A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciated them, I have to agree that Hayrinn's transition was a bit fast...she still can't handle sohees, she's a novice after all…and facing it, she had to lose…
Added Note: this is a sort of interlude in the storyline, which have no mention of Hayrinn and Ryekie. This is to introduce other principal characters in the story other than the two, after all…the story doesn't revolve solely around them.
Chapter 4
Heimdall's Council
The sound of clattering greaves and cacophony of full plates and swords resounded against the stone walls of sage castle, where the scholars worked and slaved over research and study, and where even the lightest of sounds were enough to earn a derogatory gaze from sages who deigned silence as the ultimate virtue.
Even as the sages stared at the source of clamor with emotions short of contempt, the Pronteran Guardsmen proceeded to rattle the silence of the castle with the sound of their plates, swords, shields, and greaves, completely ignoring crude remarks on their incivility and disrespect for disrupting the scholars' studies with the noise of their armor.
There were four of them—a knight, a crusader, a swordsman, and a novice, who bore the insignia of the Pronteran Guard.
At the head of them was a heavily built man who seemed to fill every crevice and curve of his full plate and whose arms bulged with muscles that spoke years of incessant training and experience in service of his King and country. His hair was long and blonde, tied behind his head and hidden by his fin helm, while his beard and moustache was neatly trimmed. His entire physique was made to intimidate, yet, if one looked closer, his sky-blue eyes were small and crinkled with laugh lines, and they spoke of much warmth and easy laughter.
"Sir Valgas…" a voice spoke in whisper—partly deep, and cracked…broken with the beginnings of adolescence.
At once, the knight turned to look at a tall young boy, facing him with bright blue eyes and a face framed by golden blonde hair.
"What is it Erichlus?" the knight answered, ceasing his party's march through the hallways of sage castle to talk to the novice behind him.
"The castle is so darn gloomy…and the sages have been staring at us as though we were unwelcome, is it necessary for me to come here?" the boy asked, gazing sideways at the sages, and shrugging away from their stares.
"Erich!" the swordsman with the party reproached, his eyes staring down at the novice, "An order is an order…you can't let these scholar weaklings intimidate us with their stares, after all, most of them prefer a book as a weapon than a sword…what are they gonna do? Read us to sleep?"
The swordsman's barbed words left the novice with no choice save to look away from him in embarrassment.
"Come now, Xylus, don't be too harsh on the boy…" Sir Valgas began, though his words were gentle, his eyes stared daggers at his subordinate. "Just think this…these men have enough brains that a sword's end would not reach the other side of it…"
The swordsman called Xylus silenced, and stuck out his tongue at the blonde novice, who made faces at him.
Sir Valgas chuckled at the antics of his two trainees, and led the march further into the castle. They arrived at a huge door, carved with a circle within a circle, and surrounded by inscriptions of ancient script—a magical formation. There were many carvings within the formation, but were ones that swordsmen had no business nor care to discern…that was the job of sages.
The door opened and both novice and swordsman trainees stared in awe while their superiors reacted with indifference to the majesty of the room they beheld.
The room was circular, surrounded by tables that rose up with each stair that led to them…seated behind them were men of every job and class, those that seemed to be of authority in their chosen field. Their stern and serious faces were lighted by a glass domelike structure at the ceiling that emanated a radiant light enough to illumine the room, yet not powerful enough to blind those within it.
Amidst the seriousness and dead calm of the enclosed room, an old sage smiled upon seeing the head knight and his men. The man's white beard fell partway to his chest, and wizened green eyes stared at the swordsmen behind thick spectacles rimmed with golden frames. His Magic instructor's hat was perched on his head, it's tip, slightly bent from years of use, but his robes were flowing and clean. "It's nice to see you again, Sir Valgas Vente…" he greeted,
"Same goes to seeing you, Aldous Sagezus…" the knight answered.
"Now, everyone is here...important matters must be discussed…" Aldous Sagezus began, as the room fell in complete attention to the sage's words, "Send your groomsmen and subordinates to the room adjacent to ours …only the men of Heimdall's council are allowed to attend…"
The novice and swordsman stared at their superior, waiting for his order, even when the other men began to walk out of the room,
"You heard the man…move out…" Sir Valgas ordered, and watched as the two youths left the room with his partner crusader. He sighed audibly, and candidly remarked on the stiff protocol…
Sage Aldous smiled almost sadly, which mirrored the same expression on most of the men in the room. "I'd agree to your statement Valgas, but this time…it was not merely protocol which drove me to send even our most trusted men out…"
The knight's expression grew grim, "Is it bad?" he asked, yet he did not need an answer…the faces of the men in the room were enough to make him feel the gravity of seriousness that hovered over them all.
At once, the sage stood, and began to speak in a voice of regal authority. "All you hear…Heimdall's council was founded to correct the mistakes of our predecessors during the first Ragnarok, and to prevent it from happening again…Call out your name, present yourself as the best of your field, and pledge your allegiance to our cause!"
One by one, the men within the room stood and presented themselves.
"Sir Valgas Vente of the Pronteran Guard,"
"Alchemist Ciera Valicreus of Al de Baran Alchemy,"
"Blacksmith Axelle Melfyne of Pronteran Weaponry…"
"Monk Sendros of St. Catalina Abbey"
"Priest Ranulf Tavenress of the Pronteran Sanctuary"
"Professor Havensir Brenwurr of the Geffenia Magical Academy"
"Hunter Carsov Tieretaren of Payon Archery,"
Aldous Sagezus acknowledged their presence, "Men …and women," he began, looking in the direction of Ciera Valicreus and Axelle Melfyne, "You've pledged your allegiance to Heimdall's council as the best in your field…and I welcome you all to bear burden of our predecessor's mistakes in bringing about the first Ragnarok…"
The room filled with an atmosphere of foreboding from the Sage's words, and they stayed in awkward dread and anticipation as he spoke...
"Heimdall's council has worked through the ages to prevent the same mistake from repeating itself, but in the process, our foolishness of more than a decade ago are on verge of coming against us with vengeance…"
Uproar came about within the room, as even the silent monk, Sendros could not hold himself back…"Impossible!" he shouted, his outburst coupled that of the rest of the council members. "I thought we took care of that! This was not to happen!"
"We cannot deny this!" Sage Aldous's voice rose above the din of the council, "Ladies and gentlemen…we have to make amends for the great mistake we made those many years ago,"
"We've taken care of that, have we not?" Sir Valgas asserted, "There was not supposed to be a mistake…everything of that 'mistake' was sealed and left to be forgotten, why bring this all up again, Aldous?"
"Valgas, we've sealed it…but it seems fate did not deign it to remain that way, I've done research during the past months, and it seems…we cannot keep on with forgetting what we've done, we must accept it and do something, for now I know…our mistake…might bring us all to destruction…"
Sharp intakes of breath were audible in the dead silence of the room.
"C-Could it be?" Priest Ranulf stammered, his eyes grew wide with disbelief and he slumped weakly into his chair,
"I believe it is…I know it is…" Hunter Carsov said with ominous calm, "We cannot help it…"
"Is it…" Ciera Valicreus began, quivering as she spoke, "Is it Aesir Rune?"
Sage Aldous nodded,
"What of the others?" Axelle Melfyne asked, holding Ciera's hand in hers. She had to know…though she herself feared an answer,
"The others as well…" The sage answered, he seemed to grow older by the second. "They're soon to come…"
"Helles Elvidnir…and Vali Vitharr" Sir Valgas whispered blankly, watching the council members drop to their seats, one by one…sapped of strength and will to remain standing.
Aldous Sagezus stared sadly at them all,
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Heimdall's council…" he began with notable sorrow in his words, "We have been watching and waiting for the coming of Ragnarok…train your men and apprentices to be strong! They will rebuild Rune-Midgard after its destruction if they survive! Ragnarok will come without warning…all we can do is prepare…and hope it would not come too soon…"
A/N: Once again, please leave a review for this one and that of the next chapter, thanks!
