"Father, what is this place?" Ahir's youthful voice echoed through the bleak hall, disrupting the oppressive silence that had taken hold.
He had grown- gone were the childish tone of voice and immature aura that he used to have. He was now a youth- tall, handsome, and proud.
"It's the resting place of our ancestors, child." his father explained, hooking his finger and beckoning Ahir to come closer.
Avon helplessly watched as the body that he was currently in walked forward despite his desperate resistance. His mind swirled chaotically as he carefully searched his surroundings for any and all clues that would help him understand the true nature of his peculiar dreams.
Ahir came to a halt beside his father, watching in fascination as his father's blue eyes glowed brightly, the only source of light in this maze of catacombs and passages. A gust of wind blew across them, gently throwing their identical silver hair in disarray.
"Why are we here?" As Ahir spoke, the walls that seemed to stretch to the skies gave out a low rumble, scattering dust and debris all over the ancient floors, before stretching outward and revealing a hidden path. "You have only just returned from the continent of Seraphix. Surely, you haven't come simply to pay your respects?"
"I've come here with a different goal in mind today. You've already come of age, Ahir. It's time for you to learn the history behind our clan, and the reason why we should always guard against the rest of Elysium." his father strode forward, linking his arms behind his back.
"The answers to the questions that have always plagued you lie here, my child."
"I shall show you the true secret behind our blood."
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It had been one week since Avon had achieved victory in the subjugation arena.
He and Reas were currently sprawled across the plush rug that lined the floors of the study, half heartedly flipping through some tomes that the cardinal had asked them to memorize by the end of the week.
"This is too boring." Avon stood up, stretching his legs before placing the tome back into its shelf. "I'd much rather fight against a monster."
"You speak as though you've been doing it for your entire life, Avon." Reas laughed, letting his book fall against the floor with a loud thump.
"You've done it once, you've done it a million times." Avon waved his hand offhandedly. "You have to admit, that was the coolest thing that I've ever done in my entire life. Isn't that reason enough to wish for it to happen again?"
"If you miss it that much, why not ask your master to take you there again?" Reas suggested, leaning his chin against a fist.
"I already did. He said that it's useless to go again unless I've managed to master a whole new litany of spells to use." Avon stuck his tongue out. "He's awfully pragmatic when it comes to such things."
"Is that not a good thing?"
"Not if it means that I can't have fun, no."
Reas simply rolled his eyes at Avon's childish tirade, a bemused smile settling on his lips. "Sometimes I forget that you're only thirteen."
"You talk like an old man sometimes, you know that?" Avon said, peeved. "Even you yourself are only fourteen."
"That still makes me your senior. I'm more than qualified to give you advice."
"Beat me in a spar first- then we'll talk about advice."
Reas opened his mouth to retort, but was rudely interrupted by a loud ringing that emerged from the spatial pouch tied to Avon's waist.
Avon's brows furrowed as he rummaged through the pouch, and pulled out a simple-looking artifact that had suddenly started glowing white- a sign that the cardinal was in Fanfir, and wanted to meet with them.
"That's weird. Didn't master say that he would be busy till next week?"
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"We have a problem."
The cardinal hurriedly pulled Avon and Reas into a spare room hidden inside the temple, before bolting the door shut and casting a silencing spell over them. "The king knows about you."
"You mean, the king wasn't aware of the fact that you had taken in a disciple until now?" Reas' face was filled with incredulity. "Even so, it shouldn't be too big a problem, right?"
"...you're not talking about my identity as your disciple, are you?" Avon turned towards the cardinal, lightly pursing his lips.
"You're correct." the cardinal sighed, collapsing onto a plush chaise. "He knows about the things that we've been hiding for over a year."
"...I have a feeling that I'm missing a crucial piece of information." Reas glanced at the two's pale faces.
"Reas, could you wait outside for a moment? I need to talk to my master in private." Avon pleaded, guilt laced through his tone.
Reas let out a long sigh, suppressing his burning curiosity into the depths of his heart before giving an unhappy nod. "Alright...I'll wait for you two to be finished." he said tactfully.
The cardinal and Avon simply glanced at each other, moving to speak only when the door shut behind Reas with a loud thump. Immediately, the atmosphere around the two deepened, a tangible tension pressing down heavily against their hearts.
"How did he find out?" Avon was the first to break the heavy silence. "We've been so careful!"
"I miscalculated." the cardinal propped up his chin on his interlaced fingers. "Somehow, your influence on the future has grown faster than I had predicted, which means that other people who possess Gaia's divinity can now view glimpses of your future as well."
"Did another priest employed under the king see me?"
"Yes." he grumbled. "Fortunately, he was only able to see your appearance, and isn't aware of your identity yet."
The fact that another priest of Gaia was able to glimpse the exact same future as the cardinal only meant that what his master told him all along was true. The confirmation seemed to stab at Avon's heart, bringing with it an undismissable finality.
'So it's true then.' despair clawed at Avon's soul, leaving him devoid of feeling and emotion. 'I am to lay my life on the line for people whose faces I haven't ever seen before. I am to shoulder this responsibility for the rest of my life. I am destined to become a weapon.'
"It's only a matter of time before they find out who I am. After all, plenty of people have seen me before." Avon sank onto a chair weakly, his spirit tired enough to be unable to process anything but mild hysteria. "Well, fuck."
"Language, child." the cardinal chided, earning him a defiant eye-roll from his disciple and a short wheeze of laughter. "The good news is that I've convinced the king into letting me lead the search for you, which means that we can prepare properly."
"What exactly did his majesty ask you to do, master?"
"He told me to bring you to the capital in a week's time. He wants to announce your existence to the three kingdoms."
"Isn't that no different than painting a large target onto my back? If the entire world were to know that I'm someone who is supposed to fight against Chaos, won't the full force of the heretics come after me?" Avon pinched the bridge of his nose before carding a hand through his white hair, sighing.
"... you think I didn't tell him that? His majesty is famous for being thick-headed. He cares more about the benefits this will bring to Argon in the short run instead of your own personal safety." a minuscule amount of bloodlust leaked through the cardinal's amicable facade. "That worthless idiot."
"I am truly in awe of your ability to unhesitatingly curse out your employer, master." Avon joked dryly.
"When you get to the royal capital, you'll realise that half the inner court is like this. The only thing that man is good for is mindless slaughter and useless planning. The only time he ever uses his head is when he's trying to eke out benefits for himself."
"... is that so?"
"It's not important." the cardinal waved dismissively. "The point is, in a week's time, you have to come with me to the royal capital. I am to instill basic etiquette and knowledge in you as we travel. Expect a carriage to arrive in front of the orphanage in two days."
"That soon?"
"The king is particularly impatient as the elves seem to have already gotten wind of you with the help of their high priest. He's wily enough to know that I can find anyone in Argon in a matter of days through my divination, so I cannot delay this matter any longer."
"Alright, I'll prepare myself."
The cardinal glanced appreciatively at Avon. "You're taking this better than I expected, child." the cardinal's eyes softened as he patted Avon's head lightly. "I'll be sure to protect you from that old geezer."
"Thank you, master." Avon smiled lightly. "The truth is, I have long since prepared myself for a situation like this. After all, this cannot be hidden forever." Avon shrugged his shoulders.
"No matter what, I don't plan on running away."
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