by Ink Bamboo
“I’ve seen the sword you speak of. What more?”
“Your father also ordered that the merchants should be given a room in the palace a little before we left, my lord. He hired them to repair the kingdom’s walls and even requested that they set up some magical formations. I didn’t dare to think too much about this until you requested me to do so.”
“That certainly sounds strange. My father knows just as well as I do we don’t currently have the funds to pay for a project of that size. Does he intend to hold payment from them?”
“I would not dare to presume his majesty’s intentions, my lord.”
“Is that all, Johan?”
“No, my lord. The other piece of news I received concerns your majesty’s generals and advisors.”
“Does it relate to why they didn’t accompany us on this expedition?”
“Indeed my prince. Your father ordered his most trusted aides to depart towards the mainland. I don’t know the purpose behind that order though. Forgive me for my incompetence.”
“Don’t worry Johan, you’re plenty of help as you are,” said the prince, sitting back down and turning his gaze towards the roof of his tent. “After we deal with these rebels once and for all, I will look into this matter with much more care. You can be at ease.”
“Should I have your most trusted aides gather information on this matter?”
“No, just leave it,” said the prince. “Everyone’s busy preparing for the upcoming battle. Call the generals instead, I want to confirm other matters.”
“Such as?”
“Nothing too important, Johan. I might just be acting paranoid because of my father’s issues. This whole situation just feels too strange. Why would the Church of Light bother telling us about the rebels’ movements? It’s not like them.”
“The church probably cares about the damage they could cause to the populace, my lord.”
“No, Johan, it’s never that simple with them. At first, I thought they just wanted to use this information as a negotiation token to expand their influence inside our kingdom. However, I can’t help but feel there’s something different this time. They were far too insistent on having us guard the border.”
“I see, my lord. Please forgive your subordinate’s curiosity.”
“Don’t worry, Johan, I’m not that petty. Now, give me back my wine, I’m no longer a child.”
✽✽✽
“I understand.”
Two simple words were spoken with the weight of a mountain. They were the culmination of Zaros’s resolution, the resolve of his once broken spirit.
The young boy found himself once again in a clearing in the middle of the forest. The usual sea of green flooding everything in his sight. Only a single column of rising smoke stood out, providing him with a sense of direction.
“It isn’t about interference,” said Zaros, taking a step forwards in the smoke’s direction. “It’s not about changing anything.”
Zaros had given up counting the number of times he had been through Amro’s torturous task. The soul domain of his partner had quickly become a prison trapping him in an endless loop of unachievable goals. Alas, doing so was his own misunderstanding.
“There was no goal to begin with.”
The task had been much more simple, something that took him far too long to discover. From the beginning, Amro never gave Zaros a task. He never intended for Zaros to accomplish a special mission inside his soul domain.
Instead, he desired for Zaros to achieve something else with himself — harmony.
The young man had lost sight of it in his search for strength. He had craved power to accomplish his goal but had grown obsessed with his hatred. Despite that, Amro had slowly delivered on his promise. Zaros knew his current skills had only been attainable due to his partner’s guidance.
But that wasn’t enough. Deep down, Zaros had ignored where some of his desires originated. An obsession was dangerous for it was often born from a misguided thought. Perhaps I can change things. Such an innocuous belief had dangerous implications when placed on the hands of one of Amro’s pupils. It was the same line of thought that led a pantheon of gods to rebel against the former lord of death.
Fortunately, Amro had been able to identify the problem before it grew further.
This was never about saving them, thought Zaros. It was about saving myself.
*Slap!*
A middle-aged woman fell victim to her aggressor, a burly mercenary covered in scars. Zaros had lost count of the amount of times he had seen this scene or taken the man’s life. This time, however, was different. Unlike previous occasions, Zaros simply watched. Painful as it was, he didn’t move to stop it.
It was never about interfering, thought Zaros. What I do here can’t change the past.
*Slap!*
I can only change the future.
*Slap!*
Zaros’s heart clenched in pain. Living through this scene thousands of times wasn’t enough to dull the sensation. He was no monster. He had cared for his fellow villagers.
Yes, he had been displaced, robbed from that which his parents had built. But even then, he held no resentment.
His settlement had not been wealthy by any means. Food was scarce and the living conditions were poor. Those doing better could afford to do so because they risked their lives hunting every day. There was a price to their comfort.
Through the years, Zaros had come to realize he was not special. He was not entitled to their care. Even then, they had provided for him when he was young. Not with all the comforts they provided their own, but with enough of them for him to survive. Enough for him to grow independent.
*Slap!*
Amro wanted the same thing. He desired for Zaros to learn, to grow, and to become a man who could think for himself. And part of this process was learning to accept the past.
*Thud!*
Learning to accept that some things could never be changed.
*Thud!*
Learning to face towards the future.
*Stab!*
...
For the first time, Zaros wasn’t returned to the beginning of the loop. A dead woman lay ahead of him, but Zaros solely embraced the sight of her lifeless body. The mercenary had long left, returning to ravage the rest of the settlement.
Zaros followed behind, using both shadows and blind spots to watch the rest of the tragedy undetected. This was Amro’s way of sharing that which Zaros had never witnessed. That which he knew only through his nightmares. Amro was giving him the chance to decide what to do with his future by letting him know the truth behind his past.
The cost of this lesson, however, was to embrace the pain.
*Slash!*
Another woman fell victim to their lust, and another man fell victim to their hate. No one was spared. The cruel nature of humanity was teaching Zaros that his early life, though impoverished, was paradise.
Amro’s lesson was slowly embraced by Zaros. The hour it took him to witness his village’s massacre had removed all fog from his eyes.
There was only one life — one others would happily take away from him.
There was only one true death — one he would have to fight to dictate on his own terms.
In order to accomplish his own goals, Zaros had to take control. Learning from the past, living the present, and aiming for the future.
“That’s right.”
Zaros gasped in surprise. He was no longer standing by himself. To his side, a tall figure covered in a black robe placed a hand of his shoulder. He tried looking at his face, but a veil of darkness made it an impossible task. Fortunately for him, his instinct told him who it was.
“Amro?”
“Yes, boy?”
“Thank you.”
Amro simply nodded his head. No answer was necessary for his soul and the boy’s were united. He thought back to his time as a mortal and how long it had taken for him to learn this lesson.
“I’m sorry,” said Amro. He
was aware of how much pain this lesson could cause in others. To embrace how small one could be in the face of fate was the first step to deciding one’s own path. “Are you ready to go back?”
Zaros nodded his head in response to Amro’s question. There was unfinished business he needed to attend to. His trial had tempered not only his spirit, it also had strengthened his resolve. His revenge was no longer about trying to change the past. It was now about getting even.
Once he did that, he would be able to experience more from life. He didn’t want his end to come without finding something else to give him purpose. Of course, he would first have to uphold the end of his deal with Amro.
“I am.”
“Very well,” said Amro, a small crack opening in the space in front of him. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 20
Awoken.
“Welcome back, boy.”
Amro’s words brought Zaros back to his senses. He was finally out. As he opened his eyes, he felt the warmth of the sun bathing his body. It was a sensation he had slowly forgotten over the many cycles inside Amro’s soul.
“This is nice,” said Zaros. “I never knew the air outside of the forest could feel so fresh.”
He was no longer surrounded by a sea of green. Instead, he was now on top of solid stone walls protecting the outer perimeter of an unfamiliar fortress. The cold sensation of the tower beneath his feet confirmed he was finally out of the looping hell. He was no longer a prisoner in his own body.
After taking a moment to enjoy being out of his endless nightmare, Zaros exhaled a murky breath containing all of his frustrations. He could feel things were finally over, or at the very least, that they would be soon. Once he accomplished his revenge, he would be able to bury his past. From then on, only his future would remain.
“I’m glad to see you this way,” said Amro. His brief ‘experiment’ could have ended with much more disastrous results. Fortunately for him, Zaros possessed strong mental resilience. Instead of sinking deeper inside useless obstinance and despair, his mind had welcomed reality, looking for ways to make the best of it.
“Don’t you ever do something like that again,” warned Zaros.
“I guess I can promise that much,” replied Amro, craftily avoiding the boy’s request.
Without noticing Amro’s move, Zaros asked the first thing in his mind, “Where are we, anyway?”
“A few things happened in your absence,” explained Amro. “Far too many to explain briefly.”
“I have the time,” said Zaros, clearly unwilling to let things go just like that. “Please explain.”
“Very well, I guess I owe you that much,” admitted Amro, still unwilling to go into too much detail. The things ahead of them required both trickery and deceit, two things Zaros lacked in comparison to him. “We are at the border of the rebels’ territory and your kingdom’s capital.”
“What?” said Zaros in surprise. “Just how long has it been since you trapped me there?”
“Trap is a strong word,” said Amro. “But to answer your question, just about two weeks. To be honest, I’m surprised it took you that long to deal with your issues.”
“Weeks?” asked Zaros, his tone filled with incredulity. The longest Amro had ever been in control of his body was one night. Losing over a week’s worth of time to his partner’s machinations gave him an eerie feeling he wasn’t ready to think about.
“It’s not too much,” said Amro, showing the lack of guilt in his heart. “During this time, the rebels’ leadership decided to move forward with an attack on the kingdom. As you might have guessed, it’s related to those two members of the church you saw back then.”
“The old man and the girl?”
“Yes. They gave something far too powerful to the rebels, something that belongs to neither them nor the church. It’s a weapon far too dangerous for either of them to control.”
Zaros thought about Amro’s answer for a moment before asking another question. “Is this why they moved forward with the attack?”
“Yes, that’s the gist of it. They intend to use this weapon to take over the kingdom for themselves. Fortunately, I have the feeling that it will fall on our hands sometime soon.”
“Does that mean that you want to steal it?” asked Zaros in suspicion.
“You offend me boy, it belongs to me to begin with.”
“That’s not an answer,” noted Zaros.
Amro grunted in annoyance, promising himself to increase Zaros’s training load once he had a chance. “No, they will give it to us out of their own accord.”
“And how do plan to achieve that?” asked Zaros, still skeptical about Amro’s plans.
“They will tell you that by themselves,” answered Amro. “You’ll see pretty soon.”
Before Zaros could understand what Amro was referring to, a voice came calling for him from below the walls. “Hey, boy, are you the one they call Zaros?”
Zaros turned to look over the walls, finding a tall man dressed in a military uniform. He was familiar with those clothes. It was the way the captains’ adjutants dressed amongst the rebel ranks.
“I am,” answered Zaros, confused as to why someone would be looking for him. Initially, his plan had been to meld amongst the rebels, slowly gaining influence so he could join the attacks on the kingdom as something other than a foot soldier. That, however, would have taken time. Since when was he important enough for an adjutant to single him out?
The answer was simple, Zaros realized it after a moment: Amro. After all, he was to blame for doing something similar in Sol, turning him into a gang leader overnight.
“I’m here to cover your guard shift, captain Arkus is summoning you to the strategy room,” said the adjutant, motioning with his hands that he should hurry up. “Go, don’t make them wait. I don’t want to be punished for your tardiness.”
Climbing down the ladder attached to the back of the walls, Zaros quickly reached the ground. As he did, the adjutant patted his back, urging him to hurry up.
“Stop dallying,” he said. “Just come back when you’re done.”
“Yes, sir,” answered Zaros, briefly saluting the man before him. He found it mildly amusing how Amro was able to do so many things when he was asleep. It gave him the feeling that everyone, including himself, were just a small part in Amro’s plans.
“How do I even reach the strategy room?” asked Zaros inwardly. Only now did he realize he was completely ignorant when it came to the layout of this new camp.
“Just follow my instructions.”
A few minutes later, Zaros reached an unfamiliar tent serving as the rebels’ command center. Walls made of linen extended in every direction, making it look far more spacious than he had initially imagined.
Doing his best not to dally, Zaros entered the enormous tent, drawing several gazes towards himself. A few men and women smirked, clearly taking him to be some kind of assistant. Why else would someone his age be summoned along elites like them?
Fortunately for Zaros, someone else quickly dispelled that notion.
“Good,” said Arkus. “You’re finally here.”
“There’s only one more person missing,” said Jan, taking a sip of the tea in his cup. “Boy, go ahead and find somewhere to sit.”
Unfamiliar with the old man speaking to him, Zaros simply nodded his head. Realizing how conspicuous he looked standing in a room full of adult men and women, he decided to follow the old man’s advice. Amro took this as an opportunity to introduce the unfamiliar faces to Zaros.
“That old man is named Jan,” said Amro. “He’s a shrewd fellow. Wait for a while, I’m sure he will explain everything.”
A few seconds later, another man entered the room. Unlike Zaros’s case, the looks he was given by the people inside were much closer to normal.
“Ok, that’s everyone,” confirmed Jan. “We can get this meeting started.”
Arkus clapped his hands, calling all attention to himself. Now that they had conf
irmed everyone’s arrival, it was time for him to get to business.
“Everyone,” he said, looking rather dignified, “as we previously discussed with each of you, we need your help during the incoming battle. The role you will be fulfilling is crucial to our plan, perhaps even more important than my own.”
Zaros tilted his head in a semblance of confusion. Given his period of seclusion inside Amro’s soul domain, he couldn’t help but be ignorant about the rebels’ plans. Not that he would admit it to them. The smug look on their faces was enough to tell him it wasn’t the time to ask any questions.
Seeing he had gathered their attention, Arkus continued with his explanation, “As you know, there was a small leak regarding our plans. The kingdom’s troops are now only a day away from us.”
“Regardless,” continued Jan, taking over where Arkus left off, “it is to our advantage to fight them here. The fortress will serve to defend us from their frontlines. Moreover, it will help us conceal our secret weapon.”
“Which leads us to the main point of this meeting,” said Arkus, extending his hand towards his partner.
With a careful motion, Jan passed a delicate-looking rosewood box to him, making sure to take a few steps back after doing so. Now familiar with the price required to use the item contained inside, he couldn’t help but take some precautions every time it was revealed.
Arkus opened the box, causing a feeling of dread to fall upon the room. Strong as they were, most of those present felt a clenching sensation on their throat. Divine items were not something meant for mortals of their level to use.
One man in particular couldn’t help but mutter his thoughts, “Such a powerful aura.”
“With this, victory is ours,” said another one, nodding in agreement. “It’s just as impressive as the first time we saw it.”
Their words represented the thoughts of those chosen by Richard to take part in this meeting. Zaros, however, wondered what they were all talking about. As far as he was concerned, all Arkus did was reveal a small, black marble to the group. He was seemingly unaffected by the suppressive aura acting on everyone else.