Chapter Seventeen:
Tribute to the Fallen

A week passed by, and Anegon slowly settled down again. Elephande's shadow found Ryan and Cyrus near death in the blackened forest the day after the battle.

Reno told us about the Order of the Hidden, of which he was an Elite. The Order was an organization broken into two groups: the members and the Elite. The members were devastating mercenaries of a sort. The Elite each had a member as their protégé, and the member took on the name of the Elite.

Reno the member had been hired by a Vesuvian soldier to lead an assault against my city, and had gotten out of control. He had gone on a rampage after his release from the pay of the soldier, and had found his old friend, Mute.

Reno the Elite ended up killing his protégé after he injured Brooke. Reno then found Mute outside Vesuvia and warned him not to pursue our group. Mute didn't listen, and he ambushed us here at home. He also burned the forest down before he was killed by Reno.

Two Years Later:

"And we shall never forget their sacrifices for us," finished Allen.

A second, smaller tower had been erected in memory of the Anegoan and Vesuvian Adepts who died protecting Anegon. My friends and I said what we knew about our fallen comrades, and so did some others.

Afrin was there, and he gave a startlingly reminiscent speech on behalf of Casey and Cody, with whom he had traveled.

"Somehow I don't think we could still be here if I had never met this amazing group of Adepts," he had concluded, to the biggest ovation of us all.

I was now the commander of the Anegoan forces protecting the city. Mekae, Blair, Brooke, and Ryan all stayed and made their home here in Anegon. Reno also pledged his support to aid us, along with the Elite of the Order.

The city of Vesuvia had been left deserted by Mute's massacre by fire. It sat deep in snow, with nobody there to care for it.

Chris of Hydrolonia had congratulated me on my new position, and sent an ambassador – or two – Blair and Brooke. They made sure that I had whatever I needed to rebuild Anegon.

Blaze returned to Contigo a hero, along with her cousin. Blaze stayed there, but Mekae moved to Anegon to keep in touch.

Afrin convinced his father to send Anegon a representative from the Indosyne Union, and I was never short on information. Unfortunately, the representative was Patriarch Suligan, and so most of it was misinformation. Afrin noticed his father's 'mistake' and sent me Elephade-Admiral-Allysuntis instead. Allysuntis, like her namesake, was strong in mind and spirit. She refused the position of matriarch of her father's herd, even though she was the rightful heir and bearer of the Mark of Elephade, a version of Suliantig's mark crafted by Suliantig for Elephade's leaders. She preferred a battlefield command, and she was fit to be leader of Suisane than Suligan was, a natural flier.

As a General for the Mark, I was called to lead my Adepts in battle alongside Elephande's soldiers. I always wore Altoda's Gift, and Zambiandë's sword when I was in battle, and they have yet to fail me.

Yesterday, however, I was told some amazing news: Elephande was resigning as leader of the Indosyne Union, and Afrin will take his place. Elephande once told me that the end of the Age of Ten was close. Could this be it?