Pantheon slowly opened his eyes, his fingers still curled tightly around the weapons in his hand. He shifted, grunting as he felt a sharp pain glance in his shoulder as he rolled over.

Urg…what the hell was that?

Struggling to his feet, Pantheon rubbed the blinding light away from his eyes. Clearing his head, he took a quick glance around him. What he saw shocked him.

Everywhere around him were fallen guards, laying unconscious on the dirt floor of the arena. But there seemed to be no external wounds on their bodies or any signs of blunt trauma as if something magical had hit them. It seemed like a scene taken straight from a fairy tale.

What is going on?

That scene in itself was quite interesting. But what surprised him most of all was a girl with orange hair running towards him, dirt streaked across her face but still as radiant as ever.

Leona?!

"Pantheon" she gasped as she ran over to him, "What were you thinking?! You know you would have been killed for interfering. You shouldn't have hopped from the spectator box!"

Upon her remark, Pantheon scowled in a rare display of open emotion, "And was it so much more different from what you were doing?! I thought you had already made your decision about this! Getting executed was not part of the plan!"

Leona looked away, unable to meet Pantheon's gaze. "Well, it's just….. I felt like it was something I had to do. Guess it was too selfish of me huh?"

Pantheon softened at her remorseful expression, his scowl fading away. He paused, unable to continue to scold her any longer. "I mean…look Leona, its fine. What's done is done. Besides, you were brave in your own way standing up for your ideals. I don't think any other Rakkor warrior I know of could have had the guts to do the same thing you did."

Leona looked up, surprised at his remark. "You think so? Was it really brave of me to violate Rakkor tradition like that?"

He snorted, "Well, I wouldn't say it very was brave for the Elder's point of view, but I'm sure that a lot of people watching really thought that as something." He shifted once more, slowly getting to his feet as a certain figure in the distance caught Pantheon's attention. "And speaking of the Elders, there's Elder Lervix coming back up. It seems that we aren't exactly out of this yet."

As if on cue, the white cloaked Elder rose slowly, surveying the strange situation which had just occurred. A certain beam of light had apparently saved the girl from being executed at the last second. What was more, it had even knocked his executioner a clean ten feet away from Leona. What was this supposed to mean? He glanced around, watching as the spectators surveyed the strange scene anxiously, impatiently waiting to see what would unfold next.

Was that light an act of the heavens? Could have been a sign of some sort? No, it can't be. I can't let her walk free no matter what in Targon happens. Otherwise, it'll be complete chaos! Damn! I have to finish her now!

Regaining his composure, he found his voice and bellowed, "Guards! GUARDS! Finish the execution!"

Suddenly, from all sides came several guards who had been hidden behind iron gates at the time of the intense beams. They were fresh and heavily armed, ready to take the life of the two young warriors in the pit.

Leona and Pantheon quickly stood back to back as he tossed her a sword from a fallen guard before quickly hefting on his own arsenal. The guards circled them warily, like sharks hunting a bleeding target. "I'm ready to strike when you are Pantheon," Leona whispered. Pantheon nodded, tightening his hold on his spear. Realistically, he knew there was no clean way out of this situation. They were great warriors but the guards could easily overwhelm them with sheer numbers. They had done it once before when he was charging towards Leona and he was certain that they could do it again. He eyed one of the guards closest to him, narrowing his eyes into slits as he stared at the imaginary place where he would pierce him with his spear. As long as Leona survived this encounter, he would be more than willing to die here. He gathered his breath, steeling himself for an inevitable death.

"Stop!"

Pantheon froze, forcing himself to stop his spear that was already in motion towards the nearest guard.

That voice...

A figure stepped out from the spectating area. It was a female dressed in a white and gold tunic, a strangely crafted sword strapped to her side. Her pale white hair swung around the sunlight that seemed to bend around her body. White irises eagerly examined the situation presented before her as she quickly jogged to where the guards were still standing.

"Are you all incompetent fools?! I said to back away from them!" the young woman growled angrily to the guards who still stood frozen to their spots around the duo.

They retreated hastily, bowing as they went. The young woman turned to the Leona, her frown now replaced with a curious smile upon gazing at the young girl before asking, "You are Leona are you not? Daughter of Raizon and Yelna?" Leona nodded. "I am. Who are you?"

The young woman removed a flap in her tunic to reveal an insignia of a strange bird portrayed beneath a great sun. The bird's talons stretched across the fabric and the rays of the sun seemed to nearly fly off the golden seams of the tunic. "My name is Diana of the Solari. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Pantheon's eyes widened. "The Solari? What do they want with her? It's not often that I see any of your members around the regular Rakkor establishments."

She nodded at Pantheon, somewhat impressed with his knowledge. "You're right. Usually members of the Solari don't tend to mingle with the other tribal Rakkor. Especially during the times in which the Rites take place. But I happened to stop by to take a quick look at the arena for I heard there were going to be very exceptional warriors fighting today. And that's when I saw it." She turned to face Leona. "You may not know it, but the light which bathed and protected you in your time of execution was an undeniable sign of Solari ascendancy. The Solarian elders have been searching for someone like that for a long time. It is for this reason that I have come here to converse with you. We, the Solari, wish for you to join our ranks."

Pantheon and Leona both stood still, confused by the revelation placed before them. It wasn't all too common that a representative from a revered group such as the Solari came specifically to you asking for your participation.

"Uh well, but you see, I'm sort of in the process of being executed. I'm not all too sure whether Elder Lervix will allow this to happen. He seemed pretty persistent in attempting to kill me."

Diana waved away the question. "That won't be a problem. The head of the Rakkorian Elders will have to respect and oblige to the orders of the Solari. If we want you to join us and have your sentence repealed, then it will happen. I'll personally talk to Lervix about this situation. So what do you say? Join the Solari in exchange for a repealed death sentence?"

Leona and Pantheon exchanged a quick glance before Leona turned once more to the Solari member.

"I suppose I don't really have much of a choice do I?"

"No," Diana chuckled softly, "I suppose you don't. And I mean," she continued, noticing the look between the two warriors, "You can still see your boyfriend when you become one of the of us. Even if he isn't part of the Solari, Rakkorian relations are still fairly common."

Leona blushed visibly at her comment, glancing back and forth between Diana and Pantheon, "He's uh….uh…I mean…"

"You're just friends? That's alright, no need to be flustered. You'll both still be able to good pals." Diana laughed, amused at her expression.

Pantheon shook his head and slowly turned to Leona. "I have to go do something. I'll see you around."

Elder Aurelius walked slowly back to his chambers. It had been quite a day, especially with all the strange things going on with the Solari in this year's Rite and the arguing and fighting amongst the Elders with the decision to relieve Leona of her execution. All of it was tiring for the old man and all he really wanted to do right now was sleep and be alone with his thoughts. Any additionally thoughts about the Rakkor traditions only made his head ache. But before he could reach his hut, a figure stepped into his path. Regrettably, this was a figure that Elder Aurelius knew all too well.

"Aurelius. You owe me an explanation don't you?" Pantheon growled. "Why did you fail to protect her? What happened to the promise you made me? If it wasn't for the Solari, Leona would be dead right now and I would most likely be dead as well." Aurelius grimaced. Part of him knew that this confrontation would have eventually taken place. But he had never expected Pantheon to confront him as soon as he did. But now he was left with no choice but to answer. "Pantheon, you must understand, there was nothing I could do. The other Elders voted my decision out and Lervix even ended up using his emergency powers. I was trapped. I couldn't do a thing about what was going to happen to your companion."

"Enough of those god damn excuses Aurelius!" Pantheon snarled, "You made a promise to me to save Leona under any circumstance and you failed to keep your promise! What makes you so different from the other Elders that I can trust you?

"My boy, what don't you understand?! The council moves based on a voting system and the vote to save Leona was voted out! That is simply how the system works."

Pantheon glared at the red faced elder who was out of breath. "If you knew that there was a chance you couldn't secure the vote, then why did you promise me something that might have gone wrong? You knew of these possibilities, yet you still chose to give me false hope! It might have been well intended for my sake, but deceiving me is no small matter Aurelius! You've failed me and everything that you as an Elder have stood for!"

Aurelius opened his mouth to defend himself but no words came forth. He knew Pantheon was right. He had broken his promises. He had finally yielded, for the first time in his life, to the will of others. Even he had to admit, the things that once made him better than most of the other Elders no longer existed. There was nothing he could say to defend his honor. "I...you're….you're right. I did fail you Pantheon and…I'm sorry for that. It is my fault."

His head bowed in a gesture of sorrowful regret, hoping to appease the enraged warrior.

But Pantheon was not satisfied. "Yes. It is your fault Aurelius. Your once reputable self is now reduced to nothing more than foolish promises of a senile old man. Think upon your foolish demise every time that you gaze upon my face." With those stinging words, friends turned to foes and Pantheon slipped away into the evening, leaving behind the broken values of a once great warrior to crumble to oblivion.

...

Leona walked up a large cliff, following the pale haired woman in front of her. She had no weapons or armor, as Diana had told her she would not need any for the journey or the meeting. Without such accustomed weights on her body, Leona's thoughts began to drift as she ascended the mountain with her companion. What would the Solari be like? She had often heard tales as a young girl about a great warrior that was blessed with power of the sun. That warrior had established the group known as the Solari and had become a revered and nearly mythological figure in Rakkorian history. But other than those small things, Leona knew little about the group. What was their purpose? Why were they so separate from the other Rakkor?

Lost in thought, Leona did not notice that Diana had stopped and crashed into her.

"Oomph! Sorry about that!" Leona quickly said, not wanting to make a bad impression on her new found mentor and friend.

"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal. Besides, we've finally reached our destination." Diana spread her arms at an ancient gate several meters away, carved with inscriptions and symbols that Leona could not understand. Several figures dressed in a sort of gold and orange ceremonial armor stood affront of the gate, standing at attention. "Welcome to the home of the Solari."

The pair walked through the gate, entering the large compound in silence. Leona looked around, amazed by the sight she saw. This scene was so much more different from the scene she saw in her own tribe. Whereas in the Rakkor, kids could be seen sparring in any direction, honing their mastery of war, the scene of the Solari in front of her eyes was much more peaceful. Rather than practice the art of war, the inhabitants of this place were meditating, worshiping, or even simply starring at the sun. It was strange and foreign scene to Leona, but for some reason, it seem to resonate with her quite well. Watching the peaceful scene before her, she felt something stir within her...

"Hey, we got to keep moving. The Solari Elders are expecting you and it's not a good idea to keep them waiting."

Leona snapped back to the present. "Right, sorry about that."

The two walked for a moment longer, passing smaller huts and social events happening nearby. "Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?" Leona suddenly asked to her friend. "Sure," Diana replied casually, "Ask away."

"How did you end up joining the Solari? A lot of the Solari around here seem to be quite older than you are. It kinda looks like you're one of the only teenagers here."

Diana paused for a brief moment before answering, "Well, my parents were both members of the Solari before I was conceived. Normally, all children, even those of the members of the Solari have to of through a pretty difficult vetting process to join up, but shortly after I was born, both of my parents died."

"Oh…I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to dig too deep."

Diana waved away the apology. "It's fine, you didn't know about it so it's not your fault. Anyways, some of the Elders felt sorry for me and so they decided honor my parent's memories by taking me in as one of their own. And uh...ever since then, I've always been one of the Solari."

Diana stopped in front of another gate, this time, a wooden one inscribed once more the insignia of the Solari. "Well, it's been really nice to meet and talk to you Leona. Hopefully I'll catch you around later on."

Leona smiled. "Thank you Diana. I really appreciate what you've done for me here today."

"Well, don't breathe too easy yet. You'll still have to confer with the Elders, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Now get on in there, the Elders are waiting."

Leona stepped to the front of the gate, placing her hand on the cool wooden handle. She turned around to watch say one last goodbye to her companion, but she was already gone, whisked away like the moonlight on a sunny dawn.

Leona stepped into a large room, brightly light by torches along the walls. The first thing she noticed as she walked forward was a large ornate sun made of wood sculpted into the side of the wall. Something about it seemed to draw the young woman towards it, like a moth to a lantern. In fact, it was so impressive and alluring, Leona hadn't even realized she was simply staring at the sculpture. Unaware of the time, she stood, entranced by the simple yet complex beauty of the ornament before her.

"Ahem."

Leona spun around, facing a young man with stormy eyes, dressed in traditional golden and white Solarian garbs. His jet black hair reached just behind his shoulders, neatly combined and perfectly straightened. Grey irises stared as Leona's face flushed from the embarrassment of being caught staring into space like some clueless fool.

"Oh! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to trespass."

The young man only smiled at her flustered self. "It's quite alright. You're Leona aren't you? You must be the girl that the Elders are wanting to see right now. Follow me, I'll take you right to them. They're anxiously awaiting your arrival."

He started off and Leona followed quickly behind him, not wanting to make a fool of herself once again. As the young man led Leona down a corridor, their footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. "So, you're a traditionally born Rakkor huh? Seems pretty amazing that the Solari would suddenly want to induct someone so young into the order. What exactly happened to you?" Leona paused for a while, before resounding, "To be entirely honest, I'm not too sure what happened down at the arena as well. All I knew was one moment I was about to be executed for not following the Rite of Kor, and the next, almost all the guards and the executioner were lying unconscious on the ground."

The young man frowned. "Huh. I've never heard of anything like that ever happening before during the Rite. I guess it has to be something really special for the Solari Elders to want to investigate it. Ah, there it is." He stopped all of a sudden, gesturing at a door inscribed with once more, the insignia of the Solari. Only this time, it was carved much more intricately, its lines and edges much more defined and regal. "Well, here you are. Hopefully your meeting with them goes well." He chuckled, "It's not too often you see pretty girls around the Solari. Hopefully I'll get to see you soon."

With that, the young man departed leaving Leona with a smoldering blush on her face and at a loss of words.

Hey, let's not do this right now. You have other things to need to do. REALLY important things don't you think?

Snapping herself back to the situation at hand, she turned to the door, running her hands along the smooth carvings of the symbol of the Solari. Once more, it seemed that Leona was at a crossroads in her life. First the Rite of Kor, and now this. It was like with every turn in her life, she always had to make these impossible decisions.

But that didn't matter right now. Leona had always believed in destiny, and now, destiny was telling her to move forward and not to look back on the past. Her moment was now, and she had to embrace what was given to her. Whatever decision was made from behind this door, she would accept it. With a deep breath and a steeled resolve, she ran her hands once more along the smooth surface before finally pushing the door open.

It was a brightly lit chamber with three elderly figures sitting on mats, their legs crossed as they watched Leona enter the room. They watched in silence as she closed the door behind her and slowly knelt to the floor, unsure of what action she should take. Unfamiliar with the situation, there was a brief moment of tension before one of the Elders spoke.

"There you are young one. We have been waiting for your arrival for quite some time now after having heard about what has taken place during the Rite of Kor."

Leona bowed. "Forgive me Elder, I was not quick enough to arrive at your convenience." The Elder waved away her apology. "Nonsense, none of it is your doing. It is simply the turn of fate that has brought you here before us. Allow me to introduce myself and my fellow elders. I am Roduku, and these are my compatriots, Ao Shin and Kassandra. We are the leaders of the faction known as the Solari." He paused, gazing at the young warrior before him. "Do you understand why we stopped your execution and brought you here before us?"

Leona slowly shook her head. "As far as the events that have occurred, I am still very not sure as to why the Solari would have an interest in me."

Roduku leaned forward, "Very well, allow me to explain it to you. While in the arena, you may have not seen it from where you were standing, but our scout reported that beams of sunlight struck down on those who had the intention of harming you, effectively subduing your executioner and even the guards around you." He paused, wetting his lips, his rate of breath quickening, "This is a phenomenon only known to occur with those who we believe are chosen disciples of the Sun. The only time in recorded Solari history of such a power occurring in a single warrior was in the founding member of our group. Since him, all of the past Solari Elders have been watching for the arrival of the next champion of the sun, the one who would wield the same power as him. And now, we have found you. Though now you may not comprehend the magnitude of your duties, you are the key to the future of the Solari."

Leona knelt frozen in shock and surprise.

Did he say...chosen of the sun? How can I, a simple Rakkorian girl be the key to the Solaris's future? All of this isn't making sense to me!

Leona attempted to speak, but no words left her, her mouth hanging open like a fish without water.

Ao Shin chuckled at her reaction. "The girl is overwhelmed Roduku. Looks like you gave her too much information at once. Perhaps it would be wise for us to allow to settle down with the other Solari members before we continue her orientation. Besides, she needs the rest. The Rite can take much out of any one, even among the best of warriors."

Elder Roduku nodded. "Very well then." He turned to Leona once more. "Young one, you may not be able to take all of this new information in, but in time, you will come to understand your role here. For now, you are excused, chosen of the sun. We will call upon you later to continue to confer with you the new parameters of your purpose here. I trust you have met our my grandson Erix? He was the one that should have escorted you here." Leona nodded, remembering the young man in Solarian clothing who she had blushed in front of. " We will assign him to be your guide in the Solari village. Feel free to ask him anything that you may be curious about and he will gladly answer it to the best of his knowledge. And now, you shall be dismissed. We will reconvene here in two days time."

With that, the Elders stood, exiting the room one by one until Leona was the only one left, still glued to where she sat. She sat, many thoughts running through her mind of what she was just told. It wasn't until she heard footsteps behind her that she turned around to see Erix leaning against the door frame of the chamber.

He smiled at her, "Well, it looks like you survived your first encounter with the Elders. It looks like you're stuck with me for the next week or so." He extended a hand to her. "Let's go. You've got a lot to catch up on if you're going to be one of the most prominent members of the Solari." Leona frowned, "Wait a second. What do you mean by a prominent member of the Solari? I thought I was going to be just another one of the members of the Solari."

He stared at her, dumbfounded by her question before shaking his head in disbelief, "Didn't you learn anything from what the Elders told you?"

Leona scrunched her brows, confusion flooding her face. "Well, they said I was the chosen of the sun, but the didn't exactly elaborate on what that really meant or what position it signified. It's still all very vague to me."

"Well, according to tradition, the chosen of the sun always end up with the leadership of the Solari. Whether they are Solari born or not, they will always assume the role of leadership among us. Leona, that means you are the next in line to becoming the leader of the future of the Solarian generations."

Head cannon: Pantheon doesn't like it when you break promises to him. Especially when it deals with Leona. He's pissed. REALLY pissed.

Diana was originally one of the Solari members according to her older lore.

And it look like Pantheon has some competition! Lets see how it plays

Once again, thanks for reading friend! Please let me know if you enjoyed the story!

Until next time

-C. Geng