Chapter 15: Ajal; Shauran 20th, 344SR; 12:30
Ajal soared through the air, landing on the grass with one foot, and jumping back up. He carried Jack on his back as he fled the town set ablaze with green flame. Ajal glanced at him while his head rested on his shoulder. 'You didn't need to do that... I didn't need help... But knowing how much he hated Alexander...' Ajal sighed and closed his eyes, then looked forward. There was nothing but fields of grass and hills for miles. He noticed remnants of stone ruins littered about, but they looked lost to time, lacking any consistency with their placement or orientation. 'Who built these? They're all over the place...'
"Hey! Over here!" Sarah called.
Ajal glanced over to the right, the small group of non-unified resistance stood on a dirt path. 'They made some good distance...' He landed in front of the small group of people, crouching to absorb the impact of the fall as his feet dragged against the ground. Sarah ran forward with a happy look on her face, which immediately changed upon seeing Jack.
"Wha- What happened to him?!" Sarah asked with a shocked tone.
John ran forward and fell to his knees.
"Oh no... No, no, no, I knew I shouldn't have listened to him... Jack... I'm so sorry," John sobbed.
"He isn't dead..." Ajal raised an eyebrow. "Do you have more bandages? He's bleeding a lot..."
"Huh- Oh..."
"Yeah, he isn't dead... Idiot," George cleared his throat as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
George held up the wagon full of children, he had stains of dirt on his black shirt and bruises on his face. Each of the resistance members seemed worn out. Their clothes were all dirtied or torn, and their skin was bruised in several places. 'They never had those injuries before...'
"I have bandages, but... Why did Jack stay behind?" Reinhardt asked.
"I don't know for sure but... I think he really wanted to take a shot at Alexander..." Ajal shook his head.
"Heh... Who doesn't?" Reinhardt grinned. "At least he's alive..."
"Yeah... I have no clue where he got an explosive though..."
"An explosive?!" Sarah reared her head back. "You mean... Like a bomb?"
Reinhardt had a dark mark on the side of his face, and there was a bit of blood on his lip. 'They didn't stand a chance back there... If I wasn't here... All of them would have died...' A dark-skinned boy in the crowd stood up as he saw Jack. He was about five feet tall, the same height as Sarah. He held his head while he shoved himself through the others. Under his hand was a red mark that looked like blood, but aside from that he didn't seem too beat up.
"Is that Jack?" An unfamiliar voice asked.
Ajal glanced past Reinhardt's shoulder at the man who approached. He was well built, with sandy skin in texture and color. His hair was slicked back except for the bangs at the side of his head slightly covering his narrow eyes. His expression was filled with bewilderment.
"It's him, he's the guy who kicked Alexander Rael's ass!" the dark-skinned boy ran forward and pointed at Jack who remained unconscious.
"Franklin, you're an idiot!" Sarah smacked the boy on the head.
"Ow! What'd you do that for!" Franklin snapped.
"For making such a big deal out of that scrawny guy! People got their hopes up!" Sarah scolded.
"How is that a bad thing! Tell her Ben," Franklin spat back.
"There's no way in hell Jack beat Alexander, she's completely right, you're a moron Franklin," said Ben.
"I'm not!"
"Reinhardt is this the guy?" another short black-haired man pointed at Ajal.
"Yeah, that's Ajal. Ajal this is Adam Rodrick, that's his brother Benjamin Rodrick. The little loud one is Franklin, Franklin Huvic. We are what's left of the resistance" Reinhardt introduced.
Ajal squinted at the small group, they all looked rather ordinary and weak. Ajal couldn't sense much spirit from either of them. 'This is... No... Even underwhelming is putting it lightly... I should be yelling at them for trying to fight against those odds...' Ajal's expression softened, then he sighed. 'Anyone with a level head wouldn't try to fight against those odds... Is that just how desperate you all are...' He glanced at Jack on his shoulder. 'Even you... Charging back in like that...'
"Where'd you find this guy?" Adam asked Reinhardt.
"In the woods, north of the mines, surprisingly at the outpost we've been attacking," Reinhardt turned to him and replied.
"And... You found this guy as well as Jack?"
"Yes."
"What about the outpost? Did you find what that kid mentioned? What the angels hid?"
"Yeah, turns out what the angels had belonged to Ajal, but the angels took it and it's been scrapped of its parts according to him... It was a suicide mission... We would've died for nothing."
Adam took a step back and squatted down, he had a weary and exhausted look on his face. He looked down in thought. Adam wasn't as muscular as Reinhardt but he seemed just as mature.
"So... What now?" Adam looked up at Reinhardt.
"After what just happened... I really don't know. Maybe it's time to admit defeat Adam, the resistance uses us as pawns, the angels use us as pawns," Reinhardt reasoned.
"But... You saw what I just saw. Right?" Adam pointed at Ajal. "This guy handled two nobles and two clan leaders... He may be even stronger than Arken was..."
"What are you two talking about?" Ajal asked.
"Hey, sir... uh Sir Ajal-"
"Ajal is fine."
"Can you help us defeat the angels and the Hirians?" Adam asked sternly. "With your power, you could do it..."
"No..." Ajal declined with a raised brow.
"Oh... Uh..." Adam scratched his head.
"Jack asked the same thing... I told him I'd help free him, but I am not starting a war or killing anyone for you, sorry... Not exactly sure how to go about freeing your people yet. However, I need to find someone who can fix my ship... It's gonna be tough considering that technology is far less advanced on this planet," Ajal explained.
"The angels will be coming after us though... Where should we go?" John asked.
"Most of the non-unified made their way to the surrounding towns," Franklin mentioned.
"Wait... If Jack's here... Who set Geral Murdok free?" Adam asked curiously.
"Geral Murdok?" Ajal repeated.
"A criminal who runs the black market, on Hiria, also one of the founding members of the resistance... He was imprisoned along with a bunch of other big shots in Lemen. But he recently escaped and no one knows how... The rumor was it was the infamous culprit who got away with injuring Alexander Rael. Him," Adam pointed at the unconscious Jack.
"Black market? Where can I find this Geral Murdok? He sounds like someone with connections." Ajal suddenly took interest.
"Geral Murdok went missing, but he's somewhere on the continent of Hiria. I'd assume he's in Murdok," Adam answered.
"Murdok, isn't that his name?" Ajal repeated.
"Yes, but Murdok Bay is a place that used to be called Maryn, before mercenaries and pirates took it and barricaded the place with the corpses of the people who used to live there," Adam explained.
'That's gruesome...' Ajal cringed at that last part. "Why do people think Jack set someone like that free?"
"Apparently the guards heard Geral say his name before the prison was attacked. Thanks to Franklin's hype, people assumed the Jack from Logos who supposedly defeated Alexander Rael is the culprit who set Geral free."
"Huh..." Ajal nodded slowly. "What's the fastest way to Murdok?"
Adam's eyes went wide, he blinked in disbelief.
"Were you even listening? That place is a death trap..." Adam tried to warn him.
"What's the fastest way to Murdok?" Ajal asked once more.
"Don't worry Adam, confidence is something you have to get used to around Ajal," said John.
Adam sighed as he shook his head.
"Going east is suicide... West is also tough, but it's the only realistic way. We can take those kids to Ulkay if we go west, but to be honest... It won't be long before angels find them. The bridge to Hiria is in the west just past Ulkay, if we can get across, then we'll need to enter Andurill." Adam explained.
'When I saw the cliffside earlier... I could probably go east alone, but they wouldn't be able to. This guy may know his stuff, not like I have a much better choice than to depend on him...'
"Then from there, we should go to Argol. We'll be able to go straight to Murdok through black market trade routes, we should also be able to meet up with the Hirian resistance there, Argol is part of their territory after all," Adam concluded.
"Are there any more non-unified resistance members here?" Ajal asked.
Ajal didn't get a response, he observed the various faces. Lips puckered like they had eaten something sour. Eyes looked down or to the side. 'I shouldn't have asked that....'
"Well, we started with a lot," George spoke up. "Most have been killed or captured... Which could also mean killed..."
Ajal looked at the non-unified around him hopelessly. 'Every time I get to the scene these guys are on the verge of defeat... They really do need my help...' The group was alerted to a sound behind them, hooves trotting on the dirt mixed with rolling wheels. Ajal turned and looked down the path to see an angel on a caravan, two horses pulled the caravan along the path towards them.
"Is that a horse? Finally an animal... Here I thought there was none on this planet..." Ajal shook his head.
The angel got off the wagon pulled by horses. She wore a green robe overtop the white dress shirt, on the back of the robe was the insignia of a skull-shaped fist. She drew a metal staff before she approached. The angel's mask covered her face except for two holes to see through, they approached with an air of confidence and authority.
"You damn non-unified maggots," the angel mocked. "You've got some nerve running from Logos, now get in the caravan so you can help fix the town you swine. I'll get promoted to lieutenant for this, so hurry up!" she demanded.
The angel walked right up to Ajal who towered over the five-in-a-half-foot woman. Ajal eyebrows furled as she pointed her metal staff at him.
"Oh, well if it isn't Jack, for a slave, it looks like you did most of the work, good job," She complimented Ajal. "This one needs to be beaten often, he has a sharp tongue and often doesn't recognize his place."
Ajal looked at Jack and then back to the guard. "You might as well keep walking and leave that caravan for us. You won't be riding it anymore."
"What did you say?" she tightened her grip on the metal staff.
She didn't even wait for an answer, pulling her staff back and swinging it as hard as she could. Ajal raised one arm and the staff broke against his wrist. The angel looked at the jagged tip of the metal, dumbfounded by what just happened. Ajal walked past her and struck the back of her neck with his elbow. She fell to her knees, and then face first into the ground with an audible thud. Chain mail underneath the white robes rattled.
"Let's use that caravan," Ajal pointed at the caravan with a smile.
The others looked down at the angel on the ground in silence, then back up at Ajal. They looked back down at the angel once more.
"I'm riding in front!" Sarah broke the silence and ran forward.
The horses which stepped back as Ajal walked by. He made his way around the caravan and pulled the curtain to the side. He was met with the concerned expression of multiple non-unified who had been captured. They all cowered and kept their eyes locked on him.
"Uh, you're... Free to go? We need this caravan, could you hop out?" Ajal asked them all.
"We... We can go?" a frail man with a thick mustache asked.
"Yeah, no one's stopping you..." Ajal moved to the side and held his hand out, gesturing that they could go.
"Let's go, everyone! We're free!" the man with a mustache shouted.
Several non-unified scurried out of the back of the caravan and ran off. Ajal climbed inside the caravan and saw a blonde woman wearing a white dress in the corner, cradling a child in her arms. Her white dress was torn slightly and she was bruised in multiple places, but the child was spotless. 'It's a good thing I knocked out that angel before I saw this...'
"Welp, that's enough space," Ajal set Jack down against the wall.
"Hey?" Ajal tried talking to the beaten woman in the corner. "We're taking this caravan west, get out while you can-"
"Did you say west?" Ajal heard the man with the mustache from earlier, he returned and suddenly poked his head back into the caravan. "You mean, to Ulkay?"
"No... Murdok," Ajal replied.
"Murdok?!? Oh my- West... S-so... you're passing over Andurill?" he seemed to be in disbelief.
"I guess?" Ajal scratched his head.
The man jumped back into the caravan.
"My name is Eckleflor, a slave from Logos! I can sneak you passed the gates of Andurill!" he suddenly announced.
Ajal raised an eyebrow. 'Huh?' Eckleflor wore the same clothing as the other slaves, except for his black trench coat. He was a lanky bald man with a bushy mustache and eyebrows. His yellow eyes were very sharp, to the point that it gave Ajal a bad feeling. 'Something about this guy gives me a bad vibe...' Jack slowly regained consciousness, he rubbed his eyes.
"Where am I..." Jack looked around, he looked drowsy.
George's head suddenly poked through the curtain, he hopped in and the entire caravan shook. Ecklefor moved out of the way as he squinted at him, but then his eyebrows raised as John climbed into the caravan.
"Excuse me, sir," John lightly shoved Eckleflor out of the way and got in.
Ben, and Franklin climbed in next, and each of them rocked the large wooden caravan. Reinhardt passed the children from the wagon into the caravan, each of them still asleep somehow.
"Jack! You moron! Look at all this blood! It's yours by the way!" John scolded with furrowed eyebrows.
"Yeah, moron!" Sarah repeated, poking her head in from the front of the caravan, she looked down to see a blonde woman cowering in the corner while she shielded her child. "Hey, who's this? And who hit her? Who's that guy with the weird mustache?"
"Weird?" Eckleflor blinked repeatedly.
Adam peaked into the back of the caravan.
"Oh hey, it's Eckleflor, how have you been!" Adam greeted him, they appeared to know each other.
"Oh no... Don't tell me you're all resistance..." Eckleflor suddenly wanted to get out.
"Oh hey... John... You're safe," Jack weakly uttered with a smile on his face.
"Look at yourself!" John pointed at him.
"Jack?" the woman uttered, she stopped cowering in the corner and turned to see Jack resting at the other side of the caravan.
"Oh, that's the lady Jack helped earlier when we got back to Logos. What's she doing here?"
"Eckleflor, what'll you need to sneak us past the gates, I'm assuming it won't be free," Ajal tried to stay focused.
"Eckleflor is sneaking us into Andurill? When was this decided?" Adam reared his head back.
"I simply want access to Andurill, that'll be the terms, but nothing to do with the resistance!" Eckleflor told Ajal.
"Okay, those are easy terms..." Ajal looked down in thought before he turned to the woman in the corner. "What about you?" Ajal asked the woman.
She didn't answer, she just stared at Jack with a look of confusion and shock. "I don't care... Wherever I go won't make a difference..."
"That's Lydia, she lives across from me. She hates me though..." Jack was barely conscious, his speech was groggy and unclear.
The woman gritted her teeth but looked confused as she stared back at Jack. Reinhardt pulled a roll of bandages out of his satchel as George raised Jack off the wall.
"I-I don't..." Lydia stammered.
"Wait, there's glass in his skin?! We have to get this out first and disinfect it!" George advised.
"Good call..." Reinhardt nodded.
"Get those horses moving. We need to move quickly!" said Eckleflor.
Ajal took a seat at the back of the caravan next to Jack, Reinhardt and George. He watched the scenery as the caravan began to move. The horses' hooves rhythmically trotted along the dirt path. Eckleflor sat across from Jack, and Franklin also sat next to Jack.
"Ajal... Why is this guy here..." Jack asked weakly, looking at Franklin.
"Hey man, me and Jack go way back," Franklin waved at Ajal.
"No... No, we don't..." Jack groaned.
"This is getting hectic, there's way too many people in here..." Ajal sighed and shook his head.
Ajal looked around at the crowd of people compressed into the small caravan. The chaos of everyone interacting briefly reminded him of his friends on Imperion. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of golden items. Everyone in the caravan suddenly took notice. Eckleflor's reaction was different, his jaw dropped when he saw it.
"What the heck is this stuff?" Jack fiddled with the golden ring.
It was smooth but had a few scratches on it, Ajal took one of the coins and looked at it. It had a faint gold shine and the insignia of a feather on it.
"That's... That's the currency of Andurill... Where did you find that..." Eckleflor asked with an almost condescending tone, his eyes wide with an almost crazed look.
"It was someone else's from Logos, I found it in a house with the door left open," Jack held the pendant up and tilted his head as he observed it, it was oval-shaped and quite large.
"I think that opens up," Ajal observed.
Eckleflor watched the two of them carefully as the caravan bumped and creaked. 'This guy's spirit acted up when he saw the gold...' Ajal opened the pendant to see the face of a child. Their black hair was short, and their cheeks were a little thin. The child looked worried.
"You recognize this person?" Ajal asked Jack.
"Ah..." Jack winced as Reinhardt took a piece of glass out of his leg, he squinted at the picture. "No- Ah!"
"Ring a bell?" Ajal turned the pendant to Eckleflor.
Eckleflor shook his head immediately. Ajal looked back at the picture, and then glanced at Eckleflor. 'Hm... Maybe I'm overthinking things...' Ajal handed the pendant back to Jack, and looked outside of the caravan, he felt his eyelids start to droop. 'I'm tired... I've been walking around since the night and then fought those people... Not to mention my body is so stiff... I was so slow back there...'
"If anything happens just wake me up, I'm getting some rest," said Ajal.
He leaned against the side of the caravan and closed his eyes. The sound of conversation, the creaking wheels, and the footfalls of the horses all eventually faded away as Ajal slipped into a slumber. He rested his head against the hard wooden planks of the caravan.
* * *
"I knew I'd find you here..." a familiar voice made him open his eyes. "You always come here whenever we're in Junipus or Radion..."
Instead of the caravan, Ajal found himself in a very familiar place. He was sitting in front of a small pond with a tiny island no bigger than a few meters wide at its center. A tree stood on that tiny island, its roots could be seen stretching through the ground and into the pond. At the opposite side from Ajal was a small waterfall only two stories high. Ajal turned his head and saw the woman he loved. 'Ava...' She stood in a field of white flowers, looking down at him with a gentle smile. Ajal briefly remembered what happened in Solron, but as he saw her, he chose to forget. Her short purple hair flowed with the wind, her pristine skin glimmering in the sunlight, her vivid eyes inviting his gaze. Ava walked forward as Ajal turned back to the pond. She knelt on the grass right next to him, and leaned on his shoulder. 'It's just like old times...'
"I like this place," Ajal replied. "The water's clear, and it flows without ever crashing. It flows through a reservoir underground and backs up to the top of the hill where it spills over calmly, an eternal spring life uses to bloom... I always loved the serenity of it, the peace... Natalia did too..."
He looked down and smiled as he dipped his hand into the lukewarm water, the water rippled, but the image of his hand didn't distort. His eyes widened when he noticed that he couldn't see the reflection of his face. The water suddenly rippled violently as the blue-haired child Ryu jumped in.
"Ryu?" Ajal's eyes widened, he turned to see the rest of his friends.
'I don't remember this... Wait... This isn't right...' The sound of a blade dragged against its sheath. Gale drew his blade, his expression remained unnervingly calm. 'Ah... That's right...' Ajal began to remember what they did to him.
"Why did you do it... Why did you try to kill me?" Ajal asked with a frown.
Gale walked forward without saying a word, simply raising his sword forward. Ajal felt nothing as the blade passed right through him, but to his surprise, he saw himself fall over face-first into the grass. Red blood splattered over the flowers. Ajal looked down at his own body on the ground before he looked at his hands, he had white sleeves. He looked down to see he had worn a white Imperial uniform rather than a black one. 'This is... The emperor's clothing?' Ajal looked up at Gale who walked right through Ajal as if he wasn't even there. All the members of his team walked past him.
"Enma... Aria... Crystal... Kono... Titan... Ryu... Kadyr... Ava..." he called out to them with a somber tone. "Why?"
The wind around Gale started to spin, lifting him off of the ground as he crossed the pond. He drew his blade as he approached the oak tree. Gale raised his sword and swung down, effortlessly slicing the stump in two, it cracked as it fell over, and the leaves rustled and rattled as they fell into the water or hit the ground. The water of the lake was no longer clear, Ajal looked down at the water and saw a reflection, but it wasn't his.
He saw a dignified white-haired man who wore the uniform given to the emperor of Imperion. His black eyes widened, and he started to breath heavily. 'Huh...' As Ajal looked down, so did the reflection, causing him to step back quickly.
"Shin?!" Ajal uttered with wide eyes.
Ajal stepped back, but fell as he watched the reflection repeat his movements. Instead of hitting the grass, he splashed into water. 'What the?!' On the surface, he saw what looked like Shin looking down at him. However, his white hair was shorter. His skin was pale, and he only wore ragged black robes over his legs. Two black lines ran down his face from his eyes, they looked like tears. Ajal's heart beat faster, his head pounded. Everything around him went dark as he sank deeper into the darkness.
* * *
"Ah!" Ajal suddenly woke up.
Eckleflor was startled as Ajal sat up. "Did you... Have a bad dream?"
It had become dark out, the sky was black, and it was much colder now. Ajal and Eckleflor were the only ones still awake in the caravan. Jack was unconscious again, his wounds were all patched up. Snores filled the air, but he could hear a faint conversation between Sarah, Ben, and Adam at the front of the caravan. He rubbed his head as he blinked repeatedly.
"Yeah..." Ajal touched his forehead, wiping sweat with the tips of his fingers. "Really bad..."
'I'll- just stay awake...' Ajal shifted a little bit in place, then rested his head against the wood. 'It's way too cramped in here anyway...' Eckleflor looked uncomfortable as well while he held a slumbering child in his hand. He had a strange focus on Jack's pocket, Ajal noticed him glance at it multiple times.
Reinhardt held two other children, his mouth hung open while he snored. George held two of the children, they rested on his stomach. John held one while he leaned on George. Ajal raised an eyebrow at the two brothers. 'Huh...' Franklin had his head against the wood while he held one child, he was sound asleep as his head rattled on the wood of the caravan each time it rocked or shook. 'How is he sleeping through that?' The woman named Lydia was still in the corner, tightly holding her child.
Ajal smirked at the people in the caravan, but seeing all of them only reminded him again of the friends he once had. His smile faded, a cold shiver down his spine, he felt out of place. 'This isn't my home... But... Is Imperion even my home anymore... Where do I belong? Will I ever get back...' Ajal shook his head awake once more, he felt drowsy. 'Damn... I'm still tired...' Ajal looked down at Jack who seemed to sleep so easily, he felt a little envious.' Jack looked at me weirdly when I was teaching Spirit Arts, it was like he saw my aura... But... That would require level six... And back in Logos, I know I felt his spirit behind that wall... He also ignited it... I don't remember teaching him how to do that... He must be a natural like Shin was... But none of them seemed to know about Spirit Arts... At least by that name...' Ajal squinted at the roof of the caravan. 'Those warriors from Hiria... Avery knew Spirit Arts, but she called it Arken's chambers... And Rolo said he read about the divine being... Where is he? Could he be dead? Who or what could even kill a divine being...' Ajal sighed as he closed his eyes. 'Grelt or Imperion... Everywhere I go, there are people suffering at the hands of others... You really were always right Natalia... The reason I was blessed with power, is to make a difference for the people who weren't...'