Chapter 4
a new path is chosen, a past is revealed
When he awoke, Scott realized he was in the Med Hall (a type of hospital at Ischka). A nurse approached him and asked "How do you feel?"
"Fine, I guess. How did I get here?" he asked her.
"Your friend Kiro Sagato brought you here. He was really worried. He kept asking me 'is he gonna be okay'? You have a friend who really cares about you." She looked him over, checked his temperature, asked him questions, and after she gave him the okay, he left the Med Hall, and went searching for Kiro.
There was debris everywhere. Scott was going to head to the dormitories, but heard the voices of Captain Zyltos, and Lieutenant Ken:
"Do you have any updates on the current situation Captain?" Lieutenant Ken asked.
"None whatsoever. A cadet has never disappeared before, without some sort of reason or explanation."
"Captain, who was the cadet?" Ken asked.
"Klyde Bertrand. I didn't see him after the battle he fought against Kiro Sagato. I'm hoping to the God's up there that the weird woman didn't do anything to him. She nearly got Kiro's guest."
Scott rushed to the dormitories after hearing this. He asked a soldier in the hall where he could find Kiro's room, and soon was banging on the door.
"Who's there!?" Kiro yelled.
"It's me, Scott." The door opened, and Kiro pulled Scott into the room.
"Kiro, what are you doing?" Scott looked around the room, seeing that Kiro was packing up his clothes, and taking down his posters.
"I'm packin' up, and leaving Ischka," he told him, "and I need you to come with me."
"Why me?" Scott asked him.
"Because I can trust you. First of all, because of the break in last night, security is really tight. When the guards change shifts, take this reflector, and shine the sunlight at the door at the top of the dormitories's staircase. Secondly, I'll come down and we'll go to your place. Got it?" Scott nodded his head, but still felt somewhat worried about Kiro's plan to escape.
He headed downstairs and waited while resting on a pillar.
Scott looked up to see if Kiro was in place. He was.
"Time to change em' up," a guard said to the other.
"Yeah, lets go."
Scott aimed the reflector at the stairs, relaying the light into Kiro's face. He flinched, then quickly headed down the stairs. After quickly checking to see if there were no guards at the moment, he ran as fast as he could, grabbed Scott by the arm, said his name into the V.I.S, and charged through the open door.
"Now, are you gonna tell me what this is about?" Scott asked Kiro.
"Alright, when we get to the park. The park wasn't too far away so Scott didn't have to wait long before hearing Kiro's story. Kiro pointed to a bench covered in shadows from overlying trees.
"Scott, the reason I'm leaving Ischka, is because I received a message. From..." he trailed off, trying to think of someplace other than what was mentioned on the letter.
"From where?" Scott prodded.
"From Seldovia. Here, read the letter." Kiro handed Scott a letter. After smoothing it out, Scott read:
To Kiro Sagato;
I trust that this letter has made its way to you, for I have information for your knowledge only, possibly to the boy that has been accompanying you for the past few days also.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could meet with my colleagues at Entauro Bay, for the sole purpose of meeting me here in Seldovia. Be at the docks on Sunday August 30th. I would be quite thankful if you were to appear sometime in the latter of that week. You have almost a complete four months to decide whether to come, find some form of transportation, and maybe bring that boy with you as he is most curious to me. If you could please grant me these three requests, your co-operation may help accomplish the goal of the Night Hawks.
Sincerely,
Diana Crane , Night Hawks Tactician.
Scott looked up at Kiro, but was unable to comprehend the expression on his face.
"Kiro, you're not actually thinking of going there, are you? They've obviously been following you around. And following me too. The Night Hawks could just want to take us hostage or something like that."
"I'm still going. You can come with me if you want, but it may take a bit to persuade your grandpa."
"I'm just a little unsure of what to think of this. I mean, this is just sort of dumped on me like a 'take it or leave it' situation. I don't blame you at all for what happened, or that they know about me," Scott explained. "We can go to my house, but I'll have to think about it."
"Alright, well that's good enough for me, so lets head to your place." Kiro and Scott began to walk in the direction of Scotts house, all the while wondering if this was a good idea or not.
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"Noira, I want you to begin tracking the four people who broke into Ischka when I arrived."
"Yes, at once Mistress." Noira saluted to a woman covered in shadows, and left the chamber. The enormous stone monoliths seemed to watch her as she walked through the chamber corridors. As she approached the steps leading out from the castle, she looked behind her to see the stone monoliths cross the sides of the corridor.
"Those pathetic creations won't be able to protect you forever." Noira remembered the words her master had spoken when she had shown her the creatures born from the Dark Mist.
"I don't intend them to protect, only to destroy and obliterate mankind."
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"Grandpa, I'm home," Scott announced. "Kiro's with me!"
"Scott!? Thank God you're okay! Once I heard about the break in, I was so worried. Dammit, those freaking guards at ischka shoulda been more careful!" Scotts grandfather continued to ramble on. Five minutes later, he finished by giving Scott a hug.
"Grandpa, don't worry. I'm fine. But, Kiro and I have something to show you." Scott looked over at Kiro, who was pulling the crumpled letter out of his pants pockets. As he walked over, all he told Scotts grandfather was: "Read it."
He took the letter and smoothed it out. After reading it a few times, he finally looked up. "Go."
"What? Grandpa, what did you say?" Scott asked him.
"Go. I want you to do this. Hell, if I could, I would. But I'm too damn old now."
"Grandpa are you sure? I mean, it's just really sudden. I half expected you to say no."
"Do it. If you can help, what's stopping you?"
"Well, it's dangerous too!" Scott told him.
"Scott, Kiro. Sit down and listen."
"Scott. Let me start by telling you of a force called Black Magic. It is a power solely used to attack or destroy. The practitioners of this force were known as Black Mages. The power they could possess was tremendous. The "magic" as it was referred as, was used only to discover more about it. By learning about the "spells" they could cast, they could increase the growth of the spells. Make some more powerful.
Few of the Black Mages ever abused this lifestyle. All violators were banished from the world of magic, by a simple spell even a child Mage could use. The spell removed all of the magic from their minds and bodies, and was stored in a gemstone, locked in a chamber forever.
Now, where you come in, Scott. Your parents were Black Mages, and theirs before them. But one night, the most terrifying night in the history of the planet Ferma, your parents had their lives taken away from them. I was most unfortunate to be the one to discover my daughter, your mother. You see, a Black Mage's parents instill their child with a magical sense at the age of eight. With this sense, they are able to learn magic."
"But grandpa, if any of this is true, why don't I remember
a thing about it?"
"Scott, I used my Black Magic to make you forget what had happened. If you remained in that traumatized state, you would be unable to learn magic. Your parents wouldn't have wanted that, and either did I."
"But, I don't have any magic in me. How can I be a mage?" Scott asked, feeling very confused.
"You do have powers, but you have never needed to use them. That's why you didn't know about the powers you wield."
"Then, where did I get them from?"
"I sacrificed my own powers, to transfer the ability to learn how to learn magic into you. I don't need my powers. You need your own. When you first held that Mage Staff, you unlocked the ability to use "Fire" magic. Kiro, I trust you brought the staff with you?" Scotts grandfather asked.
"Yes, I brought it with me. Where is it? Wait... here it is," and he pulled the staff out of his gym bag. He walked over and handed it to Scott.
"Now Scott, come with me into the backyard." Scott and Kiro both followed him out the back door.
Scott and Kiro waited under a tree while Scotts grandfather pulled what looked like a monstrous plant out of the shed. He tapped it twice with his right hand and the plant started to move, towards Scott and Kiro.
"Scott, concentrate and name the incantation you are trying to cast!" his grandfather yelled.
Scott closed his eyes, thought of fire, and colored waves began to radiate from him, swirling around him when he finally exclaimed "Fire!"
What looked like a small explosion hit the plant like creature, and it disintegrated.
"Well, well, well. That was good. But if you're planning to go to Seldovia, we have lots of work to do." Scott looked at his grandfather, a grin spreading across his face.
"WHOO HOO!"
