by Milo Woods
Keith wasn’t so bad. Seeko was mostly sure he had made the right choice about letting him stay with them.
But there was still a part of him that made him turn back to glance at Keith before he headed to the tent.
/ / / / /
The farther they marched from Irris, the dryer the land became. Lush green grasses turned to pale, sickly yellows. Eventually, grass stopped appearing altogether, replaced with short sagebrush and small cacti. The land faded to orange as they marched farther on, and all around the army stood large red and brown mesas that were home to the giant thunderbirds, or so Kazuma claimed.
Other than the mesas, the desert was as flat as a sheet of ice. As a result, the wind was relentless. Vast dust storms whipped up from time to time, slowing progress to a crawl as the army huddled together so as to not get separated.
The army made slow but steady progress to Vicussa. When the winds died down, only the sound of relentless marching remained. Occasionally, a group of soldiers would have a conversation about their home and how they wished the war was over. Seeko would listen in on these conversations and Keith would shake his head.
Seeko was staring into the ground below him when General Todd yelled out to stop. Seeko looked up. Vicussa was visible in the distance. The town sat below a mesa, preventing a way into it from behind. To the north of the city stood a large spire of rock, a solitary spear that rose above all.
“We make camp here. Tomorrow, we charge to battle!” Todd yelled over the clamor of halting soldiers.
The rest of the day moved slowly. Tomorrow, they were to fight. Tomorrow, soldiers would die. Seeko looked over at Mori, who sat at the tent, fiddling with her rapier. Seeko didn’t have the training of a soldier. He was going to die. Keith walked up to him, pulling him out of earshot from Mori.
“Are you sure Mori should be fighting?” he said, folding his arms. “Fencing isn’t a fighting style for taking on multiple opponents.”
Seeko scratched his head and looked back to her. “I’m more worried about me. She’s a better fighter than I am.”
“I’m not worried for you. You seem to have an unlimited amount of magic,” he said. “In battle, no one will be able to dodge a beam of your fire.”
Seeko imagined this, then asked, “So you’re worried about Mori?”
Keith looked back to the girl now practicing small movements with the blade. “It’s a light, fast fighting style. It’s better for one-on-one fighting. That’s why she is a better fighter than most, if she fights them alone.”
“What should we do then?” he asked.
“You can’t do anything about it. I will protect her if you cannot. It’s my purpose, now.”
Seeko smiled. “Thanks, Keith.”
“If you two die, I have nothing again. I’ll fight for you.”
Seeko couldn’t tell if that was sentimental or ironic. “I hope we one day mean more to you than just a job.”
Keith’s eyebrows rose slightly. “One day, hero. One day.”
/ / / / /
Dust blew around as the fully armed Irenic army marched toward Vicussa. Halcyon forces lined the desert, ready for the attack. Seeko stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers in the front line. Mori and Keith were on either side of Seeko. Kazuma was on the opposite side of him, ready to lead him and the rest of Grama Company.
Seeko examined the closest soldiers. Metal helmets hid Irenic faces, rendering them emotionless and distant. Drones on the field, ready to fight and kill and die. The opposing army observed its enemies across the field, their black tunics forming a wall of darkness.
Elegantly armored General Todd moved to the front of the army, mounted on a large white kitsean clothed in white and blue. He cleared his throat, saluting to his men. “Today will be a glorious day for the Irenic Empire, my soldiers! Today, we march on the city of Vicussa, a city that was ours, once upon a time. Today, we take back what is rightfully ours! Today, we fight back!
“We fought back for our homelands and protected Envoran from Halcyon invasion! We fought back and pushed them into Halcyon land! We fought back and beat them in their own city! Wherever the Halcyon have pushed, have prodded, have provoked, we have fought back!”
The soldiers sent a cheer into the air, banging their shields. Todd nodded to the officers in the front of the army, Kazuma and Seeko included. “Are you ready? Are you ready to fight back?”
Another cheer.
“Then let’s fight back!”
The loudest cheer yet rang through the dry desert air.
Seeko watched General Todd draw his sword and point it toward the Halcyon army. The noise around him dulled as soldiers suddenly charged past him, and Seeko took a deep breath. Then he rushed forward with the rest of the army, watching the figures move around him. What was he doing? He was in the middle of a battle, but he didn’t want to kill. His movement slowed and more soldiers flooded past him. I can’t do this.
A hand clenched Seeko’s shoulder and his senses came back to him. Mori ran alongside him, wearing chainmail under her red clothing. She pulled him along, keeping him from falling farther behind. A light shroud suddenly appeared in the sky. The shroud arched high into the air and fell toward Seeko and the people around him. Arrows! They fell closer toward their targets, a cloud of death.
Seeko waved his hand in the air and a green wave of fire burned through the arrows overhead. The arrowheads fell to the ground, harmless. Around him, others were deflecting the arrows with elemental shields of their own, but not everyone was so lucky. His eyes grew wide as the soldiers and their black-dressed counterparts merged into a mass of flowing bodies.
Seeko finally drew his sword, clashing against the blade of an opponent. The helmets of the Halcyon matched those of the Irenic. Every soldier clashed with an unknown enemy, faceless in battle. Seeko watched the blade of his opponent swing from side to side. He dodged the sharp edge with the training he’d learned in Asilis. The Halcyon soldier suddenly whipped water out of a skin on his side, pulling Seeko off his feet. He hit the ground with a dull thud and watched the soldier swing down at him.
Seeko clenched his eyes shut, unable to dodge the falling blade. A loud clash overhead forced his eyes back open. A large sword sat hovering above his chest with another pressed against it. Keith stood over Seeko and pushed the Halcyon soldier away with a swift kick.
Standing back up, Seeko drew on his spark. He blasted short bursts of fire into the helmet of the Halcyon. The enemy soldier held his face as he stumbled backward, no real damage caused to him. Seeko waved his hand to thank Keith, who only nodded as he turned to fight another charging Halcyon in the dust-filled air.
Seeko looked around during the momentary lull for Mori. She was nowhere within eyesight. Had he lost her? A large group of kitsean riders rode into a distant part of the battle, falling out of sight quickly afterward. Seeko fought his way across the battlefield, searching for Mori when he had the chance.
Swinging his sword and running around soon took effect on Seeko’s stamina. He breathed heavily, navigating through the brown and red maze of war. A loud screech echoed across the battlefield, catching Seeko’s attention. A bat, the same as in the forest, flew over the battle. “Demons!” he yelled while fighting the soldier before him. The bat flew into the mesh of Irenic soldiers, screeching in the distance. Dodging and blocking both swords and magic alike, Seeko finally made out a figure in red through the chaos.
Seeko weaved through the conflict, tripping toward Mori. Her face became visible through the dirt, looking over to see Seeko. She yelled to him, unheard above the loud clashing of metal as he ran toward her. A creature jumped onto an Irenic soldier in front of him, freezing him in place. The creature was the same as the wolf demon that had attacked him when he arrived in Endetia. Seeko’s mind reeled through images of the solder that was killed in Irris, and he watched it repeat, remembering his regrets. He rose and charged the demon, plunging his sword into the monster’s side with a roar.
The demon h
owled in pain and jumped away from Seeko, blood pouring from the beast’s side. Seeko’s palm caught fire and he sent a bright emerald flame into the monster’s head. The monster flopped to one side and Seeko noticed the attention the display had brought to him. Halcyon soldiers charged toward the hero. He pulled the Irenic soldier to a healer and ran through the battle to evade the wave of troops.
Mori had moved out of sight, leaving him alone again. He fought toward where he had last seen her, but she wasn’t there. He continued his search, using his green fire to push away those who attacked him. Dead bodies littered the ground that Seeko ran along. Soon he had come to the edge of the battle, where the lonely desert lurked. Where was Mori? He didn’t want her hurt. I need to know she’s safe, he thought as he searched for her from the sidelines.
Another screech drew close to him, and he saw a bat hover above the battlefield toward him. He drew on his spark, flailing fire at the beast. It burst through the flames, diving in on him. Its claws grabbed his shoulders and lifted him off the ground. It threw him after a moment, unable to continue holding his weight, and he fell to the desert.
Seeko tumbled along the ground to a stop. He coughed and stumbled back to his feet. The world spun in circles as he tried to focus on a desert shrub in front of him. The piercing pain in his limbs made it hard to focus, and he fell to his knees.
The spinning slowed to a stop, allowing Seeko to rise to his feet. The bat was gone and he discovered that he stood alone a distance away from the fight. He looked around for his sword, which he had dropped on impact.
The dust of the desert hid his sword, but metal reflected through the dirt and soon after the blade was back in his hands. Seeko looked back toward the fight and found someone opposing him.
A single soldier wearing a full helm stood between him and the main body of the Irenic army. The soldier beckoned. Seeko responded by charging at him. This soldier stood between him and his friends.
Their weapons clashed. Seeko tried to get around the soldier, but the soldier was fast, moving in his way, swinging quickly at him. Seeko had no choice but to fight the soldier, twirling his short-sword wildly in an attempt to disable the soldier. The foe dodged the attack, countering with a blast of wind that sent Seeko flying. Seeko landed and the soldier removed his helm …
… to reveal Yoshino.
Seeko rose with a roar, charging at him with sword in one hand and flame in the other, swinging both in tandem to land a hit on him. Yoshino countered with two swords, the second consisting of air, and blocked or evaded each of Seeko’s attacks.
Yoshino backpedaled, and at the same time, Seeko summoned a plume of green fire to rise up from under him. Yoshino was engulfed in flame, but shifted away and was behind Seeko a moment later.
Instantly, Seeko summoned another plume of fire right behind him, engulfing Yoshino again. Yoshino teleported away, reappearing in the air. He fired half a dozen orbs of pressurized air at Seeko, then sent a wave of darkness into him with tremendous force, sending Seeko sprawling. Yoshino landed gently away from the stunned hero.
“You passed all my tests!” Yoshino said. “This is fantastic!”
Seeko rose shakily and took a step back. “What tests? The fighting? I never touched you in any of our fights!”
Yoshino took a step closer, raising a palm. Darkness appeared underneath Seeko, enveloping his feet. He couldn’t move. “Yes! I have something for you.” He approached and Seeko couldn’t do anything but stare as he advanced. Yoshino placed his palm on Seeko’s forehead and smiled. “You should be proud. This is the first time I’ve done something like this to a human.”
Seeko flinched back from the touch. “Done what to a human?”
Yoshino laughed. “Why, turn you into a demon, of course.”
Seeko paled. “What the hell are you talking about?” he shouted. “Get away from me!” He tried to push Yoshino away, to escape. Yoshino stayed put.
Soon darkness coalesced before Yoshino’s palm. It formed into a small black ball, surging and swirling with menacing reds and violets. The darkness flew from his palm and into Seeko’s forehead. The darkness moved past his head, into his mind. Seeko writhed in agony as darkness assaulted his spark.
“Ah, this brings me back,” Yoshino said. “The Syran were my first experiment back when I was a young Akeni. There was an eighty percent fatality rate at first.” He frowned. “But I can still see the look in his eyes when Vishoni first heard the Kikoeru. What a resounding success! And Shima didn’t think I had it in me!”
Seeko was screaming at the top of his lungs. Why wasn’t anyone helping him? There was so much pain … His spark glowed brilliantly, trying to combat the darkness that invaded. It was failing, however, and Seeko was losing consciousness.
Yoshino continued to babble. “You passed my tests, so you should survive this. I don’t want you to die before we fully understand your memories. Hopefully, the Kikoeru will help me understand you better.”
The spark within Seeko felt dull. The once brilliant emerald beacon was now a minute throbbing glimmer. It was over, he knew. Once it goes out, I will die. The darkness enveloped the spark, Seeko’s last sensation.
17: Perspective
13 Sheri, 112 AV: Day 112
Kazuma was nothing. A hollow shell of void, surrendering to the abyss around him. He had felt this way once before, when his family was ripped from him by the Halcyon and their terrible monsters. This time, there would be no tears.
Yesterday, there were one hundred soldiers in Grama Company. Now there was only one. Their faces flashed in his mind, the ninety-nine men and women—his family.
He walked the long walk to General Todd’s white and blue tent. He paused at the entrance. Then the husk of a man pulled back the flap and entered.
General Todd was discussing the battle with an advisor, but the man whisked himself away when Kazuma entered. Todd sat down in one of the small chairs in the tent and gestured to Kazuma to sit in another.
Todd looked at Kazuma with no emotion. “You know why you are here, correct?”
Kazuma blinked and swallowed. He nodded.
“A soldier under your command betrayed the company and murdered them all. The resulting chaos caused the Irenic military to panic, and we lost a battle that was all but ours. Why did that happen?”
Broken, Kazuma just stared at Todd.
“You are relieved of duty,” Todd said. “Your rank as captain is gone. Your uniform and your sword, please.”
Kazuma obliged him—and once again became a civilian. Now there are zero in Grama Company.
“You can stay with the army until we are back in Irenic territory, and then I expect you gone. I don’t want to see you again, you hear me?” Todd squinted at Kazuma. “You will wear the burden of this defeat your entire life. Though you were not the one who betrayed us, you were responsible for him and you failed him. Now get out.”
Kazuma escaped the tent, his face a stone. He walked to the edge of the camp and looked at the vast expanse of the Vicussa Desert. That’s where he really belonged. Out there with the rest of the company, feeding the carrion birds. He paused. He would do no good out there. His thoughts shifted. It couldn’t have been his fault. Someone must have done something to him.
Before I kill him, maybe I should get the full story.
/ / / / /
In a tent on the edge of camp, Seeko lay on a bed, unconscious and barely breathing. Mori sat at Seeko’s side, holding his hand. She couldn’t bring herself to believe that this had happened to him. I didn’t have the courage to finish you, and now I don’t have the courage to leave you. What’s wrong with me?
Kazuma strode into the tent, dagger in hand. Mori’s tear-stained eyes locked onto him.
He returned her stare, revealing nothing. “Let me see him. We have unfinished business, him and I.” He twisted the dagger.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“All I want to do is even the score.” He took a step forward. “Move.�
�
She stood up, her arms barring the way to the wounded. “You can’t take it out on him!” Mori cried. “There is a man or a demon out there named Yoshino. He did this to Seeko! If you’re going to be mad at someone, be mad at him!”
Kazuma paused. “What does he look like? I want to know, so that I can rip his heart out. After I kill Seeko, of course.”
“No! Stay away!” Mori grabbed his arm and they began to struggle for the hero’s life.
/ / / / /
Keith entered the tent at that moment to see the strange sight. Mori was crying on the ground, Kazuma looming over her, dagger in hand. Keith blasted Kazuma’s dagger away from him with a rush of air. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“We were all there. We saw what he did. As a traitor, it is only reasonable for me to ask for his death as repayment.” Kazuma reached for his fallen dagger while Keith pulled out his claymore.
“Don’t move,” Keith said, “or I slice off your head.”
“Go for it. I have no reason to live. Just let me kill him first.”
Keith squinted at the man who had nothing. He felt as if he was staring into a mirror. Was he himself really like that? Was he still like that? “I understand your pain. But it’s not his fault. It was someone else.”
“Yes, this Yoshino that Mori was talking about. I’ll kill him, too, if my life doesn’t end here.”
Mori had recovered by now, standing at Seeko’s side again. “We all want a piece of him, Kazuma. Believe me, the next time I see him, I will destroy him.”
Keith gripped Kazuma’s shoulder. “Don’t blame Seeko for his actions. He would have never done something like that normally.”
Kazuma looked down. He stood for a moment, then said, “You’re right. He has a good heart. I’m sorry for trying to kill him.” He moved away from Keith and Mori. “Who is this Yoshino? My dagger and I would like to meet him.”
“He’s a dead man,” Keith said.
Kazuma nodded. “What are ya going to do with him?” He gestured to Seeko.