Five days after Arryn’s party was greeted by the soldiers and escorted inside the Shade Province castle, the future of Ashveil, and of Gaia as a whole took an abrupt turn because of one man’s ambition.
Deep within the Kuzaru Province stood a fortress that dominated the sky, built from red stones that glowed against the night and metals found nowhere else in the world. Two men dressed in fine silk bearing the Kuzaru crest walked quickly through the heavily guarded halls. The crack of whips and the cries of a young child echoed down the long metal corridors. The men quickened their pace. The closer they got, the louder the whip and the child’s screams became.
They stopped before two massive twenty-foot metal doors guarded by soldiers.
“We have urgent information for General Theia. Open the doors at once,” one of the men ordered.
The soldiers pushed the heavy doors open.
“My lord,” one guard announced, “Captain Rowan and Captain Zander request your presence. They bring important news.”
Inside, General Theia stood in the center of the hall wearing ornate military armor and a long coat trimmed with golden thread. Half his face was covered by a leather mask beneath a helmet. He held a whip and stared down at a sixteen-year-old girl with long red hair and yellow eyes. Her body was covered in fresh lashes, blood running down her back. She looked up at the newcomers with exhausted, defiant eyes.
One of the captains, the one with spiky yellow hair and ritualistic scars covering his body stepped forward. The other was a tall, heavyset white man with long white hair, grey eyes, and a crooked nose.
“My lord,” the scarred captain said, “our scouts report a child traveling with a group of six others. The child appears to be from the Sun Tribe. a Sun Warrior. They intervened during the assassination attempt”
Theia threw his head back and laughed wildly. He coiled the whip around his forearm and kicked the girl to the floor.
“Is that so?” His voice was raspy and high-pitched, shifting unpredictably between pitches. “A little ahead of schedule… throwing a loop in my plans, I see.” He walked slowly toward the captains. “Get her cleaned up. We leave for the Shade Province right after today’s Solstice celebrations. It seems we’re about to have a whole lot of fun.”
He turned, revealing the horrific burn scar that ran from his face all the way down his body. One of the soldiers stared too long.
Theia’s withered hand shot out and clamped around the man’s throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air.
“Did your parents never teach you not to stare?” Theia’s voice cracked again. “There won’t be a next time. Now move. You’re wasting my time.”
He dropped the soldier and strode past them, grabbing his coat as he went.
“Perfect… perfect… amazing,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s see what the gods have in store for us.”
He glanced back at the frozen soldiers. “Get to work, idiots! Stop staring!”
Outside the throne room, one soldier whispered, “How did he know?”
The other shook his head. “I don’t get paid to question. You’ll learn that soon enough.”
They approached the girl, who was still on the floor. One soldier carried a long pole with a metal collar at the end.
“I’m sorry, Ignis,” he said gently. “You know we can’t let you roam without the collar.”
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She backed away, shaking her head, tears in her eyes.
The soldier with the pole moved closer. “We’ll have your nanny bathe you and give you food after this. Just stay out of trouble, please.”
Ignis turned her face to the ground and screamed, “NO!”
The floor exploded in a burst of force.
“HURRY AND SECURE THE COLLAR!” the first soldier shouted.
The second soldier rushed through the dust and rubble, slipped, and fell directly in front of her.
“Please don’t,” he begged, looking up at her.
“I’m not like him,” Ignis whispered, tears streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry,” the soldier said shakily. He pressed the collar around her neck and whispered, “Silenso.”
He looked back at his partner. “That should stop her from doing that again.”
The other soldier asked, “What exactly is ‘that’?”
“No one really knows. Some say it’s a gift from the gods, others say it’s a curse. All I know is the general brought her back from a raid on the eastern villages ten years ago.”
The kneeling soldier stood. “Wasn’t that village destroyed by.”
The first soldier clamped a hand over his mouth. “Be quiet. You are not to speak of such things.”
He picked up the pole. “Let’s get her to her room and prepare everything before the general’s speech.”
General Theia sat on his throne as the two captains brought Ignis in. She now wore full battle attire: a mouthguard, gloves, armored chest, legs, and back. All made of Phoenix Steel, with feather sleeves and golden circular accents.
“Great. Is the stage ready? We are tired of waiting.”
The captains bowed. “Yes, General. The public has been informed of today’s military showcase. All troops are gathered. We are ready when you are.”
Theia rose, slipped on his coat, and smiled.
“Get ready to see history change.” He looked at Ignis and caressed her hand. “And you, Ignis… you’ll soon get revenge on the man who destroyed your tribe. All that training, all the pain and suffering , it will end. Just do as you’re told. My promise to you will come true.”
He released her hand and walked toward the balcony door.
The roar of thousands of soldiers and citizens filled the air as Theia stepped onto the podium. With one sharp motion he commanded silence.
“Today we embark on another journey to take back what belongs to us!” he shouted. “Power that has been hidden from us. Power that is rightfully ours! The power that will make Ashveil the safest and most secure nation in the world!”
He slammed his fist on the podium.
“One thousand years ago, King Ah-Kin set our country on a path he could not foresee. In his search for the strength to reach new continents, he rediscovered something lost to us: Phoenix Cores!”
He pulled a glowing red core from his coat.
“Thanks to these, we have advanced beyond imagination. We have created technology that rivals the gods. And just recently, our tinkerers developed something that will put us on equal footing with them.”
He turned. A fully mechanical chrome horse, eyes glowing dark red, red smoke venting from its nostrils walked forward.
“This is a fully autonomous stallion, the first of its kind. But not the last. The more Phoenix Cores we control, the further we advance. Soon we will have autonomous soldiers so your sons, your grandsons, and even you... will not have to die in war. You will live to protect your families!”
A soldier handed him a sleek staff.
“And this. A simplified magick stave. No more heavy backpacks. Simply place this on your wrist.”
He activated the device. Components levitated, forming a glowing circle of runes. A blue flame erupted from the tip. He aimed at a flock of birds in the sky and fired.
A blinding beam split the air. The birds vanished into dust.
The entire city fell silent, then erupted in a mix of awe and fear.
Theia smiled. “Very… precise.”
He handed the staff back and stepped down from the podium.
“Prepare everyone. We leave at once. Make sure every special forces unit receives the new staves. No more secret missions. Every city, every province, every kingdom will know the power we hold.”
As the soldiers cheered, panic spread through the civilian districts. People began packing their belongings and fleeing the city.
One hooded figure slipped easily through the frightened crowd and entered a small inn near the city gate. A wooden sign read “The Swinging Hammer Inn - Open.”
“Welcome, good sir! What can I do for you?”
The figure lowered her hood, revealing a young woman with a scar running across both eyes and striking blonde hair.
“How many rooms do you have available?” she asked.
The innkeeper glanced at the door. “Thanks to that little showcase, almost the entire second and third floors are free.”
“I’ll take the entire second floor.”
His eyes widened. “Come again?”
“I want all the rooms on the second floor, and no one is to go upstairs.”
He stared at the heavy pouch of Quills she dropped on the counter.
“That’s… three thousand Quills.”
She slid another pouch across. “Two thousand more. That’s for your silence. I leave tomorrow morning. If anyone asks, I was never here.”
The innkeeper’s hands shook as he counted. “Y-yes, ma’am. Right away.”
Ten minutes later he handed her the keys, changed the sign to “Closed,” and bowed repeatedly.
“Shut up,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am!”
She climbed the creaking stairs, checked every room, and chose the one with the best escape route. She drew glowing runes on the floor and walls with white stones, then entered her chosen room.
She undressed, revealing light armor beneath her cloak, and placed a glowing communication stone to her lips.
“Reconnaissance Unit 0, Commander Ivry reporting. Erathos, come in.”
After a moment the stone blinked.
“Erathos here. Sorry, Ivry, I was busy.”
“Doing what? Reading?”
“You know my title is more than that, right?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I’m technically above your rank. I deserve some respect.”
“You’re such an annoying pipsqueak.”
“I assume you didn’t call just to insult me?”
“Of course not. I have news about Theia.”
“What is it this time? Another failed magick experiment?”
“I wish. You were right about the war. He just announced it to the entire city. New staves, autonomous constructs, the works. He’s moving on the Shade Province immediately after the Solstice.”
She gave him every detail.
“Understood. I’ll take this to the king at once. Stay safe, Ivry.”
She tucked the stone away, heated a bucket of water on a small magitech heater, and began washing the dust and sweat from her scarred body.
“At least some of the stuff they make with those crystals is useful,” she muttered. “Two days of rest… then back to the Shade Province. If war is coming, I need to be ready.”
