by LJ Andrews
Killian looked at the large stone clock on his wall. It was late morning and he needed to speak with Nathaniel and Miller about his decision. Just as he was about to step out his door, a pounding knock caused him to jump back.
Timidly, Killian opened the door. A large young man, about his age, stood in front of him. He was dressed in similar gray clothing, but everything else on him was eccentric and colorful, just like Fia had dressed. He had bright red hair with blue tips, gold earrings in both ears, and a blue jeweled ring in his brow. But his eyes were what stopped Killian, for just as Fia, he had deep brown eyes with bright, jubilant orange flames behind the color.
"Killian Thomas?" he asked in a deep voice, hinted with a strange accent. The burly young man crossed his fist along his chest. It appeared to be a greeting. Killian would rather have the odd salute compared to the soft kisses Fia gave.
"Uh...yes."
"Please come with me." The young visitor turned on his heel and began to walk away.
"Where? I'm not sure I should go with someone apart from Connor or the Director. Who are you and then maybe I'll come with you."
"My name is Dax. And I don't appreciate your tone, Thomas. Ponderi recruits show respect, and you seem to have little of that." The man's tan face literally appeared to let off steam.
"Excuse me? I don't know who you are and why you want me to follow you. Maybe it's just me being new here, but most people give others a little more information to go on."
The tan young man huffed and tensed his shoulders, causing the muscles in his neck to bulge. "That's what I'm here to do; I was given orders to escort you to the upper floor. I follow my orders and I expect you to follow yours."
Killian felt angry. He could feel his face scrunching up in annoyance. "What orders? I just woke up buddy, so don't come here all soldier-like telling me what to do." Dax's expression changed slightly, he seemed to believe Killian truly didn't know who he was. After a small awkward pause, a cheery ding sounded from Killian's room. Dax darted into the room with Killian shuffling behind. On the bedside table, the wooden top had lit up into a blue screen. Dax gulped and tapped the screen revealing a message. Stepping back sheepishly, Dax nodded for Killian to read the odd tabletop message.
Killian,
One of our head recruits, Dax, will be coming to escort you to my office so you can inform us of your decision. Please follow him to the upper floors. Hope you slept well.
Nathaniel
Killian turned around smugly. "So, want to try asking me to come with you again...Dax, was it?"
Dax pursed his lips before turning on his heel and marching out of the room. Killian chuckled, pleased he'd brought the haughty recruit down a little bit.
The ride to the upper floor with Dax was awkward, they didn't speak. The only words Dax said to him was a reminder of which door was the office before he whizzed away in the hidden elevator.
Killian knocked hard on the thick door and was quickly met by Miller, who ushered him into the room.
“Good morning, my boy," Nathaniel bellowed in a cheerful voice. "Would you care for a hot drink? There is tea, coffee, even hot cocoa over near the window there," he said pointing to a small coffee cart. It was covered in small baskets that held various assortments of garnishes for the drinks. Killian waved a hand in refusal and sat in the same chair he had used the night before.
He shifted nervously in his seat as Nathaniel peered at him over his drink.
"I trust you slept well?" Killian nodded as the two older men sipped from their mugs.
"Are there any questions you have for us after our conversation last night?" Miller asked with a kind smile.
He wanted to ask him about the possibility of his parents being alive, but he didn't want to let on Connor had told him. Suddenly he remembered another person. "Mercedes...have you heard anything else about her. I... just want to make sure she's okay."
"Mercedes Forino is safe at home and one of our scientists has seen to it that she believes the events of yesterday were all a dream."
"What? She won't remember it was real? How?”
“Another serum. It was given to her as she left yesterday. It’s better this way. Imagine how Miss Forino would live her life, knowing there are horrific creatures roaming the Hemisphere. She will go to her summer classes on Terrene this morning, thinking she had a horrible nightmare. Of course, as a precaution, we have two recruits keeping watch over her at a distance. It’s standard precaution since the Malumians picked up her scent as well during the attack. We are certain they won’t bother her again, however, since it seemed they were programmed to attack you.”
Killian nodded, but still felt a twinge of sadness in his heart. He was grateful she was being protected, but Mercedes had touched him somehow. She had saved him from the wolf and was the first person in a long while he felt could be trusted. Now he would simply be a memory from a nightmare to her.
Killian breathed out loudly, allowing his body to relax into the metal chair.
"Well, I suppose we should cut to the chase. Are you going to stay with us in the Praetorium?" Nathaniel gazed over his silver mug at him.
Killian processed Connor's advice once more; he wouldn't be safe at home, there is a small chance his parents were alive, and he had to learn if Merlin's relic had affected him in some way by the odd power Connor's instructor had mentioned.
"I have decided to stay."
Nathaniel clapped his hands together and Miller beamed. He couldn't tell who was more pleased with his decision. "Marvelous, I cannot begin to tell you what a relief this is. You will be most valuable in the search for the relic, and possibly other relics," Nathaniel exclaimed.
"I don't know about that, but I'll try."
"No, you don't understand Killian, you are connected to your relic. It will be far easier for you to find it than one of us."
"Okay, I'll go with that for now. What do I need to do?"
"I want to enroll you in Recruit training."
"What does that mean?"
"Oh, my, you will be trained on everything. You'll learn weaponry, hand to hand combat, proper realm etiquette, oh, and of course survival skills. The different realms each house their own dangers. You need to go through realm school first, though."
"What's realm school?"
"It's just a small class covering each realm. It will explain what makes individual realms special—it’s only a few days, but beneficial. Remember how we mentioned our young members become Potentials?" Killian nodded. "You are going straight to realm school and skipping the Potential period altogether. In order to find your relic, you will need to be trained as a recruit."
Nathaniel sat back in his chair, noticeably tired. He held a small roll of papers in his hand that he'd pulled from his drawer. "I wish I could give you the opportunity to visit all the different departments, but you will need skills as a recruit to find your relic. So, my boy, take these orders down to the fifth floor. Forgive the paper, some things I still like to do 'old-school'. A least that's what the young people say.” Nathaniel chuckled. “I will send them your file; the information of your background. When you arrive, don't head into the recruit training door, go to the classroom next to it. Your instructors will meet you there. They will direct you on what to do after you complete the class." Nathaniel powered up his computer built into the fine marble top of his desk. The older man moved in such haste Killian knew the conversation was over, but he wanted to make them aware of one thing more.
"Sir?" Nathaniel looked up from his desk. "I... uh...well sometimes odd things happen with me. I'm wondering if it could be affects from wearing such a powerful relic for so long?" As he spoke, he had also caught Miller's undivided attention.
"What kinds of things Killian?" Miller asked.
He shifted his eyes between the two older men. "Well, sometimes I feel too much. I know it sounds strange, but it's like at times I can feel what everyone else around me is feeling...it can be overwhelming and make me feel physically sick." The
two men stole a quick glance to one another. Nathaniel appeared calm, but Miller looked worried. "And...and I also have had a lot of strange dreams before. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but it's been almost like I physically go somewhere, like it's not just a dream. From what you've described of me being separated from my grandmother as a kid, I'm pretty sure I've dreamed of her and witnessed the moment I was taken." He didn't expound that he believed he had also seen her the day he was attacked. "Does she have red hair?"
Miller's eyes widened and nodded slowly. "It's been years, but yes Rhetta had cinnamon colored hair."
Nathaniel cleared his throat, almost appearing reluctant to speak further about a strange ability. "Killian, I'd like you to monitor and inform me if you experience anything strange from here on out, but don't think too much on it. These things are most likely coincidences and effects from emotional stress in your life. But I assure you if anything continues, we will follow through with neurological testing and mental simulations. Now don't worry, and please enjoy your time today with the instructors. We are so glad to have you with us, my boy."
He bristled at the rushed conversation, but nodded and stood, making his way out the brilliant doors to catch the elevator to the fifth floor.
The training floor was much colder, with none of the charm from the upper floors. The walls and walkway were made of shining steel similar to the exterior of the building. Small, square windows high on the walls were the only source of light along the cool hallway. Walking on the smooth steel, Killian saw an unmanned desk nestled against the back wall in front of a large double door. Approaching the two doors, Killian could make out the black, bold lettering "Recruit Training" directly over the doorframe. Off to the side he noted the classroom. Inside, he saw three people huddled in a circle speaking to one another. When the door creaked open, they all turned to face him.
One woman had long black hair and glowing silver eyes. She smiled at Killian revealing faint lines in the corners of her lips. Another woman with bluish-purple hair tipped red gazed at him. Her eyebrows were completely made up of gold piercings, along with both nostrils. All the eccentric piercings were shadowed by her flame-red lipstick that accentuated her lips. The third was a pink-cheeked man. He wore a blue bandana on his head that held his long white hair out of his face. It was easy to figure he had one instructor from each of the main realms. Although each instructor was dressed in bland, gray or brown uniforms, each one had added something to differentiate themselves from the others. The Cimmerian woman had a dark ebony necklace filled with sparkling stones around her neck. The Ignisian woman had a colorful, yet attractive, scarf tied fashionably around her throat, and, of course, the Glacien had a similar sash around his waist just as the emperor from the Supraserum vision.
"Hello, Killian. Nathaniel said you would be attending realm school this afternoon. We're so pleased to have you join us," the Cimmerian said. Her voice was whimsical and enchanting, like a whispered song.
"You guys get messages quick here," Killian chuckled, handing her the rolled papers.
The woman nodded. "My name is Sasha, as you can see, I am from Cimmerian. This is Serefina, she is from Ignisia.” The bright haired woman smiled excitedly at him and waved as she took a few short steps toward him, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "And finally, this gentleman is Janus. He comes to us from Glaciem." The kind faced man smiled at Killian and bent low at the waist. The customs of the Ponderi were strange, but he enjoyed the obvious cultural greetings from each race.
"Please have a seat," Sasha said, ushering him with her hand. Killian followed her direction and found a soft chair in the center of the room.
"I suppose I will begin the lesson. This class is to simply give you an idea of each distinguishing factor in the three main realms. It will help you if you are a Custodis to understand what is important and special about each culture, does that make sense?"
Killian shook his head. “What’s a Custodis?”
The teachers glanced at one another before Sasha spoke. “Nathaniel didn’t tell you what a Custodis was?” Killian shook his head. “Strange. Your father was a Custodis. Killian, we assume you were told our society is full of different talents and jobs, right?”
“Yes, Nathaniel briefly mentioned something about young kids being Potentials in different departments.”
“True,” Janus said taking over dialogue. His voice was soft and calm, yet carried a brash Scandinavian accent. “Ve have many areas of employment. To name a few ve have engineers, medical staff, chefs, analysts and scientists, Beastians, recruits and finally Custodis recruits. I’m sure you can figure out vat most of zose departments control, but since you’ll be joining za recruits ve’ll discuss zat department.”
“The recruits oversee realm defense, and defense of the Praetorium. If there were ever an unlikely combat situation our recruits would lead us. They are skilled in many different areas,” Serefina explained.
“Nathaniel told me about weapons and combat training. It seems like a soldier.”
“In a way they are. But Custodis recruits, those are the realm jumpers.”
Killian scrunched his face and got lost in Serefina’s gold facial jewelry.
Sasha cleared her throat. “Custodis are the only recruits that travel through the track systems to other realms. In your forms here,” she said looking at the rolled paper, “it seems Nathaniel suspects you may be a Custodis too.”
“They want me to travel to the other realms?” Killian was flabbergasted.
“If you are able, not everyone can be a Custodis. Only certain blood types can link with the track system. If everyone could jump, the tracks would eventually use too much energy and collapse,” Janus said simply. “Does our explanation answer your question?”
Killian nodded slowly, unsure if he understood anything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
"Alright, let's begin." Sasha opened a case and pulled out what looked like a fluorescent light tube. She pressed a small silver button and immediately the walls in the room burst into enormous holographic screens. It was as if the room had formed a bubble around him and every direction was allowing him to experience a new realm. Killian gawked in awe as he saw two magnificent moons above him as the ceiling transformed into a brilliant night sky. One burst in ghostly pink light, while the second, smaller moon was a peaceful blue. An earthy smell filled his nose, the smell of twilight mixed with a fresh breeze.
"Cimmerian—or the magic realm—is the last Monarchy," Sasha began, waving her arms around the impressive screens. "The Queen's name is Maurelle, and she leads the Cimmerian people today. She comes from a grand line of wonderful leaders."
Killian saw a stunning woman walk the surrounding black stone streets. He could hear the bustle of the busy shops and the Queen's steps. She had flowing ebony hair and floated amongst her people with a regal grace. Every sparkling diamond sewn into her impressive purple gown glimmered in the moonlight and reflecting off her pale, flawless skin. She seemed so real, as if she were in the room with him. Killian locked onto her silver eyes that swirled like brilliant stars. She was truly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
"Of course, it's not necessary for you to know her lineage, only that her father was Claec."
Killian tore his gaze away from the beautiful queen. "Wait, Claec? The ancient ruler...he lived like hundreds of years ago, how can his daughter still be alive?"
Sasha smiled. "Killian not every realm ages the same. Cimmerian's have the longest lifespan, and we count our years in seasons, three seasons make up one of your years. We can live for thousands of seasons. Queen Maurelle has been alive for nearly seven centuries according to Terrenian time." Killian didn't know how to react; he didn't know if this was even possible. The Queen looked close to his age, but she was seven hundred- years-old! Sasha didn't wait for him to process the astronomical age difference, she continued with her lesson. "Each realm has their own language, but since the Ponderi's birth most have learned James Thomas
's common language."
"English?" Killian verified, understanding why everyone had unique accents. Sasha nodded and smiled.
"You were told Claec lost his position as Grand Master and the Ponderi was formed under his rule, correct?" Killian nodded. "Cimmerian's are a proud people and treasure their magic. I admit personally it's been hard for me not to summon my abilities. It is ingrained within us, but it's for the better good we don't. There is danger with magic. Remember these terms—Summoning, Binding, Extracting."
The images surrounding him altered to nothing more than the beautiful Cimmerian sky, glittered with pink, purple, blue, and white stars.
"These are the three spells Cimmerian's are experts at. Let me first explain summoning. A Cimmerian has the ability to summon unprotected artifacts or objects. It is very helpful if you need to find something and of course, it can make a person rather lazy." Sasha chuckled as if she were referring to herself. Killian smiled along with the other instructors.
“What do you mean unprotected?” He asked.
“Well, if something is hidden by a spell or highly guarded in multiple ways, summoning would not be able to access the object,” Sasha explained. Killian thought of the relics. It would make it much easier if a Cimmerian could simply summon one of the artifacts, but he was certain they all were heavily guarded. "Now for this class I've been given permission to provide an example. I may be a little rusty, so bear with me."
Sasha focused hard at one of the desks in the back of the room, with a loud crack the desk evaporated and reappeared in front of the room on its side. Sasha's lips turned down into a frown.
"Wow!" Killian was astounded. "That was amazing. Miller and Nathaniel said there was magic, but I... I never could imagine something like that." Sasha waved a hand in front of her, blushing at his praise.
"If I was practicing regularly, the spell would be silent, I could summon from a different room, and it wouldn't land in an atrocious way—you get the idea, though." She quickly corrected the desk and continued her lesson. "Do you have any questions so far about Cimmerian?" Killian shook his head. "Right. The other two charms are more dangerous and can unintentionally cause harm, so I won't be demonstrating. Binding" −an image of a Cimmerian appeared in front of him. The person crouched over another resting on a black tabletop− "is connecting another ability with your own. This is often used to keep unique traits within families. For example, as a family member begins to pass away, the living relative may bind the dying's power with their own. It adds upon one another. The Royal family is one of the longest in our history, so Maurelle, in theory, would be the most powerful person in the Hemisphere if she had bound powers to herself from her family. Binding is not public knowledge, we can only speculate whether she has bound her loved one's powers to her or not. A person may also bind their energy and power to someone who is ill, or requires healing. It can greatly help someone in a dire state of health. This form of binding takes great skill, and I would wager Maurelle may be one of the few skilled enough to successfully do it. Our queen is powerful. We are blessed to have her—she generously uses her abilities to better Cimmerian and other realms." The other two instructors nodded their agreement.