by S. K. Ng
The 27th Morning of Second Month of Wet Season was no different than the morning before. Rays of sunlight cutting through the thick forest canopy greeted the sights. Tree branches swayed back and forth, causing a play of light and shadow. Ray, Lance and Spirit walked down the forest path, heading toward the sound of gushing water. Three Rocks Falls beckoned the trio.
Suddenly, they heard the sounds of an argument. Ray put a finger in front of his lips, signalling Lance to be quiet. The trio slowly made their way to the giant waterfall known as Three Rock Falls. The sight, as far as Lance was concerned, was beautiful. Three large boulders stuck firmly at the top of a 100 paces high waterfall, with a huge pool below. To him, it seemed like a marvellous place for a picnic.
At a small camp near the pool, a female Elementhar was arguing with a male Elementhar. Lance observed that the female wore the same form of clothing as Ray, although her clothes were shaped to be a little curvier and were dark blue in colour. She had a sword tucked in at her waist, which was of the same kind as Lance’s sword, with the exception of the colour of the scabbard and handle, which were ivory white instead of brown. She had long blond hair, which made her of Aridyte ancestry, and she wore a silver headband embedded with a large sapphire flanked by two smaller white diamonds. She also had a roll of black canvas and a backpack similar to Ray’s, which seemed to have been thrown hastily to the ground beside her. The male was dressed similarly in white robes, but carried neither a sword nor any bladed weapon, and wore a headband embedded with large diamonds.
As the trio got closer, the words of the heated conversation became much clearer.
“Fraudster _ you are of him, therefore you shall cease to pose as an Elementhar or I shall attack you!” said the female Elementhar.
“What do you care!? I’m just trying to make a living! It’s not like I’m killing people or anything,” said the male Elementhar.
“Fraudster _ you are of him and you cheated good people of their coins, and what was worse, you gave them false hopes!” chastised the female Elementhar.
“So what!? If people are so desperate to believe in Elementhars, that’s just too bad for them. Anyone with half a brain knows that there’re no more Elementhars in this part of Free Falls. So I take their coins and sell them some hope. What’s wrong with that!?” argued the male Elementhar.
“Lies _ you sell them of these!” accused the female Elementhar.
Then the trio spotted two men creeping up behind the female Elementhar from some nearby bushes, with daggers in their hands. It was obvious to Ray that these two men were trying to kill the female Elementhar. He decided to intervene.
Thrusting his finger forward, Ray sends a Pebble Dart flying through the air and embeds it into the wrist of one of the two men. This man yells out in pain and drops his dagger. The yell catches the attention of the female Elementhar, who turns around and sends a continuous, spiralling jet of water from her fingers to knock the second man off his feet.
The male Elementhar, seizing the opportunity as the female Elementhar is turned away from him, pulls out a dagger from inside his robe with his right hand and lunges at her with his right foot moving forward. But the female Elementhar turns around just in time to parry the thrust off to her left, steps forward and slightly to the right, and slams her right elbow into his jaw. As the male Elementhar stumbles backwards several steps, the female Elementhar steps forwards and follows up with a Back Horse Kick, sending him falling into the pool with a loud splash.
The first man, already wounded by Ray, attempts to flee. The female Elementhar sends a continuous, spiralling jet of water at him that slams him straight into the thick and wide trunk of an old tree, knocking him unconscious.
Meanwhile, the male Elementhar tries to swim away. The female Elementhar gestures with her hand. A stream of soul energy leaves her fingertips and enters the pool. A whirlpool forms in the middle of it, and begins to suck in the male Elementhar.
“Help! Help! Let me go, please! I swear… I swear, no more! I’ll stop! Please!” begs the male Elementhar, half drowning as he struggles to stay afloat.
The female Elementhar makes another hand gesture. The energy stream ceases and so does the whirlpool. Then she gestures for him to come towards her. The male Elementhar swims to the nearest bank, crawls ashore and stumbles at her feet.
“No more! I swear it! No more scams! I’ll be honest from now on. Please let me go!” he says.
“Drown _ I shall do of this to you if I ever catch you masquerading as an Elementhar again, understand!?” she threatens.
“I understand! I understand! No more masquerading as an Elementhar! No more scams! You’ll drown me if I do! Please let me go,” begs the male Elementhar.
With a simple wave of her hand, she dismisses him. The fake Elementhar stumbles into the forest and disappears. So do the two men.
Slowly, the trio came out from behind the trees and approached the female Elementhar.
“Nature’s wisdom _ may you have of this!” greeted Ray as he and Lance bowed.
“Nature’s wisdom _ may you have of this!” replied the female Elementhar, bowing in return.
“Name _ mine of this is Master Elementhar Ray Iddell, and this is my novice Lance Arman and my wolf companion is called Spirit,” said Ray.
“Name _ mine of this is Master Elementhar Clover Genox,” said the female Elementhar.
“Curious _ I am of this of your story, which will be more enjoyable over a meal, so shall we set up for an early lunch?” suggested Ray.
Master Elementhar Clover Genox nodded her head in agreement.
Ray and Lance set their things down and went off to search for firewood and wild fruits. Clover pulled out her supply of rice and vegetables. When Ray returned, he created a ‘stove’ by lining up some rocks into a small circle and pilling up some firewood into the middle of it. He then lit a fire with Elemental Sorcery. Clover’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. Then she took a proper look at Ray’s headband, and noticed for the first time the large ruby embedded in the middle of it.
“Fire _ your element is of this!” said Clover.
“Fire _ my element is of this,” said Ray calmly.
“Possible _ it is not of this, for the Fire Elementhars are all dead! Identity _ what is your true of this!?” demanded Clover.
“Identity _ mine of this, I have told you; but be patient, during the meal I shall explain,” said Ray.
Clover nodded her head and sat herself down near the stove that Ray had just created.
Half an hour later, lunch was ready. As they sat down in a circle around the stove, Ray began to tell his story to Clover.
“Massacre _ 15 years ago, during the event of this, I, and I alone, survived. Escape _ I was commanded to do of this by my mentor, Grand Elementhar Ridge Santlyn, in order to safeguard the Original Vanguard Manuscript,” explained Ray.
Clover’s face lit up like the sun.
“Prime Guardian _ you are of him!? Original Vanguard Manuscript _ of it, was it with you all this while?” asked Clover, excited and surprised beyond belief.
“Yes,” answered Ray.
Ray retrieved the manuscript from his backpack.
“Original Vanguard Manuscript!” said Clover in part surprise, part amazement.
Ray nodded his head in affirmation.
“Real _ is it of this?” asked Clover disbelievingly.
“Yes,” answered Ray as he offered the book to Clover.
Clover took the book from Ray. Her heart skipped a beat or two. She was excited beyond words. She held the book up and examined its every detail. Then, releasing a small amount of her soul energy and focusing it at her palm which she had placed over the book, she opened it. She flipped through its pages eagerly with the expression of someone finding a cave full of hidden treasures.
“Original Vanguard Manuscript _ does the High Council know you have of it?” she asked.
“No! Know _ they do not do of this, for I have kept it a secret until now! Thought _ t
heirs of this was that the manuscript was destroyed when the assassins burnt down my monune. Reveal _ I am doing of this of its existence to you, Clover, just as what I had done to Lance. Die _ I may be of this at any time, at the hands of thieves, assassins, Serpentians or even our own Provincial Guards, so I wanted to make sure that the both of you know of this book’s existence and keep it safe in the event of my death,” answered Ray.
Both Lance and Clover nodded their heads. Ray’s explanation made sense.
Clover handed the book back to Ray, who wasted no time in wrapping the book up and returning it to his backpack.
“Massacre _ what happened after the event of this?” asked Clover.
“Massacre _ after the event of this, I had approached the High Council to seek justice and revenge for my order, but they had refused, saying that it was up to the government to deliver justice and not them,” explained Ray.
“Impossible _ it is of this, as that would mean that the High Council itself has broken the Law of Elementhar Administration!” said Clover disbelievingly.
“Impossible _ it is of this, but unfortunately, it is true! Pleaded _ I had done of this with them for weeks, but I was told to shut up, join the Order of Earth Elementhars and forget about the whole thing!” explained Ray.
Clover was shocked beyond words. But Lance became curious.
“Do _ what did you of this after that?” asked Lance.
“Do _ of this, I left Free Falls for 15 years, in part out of disappointment, in part out of disgust, in part to search for the Order of Mind Elementhars so that I could ask for their help in seeking vengeance and in part to search for someone who could finish my training in the earth element,” answered Ray.
“Mind Elementhars _ did you find of them?” asked Clover.
“No,” answered Ray, shaking his head.
“Master _ did you find one of him of the earth element to finish your training, master?” asked Lance.
“Yes. Master _ I did find one of him and I had managed to complete my training in the earth element; and I also found Spirit,” said Ray as he pat the white wolf on the head.
Clover looked at Ray curiously.
“Back _ why have you come of this, Ray, after all these years?” she asked Clover.
“Back _ I have come of this to force an ultimatum on the High Council at the Grand Conference!” answered Ray.
Clover kept silent. She could guess what Ray’s ultimatum would be. It would tear the Grand Order apart, or at the very least, cause a number of Elementhars to lose confidence in it. But she understood the reason why Ray had to do this.
Ray gave Clover a reassuring smile. Clover’s return smile was one that expressed understanding.
“Story _ that was mine of this, now tell me yours,” said Ray.
“Story _ mine of this is a little less complicated, and it begins with me joining the Order of Water Elementhars at Monune Sapphire six years ago. Graduated _ I had of this of the water element three years later. Monune White Diamond _ a year after that, I went to of this to master the wind element, which took me two years to do. Returning _ upon doing of this to Monune Sapphire, I was sent out on missions to hunt demons with my brother and sister Elementhars, but I found my skills lacking. Skills _ as a matter of fact, it was not just mine of these, but everyone else’s as well. Killed _ many of my brother and sister Elementhars were of this, and so our numbers began to dwindle,” said Clover.
“Skills _ of these, how can this be lacking when you master two elements?” asked Lance.
“Curious _ I am of this too, for most demons are Tertiary Demons and handling them should not have been such a problem,” added Ray, who was impressed that Clover took only two years to master the wind element when it should have taken at least five.
Clover drew in a deep breath. From her facial expression, Ray knew he had trigged something unpleasant.
“Skills _ of these, ours were lacking because the water element part our copies of the Vanguard Manuscript were missing certain spells. Survived _ I had of this mainly due to my mastery of the wind element, but my brother and sister Water Elementhars were not so lucky,” answered Clover.
“Be _ how can it of this when all the Water Elementhars’ knowledge and experience are written into your copies of the manuscript?” asked Ray.
“Fire _ there was one of this at Monune Sapphire one night during my second year there, and all of our personal copies of the manuscript were destroyed. Manuscripts _ our current ones of these are copies of a sample kept at Monune Grand, but this sample was not updated for the past two hundred years!” explained Clover.
“Lost _ you have of this of two hundred years of knowledge and experience!” concluded Ray.
“Unfortunately!” said Clover.
Lance felt confused. There was something to Clover’s story that did not make sense.
“Vanguard Manuscript _ how is it that all your copies of this get destroyed in the fire? Copies _ of these, what about those that belong to the Water Elementhars who were not at Monune Sapphire at that time?” asked Lance.
“Vanguard Manuscript _ all our copies of this were destroyed because we were all in attendance at the funeral of our leader, High Elementhar Whisper Nurten; and in our deep sorrow we failed to realise that a fire had ravaged through our living quarters and our library, destroying everything,” explained Clover.
“Suspicious _ it still sounds of this!” said Ray.
“Suspicious _ I felt of this as well, so I examined the burnt rubble of our living quarters, and found the smell of oil in the charred wood,” said Clover.
“Sabotage!” concluded Ray.
“Sabotage,” agreed Clover.
Ray shook his head in disbelief. First, his order was massacred, and then, the Water Elementhars were sabotaged. Who is this mysterious enemy that they were facing?
“Save _ is there anything you manage to do of this?” asked Lance.
“Save _ nothing much did I manage to do of this, only my sword,” answered Clover.
“Do _ what did you of this after that?” asked Ray.
“Nothing _ we did of this for many years, for what could we have done?” answered Clover.
“Chosen _ by the way, who has been of this to replace Master Nurten as High Elementhar?” asked Ray.
“Master Ambience Waycress,” was Clover’s simple answer.
Lance shook his head in confusion. There was still something that did not add up.
“Here _ how is it that you are of this?” asked Lance.
“Months _ two of these ago, I had an idea that if I could find the Original Vanguard Manuscript, I could replace the missing knowledge of our copies, and so I went to Monune Ruby to search for it; and of course, I did not find it. Missing _ the manuscript has been of this for 15 years, so I knew my chances were slim, but I felt I had to try, and so, that was what I did. Fraudster _ I came across of him on my way out, masquerading as an Elementhar and cheating gullible villagers of their coins. Chased _ I have tried to do of this of him, but he has always managed to give me the slip. Followed _ finally, I have managed to do of this to him here and confronted him,” answered Clover.
Lance was getting more confused.
“Original Vanguard Manuscript _ but how can the finding of it replace the missing knowledge from your copies?” he asked.
“Original Vanguard Manuscript _ the finding of it can do so because it has been sorcerised by Pioneer Vanguard to record and duplicate any entry by any Ordered Elementhar into any of its copies, thus functioning like a library. Copies _ however, ours of these are only common books which do not have such ability; and only the original has it,” explained Ray.
“Saying _ you are of this, master, that if I make an entry into my copy of the manuscript, it will appear automatically in the original copy, but will not appear in anyone else’s copy,” said Lance, seeking confirmation.
“Correct _ you are of this,” confirmed Ray.
Lance nodded his head. Everything has become
clear to him. Then a curiosity arose in him.
“Water element part _ master, can I access of this in the original manuscript?” asked Lance.
“No. Access _ you cannot do of this of the parts which contains the elements you are not trained in, so those parts will be locked by the manuscript’s metal cover and even if you managed to unlock it, the pages of those parts will appear to be blank,” answered Ray.
“Know _ how does the original manuscript does of this of the elements that I am trained in?” asked Lance.
“Know _ it does of this by sensing the form your soul energy takes when you release a small amount of it on the manuscript’s cover,” explained Ray.
Evening came and the quartet sat by a large bonfire after a wholesome dinner. Spirit was yawning widely while Ray was checking on Lance’s progress with the copying of Lance’s version of the Vanguard Manuscript. Clover was busy reading the original manuscript and then copying the missing spells and information into her own copy. By nightfall both Lance and Spirit were asleep, but both Master Elementhars were involved in deep discussion.
“Vanguard Manuscript _ this copy of it belongs to a brother Water Elementhar of yours, Wave Soltude,” said Ray as he handed Elementhar Soltude’s copy of the Vanguard Manuscript to Clover.
“Dead _ is he of this?” asked Clover.
“Yes. Found _ we did of his body in the forest between Greentown and Timberstock, killed by a demon,” answered Ray.
Clover fought to keep her emotions in check. Teardrops were rolling down her cheeks.
“Batch-mates _ we were of these, and good friends, too. Family _ his of this was rich and famous, and was part of the royal court. Banished _ he was of this from his family for he fell in love with a girl that was not of their choosing, and when she took her own life because of her own family’s objection, Monune Sapphire was the only place he went to that offered him some kind of solace. Isolation _ perhaps it is the monune’s of this that comforts him, away from the Fallsian public’s glaring eyes. Inform _ I shall do of this of his death to my order and to his family in Fallsene City,” said Clover.