Proposal or imposition

Von sat down next to a group of other soulbinders who were enjoying their breakfast, the king and his council and some of the clan leaders were also enjoying their own as they talked in hushed tones one to another. This was the first time Von had seen the king in person, he was a refined and wise looking middle-aged man, he couldn't be past forty, however his shoulder long gray hair indicated the stress of his position. The crown sat carefully on the top of his head laying his hair back, he was dressed in what Von could only describe as leather and silk clothing; it looked extremely expensive and it had intricate details all over it but he couldn't really appreciate the materials nor the details as all soulbinders were talking about their day, why they were there, how happy they were.

"You? Where did you serve?" A confident-looking man said to his right, Von turned his head and looked at him and squinted his eyes for a second in confusion,

"Sorry?" Von asked

"What regiment did you serve?" The man asked once more with a smile as he laughed with some of the others at the table,

"34th Regiment fire soulbinder" Von said as if he was rehearsing a line he had practiced, he was accustomed to being asked stuff like that.

"Oh right, you were the last regiment to come back" the man said "Heard you had it tough against the erwebundians"

"Nothing we couldn't handle" Von said as he tried to dismiss the conversation, he wasn't interested in talking war stories with his new 'pals'. He finished his breakfast, which consisted of coffee, bread, and some butter, true luxuries for people like Von.

Not soon after a clinking was heard and Von turned his head towards the King's table to see him standing up and raising his cup which was of course of glass and gold. The other soulbinders stood up and so did Von, quickly the King raised a hand and motioned them to sit down.

"Men, and women, soulbinders, future pathwalkers, it's a pleasure for me to welcome you to this place and to be the first to congratulate you all" the King began speaking with a warm smile, his eyes moving around looking at everyone, he lowered his glass and held it between his two hands "The road has been hard, war has been nothing short of exhausting. But you, all of you not only endured but you thrived and persevered. And that is worthy enough of soulbinders like yourselves to earn the right to try and become a pathwalker." He stopped for a second and looked to his council and clan leaders "The path will be arduous, but it was only forged by the greatest and is continued only by the greatest, and I'm sure between you all there are several of our next heroes, great soulbinders who will pull feats that will grant us the victory we crave so much. Lastly but most importantly I wanted to tell you all something that hasn't been announced and that will be the motive of my speech a few weeks from now" He stopped and looked down and rose his look with a mischievous stare towards all of the people on the room, hushed tones filled the room for seconds before the King rose his hand and stopped them all.

"My council and I, along with the clan leaders have decided to restore the twelve captains," As soon as they had stopped hushed tones and whispers began, everyone opened their eyes in shock and began wondering what this meant, Von included.

"As you all know, the twelve captains were the elite of the elite, the best there were and the

Empire's chosen now they will be Kriel's chosen. Twelve among you will pass the pathwalker trials and be chosen to be part of this brotherhood of soulbinders, only the best of the best who show leadership, strength, strategic thinking, and most importantly great prowess in their pathwalker skills shall pass" He grabbed his glass once more and rose it high "For Kriel!!"

"And Empire!!" Everyone shouted.

Breakfast finished soon after and everyone left the room back to their rooms or to wander around the city till tomorrow where everyone would leave for the Soulbinder academy on the northern mountains of Kriel, there they would complete their six-month training to become pathwalkers... Or not.

Von rushed to the reception area and asked for the new conscripts, they were however already shipped to the southern Soulbinder academy, training to be a soulbinder was a rushed task since all regiments always needed more, pathwalker on the other hand were more specialized and more powerful therefore managed by clans and the King's council this also meant that soulbinders were shipped for training quicker. Von's mood dropped, he had wanted to talk to Allie and given her some advice before she left, like how she should make friends but to not put trust blindly, or how you could tell if someone wanted to sabotage you. "Fuck, I should have told her before I left that day" he thought

He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as he saw Riege walking towards him, he quickly composed himself and stood up straight, Riege stopped right in front of him.

"I think you got a shot at the twelve" Riege said out of nowhere

"What? How?" Von asked completely taken aback his face contorted in pure shock as his eyes opened wide

"You got what it takes. I know it and you know how this will work right? Clans will choose their favorites and in turn they will represent them in the Twelve, each clan gets three picks, the King gets three as well" Riege explained as he looked straight at Von, pure calmness and confidence was on his face

"You are part of that selection group?" Von asked

"Why do you think I'm telling you? Are you stupid?" Riege asked in annoyance

"Sir I appreciate it but.." Before Von could finish his sentence Riege raised his hand and stopped him

"You are different Von, don't be a moron, you want to make a change?" Riege asked looking directly at Von's eyes

"Yes.." Von replied, looking straight at Riege

"Then you will represent the Anhass" Riege said and left Von wondering what he had just agreed to or more like was forced to. Representing the Anhass, that was complicated...

Von knew the implications of what it meant, his reputation, his ideals, they would all be tainted and shadowed by who he represented, all his actions, good or bad would all be connected one way or another to them. And yet this could assure him a position with the power to change things, the twelve were the most influential soulbinders of their era, their word was taken with the weight that they carried, they would change the Empire forever. Maybe, maybe he could have that same power to change at the cost of his reputation and his relationship with the Anshass, would it be worth it? Could he bear such a weight? Were the Anhass the monsters everyone said to be? He had experienced them sure, but they couldn't all be that bad right? Riege wasn't.

Von spent the rest of the day thinking about his options and what he expected tomorrow, the mental exhaustion was such that after dinner he quickly dismissed all he could and went to the public bath to relax and mentally release for a while which worked somewhat. After leaving he took a final night stroll to breathe in some of the Capital fresh air and take in the beautiful night sky, he spent a while just looking at the stars before returning to his room and laying down on his bed, only to be kept by the same couple of yesterday.

As soon as silence settled Von quickly fell soundly asleep waiting for tomorrow's new challenges and the beginning of a new stage of his life,

Pathwalker.