“End of an Era”

"Dar!" Elise shouted. "Wait up!"

Darahyon, who was chatting with other students, turned around to see an excited Elise barrel towards him at full speed.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "You'll hit me-"

The girl ran straight into him, knocking him off his feet.

"Can't you walk!" he complained while rubbing the back of his head.

The students within the vicinity of the incident looked on with laughter and giggles.

"I'm really sorry Dar," said Elise while helping him up from the floor.

"Can you not call me Dar in public please," he said, forcefully dusting the dirt off of his uniform.

"Sorry!" she added. "I'm just used to calling ya by your nickname."

The gingered hair girl looked remorseful.

"Plus, you can't blame me. Today is graduation day!"

"Where's the others?" he asked.

"Dunno," she replied. "You were the only one I ran into... literally."

Elise giggled to herself about the joke she made. Flashing an awkward smile, Darahyon glanced around the school compound in hopes of catching a glimpse of the rest of their group. The architecture of the academy was, by far, the most stunning work ever done on a state building. The courtyard they were occupying was lined with fantastical hedges sprouting all the way up to the second story of the school. Figures were carved into these hedges, mostly of alumni and past headmasters.

"There they are!" Elise shouted. "Guys over here!"

She waved to them from across the courtyard, lightly hopping so that they would be able to notice her hands over the heads of the plethora of students who were now starting to enter the auditorium. Darahyon and Elise obviously had other friends: Hunter, Daniel, and Jessica. They were also attending the graduation ceremony today. The group had planned to form a team once they all graduated as Gatherers. It has been the dream ever since they befriended each other as kids. Thankfully, the others noticed and made their way towards Darahyon and Elise.

"Woof, what happened to your uniform, Dar?" Jessica asked while punching his shoulder.

"Can you all not call me Dar in public?" he stated, firmly.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Hunter teased.

"We all know you're not getting that Trial-Axe until after the graduation," Daniel added. "So, you aren't in any position to be making threats."

"We graduate in three hours, so I'll take my chances," Hunter grinned while fixing his jet-black hair.

Daniel released a great sigh while re-adjusting the frame of his glasses up to his nose.

"It was a joke," Hunter pleaded. "Lighten up."

Daniel, however, shrugged off Hunter's response and directed his focus back to the rest of the group.

The TrialAxe was a relic from Hunter's family that was passed down from generation to generation. Since he was graduating from The School of Daculate Advancement or SODA for short, his parents decided to gift the item to him. SODA was a prestigious school which young citizens attended that directly specialized in training you for the profession of a Gatherer. Only the children of council members and alumni could attend.

"You guys ready?" Daniel asked.

"Duh!" Elise screamed, squealing more intensely.

The group nodded in agreement and made their way to graduation ceremony in the main hall. As they took a step indoors, the air shifted to a cooler temperature from that of the air outside. In front of them stood four massive seating areas which scaled all the way up to the ceiling. Opposite to the seats was the stage where all the academy faculty were patiently standing. The auditorium was faintly illuminated by strips of artificial light that lined every row of seats.

The group found an unoccupied row and pooled into the it, sitting next to each other. The lights dimmed some more and after a while of waiting, the head of the school entered the hall with a huge book in her hands. She stood on a platform which slowly lifted her upwards. She stepped off and then made her way towards to podium at the centre of the stage which bared the school's crest. The students in the hall all grew restless with chatter.

"Silence!" instructed the headmistress.

The hall went dead silent with only the faint sound of the cooling system which was hard at work.

"I want to welcome all the students and their faculty members to the annual graduation of this year's Gatherers. Today marks the nine hundred and eighty fifth graduation day in our school's history. For as long as I could remember, the gatherer's jobs were to explore our expanse for new materials that would help sustain our great planet, Jyrinion. To go out into the expanse with the support of our entire society behind them and make peace with new civilizations. To form bonds that would last lifetimes …"

"Can she just shut up and graduate us already!" Elise said, quite loudly.

"Shh," whispered the rest of the group.

The headmistress halted her speech and looked up from her book. She glanced at the students who were perched in their seats. She continued after failing to find the source of the noise.

"I want to welcome all the students and their faculty members to the annual graduation of this year's Gatherers. Today marks the nine hundred and eighty fifth graduation day in our school's history. For as long as I could remember, the gatherer's jobs were to explore our expanse for new materials that would help sustain our great planet, Jyrinion…"

"Oh my god!" Elise complained while rolling her eyes.

Daniel quickly covered her mouth, hoping that the headmistress hadn't noticed.

"It's your fault for interrupting the speech Elise!" Daniel whispered angrily.

"What do you expect," Hunter grumbled. "She's like eight-five."

The group of friends sighed, sinking into their chairs.

The headmistress went on for what felt like hours. Thankfully she finished her speech, and it was finally time for the distribution of graduation certificates. She called the students up individually to collect.

"Darahyon Pathfinder," said the headmistress. "Please come forward to the stage."

Darahyon was a bit nervous to accept his certificate. All of the auditorium focusing on you could be frightening to anyone. His friends, however, cheered him on as he strolled on to the stage with his boots squeaking on the polished, marble floors. The Gatherer graduation certificate held all the required details for a person to be registered as a Gatherer. There were many other career paths which other schools specialized in. This included Builders, Thinkers, Defenders, etc. Darahyon quickly posed for a picture and let off a slight smile as he shook the headmistress' hand.

After the ceremony concluded, the group exited the auditorium and made their way towards Hunter's father who was patiently waiting in the academy's courtyard.

"Can I have it now?" Hunter asked with a big grin on his face.

"Don't make me regret this, Hunter," he chuckled as he handed his son a ring. "It was your grandfather's.

A blue gem was encased within the metal ring which had an inscription:

Bring forth thy finger for raw converging strength

The Trial-Axe was an axe-like weapon that was summoned from the ring. It was a natural relic, meaning that it was not created in a lab. Hunter quickly grabbed the ring and placed it on to his right index finger. His eyes glowed electric blue as the power of the TrialAxe fused with his being. Once a precious relic has fused to one's soul, it could be very difficult to remove the object. It may corrupt or even kill the person. A natural relic could only be activated by the person of which it had bonded to. Hunter took great joy in testing his new ability. He closed his eyes, put his hands to his chest and muttered a few silent words. The gem within the ring softly glowed.

Within seconds, a shadowed object emanated from the ring and he pulled out a battle axe with clean cut edges and a Ph2x handle. ParaHelix-Type-2 was the strongest metal on Jyrinion and only elite individuals with natural relics possessed it. Gushes of wind swirled around him and depleted, finishing the summoning process. The Trial-Axe was a huge spectacle with its bold and demanding presence within the hands of Hunter.

Students and teachers alike clapped around him and Hunter was very pleased with himself. He was studying the ring and its powers long before today. The average person would not understand how to even begin the summoning process. Hunter was a lot smarter than what he was giving off. Well that and summoning was a required course to be taken at SODA.

"Great job kiddo," said Hunter's father as he ruffled his hair. "You'll do the family proud."

"Woah, that's so cool" Elise said, looking on at Hunter and his father. "Don't you think guys?"

"There's aunt Alda!" she squealed.

Elise's parents both died when she was just two years old. They were killed in battle by Jax's army during the War of Old Arkenheim; a devastating war which lasted from 4998-5003KV (KeiVons). The war ended with the defeat and capture of the infamous Jax. Elise looked up to her parents because they were the greatest Defenders she knew.

Elise ran over to her aunt, nearly knocking her over.

"There she goes again," said Darahyon.

"She's gonna get someone killed," Jessica replied, grinning.

"Aunt Alda!" Elise said, greeting her. "I'm glad you came!"

"Anything for my little Elisebeth," she replied, squeezing her niece's cheeks.

"Ah, before I forget," she added. "Here, this is for you."

Her aunt handed her a strange book with a row of text written in Jyst, Jyrinion's official language, on the cover:

Tyranix

Elise noticed a green gem in the shape of a diamond, snuggled deep into the cover of the book. Every relic has a form of this unknown material. It is supposedly what gives the relics their special attributes.

"How does it work?" she asked, skimming the blank pages with a raised brow.

"This book can recreate most objects that it encounters. After an object has been recreated, it's stored on a page for future reference. For you to access its power, you need to evoke its abilities and bind it to your subconscious,"

"Does it hurt?" Elise replied.

"No," Alda sighed. "It doesn't dear."

Elise closed her eyes and focused her thoughts to the book. There was a whole lot of waiting with no payoff, no matter how hard she tried.

"Why isn't it worki-"

Elise instantly elevated two meters off the floor with her eyes glowing emerald green. The pages of the book circled around her, forming a symbol she had never seen before. The pages then flowed back into the book as Elise's feet touched the ground.

"What a rush!" she squealed.

"They'd be so proud," said Alda, embracing Elise.

Alda was very proud of her niece and it gave her great comfort to see Elise blossom into a fine young woman. Elise wanted to take her new relic for a test drive, and she glanced around the area looking for an item to recreate. She noticed Hunter, who was still showing his Trial-Axe off to Darahyon, Jessica and Daniel.

"What if…" she wondered while opening the cover of the Tyranix.

Elise's eyes glowed a menacing green once again as a sketch of Hunter's relic was burned into the pages. Emerging from the book was what looked like Hunter's Trial Axe.

"She's testing her relic without us?" Jessica grumbled. "Didn't even call us over!"

Hunter, however, noticed a similar looking relic being formed. He glanced down at his Trial Axe and then up again with a look of confusion.

"What gives Elise!" he shouted from across the courtyard.

A startled Elise cancelled the summoning mid-action, bringing her eyes back to a regular hazel-brown hue and her long, frazzled hair settling back on to her shoulders.

"Elisebeth!" Alda exclaimed. "Be very careful. The Tyranix's unique power is a finnicky thing. Never try to recreate first generation relics. They rarely end well."

"I'm so sorry Hunter!" she pleaded. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"It's okay," he smiled, punching her shoulder. "I know you didn't mean it."

What Alda said was true. The Tyranix had been in their family for ages and although that was the case, the relic's true powers have remained vastly unexplored. It was advised that the user should stick to recreating inanimate objects, much less a first-generation relic or even a living being. The potential mishaps were not worth the risk.

Jessica possessed the power to gather energy from the Aether and focus it through a pair of gloves that she designed and constructed in a lab at the school, making it a generation two relic.

Generation one relics were made by the creators and are the only type of relics that could bind to one's soul. Generation two relics were man-made, and they lacked the ability to bind with the user, making it easy to steal them from individuals. Both generations of relics share one common material, Aetherial Alloy, which is diminishing on Jyrinion, the only planet that this alloy has been found on. This alloy powers Jyrinion's economy, making it a source of profit for inter-planetary trade.

Given its name, it is speculated that the alloy originated from the Aether and the creators used this material to create generation one relics and planet power cells such as the Jyriex. Though, how they did this, is lost to history. The gloves held a green tint, the cause being the aetherial alloy which was used only for teaching students about relics and their nature.

The Aether was an unknown and unstudied realm outside the expanse which held great energy as well as dark matter. Due to the scarce information concerning the Aether, it is discouraged to tamper with its power. Finders had been trying to locate this place for centuries with no luck. They could sense and consume energy from there, but they could never see or find it. The gloves were her own little 'relic' and the only people that know about it were her friends. It was illegal to make relics at SODA and if anyone with authority found out that Jessica had these gloves, she could get in a lot of trouble.

Jessica and Daniel were both cousins. She lived with Daniel's family since her parents were always busy overseeing gatherer missions at the headquarters. It was a fulltime job which required round the clock attention, unfortunately for Jessica. Daniel and her related to each other due to them being around the same age. This sparked their friendship despite already being related.

"Danny, your parents aren't here yet?" Jessica asked.

"I'm not quite sure Jess," he replied. "They said that they would have been here in time for the relic distribution." Daniel glanced at his watch.

"It's six o'clock Jess, I don't think they're coming," he said, looking rather disappointed.

Daniel's parents were both members of the United Council of Jyrinion, the governing body of Jyrinion, and they both had busy schedules as well.

Darahyon felt alone, sitting on the row of benches near the entrance of the auditorium they had just graduated in. He was without a relic as his parents both embarked on a top-secret gatherer mission and never returned. No one could explain the disappearance and it had been a mystery ever since. There was nothing Darahyon wished for more than to see his parents again. He thinks that they were most likely dead and who could blame him; all the evidence points to that conclusion.

"Hey Dar," said Jessica, nudging his shoulder. "Cheer up."

She lent her smile to a sulking Darahyon. She had a sense of what he was feeling since her parents were not there either.

"If you want, I could make you your own relic like my gloves?"

He declined the offer. As much as he wanted his own relic, he did not want to risk Jessica getting into trouble over him. Manufacturing illegal, unauthorised relics could land you in prison as relics were the most expensive things to produce.

"Daniel!" a voice shouted from the distance.

Daniel scoped around the school compound after hearing his name and noticed his mother and father shuffling towards him.

"There they are!" he announced.

"We didn't miss the relic ceremony, did we?" asked his parents, both out of breath.

"No, you guys are good," he replied.

"Fifteen generations," said his father, walking closer to his son. "It's called the Nolyzhen and it allows you to manipulate your surroundings in very interesting ways."

"Excellent spy tech," his mother added, with a warm smile.

She reached into her bag and retrieved a black box which fit in the palm of her hand. She retrieved the item from its casing. She held the relic up with one finger, its silver chains dangling in air. She grasped the relic and tossed it to her son. Darahyon and Jessica both edged a little closer to the group in order to get a better glimpse at the Nolyzhen.

"Peculiar," Daniel inspected, adjusting his glasses for a better look.

The necklace had a circular pendant which faintly glowed a fiery brimstone colour. As he placed the Nolyzhen around his neck, his eyes glowed a deep red. One moment he was there and the next he was completely gone, as if erased from reality itself.

"Guys!" Elise screamed, looking around frantically. "It ate Danny!"

"I'm right here," Daniel replied.

"Where?" she asked, looking around her.

She felt a quick tap on her back.

"That tickled!" she squealed.

"I can't believe it," said Darahyon. "He's completely invisible".

After a few moments, Daniel re-appeared to the group like nothing had ever happened.

"I love it!" Daniel said, "I love you guys!".

"We love you too," his parents replied, embracing him.

Graduation day had come to an end with the teens sitting together near the entrance of the academy. They glanced up to the school's crest for one last time, no longer students. However, Darahyon had been living on campus during the semester. Elise's aunt allowed him to board with the family during holidays, but he would soon be out of a place to live. Gatherers get certain perks such as free boarding provided by the state. This could hopefully be his ticket to a stable living situation.

"Tomorrow is the day." Darahyon said, breaking the silence.

"Can't wait for us to register!" said Elise, bubbling with excitement.

"We're gonna kill this!" Hunter added.

"You think they check for make-shift relics?" Jessica asked, adjusting her aether gloves.

"Don't sleep in," Daniel warned, "We need to be there early."

"Thanks dad," Hunter mocked, rolling his eyes.

Darahyon looked on from the academy's steps as Jessica, Daniel, Hunter, and Elise all took off with their parents. He sat there in utter silence, staring up at Jyrinion's three moons which were now becoming visible. The air started to become chilly, forcing him to head back inside. He strolled through the now empty courtyard, past the cafeteria which was now closed and the relaxation square which was casted in darkness. He sighed and slid open his dormitory door.