""Open Up!" the voice screamed. It was an irritating voice.
They let him in because they were more of a spectacle than a problem, and one thing the knights had learned that asking for help came in all forms and sizes, as such, these twins were let in. Their disorder could have just been a reluctant plea for help, unfortunately it wasn't.
As soon as these two got inside the academy, they caused a ruckus unlike any other. They were kids so it was up to the other staff to restrain them, of which they could not. Whilst on their chaotic spree, they ran and hid in a dark room, devoid of any light, mistaking it for a closet or storage centre, they hid from their pursuers.
A creepy noise began to fill their ears. A serene screech, low and soft, sounding a lot like scraping noises. They looked around and saw a creature that moved so fluidly it could not be human, that was so focused it felt eerie and wrong to be alive, so they screamed.
The specific room they were in was so soundproof not even a single note passed through the walls.
The staff never found the children. A week later, when I went to get Arulli, his project was taking too much time, I found the both of them sitting right there staring at Arulli work. Arulli would not budge when he was busy, so much so that he had no mind to anything.
He had no need for light, food, or water when he became like this. As time went on, we transformed his room into this dark escape in which he could lose himself. And just as he did, these two kids lost themselves watching him.
They were young probably still at level 0, meaning they still needed water three to four times in a month. These two idiots were going to die of thirst if I hadn't come in.
As soon as I entered the room, their attention shifted from what they were doing, to me. This was the kind of influence being at level 350 had on people, they had to take a look. I gave all of them time to think before I spoke.
"So, that's where these children were hiding, I heard the staff say they were ghosts. I should have known the staff wouldn't enter your room whilst you were working, certainly not to search for children."
"who's that Rev?" One whispered into the others ear.
"I don't know Fev?" The other whispered back.
Arulli: "Kids? Who are they?"
"The squads are moving, a new shift had occurred to the west, and all Bachelors are needed, including you."
Arulli got up, taking a deep breath. Probably the first he had taken in thousands of years. Such things are what reminded me that we really aren't human anymore, not in the typical sense anyway. After filling his lungs with a bit of air, he spoke.
"Okay, so why did they send you?"
"The other Laurels are busy, the knights are out, and the staff is afraid of waking you up."
"It must be bad if Everyone's so busy that they had to send mother herself to fetch me. Also, like I keep telling you, I wasn't sleeping. You can literally see my hands bringing new life into this piece right here."
"would you rather I say you came back to life? After all, it is closer to being dead than it is to being asleep."
"Sorry sir knight sir, but why is your mother in the knight academy?" asked Fev.
Both I and Arulli turned around, looking at the little troublemakers. Arulli chose to explain it to them.
"well, this is our mother."
Confused blank stares—
"You know, Mother, the Mother, patron of humanity and all that."
If you watched their faces in slow motion, you could actually see the moment their faces fell ill. Sinking deep into their skin. As young as they were, even they knew who mother was. Instantly, they went on their knees, and began to comically grovel, and beg for my forgiveness.
This was the kind of problem I had with my title, but it did help make them realise in how much trouble they were in much faster, of which I did not mind.
"who are they anyway?" Arulli asked me as he stared at them bowing on the floor, looking at them like he had never seen them. It was strange considering he had spent a whole week in here together with them.
"Never mind them, just get out of here."
He didn't need me to tell him twice. A couple of years later Arulli came back, and amidst one of our conversations, he remembered that day and asked: "where are the kids?"
I told him that they had vanished again. But this time, it was not as merry as the other time. The kids left this place, but kept coming everyday looking for some trouble, but during a monster attack, they vanished.
They lived far away from the academy, which suggested they enjoyed coming here, otherwise it would have not been a daily thing. Arulli just took that to mean they died.
Only for them to show up, a few million years later. They came dressed in robes instead of armour, each walking with a staff as tall as them. It was made of seven winding vines of different hues, circling around each other. At the top, they opened up like the claws of a grizzly, ending with a scale of a dragon.
I was sitting with them in a room; they had requested for my presence and that of Arulli. As I looked at them, I felt their staffs to be strange. Only one of the seven vines was an actual a vine (Life elemental), the others were made of something else.
One was made of a blazing fire (Increase elemental), and another of frozen water (Decrease elemental). The others were ethereal, but I recognised them. Elemental darkness (Corruption) and light (Purity), the existential element, and lastly the purpose element.
Just as twins, both had matching staffs and robes. Rev, the boy who followed his sisters lead, sharing an uncanny resemblance to each other. Rev had grown to be full bodied, not as flimsy as I remembered him. Fev had become a woman who would catch the eyes of all and break the hearts of many. Hard to see the little girl who liked asking questions.
One of the major figures that had emerged during these recent times, were the dragons. Each was the size of the city but had become the scorn of many. Along with them were the elements, that had introduced the onset of new type of fighting.
Spells.
The fabric of reality was made of seven elementals. People had an affinity to all, but a mostly specialised in one, due to how they conflicted with each other. But until now, people who used them eventually turned into elementals. No human could use spells. The other exceptions were the dragon kin, half humans born from dragons and human.
They used spells when fighting, which were far more different than skills. Only seven types of dragons existed, and they were the only ones who truly knew how to use elements.
Elementals were a type of manifestation that turned the flesh of the one who manifested, or their descendent, into the constitute of a specific element. But ironically, their power allowed them to bring things closer to the element that they were, but they rarely ever made use of spells.
Yet, here these two were, not dragon or dragon kin, not elemental, but with a heavy staff that somehow radiated the seven constitutes of reality. If I hadn't known any better, I'd think they were able to use spells.
I did not linger long in my thoughts, Arulli walked in just a moment after me, visibly as confused. He worked with patterns, which were channelling properties of reality into objects, quite similar to the elements of reality of which the dragons used.
"Is that really you Fev, Rev?"
"Forgive us, we don't have the time to reminisce about the times of old." Replied Rev in a stern tone.
"The world has to change!" added Fev.
"I figured as much when you demanded to speak with the most influential figure known to mankind, Mother."
I would have liked not to be glorified to such an extent, but Arulli had a point. My attention and time were a precious resource, I did not expand them to meet with every person who came knocking, that is what the other Laurels were for, and even they had priorities. I only came because I knew them and was quite intrigued by what is so important that two strangely dressed strangers to offer to only speak to the two of us none other about it.
"When our town was attacked, me and Fev hid away, but not long after, a group of dragons came to fight the darkness."
"They found us and flew us to the far reaches of the earth. Even they had begun to fight the destroyers in earnest. But dragons could not speak the common tongue, making dragon kin their only means of communication to the people."
"But instead of involving their children in their fight, they distanced themselves from the humans and other manifestations. Having saved us, one of the dragons taught us how to speak the dragon tongue, and this is why they sent us to come speak with you all."
"At first, we only stayed with the dragon of life, who hid us away from the others. The other dragons soon found out about us, and our strange affinity to some of the elements. They then taught us many of their spells seeing that we had a strong affinity to the elements. In time I learned the power over the element of fire, increase."
"Soon I joined my sister and learned the power over the elemental water/ice, decrease. But that is not where it stopped, and this is why the dragons have sent us here. Over the course of our training, and our added love over the whole art, me and Fev learned a second power. I, the power over the element of darkness, corruption."
A second power? I was so surprised, so confused. These two just stated doing something so grand that it would warrant them a hero's title, yet they speak as if it is nothing. I looked to my side for even Arulli was flabbergasted.
Learning a second power is not impossible, but no-one had ever done it. Usually those who attempted it in all earnest were consumed by their incapability to bare the responsibilities of ruling over two kingdoms, after all, the first one was already giving them problems. Most died or suffered heavy soul damage, as their two kingdoms fought within each other.
Sure, after them, we went on to learn more about power, to the point that even I have three powers as I am now. Anymore though would end me. For the time being though, this was an astonishing feat, that these two not only took in grace, but by their tone, it seems their absurdity was not over, so I let the sister continue.
"On the same day, I too learned another power, giving me authority over the element of light, purity. We were both still just at level 301, but this was as true as my name was my own. My brother and I had done something previously thought to be impossible. And now, the dragons want us, including them, and the knights, to form a coalition, and begin a new war.""