POV: Darren
"So, EDS, what happens now?" Darren asked.
Now, the adventure begins. You will learn as you go, as will the other Knights.
"The other Knights? How many of us are there?" He couldn't believe he was including himself in that group.
There are thousands of Knights, who will all be working toward the safety of this world on behalf of the Great King.
Darren wondered if there were any other Knights near him. If there were thousands, surely he wasn't the only one in the area. "Am I the only Knight in the area?"
Actually, no, you are not. In fact, there is another Knight at your University.
"What? Really?"
Yes. Do you not believe me?
"No, it's not that. I believe you. I just didn't think there would actually be another Knight quite so close to me."
He pondered who it could be. It had to be someone trustworthy. The Great King wouldn't have chosen anyone to have this system and these abilities if they weren't.
Ah, I see. As I said, there is one other Knight who attends your University.
"Hmmm... That's interesting. I wonder what Specialization they'll choose."
I believe you'll be able to ask her in person very soon.
—--------------------------------------------------------------
POV: Kaycee
"Okay, soooo... I'm the Blossom Knight?" Kaycee asked EDS. She left the bathroom and crossed the empty hallway to her bedroom. Fortunately, she didn't have to share the room since she was an upperclassman.
Yes, the one and only. Now that you've chosen your two Specializations, Scout and Healer, you can begin leveling up and growing stronger, and working with other Knights.
"It's all so much to take in..."
She'd chosen Scout and Healer because they offered valuable skills, and she didn't see herself fighting in the ways some of the other Specializations focused on. With the skills she unlocked she felt she had a lot to offer the other Knights in any future battles.
Of course, she still didn't exactly know what that really meant or what these battles would be like. EDS explained some of it to her, like the hotspots all over Earth where there was a measurable and significant increase in the presence of something called FLUX, which was apparently a type of substantive, flowing energy from another dimension.
EDS also said that this FLUX energy would bring both enemies and friends. She still didn't fully get it, which was probably by design. It seemed to her that a big part of all this was faith. She had to have faith in the Great King and in His designs for the world, as difficult as that could be.
As she mulled over what EDS told her, something else stood out. "Wait, did you just say 'other Knights'? Who were you referring to?"
I was referring, generally, to all the Knights you will meet and work with in the future. But, in particular, I was referring to the Knight who is currently outside by the sidewalk.
"What? There's another Knight out there?" She rushed to the window to try to see whoever EDS was talking about, but she couldn't see the sidewalk through the branches of the tall oak trees in the front yard of the sorority house.
What are the odds that there would be another Knight literally right there?
"I've got to go meet them!" she shouted, grabbing her flats and slipping them on quickly. She rushed out of her bedroom and down the hall. She took the stairs two and three at a time, not wanting to miss the other Knight.
She finally made it to the bottom floor and hurried through the crowd of people who were still partying. She realized she'd totally forgotten about the party.
Oh no! I forgot about Darren too!
She would have to make it up to Darren later and hope he wasn't upset that she invited him then didn't see him.
The front door was already open, and her heart thumped loudly as she sped through it and out onto the front porch. There must have been a storm rolling in, because the wind was blowing strongly and she could smell rain in the air.
She saw a few people outside but only one person near the sidewalk. She couldn't tell who it was, but by the stature, she thought it was a man. She headed down the steps and onto the path leading toward the street. The nearer she drew to the mysterious figure, the more familiar he seemed. She heard the man say something, though he was turned halfway toward the street and didn't see her approaching.
"I'm going to meet her soon?" the man said. "That's cool. When?"
"How about right now?" Kaycee asked as she came within a few feet of him.
She heard her own sharp intake of breath as he turned. "Darren? You're the other Knight?"
There's no way...
"Kaycee? Wait, it's you?"
"Looks like it," she smiled broadly. There was absolutely no way this night could get any better.
—---------------------------------------------------------------
POV: Darren
Darren couldn't keep the grin from his face as the reality of the situation settled in.
"What are the odds of this?"
"I'd say the odds are pretty slim."
He was excited that it was her. Her expression told him she felt the same way.
"I can't believe it," he said. "Out of all the people at this University, it's me and you that were picked..."
It was dark, with the only nearby light coming from the porch lights, but he could still see her glowing. It struck him that he had never stopped to appreciate just how beautiful Kaycee really was. He cleared his throat as a warmth spread across his face. He heard a thunderclap overhead, and the wind was getting louder and more fierce by the moment.
"You want to go inside?" Kaycee asked, looking up toward the sky.
He looked up too, feeling a drop of water hit his face. "Yeah, that seems like a good idea."
Kaycee reached out her open hand toward him with a welcoming smile on her lips. He placed his hand in hers, and she turned, leading the way into the house.