Klaus's steps echoed through the small cave, filling the silence that reigned within the obscurity, each movement exacerbating the sharp ache in his leg. As he limped deeper into the quietness, two shapes slowly tore through the dark. The figures of Aarya and Wazir filled his vision as he marched onward into the cave's heart. Wazir was sitting down, his back against the cold stone of the cave while his eyes were driven on a book that laid open atop his palms. Aarya was leaning against the wall, her face wore her usual smugness, the one that infuriated Klaus by merely looking at her.
"You sure look like a mountain fell on your face, Klaus. Has my dearest friend bitten off more than he can chew once again?" She said, the ironical worry in her question clearly visible behind her smirk.
"I don't have time for your jests, Aarya." Klaus replied.
"Jests? You wound me! After all, seeing you come back so maimed from a task which you insisted was trivially effortless for your caliber only fills my heart with worry for you… Or could it be?"
Aarya faked a gasp before continuing:
"Were you trying to avoid this mission because you secretly knew you were too incompetent and weak to see it through?"
Klaus clenched his fist, his eyes were filled with nothing but animosity for the woman standing before him. He tried to stay silent and ignore the provocations, as he knew that a quarrel between Archmages was strictly forbidden.
"Quiet." He simply said, his voice shaking.
"To think that a mere child and a single man were enough to put you in such state." Aarya gave his order no regard. "I always pitied your weakness, Klaus, but I never thought you were this pathetic."
"Being the High Lord's favorite doesn't put you above me, Aarya." Klaus finally snapped. "I will not tolerate being openly mocked by-"
"That's enough." Wazir's words were calm, yet heavy. "The High Lord's here."
The sound of slow and deliberate strides approaching them resounded within the cave. Klaus turned around to find Kroll, wearing his long black robe and his long hair meticulously arranged, marching towards them.
Wazir and Aarya stood up completely. The trio lowered their heads in respect.
"Oh?" Kroll chuckled. "It appears I'm the last one to arrive. My apologies."
"No apologies are needed, my lord." Wazir replied. "You honor us with your presence."
Kroll waved his words away.
"No need for useless formalities, Wazir." He said. "It's just us."
The three Archmages raised their heads. With a snap of their lord's fingers, the ground beneath them shook. The stone floor of the cave rose in four spots, shaping itself into four armchairs for the small group to sit in.
After getting settled, Kroll nodded towards Wazir.
"You start." The High Lord demanded, an easy smile on his lips.
"My task is being executed flawlessly, my lord." the Archmage responded. "The Portal in the Shogre Swamps have been successfully recovered and secured. My men will depart tomorrow to continue our research in Morwon."
"Excellent, Wazir." Kroll praised. "You're moving even faster than I had hoped for."
Wazir inclined his head, his expression as neutral as usual.
"How about you, my dearest?" Kroll asked, his eyes turned towards Aarya.
"Both targets have been eliminated and the set has been completely set for Her Majesty's show." Aarya replied, a beaming and self-assured smile flourishing her face. "She may move to the next phase of her plan whenever she wishes."
"That is wonderful news indeed." Kroll's smile widened slightly and his tone was light, as if he was praising children for their hard work. "What of the prisoners I had asked for?"
"Unfortunately, not all of them were delivered." Aarya admitted without wavering her jaunty grin. "The third group had an encounter with some adventurers who freed the prisoners."
"Ah. No matter. One group won't change the results significantly, and you've done enough for the past months." Kroll reassured.
Klaus felt himself shake with anger and shame. All the other Archmage's had fulfilled their objectives near flawlessly. Soon, he'll have to admit that his mission didn't go as planned.
"And you, Klaus?" Kroll's gaze turned towards him. "I can see that your leg is wounded, and your face is now scarred. I take it that your battle didn't go as you had hoped it would?"
"My lord." Klaus began, his eyes driven on the floor as he tried to keep his voice steady. "Your order has been carried. The Dali's Academy has been destroyed. Nothing remains of it but ruins."
"And General Salzeka?" Kroll inquired.
"He's probably dead from his wounds already." Klaus said.
"Probably?" Kroll squinted his eyes.
Klaus gulped.
"The wounds I've inflicted on him are fatal." He assured. "Our battle has been more exerting than I anticipated, so I had to retreat to tend my injuries before I could properly finish him off. But he's dead! There is no possible way he survived what I did to him!"
"I see." Kroll ran his hand through his robe, a sign that he was deep in thought. "Well if you're sure that Salzeka is dead -Or at least critically wounded- then I suppose you've fulfilled your part of putting him out of our way."
The Archmage felt a slight relief in his chest.
"And besides, the most important objective of your task was to force Talj Horsh to cooperate. Speaking of, you have secured Talj's obedience, right?" Kroll asked.
Klaus's heart skipped a beat. He felt the sweat clinging on his back and his breathing slowly getting erratic. Not only has he failed to subdue Talj but he also had no idea where the white-haired blacksmith fled to after his encounter with Salzekz. Mustering his strength, he declared:
"I could not make the Spearman accept the deal, my lord, nor did I manage to subdue his friend."
"Oh?" Kroll's movements stopped.
"They… Slipped away." The Archmage admitted.
"Slipped away." Kroll repeated.
"My battle with Salzeka left me wounded, so I could not chase after them." Klaus continued.
"You couldn't chase after them…" The High Lord repeated yet again his subordinate's words.
Kroll stared intently at Klaus, his smile now gone.
"I know you have a tendency of underestimating both your foes and your tasks, Klaus." He stated. "And I've been tolerating that bad habit of yours and even planned according to it. Which is why I prepared an entire army of monsters to help you with your task. Furthermore, half the Dali guards of Kaelnah are spies from The Darkness. You basically had the road to your success paved for you."
Klaus didn't know what infuriated him more: The look of disappointment that hung on his lord's face, or the scoff that Aarya barely suppressed.
"So tell me, Klaus." Kroll ordered. "How can you call yourself my Archmage when, despite giving you more aid than you deserve, you perform even the simplest of tasks that I give you."
Klaus, short for words, could only bear the displeased expression on Kroll's face.
If only I hadn't let that stupid bird distract me! He thought to himself.
"Bird?" The High Lord asked aloud.
Klaus's heart skipped a beat. He was sulking in his shame so deeply that he didn't Kroll delving into his thoughts.
"You've been distracted… By a mindless animal?" Kroll raised an eyebrow.
"Not quite, my lord." Klaus rectified. "The two boys were traveling alongside a strange sort of eagle. It was small, and it could speak… And-"
"And it had black and blue feathers, with two glowing eyes…" Kroll finished.
This time, Klaud didn't feel his lord read his thoughts, meaning that he knew the animal enough to recognize it by simply mentioning it.
"Yes." The Archmage confirmed.
"I see… I see indeed." Kroll's leer returned, but he wasn't smiling at Klaus. His eyes looked intently at the ground, as if he found it suddenly of great fascination.
"My lord." Aarya spoke up. "If you want, I can make up for Klaus's failure. Let me pursue the boy-"
"There's no need." Kroll suddenly got up. "I believe I shall see to this matter personally."
"My lord! There's no need to bother yourself." Klaus objected. "I can still catch up to-"
"It seems I've greatly misread the situation." Kroll heeded him no mind. "To think that the solution all along was simply waiting… Well, I can't say my mistake didn't come without fruit." He added with a chuckle.
"My lord, I'm not sure I follow." Klaus looked at his superior with a confused gaze.
"Aarya, you will inform Her Majesty of our progress in my stead." Kroll announced. "And let her know that our little scheme may come to pass earlier than originally planned."
Aarya tilted her head, but had a playful smile on her. Klaus guessed that she wanted to ask her husband what witty conclusion he had come to but still wished to guess it herself.
"Yes, my lord." She assented with a nod.
"And you, Klaus, I shall have mercy on you as you've provided me with crucial information."
"You honor me, my lord." The Archmage replied.
"However, such mercy isn't granted." Kroll added. "You will have to earn your retribution."
"May I ask how, my lord?"
"By executing a task even simpler than the one you've blatantly failed: Kill General Kinfol."
𖤓─────✧✦✧─────𖤓
Aklas could not turn his gaze away from his brother's sleeping face. Seeing him peacefully resting, his eyes devoid of worry and weariness stirred something within him. He was supposed to be the older brother, the one to protect Talj and be strong for him.
Instead, what he did was hurt him before watching him squeeze himself dry of his last drops of energy to get them out of Kaelnah as the city changed into a gigantic battlefield.
After following the Magnum River's course with an unconscious Talj Nyr's guidance, Aklas found himself in front of a cottage, far away from the town and residing near a northern branch of the river. The owner of the cottage, an old woman named Anicla, was kind enough to let them rest within her abode. According to Nyr, she had been a friend of Shaja from before he had joined The Spear and -although he seldom spoke of her- he insisted that, should the need arise, a Spearman is sure to find shelter in her home.
Shaja had gone as far as calling her the 'last true friend of The Spear.'
Nyr's voice reached him from behind him:
"According to Anicla, he should be feeling recuperated by now."
Aklas didn't reply. The Night Eagle flew up to him and landed on the small table near the bed where the blacksmith was resting.
"How are you feeling, young one?" Nyr asked.
"My ribs no longer ache." Aklas replied. "Anicla's healing spells are very efficient."
"You know that's not what I meant." Nyr said.
Aklas sighed and leaned back on his chair. After staring at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, the voice escaped his mouth before he could let them:
"Seeing the state he was in at the beginning… The burnt areas, the pale skin, the weak pulse… I was afraid that the last thing I'd have told my brother before I lost him again was that he was a coward. But now that he seems to be recovering well, my relief is washed away by… I can't even put my finger on it. Fear? Shame? Doubt?"
Nyr turned his head to look at Talj's blissfully unaware expression.
"You both carry a weight too immense to hold." He said. "Despite your prowess and training, you both are still young and have very little experience, yet you're facing a trial even the most refined and veteran warriors would find grueling. Not everyone can remain unruffled when five different nations are on their tail."
"I know." Aklas answered. "But that doesn't have anything to do with my dispute with-"
"It has everything to do with your dispute with Talj." Nyr replied. "Picture this with me: You're both two young sailors that show promising potential in the art of cruising but who are still learning how to maneuver a ship."
Aklas turned his gaze towards Nyr, trying to understand what message the old eagle was trying to convey.
"Suddenly, you both wake up stranded in the middle of the sea, and a mighty storm shakes the tide. Of course, in your haste and panic, you'd both argue about how to best this storm most efficiently. And the mightier the storm is, the wearier you'll grow. And the wearier you'll grow, the more prone you'd become to irritation."
"Being overwhelmed by a crisis does not excuse bickering over it." Aklas pointed out.
"I never said it did." Nyr answered. "But keep in mind that I said you both have very little experience, but not none. Both of you had short, but tremendously different lives. You were taught that survival was crucial, but it had a cost. A toll must be paid in order to preserve the peaceful and natural order of things. The predator feasts on the prey, and its carcass becomes the catalyst of a tree's growth. However, for Talj, the price has been too heavy. He's never been a part of the natural order. Always the outcast, the outsider. The adopted Spearman, the pastless blacksmith, the stranger from afar.
"Yet that didn't stop him from seeking his place in this world. He tried to find a home, find a life he could call his own. And so, through both Shaja's teachings and his own experience, he learned. He learned what it truly meant to live, to belong, to feel joy. He learned to matter and have meaning. He learned virtue and thriving. He learned many lessons from this strange universe and in the end, the conclusion he stirred was simple: Life is ephemeral, but its beauty makes it worth preserving. He knows its value better than anyone else because he didn't grow up to have one, and that's the reason why he cannot bring himself to forsake one.
"But in the end, the stride of his endeavor led him to flames and death. Everything he built burned to ashes. Over and over again, he watched his existence crumble. Putting the tragic aspect of this story aside, it only strengthened the equation he set his life upon: No life must be abandoned, for life is the jewel of this world, its shine is a fleeting light that is to be cherished before it dies away. Put yourself in his stead, Aklas. What would you do if you were taught to live on the principle that every life matters, but that in order to protect the world that holds them, you must relinquish those same lives to their doom. What do you make of that?"
"If I were to put myself in his perspective, it would seem controversial." Aklas admitted.
"And now you've opened your mind to his own." Nyr's voice was congratulating. "Going back to my previous example, you learned that preserving the natural order of this world demands you to make sacrifices. However, from the perspective of Talj, if the natural order cannot bring peace to all lives that deserve so, then the problem resides within it. It isn't about protecting the normal flow, but about changing it. To bring about a world where he shouldn't have to choose between forsaking one town for a continent. A world where the prey thrives, the predator is still fed and the tree still blossoms."
"But such a world would only be a fantasy." Aklas argued.
"Maybe." Nyr replied. "But fantasies are often the mirror of dreams that can be achieved through relentlessness. Talj, despite all his losses, never gave up on the world he wished to achieve. He defied logic and he's bending the system slowly into the world he's trying to achieve."
"Trying to bend a sturdy branch is more likely going to cause it to break."
"Aye." Nyr said. "But I believe that our friend here knows that well, and it's a risk that he is willing to take."
Aklas fell silent. He thought he understood his brother, but now he realized that there were pieces of him he had overseen. Talj wasn't trying to save Ylbunish as a whole; he was trying to protect every thread that made the continent what it is. What made it special.
"But if we let this town burn, what's stopping us from abandoning the next one!?"
Those were the words he had spoken. Aklas interpreted them as pity for the innocent, but he failed to view the greater picture. They didn't know how long their journey would take, and if their errand took too much time, there would only be fire and graves to save. Talj was trying to prevent that too. He knew the cost of loss better than Aklas.
But that doesn't mean we can prevent every loss. The hunter told himself.
"I… Understand better now." Aklas finally spoke up. "But that still doesn't fully convince me. We're only two undertrained Spearmen. We don't have the strength to undo all the tragedies the battles ahead will muster. Why would Talj risk his own safety -and thus, all of Ylbunish's safety- over a struggle he's almost sure to lose?"
"There are many who'd rather be bones below the soil than a slave upon it." Nyr answered. "But in all truthfulness, I can't answer that question. Guilt, principles, morals… Talj has a life he wishes to return to more than anything, but he's ready to take the chance of defying his doom over the innocent. Two conflicting souls commanding the same body. Or maybe they're not conflicting at all and I'm wrong. I've traveled alongside him for short months, after all."
Aklas looked at his brother again before asking:
"And what about you? Do you think I'm right to accept that natural order as you put it or do you agree with Talj's ambition to change it?"
Nyr entered a deep silence. His glowing eyes closed, as if he was arching invisible eyebrows.
"I'm hardly qualified to answer your question, young lad." The Night Eagle said. "Several thousand years of life tends to leave you with less answers than questions. Experience corrodes imagination and entraps ingenuity. If I tried to give you a reply, I'd only do us more harm than good."
Aklas nodded, pondering on his mentor's words.
"But, I do believe that you'll both find an answer soon enough." Nyr added.
As if motivated by this premonition, Talj moved beneath his sheets. His eyelids trembled and slowly fluttered open.
"About time. I'll go fetch our host." Nyr said before flying off.
𖤓─────✧✦✧─────𖤓
The first thing that Talj felt when he woke up was an unfamiliar sense of repose. He sensed that he was laying comfortably on a bed, within a room that he didn't recognize. He attempted to sit back up but a pulsating headache woke alongside him, strengthening at every movement. He winced at the pain but still tried to get up to shake the grogginess away from his prolonged bed rest.
How long have I been out?
"Easy there." Aklas's voice reached him from the left.
Talj felt his brother's arms help him lift himself before settling his back against the stone carved wall. His eyes drifted towards the hunter and widened in surprise: Aklas looked like he hadn't slept for days.
"How are you feeling?" The archer asked.
"Hungry." Talj replied. "Thirsty too. My head's somewhat hurting but it's bearable."
"That's understandable. What's the last thing you remember?" Aklas inquired.
Talj closed his eyes, trying to map his memories.
"We were in Kaelnah, fighting an Archmage called Klaus. You escaped with Nyr's help. Salzeka arrived and I caught up with you… We had a not-so-pleasant conversation and I used Ghost Burst to get us out of the city before passing out… Now I'm here, in a house I don't recognize… But judging by the state of your clothes and by how hungry I am, I assume some time has passed after that."
"That was two days ago." Aklas informed. "You've been out for two days."
Talj took in the information in silence. He started inspecting his surroundings. He noticed that the entrance to the room didn't have a proper door. Just a round opening gaping the cobble wall.
Whoever lives here either has either never heard of privacy or has no need for it. Talj mused to himself.
"And how did we end up… Wherever here is?" He asked.
Aklas ran his head across his forehead before briefly explaining:
"After you passed out from magical strain, we rested a bit by the city's entrance. Then, seeing that you wouldn't wake up, I decided to carry you while Nyr guided me to this cottage. He didn't speak much about who exactly its owner was -except that her name was Madame Anicla- but he said she was worthy of trust."
"Weren't your ribs hurting?" Talj inquired.
"They were slightly cracked but Madame Anicla healed us both of our injuries."
"You managed to carry me on your back for two days with broken ribs!?" The blacksmith exclaimed.
"Uhm… Yes?" Aklas rubbed his head awkwardly. "I took a lot of breaks, and I managed to keep my body together with magic to avoid it breaking down. Although I admit it didn't make it less painful."
A pang of guilt struck Talj. Even with the help of magic, the experience must have been awful. Holding someone's body with a broken ribcage was an impossible feat, and to achieve it Aklas must have called for the deepest depths of his magical resources while having to bear a great amount of physical pain. If the blacksmith didn't push himself to his absolute limits out of emotional impulsiveness, he wouldn't have been such a dead weight for his already exhausted brother.
However, the circumstances that led to that moment of impetuosity returned to his mind. He remembered Aklas's words as if the hunter had just said them.
"I'm sorry to have caused you that much trouble." The blacksmith apologized sourly.
"I'm the one who owes you an apology." Aklas replied. "My words back then were… Inconsiderate."
Talj sighed.
At least give a warning before tackling a touchy subject, brother. He thought to himself.
"I suppose that was your own way of keeping me in line before I screw us all over." He noted. "You were right in your claims. If we had stayed to defend its citizens, Kaelnah would have become our grave."
"But that didn't excuse my attitude." Aklas countered.
"Neither did it excuse mine…" Talj confessed.
The two brothers looked at each other, time pausing as they considered their next words.
"Talj, I'm sorry for what I had said. You're not a coward for what you had done back then." Aklas affirmed. "If anything, you wishing to protect all the innocents in your road despite the maddening danger you'd be exposed to in doing so is the greatest form of courage somebody can express."
"Throwing ourselves to death and dooming an entire continent while at it sure feels like one big form of courage, yes." Talj sarcastically replied.
"Life is full of choices, and sometimes there doesn't seem to be a right one. I tend to weigh the lesser of two evils, but you… You don't simply accept those choices. You fight them until you get your deserved share. That's what makes you who you are. You would reject unfairness until the scores are set as they should."
Talj kept quiet, trying to understand what his brother was getting at.
"I misjudged you during that night." The hunter said. "I thought you wished to give away your life to save the townsfolk with no regard to our current objective. But now I know that you're striving both for us and for The Five Lands. You would have sought a solution that would benefit us all in that battle. One that would evade death for everyone in Kalneah, including us."
"You didn't misjudge me at all." Talj corrected. "In that moment, I wished to fight even if it meant death."
"Or so you believe." Aklas smiled. "But I don't think you'd abandon your beloved craftswoman longing for the return of her long lost betrothed."
"Really? Now of all time?" Talj raised an eyebrow but could not suppress his own smile.
Aklas chuckled before going on:
"My point is, even if you don't assume so, I know that deep down that you would not forsake anyone to a needless death, including yourself. Even if I don't believe that the arch we built can save everyone from the flood, if you do fervently think you'll find a way to make it work, then I'd follow your decision over mine. Because I'd rather follow someone who would do anything to make every life matter than weigh consequences on a scale."
Talj widened his eyes, deeply moved by Aklas's words. The hunter may have trouble expressing his emotions sometimes, but what he had said was clear: He was ready to override his own principles to follow Taljs'.
"I don't know, Aklas…" Talj grumbled. "What if I forget myself again and follow a decision that dooms us all?"
"Then I'll be here to remind you of the true purpose of your actions." Aklas's grin was as sure as it was beaming.
Talj fell silent and looked at his sheet. His next words left his throat with difficulty:
"I don't fight just because I want to save everyone. In a way, I consider the strife my penance… For what I couldn't save in the past despite my promises. In Kaelnah, when I saw the smoke rise… When the cries of the citizens rose up… It only reminded me of The Spear's fall. I thought… If I ran again, can I truly call myself a Spearman? If I abandon another Talj Horsh to be forsaken in the streets only to be taken by a rogue or killed by wolves. I wanted to prove to myself that… That I can still redeem myself from what happened that night."
"You walked in on a battlefield of that scale for the first time in your life…" Aklas consoled him. "You've no reprieve for fleeing a losing battle as a child. I can understand that fear-"
"That's not how it happened." Talj interrupted him. "I didn't run away out of panic… I wanted to fight, I tried! I didn't have any weapons but I still tried! But when I got out-"
The sounds of unhurried foodsteps reached them. An old woman with short grey hair and a gentle smile filled the archway that made the room's entrance, Nyr perched on her shoulder. She was holding a plate of eggs, bread and cheese with a glass of water.
"Finally, you're awake." She said in a laugh. "Now you can allow your brother to rest after the hours he's spent by your side, keeping watch like you'd vanish any second."
Talj looked at his brother who shook his head before presenting the new comer:
"Talj, this is Madame Anicla."
"Well met." The blacksmith said.
"Well met for you, maybe." Anicla's voice held a strange malice. "But not for me. It has been a while, Talj Horsh. You've grown."
The words lingered in the air, allowing the two Spearmen to assess their implications. Aklas and Nyr gave Talj a confused look. The white-haired man crossed his eyebrow.
"Excuse-me?" He asked.
"No need to apologize for forgetting this old lady, dear." Anicla replied. "You were quite small when Shaja brought you here."
"You know Talj?" Nyr's voice filled the room.
"Why yes. The child born from a forbidden love." Anicla chuckled again before settling the plate on Talj's legs.
As the old lady settled on an armchair, Aklas and Talj exchanged a wary look. Seeing the eagle's surprise, it seemed that even Nyr ignored that their supposedly trustworthy host had secrets he wasn't aware of.
"Madame Anicla, could you please elaborate?" Talj asked.
"Yes, dear, of course." Anicla nodded. "But do eat while the eggs are warm."
"When you said that Talj was a 'child born from a forbidden love', do you mean that you knew his parents?" Aklas asked.
"No, I did not. But I believe that part is obvious, dear. Look at how bright his brown eyes are and how pale his hair is. Almost makes me feel young again, heh. Don't these two traits remind you of anything?"
Nyr, deep in thought, replied:
"White hair is a common feature of the people of Jaleed… And the citizens of Ramol are said to have shining brown jewels in their eyes…"
"And both populations hate each other." Aklas finished.
"Hate is a strong word, but yes." Anicla nodded as slowly as she spoke. "Shaja had brought you to me the month he had found you, a poor little thing whose parents left him with nothing but a blanket and a note that indicated your name and birthday."
Talj suddenly felt the accumulated hunger of the past couple days disappear. Shaja had told him that he found him in Ramol's capital when he was not even a year old, but he never specified any details about that fateful encounter.
"Please." He pleaded. "Tell me everything you know."