John was sitting on the folding bed. One day had passed since their escape from Bremman, and he hadn’t uttered a single word. The destruction of Arcadis was carved into his mind. He had had little rest. When he tried to sleep last night, he had flashes of images in his mind that kept him up; the vibrant, crowded city being turned into a desolate wasteland. He could still hear the thundering, deafening sounds of the explosions.

“Hey,” Iris said with a faint, sympathetic smile on her face. “Want to talk?”

“Not particularly…” John replied. “Look: all of this is just a bit too much for me. So much happened those past days; my entire life was upended. An entire fucking city was blown to pieces! All those people died because of me!”

“Blaming yourself won’t bring those who died back. You can either feel sorry for yourself or you can move forward and bring down the people who caused all those deaths.”

“I know.” John sighed. “I know you are right but somehow this doesn’t make me feel any better nor can I suddenly stop thinking about what happened. I haven’t discovered an off switch for my feelings unfortunately.”

Iris turned around and left the quarters, leaving John alone. She understood that he needed some time of his own to process everything that had happened and to come to terms with his feelings.

It was the third day of the travel. John was getting used to the space faring. After all, the Actium was cruising at an acceleration of 1 g, meaning that they were experiencing a thrust slightly smaller than Bremman’s surface gravity. He was at the cockpit, looking at the various panels. He was finally able to satisfy his curiosity about starships.

Xar would usually let the AI handle the piloting, but now he was pressing some buttons.

“What are you doing?” John asked him.

“Preparing for deceleration,” Xar replied. “Otherwise our trip to Thellasia will last only a few seconds. We would be whooshing past it 5000 kilometers per second. In order to actually arrive to the planet, we need to reach it at a velocity of near zero.”

“I thought the travel would take six days. Why do you decelerate already?”

“You can’t go from 1 g to 0 g at once, kid, when you have traveled at full acceleration for three days. It takes the same amount of time to decelerate as it takes to accelerate. That means we have to begin deceleration at halfway, otherwise our deceleration will come too late and we will pass past the planet. For a start, we need to do a skew flip, so that our engines are pointed in the opposite direction. You should call Iris!” Xar pressed a button and a ringing alarm echoed across the ship.

Iris at once rushed to the cockpit. “We are preparing for deceleration?”

“Yup”! Xar replied. “Get on your seats please and tight your belts. On your armrest there will be a pink pill. It’s for dizziness. Take it. You know the process.”

Iris and John at once sat on their respective seat, tightened their belts and gulped their pill. They could feel the pressure as the Actium suddenly flipped over, but the pill for the most part protected from feeling overtly dizzy and disoriented, though John was feeling slightly lightheaded. Xar competently completed the skew flip and pulled a lever to begin the deceleration.

“That’s it,” Xar said. “Show is over. Now three more days of journey and we are ready to reach Thellasia.”

Beep!

“The hell!” Xar shouted. He had been asleep all this time, lying on the pilot’s seat and relaxing. “Oh… we are reaching Thellasia!”

John and Iris rushed to the cockpit. John was especially excited. No matter how fascinating starships were, John couldn't handle a single more day inside that starship.

“The base is at 37.98 latitude and 23.72 longitude,” Iris said.

“Right… setting coordinates on computer.”

John and Iris strapped themselves on the seats and injected themselves with the needles in preparation for the entry into Thellasia. The Actium dived into the planet’s atmosphere. Thellasia was an oceanic planet that was known to be uninhabited. The expanse of blue water stretched in every direction to the horizon. The ocean seemed as if it was breathing, her surface rising and falling with rhythmic ease. The water was clean and had a turquoise color.

As the spaceship flew above the vast expanse of water, its passengers could see the tip of what looked like a pipeline at the location of the exact coordinates. It was just barely above the water and seemed wide enough to allow a ship of the size of Actium to enter inside.

“There?” Xar asked. Iris simply nodded in agreement and Xar sped the vessel towards that opening.

The Actium flew inside, going deeper into the ocean. This ‘pipeline’ was made out of a hard kind of glass, allowing for the three passengers of the ‘Actium’ to gaze at the deep waters of the ocean as they descended below. So far down in the ocean the sunlight was a soft diffuse glow. Those once golden rays from above were only blue in this water. The rocks were silhouettes in the dim. Yet they could see them. They were festooned with sea vegetation--seaweed, kelp, anemones.

After about fifteen minutes, the spaceship reached one of the water bays of the Alliance base. As they opened the ship’s hatch and walked out into the landing platform, they were greeted by a man in his forties accompanied by more than ten soldiers, all dressed with orange full body plate armors and armed with laser rifles.

The commander was dressed with white double-breasted dress tunic and trousers. The man was tall, with dark skin and dark eyes. He was handsome, slim, muscular, with an almost perfectly symmetrical face and shaved hair. Although in his forties, he looked way younger than his age. One would think he was in his late twenties.

“Iris!” the commander said. “I’m glad to see you came back safe. I’ve heard the news about the attack on Arcadis. I was worried about you.”

“The news really spread…” Xar stated.

“Yes, the destruction of a major urban center, supposedly by us terrorists, is something that usually does make it in the news,” the commander chuckled. “Name is Darren by the way. You must be the pilot I suppose?”

Xar nodded in affirmation.

“And you must be the sorcerer?” Darren said, pointing his finger at John.

“What? Oh… yes!” John hadn’t really been paying attention at what the commander was saying. He was still amazed by the underwater base. He couldn’t help but admire the ingenuity of those who had managed to construct a facility of such a scale beneath the deep waters of Thellasia’s ocean. “I mean, I am not a sorcerer yet. I simply have the… gift I suppose?”

Darren smiled. “Don’t worry kid. You will have a safe home here. You will get used to it. You know, once Iris was also a shy young girl not knowing what she was doing.”

“Find hard to believe that…”

“Shut up!” Iris laughing interjected. “Darren here is one of the best soldiers of the Alliance. He blew up the base at Austerland and assassinated Herman, the former General Secretary of the Unity Party.”

It took John a second or two for this new information to sink in, even though it was right before his eyes. He had heard before about ‘Commander Darren’ but he hadn’t even thought of making the connection with the man standing before him. His mind probably categorized him as someone simply sharing the same name with the Lion, as he was known for his ferocity. Even though he, just like most country people, thought of the Alliance as nothing more than terrorists, he couldn’t help but feel some respect for their commander and so did most people. He was the supreme villain in their minds, but a villain worthy of respect; someone who managed to blow up an entire military base all by himself and assassinate one of the highest ranking officials in the entire planetary system was bound to attract some admiration.

Darren, seeing John’s amazement, simply laughed it off. “Boy, as you can see I am flesh and blood, not some kind of demigod. So stop gaping like you are seeing some sort of deity. Why don’t you go rest a bit? A soldier can lead you to one of the rooms.”

John nodded in affirmation and followed away one of the soldiers.

Xar coughed loudly. “My cash please?”

Darren waved his hand, ordering one of his troops to bring the money. A moment later he was back with the credits. “The Alliance honors its agreements. You know… the Alliance needs pilots like you.”

Xar grinned. “Forget it buddy. I don’t want to hear some speech about how there is tyranny and we all need to stand up to oppression and other kind of bullshit you sell to bleeding heart kids. I care for cash and cash only.”

“I know. That’s why I am asking you to stay. Idealistic young kids that want to change the world are all good and we need them but we also need people like you; professional mercenaries with expertise who know what they are doing and can get the job done. You are already wanted by the Unity Party, so you do not gain anything by abandoning us. If you aid us, though, you can rely on us to have your back and we can pay you lots of cash.”

Xar thought about it for a moment. If the Unity Party was willing to blow up a large urban center just to get that woman, then they wouldn’t forgive him so easily for aiding her escape. On the other hand, joining the Alliance would be way too risky. "I think I will pass. I will just lay low for a while."

"I insist." Darren's stare was cold and unwavering.

"I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Well... I am not in the habit of allowing people to leave when there is a pretty good chance they will divulge vital Alliance secrets. Unfortunately for you, your knowledge of our base makes you just such a person."

Xar sighed. “Since the alternative doesn't sound all that appealing, I guess I will have to work for you... But only temporarily and I expect my pay on time.”

Darren smiled. “Of course. You may wish to go rest too. I am sure you will find our facilities most comfortable.”

“I hope so because I need a good sleep!”

With Xar being led to his room by a soldier and the rest of the troops being dismissed shortly thereafter, Darren and Iris remained alone. They walked down the water bay as they chatted.

“Do you think the kid has the potential to become a powerful sorcerer?” he asked. “For we sure need people like him.”

“He does have potential but he doesn’t know yet how to use his powers,” Iris replied. “He does remind me a bit of myself when I was younger.”

“Yes… those were good times. We were both a lot happier and easygoing back then.”

“We did not have the burden of taking the leadership of the war. It is easy to be happy go lucky when you aren’t the one making the decisions that could cost countless of lives if you are wrong.”

Darren’s chest ached as he thought of those times and what he had lost. What he missed more than the youthful easygoingness was Iris. Sure, they were comrades in arms and did see each other often enough; but not in the way they used to back then. When he had first met her, when she was just a slave girl held by orc pirates, he had fallen in love with her at first sight. When he helped her escape, they became lovers. Now though? They were just friends. Darren cherished this and was happy Iris was still part of his life, if only as just a friend. But sometimes he still missed those days. He missed the touch of her skin and their kisses.

“You should go see Aerran,” Darren said, quickly regaining his composure and changing the subject. “You should inform him about the boy.”

Knock!

“You may come in,” a gentle elderly voice replied.

Iris walked into the room, which was small and lacking in furniture. The floor was polished concrete and the walls white. Inside was a tall man wearing a long purple silk gown. His long hair was white but despite his age, his face was delicate and showed no signs of old age. He exuded a sense of calmness and peace. He was sitting cross-legged on a purple mat. His name was Aerran.

Iris bowed slight. “Greetings, Teacher.”

The elder simply smiled and got up. “Iris. I’ve heard you’ve brought the boy here.”

“Yes. His name is John. He seems to have great potential if he learns to control his abilities. I will bring him tomorrow to you so you can teach him.”

“I’ve already got Constantine, Alexander, Sara and Nicole as my pupils,” Aerran said. “I cannot take any more students. You will have to take him as your student.”

“Me?” Iris repeated. Her eyes and her mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise. “I’ve never taught anyone before. Not to say my abilities are better utilized on the battlefield. I am not sure I can do this!”

“I know. This is a test for you. I am getting old. Someone needs to eventually take my place. You should be the one to do so.”

Iris simply nodded in agreement. She still had little faith that she could do well as a teacher but she could not disobey Aerran’s orders.

John was lying on the bed on his rather small room. The room contained a small bed, neatly made, two straight-backed chairs, a metallic table and a bathroom. John had allowed himself to relax. He had closed his eyes and let his limbs fall loose.

John suddenly heard a sweet, joyful laughter that woke him up as soon as he was beginning to fall asleep. He got and walked out of his room, curious to see what was happening. John walked out on the corridor and saw four friends chatting; two were men and two were women. All four of them were in their early twenties.

“Hello,” John said. His words came out rather softly, almost as if he was regretting uttering them. He hoped that he wasn’t interrupting and his heart beat fast as he waited for their response.

“Hi,” one of the boys said. He was rather short but his muscled body more than made up for this. He had short brown hair and eyes and was cleanly shaven. “Nice to meet you. Name is Constantine. The others are Alexander, Sara and Nicole.”

All three of them also said hi. Alexander was tall and slim and had a freckled face and a long ponytail. Sara was slender, of average height, had ash blond long hair and grey eyes. Nicole had brown hair, hazel eyes, and light skin.

“So you are the new recruit?” Sara asked.

“Yes. Name is John. You are training to be sorcerers too?”

“Yup!” Alexander interjected. “We’ve already begun our training. I was the one who began first, almost five months ago. Sara came three months ago. Constantine and Nicole are siblings; they were brought here two weeks ago. So you are the newbie here.”

“Don’t worry,” Nicole smilingly assured him. “It may feel strange here at first, away from your home in a foreign planet, but soon enough you will get used to it. Teacher Aerran is very kind and supportive too. He is like the grandfather I wish I had.” Her smile was warm, genuinely sweet but also shy. It helped John feel more at home and let down his defense.

“I sure hope so! You too were found by Iris?” John asked.

“Alexander and I were,” Sara replied. “Constantine and Nicole were found by teacher Aerran himself. None of us four though faced any troops. We were able to evade government attention. You on the other hand caused quite a mess…”

Her voice was harsh. Though she did not directly state so, John clearly understood that she blamed him for Arcadia’s destruction. John hadn’t thought much about this before; would have this city been spared if he hadn’t insisted that Iris turn back to save his parents, delaying their escape? He had no satisfactory answer.

“I do not think it is fair to blame John for this,” Nicole protested. “It isn’t like he was the one looking for trouble.”

“We better let him rest,” Constantine interrupted, wanting to prevent an argument. “He must be tired after all he went through.”

Alexander smirked and gave Constantine thumbs up for defusing the situation.

“Yes,” John replied. “I’m somewhat tired.”

He bid goodbye and walked back into his room. He lied on his bed and thought about all the events that had transpired the past few days. It was a long to take in; learning that he could use magic, the death of his parents, murdering more than a few people and escaping the bombardment into oblivion of a large metropolis. A few days ago he was a simply farmboy whose greatest dream would be to get accepted into the military and become a low-ranking officer. Now he was in an underwater base of the Alliance and was to be trained as a sorcerer. As time passed, his eyes felt heavier and heavier. He finally closed his eyes and fell into dreamless sleep.

When John woke up early in the morning, he washed his face with fresh, cool water and brushed his teeth while waiting for the shower’s water to warm up. He then stepped into the shower, toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. He bathed his skin lightly, initially taking careful notice not to touch the bruises that scattered his body after the challenges he had been through. Yet he was beginning to relax. As the water poured down, dripping by his side, his mind began to fade into dullness and everything seemed like a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water calmed him, taking his mind of things.

Getting out of the bath, he dressed himself with new clothes, a simple white shirt and matching blue trousers. As soon as he got out of the room, a soldier greeted him and brought him to a grand hall. The hall was spacious and the ceiling seemed to be twenty feet high. Iris was waiting there for him.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” she said with a wide grin on her face.

John sighed. “Trust me, after all I’ve been through lately I do not think I can be surprised anymore.”

“You’ve got a point. Well… my surprise is that I will be the one teaching you.”

“Eh… I thought it was a teacher.. Aarsomething?”

“Aerran. And yes, he is the only surviving grand sorcerer but he already has four apprentices. You’ve met them already I’ve heard. So I will be the one teaching you.”

“You’ve taught anyone before?” John asked. Although he knew that Iris was a powerful sorceress, he didn’t think of her exactly as the wise teacher material.

“What? You don’t like my company anymore? Back in Bremman you were quite excited when I asked for your company,” she teased him. “But no, you are my first student.”

John had to admit, he preferred having a beautiful young sorceress as his teacher rather than an old man.

“You should get your mind out of the gutter and start concentrating on the lessons,” Iris interrupted his thoughts.

John blushed brightly. “Oh.. I didn’t… well… I…”

Iris sighed. “Just greet me as your teacher you fool, so we can finally begin the lesson.”

“Oh yes.” John bowed before Iris as she instructed and respectfully greeted her as his teacher. “Greetings, Teacher.”

Iris waved her hand, signaling John to get up. “So far you have been able to use your magic only occasionally; when I helped you unlock your potential in the tournament and when James’ words caused you to lose control in the forest. You need to learn to control your powers; to be the one using them and not letting them control you. In order to do this the first step is to learn how to meditate and breathe properly. We shall meditate together."

Iris and John sat in a cross-legged meditative position. “You must empty your mind of all thoughts. Simply close your eyes and let yourself rest…”

John closed his eyes. He tensed his muscles to relieve muscular stress. He tried hard not to think but different kinds of memories and thoughts filled his mind.

“Do not try to force yourself not to think,” Iris said. “Simply relax and it will come about naturally. You need to try less, not more.”

John followed her advice and was able to clear his mind of any distractions.

“Sorcerers need energy to make use of magic. It’s the reason why we cannot make light use of magic and why its overuse can have even fatal consequences. That vital energy does not have a singular name but in ancient Elfish language it was called Qi.”

“What exactly is this… Qi?”

“Qi is the vital energy which exists in all things. Qi is concentrated in your lower dantian, located three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel. Qi flows in your body through the meridians, a network of vessels. Despite existing in all things, most people are not able to connect with the Qi in the natural world but gifted people like us who have a close spiritual connection with nature are able, by drawing in Qi, to cultivate and use magic. I shall teach you how to breathe in the right way, so that you can draw in the Qi of the natural world.”

Iris took deep breaths, through the nose, and John followed her example. During the inhalation, their diaphragm moved downwards. They then exhaled, moving up their diaphragm, compressing their lungs and pushing the air out. For an hour they breathed that way.

John was getting bored with all this breathing exercises. He thought he was going to learn how to unleash energy waves and form energy shields. His cheeks felt tight and his gaze was blank. He began to drift into a daydream.

“Boring, right?” Iris asked him, catching him by surprise.

John almost had a heart attack. “No! I-“

“Oh don’t bullshit me! I have eyes and can see you.”

“Well, sitting cross-legged and meditating for more than an hour isn’t exactly the most exciting thing I’ve done…”

“I know. I was bored too when I first had to do this exercise. I did not know why my teacher insisted on me doing this when I could be learning cool abilities. But now that I am somewhat older and more mature I can understand why he taught me first this skill; we need a good foundation to use magic. In order to use magic you need to concentrate, to learn to draw in Qi and utilize it. You must have the mental discipline to make magic serve you. Learning the cool tricks is all fine but it is this simple exercise that is the most important for a sorcerer to master; and the most difficult if I might say.”

John nodded in agreement. “I will do my best to master it.”

Iris simply smiled. She was beginning to get the hang of teaching. Maybe being a teacher wasn’t all that bad after all.