44

Sion opens his eyes. As before, he’s somewhere entirely different, unable to move. He’s looking at a dirt road, grass reclaiming it, beneath a perfectly clear sky. He can barely even feel his own body, which he only hopes means that he hasn’t physically gone anywhere. As the view from where he stands grows more clear, Sion cannot shake the feeling he’s seen it before. He keeps trying to turn his head until it finally moves.

He looks down the road. He sees a small forest, little more than a grove, and a mountain far in the distance. He looks down the road for only a moment before he realizes what he is looking at and where he has seen it before. It is a view he saw on the way to Clea, as he looked back towards his hometown.

Sion looks around, then sees two figures appearing as though out of mist. They weren’t and now they are. He recognizes both of them. One is wearing thick armor, gold in color, a large axe on his back. Though he is not so old, Sion knows him as the gentleman he saw in his vision. Beside him is a young girl, several years Sion’s junior. She is a beautiful girl, long blue hair flowing behind her, a resolute look on her face. He is sure that this is Cenit. She wears a thin blade on her hip, one built to match her small stature. Though a child she is a warrior.

The pair walk past Sion without noticing him, or rather, they walked through him. Sion, shocked, looks down at himself. Examining his body more closely, it looks as though he is not quite solid, and not quite opaque. Obviously, Sion is not actually present in this place, nor in this time. Sion follows after them unseen.

“Ausus, how much longer until we arrive?” The older man, Ausus, Sion supposes, smiles.

“Come now, Lady Cenit, surely you must know it yourself. Better than I, even. But we can see the grove, so it won’t be long now.”

“Thank you, Ausus.”

“Of course, Lady Cenit.”

“Ausus, why would the gods have sent us so far just for us to return here in the end?”

“I’m not sure, Lady Cenit, but I suppose it must be what they meant by ‘trial.’ This journey must have been their test.”

“But wouldn’t Lord Khrotempora have seen this already? What was the point of sending me off if he knew I would complete their trials?”

“So impatient, Lady Cenit. Though I suppose that is the proper nature of children. If you had not undergone this journey, would you have become so strong? They sent you away for the cultivation of your strength. That sword and that spell most of all.”

“Thank you for coming with me, Ausus.”

“Of course, Lady Cenit. I’ve promised to accompany you no matter what comes, after all.”

Sion blinks. He opens his eyes to find the three of them standing at the entrance to the grove. Ausus is on one knee to place a hand on Cenit’s shoulder. So close to the entrance, to the critical moment, Cenit looks pensive.

“Lady Cenit, be confident. Already you are a fine young lady. And there is no greater blessing to me than that I will watch you grow into a wonderful woman. Know that no matter the outcome, you are truly the most remarkable girl I have ever known and will ever know.” Cenit’s face grows softer as she smiles. She grips the hilt of her sword tightly.

“Ausus, I won’t lose. I promise you.” Ausus smiles back.

“Then allow me to make another promise of my own. I swear to you, Lady Cenit, that I will never stop believing in you.”

Cenit doesn’t respond as she moves to enter the grove alone. Sion, by no will of his own, finds himself dragged along with her. She walks into the grove and comes to a large tree in the center of a small clearing. The clearing expands and the sky turns pitch black. Two forms emerge before them. On the left is a large amorphous mass, constantly expanding and contracting. On the right is a serpentine mass, twisting and shifting around. The serpentine mass looks right at Sion.

Everything freezes as the serpentine mass stretches to meet Sion. It begins to speak. The voice is so loud and so clear that it makes it seem as though everything he has heard Ausus and Cenit speak has been filtered through a dozen times to reach him.

“Empty One, I know not of how you came to be here. Your time is obscured to me. I shall permit you to stay, but if you interfere, I shall erase you from all times.”

The figure snaps back to its original place and time resumes. Cenit kneels to the two figures.

“Lord Khrotempora, Lord Khospatia, I have completed your task.” The serpentine one, Khrotempora, speaks.

“You have done well, Beloved One. I applaud you for your safe return.” The amorphous one, Khospatia, speaks.

“You have grown strong, Beloved One. Your strength is leagues greater than when you first departed.” Khrotempora speaks.

“Little time has passed, no more than a single blink of my eye; you have grown well beyond your time.” Khospatia speaks.

“You have traveled far, though as if it were no more than the breadth of a single strand of my hair; you have grown well beyond your bounds.” The two speak in unison.

“Apprise us, Beloved One. Tell us of your growth.”

“Yes. After leaving this place, we were attacked by several servants of the evil gods. I repelled them all. We made our way to the nearby mountain peak, and there we retrieved several pieces of metal. We then brought it to a hermit who has been far removed from the raging war. With his aid we forged this sword. We were attacked once more then. I felt my power swell when I held the sword. Then, I thought up a new spell and defeated our attacker.”

“Indeed, it is as we knew, Beloved One.”

“Beloved One, you have spoken no falsehood.”

“You are strong.”

“You are right.” The two voices join together.

“We now shall begin your final trial.”