Chaos reigned below the two dragons who hovered over Ladylake, humans and seraphim alike screaming and running wildly with no direction in mind. Only the space around the fallen Shepherd was peaceful, as no one wanted to get close enough to confirm his identity. Through the maddened crowd, Eizen turned at the sound of the Sanctuary doors and saw Edna come out, her face expressionless as she surveyed the mayhem.
"SILENCE!" came a roar from above at last.
Stunned, everyone fell still, their faces turned upwards in fear.
"Good people of Ladylake," Niko crooned, still balanced atop the back of the white-horned dragon she rode - Lailah, Eizen reminded himself, that thing used to be Lailah, Zaveid said so, "please, do not be afraid. I am not here to harm you. I'm sorry I had to kill your Shepherd, but he refused to listen to me. I only hope all of you will be more receptive."
As she spread her crimson claws wide, the longest of which was almost the size of Eizen's katana, Eizen took a good look at his corrupted sister in the daylight. What he'd thought he'd seen in the light of the fire had been entirely accurate, but now he could make out the scales that spotted her thighs and upper arms before they began to swell and bloat at the knees and elbows under a thick layer of black scales, until the hands and feet were more like the paws of a dragon. Her neck, too, was spotted with black scales here and there, sharp against the pale skin, before thickening to cover her face. And the wings, which she spread dramatically, looked just like the ones that kept her mount aloft, though they still seemed a bit small. She looks half-dragon, Eizen thought. How is that possible? She's not a seraph!
"I am not here to harm you," Niko repeated. "I have come to save you, save you from the lies you've been fed, of light and purity. You have all been taught that malevolence is something to fear, that the power of purification is a blessing, but tell me, what has your beloved Shepherd ever truly done for this world?"
People began muttering among themselves, and Niko raised her voice, which had already been plenty loud to be heard over the beating of two dragons' wings. Eizen knew full well where she was going with this, and he gritted his teeth.
"You are all told from birth that the power of purification is salvation," Niko went on, almost shouting, "and that malevolence is an imperfection, a curse. But tell me, good people, if the Shepherd's power was truly a cure, why does malevolence still endure? Why must new Shepherds arise to defeat new Lords of Calamity, Age after Age, if malevolence was a mistake?"
More mutters.
"No," Niko said, "malevolence is not a flaw. Malevolence is the only true force in this world, the only thing that will endure the Ages no matter what. Why, then, do you fight it? Why do you shun those who embraced it, like my parents? Oh yes," Niko added, as several cries of alarm rose from the crowd, "you know me well. I am Niko Rangetsu-Crowe, the one many of you scorned as 'hellion-spawn'. And it is true, what you have heard; my parents were hellions for many, many centuries, enduring through malevolence alone. It granted them immortality, freedom from all of life's ailments. And why did they let themselves be purified in the end?" Her twisted, scale-covered face sneered, revealing long, sharp teeth and a forked tongue. "For lies," she hissed. "Lies, that they were broken so long as they held onto that which gave them eternal youth and strength. They believed it, and so were stripped of their power, subject once more to the agonies of life, all for nothing."
"That's not true!" Eizen cried, unable to contain himself any longer.
Everyone turned to him in surprise, but he kept his attention on his sister.
"You know that's not true, Niko!" Eizen shouted at her. "Our parents were miserable as hellions! Mom couldn't live without hating whatever she could find an excuse to hate; dad couldn't feel anything at all! They let themselves be purified because they couldn't go on existing like that, half-alive and lacking what made them who they are!"
"Don't be absurd, dear brother, they were fully alive," Niko mocked. "And they could have lived forever, but instead they chose death. How is the ability to die not a flaw?"
"You're thirteen, Niko!" Eizen snapped. "You're not old enough to understand the difference between being alive and just not being dead! Mom and dad were broken! They couldn't feel happiness or peace, because malevolence doesn't let anyone corrupted by it ever feel at rest! That's what makes malevolence a curse - eternal life, maybe, but with no joy, no satisfaction, no fulfillment! It's worse than being dead!"
"Oh, my poor, naïve brother," Niko taunted. "If hellions can feel no joy or satisfaction, then explain to me what I feel right now? Because I have never felt happier, or more fulfilled. Nor have my companions…don't you agree, father?"
Her crimson eyes turned to the dragon hovering beside hers, the one that had been Mikleo, and from its back arose a horrible four-armed hellion with a sickening grin. Its skin was black, streaked heavily with red veins, and spikes ran down its head and neck.
"This is power," said the beast, and though his voice was demented, it was still very clearly the voice of Rokurou Rangetsu-Crowe; Eizen fought back the urge to be sick. "This is life. Why would I ever give this up?"
Niko laughed, that horrible, deranged laugh Eizen had heard over the crackling of flames the night of Cellie's birthday. "And what of you, my sweet little sister?" she added, turning behind her. "What do you think of this existence? Is it such a curse to you?"
Eizen's already-ill stomach dropped to his boots when a small green hellion came crawling along the side of the white-horned dragon Niko rode. Its movements were quick, its tiny claws sure-footed as it wound its way around Lailah's neck to stand atop her head. Chittering excitedly, the little monster jumped on its perch a few times, as though for sheer joy of being able to move. Its body was furred but humanoid, two legs and two arms, though its ears were enormous and shaped like those of a cat, and its eyes were yellow orbs.
"Celica…" Eizen whispered.
"You see, people of Ladylake?" Niko asked, returning her attention to the crowd. "All of you know how my young sister was horribly sick, slowly dying and barely able to get out of bed some days. Now, she stands before you, healthy and full of energy. This is what malevolence does, for all those who embrace it. It is not a curse! It is a blessing!"
"You're wrong!" Eizen roared. "She can't even speak, Niko! Do you think she really understands what's happening?! That's not life! She's worse than dead, and so are you!"
But Niko just laughed again, the laugh of a lunatic. "I will give you time to think," she told the crowd. "I will give you time to mourn your Shepherd, and decide what you truly want for yourselves. When I return, I expect an answer." She sat down on the dragon's back again, gently scraping the tips of her claws against its scales. "Come, my white-horned beauty," she said, almost lovingly; "we have much to do."
Rokurou sat down on his dragon again, and Celica crawled back behind her sister. Then, the two dragons dove down into the crowd, sending people scattering and screaming, but it quickly became clear that the maneuver was only to build momentum before they swung back upwards and flew away.
"Are those dragons…obeying her?" Eizen breathed. It was just one more unthinkable thing among many; everyone knew that dragons were mindless instruments of destruction who listened to nothing and nobody, yet the dragons who had once been Lailah and Mikleo didn't seem to do anything unless Niko told them to. But that was impossible…
No one answered him. In fact, no one moved at all, for a long moment. It was Zaveid who broke the stillness, walking over to the body Niko had left behind and kneeling down. Everyone held their breath as he turned the bloody heap over…and took off his hat sorrowfully.
"Sorey," he sighed. "I can't believe it ended like this…"
Gasps and murmurs of alarm swept through the crowd. "The Shepherd is dead," they whispered to each other fearfully. "The Shepherd is dead…"
Time blurred for Eizen after that. Later, he would remember Zaveid picking the dead Shepherd up in his arms, he would remember Edna appearing at his side, he would remember a lot of chaos among the citizens of Ladylake, and he would remember his mother's screams as Edna and Zaveid told her what had happened, but not much else. His next moment of full consciousness found him sitting on the cot where he'd slept the previous day, Edna in front of him and wiping his face with a wet towel.
"What…?" he rasped.
"Easy, baby brother," Edna told him. "You're in shock, and I don't blame you. But you need all these soot stains cleaned off for the funeral."
"Funeral…?" Eizen repeated.
"Sorey is dead," Edna told him, as though he might have forgotten. "Ladylake is holding a massive memorial for him, led by Maotelus himself. You said you wanted to be there."
"I don't want to be there," Eizen said listlessly, unable to muster even as much emotion as Edna was showing. "But I have to be there. My sister did this. I have to be there." He shook his head, trying to clear it, even as Edna kept trying to clean him up. "Will there be a new Shepherd?" he asked. "We need a new Shepherd…"
"More than that, we need a new Prime Lord, with Lailah gone," Edna remarked. "I'm not sure how that's going to go."
"Are people listening to my sister?" Eizen asked. "Is there…is there talk of letting her do what she wants?"
"Some seraphim are trying to help a few dissenters understand why she's wrong," Edna answered, "but most people are just confused, as humans usually are. I don't think you have to worry about people siding with Niko, though. Humans aren't that stupid, for the most part."
Eizen sighed, then looked over at where his mother was curled up on her cot. "How's my mother?" he asked softly.
"She took it hard," Edna replied; "what do you expect? We're lucky she passed out again." She stepped back, appraising her work. "It'll have to do," she sighed. "The funeral is in a few minutes. Even if you don't go, I have to be there, since I was his Sub Lord once."
"I'm going," Eizen said firmly, standing up. He reached for his katana, and was glad to find it still strapped around his waist. "I have to, on behalf of my family…the family that killed him."
"Suit yourself, baby brother," Edna shrugged as she made for the door.
Though he was still reeling, Eizen made himself follow.
Outside, they took the path to the back door of the Sanctuary, which was just as well, as it was packed in the front. Sorey's body lay behind the altar where the Sacred Blade normally stood waiting to be drawn by a new Shepherd, and Edna took her place beside Zaveid and Uno, the local Lord of the Land, just beyond that. Oddly, the crowd seemed to be keeping itself to the front half of the room, leaving space even in front of the altar, and Eizen made his way around the pillars along the walls to stand back in silent vigil with everyone else. Luckily, the people nearest him were seraphim, presumably also trying to keep to the edges of the crowd.
When light rose from beneath the floor, Eizen understood the odd arrangement of people; the massive figure of Maotelus manifested in all his divine glory, and every bit of space that was left was needed to accommodate his size.
"People of the land," he declared, "we are here to mourn the loss of the Shepherd, Sorey, felled at the hands of a new Lord of Calamity."
Respectful murmurs rippled through the crowd in response.
"Sorey was the finest Shepherd this world has ever known," Maotelus declared, surprising Eizen. "Not only did he embody the Shepherd's duty, to stand alone between the light and the dark and help all those who walk this earth, but through ingenuity and sacrifice, he saved me from corruption, allowing me to heal and resume my duties as leader of the Five Lords after a tremendous tragedy left me consumed with darkness. He did this, not knowing how long it would take, how much he might lose by becoming my vessel and holding himself in stasis until I could return to the land; everything he knew might have been long gone by the time his work was done, yet he saved me, with no thought for himself, when I was too far gone to ask for help. It is because of him that there is still hope today."
And for what? Eizen found himself thinking as the Great Lord finished his speech and the three seraphim who had served Sorey stepped forward to add their own input - even Uno, though he hadn't been Sorey's Sub Lord, had a lot to say about the fallen Shepherd. To die at the hands of a monster who would never have existed if not for your love?
Shutting out the talking, Eizen closed his eyes and took his thinking stance, sorting through all the confusion, all the pain, all the fear. His family wouldn't exist if not for Sorey and Maotelus, and this was what had happened. No…this couldn't be the end. This could not be his family's legacy. There had to be some purpose, some meaning behind it all…or at the very least, something he could do about it…
Wrestling his emotions into place took the rest of the memorial, and when he opened his eyes, Maotelus was burning away the remains of the Shepherd Sorey with white fire. Eizen hadn't realized the flames of purification could act as a funeral pyre, but the Silver Flame seemed to recognize that the dead flesh no longer served any purpose, and Sorey's body dissolved under its light until the floor where he had been was entirely bare, leaving only the Sacred Blade behind; even the cloak Sorey had worn was gone.
After a moment of silence, Maotelus lifted his head and spoke once more.
"People of Glenwood, though we mourn the previous Shepherd, the fact remains that a new one must rise if we are to survive this tragedy," he said. "In order for there to be a new Shepherd, there needs to be a new Prime Lord, since Lailah now serves the Lord of Calamity. I need a seraph who is willing to take on this duty to step forward and take the Sacred Blade."
"Why can't you be the Prime Lord?" called someone from the crowd, a voice Eizen vaguely recognized but couldn't place. "Wield the flames of purification yourself!"
"It is true that the power of the Shepherd is my power," Maotelus said, "but I am as susceptible to malevolence as any seraph - as I said, I did once fall, and had Sorey not saved me, the world would have torn itself apart without my guidance. My duties as Great Lord are too important for me to walk alongside a Shepherd and risk my purity, for it is through me that the land itself is kept safe. Thus, I must rely on another seraph to stand in my place. It is a tremendous responsibility, and a dangerous one, but I need a seraph to step forward for me."
No one spoke, and Eizen took a moment to marvel at how the small, cheerful boy he had seen laugh with his youngest sister could be so formal and serious now.
"It need not be a fire seraph," Maotelus added. "Traditionally, the Prime Lord is a fire seraph, but the flames of purification are not a fire-based power. They are of the Heavenly Realm, a power beyond this world, and any seraph of strong heart and pure resolve can channel them through me. Prime Lords being fire seraphim was only to mask the truth, that no Shepherd would know the power they wielded…but now that seraphim and hellions alike are visible to all, the time for subterfuge is past. Any seraph can be the Prime Lord if they are of worthy spirit."
Silence still reigned; looking around, Eizen saw fear on the faces of every seraph in attendance, no matter their element. Then…
"I'll do it."
With shocked gasps and mutters, everyone turned to the tall wind seraph who had grabbed the Sacred Blade and descended from the altar to turn and face Maotelus head on; looking around, Eizen noticed that, while the humans in the audience seemed curious or even hopeful, the seraphim were making angry mutters to each other, their expressions dark.
"I'll be your Prime Lord," Zaveid declared.
"Seriously?" Edna asked him, walking down to stand by his side. "You really think you're pure enough?"
"I don't see anyone else volunteering, do you?" Zaveid remarked. "My heart may not be ideal, but I know I have pure resolve in spades. Plus, I'm old enough to remember a time when this power wasn't available to the world, and I've worked beside a Shepherd and fought a Lord of Calamity before."
"I don't think those things matter," Edna said.
Zaveid ignored her, turning his attention back upward to meet the glowing eyes of the Dragon of Light. "Please, Maotelus. Please, let me do it…" He shook his head slightly, and his voice dropped to a barely-audible level as he added something that sounded to Eizen like, "Let me do something useful for once in my miserable life." His expression was sorrowful, almost pained; Eizen had never seen his uncle look like that before. Whatever was going on, this mattered to Zaveid, for reasons Eizen doubted he would ever understand.
Maotelus lowered his head to return Zaveid's gaze. For a long minute, all was still.
"You are receptive," Maotelus finally declared.
The shock on his uncle's face was as clear as day to Eizen; he had a feeling no one was more surprised by this than Zaveid himself.
"If you truly accept this burden, speak aloud your true name," Maotelus commanded.
"Fylk Zahdeya," Zaveid answered resolutely.
"Fylk Zahdeya," Maotelus repeated, and he reared back, opening his jaws in a silent roar and tearing open a rift in the earthpulse. "Come. Within me, you shall be made into the new Prime Lord."
A smile cracked across Zaveid's face, and he again looked like the uncle Eizen knew and loved. "Well, I don't normally swing that way-" he began.
Edna swiftly jabbed Zaveid in the side with her umbrella, and Eizen couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden burst of normalcy in the midst of this crisis.
"-ow! But as you command, o Great Lord Maotelus," Zaveid finished, his smirk not faltering, and he entered the rift as Maotelus dove in beside him.
Then they were gone, leaving the world to wonder what to do with themselves.
~o~
Time passed, as everyone waited for Maotelus and Zaveid to return and begin the process of choosing a new Shepherd. The royal family of Hyland declared a national emergency, sending emissaries to the Rolance Empire and shutting down all schools and recreational activities - everyone was banned from relaxing at the lakeside, or hunting in the nearby woods or hills without several guards present. Everyone knew the extra guard measures were an empty gesture, that no one had the power to fight off the Lord of Calamity as things were, but no one argued. In the meantime, Eizen and his mother stayed at the Ladylake priests' refuge, despite the occasional protest from the locals, which Edna quickly put a stop to; they had nowhere else to go, and the priests agreed that since they'd lost their home to the Lord of Calamity, they could take shelter in the small building.
Velvet was an emotional wreck, and didn't get better with time. She rarely got out of her borrowed bed, always muttering despairing nonsense when she was awake and tossing and turning with restless nightmares when she slept. Edna and Eizen tried to help her, but even getting her to eat once a day was a struggle. It was incredible that she wasn't generating malevolence herself; Edna suggested that she might actually be too out of it for her feelings to manifest. Broken beyond even malevolence…it was a horrible idea to even consider, and Eizen resolutely tended to his mother as best he could.
After a day or two, David started visiting Eizen in the priests' bunker, offering his condolences and asking if there was anything he could do; Eizen wasn't in the mood to hang out, but David didn't let Eizen shut himself away, determinedly barging in every day and insisting on staying with his friend for at least an hour, even if they didn't talk. At one point, Eizen mentioned that he had the fifth ingredient for the Omega Elixir but needed the other four retrieved from the ruins of his treehouse; a week later, David surprised him with a stone box that was no worse for the wear despite the fire, bragging about how he'd convinced several guards to abandon their post and accompany him to the east just to retrieve it from the ashes. He didn't tell Eizen what was left of the treehouse, and Eizen didn't ask. Couldn't ask.
There was news, of course. Reports came in from across the continent, of Niko approaching every town and village and giving each one a speech similar to the one she'd given Ladylake. Hellion attacks became more frequent every day, as Niko seemed to be spreading her corruption to anything that couldn't choose to listen to her - there were sightings of the two dragons, and the Lord of Calamity who rode one of them, spewing black fire across the land, black fire that left only hellions in its wake. This led to food shortages, isolation, and most of all, fear. Everywhere, people despaired of having their lives back…and Eizen heard it all. Though it had occurred to him during the funeral, it slowly became clear that there was only one path forward he could take.
One night, Eizen was sitting in the Sanctuary with the stone box that now contained all five ingredients for the Omega Elixir, ingredients that would never be used unless Cellie was returned to normal. The building was almost empty now, and he took solace in the quiet. Still, he didn't complain when his big sister sat down beside him.
"You should go to bed, baby brother," Edna remarked.
"I will soon," he responded; in truth, he didn't particularly enjoy trying to sleep in the same room as his grieving mother. "I'm just…thinking."
"About what?"
Eizen sighed heavily. "About what will happen when Zaveid comes back."
Edna made a noncommittal noise to indicate she'd heard him.
"Listen, big sis…There's already so much chaos," Eizen went on. "So much loss…so much suffering. And Sorey always talked about the Shepherd's burden, to stand alone between the light and the dark, to protect people who would never truly accept him, all for the greater good. But hasn't everyone suffered enough already?"
"There needs to be a Shepherd if it's ever going to end," Edna pointed out.
"I know," Eizen said, "and that's why…when Zaveid comes back, I'm going to ask to be the new Shepherd."
There was no response to this.
"It wouldn't be fair for anyone else to take on that burden," Eizen insisted. "No one else should have to suffer for my sister's madness. But me…I'm hellion-spawn, everyone already shuns me. It won't be any big sacrifice on my part. And Niko's my sister, I know her weaknesses. It should be me. It has to be me."
"It's not up to you," Edna shrugged. "You can't just decide to be the Shepherd. You have to pass the test."
"I just have to be accepted by the Prime Lord, right?" Eizen asked. "I…I need strong resonance - which I have to have, since I grew up with you - and to be untouched by malevolence, and then the Prime Lord has to agree. Right?"
"I don't know," Edna replied. "As far as I'm aware, there are a lot of powerful seraphic artes involved with the choosing of the Shepherd. Even if a Prime Lord wants someone to draw the Sacred Blade, it might not budge unless certain criteria are met…criteria no one knows for sure."
Eizen frowned; this was news to him. "Well…I'll meet them," he said firmly. "Whatever they are, I'll meet them. I have to."
"You can try," Edna said tonelessly. "It's not like I'm going to try to stop you. So why are you telling me this?"
"I'm telling you because…once I'm the Shepherd, I want you to be my earth Sub Lord," Eizen said, tearing his gaze away from the box he held to meet her blue eyes. "Will you do that for me, big sis? There's no one in the world I trust more than you, and I know you're more than powerful enough."
"To be honest, the way most seraphim are behaving, I'll probably have to be the Sub Lord of earth anyway, no matter who the next Shepherd might be," Edna shrugged. "All the Elysians are cowering behind their domain, waiting to be turned into dragons, afraid to even try. You saw them at the funeral; Niko has them all shaking in their boots."
"And what about you?" Eizen asked, his lips quirking up into a smile. "Are you afraid? I didn't see you volunteering."
"Get real," Edna retorted. "Being a Prime Lord is way more responsibility than it's worth, but I've faced scarier baddies than Niko. I…" Her expressionless voice faltered, colored by a hint of emotion. "I've fought my own brother, after he became a dragon. Niko's nothing compared to that."
"So you'll be my Sub Lord, then?" Eizen asked, a knot loosening in his gut.
"I'll be the Sub Lord for whoever rises," Edna answered. "But I guess I would rather it be you, baby brother. Other humans can be so tiresome."
"Good," Eizen sighed, relieved. "Between you, me, and uncle Zaveid, we'll be able to stop this."
"We'll see." Edna tilted her head. "Have you told Velvet you plan to do this?"
"No," Eizen muttered, turning his attention back to the box. "I…I'm afraid to tell her."
"You should tell her soon," Edna told him. "Remember what happened the last time a Shepherd tried to do something behind her back for the greater good because they were afraid of how she'd take it."
"Yeah," Eizen admitted, "you're right. I'll…I'll go tell her now."
"You do that," Edna said as he stood up. "Good luck."
~o~
In the room he and his mother had commandeered, Eizen found Velvet still in her bed, mumbling nonsense to herself.
"Mom," he said gently, holding out a platter of snacks he'd picked up. "It's me. You should eat."
Velvet shifted, but didn't turn over to look at him.
With a sigh, Eizen sat down beside her, holding the plate in his lap. "Mom," he said, "there's something you need to know."
More muttering.
"I…" Eizen took a breath. "I've decided that…when uncle Zaveid comes back with Maotelus, and the Sacred Blade is placed in the altar, I'm going to try to draw it. I'm going to try to become the Shepherd."
This, at last, got a reaction; Velvet sat up, her glistening golden eyes igniting with a spark. "No," she rasped, her voice hoarse. "No, Eizen. You can't."
"I have to, mom," Eizen insisted, setting the plate aside as she swung her legs over the side of the bed to scoot closer to him and take his hand. "Enough people have suffered already. I don't want anyone else to have to pay for my sister's madness. And…and becoming the Shepherd is the only way I can make sure dad and Cellie aren't hurt."
"You can't go out and fight," Velvet choked. "It's too dangerous. I…I can't lose you too, Eizen. You're all I have left."
"You won't lose me, mom," Eizen promised, gripping her hand back. "Dad trained me in the Rangetsu style from birth, and Edna and uncle Zaveid are going to be right there with me. Niko won't be able to stop us."
"It doesn't have to be you," Velvet whimpered. "Haven't we lost enough? Eizen, sweetie…my baby…" She let go of his hand to cradle his face between her palms. "My girls are gone. Your father is gone. The house is gone. We still have each other…and that's all we have. If you go out there and…and I lose you too…"
"You won't lose me," Eizen repeated firmly, putting his arms around her and hugging her as she collapsed against his chest. "I swear by my sword, you won't lose me. And I'll bring dad and Cellie back, and Niko too, if I can knock some sense into her. We haven't lost everything yet, and I won't stand by and let any of it be lost. I have to do this, mom, don't you see? Any other Shepherd would kill my father and sisters. I'm the only one who can bring our family back together. It has to be me."
"Or you'll fall, just like Sorey," Velvet sobbed.
"I won't," Eizen stated. "I won't, mom."
Velvet pulled back to meet his eyes, and though her golden irises were pained, he could see that she understood. "Just promise me this much," she whispered; "promise me you won't be the first to try. Let someone else try to draw the blade first. Please, Eizen? For me?"
"I…" Eizen's voice caught, but he knew he couldn't argue with her. "I promise," he managed. "But I will be the second. As soon as someone fails, I'm pulling that sword out, no matter what it takes."
Through her tears, his mother laughed. "You sound just like your father," she chuckled.
"No." Eizen smiled and pulled her close again. "I sound like you."
~o~
A whole month passed, with no word from Maotelus or Zaveid. People became impatient, and eventually the Sanctuary was swamped with people day and night, people desperate for some sign that the divine Great Lord would return soon. All this meant for Eizen was that there was less peace and quiet in the Sanctuary, and he stayed in his room with his mother and sometimes Edna, waiting as impatiently as everyone else. Then, at long last, the earth shook, and light began to rise from underfoot; Eizen leapt up from where he'd been sitting and ran into the Sanctuary as Maotelus emerged, opened a rift in the earthpulse, and his uncle stepped forward with the Sacred Blade.
"People of Glenwood," Maotelus declared, "I give you your new Prime Lord, the wind seraph Zaveid!"
All the humans who had been staking out the Sanctuary cheered loudly as Zaveid lifted the Sacred Blade over his head; meanwhile, Eizen noted that the seraphim in attendance mostly gave polite applause while wearing very fake-looking smiles.
"Now, before we get started finding a new Shepherd," Zaveid shouted over the noise, "something else has to happen first. Uno, get down here, if you'd be so kind."
As the crowd quieted, the local Lord of the Land descended from his spot beside his vessel of pure water to join Zaveid, his expression confused.
"I know we've taken a long time," Maotelus said, "and that's because the Lord of Calamity has been ruthless in her assault. Though I've done my best to mitigate the damage she causes, she's been spreading malevolence the likes of which I've never seen. We agree that there needs to be a safe haven, sealed off from her power."
"Uno," Zaveid spoke up, "with our blood combined, we can cast a domain around the lake. It won't prevent anyone inside from turning, but it should keep Niko and her minions out."
"All three of us," Maotelus added. "If we combine our power, so long as you stay here and I stay tied to this place, we can make Ladylake safe. It will take a long time to cast, enough time for the people to organize in preparation for choosing a new Shepherd and then some, and it will cost a lot of strength. Will you help us?"
"Of course!" Uno exclaimed. "But…but that means-"
"You can't be my Sub Lord," Zaveid confirmed; "you'll have to stay here while the Shepherd and I go out and fight the hellions. But given how aggressive Niko has been, it's important that we have a sanctuary to return to where we can rest safely."
"I…I understand," Uno said, nodding. "Yes, let us go and cast this arte. I will do whatever I must."
"Everyone, you have two days to figure out who's going to try to draw the Sacred Blade," Zaveid told the crowd. "I'm taking it with me now, and when I come back and plant it here in the altar, you'd better be ready to anoint a new Shepherd!"
If this declaration was supposed to unite the people, it backfired; everyone was suddenly in chaos, some trying to approach and make demands or ask questions, others trying to run outside to tell those who hadn't been in attendance what was going on. Taking a breath, Eizen slipped back into his room to tell his mother and wait.
More time passed, and being in a small stone hut behind the Sanctuary couldn't mask all the hubbub outside. There would be speeches, official statements from the royal family, messengers sent out to inform the Rolance Empire and invite the people staying Marlind who had been waiting for this very event…Eizen only hoped they wouldn't delay the ceremony. Both nights following Zaveid's return, Eizen's sleep was restless, as he couldn't stop thinking about standing up at the altar and drawing the Sacred Blade, about the mission he would soon embark on to save his family and the world.
Finally, at the very break of dawn on the day the ceremony was to be held, Eizen emerged and went to stand at the front of the Sanctuary, waiting for whatever was coming. Edna joined him after a moment and filled him in: the domain had been cast, Maotelus was now bound to the Ladylake Sanctuary to maintain it, Uno was resting within his vessel, and the ceremony to draw the Sacred Blade would start at noon. Eizen waited impatiently as the Sanctuary filled with people and the minutes crept past.
At last, Zaveid emerged from the crowd and strolled up the steps to the altar, carrying the Sacred Blade. He held it up, white flames danced along its length as he grasped it in both hands, and then he plunged it into the tan stone monument, embedding it halfway.
"Alright!" he grinned to the crowd as he stepped back. "Who wants to try and become the Shepherd?"
Eizen waited, prepared to spring forward, but to his surprise, there was no surge of aspirants; instead, the crowd muttered uncertainly amongst themselves. After a moment, one singular person emerged from the fearful group: a slim young woman with golden curls of hair tied back from her face in a knot, a two-headed battle ax at her hip.
Sadie. Eizen nearly choked at the sight of her. She hadn't come to his sister's party, and he knew her family were among those who most adamantly hated his family for having been hellions once. No…If she draws the blade, my whole family will die…
But he'd made a promise, and he forced himself to stand back as Sadie ascended the steps, grasped the hilt of the Sacred Blade, and tugged on it.
It didn't budge.
Glowering, Sadie strained herself, pulling at the sword with all her strength, but it refused to come unstuck. Furiously, she turned on Zaveid.
"Let me have it!" she shouted at him. "I've trained my whole life for this!"
"It's not up to me," Zaveid shrugged. "If the Sacred Blade rejects you, then it rejects you. Sorry, sweetheart."
"It can't reject me!" she snarled, turning back and grabbing the hilt again, wrestling with the unmoving metal. "I'm pure, and strong! I can be the Shepherd! I have to be the Shepherd!"
Evidently, however, the Sacred Blade disagreed, and after huffing and puffing for several minutes, Sadie collapsed, slinking away in defeat. Relieved, Eizen stepped forward, ignoring the people who muttered at his movement as he ascended the steps to the altar. Instead of grabbing for the sword, though, he faced his uncle.
"Zaveid," he said, "please, I ask to become the Shepherd."
"And why do you want to be the Shepherd?" Zaveid asked him.
"For the sake of those who would suffer if I don't," Eizen replied. "My sister did this…In one night, she took away my home, my father, and both of my siblings. Then she killed Sorey, and turned Lailah and Mikleo into dragons - all friends of my parents. This is my family's business, and no one else should have to suffer for Niko's madness. For this, I ask permission to take the trial."
"Like I told that babe, it ain't up to me," Zaveid told him. "But you're free to try if you want."
"No!"
The cry came, not from an angry human who didn't want hellion-spawn as their Shepherd, but from a frantic woman who ran down the steps leading to the back of the Sanctuary and barreled towards her son, her gray-streaked black braid swinging wildly behind her.
"No!" Velvet shouted again, shoving Eizen away from the altar and turning to face Zaveid. "No, you can't take my son! He's all I have left!"
"Mom, you're making a scene," Eizen muttered as she dropped to her hands and knees, bowing at Zaveid's feet.
"Take me instead," she sobbed. "Please, let it be me. I'll do it. I'll take on all the burdens, I'll fight my daughter, I'll stop all this. Please, just don't take my son. Take me instead."
Zaveid sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Velvet, but I can't do that," he told her.
Velvet's head jerked up.
"Only those souls who have never been touched by malevolence can draw the Sacred Blade," Zaveid went on. "You're pure now, but malevolence left its mark on you. Think of it as a scar on your soul - healed, but never quite the same. You wouldn't be able to wield the flames of purification." He shrugged. "Sorry, babe, I don't make the rules."
"Mom," Eizen said gently as Velvet collapsed, curling in on herself and sobbing. "Mom, please, stop this."
But she wasn't listening. As he knelt down beside her, he heard her muttering.
"My mother's third child had the Twelve Year Sickness…and so did mine," she sobbed. "My mother's second child became the Lord of Calamity…and so has mine. My mother's first child was betrayed by her people and died a pointless death…and so will mine. So will mine, so will mine, so will mine…"
"Mom, I'm not going to die a pointless death!" Eizen exclaimed. "Even if I did die fighting Niko, it would be for a good cause! Besides, Rangetsus don't die needlessly."
A mirthless laugh stuttered between his mother's sobs. "Needless death…" she whispered. "Rangetsu…always needless…I begged him not to…not my child…but here we are…always again…"
Shaking his head, Eizen stood. "I have to do this," he told his mother, and he grabbed the hilt of the Sacred Blade and pulled.
It stuck fast.
Panic rose in Eizen's chest, more and more so as he pulled harder, yet the blade didn't come free. He soon grew frantic, not even seeing what was in front of him or thinking, just pulling, desperately, mindlessly…
Suddenly, a memory arose through the turmoil in his head, a memory of his father during a training bout when he was young, when he'd gotten frustrated and started flailing his practice sword around wildly:
"It's okay to feel emotions, Eizen," his father had said. "Emotions are part of being alive; without them, we wouldn't have the will to go on living. But when you let your emotions control you, you're bound to make mistakes. If ever you feel too strongly to think, don't fight it; take a step back and let yourself feel the emotion, let it burn itself out. When it's had its time, then, and only then, do you act."
Gathering all his strength, Eizen released the hilt of the Sacred Blade, closed his eyes, straightened his spine, cupped his hands in front of his naval, and turned his focus inwards. He let himself feel all the things he was feeling, even the things he hadn't realized he felt: Desperation, anger, fear, worry, sorrow, frustration, panic, grief. Each emotion flared up, then burned itself out, one by one. When the last flare quieted, Eizen opened his eyes.
All was still and silent in the Sanctuary; the world seemed to be holding its breath.
Deliberately, one finger at a time, Eizen curled his hands around the hilt of the Sacred Blade. His focus was absolute, intense, all his mental energy on the one task at hand: to become the Shepherd, and save the world from his sister. So intense was his focus that he almost didn't feel it when a second pair of hands clasped themselves over his own.
Eizen blinked. Though he couldn't see anything but his own two hands, he could feel that someone else's hands were on his, strengthening his grip around the ancient sword hilt. Then there was another pair of hands, and then another, and another…Closing his eyes, Eizen felt, rather than saw, presence after presence manifest beside him, lending him their strength.
Purest compassion. Wisest lightning. Darkest protectiveness. Fathomless regret. Devout empathy. Capricious wickedness. Determined freedom. Deepest sorrow. Gentlest kindness. Cheerful innocence. Frailest hope. Carefree strength. Vivacious love.
When Eizen pulled again on the Sacred Blade, thirteen other pairs of hands pulled along with his, and this time, the sword moved. Though it was slow, he felt it slide against the gold-colored stone; light burned through his closed eyelids, light he could only assume was streaming from the crack where the sword was emerging from the altar. Deafened by a ringing in his ears, Eizen pulled the Sacred Blade free, lifted it above his head, and opened his eyes.
All at once, the souls that had stood beside him dissipated, leaving him holding the Sacred Blade aloft with his own hand. Then, as suddenly as they were gone, power flooded through his veins, white-hot and overwhelming. Light surrounded him, passed over him, and a new presence came to rest within the right side of his chest, this one familiar: his uncle, Zaveid. When the wind seraph emerged from his new vessel again, Eizen could still feel the bond, the tie to his uncle, his Prime Lord.
"People of Glenwood!" Zaveid shouted, taking Eizen's free hand and lifting it over their heads. "I give you your Shepherd, Eizen Rangetsu-Crowe!"
Not a single person cheered. Instead, there was silence, followed by an angry muttering that slowly grew, like the buzzing of bees in a hive.
Eizen sighed and pulled his hand free of Zaveid's grip. "I'll handle this, uncle," he told the wind seraph under his breath.
The muttering grew louder as he lowered the Sacred Blade and stepped up onto the altar, looking out on the crowd. Not all the glances were hateful or distrustful, but most were; Sadie's was among the most contemptuous of glares. Taking a breath, Eizen organized his thoughts, drawing on days spent listening to his uncle's grandiose manner of speech as he told stories, then spoke.
"People of Glenwood, I stand before you as your Shepherd," he declared. "I do not ask for your praise or respect; I ask only that you hear me now, for I have something to say."
He waited. Silence didn't come, but the murmurs died down slightly, and this was the most Eizen could have reasonably hoped for.
"It is true that I am the brother of the one who calls herself the Lord of Calamity…the one who slew the previous Shepherd, the Shepherd of legend, Sorey," Eizen began. "It is also true that my parents endured as hellions for many, many centuries before they were purified…and that my mother, whom you see before you now, was once the Lord of Calamity herself. But I am not my sister, and my mother…and all of my family…have suffered greatly, for the malevolence my corrupted sister claims is the panacea for all of life's ills. This," he waved a hand at his still-sobbing mother, "is what malevolence does. It destroys lives, destroys homes, destroys families. While it is true that all your worldly cares would be gone if you embraced it, that is because everything that matters to you now would lose all meaning. The people you love, the dreams you hold dear, all of it would mean nothing to you if you embraced the darkness my sister preaches.
"And now, I am your Shepherd. Sorey taught me, as he taught many of you, that the Shepherd's duty is to stand apart from all other humans, alone, between the light and the dark, forever a shield and sword to the people, people who would never thank him for his service, who would never accept him as one of their own. This burden, I gladly accept, for many of you have refused to treat me as an equal anyway. I do not care what you think of me or my family, it does not matter now. Now, I swear to you, by my blades and by my blood, that I will defend this world from malevolence to my very last breath, that all those who walk this earth shall be shielded from the darkness so long as I have a drop of blood flowing in my veins. Whether you be human or seraph, Hyland or Rolance, young or old, of Glenwood or the far continent, it does not matter; I will defend you with my life. And should anyone succumb to malevolence, I will not rest until I have hunted that person down and either quelled them or ended them, for that is the Shepherd's duty. I swear to you all, I will protect you…whether you want me to or not." He bowed his head. "That is all."
Turning his back, Eizen hopped down from the altar and approached his uncle, only to be stopped short by a call from somewhere in the crowd:
"Shepherd Eizen!"
Surprised, Eizen turned, and saw a man he didn't know cheering his name.
"Shepherd Eizen! Shepherd Eizen! Shepherd Eizen!"
This was unlikely enough, but it became downright shocking when other people in the crowd started taking up the chant, a few at a time.
"Shepherd Eizen! Shepherd Eizen! Shepherd Eizen!"
Many did not, Eizen noted, there were plenty of people who looked around silently with expressions that ranged from confused and uncertain to outright hateful; but more, many more, joined in the cry, their eyes wide as they gazed at him as though he was the very embodiment of hope itself, filling the air with their renewed faith.
"SHEPHERD EIZEN! SHEPHERD EIZEN! SHEPHERD EIZEN!"
Eizen turned around to address the people cheering for him, and several things happened in quick succession: heat rushed to his head, his mother screamed his name over the cheers of the crowd, muscular arms caught him before he knew he was falling, and everything went black.
A thousand internet points and/or a shoutout to anyone who can name the thirteen souls who helped Eizen become the Shepherd! They're all people who are dead at this point in time (DEAD, not just corrupted); they're all names we know, if not all people we know particularly well; and though they all have a reason to want Eizen to rise to the challenge, neither Rose nor Alisha is among them. Those are the only hints I'll give. I have expectations for who will be the one to be the one to crack it, so come on and prove me wrong!
The trophy that would be earned for this chapter if this was a game: [image of two hands and multiple ghostly hands clasped around the hilt of the Sacred Blade embedded in the altar] "The Chosen Hero" - Proof of drawing the Sacred Blade with some otherworldly help. Not since your parents' time has the fate of the world come down to a family dispute.
