Professor Zuriel continued on from there, congratulating the other students while still offering them bits of constructive criticism. Once he was all done they were all required to do physical training. A burlap sack was put out with slips of paper on it. Each slip of paper had the name of a different physical activity the students were required to do on it. The students would reach their hands into the sack and randomly pull out one of the tasks. Since it was picked at random none of them could prepare themselves for what they had to do that day, and needed to be ready at all times for any challenge.

That day Hadar got Weighted Laps, he was required to run laps around the mock battlefield while wearing a heavy, weighted vest. This increased endurance as well as strength. Milo got Wall Punches, he was required to repeatedly punch a brick wall, not hard enough to break the bones in his hand, but hard enough to toughen the skin. The purpose of this exercise was both to make the skin on his knuckles as hard as stone and make him lethal even when unarmed, but also to teach him to control his strength. Restraint was as important as power. Poor Sarahi got Sled Pulling. A harness was placed around her torso and hooked up by long ropes to a sled full of heavy rocks. She was to drag this sled back and forth across the mock battlefield, weaving between the large boulders.

They continued these exercises for hours, and by the time they'd all finished them they were completely exhausted and their muscles sore as could be. Professor Zuriel assured them that they were “One step closer to becoming full-fledged paladins,” so any pain and suffering they were going through after such training was clearly worth it.

After that they were released for the day, told they could return to their dormitories for food and rest. Milo and Sarahi followed Hadar to his dormitory. When they'd first arrived at Caelum Academy as children they'd been in awe of the architecture. The bricks in the walls were made of a multitude of different kinds of stones; sandstone, baked clay, marble, limestone, jade, granite, and even some bricks made of diamonds. No doubt geomancers, the wizards who could manipulate and control stone, had created the many different kinds of bricks that made up the academy, for each one was cut into perfect shapes with perfectly straight lines, far better than any normal stone-cutter could do. What's more, geomancers likely built the academy, since the bricks were so large that even the strongest men would find them impossible to lift. The windows were not made of glass but rather of quartz, emerald, ruby, obsidian, and sapphire, making the light that shined through all sorts of beautiful colors. There were fountains of liquid stone, or “lava,” as some called it, fenced off with warning signs to not draw too close. The liquid stone bubbled, generating both heat and light for the academy's halls. Truly the academy itself was a work of art, one designed as a guess at what Heaven would look like, but even as beautiful as it was the students all knew that it still couldn't come close to the beauty of the real Heaven. Yes, in their early days at Caelum Hadar, Sarahi, and Milo found themselves thoroughly impressed by the architecture and the enchantments that went into making the paladin academy what it was, but now, as they entered adulthood, it was just the place they lived in. They could walk down the halls, carrying on conversations as if they were in no place particularly special. The splendorous beauty of Caelum had become so commonplace to them that it barely effected them any more.

Even though the professors and the headmaster were supposed to treat the students as equal to one another this was not always the case, though admittedly the differences in treatment were usually slight. In their many years at the academy Milo, Sarahi, and Hadar managed to figure out that each of their rooms varied slightly in size. Milo's was the smallest and Hadar's was the largest, though without close examination the difference was barely noticeable. Still, considering that the three of them had different-sized rooms based on their social standing hardly seemed like it was by accident. Sarahi suggested that this might have been simply because the professors wanted to place them in dormitories that seemed more like home. As it was Milo's room was far larger than any room he'd have had if he had stayed in his home village and become a farmer, if even for the simple fact that he had the room to himself. While Hadar's room was larger than Milo's it was considerably smaller than his room back at the castle.

The three of them sat at the table in Hadar's room, just across from his bed, groaning as they all took their seats. Their muscles and joints ached from the hard day. “Ever wonder if the professors use magic to make us repeat some of the physical exercises again?” Milo sighed.

“What do you mean?” Sarahi asked.

“That's the third day in a row I've had to punch that stupid brick wall. My knuckles are raw. Can't be coincidence that I got that three times in a row, can it?”

Hadar patted Milo's shoulder. “On the plus side once that heals you'll have rocks for fists.”

“Why do you find it so hard to trust them?” Sarahi asked. “You seem to question everything they say, unless it's backed up by the Sacred Scriptures. You seem to believe they're out to get you.”

“Honestly, Sarahi, when you're a peasant it seems like everyone in a position of power is out to get you. The other students here don't respect me, they've been open about that. It's hard to believe the professors would be any different.”

“Have you ever considered,” Hadar chimed in, “That perhaps the reason they're so hard on you could be because they're driving you to be better? So that you can show all those noble-born bigots what common-folk are capable of? Maybe they're more on your side than you think.”

Milo paused a moment. “That could be...I never thought of it that way...”

“Anyway, we have homework to get to,” Hadar said, picking up his copy of the complete Sacred Scriptures. “We have to find passages to read aloud for Professor Zebedee's class.”

Milo waved his hand, as if brushing something out of the air in front of him. “I already know what passage I'm going to read.”

“Really?” Sarahi asked, skeptically.

“Yeah. I knew what I was going to read the second he gave us the assignment.”

Hadar smiled at him, holding out the thick tome that was the complete Sacred Scriptures, “Care to share it with us?”

“Sure,” Milo said. He took the book and rifled through it. The other two watched and waited. At one point he read silently what was on a page, and then turned back a few pages, his eyes skimming the words there.

“What's the matter? You can't find a passage you feel so strongly about?” Sarahi asked.

“I know it by what it says, not by chapter and verse number! It's in the Book of Hevel...”

“A minor prophet...”

“How can you call any prophet minor? By being any kind of prophet they've already accomplished more than we ever will. Ah! Here it is!” Milo cleared his throat, adjusted his shoulders, cracked his neck, and began to speak. “Know ye not why the Law stands etched in stone? It is so that it can be eternal, for all to see, for all time, so that we may know that in spite of the chaos we see in this world some things shall be ever constant. The Law shall endure forever, as shall his love for us. O the stars of the Void are e'er-shifting, e'er moving, and the darkness even obscures the moon at times, but no power from the Void may overcome his will. In spite of storms, the stone upon which the Law is etched stands strong.” Milo began to raise his hands and his voice, getting into the speech. His words gave Hadar and Sarahi chills, though they'd read this passage before with little reaction. “Thus must we also be like this. No matter what storms we shall face, no matter how much shadow is cast upon us, we must be vigilant, ever-standing like the Law. Let no force dissuade you from the course, and do not fear death, for God has a place for you in Heaven, deep under the ground, where suffering shall be no more. Stand with courage, and ne'er falter, and he shall stand with you! And when the Lord stands with you, woe to those who stand against you!”

Hadar and Sarahi were in total shock as he spoke those words. They'd been a bit skeptical, really, but he spoke with such passion, such emotion, and the passage he'd chosen was actually pretty inspiring. “Wow, Milo...that's...that's amazing!” Sarahi said.

“I know, right?” Milo replied, chuckling.

Hadar nodded, “Now that I've seen how it's done I feel a lot more confident about this assignment. Thank you, Milo.”

“I bet yours'll be even better,” Milo said.

“I can only hope.”

“Would you help me select a passage?” Sarahi asked Milo. “I have a feeling your opinion would be of great help here.”

“Certainly.” Milo sat down next to her with the book open, flipping through it and looking at different passages with her. Hadar watched his two friends with a smile on his face, watching them laugh and talk about every little thing, both the important things in life and about little things that didn't matter. Those two could carry on hour long conversations either about theology and the Sacred Scriptures, or about something as trivial as whether or not the romance novel “Heaven on Erets” should be considered good literature. Here again they carried on about both the mundane and the important. But all of this was interrupted when there was a knock on the door.

“I'll get it. You two keep at it,” Hadar said, getting up and walking to the door. He opened the door and saw a man standing there. It was Malachi, one of the royal messengers, and he wore a distraught look on his face.

“Prince Hadar, I'm afraid I have ill news.”

“What is it, Malachi?”

“It's your brother, your Highness. It was during an address to the people, he...” Malachi hesitated. “One of the people in the crowd had managed to hide a knife...he was an assassin with unknown intentions...Amasi was killed, your highness. He rests in Heaven now.”

“What? No! He's fine! Don't be silly, he's probably just injured is all...” Hadar said, staggering back and nearly tripping over the table. Milo and Sarahi immediately rushed to his side to hold him up. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. How could Amasi be gone like that? Taken from Hadar with no warning, no hint of anything wrong, no last goodbyes, just suddenly one day he was gone. Hadar felt like everything was wrong, like the entire world was off kilter. His head was swimming and he could barely stand. Milo and Sarahi were both ready to either keep their friend from falling or help him to fall safely and softly.

Malachi continued, “I'm sorry, sire, but he's not fine. He'll be buried tomorrow morning...and the Council expects you to assume the throne. I'm so sorry...”

“What me? No, Amasi is king! Father passed on from old age, the crown went to Amasi! He's your man!”

“Sire, please, try to understand...”

“No, you understand! Amasi is a good man, best king we've had in generations! God will not let him fall!”

“Apparently he already has, sire...”

Hadar's vision blurred and then went black, and he went limp in Milo and Sarahi's arms. Sarahi turned to Malachi, “We'll take care of him, thank you for the news, even if it was terrible.”

Malachi hesitated for a moment before he left the room. Milo and Sarahi carried Hadar down to the infirmary, “Doctor!” Milo shouted, “He's fainted!” For all of the healing spells that paladins knew they had nothing that could heal a man's mind after he'd received such a shock. Physicians were better equipped to handle those sorts of ailments. Furthermore, while paladins and priests could heal the sick and the wounded they could not easily diagnose them, physicians were better at recognizing what was wrong with their patients.

The academy's physician turned and immediately helped the two of them lower Hadar onto one of the nearby beds, “Oh, my! How did this happen?”

“he heard some horrible news,” Sarahi said.

“Dear dear! He'll probably fine, but I'd better have a look at him nonetheless. Why don't the two of you wait outside.”

The two of left the room and sat in the chairs just outside in silence, watching Hadar breathe as he laid there unconscious. Neither of them knew much about Hadar's brother, but they had both met him on a few occasions, those times when he'd come and visit Hadar at Caelum.

Sarahi first met him when he came to visit Hadar during the Winter Solstice celebration. The Winter Solstice was a twelve day string of holidays, and Amasi came out to visit Hadar for the first six. He was a kindhearted man, about ten years older than Hadar, with short blonde hair and a short beard of the same color. He had an infectious laugh, and an obviously big heart. When he came he brought gifts not just for Hadar, but for Sarahi as well, since Hadar had written all kinds of letters to him about her. Amasi teased the two of them, “So, is Sarahi here your girlfriend?” Sarahi responded with the typical “ewww!” reaction that seven-year-old girls were known to give at such suggestions, but Hadar simply laughed and shook his head.

Milo first met Amasi when Hadar had fallen ill. Most diseases that one could catch were easily curable with a little holy magic, but whatever Hadar had caught was holding on for weeks. Some of the priests thought it might be some sort of demonic curse that they were having trouble overcoming. Some of the professors suggested that perhaps Hadar had done something atrocious to upset God, and that this sickness was punishment. Whatever it was, Hadar was laid up in bed in the infirmary day after day, missing his classes and his friends.

When Milo went to visit his sick friend he saw Amasi already there, holding his hand and speaking comfortingly to him. “You're going to be alright, Hadar. You just have to believe that. You're going to be a great paladin some day, remember? And then you'll show the demons who's boss!” Milo had been surprised both by Amasi's kindness and by the way he spoke. Amasi didn't seem to need fancy words or phrasing to get his point across. So often nobles and royalty were taught to speak in such a way that automatically made them sound superior to the common-folk, but Amasi spoke plainly. Milo had to admire that.

After pondering all of this for a long time Milo was the first to break the silence between him and Sarahi, “I just don't get it...Amasi was a good king...why would anyone want to kill him?”

“You don't understand politics at all well, do you, Milo?”

“Guess not. Wanna learn this here uneducated peasant?”

“A good king is far more likely to be assassinated than an ineffective king or a cruel king. If a king is doing well enemies of the kingdom will want to see him killed, if he's doing poorly then he's exactly the kind of king the enemies of the kingdom want in charge. Now, if a king is especially cruel, then enemies of the kingdom will be afraid of terrible repercussions should they fail in their attempt to assassinate him, but with a kind king they feel no fear of such repercussions.”

“So you think this assassin was an enemy of Arx?”

“Anyone who kills Arx's king is its enemy.”

“I mean...not a citizen of Arx, but perhaps from another kingdom?”

“The kingdom of Nihilus does come to mind, Milo,” Sarahi said, “I fear they may have just made the first move in initiating open conflict.”

“...Meaning?...”

“There's going to be war, Milo. I'm quite certain of it.”