Chapter 8: Revelations
Joe and his friends had finally reached Vault. It was a huge city, The largest city in the kingdom of Adepts, The kingdom of the Golden Valley, known to everybody as Vale. Vault was known to be exactly that: a giant vault, as it contained the treasures of the Four Parts of the Kingdom. It was a thriving city, truly the joy of the Kingdom. With the sacred city of the Wise to North, and the Karagol to the West. To the East were the most pacific regions of Lebatin and Bilibin, and protected to the South by the river of Gold, the Reill. Further South was the deadly Lamarkan Desert, home to Bandits and thieves of all sorts. But none of this mattered now. The people of Vault believed that the blessing of the Gods came from the North, and the blessing of the Men from the West.
Leng knew the city very well, having charted every little alley in his map. They advanced through hordes of Merchants, Inns and Statues, finnally appearing in the Grand Plaza. It was a huge garden, full of trees, birds and clear, bright water. They walked right through it to the Palace, which was a magnificent building. It was all covered in gold and silver, and the windows were made of gems. They represented the history of Weyard, and there were the scenes that everybody had heard, but few refused to accept as history, Including the Rise of the Golden Sun, the Sealing of the Elder Ones, and the Kings of the Four Tribes.
"Wow!" said Max "I gotta admit that this is the most impressive palace I 've seen! But how the hell did they built something this big!"
"The people of Vale have been building it for a long time" said Leng "In fact, it's not complete yet. The inner sanctum is still under construction. Can you see the smoke coming from the highest tower"
"I see it" said Joe "Vault has been building this palace for generations. Let's hope that they finish it before the Demons finish us"
That brought them back to reality. They had to meet the King. Leng was honoured by everyone, and they went easily to the King's Chamber, placed in the Center of the castle, and fifty feet above the entrance.
The golden gates opened and they entered. The Chamber was well lit, and full of Golden statues. They represented the four godesses: Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and most importantly, The sun god Sol and his wife, Luna. The three djinn hunters kneeled before King Raniel, who looked at them smiling.
King Raniel was a Red haired Man, with deep brown eyes. He was said to be a descendant of the dragon tribe, for He was tall and well-built. Many marveled at how he could use many kinds of Psynergy with a mastery that only the true adepts of the corresponding clans were able of. He was known all across Weyard for his strong sense of justice, which he inherited from his long dead father. He was known also for his piety, and every day He sent gold to those who showed that they really needed it. King Raniel was loved by his people.
"Come on, rise brave Djinn hunters!" He said "I see you've completed your mission, Leng. What news do you bring from Serland?"
"I bring good and bad news, Your Majesty" He answered " Know that King Tharden of Serland has died, and so has the Leader of the Order of the White Hand, Hens. His son, Imil, slayed the Demon, avenging both his King and his Father in one Blow. He is now the New King of Serland".
"I see" said King Raniel, and his smile dissapeared "Tharden was a good friend of mine, I always seeked for his advice when I was young. He was the last of his Bloodline. I feel that in a very far future, instead of Serland City, people will visit the Mighty city of Imil".
"I hope so, your Majesty. King Imil has promised me that He will send his strongest warriors in our aid".
"Good. I hope that He has a long life. But I feel that the Death of King Serland and Hens are not the only bad news that you bring, my dear friend",
"You are correct, your majesty. For we have collected info from some of the werewolves and the survivors of Bilibin. The Demon's army has destroyed the mighty kingdom of Xian. The people of the Werebear tribe are surrounded, although we don't know how are they doing, and they may be attacking the Ankohl cities even as we speak".
"I can tell you about that, Leng. A messenger came from Ankohl and few days ago. Most of the coastal cities and towns are destroyed. Some of the surviving were-bears have taken refuge in the Hephaestus stronghold. The Sea-dwellers attack from the south, and the werewolves attack from the east. The people of Ankohl have been trapped between the Sea and the Mountains. I only whish that they can survive long enough, as I´ve already sent five hundred Warriors, all of them well trained and powerful Adepts. They will keep the city safe for some time, and I'm already summoning the greatest army that this Kingdom has ever seen".
"But my lord, there's a good chance that the werewolves will strike from the Goma Range too. I suppose that you have already prepared our defenses in the Eastern cities?"
"Of course, Leng. A good King takes everything in consideration. If you look at the full picture, you will understand many things".
Then Raniel looked at the two other Djinn hunters. His smile returned, bright as ever.
"Joe and Max. Two of the most gifted warriors and adepts in the world. Haveyou signedin one of the Innsalready? I can offer you a comfortable shelter here. What do you say?"
"I would be honored, Your Highness" said Joe " But I fear that I cannot stay for long, as I have a very long travel ahead of me".
"You will try to summon the Anemos Giants, right?" King Raniel seemed worried " It will be a very difficult journey, Joe. I have but one advice for you, and is this: You must learn to trust and care about people if you wish to survive. And I will say nothing more".
Joe nodded, and looked down. He didn't understand why had the King said that, but He felt that it was an advice worth taking.
"How about you Max? Will you stay and tell me some of your adventures?"
"Of course, your Majesty. But you will have to tell me when to stop, because I have tales for at least a week straight".
"Excelent. Guard, prepare a Feast. We will honor King Tharden who fought and died so valiantly, in the Battle of the Frozen Fields"
"Yes, your Majesty"
"And please show these two to their bedrooms. They are my guests and will stay here as long as they need to".
"Of course, Your Majesty. Please follow me".
There were many halls in the palace of King Raniel, but the hall chosen for the feast faced northeast, towards the frozen fields. Many people were invited to the feast, including Joe and Max, that were sitting near the King. Leng was sitting at his left side and Prince Lionel was sitting at his right side. The nine senators (three for each region of the Kingdom) were sitting around the table. Around them several more tables had been arranged, and all of them were full of silver dishes and golden cups. But while Joe wasn't eating very much, Max had already eaten three times more than everyone else in the table.
One of the senators had a long beard and wore a starred cloak. He looke quite old, and cunning, like someone who has gained many enemies with his decisions. He was discussing about the need to ask the four tribes for help.
"...and the Dragon tribe are merely waiting for a chance to betray us, I think, And let's not forget that Shinryu has already allied with the Demons once. What other proof do you want? We can't trust anyone, My liege, or we will be destroyed. And who are those commoners sitting at our table? Spies of the Demons, perhaps?"
"You are wrong, my dear Felion" said King Raniel. "These are djinn hunters and heroes, they have scorted my friend Leng from Serland".
"Djinn Hunters!" he said, with a certain disdain " I thought they were ruffians. But Serland is a land filled with weak Adepts. They have not learned to use the power of the lighthouse correctly" he added with a certain malice in his eyes.
"Maybe Lord Felion can teach us how to use the powers of the lighthouse correctly?" said Max, clearly enraged.
"Oh, yes I could 'djinn-hunter'. However I think that your limited ability might not understand all that I could say, although I could put it in a plate full of... is that fried rat? Maybe nobody minds if you eat it. I know I don't". All the senators laughed at the joke, and Max blushed deeply.
Joe stood up. He looked calm as usual, but his eyes were fiery pits, and the senators stopped laughing.
"Serland is not full of weak adepts, Lord Felion. King Tharden was not a weak Adept, and King Imil is very powerful. His slaying of the Demon proves his skills, and his people are all skilled healers. Perhaps if you ever left your palace, and made some friends instead of just flatterers, you could see for yourself. And now if you'll excuse me, I must go".
"How dare you!" said Felion. His bloodshot eyes were wide open. " Guards, put him in jail!"
"I have not given such an Order, Felion" said Raniel "And you must learn to be little more courteous with our guests".
"B-b-but King Raniel! Will you allow this... this... 'Djinn-hunter' to get away with this? He's humilliated the Entire Senate!"
"Perhaps He had his reasons, Felion. For now, let him be".
Joe walked aimlessly through the city. His mind set on the advice of King Raniel.
"You must learn to trust and care about people..."
What did He mean? He cared about people.
"Oh, Do you?" said a voice inside his head. "What about your family? Your home? Your friends? do you care about them? Oh, I forgot you don't have any..." His conscience was right. He didn't have anything. But then again, You can't have that sort of things when you're a traveler.
He kept on walking, aimlessly. After some time, He came across a ruined house. It had obviously been abandoned long ago, and the floor was covered in dust. There were signs of fire from long ago, and some plants had already claimed the windows and walls. It was Joe's house, or rather, the house that He used to live in.
Joe remembered very well the last time He had seen it. It was sixteen years ago.
That night, Joe's parents were having a party to celebrate his birthday. Many of his old friends were there, and there were also some friends of his father and mother. His father was a succesful merchant and knew many people. Around town, everybody thought that He held a great treasure somewhere in his house.
"Here you go, Joe!" said his Father. "The biggest birthday cake ever done! You must be proud!"
"Are you happy, Joe?" said his Mother. Joe remembered exactly what she was like, with her Red hair, and her Silver eyes.
But Joe couldn't answer. Suddenly, several thieves broke into the party, killing everyone. His mother took him upstairs, while his father stayed to fight them off. The last time Joe saw his father, He had been stabbed by the thieves.
Joe's mother ran to the balcony. Joe used to play there all the time, jumping to the next house from there.
"Joe, listen to me! Do you remember what I told you about your Uncle, who lives on the other side of the city? You must go there inmediatly, and give him this message. Listen to me, Joe!" He was crying.
"Jump from roof to roof until you get to the police station" She paused, as she was crying too. "This may be the last time I see you. You must be very brave, Joe. From now on, we'll watch from heaven".
But his mother couldn't finish. A thief entered the room, and grabbed her neck, turning her around.
"Where's the money, bitch? Tell me or I'll kill you!"
That was the last He remembered about His mother. When he alerted his uncle (who was the chief policeman) They returned inmediatly with many guards and soldiers, but it was too late. His house was already on fire. The Mercury Adepts put down the fire quickly, but inside they only found the bodies of everyone Joe knew. He was all alone.
Since then, He had been travelling all around Angara, and some of Gondowan. He trained hard, every day trying to increase his powers. He became so powerful that King Sirel (Raniel's father) nominated him the only Adept able to keep Djinn, a Djinn-Hunter. The youngest Djinn hunter in history. His task was to prevent that the enemies of the Kingdom of the Golden Valley used Djinn to attack them. But since Vale had no enemies, his only task was to find them and keep them, if he wanted. He had been doing that since then.
Joe sighed. Maybe King Raniel was right. He hadn't cared about anyone else since then. His only friend was the Road, and the only one He trusted was himself. No one else.
"But now you have friends" said that voice. "Max and Leng are your friends, even if you don't admit it".
"Max and Leng. They are my friends" He smiled.
"No time for that" He thought. " I must get ready for tomorrow".
He returned to the palace. His travel west would begin next day, and the world was still endangered, as the Elder ones were still out there.
But when he entered the Plaza, a scene that He remembered very well came into sight. It was the statue of Sol. The sun and the keys were still in his hands, and then Joe remembered.
Ten years ago, He had caught his first djinni right there. Flash had been hiding in the city's sewer system. He had followed him around those endless tunnels, until He finally cornered it. The djinni attacked with a Nova attack, which Joe could barely block.
"Flare Wall!" He cried. The djinni was hit by the attack, but it didn't seem to have taken any damage. Joe attacked with his sword, and found out that some sort of force field surrounded the creature. He made a plan quickly. Readying his sword, he began to focus.
"Fireball!" He cried. Several fire orbs appeared behind the Djinni, which was forced to move his shield to protect from them. Joe charged quickly, and hit it with his sword. He felt it pass through the djinni, but the sword was clean, and hot. Then He realized something very important about Djinni. They were the pure embodiment of the corresponding elemental. Mars Djinni were made of Mars Psynergy, and Flash proved it, as it began to spin and divided in several orbs, which entered Joe's body. When it was over, Joe saw that He had a bracelet, with a single ruby in it. It sparkled and glimmered in the darkness, as if to prove his worth. When He got out of the sewers, the first thing He saw was the statue of Sol, in the Grand Plaza.
He smiled again. Those Djinni had saved him several times. And then He remembered that the Demons were looking for them too. But why would the Demons want the pure embodiment of an elemental?
He didn't found an answer that night. He fell asleep, and the following morning, He had already forgotten about the question.