Beasts of the Apocalypse

Seven Years Ago

“Henceforth, you six are knights of the Kingdom of Vastille!”

Kyr stood up to the applause of the royal court of Esmerand, the same place the king declared Aven as Hero of the Creed.

They fashioned him a black robe and pointed hat with silver lines and metallic clasps. He actually thought it looked good and matched what the other five was wearing.

Aven was there, of course, as the hero in his silver-and-gold armor and winged sword.

Beside him was Radon Siveran, the handsome knight with wolf-like armor and a greatsword. He was already a member of the royal guard, so reappointing him as a knight was mere formality.

Next to Radon was Jessa Cayne, one part noblewoman who bumbled her way around court, another part priestess of the sacred order with fiery red hair and a calm demeanor. Her robe was similar to Kyr’s but had the colors of white and gold.

 Beside Aven was Morick, a nobleman from the great house of Rhyman. He was very tall, with brown curls, amber eyes and a face that reminded Kyr of an elk. In a good way. He held a silver spear that matched his sleek armor of the same color.

Next to Morick was Vysa Trellus, a wiry woman with black hair that was long to the sides but cut short in the back. Her face was comely, despite the scars, with lemon-colored eyes and a perpetually self-satisfied smile. She was a mercenary who worked primarily in the eastern border, wearing mostly leather with bits of silver armor in the shoulders and legs. She wielded twin swords.

They were a varied lot but chosen for a reason. Kyr as the magic academy’s best, Radon the decorated knight, Morick the champion of the dueling arena, Jessa the pride of the sacred order, and Vysa a popular member of the mercenary guild.

Roy wasn’t terribly fond of the sellsword when Kyr mentioned her. The mercenaries in eastern Vastille often dealt with bandits from the former empire of Deera, and the boy himself encountered them as a child when he first migrated to their kingdom. "They're killers," the boy said. "They make money by hunting down people from the desert, even if all they did was beg for scraps."

Ironically enough, Kyr found Vysa to be the most pleasant of the group at first meeting. She openly spoke her mind and laughed a lot. She also mentioned dealing with more ‘Vastillian asshats with a superiority complex’ than any foreign entity out east. “All because we have wealth in mana,” she drunkenly told him. “And these Vastillian sons of whores can’t even cast a single spell! It’s no wonder the rest of the continent hate us!”

Kyr wouldn’t know, but he understood the political dynamic. Hell, this entire journey of the sacred rites was designed with Vastille at the center, solving a problem that was supposedly world-wide. They were the heroes of the story and every other nation clapped in awe.

But none of that mattered if the hero did not complete the prophecy. The king formed the best group possible, but Kyr wasn’t sure then why it had to only be six.

Until they encountered their first beast of the apocalypse.

Kyr was used to seeing monsters outside the city. He was known for fighting them as a child. But what the shattered sky—the apocalypse—did to them was horrifying.

A mountain lion four times the regular size barred their caravan along the silver road. It had armored spikes along its mane, mangled teeth and fangs as thick as his arms. Its eyes glowed a pale white and he could feel mana powering its body.

Beasts that use magic wasn’t unusual, but this lion burst at the seams with it. It leapt at them as if propelled by fire.

Radon was quick to block the beast with his greatsword. Kyr almost missed his cue, but he erected a magic shield around the man’s weapon at the last second.

“You grow them so big out here!” Vysa yelled as she circled around the beast and attacked it with her swords. “I was right to take the invitation!”

“It’s called the apocalypse!” Aven yelled back, circling to the other side of the beast and doing the same.

The lion swept its massive claws in retaliation, then jumped away.

“There are beasts that hunt for sport,” Jessa said, “but the shattered sky changed most of them to be hunters of men.” She casted a pale-yellow light on the group that made everyone more inviting of mana. It boosted everyone’s endurance, speed, and stamina.

Radon struck the beast three times, and when the lion staggered, Vysa savagely cut its tail off.

The monster roared, but not in pain. Kyr could sense the mana in its body sealing whatever receptors it had in its broken body part. Almost similar to Jessa’s spell. It only got angrier.

Kyr casted a shield that broke immediately, but it protected Aven from a dangerous swipe.

“My turn, sorcerer,” Morick said. “As we practiced!”

They… didn’t practice anything, but the nobleman told Kyr of his lofty aspirations. A spear with wings of fire.

Morick poised himself to throw… then in one fluid motion threw his spear at the opening Radon made, straight at the beast’s head.

In the middle of the spear’s flight, Kyr casted a spell on the weapon that made its mana repository—the glass part on its length—burst in flames. Kyr hadn’t even realized that Morick’s throw had a spin to it, until he saw the fire swirl like a tornado.

It hit the beast straight in the forehead that exploded in a fiery mess.

Morick clapped him in the back. “Much better than I expected.”

After it was done, the travelers on the side of the road thanked the group for dealing with the beast that was chasing them. Aven offered to escort the family of four to the nearest settlement which they all agreed to go to.

And that was the first night they all spent together, laughing and sharing stories around the inn's hearth, while the townsfolk thanked them with food and song.

The king’s armies dealt with the beasts, while the hero focused on saving the world. There were other reasons why there was only six of them, but at the point Kyr was satisfied with those he spent the journey with.

For the second time in his life after the academy, he felt like he belonged somewhere. Like he found a new family.

*

Seven years later, sitting at the back of the caravan heading for the Spire of Knowledge, Kyr reminisced about his adventure with Aven and his guardians. It was a memory that warmed his bitter heart with joy…

…and regret.

He wondered.

Did one of those people kill Aven?