by Ross Buzzell
“Do you two always have to be last in class?”
Disa’ani looks over at his best friend as Man’Sanfur stifles a laugh.
“Do you always have to be hyper punctual?”
Their attention is yanked back forward as Ti’s booming voice rolls over the room:
“Quiet cadets! Today is the day you all have been waiting for. The day you get to choose the weapons you will be training with and carrying with you for the rest of your lives. If you pass your tests today, you will be placed in division school based on your grade and assigned a platoon to train with for the next six years until you graduate to advanced placement.”
Ti draws Starfall from his back and holds it out for the class to see. Everyone gasps in awe of the ancient weapon except Konner whose eyes are locked onto its brilliant sheen.
“Before we do, can anyone tell me what this is?”
Man’Sanfur answers the question with a booming response that makes some of the other cadets’ jump.
“Starfall sir, the ancient blade of our ancestors that allowed this planet to first form sir!”
Ti looks impressed at Man’Sanfur’s response and nods as he begins to pace the front of the room, blade still outstretched.
“Very good, your mother has taught you well. Can anyone else tell me HOW it allowed the planet to form?”
The cadet with yellow hair shyly raises her hand. Ti points the blade at her and acknowledges her request to speak. She speaks with a soft yet commanding voice keeping her eyes forward at all times.
“It absorbed energy from Boron itself allowing the stars which caused our crystalline surface to stabilize into orbit.”
An impressed look falls on his face as he nods once more.
“Excellent Bara’Helor. Now, for the final question? Why is this not to be touched?”
Ti looks directly at Konner. His voice colder than usual as his glare gradually intensifies. Konner feels his heart skip a beat as a pit in his stomach begins to form. The cold glare of the Zellor family usually only meant one thing, trouble and Konner could not afford the kind of trouble that this would bring.
“Konner Lorian, do you mind telling us!”
The statement was not a question or a request but a firm, spine stiffening command. At that moment Konner feels his confidence leave him. His eyes shoot down to the ground to avoid eye contact with his stern instructor. The soft whisper of his friend Disa’ani echoes through his ears as it barely breaks the deafening silence that continues to grow.
“Konner, you got this.”
The word of encouragement gives Konner the tiniest boost of confidence to look back up, but as he speaks his voice is barely more than a whisper.
“Because it has not chosen us.”
Ti’Zellor nods as he places the blade’s tip on the ground, resting his hand on the hilt, he nods in minor frustration at the future king of the planet.
“Yes Konner because it has not chosen you, unlike the weapons you will be choosing today. Starfall choses its wielder and it comes at a great cost. If any of you were to touch it you would see its history, feel its power and it would destroy your mind. Konner will you please come up here, the rest of you may choose your weapons.”
Ti’Zellor re-sheaths the sword. Konner looks nervously at both of his friends who look at him with clear concern for their friend before the excited cadets push past them nearly knocking the smaller Konner over. Konner takes a step forward and approaches the front of the class. Disa’ani and Man’Sanfur move to the walls to observe the weapons with the rest of the excited class. As Konner approaches Ti, the general kneels before him. Konner’s heart pounds so hard inside his chest that the fear of the general hearing his fear began to grow in his mind only feeding his anxiety.
“I’m sorry General; please do not tell my father of this.”
Ti places a hand on Konner’s shoulder and looks the visibly shaken Konner in the eyes.
“You’re a soldier cadet; we do not inform parental authorities of infractions. We deal with them ourselves. There is something very special about you cadet. You’re curious, none of the others would have made contact with Starfall but you did and somehow you survived, not a feat that many others have achieved. But just because you are special does not mean that you will escape the ‘Trial Grounds.’ You are to spend three hours there under the supervision of my brother and me today.”
Konner’s jaw clenches tightly as the words ‘Trial Ground’ fall on his ears; he had broken a rule and he would honorably face his punishment. But the Trial Grounds was a wasteland of battle that was designed to break even the toughest of warriors and for a cadet to enter; only the highest level of rules must be broken. Konner nods in acceptance. He would bear his punishment. Even the High Prince was not above the rules of the land, but had he thought it through, deep in his heart, Konner knew he would touch the blade again.
“Yes sir, I accept your judgment. May I ask a single question sir?”
Ti looks at the cadet inquisitively; no other soldier he had ever trained had been so compliant or had such a thirst for knowledge. The noise of the other cadets finding their picks begins to fill Konner’s ears. He yearned for his weapon selection but the questions he had of the images seared into his mind from the blade could not go unanswered.
“Of course Konner.”
“What was it that the man with my family crest did to end the Titan Wars?”
Ti laughs some and shakes his head; he gives the prince a pat on the shoulder.
“Konner, there are some things that even the son of the High King is not privileged to, yet, but maybe one of these days, now go, select your weapon.”
Ti stands up as Konner turns and makes his way past his fellow cadets as the last of them fall back into place, weapons in hand. Konner approaches the wall and looks at what was left. His eyes venture over the swords, most of which were far too heavy or unruly for him to wield. The mace was out of the question for the same reason. A spear quickly catches his eye and Konner walks toward it. Observing the long weapon Konner puts his arms out to his side and shakes his head. He was too small for the spear. In the back corner the light from the room gleans off a single blade on the far wall. This catches Konner’s attention. Turning, Konner quickly runs over to the weapon and sees a long straight single-edged blade which reaches two and a half feet in length, with an extra foot for the handle.
Konner reaches out and grasps the handle of the weapon. All his worry melts away as he lifts it, surprise strikes him at how light the sword is. He gives it a few swings. The length was a little cumbersome but nothing he would not get use to and grow into. A smile forms on his lips as he nods. Holding up the blade he observes it with close scrutiny as his father had taught him to do. The sensation of all of the eyes in the class being on him was barely noticeable amongst the sense of euphoria he feels for selecting his first weapon. Konner lowers the blade and turns to the class who all immediately face forward. The young prince silently walks back over to his position in the lineup; looking to his right Man’Sanfur stands with a long handled, thick bladed great sword whose height was nearly as tall as he. Konner’s eyes travel the length of the double sided blade with its triangle tip and small teeth set half way up. The two handed grip fit Man’Sanfur perfectly. Konner then looks at his other friend Disa’ani who stands holding a long spear in his right hand and a second in his left. As Ti’Zellor walks up and down the aisles of cadets and inspects their weapons, Konner whispers to Disa’ani:
“Are those even tactically sound?”
a huge grin forms on Disa’ani’s mouth as he nods his head.
“Oh yeah, two are always better than one!”
Ti passes Disa’ani and looks at his weapon choice with unique confusion before nodding in passive approval.
“Unorthodox, I wonder if you can pass your weapons test with both of those.”
Disa’ani nods with pride as Konner stands back at attention.
“I will sir!”
Konner
catches Man’Sanfur rolling his eyes at their less than serious friend. Ti makes his way back to the front of the classroom. Outstretching his hand, a rectangle begins to glow on the floor as a piece of metal floats upward into the air. Ti turns and faces the class standing behind the floating metallic sheet. He presses a few glyphs. Konner strains to see what the teacher is doing but his view is obstructed by the other cadets in front of him.
“The weapons you have selected will be what you will train with and carry into battle with you for the rest of your lives. While they may be too big for you right now, I assure you that you will grow into them.”
Ti presses a glyph and looks up at the class. A thin beam of light sweeps across the room from top to bottom scanning the weapons the students have selected. Konner closes his eyes as the beam passes over him; the white light is bright and unforgiving as it probes the makeup of the weapons chosen. Konner opens his eyes and as they readjust, floating before him is a hard light replica of his chosen sword. Konner reaches out and grasps the handle; the weapon feels exactly the same as the real weapon. Konner’s eyes stay fixed on the hard light construct as his teacher speaks in the background.
“What you have before you is the hard light construct of your weapon.They are programed to behave as a real weapon with one exception, if striking a fellow student the construct will shatter revealing the victor without any dismemberment or death. Place your weapons to the side, pare up and I want each of you to cycle through one another and practice sparring with each other. I will be coming around and giving pointers as I see fit.”
Konner looks over at Disa’ani as Man’Sanfur pairs off with Bara’Helor. Konner lifts his sword up in front of him holding the hilt with both hands. Its weight was light and its balance near flawless but the length of the sword was slightly too long for his still growing body. Disa’ani grasps one of his spears with a reverse grip and the other with a forward grip. Konner looks up at his lifelong friend and with a smile on his lips and an eyebrow raised; the word escapes his lips almost in a whisper.
“Ready?”
Without a second’s hesitation Disa’ani lunges at Konner jabbing a spear at him. Konner dodges the jab and holds his sword up in a blocking stance as Disa’ani’s second spear clashes with the blade causing it to slide away from Konner. Disa’ani spins, using the back of his spear as a weapon but Konner drops his blade down, successfully blocking his sparring partner’s third attack in as many seconds. Disa’ani spins once more and tries to knock Konner off his feet but Konner is able to duck and slide under his friend’s attack resulting in him getting behind Disa’ani. Konner draws his sword from the ground up to deliver what would be a victorious blow against his friend but his blade, which is too long, catches on the ground. With a tug backward Disa’ani spins, getting the upper hand. He knocks Konner’s sword out of his hand causing it to skid across the floor, past Man’Sanfur as his blade shatters on Bara’Helor’s chest.
Disa’ani brings the tip of his spear down as hard as he can trying to gain the victorious blow but Konner shoves off the ground and slides out of the way. The hard light spear drives itself into the stone floor, chipping it slightly. Konner regains his footing and charges at his friend. He takes a deep breath as everything around him blurs into obscurity except his target. He remembers what his father had told him. ‘Keep your eyes forward and your mind clear, a solution will be presented.’ Disa’ani spins and jabs a spear at Konner. Taking a deep breath everything seems to slow down for Konner for a brief moment. He looks Disa’ani up and down and reads his movements as if he were reading a book. Each and every micro twitch of his muscles gives away what his next movement will be, rotating to the side and onto one foot Konner pushes off the ground with all his might. To Konner everything moves in slow motion as he rotates through the air; Disa’ani’s spear moving so close to the prince that his robes are sliced by the head of the spear. Konner continues his rotation. Reaching out with one of his hands, he clasps the back half of Disa’ani’s second spear. Using the torque of his rotation Konner is able to rip the second weapon from his friend’s hand as he lands on the ground. In a single fluid motion Konner crouches and extends one of his legs. With a firm spin he knocks Disa’ani’s feet out from under him and as his footing is lost. Disa’ani begins to fall face first into the ground. Before he strikes the floor Konner completes his rotation, faces Disa’ani and hurls his friend’s own weapon at him.
The spear shatters into thousands of shards of hard light and dissipates almost instantaneously as Disa’ani hits the ground. Konner smiles, a wave of pride washes over him as it settles in that he was able to best one of the best fighters in the class without a weapon. Konner gradually becomes aware of his surroundings; once more he notices that all eyes were on him. Only half the class had already finished their sparring, but mid fight or not they all wanted to watch Konner duel. Ti’Zellor had even stopped giving other student pointers to see Konner work. Man’Sanfur approaches his friend with a smile on his face.
“You and I fight next; I wish to have a battle of such skill.”
Ti’Zellor approaches Konner and helps Disa’ani to his feet. He is visibly disappointed in his defeat. A low hum rings through the hallways. The other cadets drop their hard light weapons and they each disappear into shattered light and glowing oblivion. Ti addresses everyone, placing his hand on Konner’s shoulder as he does.
“Take your weapons home and practice. We will continue this exercise tomorrow.”
As everyone begins to leave Konner tries to move for his newly claimed weapon. Ti’Zellor’s firm grip holds him in place. This does not go unnoticed by Disa’ani and Man’Sanfur who both hesitate to leave their friend behind. Konner nods them on.
“Go ahead you guys. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
They hesitate before reluctantly leaving him behind with their instructor. Konner looks up at Ti’Zellor. Concern fills his face as worry creeps into his mind once more, that he had done something wrong.
“Did I do something wrong sir?”
Ti shakes his head as he lets Konner go. Walking over to Konner’s real sword, he bends down and carefully picks it up off the ground.
“Quite the opposite Konner, that was some skill you showed today which is something rarely seen in these halls. That being said…”
Ti approaches Konner and offers his sword back to him, hilt first. Konner reaches out and slowly wraps his small fingers around the blade as Ti continues.
“That does not excuse you from Training Grounds. Report there in ten minutes.”
With that Ti leaves Konner alone in the room as he was before the class started; a faint noise echoes through the empty room that resembled glass rolling over a hard surface. Konner looks down to see the chip Disa’ani made in the floor, pulling the pieces back into itself and fixing the damage.
Reluctantly Konner lifts his cloak; the hole catches his attention and he sticks a finger through the gap that Disa’ani had made. A soft chuckle finds its way from his lips before he throws the robe over his shoulder revealing a snug fit suit comprised of black dragon scales. A metallic belt rests on Konner’s waist and the family crest standing in the center of Konner’s waist facing forward; a unique armor trait for the Boronian royal families. The young warrior prince places his blade on the hip of the belt. The blade is pulled to the belt by a powerful magnet and collides with a loud reverberating ‘clang.’ A band of metal forms from the belt onto the blade itself at the base of the handle and extends rapidly encasing the razor sharp weapon in a protective case.
With a deep breath Konner’s eyes fall on the door. The last thing he wanted to do was go to what awaited him on the far side of that door but it was something required of him. With his mind racing, Konner leaves the classroom; the lights flicker off as the room descends into darkness after he leaves. He walks out from under the corridor’s cover and onto a small grassy field that lay in the courtyard of the Academy. Konner allows his eyes to scan the sleek rolling structure that makes up
the school. The blue sun had passed the midpoint in the sky and had begun its journey down. Konner looks down at the green grass beneath his feet. He follows the path of the wide courtyard as it disappears over a slight hill not ten meters away along with the rest of the Academies structures. Konner begins his trudge up the slight incline. As the hill begins to crest, the Trial Grounds arena peeks past the comfort of the Academy and into Konner’s line of sight, as if taunting him for being sentenced to three hours in the arena.