I fully accept that many will not understand or accept the decisions I have made. Why not fully embrace this power? Why not leave an impact on the world? The answer was simple, I didn’t care.

When Samos woke up the next morning, he was surprised by how well-rested he felt. The hour had been late last night before he had been able to fall asleep, his mind going over the events that had occurred time and time again. When Ralph had returned from the Sun Gate, he had informed Samos that Ralog had indeed been murdered. None of the guards had seen or heard anything.

Rey had opted to cancel or at least delay the Testing that was to happen today, but Ralph had opposed it. Too much time and effort have been put into this, he had told Rey. Something as trifle as this is no reason to take such drastic measures. He had sounded at ease, but Samos knew the nature of the attack sat not well with Ralph.

Contemplating the possibilities, he undressed and made for the tub of hot water that was waiting for him. A system of pipes and heating built into the wall had filled the tub just before he had awakened. A fine inn indeed.

The door abruptly opened, revealing a young maid holding a platter with breakfast. With a start, Samos realized it was her. She didn’t appear to be fazed at all by the naked man trying to cover himself while turning red faced.

“Your breakfast, master Samos,” she said while looking him right in the eyes, a small wrinkle indicating a suppressed smile.

“Just... just leave it... Just put it on the table, if you please.” Why did he have to stutter

now?

“As you wish,” she said dutiful and placed the platter where he had indicated. As she left the room, she gave Samos a sly wink before closing the door. What was that all about?

He managed to finish his bath and breakfast without any further interruptions and once dressed made for the common room where he saw Ralph at a large table with six others including Rey surrounding him and talking over one another. The other patrons in the inn clearly kept their distance from the group. Out of respect or fear, Samos couldn’t tell. No doubt some knew they had been involved in yesterday’s attack. As Ralph spotted him, he beckoned him closer and invited him to sit.

“A good morning to you, Samos,” he said jovially. “I hope you rested well, you’re going to need it today at the Testing.” Samos nodded and looked around the table. Everyone but Rey was staring at him, he realized.

Ralph introduced them one by one. “This lovely lady right here is Alvina Greis, an Enhancer from Lynn. Next to her is someone you might know, Ellis Yeoman from South Harbour.” Samos did indeed recognize Ellis, as he had been one of the Sealers staying at the Healer Hall three years ago in South Harbour and greeted him as an old friend.

“Then we have old man Kaleigh, the First Healer of Ters’ Healer Hall. And finally the twins Johnna and Lysa Leising, both Healers from Eresath.” Samos returned their greetings one by one and could not help but feel a bit overwhelmed. He had not been with this many members of the Order since leaving South Harbour.

“Ralph and Ellis told us of your amnesia, Samos.” Kaleigh began. “It is unfortunate indeed we are not able to heal diseases of the mind. Well, not yet anyway.”

Lysa joined the conversation. “I am certain there are links between physical and mental wounds, Master Kaleigh. There have been break through these recent years. I heard they managed to heal a madman in Pyk last summer.”

“Yes, I’ve heard the same,” Kaleigh agreed. “Though I won’t believe it until I see it happening with my own two eyes.”

Ralph once again interrupted the conversation. “That’s all very interesting,” he said. “but I do think it’s time for us to move out if we want to make in time for the Testing.”

With that the others agreed and in no time they were all packed up and ready to leave. Ralph had a surprising amount of authority of the group while clearly being the youngest of them all.

“Are you ready, Samos?” he asked. Samos nodded in return and the group made for the exit all the while being greeted by a nervous-looking Harold. When Ralph and Samos left the inn last, Harold received what looked like to be a moonstone from Ralph.

“Sha’s blessing on you, Master Aëron. And good luck today, Master Samos,” he said smiling and quickly hid the stone away somewhere in his robes. He bowed as deep as he could one last time and to Samos’ surprise he actually managed to hold his balance.

“We will be back some time after nightfall, Harold. Make sure a warm, nice meal is waiting for us.” With those final words, they left the inn and shut the door behind them.

The blue sky and blazing sun predicted a warm yet pleasant day, not a cloud was to be seen above them and a soft breeze blew gently through the streets. Ters was a much more welcoming city during the daytime. The high-rise buildings now shone brightly in the early morning sunlight and gave the surroundings a warm glow. As they made their way to the soldier’s training grounds, Samos overheard the people on the street talking about a great many things, most prominent the Testing that was to begin in an hour or so. Others he heard talk about the capture of Ralog and the fight in Ilsas’ Spring.

“I’m telling you, it took fifty guardsmen to take him into custody!” he overheard someone say.

“No way, I heard three Enhancers were involved!” another responded, certain of his statement. Some of the rumours stretched it extremely far, saying that an entire regiment of Enhancers had been dispatched. But nonetheless, the tone in their voices was not a resigned one. They were relieved Ralog had been caught. Samos couldn’t help but feel a touch of pride he had been part of it, even if unintentionally.

It did not take them long to reach the training grounds even with the streets packed as they were. People seemed to move out of their way to let the Order members pass through fluently. Everything that was needed for the Testing had been set up during the past weeks and the training grounds had been transformed into one giant arena. From the outside Samos could see nothing but the back of the wooden stands, but the noise coming from the other side made it clear that they were packed to the last seat. The entrance for the contestant was placed underneath the stands and it was there that Ralph and Samos parted ways.

“Well Samos,” Ralph began as they reached the waiting lines for contestants, “this is where we part for now. Just give your name to one of the clerics at the table and wait for the Testing to begin. Best of luck.”

They shook hands and Ralph left with the rest of the members who wished him luck on their part. Samos watched them go for a second, wondering if the next time they meet he should call them teachers. Bit by bit, the line shortened and finally it was his turn. The confidence he had felt this morning had, strangely enough, not dwindled a bit.

“Name?” the man sitting behind the desk asked when it was finally Samos’ turn.

“Samos,” he answered and the man stared, clearly expecting more than just a first name.

“Just Samos, nothing more.” He said and the man raised an eyebrow before writing down the name.

“Age?”

“Twenty two summers."

“Location of birth?”

“South Harbour.” There was some truth in that.

“Any relatives in the order?”

“No.”

“Reason for participating?”

“Nothing else to do,” he said without thinking. The man eyed him for a second but wrote it down eventually. Samos could nearly feel the aura of frustration that hung around the man and could not really blame him for it.

“Status of parents and siblings?”

“Orphan, no siblings.” What else was there to say?

“Criminal record?”

“No.”

“Preferred Talent?”

“Enhancement.”

“Any previous encounters with the Order?”

“Spent a few weeks in the Healer’s Hall in South Harbour.” Samos thought it best not to mention the events from last night. Apparently the cleric didn’t care why he had spent time at a Healer’s Hall and handed him a small parchment with his name, the information he had provided and the Order’s symbol.

“Continue to the entrance of the arena, show your paper and await further instructions.” Samos accepted the piece of parchment and started to where the man had pointed when she fell in beside him.

“I don’t think he enjoys the work he does very much,” she said. “If he has to deal with the likes of you all day I would not find it hard to understand.”

“You’re... You’re the serving maid from Ilsas’ Spring? What are you doing here?” He could feel his face turn red already.

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m here to participate. And you can call me Yara instead of serving maid if you please. Yara Tholsson.” She smiled waggishly.

“You’re Harold’s daughter?” he asked in surprise.

“That I am. Good thing I inherited my mother’s build, wouldn’t you say.”

“I... I guess so...” he answered high-strung. Such a straightforward girl... He had no idea what to say. “So eh... Does your father know you’re here?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t do this without his consent.” Her sly smile, by Sha what a beautiful smile it was, said otherwise. “Which of the Talents are you aiming for, Samos?”

“Enhancement. Ralph reckonsI have a very good chance of making it. You?” He was proud of himself, an entire sentence without falling over his words.

“I’d prefer Healing, but Sealing would do as well. Enhancement is nothing for me and Wiser seems rather dull, don’t you think?”

“I guess so,” was his answer. Wiser was the one talent he had never really thought about.

The ones who know all that was and all that is, was how they were perceived. Not something that really applied to Samos.

Together, they reached the entrance to the arena and Samos felt his stomach drop when it came into view. Hundreds and hundreds of people filled the seats built all around the arena, all eager to see the fights. One part of the stands was reserved for the contestants, not surprisingly it was the quietest part of the entire arena. They gave their papers to the cleric at the entrance and found a seat.

“We’re among the last ones to enter,” Yara said as they sat down. “It’s bound to start soon.”

As if to emphasize her words, trumpets sounded and a silence fell over the arena and its surroundings. From where they sat they could see everything clearly. From the Healer’s tent at the side of the arena, Ralph came out walking followed by Ellis, the only Sealer of the group he had met. A lot of whispers and yells of surprise went up as Ralph stretched out a hand and started walking up in the air as if he was simply walking up a staircase. Ellis however kept walking on the ground and stretched out a hand upwards to Samos as they both reached the centre of the arena. The silence fell once again when Ralph started talking. Or was it shouting? Either way, the entire arena could probably hear him as clearly as when he would stand right in front of you.

“Dear citizens of Ters and environs. Dear participants in today’s Testing. In the name of the Order I, Ralph Aëron, twentieth Son’Sha, bid you welcome.” A roar went up from the audience that lasted only briefly. Samos was stunned. He had thought Ralph was a Dovra’Sha and possessed two Talents. Now he had declared himself as a Son’Sha, which means he had a third Talent. No more than twenty had existed in the two-thousand years since the founding of the Order.

“Some of you may already have witnessed a Testing, but for those among you who are new to the entire event I will explain everything briefly. Today we will test you on three Talents; Enhancement, Sealing and Healing. Wisers unfortunately cannot be tested on such short notice, but anyone eager to try can travel with us to Eresath later on. The contestants who do not wish to participate in the Enhancement test are allowed to proceed to the Healer’s tent immediately where they will be tested on Healing and Sealing.

“For those among you who take up the Enhancement challenge, you will first take a sword from the rack indicated with green ribbons. If you fail to do so, simply continue and take one from the one with red ribbons. If you have a sword with a green ribbon you are to be congratulated for you already have a manifested Talent. Unfortunately we cannot say which. If you still think you are ready for the Enhancement test, the choice is yours. Just be warned, the odds to pass are slim if your manifested Talent is not Enhancement.

“Our Enhancers have received the instructions not to cut or slash. The wounds you’ll receive will come from blunt swords and be nothing more but bruises and the occasional broken wrist. Once the fight is over, bring back your sword to the rack you took it from and proceed to the Healer’s tent where you will receive treatment and will be tested as well. If you indeed appear to possess one or more Talents, you will be given the necessary instructions for your journey towards Eresath.

“I wish you all best of luck. Let the Testing begin.” Ralph descended the same way he had walked up and the audience once again roared and clapped. The nervousness Samos had tried to keep at bay now reached its peak and did not really comfort him. Anyone but Rey, he thought as he remembered the vibe the man had given off. Anyone but him if he wanted a chance to succeed.

“I’ll see you later, good luck! I hope you fight as well as you dance!” Yara said as she stood up from her seat and made for the Healer’s tent, waving to him with a smile that had turned to a nervous one.

“Good luck!” he yelled back. The feeling in his belly as he watched her go had nothing to do with the Testing.

Rey appeared at the bottom of the stands and gave a quick nod to Samos as he noticed him. He then turned to the entire group. “You’ll be picked randomly. When you hear your name, simply do as Son Aëron instructed. After your fight, make sure to put your sword back and make for the Healer tent to check on any wounds you may have. May Sha be with you all.”

He turned and walked down the pathway to his assigned area. He might not be so bad to participate against, Samos considered. Rey would probably recognise an Enhancer quite fast with all the experience he had. A gong sounded and the first names were called, none of them his. Twenty men and women left the group and walked towards the entrance where they tried taking the swords with green marks, but none succeeded as the swords remained in place. They had seals put on them, Samos realized. Wielding the red marked swords, they reached their assigned area and one by one the fights began.

The level of skill in the participants was surprisingly divers. In one arena, a skinny boy who couldn’t be older than eighteen was fighting on par with Alvina Greis, one of the Enhancers belonging to Ralph’s group, while in another a square-built man who looked capable enough was unable to fend off any blows from the Enhancer he was fighting against. It didn’t take long for him to give up, covered in bruises. Not two minutes later, the only fight still going strong was that of Alvina and the boy.

It seemed obvious by now that the boy had the Talent, but clearly Alvina was enjoying herself far too much to put an end to the fight. They exchanged blows at a pace not quite matching that of Ralph and Ralog, but fast nonetheless. They had the attention of the entire audience now being the only pair left and the cheers they cried out seemed to encourage the boy to perform to the best of his capabilities.

His blows started following each other faster and faster. Alvina grinned and Samos knew why. The boy was overextending, surpassing the limit he was able to control and the swings became rash. With a quick blow on the boy’s wrist in between slashes, Alvina knocked the sword out of his hand thus ending the remarkable fight. She said something to him whilst smiling and the boy ran back to the entrance where he deposited the sword before entering the Healer’s tent. Cheers followed him as he went.

It took until the third group to be called for someone to succeed in picking up a green-marked sword, which meant he already had a manifested Talent. The man who had picked up the sword looked at it in confusion as if not sure how to proceed next. The Enhancer the man was supposed to fight left his arena and walked up to him. They talked for a while before eventually walking back to the arena together where the fight soon began.

If the audience had hoped to witness the discovery of a new Dovra’Sha, they were severely let down. The fight was over sooner than the others, despite starting later. The man didn’t seem to mind though, he shook hands with the Enhancer and left for the Healer tent after putting his sword back in the rack.

Two more groups entered the arena before Samos finally heard his own name among those called. As he walked towards the rack with the green-marked swords, he felt a slight tingle in his stomach. Could there be a chance he had already manifested a Talent without knowing it? His worries were quickly dispelled as he failed to take the sword out of the rack, forcing him to take on of the red marked swords.

Two other people from his group though managed to take out the green swords and were approached by members of the Order. One of them gave the sword back and left for the Healer tent, while the other, a woman about the same age as Samos, kept the sword and walked towards her fight with obvious confidence. Either she already manifested her Enhancing powers, Samos reflected, or we are about to see a new Dovra’Sha.

He wouldn’t know the outcome until after as he had finally reached his assigned Enhancer. To his surprise, it was a smiling Alvina who awaited him.

“I was hoping I would have the chance to test you,” she said. “After hearing Son Aëron’s story about the encounter with Ralog, I just had to see it for myself.” She drew her sword. “Are you ready?”

Before Samos could even nod or say yes, Alvina charged in with a quick blow to his left. Barely managing to bring up his own sword in time to block, Samos was knocked to the side by the sheer impact of the swing and had to roll to the side to prevent falling down. He looked up to Alvina, whose smile hadn’t changed a bit.

“Took you by surprise?” she laughed.

Samos only grunted in response and stood up. He raised his sword, anticipating the next attack. This time though Alvina did not strike immediately. Instead, she started circling Samos who followed her with weary eyes.

“I see it now,” she muttered after making a full circle. “This should be fun.”

The smile that re-appeared on her face was signal enough for Samos. Anticipating the attack, he jumped forward and closed the distance between them. At the same moment, Alvina struck again towards his left side. This time though, Samos fended off the attack while striding forward. With the sword in his left hand, he blocked the strike. He turned on his feet and with his right hand grabbed Alvina’s sword arm, pulling her over his extended right leg. Anyone but an Enhancer would have bitten the dust. Alvina though managed to jump up before being tripped and avoided being tackled. The force of Samos’ swing still threw her a good ten feet to the side, where she landed in perfect balance. The smile hadn’t faded.

“That was fast, Samos.” She said admiringly. “And very well anticipated. What gave me away?”

“Your smile,” he responded. “Every time you’re about to strike your smile widens. It was the same when you fought the boy in the first fight.”

Alvina looked stunned for a second, but started laughing almost immediately. “Well I certainly had never considered that,” she admitted. “Time to get serious then.” The smile faded suddenly.

Now the real fight starts, Samos realized.

As if she could read his mind, Alvina charged forward and started attacking with strikes to the left and right in quick succession. Each time Samos blocked or deflected one of the strikes, sparks flew up where the swords touched. The attacks kept coming relentlessly and forced Samos back. All he could was block and hope his sword made it in time. As the fight went one and his arms tired, he found it more difficult with each passing second to keep up with Alvina, who didn’t seem tired at all.

How can she still have this much energy after that many fights, Samos wondered as the blows kept coming. Must be an Enhancer thing.

His mind wandered off, away from the fight. For some reason, he thought back about the clash between Ralph and Ralog last night. They had moved so fast, so unnatural. Was that Enhancement at its full potential? Would he ever be able to do that? Ralph had said he had a good chance. Something must have happened that night to make him say such a thing.

Something…

There was something.

A tingle had nestled itself in the back of his neck. The tingle he had felt before whenever something bad was about to happen. And it was spreading. Upwards to his eyes and down to his hands and feet the tingle spread. And Samos felt as if he was reborn, a surge of energy raging through his body.

Suddenly he was back in the fight and back to blocking Alvina’s blows. This time however the blows seemed to be coming at a slower pace and he was able to block one after the other with considerable ease. Something had come over him, giving him a second breath.

“Here we go, Samos!” Alvina roared and the smile re-appeared. “Let’s give the people a spectacle they won’t soon forget!”

She upped the tempo, but somehow Samos was able to keep up with her speed and felt confident enough to not only block, but to attack as well. Faster and faster they went, switching between attacking and defending every half a second it seemed. Samos had no idea how long the fight went on, but eventually Alvina managed to duck under one of his attacks and in one swift motion she knocked Samos’ sword out of his hand by hitting him hard on the wrist.

All of a sudden the fight was over and Samos snapped back to reality. He had been so invested in the fight that he had forgotten where he was. All around him, people roared and cheered. It was only after Alvina started clapping herself that he realized the cheers were for him. There were no other fights going on, he noticed.

“Impressive, Samos,” she exclaimed. “Very impressive. It’s been a while since I had a Testing as exciting as this one. First the boy and now you. Son Aëron was not mistaken when he spoke praise of you.”

Samos thanked her and left to put his sword back. As he walked back, he noticed the other Enhancers in the arena, all finished with their fights for a while now, looking at him judgingly. He avoided their stares, put his sword back and hurried towards the Healer tent as the cheers of the crowd followed him. It was only once he was inside the tent that he realized how much his wrist hurt, it was probably severely bruised if not broken.