Once again, Kain lost the money he recently received, but he didn’t worry about it too much. He didn’t know a lot about the Rune Society, how things worked inside, it was just obvious that he as a Keeper would get special treatnt and granted so privileges right away.
It was night, the first quiet night after leaving the Astral Dinsion. Not that the watch tower next to Kreyn was very dangerous, but at the Orlion Tower, Kain felt peaceful.
A rustle echoed behind him, and a silhouette erged from the trees, approaching the young man who was watching the starry sky in the distance.
Kain glanced over his shoulder.
"What are you doing here?"
"Pffft!" Sylvia snorted. "I have the sa question for you. Looks like you’re pretty lucky to survive."
"Is that coming from a Golden Contender? Just go away. I have no interest in talking to you."
"Really? You’re that kind of guy?"
Despite his disapproval, she sat down next to him. She didn’t know what tact was.
"So, what if I co from a rich family? If I’m lucky enough to be born in a place like this, I should take advantage of it, shouldn’t I?" she turned to him. "Or are you trying to tell that if you were in my shoes, you’d be helping everyone for free?"
Kain took a deep breath, rising from his seat.
"No, I don’t help strangers for nothing, but you’re acting disgusted. Being polite is free. Have you ever heard of that?"
His muffled footsteps echoed.
"I doubt it."
Before he could walk away, Sylvia jumped up and exclaid:
"Stay where you are!"
Runes ran down her arm, forming a circle, but the symbols didn’t stop. She hadn’t used her Order yet.
"Oh, I see..." he wheezed, stepping forward. "You want to fight? Here and now?"
"That’s up to you. I’m not going to let so lucky guy ignore ! Now, apologize for what you said!"
A red light fell on Kain’s face as the crimson cross flashed over his hand.
Yet, his eyes filled with coldness.
"Go ahead. Use your Order."
Sylvia bit her lip, she stepped back.
"What? You didn’t expect to fight back?" Kain lifted his chin, looking her up and down. "But, you started it, not ."
Thrust.
The thorn pierced his hand as he thrust his arm forward with his palm wide open.
Before anything irreparable could happen, Sylvia responded in kind, but it seed it was too late.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared out of nowhere, pulling Kain’s wrist aside.
A frosty blast whipped at the nearest tree, freezing leaves, bark, and even half of the sturdy trunk.
Kain’s face smashed into the ground, as Loir twisted his arm at a painful angle.
"Grh!" he groaned, but made no more sound.
"What the hell did you do here?" Loir narrowed his eyes.
Crackle.
Kain twitched his arm, rolling on the ground. He cast a nacing glance at Loir and walked away, not turning in Sylvia’s direction.
Everything was clear from the look in his eyes.
"And?" Sylvia exclaid indignantly. "You’re just going to let him walk away like that?!"
Loir shrugged.
"My job was to stop you, not punish you. I’ll leave that headache to soone else. More to the point..."
Narrowing his eyes, he approached the tree.
With a single knock, half of the trunk shattered into icy debris.
"I don’t know why his bloody-looking ability causes ice, but it’s dangerous. I don’t know if you’d have survived it, but you’d be in terrible pain for hours from hypothermia."
Sylvia gulped.
Loir had no reason to lie. She realized that, and it made it even scarier.
"Anyway. You better not ss things up with this guy. His Rune Brand wasn’t like yours. He went through so real shit at the Astral Dinsion. So... Go back to the tower."
Loir disappeared into the shadows, a smirk covering his face.
’Heh, saving him that day turned out to be the right decision. If he doesn’t die on his next trial, he’ll accomplish a lot. Perhaps our tower will finally be noticed.’
...
The next morning, many people gathered at the Orlion Tower.
The Stellar Fortress was on the border between inner and outer circles - gathering talents from all over the do. It wasn’t the closest way, but they weren’t going to walk.
Five military trucks stood off to the side. They were rarely used in the forbidden lands, the noise of the engines gathering too much attention, attracting monsters. But, for traveling within the do or to distant regions, they were perfect.
Besides Kain and Sylvia, there were two other youths, a girl with a cold stare and a joyful guy for no reason.
"Khm." Kserx coughed as he stepped forward.
To his left stood Lurra, to his right, almost unnoticed, was Loir.
"As you know, each of you first went to the Astral Dinsion from here, from the Orlion Tower. I’m glad I was the one to tell you about this frightening yet amazing place. You are all back, no longer Contenders but Keepers, though the official ceremony will take place at the Stellar Fortress - Ms. Lurra will take you there."
Lurra nodded deeply, looking over the four youths with a stern gaze.
"She will be in charge of you until you reach the fortress." Kserx smiled kindly. "Then, your journey will begin, your new life."
Loir narrowed his eyes. "Does anyone have any questions?"
The joyful boy raised his hand. "! What’s going to happen next? What happens after we beco Keepers officially?"
"Well." Kserx scratched the back of his head.
"It all depends on you. As you know, you’ll have three months to one year to properly think about it. That’s the ti the Arcane Scripture will give you. You must decide where you want to do your service, here, working for the governnt for the glory of the Rune Society or roaming over the Astral Dinsion.
"That will be your decision, as will the consequences."
Kain glanced over. In Sylvia’s blue eyes, he saw determination.
’So, she’s not just rich. She actually has goals, right?’
Clap.
Lurra clapped her hands together.
"Alright, the sentint is over. Everyone gets into the trucks quickly. If things go according to plan, we’ll be at the fortress by nightfall!"
The engines started as the trucks went into motion.
For the first ti in years, Kain had left his village, and a whole horizon of uncharted possibilities lay before him.
In both worlds.
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