“There’s going to be another war.”

This day of training was different. They were no longer on the highest hill at Hillock Ground. In fact, they went down a more rough narrow patch between a mountain, which was covered in dark trees. They were most likely miles away from the training ground.

Jodeus followed silently, carrying their belongings and keeping an eye out for lower branches. He stumbled on the wet ground, almost twisting his ankles in the process but quickly regained his footing. The entire forest appeared to be soaked, despite not having rained recently.

It was difficult to see with only a lantern but this didn't appear to concern Ektes, who led the way assertively.

"Be careful, it's steep here," Ektes said. That was perhaps the first time he'd spoken the entire time.

They carefully made their way down, grasping the tree trunks in the dark for support. He couldn't hear anything but the cricketing of crickets and their light, muddied steps, wondering where they would be going when the Sun hadn't awoken yet.

He clutched his bag firmly, weary of bugs and 'five hundred-legged centipedes'. They hiked for a few more minutes before Ektes finally stopped, resting the lamp on top of a rock.

Jodeus took a look around at the picturesque shadows cast by the light of the lamp. They were hedged in by lines of hanging vines and plants, catching the aroma of dampness and mint, reminiscent of the garden they had back at the castle. This was short-lived, however, as Ektes snuffed out the candle lamp, leaving them in the dark.

"Don't let go, alright?" Ektes said, grabbing Jodeus by the arm.

He proceeded through the darkness, drawing the hanging vines apart like curtains. Jodeus followed with ease and anticipation, slowly making light steps as he was tugged along.

He wondered what was in store for them that Ektes himself had come to the clinic in the dead of night. He was still up at that point, practicing his incantations quietly when Ektes had banged on his bedroom window, which almost made him scream.

Ektes let go of Jodeus' hand and folded his against his mouth. He whistled.

Then something whistled back.

The hair at the back of Jodeus' neck stood up, 'What on earth could that be?'

Before he could ask it out loud, there was a tinkling of sounds and then a pathway of light glowed in the dark.

The glowing crystals gleamed brighter than their lamp ever could, and he had to squint away from those with a stronger glare to keep his eyes from burning out. It glowed gloriously in a golden hue as it protruded out of the trees, vines, and flowers. It appeared in a variety of sizes, ranging from a tiny blip to a handful of stone.

He adored the sight as it wasn't anything he had ever laid his eyes on.

"They're 'Whistling stones'. Handy for those who are lost without light, but we aren't of course." said Ektes.

He picked one up from the ground, which seemed to have fallen off a tree, and handed it to Jodeus who giddily accepted it. He held it softly like a butterfly within the cup of his hands, directly in front of his face, as it was small enough to not hurt his eyes.

As he examined it, the tiny corners of his mouth stretched with glee.

"That is yours to keep."

"Surely?" he said, not taking his eyes off it.

"Yes, Whistling stones shouldn't be taken by force... that one, however, has already fallen. They can help you while you still can't draw power properly from yours."

He remembered the lesson he was taught yesterday, about the source of power and the like. So these were the non-sentient stones that were used by those who weren't blessed.

They were adorable.

He whistled and much to his joy, it whistled back, glowing strongly as if it were happy. It was beautiful and he would have kept one even if Ektes didn't tell him so. He put it in his bag, carefully wrapping it with cloth, thinking they'd be heading back now.

But the adventure wasn't over yet, it seems. Ektes peered around and gestured for him like he was about to show him another secret, but what could be more impressive than this?

They passed by an array of Whistling stones with Ektes continuing to whistle through his hands.

He wandered about without a general sense of direction, clearly seeking for something specific in this hidden part of the forest but doesn't remember where. He was whistling louder now as if expecting a direct response. Then his ears twitched and he turned in a certain direction.

Jodeus watched from behind him, confused, but mostly amused by this behavior.

Ektes lifted what seemed to be a covering of vines, with a large Whistling stone hiding from behind it. There was a carving on the stone, a hideous drawing of a star.

"Found it," he said as he picked it up.

There was a narrow gap between two big ledges that were concealed by vines. They squeezed through the opening, sucking their stomachs in.

It was so tight that his nose was rubbing against the cold walls. One wouldn't even think to enter unless they were small enough to not really get bothered. To his discomfort, the way in was lengthy as well.

Jodeus sighed in relief when they finally set foot into a much larger space, it was a cave. But not just any cave, he noticed; There were remnants of crumbled statues of what seemed to be a person, halfway buried on the ground or completely covered in years of moss. At the very end of the cave were drawings engraved on the walls, he peered at them curiously.

Ektes placed the Whistling stone he was carrying on what seemed to be a holder that was hanging on the ceiling with a rope, it fit perfectly. He whistled again, and a few more holders lit on the ceiling. The place was even more impressive with better lighting.

There were others, a rectangular tomb with Uvite scripts that Jodeus could vaguely read. And at the corner, that seemed to be out of place were the crudely made stone table and chair. With old papers and scrolls tucked in a mounted stone shelf.

'Just what is this place?'

As if reading his mind, Ektes explained, "This used to be my secret study, I haven't gone here for years now." he blew away the dust on the table.

"I was lost when I found the Whistling stones and eventually found myself here. While I wasn't at school, I was here, deciphering the ancient Uvite scripts and the illustrations on the walls."

It all made sense to Jodeus now, he turned to Ektes.

"Is this where you learned how to draw?" he asked.

Ektes, who didn't seem to get the subtle jest, only nodded. Jodeus snickered under his breath.

"I only wanted to show you the Whistling stones, but I changed my mind. I thought you'd find this interesting," he said.

Jodeus traced the illustrations with his hand. "I do… Say, what does this mean?"

The engravings had ancient Uvite scripts written on top of two humanoid creatures. One at the high ground loomed over the other, who seemed to have been mutilated in pieces.

It doesn't take much to guess what it meant.

An accident? A murder?

He wondered if the one who had engraved this went into hiding in this very cave and this was their confession. It also could've been someone who was watching from afar, watching everything unfold from a distance.

Or was this simply made up? to make the ones who found it overthink.

'HEED THE DEATH OF AUTUMN,

FOR IT SHALL BEAR WINTER

END THE STEALER,

FOR EVERYTHING WILL WITHER'

The remainder of the script was cut off. There seemed to be another illustration beside it but it was vague and unfinished.

Jodeus kept the scripting in his head, it wasn't a puzzle, it was an instruction.

'But from who?' He asked himself.

Even Ektes had no idea, it's been there for years and there wasn't a trace of magic on the engraving. And whoever bothered to carve it on the walls clearly ran into trouble, as it appeared like they were desperate to have it etched as quickly as possible before not being able to.

By the time they left the cave, the Sun had already risen, giving light to the forest. It looked less like something was going to pounce from the dark and eat them alive. The way back was even faster, as they'd be less on the lookout for wet pathways and dangerous night creatures.

Even from a distance, they could hear the loud yelling and the usual racket of the Hillock Ground, but this seemed different. Ektes rushed to see the commotion, with Jodeus following behind him.

They swerved to avoid an impending boulder, skirting directly in front of Jodeus by a few inches. The boulder had come from within the crowd, forcing everyone to disperse out of order to avoid being hit.

He could see what was happening now; it seemed to be a match, and the losing person lay on the ground getting pummeled by fists from someone twice as large as him.

"MATTHEW" Jodeus yelled, pushing through just behind Ektes.

On the opposite side of the crowd, there was a mix of cheers from faces he didn't recognize.

"He's had enough! He's had enough!" yelled those he did recognize.

"Commander!" one of the young soldiers cried out as he saw Ektes and Jodeus.

"Matthew, he can't take it any longer but he won't surrender! I don't think he can anyway," he said, wincing at the gut-wrenching sounds and the silent whimper of Matthew.

Ektes came running right into the middle, grabbing the man's fist before he could land another punch and giving him a vile look. This subdued both the noise and the fight.

Jodeus knelt down to examine Matthew, whose face was bloodied and bruised, his nose broken, and his lips tattered.

He could hear him trying to splutter words out, but it was a garbled incoherent mess. He hushed him and assured him that he was going to be fine.

"I'll have to get him cleaned up," he told Ektes, who was glaring at a person across from him.

He didn't know who he was glaring at but he didn't want to stay long enough to find out. A few soldiers came running to help him carry Matthew's still body.

"Stop. He hasn't surrendered yet." said a gruff voice.

Jodeus and the others were halted by the same soldiers who were cheering earlier, towering over them by a few inches and blocking their view.

"Get out of my way!" Jodeus yelled, looking them straight in the eye.

"Let the boy go, Enoch. You'll gain nothing from this." he heard Ektes speak from behind him. His tone seemed to remain calm, but if you listened closely, you'd know better than to keep pushing.

However, this man, 'Enoch', dared to approach closer, looking down at him like he was a cockroach who had to be squashed. "As I said, he hasn't surrendered. Since when have we ever shown mercy to our enemies?"

The younger crowd around them seemed to rather pull back now, refusing to be drawn into the upcoming feud. But they were clearly curious as to where this was heading so they stayed put.

The new recruits appeared both curious and terrified. The oldest appeared to know something that the others did not, so they moved closer, standing behind their commanders as if awaiting orders.

Ektes stood his ground, expression unchanging. "He's not an enemy. And unless you want to lose more men, I suggest, you retreat."

Enoch didn't respond nor showed any reaction to that, letting his presence do all the work. Everyone around them tensed up, ready to pounce as if they were predators guarding their territory against outsiders, which in this case, wasn't exactly far off.

The silence was overbearing enough that you could hear a wisp drop, but Jodeus didn't care, his hand firmly supporting Matthew.

"Move," he said.

But when they didn't even shift, he felt his palms turn cold, and it wasn't from fear. He took a deep breath, vapor escaping his mouth.

"How about we settle his defeat?" said Enoch abruptly, eyes not leaving Ektes, who remained unfazed under the scrutiny. "Your soldier against mine."

There seemed to be a lot of volunteers from both sides. One side itching to get a fight and the other itching for payback. Jodeus glanced behind him.

'This is stupid,' he thought…but along with everyone else, he waited eagerly for Ektes's response. The crowd went silent once more when he opened his mouth.

"Fine."

Jodeus sighed mentally, he had forgotten the brute nature of Ektes when they had gone to his secret study. But the good thing was, he should be able to treat Matthew now that someone else is taking his place.

He was about to make his way through the men in front of him when he heard his name called out.

Jodeus snatched the armor, his face clearly showing his irritation. He put on his helmet as he glaringly observed Enoch whispering something into his competitor's ear, no doubt planning how to break his bone, seeing as the competitor gleefully cracked his knuckles while looking him dead in the eye.

He glanced at 'his commander', who offered nothing but a simple "Good luck."

The men behind him cheered him on, telling him to beat the other one's ass.

The rules were simple enough: Don't die and don't surrender until you're almost dead. Blessings and enchantments aren't allowed until later on.

'So there goes not dying.'

Jodeus stretched his arms and legs, yawning. Not having slept during the night to go hiking until morning was clearly putting him in disarray. But he thought back to Matthew, who was now resting in the medical tent, and tried to fight back the exhaustion.

He bent his knees and stood lightly on his feet, quickly dodging a heavy right fist and delivering a right hook of his own, which didn't seem to have any effect.

He backed off, searching for a weakness, but it proved useless as this guy was bulging with muscles everywhere. And unlike Jodeus, he wasn't wearing armor.

The contender rushed to tackle him down, and Jodeus immediately skidded to his side (remembering when Ektes had kicked him off the cliff). He swerved his feet, spun his body, and delivered a hard kick to the back of his head.

The men on his side roared. Ektes gave him an approving look.

He himself felt elated but he knew that it was a lucky blow.

The contender immediately got back on his feet, spat the dirt out of his mouth, and rushed to tackle him again. It was a close call, his hand just grazing the side of his armor.

Jodeus tried to back away but the contender went right at his face with his left hook, advancing directly at him, catching him off guard. He dodged the blow by shifting to his left, which proved to be a mistake as he was immediately pummeled in the stomach by the right hook. It was strong enough to force the air out of him.

As he was pushed by the impact, he dropped down as he pivoted his left front foot, his heel facing his opponent, and with his right leg, sweep-kicked the opponent's ankles, causing him to fall down on his back. He took this opportunity to straddle on top of him and hammer his fist down at his face, just as how he saw it earlier.

Every blow hurt his fingers but he gave it all. But the contender managed to clutch his neck and slam him down on his back, reversing their roles.

Jodeus, unable to wiggle free, closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

Then a bell rang.

The soldiers cheered even louder, he received pats on his back as he approached Ektes who handed him a goblet of water. He didn't understand why they were in high spirits when he almost got his face beaten up only to get saved by the clock.

He guessed they expected him to lose faster.

"Good work. You survived," said Ektes, still stoic as ever. "Take this, you might try using it this round."

Jodeus chugged the water down, feeling his throat and body refreshed as he finished it all. He placed the Whistling stone in his pocket, trying to recall the lessons he had.

He took off his helmet and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He considered taking off the chest piece as well, the heat was almost unbearable with it. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time as the bell rang again, signifying the second round.

But he was feeling good now, this was the field he'd been practicing nonstop with Ektes. It was time to see how far he's gotten these past few days.

The contender wore a more serious face than he had last round, he wore an artifact on his forehead and a chest piece. Jodeus clutched his own Whistling stone in his pocket, trying to draw power from it.

He tried writing his first enchantment and to his surprise, it was no longer like a pen without ink but it was definitely inadequate, fragile like the power was made out of glass. He completed his first scripting: "πλευστότητα" and felt even lighter on his feet.

He jumped and floated in the air, hearing the people in awe.

"That's an Azurite Enchantment!" he heard someone yell from down below.

The ground wasn't much far off, he'd gotten higher before (on Brytos's back) but the Whistling stone didn't seem as though it could handle it. His legs wobbled as if threatening to drop him anytime.

He conjured up a giant snowball and threw them against his opponent. It should put him in disarray and confuse him a bit. He only wanted to see how he'd balance using his blessing and enchantment at the same time.

But his snowball had missed a few inches and his opponent had tried to pull on his leg. Jodeus had managed to kick him in the face but the contender had gotten hold of his other leg. He got himself flung into the sky, and he spun uncontrollably.

"This is sickening!" He should be used to rolling right about now but it still managed to churn in his stomach.

When he finally stopped, the thought of puking on his opponent crossed his mind but he still had his pride.

Jodeus hauled down towards the opponent, who hastily constructed a stone shield. Using his own blessing, he forged an ice ax and slashed the shield in half. However, as soon as he sliced it, a fist struck him in the face, forcing him to flip on his back a few feet away mid-air before the enchantment cut off, causing him to roll back on the ground.

He wobbled. Stunned. But he shakily tried to write another script.

'A skin armor should do the trick!' He tried to write another but the script came out broken.

'Why?!'

The contender swung his large hands, holding a terrifyingly large hammer. Jodeus tried to block it by making an ice barrier but he was too late and too weak.

"SHI-"

The hammer shattered through the barrier, striking Jodeus in his chest plate with a loud 'clang!' as it made contact with his armor. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the contender was already on top of him, ready to pummel him down.

'I'll die.' He glanced to his right, at Ektes, for a second and closed his eyes.

He could hear the heavy swing and the heavy grunt of the contender as he raised the hammer in the air, and at that moment, Jodeus desperately summoned his blessing.

'Explode.'

A large geyser had burst from the earth, intentionally avoiding him and launching the contender off his feet, the pressure knocking him out. The people around them scattered, backing off to avoid getting wet, but as the geyser calmed down, it all showered down on them anyway.

Jodeus felt his blessing drain all of his energy, he felt himself drifting off. He was sure a few minutes had passed but he was unable to get up.

"You won, Jodeus.'' He could hear Ektes's voice and so he opened his eyes. His white hair trickled down droplets of water on his face.

'Did I really?' He sat upright, wincing at the sharp pang in his head. It took him a while to see the contender, that was on the other field, his own men carrying him to their side.

He then felt fear. "Is he dead?"

Ektes shook his head and pulled him up to his feet, supporting his back when he felt his own body give in.

'I want to rest.' And without saying a word, Ektes carried him, gesturing for his men to give way to the medical tent. Jodeus closed his eyes and finally relaxed his whole body as he was placed on the cot.

The last thing he saw was Ektes peering down at him.

…

Commander Enoch Feis, the fourth commander of the table. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark personality.

Ektes remembered when he used to work under him as an aide, before getting promoted on his own during the war five years ago. He was only nineteen then.

If someone had told him he'd be facing his own commander as another commander years later, he would've thought they were crazy. But they weren't equals, and Enoch had made sure to remind him of that every time they were in a meeting.

"How long will you be here?"

"Why are you so eager to get rid of me?" Enoch retorted, his face contorting into a smile that didn't have any warmth in them.

He was still as unlikable as Ektes remembered.

"My men are busy training the young enlisters, we don't have time to entertain you."

Enoch settled himself unto Ektes's chair, fiddling around with the parchment, pretending to look disinterested by his presence. But Ektes didn't react at all. He stood there with the same expression he'd always had.

"Speaking of which, that wild Tanzanite seemed to be doing great."

"Of course, he's very resilient and receptive," he said, as a matter of fact. Although, he went through the hidden whistling forest because Jodeus couldn't seem to properly grasp his own blessings yet.

But he didn't dare discredit Jodeus, he showed his fighting skills remarkably in the first round, and he was proud. Without a doubt.

"Resilient enough for the frontlines? If it's 'you' teaching him then I guess there must be no doubt that he'll be good enough, even good enough to be a commander." he sneered.

Ektes would've rolled his eyes, a tiny habit he seemed to be picking up from Jodeus, but he kept a straight face. Remembering his place.

This man may not have changed in the past five years, but Ektes did, and he'd rather not live his days as a miserable old twat. So he crossed his arms, remaining his composure, and looked the Fourth Commander in the eye.

"He'd be a good one, I reckon. But let's not be so hasty. He needs more training."

Enoch stood. "King Malue has ordered me to recruit whoever I see fit and demote those who I don't," he said threateningly, grinning wickedly. "He'd be getting his training in the frontlines, don't worry, I'll watch over him and

maybe I'd even send his ashes to you."

Ektes tensed at that but didn't show it. "I have my orders too, as long as he isn't ready, he won't be going anywhere," he said, in a final tone.

"We'll see."

…

"Don't push yourself," said Jodeus as he helped Matthew up, who groaned in pain.

He gave him a glass of water and some pills. "You're dehydrated. Make sure to drink all of it. Slowly."

Matthew does what he was told but then coughed when the water goes down the wrong pipe. Jodeus caressed his back as he tried to breathe in, sighing as he examined the man's face.

The blood had been cleaned off of his skin, and there were a few stitches here and there but nothing too serious.

Still, it hurt Jodeus to see him like this.

"How's my face?"

"Beaten."

"Oh. If my pops were to see this…" Matthew couldn't even scrunch his face as it felt numb.

Jodeus sat at the edge of the cot, right next to him. "Would you like to write to him?"

"I wish. I don't know how to write. I can read, but I never wrote that much. I never went to school." he said, sadly.

Jodeus tried not to react to that, it seemed like a sore topic for him. Everyone knew how to read and write back at home. So he smiled kindly and grabbed a few papers at the desk.

"I can write for you."

"So kind, Doc. I wish I was as smart as you."

"You know, I can teach you, Matthew — hush — I can make time for it." He sat down on the other bed and looked at Matthew approvingly, with the pen at hand.

Matthew hesitated and sighed. "I haven't sent any word to my pops in a long time! He'd be so mad,"

Jodeus hummed and looked down at the empty paper. He shook his head. "Tell me then, Matthew, give me the name of your pops and we can work on what to say to him, together."

Matthew looked up at him with a wondering look finally giving in, he said "His name is Gray. Grasium Malcus in full—."

'The baker?'

Jodeus didn't say anything, instead, he let Matthew — Matthias — talk about how he missed him and how he was sorry. He wrote down everything that poured out of his mouth, switching to another paper when it was full.

Matthias was sobbing now, the same way his dad was. He talked about how he used up all of his savings to get into the city but when he couldn't afford it anymore, he enlisted in the army. Jodeus kept dotting down every word until finally, he stopped.

"Is that good?" asked Matthias

"I think your pops would love it."

…

When Jodeus entered the clinic, he was met with another soldier in uniform, who was just about to head outside. He thought about what he was going to be put through now. But this time, the soldier didn't even look him in the eye.

"What was that about?" He asked Meradeath, who only looked annoyed.

She slammed a folded letter, which was already ripped open, on the table and lit a cigar. He had no idea that she even smoked on any occasion. This was a first, but then again, he didn't really know her that much.

"They're gathering healers they deem useful all over the country..." she lamented, blowing smoke.

Although that didn't explain why she was so upset. She inhaled another puff before continuing.

"The outer towns were attacked. There's going to be another war."