by Chris Vines
Azyl Academy
Elemental Gatherers
Book 1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Chris Vines
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected].
First paperback and e-book edition July 2019
ISBN 9781070421544 (paperback)
https://www.facebook.com/authorchrisvines
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First off, I need to thank my wife Joy, not only for being the example in publishing a book first, but also for encouraging me every step of the process of writing this. She doesn’t normally like fantasy, but she continually said she loved my book. Without her, I would not have finished this, nor would it be as good of a product as it is. I followed Robert Jordan’s model and had her be my editor as well, leading to her catching the many, many mistakes and inconsistencies in the novel.
I would also like to thank Chris L. and Laura A. for beta-reading the novel and giving me great feedback on how to make the novel and characters better. If you love this novel, thank them. If you hate it, let me know so I can do better next time.
Lastly, I’d like to thank Lesia from germancreative on Fiverr for producing the amazing cover. I’m definitely going back to her for the next book.
Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
AUTHOR’S NOTE
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
PROLOGUE
“Schofield’s quote, go!” I shouted from the front leaning rest position. The freshman and their sophomore mentors mirrored my position; arms locked straight and ready to do push-ups.
Their voices chorused back “The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. …” This was a normal morning ritual at the Air Force Academy that I presided over as the squadron training officer. We never required more from those under our command then we were willing to do ourselves. I shouted with them as we did our push-ups. “… He who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them respect for himself; while he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect towards others, especially his subordinates, cannot fail to inspire hatred against himself!” I loved this quote. “Alright y’all, up and at’em. You’ve got fifteen minutes until breakfast. Get your stuff ready and have a great day! It’s Friday with a three-day weekend coming up. If I don’t see you before you leave, have a great weekend. Remember to study for your knowledge test on Monday night when you get back. Failure leaves you stuck here next weekend. No one wants that. See y’all at breakfast, dismissed!” The gathered freshman chorused back “Valhalla”, the chant of my cadet squadron, Squadron Nine, the Vikings. They all filed towards their rooms, walking on the sides of the hall to leave the path open in the middle for the upperclassmen.
It was a typical day, with breakfast followed by my major’s classes in chemistry and math, lunch, and more classes including Military Strategic Studies. Then it was time for my weekly Chemistry 110 homework study session. “Alright y’all, good luck on the test Tuesday. I’ll be back Monday evening, so let me know then if you’ve got any last questions. Have a great three-day weekend!” I turned and headed towards my room.
“Cadet Helm, sir, I was wondering if you’d lent your car out yet?” A sophomore asked me as I walked past the squadron desk.
“Not yet, no one’s asked. Here!” as I toss him my keys. “Just bring it back with a full tank.” It was a tradition at the Academy for upperclassmen to loan their vehicles out to the lower two classes, who weren’t allowed to own a car yet.
After hitting my room to change into civilian clothes and grab my bags, I met my fiancé in the senior’s parking lot. “Hey Jasmine, ready for a long weekend skiing?”
“Of course Caleb. Fresh snow starting at midnight is going to be epic!” She exclaimed as she threw her arms around my neck. One spinning hug and kiss later, we were packing Jasmine’s car. Throwing on some rock music, we headed out on the two and a half hour drive to Breckenridge. “I love the mountains of Colorado! Do you want Bermuda, Jamaica or Cancun for the first part of the honeymoon?” I asked as we hit I-25 North.
“Any of them are fine, surprise me!” Jasmine said. “ Though I liked the thought of an All-Inclusive Resort, that way we don’t have to worry about anything but each other while we’re there.”
“Ok, I’ll look through our options tomorrow and narrow it down. Have you found a DJ yet for the wedding?” Our conversation for most of the drive consisted of wedding planning, as it had for most drives we’d taken since I proposed over Thanksgiving break.
It was fairly late in the evening by the time we made it to Breckenridge and found the condo where we were staying. After parking in the underground lot, we headed up to the office and got our keys. “Ms. Dempsey, you are in room 131 and Mr. Helm you are in 132,” the receptionist said as she handed us the keys with a questioning look on her face.
“Thank you!” Jasmine replied as she grabbed both keys. My hands were full of our bags and ski equipment. We were used to getting looks since we were obviously together, but always got separate rooms. I believed in saving myself for marriage and Jasmine had agreed to not press the issue. Thankfully, it hadn’t been an issue when we first talked about it, though it was becoming harder to maintain my convictions as we got closer to the wedding.
Jasmine opened her door, and I followed her inside, laying down her bags on the bed. “See you in fifteen to head out for food?” I asked as I took my bags to my room.
“Yup” came the shouted reply before the door closed behind me. I quickly changed into some warmer clothes and got stuff ready for tomorrow. I knocked on her door exactly fifteen minutes later. Jasmine opened the door in a stunning mid-calf length strapless black dress.
“You look amazing,” I said after I gathered my wits, “but I thought we were going to walk to that new Thai place?”
“Yup, I brought this to show off, and got a jacket for the walk over,” she said as she pulled out a large, elegant trench coat and handed it to me. She turned around, showing that the dress dipped fairly far down and highlighted her flawless figure. I helped her get into the coat and offered my arm.
“Shall we, my lady?” I asked, gesturing to the hallway.
“Of course, good sir,” she replied in a bad English accent. We headed out
into the cold, enjoying the brisk snowy air and each other’s company. “So, are you going to come with me to Peak 8 tomorrow? I think you’ve gotten to the point where you can handle the Imperial Bowl if you wanted to.”
“Nah, I’m not as much of an adrenaline junkie as you are. I’m perfectly fine staying on the groomed trails. But don’t let me stop you, as long as you meet me for lunch.”
“You know I’m not going to let you ski alone. It’s more fun to ski with you.”
As we walked down the street, I noticed a group of kids sledding off the hill next to the road. They looked like they were having a lot of fun. “You think we’ll come back here someday with our kids?” Jasmine asked suddenly.
“Probably,” I replied, watching as a young girl started sliding down the hill. As she went down, I noticed that her path had changed from the others. “She’s going to go into the road!” I yelled and dropped Jasmine’s arm. I took off at a sprint as the girl started screaming. She had missed the track and hit a rock, sending her down the wrong side. The fifty yard distance disappeared as I put everything I had into the run. Just before she would have slid off the sidewalk, I reached her and knocked her into the snow bank with a push. My next step landed on her sled, which promptly threw me off my feet as it skidded sideways. I rolled partially off the sidewalk into the road. Bright lights shone into my eyes as a truck’s bumper approached. A flash of light, pain, and then pressure was followed by blackness as I was crushed by a Ford truck.
An indeterminate amount of time later, I awoke in a void. There was nothing. No one. There was no light, no heat, no air, no ground, but I was comfortable. I didn’t have a body. “Where am I?” I wondered, somehow speaking into the darkness. “This is the place between worlds,” a voice thundered through my existence. “You have been brought here as your path is not decided yet. Your act of heroism and your spirit’s potential have garnered an offer.” As he spoke, the darkness resolved into a small sitting room, with two chairs. A figure draped in black clothing sat in one of the seats. His face was covered by a hood, with a darkness underneath it that discouraged you from looking into it. “Please have a seat. The offer is that you may continue on, to see what is beyond this life, or you may choose to enter into another world. A world where your presence may be the difference between salvation and destruction. Which do you choose? A young man with a compatible body has just passed away, and you would take his place.”
I was dumbstruck, still not sure of what was going on. “What happened? Beyond this life?”
“You died saving that girl. Saving her, sacrificing your life for hers, inspired not just her, but the entire orphanage she was in Colorado with. A third of them went on to become doctors, nurses, firemen or other professions with the goal of saving lives. As I said, your act of heroism is mostly what earned you this opportunity.”
“Um, will I be a good influence? The way you phrased that, I could be the one to cause the destruction. I had joined the Air Force because I wanted to be the shield between my loved ones and the world. I am willing to do that again, for a different world, if I can, I guess. “
“You have chosen and been chosen. Thank you. My world will soon face a storm, and I am betting on you being a key factor in civilization weathering it. You have some time, but not a lot. I would tell you more, but you won’t be able to remember any more of this conversation after you arrive anyway. Now, it is time. Grow stronger and save my world.”
“Wait! Who are you?” I asked as the light faded again. I was again in darkness.
“I am Darkness, one end of the cycle of Light and Dark. I am shadows, night, and the rest that is necessary for life in the Light. I am one of the last two gods left in my world, after my children sacrificed themselves to save it. I am the one who chose you to save my world! Now you must GO!” As his voice echoed around me, light flared from everywhere and nowhere. A pulling force sucked my being into another plane and my consciousness dissipated.
CHAPTER ONE
Next thing I knew was darkness, but this was the darkness of closed eyelids. My body felt weird, disproportioned. I opened my eyes to see a simple wood plank ceiling. Handmade but well-formed and sturdy wood furniture. The bed was comfortable enough, but less smooth than I was used to. With some difficulty, I threw the blanket off and nearly yelped in surprise. I was not me.
My legs were much smaller than they should be, thin like I was malnourished or had been in bed for a long time. They were also shorter, and my body was of a teen, not the 22-year-old I’d been. My skin looked like I used to have a decent tan, and could get one back, just like I‘d always wanted. That was a big contrast to before, being half Irish and half English, my skin had one of two states: blinding white or lobster. My new arms were emaciated as well, though my hands looked like they had been strong. They were covered in the calluses of someone who worked with them as well.
I swung my legs out of the bed and tried to push myself up with my arms like I always did. Thankfully, no one was around to see me flop like a dying fish. “Well, that could have gone better.” I muttered to myself, though it came out wrong. “I’m not speaking English, but my brain is receiving it as such,” I said out loud, to hear the difference. “Um, apparently I’m the protagonist of a Japanese light novel. Wait, they usually get memories!” I exclaim, trying to remember anything from this body. After a couple minutes of sitting with my face scrunched I gave up. All I could remember was my life on Earth, and then a strong sense that I needed to grow stronger to stop something evil. I then remembered my conversation after death. “Dang it, Darkness, not remembering anything is gonna make things difficult. Wait, why am I talking to myself? Maybe the truck only knocked my senses away and I’m in a loony bin. Maybe. I’ll proceed on the possibility this is real, though, else I could die again while ignoring this world. Now, to stand!” I say as I push myself up, one arm held aloft with a finger pointing straight up. Thus I ended up face down on the floor with my hand pointed at the door. Ow, nose.
I spent the next couple of minutes wiggling my hands and feet, getting feeling back into them. I wonder how long this body spent dead. It can’t have been that long or they would have buried it. Should I pretend to be the person the body was, just with amnesia? I think. After a minute spent thinking I decide No, I can’t deceive this poor kid’s family like that. That would be wrong. I’ll have to hope they won’t attack me or call me demon possessed or something. Hopefully, they’ll simply let me leave and I’ll make my own way in this world. I can play it off as being a close cousin or something, here to say goodbye. Though pretending to the rest of the world to be him would be easier, if the parents or family would support me. Faking amnesia with help would be the best way to start life here.
Getting to my hands and knees was easier than standing. I practiced crawling for a little bit. “Look at me, going through the ages super-fast. Why soon I’ll be feeding myself and ‘gasp’ potty trained!” I exclaim softly, still not ready for anyone to find me. I wanted to at least be on my feet before that happened. A few more minutes let me accomplish that goal, and I staggered to the plain wooden door, leaning against it to catch my breath before I opened it. What is the technology level of the people? It can’t be too low, this wood is well made, but everything looks handmade. Wait, I remember I was told to grow stronger by something, something big. What does that mean? Maybe it wants me to introduce new technology and gain power that way. Maybe they will be invaded by extra-dimensional beings and the only solution is a forceful jump from Iron Age to Industrial Age? I hope not, because I can do some of that but not enough.
Wait, maybe the thing meant personal power. Can I be a superhero? Maybe they have magic and I need to combine technology with it and become amazing! Steampunk world would be awesome! Or maybe this really is a Japanese light novel and there are super martial arts, like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon! I was daydreaming as I leaned against the door. I shook myself and stopped dreaming. Okay, enough dithering. Time to meet the family.
&
nbsp; I slowly opened the door. Without it in the way, I could hear crying from down the hallway. To my right was a hallway extending into a room at the end. Across from me was another door, and down the hallway to the left were doors on both sides. Stairs down were visible at the end to the left. “What are we going to do Jordan?” I heard a woman’s voice, streaked with pain, from the room to the right. Again, it was the same foreign language translated for me. “We barely have anything left, and it didn’t work. We still lost Aiden. We might lose everything else too,” she sobbed, though the ending words were muffled, as if she was speaking into a pillow.
“We’ll make do. We always have. We pulled ourselves out of poverty once before Elena, and by Darkness we can do it again. We’ll have other children, or we can adopt once we recover. There are always orphans who need homes. You have too much love to not give it to others. We’ll make do,” a man’s voice, with a barely concealed pain in it, comforted the woman, Elena. I was surprised by the names, but I guess the auto-translate was translating them as well. Hopefully it worked fully the other way.
I stood and listened to them for a minute, gathering my courage. I didn’t want to hurt the grieving family, but I knew if I snuck off it would be worse for them. Having their son’s body just vanish would be horrifying. Of course, so would someone else stealing it. Crap. After psyching myself up, I stumbled down the hallway.
As I started walking, the man’s voice called out, “Who’s there? I’m sorry but the store is closed until the official mourning period is over, so please return in three days…” His voice ground to a stop as I came into the light from the room. The man’s eyes were huge, disbelief written all over his face. The woman looked up from his shoulder.
Her eyes expanded, and she screamed “Aiden!” while throwing herself at me. She picked up my withered body up and spun me around. She was much stronger than she looked. She was five nothing and a buck oh’five soaking wet if anything, so I wasn’t expecting her to be able to pick me up.