AGNOMAKHOS
by Ulquiorra9000
Prologue
"I've already made my decision! Don't try to stop me!"
Quickly, sixteen-year-old Alex crammed the last of his worldy possessions into a suitcase and snapped it shut in his tiny bedroom. In the doorway, his older sister Valerie had her hands on her hips, a dangerous look in her eyes.
"You can't do this, Alex," Valerie growled. "After all that's happened, you still act like the council of Twelve is innocent? Grow up!"
Alex picked up his suitcase and stood to face his sister, an inch taller than her. He had a mop of red hair and fair skin, not unlike his sibling's own fair tone and long, wavy locks. But unlike Valerie, Alex knew that his ultimate loyalty was to the city of Meletis and its guardians. And he wasn't going to hide that fact any longer. "I've already grown up. I'm not your little kid brother anymore," he told her firmly. His heart raced in his chest. "I know where I'm needed. Ever since the Shadow League invaded, things have been crazy. We need order. And I'm going to help."
Valerie sighed, all bravado bleeding away. She clasped her hands in front of her. "Alex, I gave up all my dreams so I could come back here and help mother and father keep their shop open. It's the same all over! With the council's taxes and new laws..."
"You've said all this before, and my response is no different," Alex argued. Ever since the Shadow League had decimated the Reverent Army and shattered half of Meletis last year, the council of Twelve began to enact ever harsher laws to tax and regulate its people, using the rebuilt Reverent Army as merciless enforcers of their will. And the middle class was hit hardest of all, like Alex and Valerie's family. Some Meletians hated the council and the Army for it, but Alex thought differently. Dissent was not the solution! Right?
Now Alex took another step forward and challenged his sister with a glare. "Are you going to move? The carriage will be here any minute. I don't want to keep the recruiter waiting."
Reluctantly, Valerie stepped aside and stood before her parents' bedroom. Her parents, exhausted from a long day at work trying to make ends meet, slept through the argument. Still, for the last week, they had fought as hard as Valerie to keep their son away from the Army, and failed. Alex's father had warned that if Alex left for the Army, he would disown the boy forever, but Alex didn't care. He was beyond his parent's control now. He had his own life to consider.
"Here he is," Alex said when he heard the clop of horse hooves in the street outside. "Valerie, please. Rebelling will only make more trouble. The council has the city's best interests at heart." He tried to keep a pleading tone out of his voice.
"That's what they want you to think," Valerie said bitterly. She ran a hand over her patched, worn clothes. "But if you look around, really look, you'll see the truth. This city's not safe yet. The council is the enemy now."
"That's ridiculous." Alex walked to the front door and slid back the lock.
"You're making a mistake, Alex."
"No, I'm not!" Furious all over again, Alex punched the wall, his kunckles aching from the blunt blow. He fought to control his breathing. He refused to look his sister in the eye. "The Shadow League nearly destroyed us. The healing process will be long and painful, but that's the price we have to pay. We have to be patient. Good-bye."
Alex swung the door open and felt cool, night air wash over him, carrying the familiar smell of seawater. His neighborhood wasn't too far from the harbor to the Siren Sea, in Meletis' western district. Ahead of him, a well-polished carriage stood in the moonlight, drawn by two horses and driven by a single Army agent in a blue uniform.
"You're late," the driver said curtly as Alex approached. Unlike Alex, he had the tanned, olive skin common to Meletis folk.
"Family trouble," Alex muttered as he climbed into the carriage. The seat was surprisingly comfortable.
"I've heard that one before," the driver commented as he set his horses into a trot. "You're making the right decision, kid. The Reverent Army is going to help Meletis rebuild, even if the civilians can't appreciate that."
They sure can't, Alex thought heavily. He watched his neighborhood roll away and wondered what the families in each passing house would think of him.
Alex balled his hands into fists and felt his fiery red mana burn in his flesh. Skilled at fire magic, he was certain that he'd be an asset to the Reverent Army. The real question was whether the Army and council would be an asset to Meletis and its people. And Alex felt that the answer would not come as easily as he had first thought.
*o*o*o*o*
A/N: Agnomakhos is the name of a tyrannical archon who once ruled much of Theros, and his namesake's relevance to this story will be revealed soon. From the Planeswalker's Guide to Theros, part 2: "Meletians know that the area that is now their city-state was once ruled by an archon—a hooded warlord who rode a great flying beast—called Agnomakhos. Agnomakhos ruled with an iron fist for centuries, apparently immortal, outliving the generations of leonin that he used as his soldiers and personal guard. Agnomakhos aggressively expanded his empire during his reign, spreading it as far as the forests to the north and the mountains to the east, imposing merciless order over the wilds wherever he went.
The legend goes that the god Ephara granted magic to the humans to help them overthrow Agnomakhos, cast out the leonin, and free Meletis from tyranny. The humans who were victorious over Agnomakhos founded the enlightened polis of Meletis from the wreckage of Agnomakhos's empire. To this day, the leonin remain detached from Meletis and uninterested in trade or dialogue."