Book I: The Nation of Alrest

Chapter VII

https/youtu.be/zukZtQQ2hDU

Immediately, Mythra summoned an ether shield made up of small hexagons and the bullets fired at us bounced off.

"You ready?" she warned.

I clutched my flaming sword in my hand. "Yeah, lets go!"

The guys immediately dropped their guns and pulled out single-bladed curved swords.

Mythra swung her sword, letting out a beam of light at the enemies, it hit two and immediately put them on the ground, I swung at the ring leader, who laughed as we clashed.

"You take him, I'll handle the rest," Mythra commanded as we fought our separate battles.

My double-edged blade was much heavier than his sword, but it seemed that I knew how to use mine a little better.

He swung viciously, but I stayed calm and kept my center of balance, staying in defense as he moved.

Mythra's sword wasn't made of simple metal and had a blade made of light, she simply cut through their swords with ease as they stood baffled. She used a very minute amount of energy, just enough to knock these guys out and began throwing them to the ground with her blade.

"You fight well for a mere boy," the man said as our swords collided.

"Sword fighting was Granny's idea of playtime," I responded before kicking him in the leg and sending him sprawling to the ground.

He went to block with his sword, but I slashed upward, sending his sword flying into the air, I then pegged him by pointing my sword at his throat.

"It's over," I glared.

"I suppose so, you gonna kill me?" he asked.

I lowered my sword. "No, get out of here, we'll call it even."

"Even?!" he questioned, getting upset.

"You gave us your money, we let you keep your life and your friends' lives," Mythra sassed. "Fair trade if you ask me."

He began to realize that there was no point in arguing, so he began walking off, grumbling to himself.

After he and his goons had left the area, I sheathed my sword.

"Please don't put us in any more situations like that, I'd like to live," I told her.

"No promises, besides, we survived. They weren't any issue, don't be such a baby," she teased.

I went to respond, but she was already getting on the train, and I followed.

"So why did you just give all of that to them Lady Juliani?" Theory asked, her gaze was emotionless like always.

"Questioning my methods, are we?" Juliani answered, looking in her blade's eyes.

"Just curiosity is all," Theory reasoned.

"Very well," Juliani said before pausing. "Tell me, do you know who that girl was?"

"A pretty face, no doubt! But no, I don't understand," Praxis chimed in.

Juliani looked at Praxis, admiring the water bubbles that adorned her. "Correct, but she was a blade."

"A blade? How could you tell?" Theory questioned.

"She had a bright emerald crystal! Did you not notice?" Juliani interrogated in a scolding manner.

"I noticed, but I simply thought it was an adornment," Theory noted.

"I believe that girl was the Aegis of legend," Juliani theorized.

"What?! But that just a bunch of hog wash! That mythical child's fairytale is nothing but... well, as I said!" Praxis snapped.

"Oh please, just because that blubbering oaf Adonis says something doesn't mean you've got to go running to his feet. We women are of a higher intellect than that. The Aegis exists, and that woman was her."

"So what did we gain by giving her a core crystal?" Praxis asked.

"An ally. We've already loaded up the core crystal with the instruction she needs. The Sisters of Argentum will be able to become the strongest female alliance- no, the strongest alliance in all of history once we inevitably gain control of her. It's simply a matter of time."

"Very well, then we wait," Theory concluded.

"I don't know, the boy didn't seem like he trusted you very much," Praxis pointed out.

"True, but if it comes to it, the peon can simply be... disposed of."

"Attention all passengers, this is your attendant speaking. We will now be departing for New Torna, the train ride will take a full eight hours so sit back and get comfortable. Pillows and blankets will be provided upon request and bathrooms are available at the back of the train. Food will be provided upon request for a fee and is brought to you by the New Tornan Express Kitchen. If you would like a menu, let us know at any time by pressing the button to the right or left of your seat. We should arrive by 05:00. Thank you for choosing the New Tornan Express, have a wonderful night."

This train was much nicer than the last one we were on. The seats provided much more cushion and room, the last one also didn't have a full cart dedicated to being a kitchen. The engine also didn't rely on fire ether in a furnace for power, so I wasn't even sure how it worked. All I really knew is we were moving much faster than we were on the Fonsett Railway. The walls were white and the seats were two-seater benches, but with a full cushion per seat. The seats had cup holders, various buttons, book lights, and even a personal television built into the back of the seat in front of you. The walls and flooring were made of various polished metals and the attendants were all dressed in bright white and red dresses. It was all so... organized.

"This is quite the upgrade," I said to Mythra, who was sitting across from me. The train was relatively empty so we'd both gotten an entire two-seaters for ourselves.

"Agreed, lets hope New Torna isn't any more advanced than this is...," she chuckled.

As the train ride continued, Mythra had gotten us both pillows and blankets and she had already passed out. I tried to stay awake for a bit longer, but soon I fell asleep as well.

"You're definitely not ready," the girl with the black hair said to me.

"Ready for what?" I asked, realizing this was the same girl who appeared to me twice before I found Mythra.

"To be a driver. Let alone the driver of the Aegis. A driver's greatest strength is the bond that he shares with his blade, and the blade's greatest strength is the trust that they have in their driver, but you two fight separately. You don't act as one, but as two different units, this will lead to your demise."

"Relax, we're not going to be getting into any fights, we're just going to go pick up her journal and then go back to Leftheria, it'll be a piece of cake!" I argued.

"You are naive, boy. You will learn soon enough."

"I told you my name, what's yours?" I interrupted.

She took a second to think before responding. "Call me Sarah, for now, at least."

I stood up and held out my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

She giggled as she shook my hand. "Still a dork, things don't change with you, do they?"

"What do you mean by that?" I began to ask, but she had already begun walking away, and I soon awoke.

My eyes shot open, looking around. How long was I out? I immediately realized something was up because Mythra was laying on top of me, and fast asleep.

I turned beet red as I tried to gently nudge her awake.

"Hey, uh... Mythra? You ok?" I said nervously as her eyes fluttered open.

She looked around and yawned in my face before she finally took note of her surroundings. She jumped up and yelled out.

"What the hell are you doing?! You—!"

I cut her off. "You're on my side Mythra!"

"Well I—!" she stopped to look around before laughing a bit. "Ugh I know I've done this before... Why am I so bad at this?!"

"Sleepwalk often?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, I tend to do it every now and then. I've never woken up in a stranger's bed so I guess that's on the bright side."

I was going to say something back, but something through the window caught my eye.

https/youtu.be/LsUw4Hzex0M

"Mythra... look!" I said, pointing out the window.

She immediately looked to see what I was pointing at, before seeing it as well.

Out in the midst of the horizon, the sun was coming up, filling the sky in a beautiful array of red and orange, and in the middle of it all, stood the capital of Alrest, New Torna.

The city shone bright with an aura of pure gold, wrapped around gorgeously with streets of emerald green. There were many flying machines circling around over it, and at the center of the city was a tall building that cut through the sky itself. As we approached, we realized how massive this city was, as far left or as far right as we could see, the city still kept going. Miles and miles of hustle and bustle, all in an organized fashion. Large TVs decorated some of the building, displaying all manner of things such as news highlights and advertisements, though it was hard to see from the train window.

Both Mythra and I stared with our mouths hanging open at this, it was bigger than either of us had ever experienced.

What were we getting into?

Readability Level: 11th-12th Grade

Time Taken: 3 Hours

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