Chapter Two: Hearing the Call

Odd. The word fluttered through my dying brain. If I had only known what that meant when Hojira said it, I most likely would never be in the position I was in now. A new pain blossomed across my chest and I forced my heavy eyes open, thinking that my dark enemy was having what fun he could with me before I finally passed. I squinted suddenly at what I saw, the image slowly coming into focus. A small pendant lay on my chest, perfectly spherical and engraved with the emblem of a flying bird…a Phoenix. I cursed under my breath and closed my eyes again. Of course it would have to come back to me, it was the very source of all my problems. As my eyes closed I once again drifted back into the past, leaving the pain and the present behind.

Caylen stood in the small group of recruits that Hojira had chosen, shivering beneath his coat despite the heat of the day and the workout he had just completed. Hojira’s last mental words to him echoed in his head. “Odd?” he muttered to himself, “Is that good? Bad? What?”

He threw a quick glance at Hojira, but the Defender was once again moving down the line, inspecting the last few recruits. He certainly seemed unworried now, but at that moment when his mental probe ignited Caylen’s power; Caylen saw something in those unnerving eyes. Some faint glimmer of surprise and…recognition? Caylen closed his eyes, and tried to find that point of power again, straining his mind to find that place that Hojira had entered but to no avail. Sighing, he opened his eyes to see Hojira standing in front of them, looking over the small group as the rest of the recruits left with Renault to continue their training. Was it Caylen’s imagination or did Hojira’s gaze rest a bit longer on him than the rest? “You’re being paranoid,” Caylen thought, “Just stay calm”

Hojira stood quietly for a moment before finally speaking, his voice cutting the silence like a finely honed blade, “You have all shown signs of some inner power, a power that may allow you to be one of the few that get to bind a Guardian.”

Excited whispers broke out amongst the group as recruits reacted in surprise. The whispers quickly died out as Hojira simply stared and waited. Once quiet had been achieved once again, he continued, “Do not think that just because you have made it this far that you will bind a Guardian. Binding a Guardian takes much more energy than you all posses now, and many of you will never even come close to what is required. In fact, many of you will not progress past today. Inner power means nothing if you cannot manifest it physically in some way. For now that means your capability in battle. I will pair you with another recruit and you will spar each other so that I may assess your strength. Let us begin”

Hojira once again began to move through the recruits, assessing them one by one. As he passed Caylen, he once again stared into the youth’s eyes before moving on. Caylen sighed, at least this time he hadn’t almost blown the famous Defender through a wall. The other recruits received a similar treatment as Hojira continued to walk past them silently. At the end of the line, Hojira called out, “Rynn and Caylen!”

Caylen stumbled forward to the Defender, glancing sideways at the lanky, sandy-haired Rynn as he did. Rynn too looked scared stiff, though he had a determined glint in his eye. The two bowed before Hojira. The legendary Defender walked over to the weapons rack and chose two practice swords, which he handed to the two recruits. He then backed up, giving the two a large space in which to spar. He gazed at the recruits for a moment before giving his final instructions, “One of you will move on. One will not. Begin.”

The two looked at each other for a second, slowly realizing how much this one fight meant to them. With a nod towards Rynn, Caylen shrugged out of his coat and threw it to the ground. He brought his sword up in the slanted guard he had been practicing before and began to circle Rynn who was holding his sword in a similar manner. Caylen felt his stomach begin to flutter as adrenaline began to pump through his system. Here he was in his element; this was what he was good at and now was his chance to prove himself to his hero. The pressure continued to mount as the two circled, each waiting for the other to snap and make the first move. Evidentially Rynn’s will was the weaker as he suddenly burst into movement. The lanky youth shifted his weight to his forward facing foot and whipped his sword around in a horizontal slash at Caylen’s right arm. Caylen’s sword blurred to meet Rynn’s and the wooden blades clacked and slid against each other until their curved hilts met. Caylen stared into Rynn’s brown eyes and grinned at him, a tactic that he had learned caused confusion in his opponents who expected taunts or ferocity. Rynn shook a lock of hair out of his eyes and grunted at Caylen, “Save it, I’ve seen it before.”

Rynn suddenly disengaged his hilt and spun to the right, spinning around Caylen and stabbing downwards, thinking that the black-haired youth would fall onto his face and he could score the winning hit against his back. Caylen however had expected the maneuver and leapt into a forward roll as the pressure from the swords was suddenly released. He quickly jumped to his feet and spun, holding his sword defensively. Rynn did not let Caylen rest for even a second and engaged the boy in a furious exchange of slashes, parries, ripostes, and jabs. Sweat flew from the two recruits as their swords sent cracking sounds across the training courtyard. For every advantage one gained, the other found a way to turn the tables and take it away. The other chosen recruits watched in awe as the two moved with a speed born of constant practice and confidence in one’s ability. They knew the fight would be good as soon as Hojira announced the two combatants, Rynn was one of the most proficient swordsmen ever to enter the facility and Caylen was known for his grace and inventive strategies. It was the perfect match between the flawless swordsman and the unpredictable fencer.

Caylen leapt back, giving both him and Rynn a second to recover from their heated engagement. Caylen worked his mind furiously. He knew that Rynn would be able to take anything he threw at him technique-wise meaning that Caylen would have to best him in some area where Rynn could not devise a strategy. The youth’s grin widened as he thought of something that just might work. With a wild yell, Caylen rushed Rynn, holding his sword high in the air, signaling a fierce downwards slash and leaving his middle completely open to attack. Rynn frowned, the move was risky, betting Caylen’s speed against Rynn’s to see who would strike first. Rynn was unable to resist the perfect opportunity to put this fight away, he knew he was better and he knew he could take Caylen right here. Rynn swung his sword with all his might directly at Caylen’s unprotected stomach. His yell cutting off, Caylen immediately dropped to his back and turned, his breath being driven out of him in the process, and rapped Rynn’s sword hard, intending to cause it to fly back directly into his opponent’s face. The sword met with an unusually loud crack and the top half of Caylen’s sword fell to the ground, the soft sound heard clearly by the silent spectators.

Both fighters simply stared for a second, stunned by the turn of events. Rynn suddenly snapped out of his trance and brought his sword down, grinning in triumph. Shock shot up his arm as his sword was blocked. Caylen smiled up at him, holding the broken blade of his sword in his left hand against the quivering sword of Rynn. With a quick roll, Caylen sprung to his feet, holding the two halves of his broken sword at the ready. Rynn shakily approached with an uncertain expression. Caylen easily blocked Rynn’s attack with the hilt of his blade and brought his other weapon around, aiming at Rynn’s head. Although Rynn was totally lost with this change in fighting style, he still had the awareness to duck, Caylen’s blade furrowing his hair as he did. Caylen reversed his grip on the blade and brought it back to jab Rynn when a shaky voice sounded, “Stop!”

Caylen froze and turned to where the voice came from, preparing a sharp question. His mouth snapped shut as he saw Hojira slowly approaching the two fighters. Hojira’s face was pure white and his eyes full of fear. Caylen shivered, wondering what could possibly cause the great Defender to react like this. Hojira swiftly approached Caylen and grabbed his two makeshift weapons out of his hands. Caylen looked quizzically at Hojira until the Defender finally spoke up, “Where did you learn to fight like that? Who taught you?”

Caylen stood at attention at answered sharply, “No one sir. After my blade broke I just made due with what I had.”

Hojira looked at Caylen and shook his head, “Were you ever trained in such arts?”

Caylen shook his head in bewilderment; “No, it just felt natural sir.”

Hojira muttered something under his breath but quickly composed himself back to his normally cool self, though a hint of paleness still pervaded his face. Hojira nodded to the two fighters and spoke, “You both have shown amazing ability and, due to the unusual circumstances during the fight, I will allow both of you to continue along this path. Please, go get some rest”

Rynn smiled over at Caylen, now that the battle was over he felt no animosity towards his foe, but frowned as he caught the look on Caylen’s face. Caylen knew that something about him using two weapons had shaken Hojira deeply. His eyes staring at nothing in particular, he wandered over to his discarded coat and, after donning it, quickly hurried off to his room.

Hojira waited through the rest of the fights, though many would say that he waited impatiently, ending each fight as soon as he saw a hint of skill and dismissing the unfortunate loser. When the entire group had been weeded, he left with almost no preamble, leaving Renault the job of briefing the considerably smaller group of what was to come. His boots echoing off the stone floors of the complex, Hojira raced to the library and plucked a prominent book off one of the first shelves. Quickly sitting himself down he flipped open the well used pages, barely glancing at the title, The Future of Terra: The Prophecies of Sammael, and quickly finding the page he desired. The color slowly leeched from his face once again as he read the passage softly out loud, “Death and Fire and Blood I see, running like a river. I see a dark shadow moving in the night, a specter of Doom for Terra. The specter nears, how his eyes burn! They look deep into my being, into the very essence of who I am! His power is unlike any I have ever seen, it rages at the slightest movement or touch and attempts to destroy it utterly. The shadows part slightly and as he moves through the corpses, a light suddenly blossoms from his hands. No. Not just a light. Two glowing blades! He burns the world with those blades, dancing through the smoke and the screams as though they are music to him. He cannot be stopped, the future of this world ends here.”

With a cut off cry, Hojira slammed the book shut and closed his eyes. It could be a coincidence, his power was indeed more far more feral and instinctual than any he had ever felt, and he had utilized the two broken halves of his sword almost unnaturally well but it was only suspicion. There were other factors to be taken into account and he could not mark such a promising youth as the destroyer of the world so easily. Shakily, Hojira replaced the book on the shelf and exited the library.



A little drama to get the plot moving, expect some character development next chapter as well as some important characters.