The Kindling: Artuck/???

"What? How? We came seeking a place to rest, to see you, Himrol! How have we doomed ourselves?"

Himrol sighed as he looked at Artuck with soft, saddened eyes. He shook his head slowly as he began to pace around the room, speaking all the while.

"All those years ago, Artuck. The day your brothers d… passed. The day they passed, I was on my way to help, but I couldn't reach you all in time, and when I arrived, you all were either gone, or gone."

Artuck put his head in his hands.

I don't want to remember it. A brutal scene. One I can't seem to erase from my memory, no matter how long it's been. I see their faces, hear their voices. Totto's plea, Percel's anger, and Marll's sacrifice. Even Krim's whimpers. I remember it all like it happened just yesterday.

"When I arrived," Himrol continued, his head now pointed at the ground.

"Haldore was waiting for me. I attacked him with all I had, but he had grown too strong. We were rivals no longer. He had outgrown me. He had grown far stronger than I had thought. He, for some reason or another, decided to allow me to live. But he didn't let me go without… 'terms,' if you will. He said that should you and I ever be together again, in the same place, he would personally come find us and kill us both. And if I know Haldore, that would include your entourage as well."

Artuck pushed himself away from the table and stood.

No. No. Have I seriously doomed us?

Artuck looked around at those he'd gathered, all seated at the table. Flim looked at Artuck with fear in his eyes, while Cruu looked as though he knew this was coming all along. Artuck looked to Meila, who simply looked away. Mitrax slammed his fists on the table and stood.

"Then we do something about it! We can't just stand idly by while he kills us! Sulking will get us nowhere!" 

Mitrax's roar echoed through the small home, and Himrol simply shook his head.

"How naive you are, my friend. To think that we are able to defeat Haldore now, prior to any formal training. You may have fought your way here, and suffered loss, but against Haldore? Give up hope now, while you still can."

Mitrax growled angrily and sat back down, folding his arms. Artuck looked to Himrol, and touched his hand to Himrol's crossed arms.

"Do you happen to know where a 'Christol' is, Himrol? Perhaps there is still hope."

Himrol nodded, and began to tap his forehead with his index finger as he paced around the room.

"He was brought here about a week ago, and the people brought him to me. A clever boy, that one. Smart, too. So insistent upon learning magic, though. You'll probably find him down at the school. Studying magic, like he has been this whole week."

Flim perked up upon hearing the news.

"You mean he's not dead?"

Flim stood and walked to Himrol, who simply gazed at him, that look of sadness still in his eyes.

"Yes, he's very much alive. For now. Your brother, I take it? I saw that very same reclusiveness in Marll, Artuck's elder brother."

Himrol began looking around the room, at each person gathered at the table.

"Artuck. You… you did it."

Artuck smiled proudly at Himrol, who seemed to become more and more excited as the moments passed. He pointed to each of them as he spoke.

"Totto, in Mitrax. I see his heart is in a good place, yet his intentions may be flawed. There's always room for improvement."

Mitrax smirked as he sat back in his chair, arms still folded.

"Percel, in Cruu there. Strong, and a bit stubborn, but fearless all the same. I hope you may be able to do what Percel could not."

Cruu nodded politely to Himrol.

"Cruu thanks you, and is always willing to learn."

Himrol nodded excitedly.

"Of course, of course. I'm always happy to teach someone who is eager to learn. And to you, Meila, you remind me a bit of Artuck here. The same caution and calculating ability, I think your minds will take you far. And that boy, Christol, reminded me of Krim, with his happiness that radiated off of him."

Meila smiled as she was complimented, and Artuck nodded respectfully.

"You've gathered them, Artuck. Is this why you selected them?"

Artuck nodded, unable to hold back his excitement as his former master pieced together Artuck's plan. He could see Himrol's thoughts racing, quickly solving the intricate puzzle Artuck had put together.

"For your brothers, and through them. You hope to seek closure as well as provide the people of Alteran with a newfound sense of freedom and peace. But you recognized that each of them are not without their flaws, and so you hope to see them grow. You're hoping that by going on this journey, you may put the past behind you, and enjoy your newfound life with this family."

Himrol looked at the people sitting at the table again, all of them smiling. Artuck chuckled to himself.

Master Himrol had always been great at puzzles, but I'm surprised he figured it out so quickly. Perhaps Haldore may not be of much trouble if Himrol accompanies us.

"That's exactly it. And seeing as how you taught my brothers, I was thinking that you could teach them as well. And if you're up for some adventure, you could join us, too!"

Himrol's smile faded, and he sighed.

"I think you forget one major detail, my child. That despite my best efforts, your brothers never made it out of that battle. And they had years of training. Two full decades of training. But we only have about three years before things come crumbling down."

Artuck placed a hand on Himrol's shoulder.

"But there's two of us, five of them, and they're eager to learn."

Himrol looked to Artuck, who's hand still rested on his shoulder.

"You're right. You have all the knowledge of my teachings. We could show them how to wield magic properly, and honorably. And teach them how to conquer their fears, and improve upon themselves. And their eagerness will make teaching far easier!"

Artuck took the hand that wasn't on Himrol's shoulder, and pulled out a dagger, its small blade glimmering in the candlelight.

"So, master, will you teach us, as you have taught before? And accompany us on finishing the battle that Haldore started those two hundred some years ago?"

Himrol excitedly grabbed the dagger, and held it up to the light, triumphantly.

"Let's go get Christol. He'll want to be here for this."

Haldore stormed out of his room as he searched for Malrik. His cloak billowing dramatically behind him, all the guards inside the castle simply moved out of his way.

Haldore snapped his fingers, and appeared in front of Malrik, who was standing in the courtyard, training a squadron of troops.

"The time has come, Malrik. Gather your troops. Be ready for if and when I give the signal. They die tonight. Like how they should have, all those years ago."

Malrik nodded, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Should I gather the Shadow Army?"

"There's no need. They'd simply kill them. I want to toy with them."

"Understood, my lordship."

Malrik bowed, turned on his heel, and walked away, the troop following behind him in perfect formation. Haldore sighed heavily, and clenched his fists.

This ends tonight, Himrol! I warned you that should you be together, you'd find yourself face to face with me. And guess what? Here you both are, laughing it up like there's hope for you lot. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this little entourage that you have already placed your faith in will perish, their names lost to the obscurity of history. But I want to see the fear in your eyes as you realize what's coming. I want you to see that there is no hope for you, or for Artuck. I want to see the light drain from your eyes slowly. And my son has run long enough. Time to end his charade, bring his 'parade of hope' to an end.

Haldore laughed to himself as he stood there, receiving strange looks from the soldiers stationed there. Instantly, he stopped, glaring at the guards.

"What's so strange, hm? Tonight, the rebellion shall finally fall, and then, this plane will be ours to command!"

The soldiers cheered in response to Haldore, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from their sight.