by Andre Pisco
"Are we in the right place?" Neil asked, knocking on the door, "Abram! We have important news," he shouted.
An emptiness ran over them, leaving them clueless. Only silence cut by the wind and heat interrupted by the places in the shade. They were becoming frustrated and, above all, disillusioned. They had put their body in limbo between life and death and it had not been enough to succeed. The door didn’t open. Neil still leaned against it, trying to hear something from the other side, but he heard nothing but the whistling of the wind crashing against the mountain.
"Have they ever been attacked?" Lucy asked, also looking around for a signal, an answer that would help them.
"Perhaps. But the door does not seem to have been forced." Alec answered, retreating. The temperature around him rose and his hands erupted. Flames sprinkled the floor around him and sparks jumped into his clothes.
"What are you doing, Alec?" Lucian asked him. He was sitting on the floor catching his breath when he realized what his friend was doing.
"If they don’t open the door, we'll open it," he said. He caught everyone by surprise. It was not his style, he was not the person who acted without thinking twice about the consequences.
"Alec, what if there are people there? They could see this as a declaration of war." Neil told him. He exchanged glances with Lucy, who asked each other "is he okay?" Without needing words.
"... You're right... Just... sorry... I feel frustrated, you know? After all... I was hoping, but they were not worth much. ”Alec confessed, his eyes on his hands as the fire dissipated.
"Hope has died long ago. Only our ability to adapt to reality remains." James said. He was on the edge of the precipice and looked at the horizon. Most of what he saw were white clouds, but in the middle, there were holes where he could see the meadow they had come from and swore that he could even see the house. A brown spot in the distance left to luck, where Max and Ghost rested while they were there. They couldn’t return empty-handed, "I have an idea. Who has the letter? "
"Me, it's here," Alec replied and took it out of his bag.
"Give it to me," James ordered. There was no hesitation in his voice and he was absolutely certain he was doing the right thing.
"What are you going to do, James? This is our entry and exit ticket, probably.”
"Exactly. Give it to me.” James said and withdrew the letter from Alec's hand.
He went to the door and pressed the letter against the thick door. Nothing happened, but he didn’t give up.
"Open the fucking door. This letter is important. It's for you. We are from the Drexus academy. The director sent us!" He shouted, louder than Neil, pushing the letter from the door and throwing it back against it.
The hope that remained to the rest was gone. The light in their heart that one day gave them strength to take one more step, to not give up, went away. It was nothing more than a mere light visible only from close, and in the distance no longer existed. They were coming to an end and the world continued to punish them as if they had not suffered enough.
"Maybe we're in the wrong place," Neil said, also frustrated.
"I can’t believe I'm going to say this... but... Alec was right. They don’t open the door. We have to open it and then deal with the consequences." James said, annoyed at being scorned, increasingly more irrational.
He took a few steps back and clenched his fist. Alec stood beside him and asked him if he was sure. Both were ready to do whatever it took to get into Relics. They had marks on their bodies to prove what had happened until they arrived, and they were not willing to give up because of an obstacle. Energy flowed through their gleamy bodies. They were driven by the courage that had taken them there and leaned on it. They were about to charge toward the door when an arrow, coming from a higher point, pierced the ground a few feet from Alec. The metal tip stuck to the ground until Neil pulled it out. A yellow liquid dripped down and Lucy came to Neil's aid, slapping him in the hand. The arrow fell to the floor and the liquid spread around it, a yellow puddle that contrasted with the brown color of the floor.
"It's poison. Don’t touch it!" She screamed, panting, opening her mouth as if she was about to swallow Neil for almost being killed.
"How do you know that?" James asked her, "You always know a little bit of everything..."
"It doesn’t matter now. But I recognize the color and the sour smell. One touch is enough to cling to your skin and consume the guts inside. Get away." She said.
They looked around, trying to find out where the arrow had come from, but they were unable to find it, or who shot it. Around them were only rocks, an endless sky, and the sunshine. The heavy silence kept them attentive. They stood in a circle, back to each other, turning, looking for a target. Suddenly, taken by surprise, someone landed near them and their shoes crawled across the land. A girl with black hair to her shoulders, pink shorts and a bow in hand, ready to be used, with two arrows pointing at James.
???
Class: Shooter
Specialization: Archer
HP: 270/300
Attack: 220 + 40
Defense: 150 + 30
Agility: 185
Wisdom: 115
Items:
Double bow: + 40 attack (fires 2 arrows keys at a time)
Kyudo T-shirt: +30 defense
"Welcome to Relics. What do you want?" She asked, not taking her eyes off them.
"We have a letter to deliver to Evanora. Now open the gate, we're tired of walking," James replied, moving his arms in an exalted way.
The girl whistled an acute harmony, the kind of sound that sends people to the beach in the late summer afternoon, the waves crashing on them, the foam gathering.
"Are you listening to this?" Lucian asked. He knew he was not crazy, he could hear a noise that he recognized but couldn’t remember from where.
"I hear nothing," said the others in unison.
"Wait ... um ... I know! It's the door!" Said Lucian, turning to her.
He was right. The door opened gradually, dragging itself along the floor. The dust was drained from the area and the pebbles on the ground obliterated. The whole mountain trembled with the weight of the door being moved. The young people pressed their feet to keep them tied to the ground. As soon as the door opened, there were 3 shadows in the distance. It was impossible to see more than mere delineated outlines. The middle person was taller than the others were, and the one on the left had armor that reflected the sun's rays. They didn’t move.
"Are we supposed to go?" Neil asked Alec.
"I think so. They're waiting for us." Alec answered, taking the first step.
"Let's go. For better or for worse, prepare yourself," Lucian said. He spoke little, but when he did, he transmitted sensations that shivered down the spinal cord. He did it in a half-hoarse, deep-reaching voice.
"You don’t have to be afraid, you know? If we wanted you not to come in then we could have finished with you." The girl told them. He didn’t smile and didn’t seem to be joking, on the contrary.
They went forward together. A cinematographic scene unfolded for whoever saw them, from near to the distance; the light falling on their heads, the wind whirling over them, and their eyes focused on the three shadows. Nothing else existed beyond them. Their negative feelings were suppressed by the burning desire in their hearts. They were not pure. They were not perfect. But they were good enough for the letter to be in their possession. They seemed to be slow-moving. They took small steps and sometimes glanced at one another. They were a few feet from the door when a feminine laugh made them stop.
"Don’t walk so fast. We have all the time in the world to die, don’t you think?" Another girl said. Her voice was high, but not squeaky. She was delicate and angelic though she seemed to enjoy being sarcastic.
???
Class: Wizard/Healer
Specialization: Air
HP: 350/350
Attack: 200 + 50
Defense: 250 + 30
Agility: 15
0 + 30
Wisdom: 130
Items:
Ring of the seven winds: +50 attack; +30 defense
Nebulium shoes: +30 agility
She stepped out of the shade to chew on a tablet the color of her green hair. There was something about her that made Alec intrigued but lingered until he realized what. Her facial expressions were similar to those of Drexus's long blue-haired girl. Whether it was the way she laughed, the green eyes, or even the pits in the cheek, almost everything in them seemed to be a copy of each other. She was a powerful healer and sorceress despite the jovial face and naive attitudes. She walked over to Alec. She bent next to him and whispered in his ear,
"You took so long." She burst into laughter.
"Molly, that's enough." The tall shadow uttered. He also stepped forward. He left the hidden and let the light reveal, "Quick before anyone sees us."
"Someone?" James questioned him.
"You should pay attention to what surrounds you. There are spies everywhere. Some almost impossible to catch," he said. At last, he closed his eyes. His eyelids lifted and he circled his hands before putting them on the floor. He stretched his back until they were inches from the ground. The sun's rays fell on the empty, oval surface of his head.
"How can he bend like that?" James asked, "Neil, you have to ask him for advice."
"Shut up!" Neil shouted. It irritated him, but he didn’t want to lose control in such an important situation.
"Shut the fuck up. Don’t move until he gets up." Molly told them, still close to Alec, "He can feel energy and how strong it is," she whispered once more.
They waited until the man sighed and stood up. When they turned around they noticed that there were two black spots on his head, one on each side, and in the middle, there was a third closed eye. He had only slipped sandals and a brown robe covered his neck from his knees. Despite the heat, he was not sweating and didn’t seem to stop him from moving agilely. He made no noise as he walked, and Lucian drew his attention to the fact that his feet seemed never to touch the ground. It hovered in inches and moved like a cloud in a sky over his control. Molly laughed again and ran to him,
"Come on," she said, looking seconds at Alec and winking at him.
"Looks like you have a fan," Lucian said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
"It's because she doesn't know me well yet. She won’t even remember your name.” James said, trying to provoke Alec but to no avail.
As soon as they entered the city the gate closed itself. The third shadow was demystified; a young man of James's height, with a sword attached to his back and curly hair that could be likened to a nest of wasps, if nudged even an animal could get out. He didn’t move, looking at everyone from top to bottom, judging them and at the same time analyzing them. He didn’t seem to have any special affection for them. He wrinkled his nose and spat on the floor before turning away. He adjusted the blue cloak of purpose to show the official coat of arms on the left corner, as well as the shiny armor under the sun's rays. He turned to the older man. The coat of arms consisted of a golden shield with a claw, possibly of a hawk, in the middle. As he lifted his cloak, he also threw the dust against the group.
???
Class: Knight
Specialization: Double sword
HP: 400/400 + 100
Attack: 300 + 70
Defense: 250 + 60
Agility: 250 + 25
Wisdom: 190
Items:
Complete Sephirot Armor: +70 attack; +60 defense; +25 agility
"These? Are these the envoys of the academy? I was hoping for... more," he said, shrugging his shoulders, his eyes close to one another, and his eyebrows arching in doubt.
"Come and say it!" James shouted, tired of hearing him.
"Take it easy. Ignore him. We're not here for this," Alec said, standing in front of him and covering his eyes.
"Grant go to the cooks and tell them to prepare an appropriate banquet for guests. I don’t want to hear you grumble. Now,” the man said. Grant, the infamous boy's name, bit his thin lips with his perfect white teeth as he listened.
"Yes, master." He answered and set out.
"Sorry, he needs to learn good manners." The man added, "But follow me. We have much to discuss. Just... Before we start, do you know anything about the academy? From the director?"
"We... Ah..." Neil started, but it was hard for him to speak. His mind was flooded with memories of that day. The bodies on the floor, the dead teacher and even the screams they heard as they ran away.
"No. Ever since we ran away we didn’t know anything else. They... They gave their lives for us, to get here and give you this!" Alec said, also making pauses between the words.
"We should first know if they are reliable..." James whispered.
However, it was too late. Alec had placed the letter in the man's hands. He looked at the letter with some interest but didn’t open it at once. He slid his left hand down it, removing the dust that gave it an old air, a possession that carries lugubrious memories and grows old with them. He licked one of his fingers and rubbed it in the symbol. He wiped it out until the eagle returned to its original color and protruded from the rest of the paper.
"I worked there too, you know? The principal was my colleague," he said, tearing the letter opening carefully, using the fingernail of his little finger.
Chapter XXIII
No one said anything. Even Alice who was beside him stayed silent. Sometimes she would tiptoe over and try to peek over his shoulder so she could read what the letter contained. There was no one else around them. Beyond the gate, there was only a metal bridge leading to another door, the empty sides of which were an invitation to death. It was the only access to the true entrance of the city and allowed only single file passage.
A gentle breeze relieved the pressure and rustled their clothes. They also wiped sweat from their foreheads due to the moment’s pressure. They didn’t know what the letter was saying, nor the impact it would have on the future of the world. They were mere fools ignoring the secrets hidden by the most powerful men behind unique bureaucracies and technologies where someone's word was no more than a lie made after dozens of years.
Lucian sat down again. The man read and reread the letter, pausing to look at the group, and back at it. His eyes grew and his teeth were bared. It didn’t take much longer until his hands trembled and folded the corners as he used too much force.
"This... was the director the one who gave you this?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the letter.
"Yes..." Alec replied.
"So the legends are true ... We better go. I suppose we don’t have much time," he said. He stamped his foot on the floor. It seemed to calm him down while thinking of various solutions, "Alice, tell everyone to get ready. This may take a violent turn."
"I'll take care of it," she said, before setting off.
Behind Lucian were the group and the man, who after Alice's departure introduced himself as Lomi. His facial expression had changed. There was no confidence or security. In his face fear grew color and, little by little took possession of the eyes and the lips. He didn’t share what the letter said. What they saw in him said everything. It was not good and it was not over.
Lomi
Class: Warrior/Wizard
Specialization: Sensorial (capable of sensing when other wizards are nearby)
HP: 480/480
Attack: 300 + 50
Defense: 300
Agility: 320 + 35
Wisdom: 220
Items:
Power boost: +50 attack
Marathon shoes: +35 agility
"Which one of you has a spirit animal?" The man asked, putting the letter in his pocket.
Lucian put his hand in the air. He didn’t get up or open his mouth. His lips were cracked and closed, and his hair fell over his shoulders. His eyes stared at the black emptiness in Lomi's eyes, and for a brief moment, a fight broke. Lomi tried to decode what was beyond Lucian's bod
y, but the boy didn’t succumb. An iron curtain that didn’t open even before the director of the work.
"Do you know how to control him?" He asked, approaching Lucian.
"More or less," Lucian replied, trying not to close his eyes as they looked at each other.
"Hmmm. We really have to go. Now. I'll tell you everything when we're at the palace." He turned his back and left them behind, heading toward the bridge.
"He said palace? In a place like this?" James asked his colleagues, but no one answered.
They followed Lomi. Only Neil dared to look over the bridge. He eventually backed up and tripped on Lucy's feet, falling on his butt on the hard floor. He complained of the pain and did the rest of the way just walking in the middle. He looked ahead and didn’t even look to the side. He had looked at death head-on, and he was trembling at the thought of doing it again.
"Never... Never again... Why didn’t anyone tell me not to?" He repeated, stumbling over his words.
"It should be obvious," Lucy replied, laughing softly.
As soon as they reached the other side, he breathed a sigh of relief and promised, in front of them all, that he would never do it again. Alec patted him on the back and told him to take a deep breath. So he did and in an instant returned to normal. Lomi walked to the next gate. It was similar to the previous one but was surrounded by walls of thick steel and had an oval roof, all of it metal. Several layers of walls, each one more resistant than the previous one, protected the place. They seemed to have a notion that they would one day be the target of a large-scale attack and had been prepared for it since the foundation. He had not yet reached the door, and it was already opening. Unlike the other, it didn’t make a sound. Like Lomi, it seemed to be flying over the floor.