One of the soldiers of the west said to him, "What are you doing? We have to fall back! The Aelaans are too many!"
And the soldier’s warnings were ignored, as Theo waved him to move one. The man would not linger for another second longer before giving up on Theo entirely, and continuing to run for his life.
It was with each passing civilian fleeing from the Aelaans, that Theo's will to stay and fight was only strengthened. He stood defiantly, awaiting the Empire’s soldiers’ ahead. The final civilians and soldiers from the west had passed by him, and the Aelaans were only moments away.
Seemingly pleased in having an excuse to stop running, and catch their breath, the Aelaans came to an abrupt stop in front of Theo. Not a single one of them among them didn’t notice Theo. And laughing amongst each other, they scoffed at the arrogance of a single man standing in their way.
One of the Aelaan’s said to Theo, "You must be insane! It's a fool’s errand to oppose the Aelaan Empire. But here you are, standing alone against a hundred of the Chosen’s elite! -" He said before laughing mockingly, and saying further, "-No sane person would ever even consider doing this!"
And as the Aelaans started walking closer to him, Theo exclaimed back to them.
Theo: "I don't suppose you'd all just reconsider leaving? You can tell your master that you lost sight of these people, or that you killed them. How would he know?... No one else has to die today."
All the soldiers laughed hysterically at the gesture, even bringing some of them to tears, as one them mockingly replied, "He really is mad!"
After seeing their not too unexpected response, Theo sighed before issuing his threat.
Theo: "Don't say I didn't warn you." He said feigning confidence, and posing himself to fight.
The warning from the lone arrogant warrior who dared stand in their way, completely changed their mood. The laughing among the men was replaced with silent glares of utter scorn.
And having all he could stand of this farce, one of the Aelaans stood forward, and dismissively proclaimed against Theo’s threat, saying, "We've listened to the ramblings of the madman long enough! Let's kill this fool!" He said while lifting up his arm.
Theo looked in amazement at the man, as he saw the soldiers raised hand and eyes were becoming enveloped by a bright blue flame. Magic, he wondered. Theo now knew that the time when he saw Razkaul use his powers wasn't just an anomaly. Nevertheless, on Ehya, it was common knowledge that only the elves could wield such power, and it was far more than unsettling to see the Aelaans had also harnessed the magical arts.
The realization also brought some clarity to Theo on another matter. Seeing that they also possess the power to wield magic, it’s no wonder that the Aelaans now had such brazen confidence to pick back up where they left off in the war, over ten years ago. However, it was not the time or place to consider such things as the soldier was preparing his attack.
The man who raised his arm high now extended it towards Theo, as he said, "For your arrogance, here's a small token of my appreciation!"
And as if launched from a war machine of sorts, a ball of blue flame emerged forth from the soldier’s hand, heading straight at Theo. Showing no fear, and without a moment’s hesitation, Theo reached out with his armored right arm, blocking the magical fire in the palm of his hand. All in a seconds amount of time, the fire was mostly contained in his grasp, as Theo clenched his fist tight, extinguishing the flame outright.
It was clear that the magic from his foe was not as potent as what had once befallen his father. But even with that said, the soldiers were awestruck in amazement, as they looked at Theo. One could only surmise that they'd never seen anyone so unwaveringly take a direct blow from their magic before like that. After his little display, Theo looked on at the Aelaans, smiling, as he joked.
Theo: "That sure was something special. I bet you never have trouble finding a way to light up a lamp or campfire, do you?-" His own taunts seemed to rekindle his own memory, as Theo's expression grew serious before he said accusingly, "-This must've been how you set fire to my village."
One of the soldiers answered Theo braggingly, as he said, "It wouldn't be the first, and it won't be the last! Once we're done with you, I’ll make sure that the next time I burn a town to the ground that it’ll be done in remembrance of you!" After the man said this, along with the others, they confidently walked closer to Theo, more than assured in their capabilities and numbers.
The same Aelaan continued his taunts, saying, "It won't be long now! A new era is coming, and all the nations will either submit or burn! There is no other path for them!"
As the soldier said this, another Aelaan urged the other forward to attack while saying, "Let's kill this vermin the old fashioned way!" He said while gliding his blade across his armor, making a sharp metallic sound.
As they were about to make their attack, Theo eyes darted around, as he said out loud.
Theo: "Remember what I said! Don't say I didn't warn you!" He said while grinning, which immediately provoked the response of the Aelaans to charge him.
Remaining still until the final moment, Theo ducked and swung his great sword widely, felling three men with one strike. Quickly standing up again, Theo started matching his other foes relentless attacks, stride for stride. Continuing their assault, a greater number of the Aelaans charged forward to slay their one adversary. In response, Theo pressed back at each one them with twice the ferocity, laying waste to all who stood in his path. Refusing to back down, Theo used anything at his disposal to fight on. From using the Aelaans fellow soldiers as living shields, to clawing and ripping at them using his armored hand, and even going so far as to throw dirt in their eyes.
Only a few minutes had passed before Theo dispatched over thirty of his enemies. And the Aelaan soldiers’ were getting increasingly desperate in their attack.
One of the Aelaans cried out, "Kill him! Kill him!! Kill him!!! No matter what it takes! We should use the powers given to us by the gods!"
It didn't take long for Theo to understand what the man was eluding to, as many of the soldiers were standing a little ways off from him in formation. Each of them, preparing themselves for a magical offensive. In the heat of the moment, Theo pressed forward to one of the Aelaans wielding magic, who was relatively isolated in their ranks. After striking him down, Theo was still surrounded on two fronts by the other magic wielders, as they were preparing their magical attack.
With one hand, Theo grabbed the soldier’s now lifeless body, using it as a shield for his right side, and for the other side, he used his great sword as a partial defense. Bracing himself, Theo stood tall in preparation for the attack.
In unison, the Aelaans unleashed an overwhelming amount of their blue flame. It was a constant stream of magic fire, which Theo had no choice but to endure. Against the onslaught of magic attacks, Theo held firm at first, but the pain was too great. His strength was quickly failing him, as Theo fell to his knees. As the firestorm continued, it was becoming increasingly clear his sword wasn't fully able protect his left side. Some of the flames made their way through, singeing and burning his flesh, and catching part of his clothing on fire. Clenching his teeth to distract himself from piercing sting of the hot flames, he had no choice but to bear with it for the moment.
To his relief, it seemed the magic at the Aelaans disposal was not without end. As wielding magic appeared taxing on them, the soldiers paused from their assault, giving Theo the much needed time he needed to snuff out the fire on his clothing.
After seeing the still hissing smoke rising from the remnants of the magic flame coming off of Theo, the soldiers laughed. The left side of Theo’s clothes were torn and seared, revealing the badly burned flesh underneath.
Once again to the shock of the Aelaans while doing his best to ignore the pain, Theo threw the lifeless corpse of the soldier off him before finding the strength to charge forward. Theo continued fighting in desperation, using every fleeting ounce of the strength left in his
body to the best of his abilities. He continued fighting, and fighting, on and on, until his body grew weary, and his hands were firmly stuck to his sword. He fought with all his will, and with every fiber of his being with practically no foreseeable chance at prevailing.
As the battle raged on, the weight of Theo's sword became stifling. His arms grew numb and his feet unsteady, with his sole comfort being the occasional breathe he took. Exhaustion of the prolonged fight was setting in. He was finding it even difficult to stand, as he became weary while his adversaries closed in on him from all sides.
The searing pain from the magic flames burns were still immense. His vision was beginning to blur, as Theo looked around laughing, putting on a confident face so as to distract from his dire situation, as he spoke aloud.
Theo: "I don't suppose you all would like to reconsider my offer?" The soldiers’ cold stares along with them approaching him threateningly, was his answer.
Seeing his bluff had failed, Theo let out a slight chuckle of disbelief before looking at the sky, and saying to himself.
Theo: "I definitely didn't see this coming. Didn't even last a week." And as one of the soldiers was now in striking distance, the Aelaan lunged forward.
In that moment, as Theo looked up, he saw a blinding light beaming down on his face. Once again he heard the familiar booming voice from beyond the clouds, saying aloud.
The Entity: "IT IS NOT YET YOUR TIME!" And recoiling from the blinding light, Theo fell backwards to the ground, barely dodging the soldier’s fatal blow that he hadn't even noticed had occurred.
A memory flashed by Theo’s mind as he recalled the almost identical situation when he evaded a death strike earlier at Kings Height. Looking up at the soldier amazement, Theo not only noticed he evaded another deathblow, but something else entirely. His vision was no longer blurred, his legs no longer heavy, his arms no longer numb, the burning pain he felt had passed, but one thing remained. His hand still stuck firmly to his sword, as if his body had a collective will that demanded he keep up the fight. Something gave Theo strength beyond what he possessed, as his body was simply refusing the very notion of him falling here. With his strength returned, Theo’s determination was renewed. Rising to his feet, he let out a loud war cry.
Hours later, a few hundred of the soldiers from the Free Peoples of the West had returned to investigate. Arriving with the intention of seeing if there were any remaining Aelaans still in the area, they came in a stop after witnessing what was before them.
Just ahead of their small army, was a lone young warrior that was standing upright yet unconscious. Theo was resting himself on his great sword, which was stuck in the ground. Scattered around at the young man’s feet were the bodies of Aelaan soldiers.
All of the soldiers’ from the west looked on in astonishment.
One of the men among them asked the others, "He couldn't have, could he?! Did he single handedly do all this by himself? How's that even possible?"
Another responded to his question, saying, "No, it can't be. No one person can be responsible for all this." And with no clear answer among themselves, they approached further.
Inspecting the scene from up close, there were no signs of anyone else having intervened to oppose the Aelaans. To their amazement, with the evidence at hand, it was made apparent to the men of the west that this unbelievable truth was in fact reality. One man had fought off, and won against such great odds. As they got closer the unconscious warrior, some of the soldiers still felt the need to approach him warily.
They saw that Theo was nothing more than a young warrior, barely a few years old enough to even be considered a man. As he was unconscious, Theo somehow seemed at peace, which was in vast contrast to the shattered armor and tattered clothing he wore, and all of which was accompanied by recent burns he sustained.
After seeing his condition, the soldiers were set on helping the young man. One of the men tried to relieve Theo of his great sword, but found himself struggling to do so.
As he wrestled to get the sword out of Theo’s hands, he complained to the others, saying, "What the blazes is going on?! What a grip! He won't let go!" He proclaimed, much to the laughter of the others nearby, but their laughs were subsided when it took several men to release Theo's hands from his sword.
Once Theo’s grip had finally relented, several soldiers’ grabbed ahold of him before they started carrying him off. Under armored and more than willing to accept Aelaan quality weapons, the other soldiers’ started looting the bodies of the fallen. Even as several of the men carried Theo off, they could scarcely believe what must’ve transpired.
One of those carrying Theo said to the others, "I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't been here to see it with my own eyes. He's barely an adult, and he did all this?... Incredible!"
And the other man carrying Theo responded, laughing before he said, "One thing's for sure. This young man better get used to getting a lot of attention real soon. With all the men we have here to confirm what we've seen, I can almost guarantee this kid’s going to be treated to a whole lot of drinks."
CHAPTER 37 – THE SEEDS OF DOUBT
On the same day Theo had left the Order, among the temple grounds of the Order, word quickly spread of his departure. While these rumors were spreading, Cherise had been attending to her tasks in her living quarters. And as she was going on about her business, after seeing she was inside, Keller knocked on her rooms already open door. He welcomed himself inside as soon as he saw Cherise happily oblige his company. So as to let her know he came to visit on important matters, the old man put on a serious expression for her sake when he entered.
Paying no mind to Keller's manner, Cherise was genuinely happy to see him visit. And as the old man was walking towards her, with a welcoming smile, she said.
Cherise: "Keller, it's good to see you. Wait right there, I'll go prepare something for you!" Without giving him much of a chance to respond, Cherise was already on her way to scrounge something up for him, as he protested.
Keller: "That really won't be necessary."
But his objections were already too late, as Cherise quickly came back to him, holding a pair of dainty cups of tea for them both. A certain blow to Keller’s manlihood, should anyone else but her see him use them. Whether they’d like it or not, Cherise was obviously far too prepared, and willing to hastily accommodate any guest who walked through her doors.
Somewhat reluctant, the old man didn't want to seem ungracious of her hospitality. Giving his thanks, he accepted the tea. Admittedly though, Keller was somewhat annoyed that his serious demeanor had been undermined so drastically, as he now felt compelled to try and enjoy her offer. But after taking a sip of tea, the grumpy old man’s sour demeanor was lifted slightly after being pleasantly surprised by the taste.
Now somewhat upset at himself for somehow failing to keep the serious nature he wanted before their conversation, Keller rolled his eyes in annoyance. But even the stubborn old man couldn’t help but accept Cherise’s cheerfulness and hospitality, even if it did ruin the intended mood he was aiming for. After Keller let out an unintentional large sigh, she asked him.
Cherise: "What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Getting a little flustered at the thought that he offended, he promptly responded.
Keller: "No, no, no, it's not that!-" He said while waving his hand, as if dismissing the misunderstanding before clearing his throat to say further, "-There's been rumors spreading around the Order, and I wanted to come ask you directly to see if they were true." Not surprised by the question, she replied.
Cherise: "This is about Theo, isn't it?" With his suspicions confirmed, Keller spoke all the more sternly.
Keller: "Exactly so. So the rumors are true than? He once again left without saying anything to me. I meant what I said earlier! I can’t allow him to return!"
Seeing that Keller was getting flustered, Cherise gestured for him to take a seat which he refused. But just because he wouldn't have a seat didn't mean she wouldn't
. As Cherise was sitting down, she started to sound almost apologetically when she spoke to the old man in return.
Cherise: "After all the years we spent together, you know we care about you. It’s just with all the crazy things happening as of late, I'm sure Theo didn't want to put you in a tough position, with him simply asking to leave." The old man scoffed at the notion.
Keller: "As if! Perhaps you have too much faith in him! If either that boy or Iranagi cared about me in the slightest, they wouldn't be breaking every rule we have! Truly, my patience is squandered on those two." And as if presenting the evidence before Cherise, Keller then continued displaying his hand towards invisible objects while he complained further.
Keller: "Nearly cutting off a member of the Orders hand! Beating several of the others to a pulp after disgracing them... Or how about my personal favorite? Potentially igniting the wrath of the entire Aelaan Empire upon us, by fighting against them using the Order’s robes on the battlefield!"
By now Keller was really passionate, almost flailing his arms in air, which Cherise tried with all her might not to laugh or smile at the old man’s eccentric display. Letting out a sigh after venting out a little of his frustration, Keller pointed his cane towards Cherise before speaking further.
Keller: "You're the only one of the three who doesn't seem hell bent on bringing me to an early grave!"
It was a rather strange remark from a man who had already seen many winters, but now certainly wasn’t the time or place to comment on that fact. And a little uncomfortable with the cane being accusingly pointed at her, Cherise tried to calm the old man down when she replied.
Cherise: "Now, now, Keller… That’s not entirely fair. You and I both know they mean well."
To which Keller put down his cane. And having a serious yet contemplative expression, he turned around before heading towards the door. Before taking his leave, Keller didn't even look back when he responded to her remark with a serious tone.
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