Aspects (2)

Sammy was already asleep when Sakku finally returned to their room and climbed atop Elian's chest, looking downcast.

"What happened?" he asked, whispering while rubbing her head.

"The Princess is suspicious of you. Hauh, it was so hard not to tell her! But I did as you asked. I am a good friend; I will do it!"

"Silly, you can tell her if she interrogates you! She is a Princess; I don't want her to accuse you of something wild." Elian chuckled, scratching behind her ear, making Sakku squint, kicking out with her back leg multiple times. "Feeling better?"

"Um... this feels nice~ Nyaaaa... She didn't get angry." She continued after nestling into a comfortable position, "I just... I feel bad for her. I felt her frustration and sadness... The King is dying, Susaria is burning, and everything is... wrong... It was not supposed to be like this."

"It will work out," he said simply, seemingly working magic as Sakku didn't look nervous anymore. "Listen, I need you to explain this Aspect-thing to me."

"Hm? Aspects? But I already told you."

"I just learned that Sammy's father had one. You and Nika also mentioned that it awakens once we reach the top of our physical capabilities. So? What's the deal with that, then? I need clear details here so as not to look like an idiot."

"Oh!" She nodded, suddenly understanding, "Yes, there are people who, when reaching the limit of their profession, or are very good at one particular skill, they also manage to awaken it. They are still rare, though! It requires tremendous willpower and perfect harmony between the mind and the body, as well as the acceptance that their profession is their own life. Huh, Sammy's father had to be very unique; it is not something that any ordinary person could do."

"How many people have Aspects? I am not asking about Knights, but people in general, even if they are not combat-oriented."

"Hmmm... Hard question..." Sakku murmured, thinking, her blue eyes going from left to right, calculating, "Maybe one in every ten thousand? Certainly not less!"

"Huh... Aren't they...?"

"Drafted?" Sakku asked, knowing what his question would be. "They are. No matter what type, anyone with an Aspect is serving in the army right now. They are usually in the personal troops of the Knights, helping them and learning, hoping to improve and maybe reach the level of a Knight. But... Elian, even if someone can run, they can't be faster than those who trained their whole lives to do the same."

"Right... Damn, I should have asked you directly for a better explanation from the get-go."

"Hauh... S-s-sorry... I am not good with this and was too excited back then..."

"It is okay, Sakku~!" Elian chuckled, continuing to rub her head. "Next question. So, how do I awaken it? I have been tossed around for a week now like a ragdoll; I do feel what I think is my Aspect within me, wanting to burst out, but... nothing happens."

"I don't really know. My species never had an Aspect user amongst us; we have our own magic. But what I know is that harmony is needed within your mind and your body. A kind of... understanding between the two. It is what calls it forth and lets it manifest. It is what gives it its power!"

"So, Aspects somewhat foreshadow the personality of the user?"

"Um... something like that...?" She murmured, thinking about it. "But... well, the Princess has the Aspect of a tiger; when she wields her power at its fullest, she can take up the form of a giant, white tiger with dark red stripes. It brings forth lightning and thunder! She is strong and powerful, but when acting with us, her subjects, she is neither aggressive nor evil. So... it's... not exactly like that..."

"I see..." He whispered, thinking about it, "It's more about her being headstrong and... Independent. And the like... hmmm. What do you know of dragons?"

"Dragons..." She repeated his words, tilting her head left to right, "Not much, you should ask the Princess; the royal family is more in the know. What I can tell you is that dragons ruled the world as emperors. No. As gods! They were the de facto force before Hero Susaria was summoned, and he shielded the people of the world and chased them away, banishing them forever beyond the mountains."

"Haaah... Okay. I will have to ask the Commander then, but only after she is done stomping me into the ground every day." Elian shrugged, knowing that old legends, even if true, are way too embellished to find which part of them is genuine or not.

"Hehe, don't worry, Hero, you will awaken your Aspect soon enough!"

"I told you to stop calling me that; what if someone hears it?"

"Sorry..."

What they didn't know was that Sammy, above his bunk, was still awake, shaking under his blanket, so excited that he almost cried out multiple times. He has been listening since Sakku returned, unable to sleep well due to nightmares of the days he was lost in the wild, and trying to get to Karnia all alone... That alone took him a month to do. He was also kind of curious about what was up with Elian, finding him funny and strong at the same time, but now the last words of Sakku illuminated everything in his head. He was a Hero! No wonder a ryuin was with him... they did it; they managed to bring forth someone who would defeat the Dragon!

It never occurred to Sammy to consider whether a new hero would turn out the same way as the old one, not after he rushed in to help him without knowing anything. He trusted Elian and was sure he would never betray them... Not realizing that many who were following Dalen right now felt the same way. In many of their eyes, he was still the Hero, hailed as a savior, the one who defeated the Lich Queen.

By Dalen's own propaganda, he was just like Susaria in the ancient days, here to save them from the tyrants, reestablishing what the First Hero believed in and becoming the land's Last Hero, one who would stay and look after them forever.

...

....

......

It was not only Sammy who could not sleep that night. The moment Sakku left, Nika was using her full speed, rushing back to the palace until she was within its massive library, spanning multiple stories. It was built as a monumental, spiraling tower, the highest of the castle's five spires. Inside, the floor was a continuously spiraling staircase heading upwards, while the walls were filled with bookcases, filled to the brim with tomes nowhere else available in the whole world.

What Nika was looking for was close to the top, where the bookcases were narrower and shorter, yet the codices were thicker and hidden behind a protective, magical field. It was no ordinary spell preventing any hands from reaching for the books. It was left behind by the First Hero who built the city, barring the unworthy, only allowing the worthy, the hands of a Susarian... or that of a Hero to touch them. Among these books was one detailing the arrival of all the previous Heroes, describing their unusual powers and abilities, even before awakening their Aspects.

Nika was sure what Sakku and the rest of the ryuins did and why they disappeared. She was also confident that it was done by self-sacrifice, born from their guilt-ridden consciousness. Their numbers were too low for a proper summoning... But a soul... the ultimate sacrifice... that could have given them a chance... Yet, there was still something different than usual. When Dalen appeared, they knew he was a Hero, and he was welcomed as such. She was there when he was training and saw how he could take on Knights, withstanding their powers without an aspect of his own.

Yet it didn't last long. Only a few days after his training began, he was already manifesting the powers of a dragon, starting with the ability to cover his body with scales. Even if it took him months to finally make it appear without draining him in a second or so, and enable him to change form, a Hero's improvement was always similar. No matter which example she read, all the previous summons awakened their Aspects after just a few days of training.

"What changed...?" She whispered, closing the fourth codex, reading about the ancient recollections, leaning back on her chair, and tapping the table with nervous inconsistency.

Was she wrong? Did they not summon a hero? Was she hoping for too much? If they really did, it has already been a week, and he showed no signs of his Aspect's nature. Or was it the fact that the ryuins summoned him through an incomplete ritual? Nobody knew the exact method of how to do it, as it was something innate to Sakku's species. There were attempts to replicate it, but all of those ended in catastrophes, resulting in so much death and destruction that anybody trying to do it was sentenced to death if they were found out. There was even a note from the Third Hero, Elijah, who was disgusted by the notion when he found out about a cult trying to replicate it, sacrificing hundreds of innocent souls:

"Only the pure-hearted can do it, strictly out of the need of wanting to help others. Any malice or greed makes you fail from the start..."

"Did the ritual fail? Or... partially failed?" She asked, biting her thumb, rocking back and forth, and thinking about Elian. "I will need to make him awaken his powers to be sure... I will make it happen tomorrow, even if it breaks him!"