Chapter 2

Koji and Rena wasted no time in getting away from the battle, the pair of them taking cover behind the overturned wagon as fast as their feet could carry them. They were joined by Rena’s uncle, who bore a few scrapes from the crash.

“We should get out of here,” Osbert said, peeking over the top of the wagon at the battle that was raging. Koji did the same, and almost fell over backward as one of the city guards was thrown in their direction. The guard’s armor was cleft across the abdomen, and blood was running out of the rift and pooling on the ground as the guard groaned in pain.

Koji was no tactical genius, but even he could tell that the dark knights and the cloaked scythe wielder were the stronger side. Four of the city guards were already down, and the remaining six were struggling mightily. The dark knights fought without making a sound, the only noise they made being the sweeping of their weapons and the pounding of their boots on the bare earth.

Captain Theo was dueling the scythe wielder, though he was losing badly. His strikes were wild and uncoordinated and seemed to phase right through his opponent’s body.

With a single swing of their weapon, the cloaked figure slashed the scythe through Theo’s chest in an upward slash, sending his body flying into the wagon.

Rena let out an involuntary scream as Theo landed heavily against a wagon wheel. The wheel snapped in two with the force of the impact and jostled the three people hiding behind it.

Koji’s blood ran cold as the cloaked figure turned its burning eyes towards them. Hefting the deadly scythe, they stalked over, each footfall sending up puffs of dust. Koji felt his mouth go dry. He looked over to the gates of the Behalan, but they were too far away; he would be cut down before he could even make it ten steps.

Is this it? Am I going to die?

Rena pulled at Koji’s hand, and he fell over. The scythe wielder was almost on top of him.

Those fiery eyes pinned him in place. He willed himself to move, but his body would not respond to his screaming thoughts.

He stared up into the cold and empty face of death.

The scythe blade rose into the air with all the finality of an executioner’s axe, the sun glinting off the keenly honed edge.

Then it swung down.

Koji threw up an arm as if to ward off the attack, knowing full well that it was futile. He closed his eyes, his mind blank with terror.

A moment passed. Then another.

He cracked open one eye, astounded that he was still breathing. Then he opened both eyes in wonder.

A watery golden light was shining from his upraised arm, creating a dome of protection around himself. It had stopped the scythe blade dead in its path, its owner pressing the weapon down with all their might, but it could not penetrate the barrier.

Somehow, Koji’s body knew what to do. He thrust his palm outwards, and the light obeyed. The barrier around him sharpened and turned into a fin-like edge, slamming into his attacker like a stone from a sling. A crack of breaking metal was heard, and the cloaked figure was sent hurtling away over twenty meters, the scythe blade shattered into pieces.

Breathing heavily, Koji watched as his foe slowly picked themself up, those blazing eyes wide with what he presumed was surprise. They pointed over at Koji, and all four of the dark knights abandoned their current targets and turned to face him.

However, Koji was no longer afraid. He felt exhilarated and energized.

He picked up Captain Theo’s fallen spear and raised it in front of himself. The wooden shaft was heavier than he had expected, but he only gave that a fleeting thought. He focused on the spear and felt it respond to his desire. The selfsame golden light wrapped around the weapon like cloth, strengthening it beyond normal capabilities.

The first dark knight reached him and attempted to crush him with a two handed blow from its mace, but Koji blocked the strike with his spear and thrust his palm outwards yet again. A blast of light came forth and struck the knight’s breastplate, and the armor exploded, sending shards of dark metal in every direction. The mace fell to the ground harmlessly.

“Yeah!” Koji cheered, feeling like his body was coursing with lightning; he would not have been surprised if his hair was standing on end. He pointed the spear at the remaining three dark knights, challenging them to come and try to take him on.

It seemed that they were not, for they turned and ran back into the yellow portal. The cloaked figure followed close behind, but not before turning and fixing Koji with a meaningful stare, though what meaning it had he could not fathom.

As soon as all of the enemies were gone, their portal snapped shut as if it had never been there at all.

Only then did Koji realize he had been holding his breath. He let the spear fall from his grip and onto the ground. Now that he was no longer in any immediate danger, he suddenly felt tired. So tired in fact, that he felt he could just fall over and sleep for hours.

The last thing he saw was Rena rushing over to catch him as he fell.

***

Images flashed before Koji’s view, blurred and indistinct, but also familiar.

The faces of two people he knew to be his parents. The front gates of his high school. The streets of Shibuya. His friends from class, whose faces were arranged in expressions of joy and excitement. Then a girl who looked remarkably like Rena, but with black hair instead of gold. A car, careening off the road and towards the pedestrian road. A flash of pain and then blackness.

The last vision caused Koji to cringe with discomfort and he opened his eyes.

He was no longer outdoors. He was lying down in a very comfortable bed with a wooden ceiling above his head. The air was warm and smelled faintly of some kind of roasted meat and soap. He looked around and saw that the rest of the room he was in was small and sparsely decorated with a simple wooden table with two chairs, and an iron bound chest in the corner. An oil lamp hung from a hook in the center of the ceiling, shedding a bright light on the space.

Eventually he sat up slowly, pulling the woolen blanket off that had been draped over his body. Someone had removed his boots and placed them at the foot of the bed. Getting up, he noticed his reflection in a scratched silver mirror on the wall. Taking a moment to check himself, he noticed that he looked the same as he had before awakening in this new world: dark hair that fell just short of his shoulders and pale skin. His eyes were dark blue, the same as before. The only thing really different were his clothes.

He pulled on his boots and went over to the door, pulling it open and peering out into the hallway. He could see some kind of landing at the far end.

Before he could do anything else, Rena’s voice came from his left.

“Oh, you’re up!” Rena was now wearing shoes and her dress looked freshly ironed. “How do you feel?”

“Alright, I guess,” Koji said with a small smile. He certainly didn’t feel tired, and he wasn’t injured. “Where are we?”

Rena beamed at him. “We’re in my family’s inn. Uncle Osbert and I brought you back here after you passed out back on the road.”

“Oh. Thanks. Is he okay? Your uncle, I mean.”

“He’s fine, don’t worry. Most of what was on the wagon we managed to salvage after you drove off those attackers. You’ll be happy to know Captain Theo is still alive, and is being seen to by healers right now.”

“Yeah, speaking of that, what the hell happened?” Koji frowned as he recalled what he had done back at the scene of the battle. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know what came over me.”

Rena looked surprised, but then she nodded.

“Why don’t you come downstairs and we’ll get you something to eat. We can talk more once we’re all settled in.”

“Won’t that interfere with your family’s business?” Koji asked.

“It’s well past midnight,” Rena explained as she led him down a set of wooden steps and into a wider dining area with a bar. “Nobody will be stopping by for drinks until tomorrow morning, at least.”

“Shouldn’t you be asleep then?”

Rena’s cheeks flushed red for a moment. “I… wanted to be there when you woke up. Uncle Osbert and I both owe you our lives, as well as most of the guards from the attack. You saved our lives with what you did.”

The dining area was illuminated by a hearth and several lanterns and candles, many of them extinguished for the night. Rena led Koji to a table and pulled up a chair, then quickly ducked into the kitchen to return with a tray of food.

Setting the stew and bread down in front of Koji, Rena then sat across from him, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

“I hope you don’t mind leftovers,” Rena gestured at the food while continuing to stare at him. “There’s usually some after each day.”

Feeling a little bit uncomfortable, Koji ate his dinner quickly and was soon finished.

“I have more than a few questions about the past few hours,” Koji said to Rena. “But before I say anything, I just want to say thanks for taking care of me.” He fidgeted with his fingers for a bit. “I’m glad you and your uncle are fine.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if members of the Order came around to thank you as well,” Rena said. “Thanks to you, a lot of lives were saved.”

“See, here’s what I don’t understand. What Order? Who were those dark knights and the reaper? What did I do back there? Was it magic? How do I know how to use magic?”

Rena pursed her lips. “Well, I can help you answer at least some of those questions. The Order of the Unbroken Path are a group that came to Behalan thirteen years ago. I was just a little kid when they first arrived, and there weren’t very many of them at first. But they soon gained a following because of their beliefs and mission.”

“And what are those?” Koji was curious.

“The Order tells us that magic and the arcane are a threat to humanity’s true potential,” Rena told him, though with a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face. “Again, I was only a few summers old when Behalan was placed under the control of the Order, so I barely remember when they abolished magic from the city. I know it is unlawful, but sometimes I cannot help but wonder what life would be like here if we still had access to the arcane.”

“So those guards from before were checking for magic,” Koji confirmed. “And I just used magic. That’s… bad, isn’t it.”

Rena’s mouth formed a thoughtful frown. “See, that’s what I’ve been thinking about while you were asleep. What you did looked like magic, certainly. But when the guards checked our wagon, they declared it to be clear. The tools they use are capable of detecting and sensing all types of magical energy. So you can imagine my surprise when you fought off those villains with your power. It’s all still a bit strange to me.”

“Huh…” Was all Koji could think of to say. When he was a child, he had sometimes daydreamed of having special abilities that set him apart from the others. Now that it had finally happened, he could feel those long-forgotten daydreams begin to rise back to the surface. “But I saved you all with my power. That’s got to count for something, right?”

“I should think so!” Rena exclaimed. “Even if you did indeed use magic, it was in defense of the Order. I do not think that they will penalize you for that.”

“I hope not.” He looked at his hands and clenched his fingers, trying to summon forth the power again. Sure enough, he felt a faint rush of heat welling up in his palms. He couldn’t hide the satisfied smile that came over his face, but then he remembered the other details.

“And what about the dark knights and the guy with the scythe? Who were they?”

“I do not know if I am the right person to speak to you about them,” Rena admitted. “My knowledge of them is limited, and I would rather not give you information that turned out to be false. It would be best for someone more well learned to tell you, someone like-”

The door to the inn was then pushed open, and standing in the doorway was a young woman who looked to be about twenty years old. She had long auburn hair that was kept in place with a silver circlet, and she wore a combination of bright steel armor and dark red robes that made her look rather regal. At her side was a longsword in a sheath, and her brown eyes blazed with purpose.

Koji stared, wide-eyed at the newcomer. She certainly looked the part of a fantasy hero, and he knew in his heart that he wanted to be one, too.

“Someone like me,” she announced.