The Ninth Wave

Dust smothered the air as I swept the rather dirty common room of our barracks.

I had been rudely woken up this morning by Aila with her proclamation that it was cleaning day. A day with no training, no grueling exercises that made my bones groan, just some regular old chores with the rest of the unit.

Everyone around us was sweeping floors, washing glasses, and overall having fun bantering without the usual sweat and aching muscles.

I remembered back in Japan, the groans that always came with cleaning the school. Compared to that, this was a million times harder, yet I had to agree I’d take it any day over training.

“Cleaning day, cleaning day…” Aila hummed next to me, carrying her broom like a sword. With every sweep, she sent clouds of dust flying in the air

“You got that corner done?”

“Almost,” Aila said, handing her bucket of used water to Mia. “Anything else we have on our list?”

“Francis, anything else?” Mia called.

“Just taking you to my bedroom,” I rolled my eyes as Francis walked over and gave Mia a high five. “Not bad, I’m no veteran, but this place looks spotless.”

He was right. The room had never been particularly atrocious, but I had to admit it looked almost reborn. The wooden chairs gleamed in the dual sunlight, the bar counter smooth and shining. Even the cushions were actually fluffed correctly.

“Finally, we can relax in here!” Mia collapsed on the nearest chair, spreading her arms out like a hawk. “My muscles won’t know what to do when we're back at the training grounds tomorrow.

“Take it as it is,” Francis took the seat next to her. “I’m sure Richard is searching like a madman to find some task for us poor students.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Okay, Francis, you don’t get tired from training anyway.”

“But I do feel the time, even for me, there’s only so much of that.” He grinned, leaning back in his chair with the confidence of a CEO. “Speaking of time, I’m curious how our newest partners have been spending theirs. I heard from a little bird that you ran into Thien yesterday.”

“Just for a little bit. Some kid got lost and we helped find its parents.” I said. Unlike Richard, Thien still didn’t give me the feeling of a commander, more like one of those old storekeepers who had run a mom-and-pop restaurant for the last fifty years. One second on the battlefield with him would surely shatter that view.

“What do you think of the general?” Francis mused.

“Not what I expected. He didn’t seem very authoritative.”

“That’s half the reason he’s so likable though!” Aila butted in. “Everyone thinks that the Gallai army is full of these big, scary dudes. Do I look big or scary to you?”

Francis chucked. “I don’t think you could be further from either of those.”

“Exactly! The general helps break that old, outdated image. No one who has heard of the general thinks of those gruff, serious men like Richard.”

“Don’t let him hear that,” Mia said. “Though between you and me girl, you’re on the money.”

“If you’re so inclined, what do you think of him?” I leaned in toward Francis, watching his expression.

“The general? We have our disagreements.” Francis shrugged. “Who doesn’t, the recent wave of poverty has been taking over most of my free time, no time to think of the general for me.”

“You mean the weakening water?” I asked. He could change the topic all he wanted; I’d just have to wait for my chance.

He scoffed, his expression hinting at much more beyond the surface. “That’s just the tip of the surface, kid. This world never grasped the ability to be called a utopia, but compared to some other places, it wasn’t terrible. They had electricity, running water, and the ability to build things Earth couldn’t have dreamed of before machines did the heavy lifting. In fact, it’s always been a bit too peaceful comparatively.” He paused for a second. “I want you to imagine something for me, Rin, Aila.”

“Like what?” I asked, curious.

“Imagine if all the oil on earth disappeared, vanished into the abyss. Sure, there would be solar, wind, nuclear, but those can’t compare.”

“I get the message.”

“Oh, but that’s just the start.” With a snap of his finger, a blaze appeared midair, letting a white board and marker clatter on the wooden center table. “Riverwater weakening is a massive hit. Brickwellers can't lift as much, riverrunners take double the time to deliver messages. That alone wouldn’t cause people to starve alone in the back alleys of Gallai, though.”

“Then what is it?” I raised an eyebrow. “Get to the point.”

“Hasty much? Life is like a dance. You can't rush the process unless you're willing to step on your partner's feet. Take it from me, women hate to get their feet stepped on.”

“Hey now,” Mia said. “Don’t group us all together.”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing so. But to answer your question—Gallai, and the whole of Sarai, is getting hit with three different cataclysmic events at the same time.”

“Three!” Aila sounded shocked. “I know of the rivers, but what else?”

“When’s the last time it rained, Aila?”

“I…” I could see her scramble to answer Francis. Ten seconds passed in silence, an answer clearly not on her mind. “When was the last time it rained?”

“Over a year ago. Doesn’t matter if you’re a knight of Gallai, one of the shepherds traveling the flatlands of Malatzu, or even a fisherman off the coast of Ell. While the three great rivers shrivel, rain hasn’t touched the ground in a period of time never seen before.”

“So it’s a matter of food?” I asked.

“Again, not entirely. Maybe in other parts of the world, but in a weakened state, the great rivers still flow proudly throughout the land. But nevertheless, outputs are still reduced.”

“Then what is it?” At this point, even Aila was clearly done with Francis’s long-winded explanations. “Maybe it's different for you both, but for us from Gallai we are trying with every bit of strength to make things work. If you know exactly what’s causing the people who we’re supposed to protect to live in poverty, don’t hide it!”

“What else other than Lilly? An assassin appearing out of nowhere, killing kings, causing succession wars and instability in every nation she appears in.”

“It’s not her.”

“What a fascinating hypothesis.” Francis gained his ever so familiar amused tone. “I’m not going to get into that specific scuffle, I apologize, but the death of kings is undeniable no matter who happens to be holding the knife.”

“The thing I don’t get,” Mia spoke up. “How exactly is this keeping you busy, Fran Fran? You haven’t even told me that.”

Frances grinned. “I can tell you once we’re alone, Mai. Revealing all my secrets ruins the fun, there's no way I could give up the game so easily to our cute little juniors.” With that, he stood up and walked toward the door. “Isn't it so interesting, Rin? East is the god of water, yet the rivers are at their lowest and rain has ceased to fall.”

“What are you getting at?”

He shrugged. “Who knows, just an interesting tidbit to keep in mind.”