"Yo. You're up early, Martin." Captain Lennon said as he addressed the two.
"Sir!" Uncle Martin did a salute.
"Uncle, who's that geezer?" Nile blurted out.
"WHAT?! Hey! I'm not that old!" Captain Lennon exclaimed. He shifted his gaze to Nile but he noticed something different. It was the ring that Nile is wearing on his left finger.
"Ahh! Sorry! Sorry about that!" Uncle Martin tried to calm the situation as he apologized to Captain Lennon.
"Hey, Martin. That kid you're parenting... He has it, right?" Suddenly, the mood started to get serious as Captain Lennon presumed that the ring that was on Nile's finger was one of the most substantial elemental rings.
"Yes sir... I don't really want to share this with everyone. Before Linda died, she gave that ring to Nile and implanted her remaining powers to it. Since then, it took Nile a lot of time before he activated it. I suspected that the ring is the reason why he's unable to wield his elemental power even if he has an adequate aptitude for it. Linda locked sealed it, inside that ring. Nile's true power..." Uncle Martin whispered.
Nile noticed this but he didn't pay any heed to it. He's still flabbergasted about the things that happened yesterday. The cave was destroyed, the dragon was exterminated, and various people are now struggling because of it.
He sat there with a frown, subtly blaming himself for what happened. In an instant, a small toy was thrown to him that ended his blank stare from the cave. He scratched his head and look around him and he saw Marie.
"Big brother Nile!" Marie shouted as she ran towards Nile. Seeing her expression, she was happy to see Nile again. Other than that, Nile also saw her father, Francis with a smile on his face as well. Nile was astonished and he displayed a cheery expression when he saw the two.
"Marie! Are you okay? How are you?" Nile asked. He seems really worried about her.
"Hmm! I'm okay big brother Nile! It's thanks to you that we are safe!" Marie joyfully said. She has some bruises on her arms and a couple of dusts around her dress but thankfully she's fine. Her father approached him as well and he patted Nile on his head.
"Young man, thank you for saving us and helping my daughter..." He thanked Nile truthfully as he bowed his head.
"No sir, it's okay please raise your head. I just did what I can do when someone is in trouble." Nile happily responded.
"A 'Thank you' won't be enough. As a token of gratitude, I'll give you this stone..." Francis grabbed his bag and shook it. A lot of coins were rustling inside but it is not the thing that he wants to give to Nile.
He held his hand, and when he showed it to him...
It is some kind of a magical stone, its color is white but there's something inside it. Francis grabbed Nile's hand and he gave it to him.
"Take this..." He said.
"What is this?" Nile asked.
"That's... That's what you call a 'Moonstone'."
"A what? A moonstone?"
"Yes. Aside from the emerald and diamonds, this moonstone is one of the rarest objects that can be used in many different things. You can either sell it for a hundred thousand EC, or used it as a crafting material for any object that you want to have. I know that this is not enough but I want you to take it–"
"No sir! That's okay! I don't have the right to take it, I'm okay with Marie being fine... That's all." Nile abruptly ended Marie's father's statement while attempting to give back the stone.
"No..." Marie's father crouched and he placed his hand on Nile's shoulder.
"Take it... It's our way of being grateful. Besides, you did a great job out there. Not only that you saved both of us but you saved the whole entire village as well. If it wasn't for you, that dragon would've been destroyed this town earlier. So that's why you need to take it. It's yours and you can keep it as a memory for us." Francis gave a smile while saying those words to Nile. He's deeply grateful that Nile managed to save his daughter knowing that his wife is not around. Losing Marie will have a negative impact on his emotional stability.
"I see... Thank you very much!" Nile bowed once again.
"Alright then, we're heading off now. See you again soon, Nile..."
"Big brother Nile! Bye-bye!" The two of them departed slowly as they said goodbye to Nile. On the other hand, Nile waved at them while watching. He took a closer look at the moonstone that he received from Marie's father and he was in awe at that time.
"Moonstone... huh. Sounds like something I should keep, if I sell this for just a hundred EC, then I won't be able to see its full potential as a legendary stone. I should hide it from everyone else." Nile said upon opening his bag and hiding the stone. He knows that something might happen if there's a witness that he has a legendary stone.
On the other hand.
"Martin, you should keep that boy. If he keeps wandering around like that who knows that he might get attacked by Yama sooner. At the very least, I can deploy some of my men for them to the stakeout. They will guard Nile and they'll keep him safe." Captain Lennon insinuated.
"Let the boy live freely as he can, Lennon. Yes, I'm well aware that something might happen to him that is connected to Yama. But, that's just a mere guess. I want Nile to live normally as the other kids should normally do as well. I don't want him to grow up not knowing about this world and just keep on hiding and being safe. He needs to get stronger, because..."
"Because...?"
"Because, Linda said that he is the one, destined to defeat Yama one day." Uncle Martin said with a serious tone. Captain Lennon made a small gasp but he understood what Uncle Martin said about Nile's condition.
"Well... That's unexpected. But if that's what the Queen have seen in her premonition, then we don't have a choice but to trust her." Captain Lennon responded.
"Yes, thank you so–"
"However, It's still not the case for his safety. He's still a growing boy that needs supervision. Which is why the 4 strongest zodiac clan (Including us) have implemented a system in which young teens like Nile out there will have to be trained under the assistance of the capital's connection with the top 100 strongest mages." Captain Lennon said.
"Wait? What? What are you talking about?" Uncle Martin seems to be dumbfounded by what he just heard.
"Well, to understand it formally. We're currently establishing a certain organization of young mages, supervised by the Capital and invested by the 4 Zodiac Clan. This organization will be the key for us to prepare in the upcoming war that Yama will commence. We will train young mages until they grow up to be stronger. In that way, we can build a foundation on what we have to gain an advantage when the time has come." He responded.
"What? Are you kidding me? You're forcing these kids to train and have them beat Yama? Are you guys out of your mind?!" Uncle Martin exclaimed but he had managed to suppress it.
"Woah calm down, Martin. I did say that they might have a chance or less likely to be the one to fight that annoying god but that's not really what will happen throughout the process. The aim of this organization is to nurture, guide, and train them. They'll be teaching them with stuff that we, soldiers, know to let them have an experience. Deploying them suddenly is a major sin, you know that." Captain Lennon answered.
"Oh... I see..." Uncle Martin calmed down.
"Besides, you're the one who said it as well. That boy will be the one to defeat Yama in the future, but how will he defeat him, if he has no experience whatsoever in fighting and nurturing his powers? He will be instantly dead if he fights him without any gears nor knowledge. Also, his powers are sealed in that ring and we don't know when or where will it show up. That's why this system is perfect for him to develop his capabilities and break his comfort zone. You don't wanna let him wander around without any goal."
"You're right, I apologize, Sir. But, I just wanna ask, when did you guys plan this out? I've never received any information regarding the matter. First, I heard it the first time." Uncle Martin questioned him.
"Well, the reason is, it's because they don't want the capital and its people to know about Yama's appearance and his mission. If they knew, the whole world would've fallen apart sooner because they'll be doing their best to defeat Yama without thinking. Even if Yama is not that powerful as of now, he can obliterate a whole country in just a few days. Also, I hate to say this but, the leader of the 4 strongest clans, wants to collect the elemental rings before Yama does. If they've known that Nile has one, they can either kill him by taking it by force, or we'll bring them Nile and use his life for the ring." He answered.
"That's absurd! But how did you guys overlapped the minds of those people? Didn't the news already spread out 13 years ago?" Uncle Martin asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think they tampered the news with their own powers to secretly create this avenue. People are not that keen on what's been going on since they have no knowledge about the past. Only those who stood up as a soldier and leader know about the all-out war that happened 700 years ago. They're not that into the history anyway. As for the people we rescued back in the days, including you, we've supported and transported them to a far land that is beyond Raiaterra. Those people knew about the destruction, if they shared the news, the whole capital will be in the state of chaos and panic." Captain Lennon answered.
"So you guys worked on this behind the shadows to prepare for the war? I'm not gonna lie but it seems so indecent to me. It's been 13 years but why haven't they gotten the rings yet?" Uncle Martin continued to ask.
Suddenly...
"That's because... We don't know where to find them." It was captain Lich.
"Oh... Lich you came back. How's the situation?" Captain Lennon asked.
"Who's the white-haired dude? And why is he wearing such clothes? It's too hot in here." Martin asked.
"Oh, this is Lich. Captain of the 2nd Division from the Aquarius clan. Well, it must be because of their Ice element that is embedded in their body. They need to keep their condition not that cool and not that hot to avoid any disturbance from their body. Hence, all those coats and jackets." Captain Lennon answered.
"So? What do you mean you don't know where to find them?" Martin continues.
"I don't have that much information but, the leaders of the 4 zodiac clans still haven't announced something about it. For every one of us in each division per region, we were told to stay put but we've been doing that for a long time already. We also took the time to study the archives and some other books but we've left with no leads about the whereabouts of the other rings. That kid over there has the Water Elemental ring, but the real question is where did the ancestors hide the other 3 elemental rings?" Lich responded.
"He's right, we've been doing everything to hopefully gather some information but there's just nothing. This is also the reason why we're going to establish this organization. We used the rest of the time not finding some clues but to work on this one to make it as a backup plan in case we failed to find the rings. I have a feeling that Yama will be awakened soon for about 1-2 years from now." Captain Lennon added.
"That's really unfortunate... But I guess I'll support this backup plan you're planning to do. But can you tell me more about it?" Uncle Martin asked more questions about the organization they're doing. He seems to be doubting it.
"Tomorrow, at the castle, we'll cast a wide-ranged communication spell to announce this plan. Those who want to join the organization will have to bring their child and they'll need to sign a form. We've gathered around 50 exclusive mages from different countries and some captains as well to supervise the young ones. We will give them a place to sleep, a lot of food to feed them and to sustain their muscles, a training ground, and a lot of tests to hopefully develop their skills." Captain Lich said.
"But you'll watch them all time, right?"
"Of course. If someone gets hurt, we'll provide an immediate response and aid them. That's how it will work. The term for this one will last 2 years, a perfect time for Yama to show up. I'm just imagining his expression knowing that these kids will be able to surpass him. Well anyway, we're going to do our best to teach them." Captain Lennon answered.
The discussion took about a while but they've managed to agree on the condition and some terms that they will need to sacrifice. Arthur and the other soldiers also put up a small meeting and seminar about the organization to explain it to the other area and to recruit some of them to work on it.
After a while, Nile and Uncle Martin decided to head home. While walking, Nile asked something.
"Hey Uncle, what were you talking about with that old dude and that white-haired guy?"
Uncle Martin didn't respond for a while. They took a detour on the outside near the lake to talk about some things. He then began to crouch and tapped Nile's shoulder.
"Nile, listen to me. From now on, you'll not be able to go home."
"What? What do you mean?" Nile asked with slight confusion and worriedness.
"I'm going to enroll you in an organization that will take place tomorrow. In that way, you can develop your powers and skills while at the same time, you're taking tests and training your body. Me and you won't be seeing each other again for a long time." Uncle Martin tried hard to tell Nile about the plan.
"But? Why? Why do I need to go there? I want to stay with you, Uncle, please." Nile begged him.
"Sorry Nile. But there's no essentiality for you if you stay here for longer. I'm doing this for your sake, for my sake... And for your mother. Don't you want to meet your mother?"
"Well I do but..."
"That's more than enough for you to explore the real world. If you successfully finished your training, maybe, maybe there's a chance for you to get to see your mother, our family, and our own 'clan'." Uncle Martin said.
"But, how about you, Uncle? Are you going to be fine? I'm not sure if I can handle all of these things."
"Don't worry, even though we're not close. I'm still going to look out for you. And I promise you that we'll get to see each other again. And I hope that if we meet again, you'll be stronger than me, stronger than the other children who always bullies you. And also, you can even meet more people that you can hang on and you can trust them. A friend that will be with you." Uncle Martin answered.
"Hmm... Okay... I do want to meet other people, but I just hope that you're going to be fine, Uncle. I'm going to promise you that I will work hard and train so we can meet our families and my mother as well!" Nile became active.
"Yes! I'm sure you will, alright, let's go then!"
"Okay!"
Nile agreed on the fact that he will be taking the tests while being away from his only family. For him, it's hard to grasp the situation because he's been lonely ever since. He only knows his Uncle and his only friend is Stell. He's been inexperienced on a lot of things and there's no guarantee that he can adapt the life inside the capital.
It's hard for both of them. But they both know, that the things they're doing, are the only choice they have...
To prevent a critical future that will come soon.