Gwendolyn, Tyrian and Amara guided Xylus out of the temple. They seemed to walk with knowing glances that the boy would probably suffer under the care of Victor Cross. They stepped out into the quieting streets of Myst Crevice and Tyrian let out a sigh, breaking the tense silence.

  "Well, that's… not what I thought would happen at all." Tyrian initiated the conversation. He turned to face the three of them. He was giving Gwendolyn a knowing glance while Amara seemed puzzled.

  "Is… Victor Cross, that bad of a guy?" Amara asked.

  "Not bad, per se. He's just…" Tyrian's voice trailed off.

  "We see the world one way and he sees it another. We're both on the same team but he plays the game differently." Gwendolyn finished Tyrian's train of thought.

  "So should I be worried Xylus is going under his care?" Amara asked. "Because he was well respected at the Academy. He was pretty nice to me."

  "I don't think you should be worried about his well-being." Gwendolyn shook her head.

  "Even if we see the world differently, Cross has a notorious reputation as a Mentor and an Instructor at Myst Crevice Academy." Tyrian flipped the conversation. He looked over at Xylus. "I think you'll find him interesting, Xylus. He's chaotic but he's definitely got a way of producing great results on his students."

  "Yeah, but that's a very low number." Gwendolyn reminded him.

  "But his students went on to become fast climbers in the ranks. Whether that's in a Adventurer's Guild, Order, whatever. He's made fine and capable young men and women."

  "You make him sound older than he actually is." Gwendolyn shook her head.

  "Those young boys and girls did grow up to be fine men and women. Just saying. Even if he's only trained sixteen in his almost twenty years of teaching." Tyrian shrugged.

  "Well," Gwendolyn shifted in her spot. "Can we just take the boy to his Mentor? He'll probably want to know where he'll be sleeping until the Academy Entrance Exam."

  "Fine, let's go." Tyrian motioned. They began to walk towards the huge set of buildings poking out from behind the smaller buildings.

  "That's the Academy. Those huge buildings back there." Amara pointed. Xylus glanced up at the strawberry blonde woman. "I went there. I'm actually one of the newest recruits in the Order of Palia's Light. I think you'll either enjoy Mr. Cross or you won't. He was polite with me so that's why I was confused as to why he has such a reputation with the others."

  "As long as he's better than my father, I'll be glad." Xylus smiled. Amara smiled back. She honestly didn't know how to respond to such a grim comment. Xylus continued to follow the others, moving down the large street as the large Academy came into view.

  It honestly looked like a castle. Uncle Tim had told Xylus many stories about his time at the Royal Capital. He got to kneel before the King and Queen. Xylus wondered if he would ever get that opportunity.

  The group stopped short of the Academy gates and moved to the left. They entered the forest path, following a used trail. They followed the trail, snaking deeper into the forest. They followed it for a while until they heard the sounds of trickling water.

  "We're here." Tyrian announced. He stepped off to the side and revealed a cottage in the middle of the woods. It looked like whoever was inside was doing something. A loud chop noise was heard as a steady stream of water spilled into the lake nearby.

  Xylus started forward, both of the Templars not moving. Amara started to follow the boy when she was grabbed.

  "What?" Amara let out. Gwendolyn shook her head as Xylus entered the threshold. A loud snapping noise was heard. He instinctively ducked and watched as a large log sailed past where his head was. Another trap sprung, firing straight for where he was.

  Xylus dropped to the ground and felt the large log swing mere inches above him for a while.

  "What the hell?!?" Xylus shouted. The chopping noises stopped. Tyrian, Gwendolyn and Amara looked over at the cottage while Xylus slowly tried to crawl out from beneath the traps.

  The door flew open and the silhouette of a person stood in front of the door.

  "Well, well, well… I have guests from the Order." A man's voice spoke loudly. He took a couple of steps closer, lifting the cleaver in his right hand. "And a kid sprung the trap. How nice."

  Xylus moved out, kneeling as he straightened his back. He looked behind him, noticing the traps moving back to their initial spots.

  "Father Westhall said I'd have guests coming but I didn't think it'd be you two." The man spoke like he was disappointed.

  "Nice to see you again, too, Victor." Tyrian reluctantly greeted him.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Same to you, Tyrian. Gwendolyn. And it looks like Amara has joined your ranks. Congrats." Victor smiled.

  "T-thank you sir. It's a pleasure to see you again." Amara gave a polite bow.

  "Come in. I was making dinner. You should stay and we can talk about the kid." Victor glanced at Xylus. Xylus could finally see some of his features. He looked a lot younger than what he imagined. He wore a loose shirt that had loosened ties. It revealed his collar bones and some chest. He had black hair and a six o clock shadow. He motioned and Tyrian and the others reluctantly followed.

  "You alright?" Amara asked, helping Xylus up.

  "Y-yeah." Xylus nodded as he took Amara's hand and stood up. He brushed the dirt off of him and followed the rest inside.

  The sound of a cauldron bubbling and the smell of something delicious made Xylus immediately sniff out the source. He slipped his shoes off and walked into what seemed to be the kitchen. A large cauldron was bubbling with different ingredients in it.

  A large set of chopped meat sat on a cutting board. Victor moved over and finished cutting the last of the meat. He set the cleaver done and dumped the meat in and stirred it.

  "What're you making, Mr. Cross?" Xylus asked.

  "Rabbit stew. Hungry?" Victor asked, looking at the kid. Xylus nodded. "It'll be a bit before it's done. Have a seat in the other room."

  Xylus nodded and followed the nice man's orders. At a glance, he seemed like some sort of hunter. Xylus moved into the other room. Gwendolyn and the others were either sitting or standing off to the side. Xylus took a seat in one of the chairs, Victor following in afterwards.

  "So, what's the deal with this one? The Order picked up an interesting kid and wanted to dump him with me?" Victor asked, raising his eyebrows. He sat in the seat across from Xylus, pointed directly at Gwendolyn and Tyrian who were standing.

  "The boy's a Shade." Gwendolyn told Victor.

  "Isn't there already five Shades?" Victor asked, looking at the boy. "Did one of those Shades perish?"

  "No, they didn't." Tyrian shook his head. His arms were folded and his leg was crossed with the other. He leaned against the wall and sighed. "This one represents the forgotten god."

  "The forgotten god?" Victor looked at Xylus. Xylus nodded. "Who? And why put him under my care?"

  "We can't exactly allow him to stay with just anyone, Mr. Cross. If he were to be found out, he'd be executed immediately." Amara spoke up. "Y'see, he's a…"

  "I'm a Dark Spawn." Xylus finished the sentence without an ounce of hesitation. Victor turned and looked at the kid. This was the first time Victor actually studied the boy.

  'He's telling the truth.' Victor allowed the silence to take over for a minute while he continued to study the boy. He nodded and looked back at the others.

  "He's a Dark Shade?" Victor asked. "Can I see the Shade mark?"

  "No. We think he's too young to show the mark. The Order wants him trained for when he is needed." Gwendolyn explained.

  "Needed for what?" Victor asked.

  "Not sure. One of the Fathers saw something in a vision. They saw him and we were ordered by Palia to test him. He's passed the tests we've given him."

  "What is that weapon in your hand? You haven't sheathed it since you got here either." Victor pointed at Shadowbane.

  "Oh, this?" Gwendolyn looked down at it. "It's his weapon. I need to get it checked out."

  "Why? The blacksmiths and enchanters couldn't figure that out over there?" Victor asked, folding his arms together. Victor was a built man. His arms were large yet the way he moved was silent.

  "They don't recognize the metal nor the inscriptions. I want to know what this is so the kid has a better idea of what it is." Gwendolyn told him. She was telling the truth. She was curious about it and the kid didn't seem to know he had a high quality dagger.

  'Hmm, can't you tell me what those daggers are made of, System?' Xylus asked.

  [Daggers of Shadowbane

  Two daggers created by Nura, the God of Darkness. They hold the very essence of his power, created in two perfect daggers. They grow more powerful with whomever they're bound to.]

  'They can get more powerful as I get more powerful?'

  [Yes. Gwendolyn could look around for answers, but she won't get any answers. There's no equivalent materials and inscriptions that will answer her curious questions.]

  "Hmmm…" Xylus spoke aloud, forgetting where he was. He looked up and noticed the others were looking at him. "Oh… Well…" Xylus gave a nervous smile. He pointed at the dagger. "You won't be able to figure out what the Daggers of Shadowbane are. It's a gift from Lord Nura. Made directly from him. The Sys– er, you won't figure anything about the daggers."

  "And you know how?" Gwendolyn asked.