It was dawn in Wusihen. Josec, Harry and Buern were at the harbour waiting for the ship that would be taking them to the continent of Avalon to be fully loaded. The ship in question was a great and fine one. Built from the finest Mahogany from Gyata's forest. The word 'Gryphon' was imprinted on it and there was a wide and heavy wooden bridge leading unto it. The bridge was wide enough to allow the men to load smaller crates while a crane made from a complex system of pulleys loaded the larger crates. Josec yawned. Harry and Buern watched the men of Wusihen load the ships with food supplies. The people of Wusihen had decided that from that moment on, they would only trade in food items and raw materials for clothing that would not anger the forces of nature. Marina had decided to allow them their last major trade in ornaments so they still had a lot of supplies from their previous hunts.
"I'm still so tired from yesterday" Josec said tiredly.
"Don't worry Josec, when we get aboard the ship, you can have lots of rest" Buern assured him.
"Well, that's if he can manage to shake off the sea sickness. I bet he's not used to travelling on the sea" Harry teased as he hit Josec on the back.
"Actually, I've travelled on sea a few times with my mom. We used to travel to the Isle Of The Moon to pick rare flowers. That was my mom's favourite place. When dad was still alive, the three of us could just lie among the flowers. Those are my happiest memories" Josec said with nostalgia as tears began to flow down his face.
He hadn't noticed it though but Buern had. She began to feel guilty again.
"Well who knows? Maybe we'll create happier memories together. Just think, the three of us, travelling the world together, meeting lots of new people and seeing new sights. It'll be great!" Harry tried to make Josec feel better.
Buern smiled.
"Friendship really is a beautiful thing, isn't it?" she thought out loud.
"Of course it is. When you have a good friend you can fool around with, you just feel like you can do anything!" Harry said happily.
Josec laughed.
"You know Harry, you really remind me of my dad" he said.
"Whoa! Comparing me to THE FENIX? That's really an honour" Harry seemed pleased.
One of the guards walked towards them.
"The ship is fully loaded. You can board it now" the guard said.
"Finally!" Harry sighed.
"Let's go Josec" Buern called.
Josec nodded and the three friends boarded the ship. The captain of the ship walked towards them.
"Welcome aboard 'The Gryphon'. It is an honour to have you aboard. Our destination is the Grand Continent Of Avalon. That is where most of our goods are sold. The sea is a field of adventure. To me, it symbolizes the journey of life, the unknown future. Only those that have seen the great sights of the sea can boast about being experienced" the captain continued to talk.
Josec and Harry seemed fed up already.
"He is really obsessed with the sea isn't he?" Harry asked in a bored tone.
"I guess he is" Josec nodded with a yawn.
"Could you please show us to our cabins? We'd like to get some rest. We kinda had a rough day yesterday" Buern interrupted the captain.
Josec and Harry nodded frantically in agreement.
"Of course, pardon me for my lack of manners" the captain apologized and led them into the ship's interior rooms.
Soon they arrived at a cabin. The captain opened the door and led them in. This shall be your resting place. It is not much but I hope it is enough to keep you comfortable until we reach Avalon. The cabin was dimly lit by lanterns closed in heavy glasslike materials. It was a simple place with nothing but two bunk beds. There seemed to be a door leading to a washroom at one end of the cabin. Harry, Josec and Buern placed their satchels on the floor. They had bought a few clothes from the shops in Wusihen. Josec lay on the lower bunk of one bed. Harry climbed to the upper bunk.
"Hey Harry, are you sure you won't roll off the bed and injure yourself? I think you should lie on the lower bunk" Buern teased.
"Get off my case already! You're not my mom!" Harry yelled angrily.
"I don't think you should worry about Harry. He won't even feel a thing if he falls off" Josec laughed.
"Yeah! I'm that strong!" Harry boasted.
"It's not because you're strong. It's because you sleep even deeper than a dead man!" Josec teased and burst into laughter.
Buern laughed too.
"Go ahead and laugh! You just wait till I find my Psychorage!" Harry threatened.
"Calm down Harry. We're only joking" Josec said with a smirk.
"That would be dangerous though. Harry is already dangerous without a Psychorage" Buern teased.
"Why do you say that?! I hope you're not being sarcastic!" Harry yelled.
"No, I'm not. You have a really foul temper" Buern said nonchalantly.
"Tch! I won't waste my time arguing with you" Harry scoffed and turned his back to them.
"Oops! I think you tweaked a nerve there Buern" Josec said with a little concern.
"Well, Harry is just that kind of person. Let him cool off a bit" Buern said as she sat on the other bed.
Josec yawned.
"I think I'll get some rest" he said as he shut his eyes.
Buern removed her satchel and began to read.
**** **** **** **** **** ****
Soon, the ship began its journey. It coursed through the sea being propelled by the wind against the sails. By noon, there was no land in sight. They were far out to sea. In the cabin, all three friends were fast asleep. Harry was snoring loudly as usual and was in fact drooling on his pillow. He tried to roll sideways for comfort and inevitably fell off the high bunk with a loud THUD!
"OUCH!" he screamed and opened his eyes. Buern and Josec awakened.
"Told you so," Buern muttered.
"Ouch!" Harry screamed again.
"Are you alright?" Josec asked worriedly.
"Do I look alright?! JOSEC! WHO THE HELL ASKED YOU TO STEAL THE LOWER BUNK!" Harry accused.
Josec laughed.
"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" Harry roared.
"Don't blame Josec you idiot. I did warn you didn't I?" Buern said indifferently.
"Seriously Harry, are you alright?" Josec asked.
"Of course I'm…!" Harry suddenly clasped his mouth.
His eyes seemed to be rolling in his head.
"What's wrong?" Josec asked worriedly.
Harry stood up and ran out of the cabin. Josec and Buern followed close behind. Harry stood on the deck clutching the rails of the ship and vomiting into the sea,
"And he was teasing someone about sea sickness" Buern said with a bored look on her face.
Josec began to laugh again.
"He sure is a hard case" he said.
Harry walked to them.
"I'm never going to eat fish" he said.
"Why not?" Josec asked.
"If many people feel as sea sick as I feel now then eating fish…IS EATING VOMIT!" Harry screamed.
"TCH! IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE YOU VOMIT IN THE SEA THAT WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SUCH RIDICULOUS THINGS!" Buern yelled as she hooked Harry and lifted him into the air.
"I don't feel so good, I think I'll puke in your hair" Harry complained.
Buern quickly threw him to the ground. He fell hard on his butt.
"Jeez, you're so rough!" he complained.
"Give it some time Harry, you'll soon get used to the sea" Josec assured him.
Josec walked to the captain. The captain stood on the deck watching the sea.
"Excuse me sir, how long will the journey take?" Josec asked politely.
"If everything goes according to plan, we'll reach Avalon in about five days" the captain said.
"What could possibly go wrong?" Josec asked.
"For one thing we could run into a storm. For another, we could run into wild Psychorages" the captain informed Josec.
"No worries. Just leave the wild Psychorages to us" Josec said confidently as he walked to Harry.
"As long as we don't encounter 'him' everything is going to be fine" the captain thought with a serious look on his face.
Josec helped Harry to his feet.
"How are you feeling?" Josec asked.
"I think I'm beginning to get used to … blaarrgghh" Harry rushed to the rails and started vomiting into the sea.
Josec laughed
"After all your talk it seems like you've never journeyed on the sea before" Buern scoffed.
THREE DAYS LATER…
Buern stood against the rails and watched the sea. Harry was resting in the cabin. Josec came out of the cabin and climbed to the deck.
"Hey Buern" He greeted cheerfully.
Buern seemed to be lost in thought. Josec sighed and ran up to her. Soon he stood beside her and stared into the sea.
"Buern, the sea is really beautiful, isn't it?" Josec asked.
"I find it strange" Buern said with a worried look on her face.
"How strange? It's mysterious, yes, but calling it strange is totally depressing" Josec said with a laugh.
"I'm not talking about the sea; I'm talking about the atmosphere. It's strange…almost ghastly" Buern said worriedly.
"Buern, you're totally ruining the mood" Josec teased.
"Can't you sense it? Jeez! You were able to sense nature's pain in Wusihen and you can't even notice that there is no life in this part of the ocean?!" Buern yelled.
Josec gasped in shock. He had sensed something a while back but it was faint, almost non-existent. So faint that he thought it was just his imagination.
"So you sensed it too? I thought it was just my imagination" Josec confessed.
"It's not your imagination Josec. Something is draining the life from the ocean. The only thing I can think of is a wild Psychorage but this one doesn't seem to be ordinary" Buern deduced.
Suddenly, the ship jerked violently. Josec nearly fell overboard but Buern caught him just in time.
"Careful Josec" she said worriedly.
"I'm fine but…what was that?" Josec asked.
"It felt like the ship ran into something" Buern replied.
"No…it felt like…something rammed the ship!" Josec roared as he stared into the sea.
It was then that he realized that the ship was surrounded by an unearthly mist.
"FOOLISH MORTALS! TURN BACK NOW IF YOU WISH TO LIVE! TRESPASS ANY FURTHER AND YOUR LIVES WILL COME TO A TRAGIC END! THE CONTINENT OF AVALON IS OURS!" a sinister voice roared.
The captain approached Josec and Buern. Harry suddenly rushed to the deck.
"HEY GUYS! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" he exclaimed almost in panic.
"I've heard rumours about this part of the ocean. All areas surrounding Avalon have been captured by an evil Psychorage…Asmodeus!" the captain explained.
"Asmodeus? I've heard of such a Psychorage! Of all the rotten…?!" Buern suddenly began to grow angry.
"What are you talking about? Who is Asmodeus?" Josec asked impatiently.
"AAAH! YOU MEAN…PPPHHH!!! HAHAHA! Buern, you better watch your drawers!" Harry laughed and was immediately silenced by a punch from Buern.
"What's so funny?" Josec asked.
"AHAHAHAHA!!! Haven't you heard of him?! Asmodeus is a Psychorage that peeps at girls when they're taking their baths!" Harry laughed.
"Quit it freak!" Buern roared as she clenched her fists threateningly.
Harry turned away to hide his laugh.
"You're still laughing aren't you?" Buern roared.
"What's that about and why are you so angry Buern? Is it true?" Josec asked impatiently.
Buern looked as though she could cry any moment.
"Asmodeus is…every woman's shame. It is a perverted Psychorage that gains power by spiriting women away to a different realm. I hear that, it then feeds the women to its master's soul in order to strengthen itself. Although it sounds like a ridiculous Psychorage…it has never been defeated even once" Buern explained.
"Sounds like a pervert" Josec said with an angry glare in his eye.
"I actually admire such a Psychorage" Harry laughed.
"Speak for yourself you freaking perv!!!" Josec and Buern roared as they punched him.
"So what do we do captain?" Buern asked.
The captain thought for a while.
"Since you are the only girl aboard, I'll let you decide" the captain said.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm! THEN I SAY WE CRUSH THAT PERVERT!!!" Buern declared with an evil laugh.
For a moment, Josec remembered why he feared Buern. Buern turned to look at him.
"What do you say Josec?" Buern asked.
"Honestly, I'd like to avoid such a Psychorage. It seems like something out of my worst nightmare but…it has hurt too many ladies. On my honour as a man, I can't allow it to go scot free! I never thought I'd join a perv crushing squad but I guess it can't be helped. As the saying goes 'the shortest path between me and my home is a straight line' so…we're going right through there" Josec said as he pointed ahead.
"IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ARE ALL UNDERESTIMATING MY POWER! WELL THEN…I'LL MAKE SURE YOU WON'T LIVE TO REGRET IT!!!" the sinister voice roared from the mist.
Almost immediately after it had said that, a stream of water knocked the companions and sailors to the deck.
"We can't see anything! Where are its attacks coming from?!" Harry asked worriedly.
Josec stood up.
"IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS A GIRL ABOARD! SHE WILL FEED MY MASTER WELL!!!" the voice roared.
Josec frowned.
"Is it true that you and your master eat women?!" Josec asked.
"Yes, women bring life to the world. We feed on their life giving energy and use it to produce our army!" the voice said.
"What is your aim?! Why do you do this?!" Josec asked.
"Our only purpose is to serve Souryu" the sinister voice replied.
Buern seemed surprised.
"Don't tell me your master is Innovain?!" Buern exclaimed in shock.
"My Master is the great Psychorage Anubis, who serves as one of Souryu's generals. Our true Master is none other than you…young lady" the voice said.
"SHUT UP! I'D NEVER ORDER YOU TO HURT ANYONE!" Buern roared angrily.
"Keep up the act. You are beginning to believe that you can be like everyone else don't you? Keep deceiving yourself. While you do that…I'll destroy your only means of transport to Avalon!" the voice roared.
"GO AHEAD AND TRY! PSYCHORAGE…!!!" Josec began to channel his power.
"I DON'T THINK SO!" the voice roared and almost immediately, something that resembled a gigantic tail knocked Josec overboard.
"JOSEC!" Buern screamed.
"JO!" Harry called and nearly leapt overboard without thinking.
"Harry! Clear the mist with your wind ability!" Buern ordered.
"JO-LAN ART!" Harry called.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" the voice roared again and Harry was dragged overboard.
"Let's see how you'll stop me now! GHRRAHAHAHA!!!" the voice laughed gleefully as the ship suddenly split in halves.
"Harry! Josec!" Buern screamed as she fell overboard.
"What a joke! None of you could stop me!" the voice said in a bored tone and slowly faded away.
Moments later, the mists began to clear and Marina could be seen carrying the sailors, Josec and Buern away. Harry could not be found.
ONE WEEK LATER…
AVALONIAN CAPITAL, IMPERIUM
A rumour was spreading fast in the Avalonian Capital Imperium, that a stranger had managed to make it to Avalon, and he was still alive, though unconscious. It was rumoured that he was discovered by the King's knights at the shore. People wondered how the boy was still alive.
Immediately the boy had been found, a strange prophet appeared before the royal family of Avalon, prophesying the end of Asmodeus' rule.
People prayed in silence that the boy would soon wake up. In the Imperium Castle, Harry lay unconscious on one of the beds. In his sub-consciousness, he could see himself being carried by a strange creature. The creature had the body of a golden lion and the head of an eagle. It had the golden mane of a lion.
"Who are you?" Harry asked deliriously.
"Someone you should know", the creature said calmly.
Harry opened his eyes slowly. He was still dazed and his vision was a little blurred but he kept his eyes open. Soon enough, he could see his surroundings.
"Where am I?" he wondered as he struggled to sit up. Almost immediately after he had asked that question, a doctor walked into the room.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"What happened to me?" Harry wondered.
Suddenly, memories of the shipwreck began to flash in his mind.
"Josec! Buern!" he called hysterically.
"Calm down, you only recently recovered. You're still in bad shape" the doctor warned him.
"Where are my friends?! Where am I?! What's going on?!" Harry asked worriedly.
"Friends? You were the only one we found. Were you in a shipwreck?" the doctor asked.
He was an old man with kind blue eyes and completely white, long, woolly hair.
"Josec, Buern" Harry muttered sadly.
"I can't say for certain that your friends are alive but no bodies were found in that shipwreck" the doctor informed Harry.
Harry smiled.
"Of course! Buern and Josec wouldn't die from a thing like that!" Harry declared confidently.
"And there shall be three signs, the first is that, the chosen hero will believe in those he cannot see, the second is that, he will be one who follows his heart confidently, and finally, he will throw away everything to save people he knows nothing about", the doctor recalled the prophecy of the seer. "He has just demonstrated the first sign. He believes his friends are alive though he cannot see them" the doctor thought silently.
"Where am I by the way?" Harry asked.
"You are in Imperium, the capital of the Avalonian Empire" the doctor said.
Harry sighed.
"I'm glad. I'm just one step closer to finding Fencer" he muttered.
"Can I ask you a question?" the doctor asked.
"Sure, but first, I want to know who you are" Harry said suspiciously.
"Straightforward I see. I am Doctor Albane, head of all medical departments in Imperium" the doctor introduced himself.
"And I'm Harry Bane, son of an idiot who calls himself Ysmann" Harry growled.
At that moment, Ysmann who stood in Innovain's presence sneezed.
"Someone's talking trash about me behind my back. It's probably Harry" Ysmann thought with a slight smile.
The doctor laughed.
"He is already beginning to display the second sign" the doctor thought with a smile.
"What is this place doc?" Harry asked.
"You're in Castle Imperius, the domain of the Royal family of Avalon. The king will see you soon but first, would you please rest a bit?" the doctor requested.
"How long have I been unconscious?" Harry asked.
"A whole week. This is the eighth day since the shipwreck" Doctor Albane informed Harry.
"Whoa, a whole week?! How am I still alive? How did I eat and drink water?" Harry asked.
"Interesting question, I will answer you. In treating comatose patients, we, the doctors of Avalon, have come up with a way to halt vital body processes excluding brain and heart functions. We put you in a stasis state by blocking off some of your higher brain functions so simply put, you've never felt hungry or thirsty the whole time you were in a coma" Doctor Albane explained.
"Huh?! Is that even possible?" Harry asked.
"Only in Avalon where medical Psychorages dwell" the doctor explained.
Harry suddenly stood up and seemed jumpy.
"What's wrong?" the doctor asked.
"I seriously need to use the washroom!" he exclaimed.
The doctor pointed to a door inside the room.
"There's one in there" he said.
Harry quickly rushed into the washroom.
The doctor smiled.
"He is clearly outspoken. He has already demonstrated the second sign" the doctor said.
After a while, Harry returned to the bedroom.
"So…why am I here? Why did the king have me treated in his own castle and who is the king anyway?" Harry asked.
"His name is King Raphzaard XXI. He will inform you of everything you want to know. For now, just rest" Doctor Albane suggested.
"Fine" Harry muttered and pretended to shut his eyes.
He waited until the doctor left the bedroom, and then he got up and snuck out.
"Avalon huh? Let me have a look around" he thought as he snuck around the castle, avoiding the guards with ghostly stealth.
The castle was however so huge that he nearly got lost. Unfortunately for him, he snuck around so much that he ended up in the Throne Room, right in the presence of the king.
"Oops!" he exclaimed nervously.
In a flash, he was surrounded by dozens of knights.
"You must be Harry Bane, am I right?" the king asked.
His voice sounded so sad and frail, almost devoid of any hope.
Harry noticed this and stared straight into the king's eyes. It was like staring at a person and seeing an endless abyss of sorrow. Harry began to feel the king's pain.
"I'm Harry Bane your majesty" he bowed respectfully. "Is there any way I can help you?" he asked.
"I don't think so. Whatever the reason you came here for, you are free to leave whenever you feel like it. There is no human on earth that is capable of helping Avalon" the king said sadly.
"How can you know that without even asking?" Harry asked.
"All my knights have tried but none have succeeded. Even the best Jo-lan fighters in my kingdom have tried but not a single one of them have succeeded. Do you believe you can defeat a demon as terrifying as Asmodeus?" the king asked.
Suddenly, Harry recalled all the details of the shipwreck.
"What does Asmodeus want?! Why has he attacked Avalon?!" Harry demanded an answer.
Immediately after asking, he recalled Asmodeus' answer.
"Women bring life to the world. We feed on their life giving energy and use it to produce our army! Our purpose is to serve Souryu!" Harry recalled Asmodeus' words.
He maintained a determined look.
"Three years ago, Asmodeus appeared on our shores wreaking havoc. We tried to stop him by waging a full scale assault but he easily crushed our armies. We then sought a way of resolving the conflict through peaceful negotiations. We were horrified however to find out that Asmodeus wished for us to feed it with a virgin every month. At first, we didn't see it as much of a threat but soon, the girls in our city began to disappear one after another within a matter of days. We trailed Asmodeus and found out that it took the girls to an isolated island about a hundred and thirty miles from the continent of Avalon. That place is abandoned and is known as Skeleton Island for the simple fact that the Psychorage, Anubis, also known as the god of death dwells there. Asmodeus was infuriated by our actions and demanded the worst kind of retribution, the life of my only daughter, the Princess of Avalon, Estelle, my only heiress" the king said as he tried to avoid shedding tears.
At that moment, Doctor Albane walked into the Throne Room.
"How long has it been since Princess Estelle was taken captive?" Harry asked.
"It's been exactly one year. We tried to request help from Innovain but Asmodeus wouldn't let our ships leave the docks" the king replied.
"There is no need to worry, I'll defeat Asmodeus and rescue everyone!" Harry declared.
"Do you have a powerful Psychorage?" the king asked.
"I have no Psychorage yet but I'm beginning to feel the presence of one. I'll need some weapons and armour though, if I am to battle Asmodeus" Harry said.
"No, you're just a boy. I can't allow you to risk your life for a lost cause!" the King declared.
"Fine, you said I could leave whenever I wanted to. I'm leaving now but my path takes me towards Anubis nonetheless" Harry said stubbornly.
"The third sign, risking your life for people you know nothing about, I have found you Chosen One" the doctor muttered as he walked to Harry.
"Hi doc" Harry greeted nervously.
"You stupid boy! How dare you confront the king like that?! You deserve to be executed! Your majesty, please forgive his stupidity! I'll discipline him right now with your permission!" the doctor roared as he grabbed Harry by the collar and dragged him out of the Throne Room with Harry coughing and wheezing along the way.
When they were out of the throne room, Doctor Albane threw Harry to the ground.
"Hey! What's the big idea?! And how are you so strong?!" Harry roared.
"Sshh! You wish to save the Princess and the girls of Avalon, don't you? Then come with me" the doctor said as he touched Harry on the forehead.
Both of them disappeared in a flash of light. When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself in a forest.
"Where are we?! Are you really a doctor?!" Harry roared.
The doctor smiled at the question as his form slowly began to change till Harry recognized the man before him.
"Jo-lan! What are you doing here?! I thought you only lived in books!" Harry exclaimed in shock.
"The King of Avalon is presently heartbroken. He cannot make a decision in his current state. I was searching for one with the will to challenge Asmodeus and Anubis. God showed me three signs through which the one He had chosen to defeat them could be found. First, the chosen one will believe in those he cannot see. You proved that through the faith you have that Josec and Buern are alive. Secondly, the chosen one will have the strength to follow his own path. You have rejected the path your father took and are working to restore peace. Finally, the chosen one will throw away everything to save people he knows nothing about. You are willing to help the Princess, the girls and all the people of Avalon although this is your first time of meeting any people from Avalon. Truly, you are the one chosen by God to free the people of Avalon from Asmodeus and Anubis" Jo-lan explained.
"I'm that important? And here I thought Josec was chosen to do all the fun stuff" Harry joked.
"Every human has his own destiny. Josec could probably rescue the girls but the outcome wouldn't be the same. This is a job for the Phoenix's mind, not its heart" Jo-lan said.
"Well, I don't know if I inherited the Phoenix's mind or not because I'm slow when it comes to strategy and stuff like that but one thing I hate is to see some high and mighty jerks oppressing the weak and innocent!" Harry declared.
"You will find out why you were chosen for this task, soon enough" Jo-lan thought silently.
"Follow me" Jo-lan ordered.
Harry obeyed. The two companions walked through the forest. Harry could see a bright light ahead.
"What is that light?" he asked Jo-lan.
"We are close" Jo-lan said as though that answered the question.
Soon enough, they arrived at a clearing within the forest. At the centre of the clearing was an altar. Stuck in the altar was a beautiful golden sword.
"What is that? What is a sword doing, stuck in an altar?" Harry asked.
"There are many Psychorages in this world. Many of them have different forms but…this is the form of the Psychorage whose power belongs to a warrior who chose the path of peace" Jo-lan said as he turned to stare at Harry.
Harry recalled the first time he had been inside the Book Of Jo-lan.
"Now choose the class of Jo-lan you wish to belong to" he recalled Jo-lan's words.
"Are you trying to tell me that the only non-destructive class is the defender class?! You must be kidding! I'll never be able to defeat my dad if I choose that class but I don't want to be a destroyer either!" he recalled his words.
"Then which class will you choose?" he recalled Jo-lan's words.
"I'll forge a class with my own hands! I'll choose the class of a warrior who fights for peace!" Harry recalled his declaration.
At that moment, the three classes of Jo-lan cracked and shattered into pieces.
"You have decided to reject all Jo-lan classes. In that case, you may retain some of your power but you will have to struggle harder than anyone ever has to make that power develop. You will never be complete as a Jo-lan warrior and you won't possess the gift of psychoraging" he recalled Jo-lan's final words.
Harry's memory ended there. He stared at Jo-lan.
"But I thought you said I would never be able to psychorage!" Harry exclaimed.
"There is only so much even I can understand about Psychorages but you…what do you really understand about Jo-lan? After everything I've taught you about Souryu and the Phoenix, it seems none of you really understand Jo-lan" Jo-lan said.
"Isn't Jo-lan the art of fighting?" Harry asked.
"It is thoughts like that, that created men like Innovain, Vagan and Ysmann. There is more to Jo-lan than just the art of fighting. For instance…Alan can heal so would you say his ability is not a Jo-lan ability?" Jo-lan asked.
"Alan himself said there was no such thing as a Jo-lan healer" Harry argued.
"That is because, he does not yet understand the classes of Jo-lan and how diverse they can be. The three Jo-lan classes only guide your power to develop. In actuality, Jo-lan has unlimited classes. The three however were given form since they are what most fighters wish for" Jo-lan explained.
Harry nodded.
"I see" he said. "I think I'm beginning to understand a little more about Jo-lan. Jo-lan doesn't necessarily mean 'to fight'. My father used to tell me that his ancestors defined Jo-lan as 'to give life to'. I understand now. Jo-lan gives life to the dormant feelings of humans" Harry explained.
"You are right about that. I'm interested to know how you reached that conclusion" Jo-lan said.
"It's simple. Josec is a really reckless guy. He doesn't care where his path takes him as long as he arrives in time to help everyone. He is like the lightning that never chooses its path, yet once its path is taken; it never stops until it reaches its destination. Buern at first was like a flame, always trying to contain her raging flames, always waiting to erupt. But then after opening up to Josec and I, her heart melted like water and she is now able to understand others just like ripples are created on the surface of water when it is touched" Harry explained.
"And you?" Jo-lan asked.
"Me? I'm like the wind. I do whatever I want, whenever I want. I have no boundaries except good and evil of course" Harry said with a laugh.
Jo-lan nodded.
"You really do understand. I believe he feels the same way. That is why he has chosen to bond with you" Jo-lan said.
"Who?" Harry asked.
"Him…your Psychorage. His identity will soon be revealed. Now take up your Psychorage…the sword that has the power to conquer all Psychorages!" Jo-lan ordered.
Harry nodded and walked to the sword. He grasped its handle and pulled with all his strength but the sword didn't budge.
"It's not budging…damn it!" he growled as he tugged harder.
"You're never going to pull it out if you keep doing it that way" Jo-lan said indifferently.
"What am I doing wrong?!" Harry roared.
"I told you, Jo-lan isn't the power to fight and it's certainly not the power to rely on your physical strength. A Psychorage will never submit to its master until their wills resonate" Jo-lan explained.
"Damn! Why do things have to be so difficult! I'm the only one whose Psychorage turned out to be a difficult stupid sword!" Harry sighed in desperation.
"Only a truly stupid person would say that!" a sudden voice sounded from the sword as it began to hum loudly.
"Huh?! Who said that?! Show your face you coward! If you are a man, say that to my face!" Harry roared.
"I am not a man but I will kindly oblige. You are a senseless weakling who has never been able to let go of the past. You do have a strong resolve however…you've never had the strength to acknowledge your past and your roots! Such a weakling…can never be fit to wield my immense power. You speak of the wind as though you are the wind. You call yourself free but you are chained by your past! You cannot move forward! I will never submit to you no matter how righteous your intentions may be!" the voice reprimanded Harry.
Harry frowned.
"Don't talk like you know anything about me! A stupid sword like you can never understand how it feels to be abandoned!" Harry roared.
"FOOL! YOU CALL YOURSELF ABANDONED?! YOU ARE EVEN MORE CYNICAL THAN I IMAGINED! IF YOU WHO ARE SURROUNDED BY LOVE CALL YOURSELF ABANDONED…THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL A PSYCHORAGE THAT HAS BEEN LOST TO THE WAVES OF TIME SINCE THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PHOENIX?!" the voice roared.
Harry was shocked at first but he remained silent.
"See? You can't answer my question. I will never acknowledge you as my master" the voice said.
"I need your strength to save the people of Avalon! Our pasts don't matter!" Harry pleaded.
"That proves even more how foolish you are. I can't believe that you are a descendant of the phoenix's mind. Even fools understand the basic law of time. 'The past shapes the future'. You are an ignorant boy whose only purpose in life is to surpass his father" the voice said.
Harry looked disturbed.
"I understand. I won't ask for your help. I already gave up all hopes of psychoraging a long time ago. I'll just rely on my strength, like I always have" Harry said and walked away.
Jo-lan smiled, and then he sighed.
"That was a little harsh, don't you think so…Hieron?" Jo-lan muttered.