by Sean Watman
“You said my real training would start?” I prompted him. He looked up at me, as if I were a stranger to him, and then the spark reignited in his eyes as he remembered what I was here for. With a curt nod, he waved his hand, and another door appeared behind him. This one smaller than the last, but it looked much older.
“Have you lost yourself in your memories?” Gron's voice interrupted me, bringing me back to the present. “Do not worry; this room makes you remember things more strongly. My guess is that the magic in the viewer's table extends farther than the table itself, but I never could confirm my theory.”
“It looks like you've had all the time in the world, hanging out here in seclusion,” I replied coldly. Gron's body shifted as he noticed the tone in my remark, like he was bracing himself for something.
“I have not had enough time, boy.” I flinched out of fear of his threatening tone. “I have experienced things far worse than you know, than you can ever dream. Learn to respect your elders, or else far worse things than a lecture will befall you.” He paused for a moment. He looked like he was hesitant to tell me something, but he continued regardless.
“I have been using the viewer's table to track not only Tundar's movements, but the Kreydurs who have been trying to locate the Magician's Core.” I stared at him for a moment, completely confused. My blank stare cued him to explain what this Magician's Core was exactly.
“The Magician's Core is where the spell that changed the landscape of this country was cast. Unfortunately, it can also be undone from that point. The good news is that it would require a magician with immense power to break the seal on the land, which is why the Kreydurs are desperately searching for it. They can feel the magii, as can everyone who has unlocked their magii chambers, that pulses from underground. But they will never find the Core, not as long as I am here.”
“So you know where the Magician's Core is?” I asked. I have to admit, this really piqued my curiosity. If I found out where this place was, I could discover one of the oldest artifacts of Pyrus. Then I would be recorded in history! I imagined myself digging up ancient ruins buried under the soil, just waiting to be discovered.
“Of course I know where it is located!” Gron cried out defensively, obviously hurt by my question. “You know where it is as well.” I looked at him for a minute, waiting for him to say “I'm just kidding!” but he just continued sipping his darn tea.
“Um … no I don't,” I replied, trying to tell him by my tone and stare that I thought he sounded like an idiot. He returned my stare, except he was better at it—he must have had some practice.
“Yes, you do,” he replied slowly, as if talking to a child. “You are standing in it right now.” What he said blew my mind.
“B … but, I don't understand!” I stammered. “I thought you said this was the record house of Pyrus? Did you lie to me?”
“I did no such thing.” His voice rose somewhat in annoyance. “This is the record house of Pyrus, but it is also the Magician's Core. This is one the oldest buildings in Pyrus, and by far the most magical. It took ten of the king's top magicians to create the seal that transfers the magii contained in the core all throughout the country; otherwise, anyone could find it. Why do you think Centurion stands guard outside almost all of the time?” At the mention of his name, I looked around and realized that Centurion really wasn't here. I felt so embarrassed that I forgot about him.
“Now, that is enough resting time for you; stamina is key for the kind of training you are receiving.” He rose quickly and waved his hand toward a wall to create a door. Well, at least it explains how doors can appear everywhere, I thought, trying to stay positive. I was beginning to understand how this place worked, and it was all because of the door. In order to return to the sitting room, what I called the main room, a black door must appear. The training room was marked by the old wooden room. I just had to memorize the door colors and patterns, and I would be fine.
As I entered the training room, Gron was standing quite far away from me. I couldn't tell if he was facing me or not, until he called out two words that I was really getting annoyed of hearing: “Defend yourself!” A flaming arrow came whizzing past me a second later, nicking my shoulder. It wasn't enough for me to cry out, but the force was strong enough to make me bleed.
“The volcanic land now asleep …” I began to chant out, but was interrupted by an arrow cutting my knee. There is no way he is this bad of a shot, I thought, reviewing the obvious. He won't give me enough time to finish the chant, so maybe if I skip it …
“Leo, Kreysire!” I called out. I still felt the drain of magii from my core; actually, it was much stronger this time. It felt as if nearly half of my magii was gone by the time it had stopped. Leo had skipped his animal form, because I felt the cloth box in my hand. This whole process took three seconds, but Gron was continuing to fire arrows at me. Each one nicked my arms and legs, the shots getting more accurate with every second I remained in that spot. I needed to time to concentrate so that my magii would flow to the box.
Leo, I can't do this alone! I wordlessly pleaded for him to help me. Since he was in his weapon form, I thought he couldn't hear me, and that I was just talking to myself, so I was surprised when I heard his gruff voice in my thoughts.
I do not understand your question. Leo's voice rang in my head. You are wielding me right now, so am I not helping you? I almost laughed out loud once I heard his voice. I had forgotten that we didn't need words in order to speak to each other. I felt closer to him than ever, but at the same time, I was completely horrified. Could he read my most precious thoughts and secrets?
I see only what you want me to see, and hear only what you want me to hear, Leo replied, answering what I thought was a private question. This could take some getting used to.
Leo spoke to me again, and I could feel the sarcasm in my head. Now, unless you want to continue bleeding until you die from blood loss, I would suggest that you move.
But where can I move to? This place is a blank prison! I replied desperately. Moving was obviously the only thing I could do.
Charging forward would be the best option, Leo replied calmly. It will not only throw him off of his game, but give you the time you need to get me released. Without a second thought, I charged forward, ignoring the cries of my legs and arms. I placed a left hand a few decimeters away from my right side, the cloth gripped so tightly I thought I would break it. I tried so hard to imagine the sword that I got a headache. The details were as clear as day to me, even though it could have been weeks, even months, since I had seen it—the ruby red gem blazing in the center of the ocean blue guard, the flames dripping off of the sunset red blade.
Everything was coming back to me, and as if in response to my memories, the box opened and began to change. The flame shot out and condensed into the sword almost instantly. I noticed Gron's look of surprise as I gripped my new weapon and leaped into the air, screaming like a madman while I raised Leo for the finishing blow. Gron quickly raised his bow in a defensive position. I could hear the clash of my sword upon his bow, the agonizing ringing sound of steel colliding with steel.
We were locked in a power struggle. The person who caved would lose. During this close-combat sudden death, I got a chance to fully examine Centurion's weapon form. He had two parts: the bow itself, which was crimson red, as was the bowstring, with a flaming aura surrounding it. The second part I could see was a topaz yellow belt which housed a quiver of flaming arrows. All of the shafts were orange, while the heads were all the same crimson as the bow.
“That is enough for today,” Gron grunted through clenched teeth. He was obviously having trouble maintaining his position. I could hear his breaths become heavier and feel the tension of our weapons as they remained locked in battle. I felt a force began to push me away from Gron, and I struggled to not give in. The spell intensified, and I had no choice but to surrender to the pull.
“Recall Leo and let us get you all bandaged up before you have to use
more magic to heal yourself,” Gron said, his breaths shallow as he walked toward me. I could tell something was wrong with him as he walked. Wrinkles appeared under his eyes, which seemed to have lost their intensity. Centurion disappeared from his hand; he probably returned to guarding the entrance to this place.
“That sounds good,” I replied casually, sweeping a lock of hair about a meter long from my face and pushed it back behind my ears. I then remembered what I had wanted to do.
“Wait, Gron! I have a request.” He waved his hand at the door, and his eyes looked at me oddly, almost suspiciously.
“Go on …” he replied. Feeling rather embarrassed about what I was going to ask, I stared at the ground as my face grew red.
“Can I have a haircut sometime before I leave this place? I've lost track of time since I first came here, and it's getting quite long.” He stared at me for a moment, and then laughed at me. Actually, as I think about it now, I think he was laughing because he was expecting something important instead of something that silly. Well, it was quite sad that I hadn't just asked Leo to burn it all off, but that would involve pain on my part, and I don't like pain.
“I will see what I can do,” he said, still chuckling a little. “In the meantime, you will need to rest up; we are going to continue training tomorrow, and the next day, until you can no longer stand, let alone walk.” Oh joy! That was exactly what I wanted to hear, I thought grimly. But then my mental willpower decided to say hello. Remember what you came here for. You learned Leo's name, and you need to learn how to use the power that you have.
With that in mind, I gave Gron a quick good-bye, and with a wave of his hand, a blue door came into view. I assumed that it led to what would be my bedroom for my stay, and I was absolutely wrong. When I stepped through that door, I entered what looked like a gauntlet of death. It had everything in it: spiked floors, boulders falling from the ceiling, and jets of flame spewing from the walls.
“Just a taste of what you will be doing tomorrow.” Gron said. At first I thought he was joking, but I realized that he wouldn't joke about something that deadly. Believe me, if I was any older, I would have had a heart attack—I almost did.
Keep calm, Jack. As long as we are together, the word “impossible” is thrown out of the equation, Leo said. He sounded so confident and calm that I couldn't help but believe him. I felt a strong sense of affection for my new friend. He and I shared a bond that people couldn't even begin to describe—and not just because he was a flaming lion. I could speak to him without using words. I could feel his emotions through his thoughts.
A pink door appeared next to me. I decided that I wasn't going to assume anything anymore, and I walked through into the endless black completely terrified that I was going to come face-to-face with some giant monster. Luckily, I was spared this by the greeting of a blank room with a brown desk and a matching chair, a white bed, and a black dresser. Deciding to explore what I had been given, I walked over to my dresser. The doors looked ancient, with old-fashioned knobs, and there were dents in many places. The desk was in better condition. There was a red-covered book on top with a note attached to it and a quill pen in an ink bottle. The note read:
“Jack, you can use this journal to record your adventure here. You can write down your thoughts and emotions and keep the legend of the Kreydurs alive. Gron.” I was so excited to write down everything, but I was too tired to even remember where to start. With a quick plop, I fell onto my squishy bed and fell asleep with a smile that could light up the night.
Chapter 19: The Bait
For months I had remained on the same schedule. First, I would wake up and write a couple of pages in my journal. Then, Gron would summon me to the sitting room where I would learn what I was going to have to master for that day. Then, I would be sent to either the training room or the gauntlet of doom, depending on the day. I switched between them every other day. On the days that I was in the training room, Gron would help me learn the ways of the sword. I learned how to slash, block, parry, and much more.
The gauntlet days were brutal. It was all about endurance, whether it was dodging boulders and flames or dancing through spikes. What made it worse was that Gron added something new to the gauntlet every day I worked there. The most recent ones were balancing on one foot on a tightrope above a fiery pit of lava, and running across a collapsing path with blades twice my size on swinging pendulums in the way.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally got my haircut. My hair, which had grown used to be down past my knees, is now short and spiked up in the front. I like how it is now, thankfully. The reason why I say that is because Gron used scissors that still had some magii enchantments on them, so my hair will never grow until the enchantments wear off, which Gron said would take a while.
I don't see Centurion often. I understand his job is important, but he rarely speaks to Gron or me. The only time I see him is in the training room when Gron uses his arrows to help train. I don't stay secluded in this place, however. Rarely, Gron gives me a day to rest and relax, so I spend it going outside. Even outside I don't see Centurion, so where he guards remains a mystery. What I look forward to every day are the meals. Gron and I eat in the sitting room, but it is not the food that makes it amazing, it is the conversation.
Every day I ask Gron questions. Some are simple, such as where the true palace is located, while others are more difficult to answer, like the origin of the Kreysors and magii on this planet. I learned that Tereer was actually a single continent and that Pyrus was located at the bottom. The only ocean was the one in Tidran, and nothing existed beyond those waters because the world is flat. In between Pyrus and Tidran are Cyclos, the country of lightning, Toxicon, the country of poison, Bouldone the country of Stone, Forix the country of wood, Raye the country of light. The names of the countries continued. . Tundar rests at the far north of the continent, isolated from the other countries by its tall mountains.
Gron will summon us soon, it would be best to finish up. Leo speaks in my head. I close my journal and place my quill pen back into its ink pot. I walk over to my dresser and cringe as I always do whenever I hear the screeching as I open the doors. I have received two more pairs of clothes, plus pajamas from Gron, who told me that walking around in a torn and tattered shirt and pants was asking for trouble. I chose my blue shirt with black pants and a red vest, ignoring the shoes. I haven't worn them since I first arrived here, so it felt uncomfortable to put them on.
Right on cue, the black door that leads to the sitting room appears before me. As I walk through the door, my mind gives me a quick nudge. How long have you been here for? How old are you now? I find it best to ask these questions to keep reminding myself that I was not originally a part of Tereer, but it fills my heart with the longing of home. I could be in university right now, or have a successful career, but I would never know. Tears run down as I remember that I am the Kreydur of Pyrus, the ambassador of this country.
Gron saw my tears as I entered the room, but he pretended to take no notice. Feeling my face grow hot, I quickly wipe my tears in shame at letting him see my thoughts. Although I consider him my mentor and love him dearly, Gron is a mystery to me. He never talks about his past, and when I made the mistake of asking him once, I didn't receive training for three days. Centurion is as equally quiet on that subject, but he is quiet in general. Gron can become impatient and has an annoying tone when he gets so. He begins to slow down his words when he speaks, and he becomes condescending.
“Today we are going to try something new,” Gron begins. Already I have questions, and I haven't even learned what we are doing. We never do anything different from training with Leo and my own physical training.
“I am going to introduce you to a new spell, and we are going to experiment with magic in general for the next few days.” I respond with a nod, completely in awe. Up until this point, my magii chambers have only been expanded from summoning Leo—not that that hasn't increased their size. I think my chambers are now five
or six times the size that they were when I came here. I'm not concerned whether or not I can perform the spells, just concerned whether I can hold back my new strength.
With a wave of his hand, the door to the training room materialized, and I followed Gron through it. Gron had brought in a few mats a few weeks ago for practicing with Leo, but we end up passing the mats today.
“I want you to use Trublind to find the four magical artifacts that I have scattered across this room. Each one can only be seen by its magical energy and requires a different task in order for it to be obtained.” With a curt nod, I close my eyes and call out to my core. I forgot the tingle that passes through my body when I channel. The feeling was relaxing and tickling.
“Trublind.” When I say the word, I feel no change in my magii. There is no drain, not even the realization that I am losing magii. The only way I can tell that the spell is actually working is from seeing the blue aura pulsing around my body. I'm amazed at how much I've grown. Before I came here, I could barely hold the spell for twenty minutes, but now I feel like I can hold it for days. Gron gives me a quick nod and motions with his hand for me to leave—my quest for the artifacts begins.
I start to walk around the room, looking for anything pulsing bright blue. My eyes become fixed on a giant stone pillar that here yesterday. It doesn't look like it is climbable by a person, but that doesn't mean claws are out of the option. Leo, I have a favor to ask of you. I need you to climb up the pillar for me if you can and see if there is a magical artifact hidden up there. Leo materializes in front of me, his entrance way more subtle than Centurion's flaming tornado. He stretches his neck upward and judges the distance. He then says,