The Last of the Sages (Sage Saga, Book 1)

by Julius St.Clair

  ***

  “That was a stupid thing to do, James,” Arimus said to him as he awoke from his stupor. James rubbed his cheek lazily and turned to his mentor.

  “What?” James asked slyly, trying to smile.

  “It’s not funny. You took advantage of her kindness.”

  James looked away from Arimus’s eyes.

  “Oh, so now you feel guilty,” Arimus said. “If only you had thought about that before you kissed her.”

  “I don’t feel guilty at all. I would do it all over again given the chance.”

  “James, let me explain something to you. I realize that you, Achan and Dominic are vying for her affection, but I am most concerned with you. She holds you in high regard because you were friends before you found out about her. But I will have you know that this is not a game and I won’t allow her heart to be given to someone who won’t take her seriously.”

  “Okay, now I feel bad.”

  “As you should. From what I see, you don’t even have a valid interest in her, so leave the whole romantic aspect alone. Don’t flirt with her. Don’t lead her on. Understood?”

  “I understand, Arimus, but what about Dominic? Would you rather have her end up with someone like him?”

  “Again, this isn’t a contest. At least he wants to be by her side. Until you are sure about your feelings, do not pursue her. I admit that she does need you, but as a friend. She will need all the friends she can get for what’s to come.”

  “Oh, and what’s that? I was going to ask you…is it true I released my eidolon?”

  “Very true. From this moment on, you are a Sage-in-training along with Achan and Dominic.”

  “It all happened so fast…I don’t know what to say.”

  “There will be plenty of time to talk about it. In the mean time, I have a favor to ask of you. Don’t try to unleash your eidolon again until the classes begin.”

  “Why?”

  “Just heed my words. I’m sure you’re tempted, but until you get the hang of its mechanics, an eidolon can be very dangerous. Trust me, I know.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “Because, James…I am a Sage.”

  “WHAT?!” James exclaimed, making sure he didn’t rise up this time. “What do you mean you’re a Sage? You mean all this time?”

  “Yes.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “I couldn’t, James. Trust me, I wanted to, but if I disclosed everything, you might not have walked down this path to becoming one, and we couldn’t afford for you or any other potential Sages to lose their way.”

  “How long have you been a Sage?”

  “I’ll tell you my story soon, but there is something more important to relay first. Something that you will find most disconcerting…James, there is no infantry. None. A long time ago, before the siege of ‘88, there was one, but since then, there hasn’t even been enough people joining the Academy to form a guerilla troop, let alone an army. The actual training for the infantry in the past was actually a lot less rigorous than what you endured in the forest.”

  “What are you saying? No infantry…”

  “It’s all a front, James. The whole Academy. From inception to graduation, the only purpose is to push recruits as far as they can go, in the hopes that they can break through, and become a Sage. If they are still not a Sage after going through all the tests we can think of, they are simply placed as ‘guards’ at one of the Kingdom gates. Nothing more. And that is their life until the day they die. Even within the Academy, there are still so few of us that have made it. Only myself, Kyran, Scarlet, and Chloe are fully seasoned Sages. You, Dominic, and Achan are the only ones in training. The only ones to break through in the past three years.”

  “Why do you need the Sages so badly, so quickly? Is the Kingdom in that much danger?”

  “In short, yes. We are running at about five percent of what we were, and that’s just in the number of bodies here. The number of Sages we have are laughable to the other Kingdoms out there. We have our eidolons, but a surprise attack would hurt us immensely. The other Kingdoms know full well how weak we are, and maybe they will launch an assault someday, but for now, we have time…because they are scared.”

  “Of what we could do to them?”

  “No, of what would happen if they destroyed Allay. I’m sure you know by now the story of the haze that is slowly creeping over our sky. The haze that now inhabits our forest.”

  “I do…all too well.”

  “Then you know its purpose, preventing souls from reaching Paradise, and as terrible as it is to think of how so many people are being lost in the other Kingdoms, the haze is slowly reaching us. We have to prepare quickly, and then resolve this situation. The haze is getting thicker and wider every day. It won’t be many years until Allay is completely covered and all is lost. Have you ever heard the story of the five stones? How each Kingdom was given one to use? Well, this is a result of too much of their power being used. We gained so much, but at a price. I will explain further at a later time, but for now, you must understand why we need as many Sages as we can get. It’s because we are close to performing our last ditch effort.

  “Our mission…is to gather all five of the stones, because only when they are brought together, can they be destroyed. And with their destruction, the haze will, in theory, be lifted. This is beyond just us. This is for everyone. Kyran, Catherine, Scarlet and Chloe, along with you, Dominic, Achan and myself. The eight of us will leave Allay and accomplish this, before it’s too late. Based on the reading from the shrine, we have exactly five years before the haze completely covers Allay and the rest of the world. We will be leaving well before then.”

  “All five stones? So where are the others? Do we have just one?”

  “Yes. And unfortunately, we will have to visit every one of the Kingdoms: Prattle, Languor, Quietus, and Zen-Echelon, and retrieve them all, by force if we must. It is a suicide mission, I won’t lie to you. We’ll be facing whole armies, whole Kingdoms. Prattle isn’t projected to pose a threat, and Languor may be manageable. But Quietus and Zen-echelon, I am very worried about. One Quietus alone could give an inexperienced Sage great trouble and yet we are supposed to go into the very core of their Kingdom where millions lie in wait for a challenge. And as for Zen-echelon…it said to be the most powerful Kingdom of all, yet no one knows a thing about it but what is said in the story of the stones. People went there once, to uncover its mysteries, but they were never heard from again. The odds of us coming back alive are practically zero, but we cannot stay here and wait for death. We have to go, to give our people and others, a fighting chance. This is why not just anyone can come on our journey.”

  James mulled over the words. He had already fought so hard to become a Sage and he had barely survived. This mission…it sounded impossible, but…wasn’t this what he wanted? To make a difference? What purpose could be greater than this?

  “It does sound like suicide,” James replied. “But I understand it must be done.”

  “And that is why I can only tell you of this now,” Arimus stated. “Now that you are definitely going be a Sage. A recruit would never survive the mission, even in Prattle.”

  “Catherine agreed to this?”

  “She proposed it.”

  “Then if this is what she wants, I’m in.”

  “Don’t be so hasty, James.”

  “I’m serious. I promised her that I would be by her side no matter what, and I’m not breaking this promise. I know it sounds crazy and I’m scared out of my mind. I’m not even over what happened to me in the forest yet. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m just a walking corpse biding his time, trying to make a difference before he decays. My life is no longer my own. It is hers.”

  Arimus smiled warmly at James’ words.

  “Well, James. Then welcome aboard. We will be leaving in three months. Do whatever you need to do before then.”

 
; Arimus got up and left the room, leaving James to finally sort through what he had just heard. The mission he was to embark on was insane…but who knows, with an eidolon in hand, maybe it could be fun…