are the only other person to witness these abilities.”
Genus looked across the table to the Mayor who now was nodding in understanding. He extended his arm and put out one of his fingers, to indicate that he would return momentarily before he jogged away into an adjacent room, rustling could be heard for a few moments before his quickened footsteps began to make his way back toward the table. He now had a total of 7 books in his arms before he laid them all down on the table. He opened several of them to different pages before pulling his chair out and sitting back on it.
“Now Genus, you know that Aero has to learn to hone his abilities. People who can use Halos can save peoples life, make the world a better place! I have studied Halo magic for decades, and at his age, Aero already has remarkable abilities, the School for Halo Arts needs someone like him! I know the Dean personally, I can guarantee Aero’s acceptance into the school.”
As Genus looked down at all the pages that lay face up on the table, each with pictures of different Grass magic techniques and information on the best ways to apply them both offensively and defensively, he decided he had heard enough. As a father he knew that his son was destined for a life much bigger than the tropical city of Hush, but he was far from ready to give his son up into the world. He stood up from his seat and made a bowing gesture toward the Mayor.
“Thank you for helping my son Mayor Cross, I just need to speak with Aero before any decision is made. I will see you soon.” He said with a low tone. Genus walked through the halls into the room where Aero was sleep and picked him up softly enough to not interrupt his sleep. As he proceeded out of the Mayor’s office the moon was now glowing over the sleeping city of Hush, Genus walked the small distance to his home and laid his son in his own bed. Before he exited Aero’s room, he reached on a nearby table to grab a small piece of paper and a pen that had a feather on the end of it, he proceeded to write a note, as was standard between him and Aero to communicate if one or the other would sleep in late.
“Meet me in the Hammer room when you wake up.” – Dad
When the rays from the golden sun reached into Aero’s window on this day, he woke up much quicker than usual. Between not remembering what happened after Marcel hit him and feeling a tight pain in his m his muscles, Aero was in a bit of a foggy state. Still, as was his routine, he jumped up out of bed and made his way to his toothbrush, once he began the process he started to walk back into his room where he discovered his father’s note. Aero wasted no time after reading the note. He quickly put boots on, grabbed his practice Hammer and bolted out of the front door.
After running the distance between his home and his father’s shop he entered the shop and said hello to a young woman standing behind the counter. He made his way through a wooden door down a hallway that led to a large open room. The floors of the room had white padding on them and were soft enough to not break someone’s back if they landed on them. Full-length mirrors spanned the walls of this room and hanging on different places were racks were a variety of practice hammers hung from. This was Aero and his father’s training room, where since he was 2 years old, Aero had learned a unique style of martial arts his father tailor made based around fighting with a long-handled hammer. In the middle of the room sitting with his legs crossed and his mind centered was Genus, dressed in the same kind of fuzzy brown shirt Aero usually wore, this was there training shirts and were meant to insulate and heat a warriors body. As soon as Aero stepped into the room Genus opened his eyes and stood on his feet. The look on his face left no room for misinterpretation, he was as serious as serious can be. He reached in front of his feet for a wooden hammer that had a long enough handle to reach above Genus’ shoulders he entered a stance similar to the one Aero used in his tussle with Marcel. As soon as Aero saw this, he entered a position of his own, this time holding his practice Hammer vertically in front of him, creating a guard.
“Mayor Cross has seen you use your Halo, if you are going to learn to use master your abilities at the school, I need to see what you can do.” Genus said calmly
“Show me!”
Genus darted toward Aero who was briefly frozen by his confusion. After only a few moments following what Genus said, Aero realized that this was a test. Aero had always heard rumors about the School for Halo Arts, which was said to train students to master their elements and even learn to control other elements by blending magic with martial arts, he always wanted to be able to tell his father about the school, but knew that blacksmithing was what his father would have rather him do with his life. Here and now Aero had to prove that he was ready. He countered his father’s strike and rolled off of the impact their hammers until he was behind Genus. Aero swung his Hammer in an array of directions before leaping back further away from his father. Aero knew in that moment that there was only one way he could show his father that he was gifted with the Halo magic he was born with.
“Get ready Dad.” He said
Aero lifted his Hammer above is head and spun it around in circles as that familiar green glow began to begin to form around his body. A more inner white beam completed itself first around Aero first, followed by bright green beams that encases the white beam. Both rings of energy were pulsing and crackling with electricity as if there were a current running through them, this was a Halo, a Grass Halo to be specific. Each Halo takes a certain amount of energy to fully form around a user, and Aero had been gathering energy from young plants, grass and trees since he was a baby, the older the life form was that a Halo user gathered energy from, the stronger their Halo would be, but even for his first Halo, Aero’s energy could be seen clearly as advanced. Aero slammed down his Hammer as if there were a giant nail in front of him as he yelled out.
“Hidden Hammer!”
Suddenly, from the same spot on the ground that Aero’s hammer hit, a large flurry of leaves began to spread around the training room. Before Genus knew it, all he could see were bright green leaves that were circling and flowing all around him, he tried to look around to locate his sun but he could not focus on anything more that how many leaves were around him. Then, before he could react at all, he could hear a sound any fighter was familiar with. It was the sound of someone using all of their might to swing a blunt object toward your head while out of your frame of view. Followed shortly after that sound was another sound, this one was Aero’s voice cutting through the rustling noise the leaves were making with a loud yell. Aero’s hammer made perfect contact with the side of Genus’ head, which sent him flying a couple of feet into one of the large mirrors causing it to shatter slightly. As Aero began to make his way closer to his father, Genus put his hands forward and yelled out.
“Okay! Okay! That’s enough!” He said while rubbing the spot on his head that was just hit.
“You came up with that move all by yourself?” Genus asked
Aero disconnected from the stance he was in and nodded his head in agreement. Genus dropped his Hammer and paced over to his son, hugging him tight.
“You’re going to do great Aero.” Genus said as the two embraced.
After that match, Aero and Genus talked for hours about Aero’s abilities and his dreams to master all the types of Halos and protect the world. After a large meal and even more impactful talks about the situation Genus helped Aero pack a large duffle bag filled with enough clothes to last almost a lifetime. They made there way back to the Mayor’s office. Cross was standing outside waiting for the, he was wearing another sharp suit, this one a midnight blue color with a crimson tie. Standing to his left wearing a long sleeve white shirt that most would consider fancy, was Mayor Cross’ son, and Aero’s biggest annoyance, Marcel, who made a nasty face toward Aero as soon him and Gen
us approached. Parked in front of all of them was a long car that looked like it could fit a dozen people in the back seats alone. While he was looking at the car, Aero was distracted by Genus who was kneeling in front of him. He reached behind his back to pull on a Hammer shaped object that was hidden by cloth. Genus unraveled the cloth to reveal a stone Hammer with green leaves etched along the handle that was just about as tall as Aero. Genus handed Aero the Hammer and took the practice Hammer off his back.
“You don’t need this one anymore. Next time I see you; I’ll bring you a new one! Deal?” Genus asked with a smile on his face. Both him and Aero were not ones for goodbyes, especially not emotional ones
“Deal! Take care Dad.” Aero replied smiling.
“Wait! One more thing…” Genus started before reaching into a small bag he was wearing on his back. “Take this too, it’s a book of brand new Hammer techniques! It’ll come in handy!”
Aero took the notebook and he and Genus shared one last hug. A driver came from the front seat and walked to the side Aero was facing. He opened the door to reveal a huge back seat with seats that lined the entire inside of the car. The Mayor gestured for Aero to step in and after he did, Marcel and Cross followed. The driver closed the door behind them and made his way back to the front seat, and began to drive forward. Aero looked over to Marcel who was now sitting across from him.
“Why is he coming?” Aero asked the Mayor.
“My son, Marcel happens to be able to use Halo magic as well. Only recently was he able to tap into his abilities, but you are both early bloomers. Now boys, let me explain a few things.” He began as the driver picked up speed. “In the morning we will arrive at the School for Halo Arts. You will both be enrolled there for 6 years. When we arrive, a preliminary tournament will begin that will rank both of you and through this, you will be assigned to a faction of the school based on your natural element. You both must rest on this ride because tomorrow will decide how you spend your next 6 years. All of the instructors at the school are powerful, trusted warriors who will help you become stronger than you could ever dream of.”
As Mayor Cross finished Aero’s mind began to drift into his own thoughts. His dream was coming true and in a matter of hours he would be competing in a tournament and beginning his journey toward mastering the Halo magic he was born with. Aero closed his eyes and began to drift into a sleep where his reoccurring dream would replay once again for one of the last times. The car drove throughout the dark night through mountains and across countries until it reached its destination. As the sun began to rise, the brakes of the car made a small screeching sound as it parked in front of the School for Halo Arts. From the outside all that could be seen were large white structures that looked like mountains, but had windows and doors cut inside them. The school was carved into an ancient mountain and was far larger than any onlooker could guess from seeing it on the outside.
Aero, Marcel and the Mayor stepped out of the car and looked at the marvel in front of them. Without saying any words to each other Marcel and Aero shared a glance that exchanged between them a feeling of rivalry as they both knew they were looking at their futures. They began to walk past the large gates that had carved in them the name of the school. The Preliminary Tournament was only a few hours away from beginning and the stage was set up directly in the middle of the school.
The Enrolment Tournament: Aero vs. Golem
After a few minutes walking down a road that followed the entry gate, Aero, Marcel and the Mayor came upon the main meeting grounds of the school. Most students referred to this as “The Square” and though it was usually filled with young students trading martial arts secrets, today it was filled with an array of hundreds of people, old and young, student and civilian. They were all gathered around a large stage made of a dark stone material that had perfectly etched lines in it, creating a grid for fighters to compete in. Among the hundreds of onlookers that had eagerly waited for this year’s Enrollment Tournament, only 8 of those people were to participate, including Aero and Marcel. To the left of the stage was a large chalkboard that had a bracket design drawn on it, with names filled in each of the starting slots.
Because this was an enrollment tournament, each of the students were to compete in only 1 round, the winner of each round would be accepted into the School for Halo Arts and assigned to one of the 3 different factions there: Ceres, Luna and Favor, referred to as “houses” by most of the students, these were distinguished between students’ individual personalities, Ceres House, usually accepting of cunning students who studied more physical Halo Arts, Luna House, which accepted intelligent students who primarily focused on elemental Halo Arts, and lastly, Favor House, who more often than not accepted brave students who balanced both physical and elemental Halo Arts in their studies.
More people could be seen gathering around the chalk board as the minutes passed until Aero, Marcel and the Mayor approached the board to see who each of the young boys would be competing against. Aero’s name was the first to be seen by the boys as they both read out loud.
“Aero vs. Golem” they said in unison. Marcel looked over to Aero with a smirk
“Looks like you’re up first dork!” He said while pointing to Aero’s name on the chalkboard. Aero placed his index finger on the chalkboard and followed an imaginary line that fell under his name and lead to Marcel’s name that was further down on the list
“Marcel vs. Ellen” Aero read out loud before exploding into laughter
“At least I’m not fighting a girl!” He said in the midst of his laughing fit.
“That’s enough boy’s! Aero is first to fight we must report to the Dean at once.” The Mayor said in a low tone, ensuring that he was very serious. Aero and Marcel both went silent as Mayor Cross took each of them by the shoulder and lead then about the crowds of people, weaving in and out through the large groups of onlookers.
It wasn’t long before Cross and the two young fighters made their way to one of the sidelines that ride along the tournament stage. Sitting at the end of a large wooden table, with a tally sheet in front of him that was used for judging each of the fights, was an elder, delicate looking man.
He wore a large yellow cloak that left most of his physical features hidden under the cloth, but the whole of his face could be seen popping out of the top of the robe. His nose was long and rigid, and his eyes, a color of grey that resembled the color of clouds that give way to thunderstorms. He walked, and sat, with a large majestic scepter that had intricate designs etched along its length, which housed a very large triangular crystal at the very top, said to be made of magic from another world.
The Mayor approached this man after squirming his way through the crowds. He extended his hands out to meet the man’s in the robe, who smiled gently at the Mayor. The two exchanged some words but none that Aero or Marcel could hear from their distance and after a few moments of conversation, the Mayor walked back to the boys and grabbed the by their shoulders again. They walked around the stage opposite of the side they were just standing on until they sat down on small benches located at the corner of the stage.
As soon as the boys could take a seat a young, tuxedo-wearing announcer strutted onto the stage with a wireless microphone in his hand which made everyone in the audience begin to whistle and yell from excitement. Before the blonde haired announcer could begin to speak Mayor Cross kneeled in front of Aero and begin to prepare him for his fight. Though, as soon as the Mayor began to speak, Aero could no longer hear his voice, Cross’s lips were moving but to Aero, no words were audible, instead he could only hear the action packed tone of the announcer’s voice as he began to excite the crowd.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! BOYS AND GIRLS OF ALL AGES! GATHER CLOSER AND GET READY TO BEGIN THE 22ND ANNUAL ENROLLMENT TOURNAMENT!” the crowd reacted by screaming, chanting and swelling with excitement.
“OUR FIRST MATCH PROMISES TO BE A BIG ONE. WILL AERO AND GOLEM PLEASE REPORT TO THE STAGE.”
Aero was nervous,
but a strange calm loomed over him like a shadow, he watched as his opponent, a young obese boy by the name of “Golem” made his way into the ring, beating his chest like a gorilla the entire way up their. Though there was still no audible sound coming from Mayor Cross’ mouth he was still prepping Aero for his match to come, Aero calmly placed his hand on Cross’ shoulder and smiled at him.
“Don’t worry Mr. Cross, this’ll be a piece of cake.” Aero said with an optimistic tone that attached itself to most of his words.
Cross’ eyes widened as Aero walked around him, making his way to the stage. Equipped with only his Hammer, Aero walked up the small steps that sat in front of the stage until he stand across from Golem, who was positioned in a guarding martial arts stance.
