The Founding Charter of the Federation of the Eleventh Wave,

We hereby swear to protect the interests of the Federation, to protect all members in the event of invasion or military action, and to resist the onslaught of military despotism or monarchy. Long live the Federation.

Hakim watches as Cael marches ahead of the rest of the group, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. His mentor hadn’t spoken much in the few days since they’d left Everwall, keeping to himself beyond what was normal. In fact, Hakim realized, Cael hadn’t spoken a single word in the past twenty-four hours.

Was it something he could help with? Obviously becoming Primus had weighed down on Cael’s soul but maybe there was something he could do to help alleviate that pressure.

Nodding at a few of the guards, Hakim jogs up to the front of the marching order and begins walking alongside his mentor, not saying anything. Glancing at Cael from the side, Hakim sees his face scrunched together in the semblance of deep thought. It becomes clear after a few seconds that Cael’s body is running on some instinctual level of autopilot, ignoring the world around him to focus on some bigger issue.

Feeling conflicted, Hakim maintains his silence. Helping his mentor was one of the most important things to him but what could he offer that Cael didn’t already possess…

Not wanting to dwell on issues he can’t fix, Hakim lets his eyes drift to the surroundings and its surprising beauty. He’d seen it all before, on his initial excursion from the city, but he hadn’t appreciated the natural majesty of the surrounding forest.

Tall and ancient trees surround them, towering high into the sky. What little light manages to make it through the canopy of leaves cascades down onto the ground below, creating a hypnotic pattern of patchwork light that draws the eye in. The faint, almost frustrated, growling of monsters can be heard through the trees. They keep their distance, however, seeming to recognize the power of the group that wanders through their home.

Cael’s voice manages to cut through the noises of the forest. Even in his distracted state, his voice seems to radiate power and gravitas. It is as if each word is a hint of what is to come, holding the secrets to concepts too vast for the regular person to understand. “Oh Hakim. Sorry, I didn’t see you there. I’ve been … preoccupied.”

Hakim raises his hands and waves them back and forth, shaking his head vigorously. “No don’t worry about it. You’ve got a lot on your mind, it’s fine. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could help out with.”

Cael smiles graciously at the offer. “No, nothing comes to mind. I do have a question though, if you don’t mind answering.”

Face lighting up at the thought of being able to help his mentor, even with the slightest thing, Hakim says, “Of course! What is it?”

Cael’s looks forward again and his eyes go distant. It’s a familiar look, one that Hakim has become accustomed to in the past six months. It is the look that fills Carmen’s gaze every time she thinks about what she did to Craig. A mix of doubt and resolve, fighting it out in an endless battle.

“Do you think we were right to let Kat and that boy live?”

Hakim blinks, taken aback by the question. He had expected something filled with far more self-loathing and doubt. Perhaps Carmen and Cael aren’t as similar as he thought.

Gathering his thoughts for a few seconds, he finally responds, “I think so. The whole point of that Trial was to remove Peter. Once we managed to do that it would have been unjust to kill them as well.”

Cael seems to shake his head slightly, the corner of his mouth turning up into a sardonic smile. “You know, I thought the same thing at the time. I assumed they’d be able to go live their lives and we’d be free of their influence. But now we have to go to their town, the place where they’ve been able to say and do whatever they want, and try to establish leadership over it? I can’t help but think it would have been better to save ourselves the struggle.”

Hakim feels his face pale at Cael’s words. In all the time that he’d known his mentor, he’d never heard such passionless words being thrown around in regard to another human’s life. Was … was this what it meant to be Primus? To have to look at the responsibilities of an entire race, looking beyond the struggles of individuals?

A small voice in the back of his head whispered that it could also be the pressure getting to Cael, or even his power separating him from the average person to the point in which he couldn’t even empathize with them anymore. That voice is quickly squashed, however. No matter what Cael did or said, Hakim knew it would always be in the interest of the human race.

Hesitatingly, Hakim responds, “I don’t think so. I mean, isn’t that specifically why you had Joselin join us?”

At his words, Cael turns back towards the rest of the group for the first time in days. His eyes dart around and finally stop, skin tightening as an instinctual smile seems to appear. Hakim follows his gaze and sees Joselin, working among the battalions of guards. With a seemingly never-ending smile and energy, she walks around them offering encouraging words and occasionally healing simple marching wounds. Her presence is easy to find; wherever she goes, smiles and laughs seem to follow.

Cael, regaining his focus, turns back towards Hakim and responds, “She’s here for a few reasons, but yes, that was one of them. More of a contingency than a full plan though.”

Hakim nods in understanding. “Regardless of the reason she’s here, she is the perfect example of what we can offer these people. Once they see what she’s capable off they’ll be falling over themselves to join Everwall.”

Glancing back forward once more, Cael waves his hand and conjures forth a massive blade of Mana that easily cuts through a fallen tree lying across their path. Within a few seconds the entire tree has been decimated and the last vestiges are propelled off into the woods with a brief gust of wind. Throughout the entire thing, Cael never stops moving forward, somehow able to carry out the complex manipulation of Mana while still marching.

“I hope you’re right Hakim. From the bottom of my heart I really hope you are. But this past year has taught me a lot about people and I think it can be summarized with one simple idea; they never do what you expect.”

As soon as he finishes he picks up his pace, quickly losing himself in thought once more. The conversation obviously over, Hakim falls back to the rest of the caravan and stares at the back of his mentor and leader. If only he could know what was going on through that mind, to understand the complex machinations of how one could rise to that level of power and respect.

Nearly stumbling, I have to hop over a tree in order to stay on my feet. I’d been flying on auto-pilot for a few days, losing myself in the immensity of what was in front of me. I’d expected being Primus to be difficult, but the reality of the situation is far beyond what I could ever have imagined.

If anything, the message from the Primus of the Qual Fan was a sign of what was out there in the greater universe. Hatreds, alliances, and powerful individuals with interests beyond my understanding are just the first few that come to mind. Even with the reprieve that Faul’s brashness bought me, it was just another reminder.

Add to that the worry of trying to recruit a city whose Candidate I killed and it creates a situation where the stress presses down upon me like gravity, unending and relentless.

The only silver lining to the situation is the presence of my two friends. Hakim, with his endless optimism and trust in me, is exactly who I need around me in a time of tough decisions. He isn’t afraid to suggest other ideas but truly believes, deep down in his core, that I’ll always make the right one. In a way, he’s the perfect person to be around as I try to discover my own form of leadership. He’ll accept my mistakes, offer me a different perspective, and always be by my side.

He’s a good friend and an even better ally.

And then there’s Joselin. Her radiant smile, her soft and kind eyes, and her refusal to back down from any argument that she feels passionate about. She’s a good counterpart to Hakim; where his voice offers support, hers offers morality. Morality may be far more tenuous in this world, but I need to always keep it in mind if I intend to be a good leader. With her around, I’ll never forget what the moral thing is, even if I have to do the opposite.

Of course, that isn’t the whole truth. Even as I attempt to explain away her presence, suggesting that it is purely for her advice and for her abilities, a deeper part of me understands the simple truth; I’ve grown attached. I imagine she has no idea, probably viewing me as no more than a teacher, but I can’t deny that I enjoy spending time with her. Her smile makes me relax, her words enrapture me, and her kind eyes make me think of things I had presumed long lost in this new world.

As the emotional and logical parts of my mind fight in this pointless argument, a few pieces of sound Mana come rushing back into me, causing me to freeze in place. The sound of metal crashing into metal and shouts of confusion rise from behind me as the battalions also halt in place, causing a few of the less observant guards to bump into their allies.

Focusing intently on the direction, almost directly to the south of us, I create a thick mesh net of Sound Mana and send it flying off, imbued with Motion for extra speed.

Hakim rushes up to my side as I wait for it to return, throwing off his bag and coat. Muscular arms, denser and thicker than they were just a few months ago, become visible as the outer layers come off and he strips down to a pair of cotton pants and a vest. Intricate tattoos flow down his arms in runic patterns and I watch as they begin to glow softly with light.

“What do you see?”, he whispers, eyes narrowing as he scans our surroundings. Whispered orders are given behind me and I hear the battalions begin to prepare themselves for some sort of conflict. Joselin’s muted frustration can be heard as her small but loyal bodyguards begin to take her into the center of the group. She’s our only hope for any serious injuries and the soldiers and I won’t let her fall to any harm.

“Not entirely sure”, I respond, crouching down to focus. I stretch my Field out to its maximum and open my awareness to my surroundings. A deeper understanding, distracting but necessary, fleshes out the world around me. The nervous mutterings of a few of the guards, the small animals hidden in the woods around us, and familiar feeling of Mana emanating off Hakim flow into my mind. “I was sending out probes frequently and one of them was set off agai-”

I stop as the thick mesh net of sound comes crashing back towards me, creating a blurry picture within my mind.

Just half a mile away, a group of nearly thirty marches toward us. It’s hard to get specifics, but one thing is incredibly clear; they all carry weapons.

Turning to Hakim, I whisper, “We’ve got company incoming and it looks like they’re itching for a fight. We’ve been over what needs to happen if we run into any violent groups. Are you ready?”

He turns to me and grins. The dim light of our surroundings glint off of his teeth and give him a predatory look. “I’ve been ready since we left. Let’s do this.”