The Year of the Lumin

by Andrew Ryan Henke

  Noir felt apprehensive. The last time his mind was scanned with sye, it was not pleasant. “Go ahead, I guess.”

  In an instant, Noir felt his mind oppressed upon and forced to play through his memories. It was similar to when the scarred man had performed this process, though the dragon did it hundreds of times faster and more delicately. Within moments, the dragon had skipped through his childhood up to the moment he found the cave. All the happenings of the last few months went by without his control. The process slowed and repeated itself a few times at certain memories such as the cave, his first meeting with Fafnir, his first encounter with the scarred man in his dream, and then his battle with the scarred man in real life. Within minutes, the memories played up to the present and stopped.

  Noir’s mind remained silent for a few moments. Then, Jotunar’s voice rumbled in his head, “We must find your cousin, Aimee.”

  Startled, Noir asked, “Why?”

  “You are not the Lumin. Therefore, she must be.”

  ~~~

  Ratt sat in the marble-encased prison cell thumbing the leather on his boot. For the hundredth time, he answered the same question, “No, I’m not from Tier and I know nothing about the Tierian attacks.” Ratt continued to what he knew the next question would be. “And before you ask, my name isn’t Noir and I’m not the Lumin. I can’t even use one vigor, let alone all three.”

  The stocky man in the black, white, and bluish-green armor gritted his teeth as he spoke, “Then where is Noir?”

  Ratt leaned against the metal bars and put his hands behind his head. “I already told you. I don’t know anyone by that name.”

  “Then why—”

  “Because a cute girl gave it to me and it looked like something valuable might be inside. I already told you that, too.”

  “Watch your tone, boy.”

  “Why? What more could you do? You've already got me in a prison cell.”

  The Azurite Knight grabbed his gauntleted hand and undid the straps holding it on. He placed the discarded piece of armor on a stool beside him. He turned back to Ratt and aggressively raised his hand. Stubbornly, Ratt did not withdraw as it fell with a heavy weight on his jaw. He fell to the marble floor face down. He braced himself with his hands and cursed his luck.

  “I can do much to you. Now, again, how do you--” Without warning, the door leading to the prison flung open and two Azurite Knights rushed in. “Captain. Captain!”

  The man in Ratt’s cell turned to the newcomers. “What is it?”

  “The Syeters have the real Noir.”

  The captain took a couple steps toward the newcomers and stepped outside the cell. “What? How?”

  “He came to them. He must have found the letter and answered it.”

  “And how do you know it's really Noir?”

  One knight looked at the other then said, “Well, he said he was, sir.”

  “Well, who is this kid then?” The captain turned back to Ratt who held up his right hand equipped with the gauntlet that the captain had discarded. All four knights in the room suddenly had their hands on their swords.

  The Captain chuckled and dropped his defensive position. “Kid, you don’t know what that thing does, let alone do you have enough chakra to use it.”

  Ratt clasped his fist in the gauntlet and the blue/green accents glowed. He felt a small drain on his chakra, something that he only felt when he used a very strong enchant. Ratt felt his physical power grow exponentially. Ratt smiled at the knights through the prison cell bars and said, “I thought these were supposed to be insanely powerful enchants. I barely feel a drain at all.”

  Ratt took a couple steps back and focused all of his energy on the gauntlet. The blue/green markings shined and danced around the gauntlet as he stepped forward and punched the bars with an open palm.

  The bars broke free from their bindings, taking chunks of marble with them. The four Azurite Knights were suddenly faced with a wall of metal bars flying at them. The bars flew across the room and pinned all four knights to the wall.

  Ratt looked at the gauntlet with amazement. “These things really pack a punch.” One of the knights squirmed and groaned so Ratt took his opportunity and ran toward the door leading to the hall. He stopped when he saw the familiar silver shine of his axe propped against the wall. Grabbing it, he thought, “So Noir is here, huh? I guess finding him would be my best bet outta here if he is in with the Syeters.” He put the axe in the leather loop on his back and ran down the large marble halls of the Azurite Tower looking for some stairs.

  Chapter 33

  Captain Osarik

  Noir and Asiada sat cross-legged like the Syeters in front of the giant blue creature. Noir was amazed when he found out that Jotunar was actually asleep, but still communicated telepathically.

  Steven was in the middle of mentally describing the prophesied events of the Lumin with Jotunar and the other Syeters adding in facts occasionally. “So amongst many other prophecies, the Lumin is from another world and can use all three vigors.”

  Noir thought, “That does seem like one of us, like you said.”

  Asiada turned and looked at Noir. Her eyes were open wide, she said out loud, “You're from another world? No way,” she said incredulously. “You have to tell me all about it!”

  Noir looked at the girl oddly. Didn't she see this wasn't the time for things like that? He responded dismissively, “Yeah, okay Asiada. But not right now.”

  A Syeter said through the mental link, “Please, if we can continue.”

  Asiada looked hurt, but Noir started again anyway. “The other part seems true, but I can only use lux, not all three vigors like you said. And when I met Aimee, she didn’t give any hint that she could use anything but din.”

  Jotunar’s rumbling voice came to his mind. “Perhaps she is capable of using the other two but is not yet learned in the art.”

  One of the other Syeters’ voices responded. “Perhaps neither child is the Lumin.”

  Another’s said, “That is unlikely considering the memories we have all seen of Syeter Steven and Luxin Noir. They most certainly come from another world.” Noir had not known his memories had been shared with more than only Jotunar. This discovery annoyed him.

  Jotunar’s voice grumbled again, “We can discuss this further in the future. I sense more things that are bothering you, young Noir. You fear the Azurite Knights.”

  Noir responded mentally even though he knew the dragon did not require him to confirm the answer. “Yes. I want to know what they are capable of.”

  “They are capable of much. Their chakra is stronger than most who are even blessed with the art of one of the three vigors, though they cannot use it directly. Their enchanted armor is crafted by us here in the Azurite Tower. Since their armor is enchanted, it is much stronger than normal armor. Because of this and their training, they are the strongest warriors in all of these lands.”

  Steven’s voice came to Noir’s mind, “We have felt a rift growing between the Syeters and the knights.”

  Another unseen Syeter added, “Though their intentions are veiled to us for the moment,”

  Noir mentally interrupted, “As you know, they have my friend Ratt. If they truly are your guardians, they should release him to us at your command. Correct?”

  Steven responded, “That is correct, unless this rift is deeper than we currently foresee.”

  Jotunar went on to another topic. “Another grave thing that your memories and experiences bring to us is the scarred man you met who could use both sye and din.”

  Steven continued, “If the books are correct, this is grave news indeed.”

  Asiada’s voice came to Noir’s mind. “Why is that so bad?”

  Jotunar responded with a hint of emotion, “There is a legend that says if anyone is submerged in our blood, they gain the ability to use the dragon’s respective vigor. However, our blood is extremely acidic, so anyone who receives this will be scarred for life. The scarred man you battled show
ed signs of this. He must have been an untrained Syeter first, then became a dual wielder from….” His words trailed off.

  Another Syeter finished the thought, “From Nidhoggr’s blood. That could mean many things, all of which are dire.”

  Jotunar’s mental voice continued, “I find it impossible that Nidhoggr could be taken prisoner and abused thus. Could he be helping those who would harm?”

  The foreboding words rung in Noir’s mind as he heard something with his physical ears. There was a commotion from outside the main doors. The sye link immediately broke away from Noir’s mind.

  The main hall’s doors swung open by an unseen force as they had when Noir had arrived. Outside showed an odd scene. The two Azurite Knights stood poised for combat with swords drawn. They faced off against a young man in leather clothing with light hair wielding a large silver axe.

  Noir called out, “That’s Ratt!”

  Noir heard Jotunar’s physical voice for the first time behind him. “I know.” Surprisingly, the dragon had raised his long thick neck and massive head. “Knights, stand down. This is a friend and will pose no harm to us.”

  The two knights looked backward toward the dragon and circle of Syeters, but did not lose their offensive stances. One knight called out, “This one attacked us. He is dangerous, Jotunar.”

  Jotunar's voice echoed through the massive hall. “You received your order, knights. Stand down.” The two men looked at each other, then replaced their blades into their scabbards. Ratt lowered his axe and ran forward past the two knights.

  Noir and Asiada stood from where they were sitting. Noir walked forward to greet his friend, but was interrupted. “Noir, we gotta get out of here.” Ratt looked past Noir at Jotunar and the Syeters. “I’m glad you’ve made some nice new friends and all, but we gotta go.” He gave a confused look at Asiada before looking at Noir for a reply. Asiada seemed annoyed that he had not said anything to her and stomped back to where she had been sitting.

  Noir asked, “What’s wrong? We should be fine here.”

  “Uh no, no we’re not. I just enraged the entire tower.” He lowered his voice and leaned in. “And your Syeter and dragon buddies aren’t going to be too happy when they find out I nearly killed four of their knights.”

  Noir replied at a normal volume, “Relax. The Syeters run the tower. They will understand.”

  Noir turned and opened his mouth to announce Ratt’s arrival when black, white, and bluish-green blurs streaked past his vision. Suddenly, the two were surrounded in a ring of Azurite Knights, all with furious scowls. They each had a weapon drawn and pointed at the two.

  A knight who was slightly shorter and more sturdy looking stood apart from the circle and faced Jotunar. He spoke loudly and confidently. “Jotunar and master Syeters. These two men are enemies of the Azurite Tower and are being apprehended by the Azurite Knights.”

  Jotunar’s voice rumbled the great hall. “Stand down, Captain Osarik. You will release the two to our custody.”

  Captain Osarik responded with a slightly elevated voice, “I cannot do that. We are entrusted with your safety. The light-haired one already injured two of my men.”

  Jotunar slowly stood on his long silvery blue legs and spread his massive wings across the expanse of the vaulted ceiling. His voice shook the floor and long white teeth gleaned in the light. “You will do as instructed or be stripped of your rank immediately.”

  The captain defiantly motioned toward Ratt. “Look! He wears my gauntlet. He has attacked and stolen from the tower.”

  The swift and harsh words of the dragon boomed in the hall. “Silence! Your refusal to comply to the wishes of those you swore to serve and protect will have you banished from this tower and city.”

  Captain Osarik stood in place for a long few seconds with a stern grimace. Then he turned on his heel. He growled at the other knights, “Stand down.”

  The knights sheathed their weapons and stepped away from Ratt and Noir. Captain Osarik approached Ratt and held out an ungauntleted hand. The anger-twisted face convinced Ratt to remove the buckles holding the gauntlet in place. He handed it to the Captain.

  The Captain gave one last look at Noir and Ratt and stepped backward. In a blur of motion, all left. Noir saw the faint yellow glow of their enchant armor using lux as they left.

  Once the large doors had closed, Jotunar shifted his weight down onto the ground from his long legs and said, “For them to openly defy us like that, I fear the rift is more severe than we thought.”

  Steven said, “Ratt. You were being held by them, correct? Would you mind if we searched your memories? We need all the information about the knights that we can get.”

  Ratt raised an eyebrow and looked at Steven, Jotunar, and the other Syeters. “How about I just tell you? That seems more, you know, natural.”

  Steven looked at Noir with a questioning look, as if asking where he found this strange lad. One of the other Syeters said, “Very well. We will not invade another’s mind without their consent unless we have dire need.”

  Steven said, “I feel these times are dire, but we will still honor your wish, Ratt.”

  Ratt walked forward and stood next to Noir. He said, “Well, I can tell you this. They really want to get their hands on Noir. They think he’s the Lumin.”

  Steven turned to Jotunar who had laid his head and body back down in the center of the circle. “Why would they have need of the Lumin?”

  Another Syeter said, “Do they plot against us?”

  A third said, “This cannot be ignored.”

  Jotunar’s voice came to Noir and Ratt’s minds. “Come and sit in the circle. You are all pivotal pieces to this puzzle now and we have much to discuss.”

  They came forward and sat in front of the blue behemoth next to Asiada and Steven. Once they were settled on the soft pillows, Steven said to Ratt, “I think the first thing all of us would like to know is how you escaped.”

  “Well, quite simply, the dummy Osarik left his enchant gauntlet in my cell. Once I heard that they wanted to go capture Noir, I used it to smash open my cell.” All of the Syeters’ eyes were on Ratt with surprise. Even Jotunar had opened his eyes to stare at the lad. Ratt continued, “I had to come warn Noir, but I guess he was safe with you all.” He paused and looked around. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

  “That is impressive,” said a female Syeter.

  “Impossible, more like it,” said another.

  An older woman Syeter said, “Either you are a liar or you have a tremendous amount of chakra, Ratt. The Azurite Knights are supposed to be the only ones who can make use of their armor. It is extremely rare to find one with enough chakra to utilize it.”

  Steven said, “Ratt. Most people who would have tried to use any part of an Azurite Knight’s armor would pass out immediately, if they survived at all. Their chakra and body strength would be sapped in an instant.”

  Ratt responded, “I didn’t really feel a thing. Maybe a slight drain.”

  The others looked even more startled. Steven said, “We must make you an enchanted suit of armor immediately.”

  “What? Wait, no.” Ratt shook his hands in front of him. “I don’t want to be one of those knights! Are you kidding?”

  Jotunar’s voice calmly rumbled, “You will not be one of them. You will be Noir’s bodyguard. The armor should serve you well on your travels as he searches for his cousin. However, it takes time to make a full suit.”

  Steven asked Jotunar, “But what will the tower Din Mage say about creating this armor for someone outside the Azurite Tower?”

  “We have all three vigor users necessary to create it right here.” Jotunar looked at Asiada and Noir. He had obviously discovered Asiada's abilities while scanning Noir's memories.

  Asiada looked around, obviously realizing she was suddenly the center of attention. “Wait, I don’t know how to make enchants. I barely know how to use din at all.”

  Noir added, “She’s right. I don’t k
now much about enchants either.”

  One of the Syeters said, “Syeter Steven is gifted with the craft of making enchants. He has studied it greatly in the couple months he has been here. He and Godo should be able to guide you because the other vigors are utilized in the same ways to make enchants.”

  Jotunar rumbled, “Syeter Taleen, Syeter Eyscali. Would you escort Ratt to Master Godo?”

  Ratt asked sarcastically, “Godo? Who’s Godo?”

  Steven responded, “He is the most educated enchantsmith in all of Chiron. He will start crafting your armor.”

  Ratt laughed. “Fafnir, that giant flying lizard. She somehow knew!” Ratt suddenly laid down flat on his back and spread out his limbs. He sighed, “Man. I should have stayed in the prison cell.”

  Chapter 34

  Discoveries

  Steven guided Noir through the massive volumes of books on the bookshelves. Many of the Syeters had left to their own chambers for the night. Noir thought about how he had figured finding Aimee and Steven would make everything simpler. He figured they would all be able to go home then. However, meeting each of them just raised more questions and issues. In the hours that Noir had been with Steven for the first time in months, Steven had not once brought up home or how to get there. Steven really looked like he belonged there with the other Syeters.

  Noir finally worked up the willpower and asked, “Steven. Would you break away from the sye… thing? You know.”

  Steven looked at him questioningly. “Separate myself from the collective consciousness of the sye circle? Why?”

  “Just for me, please?”

  Steven closed the book he had been skimming. He seemed slightly annoyed as he said, “You don’t understand, Noir. I can’t just separate from it. You don’t ever separate. You never want to. Can you imagine having the mental prowess of eighty other minds all working together? Even in our sleep we do not separate.”

  Even in their sleep? Noir shook off the slightly disturbing concept. Noir had feared there would be something like this. “I really need you to do it for me.” He met Steven’s eyes for a long moment.