The Hero is Here

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"Hey, is that...?"

"Did they already bring him?"

"It can’t be him, just look at him."

"He looks like a lost child."

The horses’ hooves echoed hollowly over the polished stone streets of the city. Ever since they had passed under the great archway of the outer wall, the people of Kounaria had turned to look at the riders, their gazes landing squarely on Rei.

Peasants, merchants, priestesses in long orange robes... no one continued on their path without staring, all murmuring that he looked more like a boy who had wandered away from his mother than anything else.

"Just shut up. Why are you staring at me like this?" he thought, clearly embarrassed.

The big castle showed up soon in the center of the city. The gates in its wall opened with a loud creak. Tall towers of white stone with orange tiles. Banners everywhere on the ledges and balconies. Always the same three colors: orange, white, and green, like the whole city.

A dozen servants waited past the gardens, by the big doors. When they saw Rei they froze like they'd seen a ghost. The moment the horses stopped, they ran to surround him.

"Enlightened Ettor, is it him?" asked a young servant.

"Prepare the Hall of Light. Bring the cloak. Now!" Ettor ordered as Rei was helped down by the servants surrounding him. "And send word to my parents and the Council!"

"Yes, sir!" most of them responded.

For Rei, everything happened in a blur. Voices everywhere. Quick footsteps. Colored robes moving around him. They pushed him through the halls. He couldn't see the details well, though everything looked so perfect it hurt.

The marble beneath his feet gleamed as if polished by divine force. The columns, same pale gray as the rest of the castle. And that symbol again, everywhere: the winged woman, one arm to the sky, the other holding a sword. Statues, wall carvings, floor mosaics. Always her.

"This way," a servant said.

They led him into a room with a high, curved ceiling. His three rescuers watched closely while two servants placed a heavy silk cloak over his shoulders, with the same three colours as everything else. He felt restricted when they fastened it around his neck with a gleaming brooch depicting a sword piercing through two semicircles.

"Hold your head high," the healer advised in a sweet yet firm tone, still wearing her hood. "Even if you don’t understand anything. Just walk."

The double doors in front of them opened. More marble, more symbols—but above all, more space invaded his vision.

The Royal Hall of Kounaria looked like a temple in itself. Two big thrones at the back. One for the King, one for the Queen. Same size, same height. White stone with gold lines that caught the light from the tall colored windows.

On the sides were four high chairs. Two right, two left. Important-looking people sat in them: a woman with hard eyes wearing ceremony robes, an older man in a beret who looked worried, another even older one with kind but intense eyes, and a stocky guy with military posture who stared at Rei like he was sizing him up.

Further down, lined up with the thrones but in the center of the hall, three more chairs. Rei started to guess who they were for.

He felt every eye in the room on him. They were. Even the servants and guards at the edges stayed still. When the footsteps stopped, silence. Several long seconds.

Then the King stood up. He spoke with a deep, slow voice, with an accent that sounded old.

"In the presence of the Four of the Solar Council," he said, his hand gesturing from left to right. "High Councilor Nireya, Royal Magistrate Dalthon, Mistress of Light Velina, and General of the Guard Maedros."

"For the Light," they all repeated in unison.

"The Enlightened, my children, who today shall stand beside the one they must guide."

The King now raised his hand toward the three youths who had rescued Rei in the forest. Rei noticed they were the only people still standing near him. Under the clarity of the hall and the relative calm of not being eaten by wolves, he could observe them better.

"Ettor Argus Solaris, First Enlightened and heir to the throne of Kounaria."

"For the Light," replied the swordsman with solemnity, bowing. His dark violet hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and his armor reminded Rei of traditional uniforms from his homeland of Japan.

"Nessus Malakh Solaris, Second Enlightened."

"For the Light," Nessus said, unmoving—then hastily copied the bow a moment later. His features were even younger than the girl’s, framed by blond hair and moss-gold eyes that now softened in reverence for the occasion.

"And Leonoris Solaris, Third Enlightened."

"For the Light," said the gentle healer, offering a deeper and more respectful bow than the others. Her emerald eyes radiated serene peace, and though the white and orange robe still only revealed part of her face, Rei caught a glimpse of something meaningful in her gaze.

The King paused, then gracefully lowered his hand.

"And before my eyes, those of the Queen," he added, exchanging a look of royal complicity with his wife, "of the Goddess Solaria, and the will of the people of Kounaria—let the presentation of the Hero begin."

Rei could swear the weight of the cloak suddenly doubled. He glanced around in panic as a few horns played a ceremonial introduction.

It all felt like a dream, but it was too real to be one. He was confused, alone, and still afraid.

"What is happening?" he kept asking himself, unable to stop.