WebNovels

Chapter 17 - When Training is a way of life

Knowledge magic flowed about the dark chamber as if desperately searching for something both lost and urgently needed.

It spun in great funneling plumes of color, Powe, and intent. It was suffocating as it hunted, and surpessed the room with unimaginable power.

And in the center of it all sat unassuming Mis. His eyes closed, his posture serene, and thread after thread of power flowing forth from him in broken waves. Seeking, storing, returning, knowledge in every form and every notion.

He was the Alvian and he was exerting his power concisely and without prejudice toward what he found, all information was precious.

Anis and Emil both looked on quietly, watching the plumes of magic encircle and then devour. Anis nodded knowingly and began to think about how she could improve her own techniques in this color band.

A sigh spread throughout the cavernous room as Mis, now satisfied, began to slow his expenditure, his magic shifted, slowed, and began to return to him. All of the millions of threads laden with information.

Breccor appeared by his side with several Alsyn, newly assigned to protect the Alvian.

Mis stood and turned to the room a soft smile playing on his lips. Breccor and the Alysn bowed with respect but said nothing.

"Is it time?" He looked to his brother and sister in turn, they both nodded. They had been in the library for over a week and the chaos of the realm had grown more intense. The librarians, trained individuals who searched the realm for information and protected that information with their lives, had been reporting of the chaos and oddities for days.

"Then we go to Azzit, and we begin this."

"Have you learned of anything that can help us?"

His eyes shifted to Emil and he shrugged lightly as he walked to his siblings, the Alysn following like a tide close behind.

"I verified what you found. Also I think there is something rather interesting below Sibba, in the Abyss." He shook his head. "My magic pinged it but can not penetrate the core to read what it is exactly."

"Then we tell Rachel and find out together." Anis spoke with great confidence as she turned to leave the training chamber.

It truly was time to begin.

The Azmin Guard commanders sat in their house in silence. There had been an oddness between them all ever since the new rounds of trainings began.

Althius and Sublyme were holding something back from the others and it was causing a strain for the once rather cohesive bonded group.

A smell of spice, like cinnamon and nutmeg being warmed together on a stove reached their nose, and the air shimmered in the room. Prismatic colors sparked in the form of a person and Rachel slowly appeared before them.

She stood tall, confident, and knowing, a slight smile creased her lips.

"This has to stop." She looked to Althius and Sublyme in turn. "Why have you not spoken to your soulmates?" Their heads bowed, in shame, then everyone stood as Rachel stepped forward, fully in the room, and took a seat.

She waved her hand, patting the air in front of them. "At ease, at ease. Sit down and talk." She looked about. "Is there any Bris?"

Yanira, their leader, sat a cup of the strong coffee-tea like drink. The bean was naturally sweet but incredibly strong when roasted just right. Rachel took a large sip of the hot drink, smiled into her cup, sat it down before her, and looked to the commanders.

"Do I need to start, or will you start yourselves? We need you all if we are to succeed. The realm as already said it. Not only the Azalstin but all Azmin need to change, nedd to evolve, into something more, maybe into something greater. "

All six of the men and women before her looked into each other's eyes. Their relationship was complex, they were deeply bonded, and had been fighting together for decades. They had children together, experiences together, and, normally, nothing ever divided them.

Zolon stood, his bulky frame shifting with ease as he pushed his chair beneath the table.

"We will start and finish this in the sparring ring. He looked to Althius and Sublyme. Come, we have a lot to talk about."

The other five stood as one, no questions, no commentary, no excuses. They always resolved their issues, and maintained their bonds, now was no different.

Rachel downed the rest of the hot sweet liquid and nodded in satisfaction.

Bre and Cer were sparring at the Azmin Guard facility. It was a sprawling walled area, many of the guard, including their generals, lived there. There were sparring fields all over the property but this particular area was dense in several types of magic.

Streams of water wrapped around streams of fire, hissing, as they raced through the air. They hit each other at the center of the sparring field with a loud ear shattering boom. The shockwave pushing both brothers back.

Bre stopped himself with his Gravity Magic, his lower half suddenly heavier as he dug trenches into the ground. Cer used his Terra Firma Magic, a thick, pliable band of rock forming behind him and stopping him like a wall of foam padding.

They looked to each other, determination set on their faces.

"Why are you not using your gravity magics as you usually do, we have always been evenly matched with out water and fire techniques."

Bre shrugged and smiled. "It gets boring, always beating you."

Cer's eyes narrowed. "Come. Try now, let's see if you are still bored."

They moved to each other, faster than normal eyes could track.

Bre took to the air and spun toward his brother like a drill. Cer countered by jumping into the air himself, steps of rock forming beneath his feet, just to disappear once used. The entire time thousands of sharp projectiles formed for the densely packed ground formed high in the air above them.

Bre sensed them but he was still shocked as they came rushing toward his, a coordinated assault almost impossible to defend against.

Waves of gravity struck out taking out many of the shards but also leaving just as many behind.

Cer smiled at his brother's confusion as he came down from his stance and descended on Bre.

Bre's arms were up and took the full brunt of the attack, his body sunk into the ground as his eyes went wide in astonishment.

Cer laughed. "Don't do that again dear brother, you are going to break some bones."

The projectiles followed his words as hundreds descended down toward Bre. A gravitational field rose around him. Grey strands of woven light shimmered in the form of a great ball. Most of the projectiles deflected.

And then Rachel was beside Bre, holding a fine brown shard between her fingers.

"Are you trying to kill each other?" She shook her head frowning, but internally she was proud of Cer and his growth.

Her family was definitely changing.

More Chapters