MW: YO!

FINALLY

AFTER DAYS

WEEKS

MONTHS

IT'S HERE

IT'S JUST HEERAAREERENAJSNNEDJJESANFKJCKAMNAM

This took me a long time to write despite how short it is. I apologize for the length, but I repeatedly lost motivation, thought and ideas. Buuuuuuut they came back and I managed to finish the chapter. It may seem rushed, but it's just bits and pieces of each character's backstory to prepare you for random exposition points. Pay attention, please; you'll miss some things if you don't. Anyways! Next chapter may very well be my longest since it's after the timeskip and I am trying to put in as much exposition without ruining the plot and the ambiguous points. Enjoy!


7 - Side Chapter: The Impossible Truth and the Man of Justice

Valkyrie shot up from her bed, eyes wide, hair frazzled. She looked around frantically before sighing in relief. She stared at the sheets wrapped tightly around her and her mind began to wander. Valkyrie wondered.

She wondered if Talon was okay.

Valkyrie was staying in a dorm now, away from her younger brother and away from Talon, with a roommate whose neck deserved to be snapped. Ravenwood wasn't bad by any means, no. The dorms weren't co-ed (Thank Wu) and the people were friendly enough. Lydia Greyrose, the professor who taught Valkyrie and the other novice Thaumaturgy students ice magic was a gentle, well-spoken woman. Didn't mean she couldn't be firm when needed. Valkyrie liked where she was now. But she couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

The Thaumaturge shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts, glancing at the door that led to her roommate's separate room. There were many things she could do. She could run away from Ravenwood and go back to Briskbreeze, just to see Talon again. She could run back home. But what would her brother think?

Her brother looked up to her. Adored her, even. He had no friends and was always being bullied. Not like he wanted to look like a girl. He just...did. Valkyrie Shadowspear was her brother's saviour. Always stuck up for him when he needed it. But this was for the best. He needed to grow up. Fight on without her.

The novice Thaumaturge glanced down at the sheets she gripped so tightly and almost looked on as the tears hit the back of her hands and decorated the linen with awkward dots of moisture. Aw, hell. She was crying.

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Valkyrie tugged the sheets up to her chin, eventually settling into a prone position and closing her eyes, turning her head for maximum comfort.

Would she really be able to do this?


Wolf.

Sabrina wished that was her name.

Wolf.

The name Wolf just sounded beautiful. It was attractive and slid off her tongue, softer than silk. Her infatuation with wolves wasn't a big secret, and a young, brown-haired, crimson eyed boy she'd met during school would often tease her about it, though she knew he was never serious because he would always apologise and give her a hug warmer than the sun itself.

Sabrina wasn't really interested in boys (or girls, for that matter), but Hunter made her heart melt. Not because she was in love with him or anything, but...she just felt something for him that transcended the bonds of friendship. Or at least, she figured it did.

Hunter was a kind person at heart, despite his arrogant, self-absorbed and generally rude demeanour. He often talked of his brother, and wondered aloud of his elder sibling's fate. Hunter's initial approach led Sabrina to believe he was interested in men, considering the fact that he appeared depressed, angry and afraid simultaneously and had rushed up to her, gripped the collar of her robe and interrogated her on the whereabouts of a young man named Talon, somehow knowing the colour of Talon's lips, how long his hair was and a number of other personal facts. But gradually they became friends, despite the tension between them at first.

Sabrina smiled slightly, moving her hands to place them behind her head in a leisurely manner when her hand bumped against a stack of papers on the oaken desk she sat before. Many of the papers slid off of the obviously unmanaged stack and hit the floor, a few papers rising up again before floating back to the marble tile of the dorm floor. A small lamp shed light on the papers in a spotlight-esque manner, and Sabrina sighed.

Homework.

It wasn't really something she was good at, nor something she cared about. Sabrina never did her homework because she didn't want to. It wasn't about being impaired or unable to complete it. She just didn't enjoy the prospect of work. And as such, her grades in her classes were dropping-not even that-and she was failing. Professor Halston Balestrom had berated her one too many times for cheating and even though Hunter had tried to take the blame, Balestrom would have none of it.

Damned fat frog.

The professor had made her feel miserable, humiliated her before the class. I mean, he didn't say her name when he decided to show her work as an example of what failure was, and he wasn't rude about it, but she was the only student whose work was horrendous.

It wasn't that she was angry-well, she was-but remembering how difficult it was to get into Ravenwood, and the mere fact that she was able to stay in school and learn magic despite her grades, which seemed to drop lower into the frigid depths of a nonexistent abyss; even when her grades were at their zenith, it was the recorded equivalent of the sun slipping beyond the horizon into oblivion eternal, forever gone and its return unspecified, if at all imagined.

Sabrina was dragged mirthlessly from her thoughts by a rapid tap on the door. She opened it lazily, sighing and beginning to speak, but paused upon seeing the person before her. "Hunter?" She asked, confused.

"What?" Hunter responded with a question, her confusion confusing him. "You wanted help with your homework, so here I am."

"Homework? Help? Are you seri-I never asked for help with my homework." Sabrina exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "How'd you even get in the girl's dorm?"

Hunter shrugged. "Whether you wanted help or not, I'm here now and I'm offering. Oh, also, 'no' isn't a valid answer. I'm obviously the smarter one here, so I'm obligated to assist those with lesser intelligence, right?" He asked, moreso to assure himself of his superiority rather than make Sabrina feel even more miserable. "I climbed through one of the windows. Charmed the pants off every girl that saw me; though only two bothered to look." Hunter concluded with a grin that made Sabrina's eyebrows drop into a "v" formation. She gritted her teeth and let out a low growl, which her friend was too absorbed in his own charm to hear.

Hunter could talk endlessly about himself and his brother, and there were times it became annoying-so much so that Sabrina had to punch him to get him to stop. Those times included when he talked about other girls-which always led to his charm and how he had changed his name because the women loved it-and when he talked about Talon, Talon's admirable spirit, Talon's emotional breakdowns-hell, at one point, Sabrina assumed he was homosexual. But he assured her he wasn't and kissed her oh-so-casually to prove it. Although it didn't really prove much of anything, save for the fact that she felt something for him that slipped beyond the limitations of friendship, but as always, he never noticed.

Sabrina wanted to yell at him; scream at a thirteen year old boy because she wanted to feel special. She wanted to be talked about like Talon and all those other girls. She wanted to be fawned over the way Hunter drooled at the prospect of power, the way his eyes would sparkle in a fierce way, like when a lion found its prey. Sabrina wanted to be noticed. But-

"Sabrinaaaaa..." Hunter sang, waving a hand in front of her face. She lept backwards slightly before adopting an angry visage and glaring at the young man. "What do you say we get that homework done..?" He inquired, laughing nervously.

"Stupid..." Sabrina muttered and handed him the stack of papers. "You work. I need to sleep." Without waiting for a response, she tugged off her boots, tossing them into a corner, giving Hunter a sidelong glance. "You gonna look away until I get into bed?" She asked, her face flushing slightly. Sabrina tried to maintain a straight face, but she was having trouble, considering the fact that she was changing right in front of Hunter, who had seemingly vowed to not look away.

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to?"

Sabrina stared at him in awe. Was he stupid?

"This isn't the first time I've seen a girl change, Sabrina." Hunter exclaimed, turning away. He snorted. "Women, man. Every damn time..." The sound of a ink splashing in the container told Sabrina he was working.

She slipped out of her clothes and climbed into bed when Hunter turned around to address her again. Always oblivious, always interrupting her, always about him. Although she found it to be his worst trait, Hunter's narcissistic approach was interesting. Behind his megalomaniac demeanor, it always felt as if the diviner wasn't born that way. It felt as if he were pretending. Maybe he acted all self-absorbed and powerful because he needed to compensate for a loss. There was a chance he wanted to cry all the time but didn't want people to see. Maybe...maybe he was just misunderstood.

"You know," Sabrina began, rolling over to face Hunter. "It isn't a bad thing to let people know how you feel. It doesn't hurt to cry. You don't have to act all tough. Just let it out." Her vibrant green eyes found his, and she smiled slightly.

Hunter glanced at her, eyes running along her face. "Who says I don't? Who says this isn't really how I feel?" He asked, finding interest in the nails embedded into the floorboards.

"I know it's not, Hunter. You always seem so stupid, rude, selfish, and so narcissistic, but it's as if there's more to you. You're more complex than just that. You have to be." Sabrina responded knowingly. She stared at Hunter, watching his face for any reaction.

Hunter Lioncloud burst into laughter. He nearly fell over in the chair he was sitting in. Clutching at his stomach, he rolled on the floor in a bout of hysteria, coming to a resting place on the side of the bed. "That's cute, Sabrina. Real cute."

Sabrina blushed, embarrassed, but then remembered what she was asking. "But...am I right?" She inquired, eager to learn the truth.

Hunter shrugged. "Will you kiss me?" He asked in a mocking voice.

"Ew! No!" Sabrina replied instinctively.

"But do you want to?" Hunter continued.

Sabrina fell silent.

"That's the thing, Sabrina. It may be amazing to learn the truth. It may be devastating. But it isn't our job to learn the truth. Just because you want to know something doesn't mean you should know. Knowing or not knowing shapes your future. You leave things as they are-enigmas-and you carry on with your life. But when you reach out for those enigmas-when you chase after them relentlessly-what life you once had has vanished because while you could've carried on with life as is-in control-you lept forward blindly and relinquished your control of life in a search for truth...a truth that remains impossible. Forever an enigma." He paused. "Do you really want to take that chance? Lose control just to find a truth which you know doesn't exist?" He paused, basking in the elongated silence. "That sounded intelligent, especially for me," he murmured.

Sabrina smiled softly, a smile full of acceptance. She realised what she was about to do. Lose control. Not like she had any to begin with. But the young diviner was curious. Curious as to what it would feel like to let go of the reins. Curious about Hunter. Eager to learn the truth.

"Yes." She whispered.


Leif always figured he was special. He was elated when he became a Theurgist, wanting to rub it in the faces of all those who had wronged him-maybe turn them to stone with his newfound powers-but he didn't realize that becoming a Theurgist only added to his problems.

The fact that wizards who specialized in healing, growing trees, planting seeds to grow said trees and summoning unicorns weren't thought very highly of was one thing, especially the stereotype that Theurgists were weak and infinitely optimistic.

Leif wasn't optimistic. He was the opposite of that, maybe. Well, however pessimistic an eleven year old could get. But his negative outlook on life was justified. Leif was bullied by his peers and even his juniors, and was trying to cope with the fact that his sister had left for Ravenwood. Although Leif had become a Theurgist, he had only passed the test, and it would be a good year or two before he would be eligible to enter Ravenwood and begin his studies.

In the past few moments, Leif had recapped his entire life until now, and he realized how much he despised it. His sister always had to protect him. She always stepped in for him when the other children ridiculed his girlish appearance. She always had to protect him, always babying him, always-

No. No more. He couldn't let her take all the hits for him. He wasn't a feeble, weak girl like they all thought. He was a man. Leif was mighty.

It was time to stand up for himself. To not fold under pressure. It was time to change. Yet, despite his resolution which he had formulated in a matter of minutes, the small voice in the back of his head hissed. Told him he couldn't do it. Said that this feeble, weak part of him was him. And it would be part of him forever.

Leif wanted to change. He knew he could change. But he was afraid. He knew he was afraid-hell, he even knew why he was afraid. It just felt good for once to be a man when no one was watching. It reassured him that he could make it without his sister. But he knew he couldn't. He knew he would never be able to, at least for a time.

Being able to know the truth wasn't always an advantage.


The Immortal Games. An almost impossibly large event, one that allowed wizards to go toe-to-toe with powerful entities-gods themselves. No holds barred. There were rules, but to Maximillion Goldstar, there were none. The Immortal Games were his chance-the chance-to prove himself. The chance to be recognised as a hero, and his chance to use his newfound (Hopefully) powers to show the Spiral the true meaning of justice.

Maximillion was always this way. Not that he wasn't raised as such (Having been raised by knights in the beautiful world of Avalon), but his ideals had never changed since he could remember. At eighteen years of age, the young Conjuror suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which was so severe that it managed to shape his ideals into that of a zealot-esque being who saw the world in black and white and believed that only light could prevail in the face of darkness. But even despite this...problem, Maximillion remained a humble, knowledgeable gentleman.

Just days prior, he had asked a local wizard what it meant to be a hero. The wizard spoke, defining his idea of a hero. The elderly man told tales of his time as a traveler, and whispered about the time he crossed paths with the legendary Necromancer, Rouge Brulant Ciel Bloodbane. He was known across the Spiral as "Vehement Execution" due to his godlike mastery of necromancy and his seemingly equal control over flame. The wizard had encountered Rouge as the powerful Necromancer lay on the ground, a sword embedded in his leg, arrows scattered across his back, and a nasty gash across his left eye. The younger wizard was crawling to shelter, glancing up at the older man before continuing on his way. The elder wizard concluded his story at that, but Maximillion didn't understand. The older man shrugged and handed the young Conjuror a card that was strangely blank. The absolute nothingness on the card begged Maximillion's attention but failed to attract it. Instead, the boy stared at the Avalonian wizard in confusion, expecting a reply. After a prolonged silence, the wizard finally explained that the card would reveal itself when it was reunited with its "twins", or pair cards. Prior to the reveal, it would lead him on a journey to prove his worth.

The answers the wizard had given him were relatively vague, but Maximillion was a man of justice. He was a hero, and he would respect his elders and their words, no matter how laughable the explanation seemed. But so far, the card had been taking him somewhere. Maybe he was being told the truth? Maybe he was wrong for distrusting the man's words. Maybe...maybe he wasn't strong enough? Maybe that card was fake, or would lead him to an obscure world with no means of returning home.

...No.

Maybe wasn't enough. Don't start making false or hasty judgements this soon. He was a hero, and heroes were pure. They did things right. They respected their elders. Did as they were told. Served and led diligently and dutifully.

Maximillion was a hero.

Heroes always prevailed.


Talon blinked once; twice. He sat up in his cell, glancing around, his eyes still adjusting to the dark. Dreary-eyed, he moved closer to the bars. He pressed his head against the cool metal, sighing and closing his eyes once more, a slow blink as he tried to process the contents of his dream.

Truth.

That was the only word he remembered hearing in his dream, but the person who said it...well, she didn't remember him.

Astra had spoken the word. She had sat behind Talon and cut his hair with a dagger, caressing his face and whispering softly in his ear. He couldn't quite understand what she was saying, but then Astra began to cry. Her tears hit his face and splashed against his cheeks. Soon, Talon was drowning in her tears. It was so sudden, he didn't know how to react. He flailed wildly, yearning for air; then the yearning was gone as soon as it had come and Talon was gasping as the water level began to drop rapidly. Then Astra was run through with a spear and although Talon screamed, roared, cried and tried to save her, he could do nothing. "Truth!" Astra had yelled as the breath left her body. "Tell...me the truth..!" The word burned in Talon's mind, a searing pain that threatened to set his hair alight.

He shook his head. "What the hell is that supposed to mean..?" He mumbled to himself. "What is the truth? That I once loved a little girl named Astra who felt the same until she was taken from me and I never saw her again? How is that gonna sound?" Sighing, Talon moved backwards, away from the bars of the cell, pressing his back against the wall. He closed his eyes for a good ten seconds, opened them, and yelped.

"Shut up!" A gruff voice barked.

Talon stared, wide-eyed, at the Draconian woman before him. The woman appeared to be more of a man than a woman, due mainly to her broad shoulders and stocky build. Despite her masculine physique, she had a full chest and feminine curves. Her hair was a burnt orange, and stretched just below her lower back. The Draconian was a good seven inches taller than Talon, which wasn't an impressive feat, considering the fact that Talon was only 5'1". The boy was speechless.

The woman stared at Talon for a time, and then kicked at the bars of the cell with a ferocity that both broke four of the bars in half and caused Talon to nearly urinate on the floor. "Up," she hissed, waving a hand-or claw-at him.

He scrambled to his feet, pressing himself into a corner with the unusual hope that she hadn't seen him. She scoffed. "Who-?" Talon began. His voice cracked. He was afraid. Helpless.

"I'm Shina." She stated simply, waiting for the inevitable response. The smirk was already on her face.

"Shiner?" Talon asked, confused. "What kind of name is that?"

Shina laughed heartily for the first time in years. The boy was just like his father. "Just like your father, boy...neither of you can pronounce things." She cleared her throat, which sounded akin to a guttural roar. "Shy-nah. I'm here to train you. Your father sent me."

Talon's eyes widened further, if that was even possible. His terrified demeanor vanished, replaced by confusion and skepticism. "My father? But...he's dead!"

Shina just shrugged simply. "You have no say in the matter, child. While I am here, you have no say in anything. I will show you how to fight and make you strong."

"Why?" Talon inquired.

"Because war is upon us, and you need to be ready."

Talon remained silent, unable to shake the feeling that he had heard these words somewhere before. Somehow, he felt as if he knew what lay ahead, but the imagination left future events and possibilities shrouded in mystery.

Where did this road lead?


MW: Time for review replies~

Ammaarah01: Yeah, I hate Fallon, too. Had some trouble writing about him. The next chapter is all about some of the "background" main characters, so be ready!

James Firecrafter: Thanks, man! I've stopped playing for the time being and canceled my membership for now, but I will return for the sake of experiencing childhood nostalgia.
God, I love nostalgia.

Q&A:

Q: Who IS Shina?

A: Shina is a friend of Valdus, Talon's father. You won't learn much about her in the story, so I may as well tell you now. She is a direct descendant of Jilak, a powerful storm-oriented Draconian who wasn't quite favored by the Dragon Titans but was a friend of Thalomir's. He assisted in sacking his castle. After Thalomir's death and Valkoor's (Thalomir's son) rise to power and position as king of men, Jilak and Frase (Another of Thalomir's friends; first female fighter ever) went on to train Draconians (After Valkoor died, man and the other races had a massive falling out and as a result, men governed themselves and shunned everyone else) to fight in the wars to come. Shina was a Draconian who fought in the wizard-Draconian war (Which Valdus took part in). Shina contributed to the war by defeating the Spirit of Thalomir in the tallest of towers, slaughtering multiple wizards and ultimately assisting Valdus in creating peace once more between the two races (Until Malistaire restored some ancient tensions). Shina and Valdus were in a slightly romantic relationship years before Valdus was married, and she served as his best friend and confidant when he was married. She is Talon's godmother.

Q: Why is Maximillion so bent on being a hero and abiding by the law?

A: 'Cause he's Max. He was raised by a powerful family of wizards who were very righteous people. As such, Maximillion's views are very black and white, resulting in him initially disliking Talon.

Q: Can Talon see the future?

A: His merging with Thalomir gives him visions of the near future, yes.

Q: Where did Talon's axe go?

A: I realize that I never fully touched on the subject of that axe (and I never really will), but for the time being, it was confiscated, as are most weapons before a person's imprisoned.

Q: What is the importance of Talon's axe?

A: Family heirloom, passed down through generations. Was Thalomir's, then his son Valkoor's, and so forth. The axe is said to hold the power of all those who came after Thalomir and died with it in hand, and is also said to be able to be summoned at will, though never shown because Talon doesn't know how to mark things and never learns. Also, since Talon and Thalomir are currently one, Talon appears attached to the axe more than usual because he shares feelings with Thalomir.

Q: What does it mean, "Thalomir and Talon are one"?

A: It means that their souls have essentially fused. Ever watched/read Dragonball Z? Like that, just without the dance. The catch is that the souls have to be compatible in order to fuse. As a result of the merging, the two beings are now one, and share mannerisms, strength, knowledge, and physical traits.

With Talon and Thalomir, fusing gave Talon knowledge of more ancient skills such as Absolute Death (the most raw form of Necromancy), Crux/Cross (a style which involves the use of weapons together with magic; while there are variants of Crux/Cross in Talon's generation, Crux/Cross is said to be the most fluid and can be adapted in any way. Magic can also be poured into the weapon to allow for maximum power, etc.), and knowledge of the history of the Spiral. Even though Talon had knowledge, he had no way of using it, hence why Thalomir instructed him to be trained first.

Talon is also shown to be calmer after fusing with Thalomir. While he is still afraid, he does a better job of masking his emotions mainly from his training with Shina and newfound knowledge of the battlefield and war. This is shown more so after the time skip (next chapter) rather than immediately.