Chapter 1

16 years later

Nammor

The clashing of steel, the dashing of feet, it's all fun and games. I look over at my brother Saber, he's reading a book under the eave of the house, his long brown hair hanging down into his face, his bright green eyes glancing up every once in a while. I dashed to the left, my sword following behind me. I strike out with my blade, it's a dark length of metal moving at a speed, and strength that took years of practice to perform, yet I have not yet mastered. The Trainer used one of his thin blades, to deflect my sword away, as his second blade came around toward me. I dropped my sword and used both hands to grip the arm that held the second blade. The blade plunged into the ground, as I forced it out of the way. He let go off the sword now enbedded in the ground and brought his last blade up into a ready position, he motioned with his now free hand. I grab my fallen sword off of the ground and into my left hand, my more dominant hand.

I hopped up onto my feet, moving my sword into the ready position, the Trainer's weathered and scarred face cracked a smile as he swung his blade around as if it was lighter than air itself. I dodged to my left and brought my sword up and swung it down towards his calf. He jumped over my blade, and went into a roll. He was back up on his feet before I could react. He threw dust that he scooped off the ground into my face. Blinded by the dust, I jumped back using my sword arm with blade at ready for an attack, while my right arm wiped off the dust. When my vision cleared, he was not in front of me. I then felt a blade resting on my shoulder. He sheathed his blade and went to collect his other one out of the ground. I sheathed my dark blade, its pearly dark surface glinting before, disappearing into the sheath. The trainer turned back to me, with a grin on his face.

"You're doing well, but don't ever drop your sword, and most importantly, whatever you do, always expect underhand tactics" he stated in his scratchy voice.

"I disarmed one of your blades this time" I said with a smirk.

"Yes.." he said, "That hasn't happened in years!, this calls for a drink!" his grin spreading everwider across his scarred face. Which did nothing good to his visage.

"I hope you don't mean for my Nephew, to drink with you" said Orinis, he stepped out of the shade, by the door of the house, his long hair tied up into a bun, his green eyes glinting.

"Of course not.." he said flabbergasted, his smile gone "...Master Orinis"

"Good, you are dismissed," Orinis stated.

The trainer sheathed his blades, bowed and left the square courtyard. Nammor looked down on his uncle. As he outgrew him in the past summer. Saber had closed his book and hopped up from the ground. He walked over to them.

"You disarmed him, that's a first" he proclaimed "But then again, you once again fell for the dust in the face"

"Yeah.." I said "..But I at least can fight with a sword" I grinned in triumph as my brother's face twisted with rage. Before the situation could escalate Uncle Orinis stepped in.

"Enough," Orinis said, his voice firm "your aunt has finished making Dinner, both of you into the bathhouse, wash up." we didn't move "Now!" Orinis commanded.

Orinis left the courtyard and returned into the house. I turned and glared at my brother. He glared back, we both knew this was neither the time or place to fight, plus Uncle has excellent hearing. We headed to the bathhouse, it was across the courtyard from the main house. I walked past the sink, and into the first of the three dividers in the building. I peeled off my sweat soaked clothes and threw them into a pile. I stepped into a tile lined shower, and pulled the curtain closed behind me. I looked up at the spigot of the shower, and pushed the gylph on the wall below the spiggot. The gylph opened the flow of the water coming from the aquaduct. Letting the cool clear water shower onto me. Washing away my sweat and grime that built up from training. The water rinsed through my short blonde hair, making the water turn brown because of the built up dirt. Pressing the glyph again the water flowing slowly trickling to a stop. Reaching out of the shower stall I grapped the towel that hung nearby. I then proceed to dry myself off. Wrapping my waist with the towel.

I stepped out of the shower and looked around for some clothes to wear, seeing none, I picked up the clothes I just took off, brought them up to my nose, sniffing them. I gagged at the smell of sweat… it almost smelled worse than the rotting rat I found in the cellar when I was younger. Tossing them aside I look around for something else. My brother rounded the corner and raised an eyebrow.

"Thought you might need these" he said, he threw a bundle of clothing. I caught them with my left hand. I brought them up to my nose and took a big sniff, smelled, like lavender, yep these clothes are clean.

"Thanks" I said grudgingly

"You're welcome" he said looking pleased with himself "Now I believe dinner is ready."

I quickly put the clothes on, simple blue tunic and brown trousers. I pulled on my worn training boots, brown with dirt. I grabbed my blade from where it was leaning in the corner, belting it on, I walked out and into the courtyard. The sun is just about to go down and get covered by the Algies Mountains.

Walking across the courtyard fast, Aunty doesn't like people being late for her meal. Hurrying inside, I almost forgot to take off my boots, she would explode if her new Carpet got dirty. I was the last one to come into the Dining room, with a glass chandelier hanging over the table, with a big glob of fire that looks to be inside the glass. I quickly took a seat to the right of my Uncle, while my brother sat to the left of him.

Aunty came in from the kitchen carrying a big platter, placing it in the center of the table. Its silver covering glinted with the fire from the Chandelier. She uncovered the dish, it was a roasted pig, around the pig was a salad, and vegetables. She started this meal this morning, especially for me and my brother's birthday. It's the day when we get your powers, or really gifts. Usually all based on your heritage. They just come at midnight 16 years after the day of your birth.

I grabbed my knife ready to cut a hunk of meat off. Before I could touch the meat. A big wooden spin hit the back of my hand. I dropped my knife shaking my hand out.

"It's not ready yet dear" Aunty said with a smile, her eyes a dark brown, like chocolate. Her dark black hair made contrast to her pale white skin. She went back into the kitchen, when she returned, she brought a single candle, she placed it on the hog.

"Orinis, dear will you do the honors?" she asked. He nodded, he whispered something in the air, the air seemed to raise a few degrees, before the wick of the candle caught fire with a blue flame.

"Now dinners ready," she said, glancing my way.

I didn't move forward. My brother picked up his knife and fork, with a smooth motion he cut off a piece of meat and laid it out on his plate. I picked up my knife and sawed of a large piece of meat, it covered half my plate. Uncle Orinis shook his head, his little grin appearing on his face. Aunty took a seat to the right of me, on the opposite side of the table of Orinis, they were facing each other, at the ends of the table. They both filled their plates with a bit of meat, but mostly consisting of salad.

"This is a big day for both of you" Orinis stated "The day in which your power comes out" we both nodded, looking at our uncle. Our food was temporarily forgotten.

"After tonight there's two options as you know" he said looking at me "There's the pathfinder training, becoming a warrior not just of your body, but in your power also..."

I nodded, for the last two years I have been training with the sword and training my body up, into top physical shape. Orinis looked over at Saber now.

"...and there's The academy of Knowledge and Power, training to be the best you can possibly can be." he looked back and forth between us "Don't make hasty choices, when you are young, choose the thing that calls out to you, Now let's eat, tonight you become Men!"

I dug into my food, eating fast. I am ravenous after training, my brother cut his meat into small bits then ate them one by one. While I cut my meat into large chunks and shoved them into my mouth. I groaned, the meat was so good. My brother looked up from his plate, looked at me. He shook his head, and turned his head away. Before he could turn his head all the way, I've already seen his lips move up in a small grin.

The rest of Dinner was quiet, Saber looks thoughtful, between each bite thinking of something, his face neutral, unaware of what's going on around him. While Uncle Orinis and Aunty are looking at each other smiling, they seem like they are speaking, but it was not verbal. I finished off the meat on my plate.

"Thanks for the Meal Aunty" I said, I eased up from my chair. I carried my dish into the kitchen leaving behind the dining room. Walking into the kitchen was always a weird experience for me, it was like a different world of sorts.

The floor is always clean, no dishes stacked by the sink, and a window out looking toward the Algies mountains, the sun now long disappeared, and now hanging in the sky is the moon. The window is cracked open letting the warm nights air into the house. I placed my dishes in the sink, knowing I would have to do them later.

I started towards the door in the kitchen that led outside. I looked back towards the doorway of the dining room, and hear laughter. I shook my head, when I leave rooms people always loosen up, they are always tense around me. I leave through the door, going barefoot around the building and then across the courtyard towards the Bathhouse. Once I reached the building and went around it to the right, I started jogging. It's always simpler to jog and think of nothing clearing your head of the day's worries. My sheathed sword slapped against my leg after every couple strides. The pain of the hits made me forget the worry of the day.

I ducked under the aqueducts arch, and traveled alongside it to the left, it leads back to the source of the water. The night breeze is warm against my skin. Up ahead the lake that which the aqueduct siphons the water from, gurgled with water trickling in from one of the greater Rivers passing by going into the town's Bay. I rushed over to the rock wall that the water trickles down, grabbing handholds that I found when I was a kid, was easy enough, I climbed up 20 feet of stone before it stopped, and flattened out into a little plateau that went for a mile or two before stopping at the edge of the greater river.

I hung my legs over the edge and looked up at the night sky, it was covered in bright white stars that are nothing compared to the big globe of the white moon. I came here when I needed to think, tomorrow we will have to go in front of Earthlore. The generation of the morphed, their bodies changed with their gifts, they are the most powerful of us. We will have to choose our path, the Pathfinders or The School of Knowledge and Power. Uncle Orinis is of the Generation after the Earthlore, his generation are known as Earthbound, with most of that generation being of elemental powers, though there were some special cases of Creators. There was only one born in the Earthbound generation, the name was struck out of the history books. Creators were a powerful force, being able to create creatures from their imagination, making prehistoric beasts live again or creating a new race of creatures, all created by a single being, that's only tool is their own imagination. That's all that our history books teach us about them. The Library of Vorcax held more information, but it was all lost. They say it was a fire that made them evacuate the whole city, and they never went back to the city. They say the city had nothing left to give us anymore.

I shook my head. I didn't come up here to ponder over history lessons. I pulled out my blade, looking into the dark metal, the blade is simple in design, a double edged blade that's about 3 feet long, with a crossguard that was straight, but gets thicker as the farther it gets away from the blade. The handle is leather, that's dyed black to match the blade. The pommel of the Blade is circular with a black pearl embedded in the blade. It looks beautiful in the moonlight, in the sunlight such a blade would look harsh to most eyes.

The moon is now overhead, my eyes begin to close. Exhaustion is starting to get to me, closing me in and bringing me closer to the ever comfortable darkness. The one thing that always brings me peace. My eyes drooping and the pull of my exhaustion is to much. With once last glimpse of the starry night I slipped into the cool Darkness of my mind.