Chapter 024

Resolve

Frozen in time, Leora remained quiet with the telephone pressed softly against the side of her head.

When she first heard the news of what happened, she didn’t know what to think, or how to react. Her friend she’d known all of her life had been caught assisting in an unofficial case that directly went against the military’s orders. Those who disobeyed the wishes of Military High Command rarely walked away unscathed. Such punishment could ruin a man or woman’s life, following them wherever they went until Ryas called them home. Would such a fate befall Rune?

She heard his breath filter through the speakers. In her mind, there raced thousands upon thousands of inquiries. Usually, Leora made an effort not to involve herself too much regarding Rune’s affairs and relations with the military. All that he’d revealed to her was that they ridiculed him for his past, and saw him as a traitor to his people due to his father’s actions. However, pulling stunts like this wouldn’t do him any favors in clearing his name and proving his worth. Dipping her chin, she could only construct a single, solitary question. “What were you thinking?” she muttered, tightening her grip on the phone’s handle. “Rune, I thought you promised me you’d stay out of trouble, not end up on the front page of the local paper! Now everyone in Primrose is starting to dub you as a traitor again. And I can only imagine the situation is worse on your end. Honestly, what motivated you to do such a...”

“Daze, the mage you met when you visited. He’s dead,” Rune suddenly answered in a shattered tone of voice. “And it’s my fault...”

Leora clutched a hand to her chest. “...What happened?”

“I was distracted...acted without thinking,” he explained. “And it was due to my stupidity that I lost him.”

“Slow down, just...start from the beginning.”

“Okay, well, that “Jerk Captain” who came to see me when we were kids, happened to approach me one night at my mage bracket. Made me an offer to join his secret operation in order to stop a group of Gyrakian terrorists. He told me their leader was a fire mage, like me. So I thought that, maybe...”

“You finally found the person you were searching for,” Leora deduced.

“Yeah, I did,” Rune confirmed. “And I was wrong. It amounted to not a damn thing. The terrorists got away and Daze...anyway, it hardly matters now. Listen to me, Leora, I’ve been thinking a lot recently and...I’m going to turn in my letter of resignation.”

“Wh...What?!” she stammered.

“You heard me, I’m leaving the military.”

“But Rune, what about everything you’ve worked so hard for? Your oath to your family? The promise we made? Are you just going to give up, and put to waste all the sacrifices you’ve made?”

“I...I underestimated how strong my resolve actually is. When I fought the Gyrakians by myself, I was so blinded by my hate, my rage. Reason and rationality left me, and my instincts took over. My fire magic is dangerous. According to the medical mages, I nearly burned most of them to death...” Rune said, his croaking voice deteriorating with each word. “No matter who they are, or what they’ve done...I don’t want to kill anybody. I don’t want to be a murderer.”

“Rune...”

“I’m not the mage I thought I was. Not the kind of person I thought I was either. I...don’t know what I am anymore. And if I can’t trust myself or my magic, then it’s only a matter of time before something like this happens again and I end up taking a life, validating everyone’s suspicions of me. So it’s better if I just left, before I cause even more trouble. When you get right down to it, I guess I’m just too much of a coward.”

“You’re not a coward, Rune. Showing sympathy to your enemies, or concern for your comrades, isn’t cowardice. It’s what makes you human,” Leora argued. “Look, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to tell what you’re going through. I’m only a simple country girl with healing magic that doesn’t even work half of the time. I’ve yet to fully realize my place in this world. But you, you’re different, Rune. You’ve had your setbacks and hardships, but no matter what, you always land back on your feet. It’s what I admire so much about you, that fiery determination of yours,” she smiled. “At the end of the day, it’s your life. It’s up to you to make the decision of whether you want to move forward or cut your losses. And if you choose the latter, I’ll be content nonetheless. Because you’ll still be the only thing I’ve ever known you to be, my knuckle-headed best friend, and a member of my family.”

Her words of comfort were followed by a slow period of a silent passage of five minutes, breached every so often by the watery inhales of the fire mage. But, after being granted some time to think, he responded, “You...You really are the light of my life, Leora...Thank you...”

The girl’s cheeks blossomed red. “Please, there’s no need to thank me! I’m just helping a friend, is all! No need to read too much into it!” she nervously laughed. “So...what are you going to do?”

“What I do best.”

“That’s concerning,” Leora frowned.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Leora. Too many to count. I owe it to myself to fix at least one of them,” he responded, the confidence in his voice making a glorious return. “You might not hear from me for a while. I promise I’ll get in touch as soon as I...”

“Don’t sweat it,” Leora cut him off, with a snicker. “Get back to work, Mr. Hero.”

Without letting another moment maroon him in the past, Rune slammed the phone onto the wall and blitzed out of the room, omitting the troubling glances he was receiving from those around him. With the back of his palm, he rid his face of the streams of tears leaking out his eyelids. He denounced the uncertain, unpredictable emotions swirling inside of him like a spiteful hurricane. What solely he focused on was the road ahead of him, or to be more specific, the relatively empty path guiding him to the exit doors of the building. They burst open from the impact of the excited mage crashing both his palms powerfully onto their surface. The afternoon sun’s rays struck his fair skin. A gust of violent wind rustled his blonde hair. Standing at the top of the stone stairs of the military base, Rune’s eyes scanned the city. He observed the green-colored ceilings of buildings, many a folk strolling up and down the sidewalks of its busy streets, a flock of geese flying skyward in the shape of an arrow.

In the far distance, he could just barely make out the trails of thick, black smoke ascending into the clouds. The faint sound of roaring engines followed as a train began on another of its long ventures across the country. Nautia train station wasn’t the largest if one were to directly compare it to the monstrous size of the station situated in the capital. However, it was nevertheless capable of sending out multiple trains at a time. This was what Rune was counting on. Hastily descending steps carved of distinguished stone, he evaluated his options. If there weren’t any trains departing for the capital then he’d have no choice but to use one of his transport spells. Then, he’d only need to pray to Ryas herself that he had enough essence to last such a long trip.

He would stop his advance, however, when his vision made contact with a dark-haired girl dressed in the black uniform of the combat mages. Leaning on the railing of the gray, earthen avenue was none other than Ebony Ashborn. Upon spotting her, the girl was in the middle of a conversation with someone on the opposite end of the radio she held close to her mouth. But it was when she noticed his presence, her crimson eyes deviating in his direction, would she abandon her previous exchange, strapping the tiny machine to her waist. Turning to face him, the two would only stare at one another. Like himself, Rune assumed she was at a loss for words. After everything that had occurred, what was he meant to say? He figured, considering the situation, it would be most appropriate to start with a humble apology.

But before he could say anything, Ebony offered him a smile and said, “Took you long enough.”, immediately catching the mage off guard.

“H...How’d you know...I’d be here?”

“I never left Nautia to begin with,” she corrected, crossing her arms. “Don’t give me the credit though. It was all Major Griffin’s idea. He figured you’d come around after you cleared your head for a bit. He instructed me to wait for you until you returned to your senses.”

Seriously?! Is that guy a psychic or something?! Exhaling, Rune responded, “Listen, I’m sorry. For...For everything. If only I was...”

“Not that I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do, Rune, you should probably save it for later,” Ebony interrupted. “We have new orders. We have to get to the capital as soon as possible. Lucky for us,” The girl pulled out a pair of silver tickets from her pocket. “I went through the trouble of purchasing tickets. Feel free to reimburse me later.”

Rune formed a malleable smile. “So, is this what it feels like to be out of the loop?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she scoffed. “Now let’s get a move on. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

“Right!”

The pair of mages then sprinted from the military base and towards the direction where the sun’s beams were the most intense. Running alongside her, Rune peaked a glance, her black hair flowing like a cascading river of darkness behind her head. “Any update on Thatch and his men?”

“When last I spoke with Second Lieutenant Dolton, he told me they spotted Thatch near town square. He was alone. The rest of the team should be intercepting him as we speak.”

Alone? Why did this revelation deliver so much anxiety to him? Logically speaking, a group of well-trained soldiers and combat mages should be more than enough to take out a petty terrorist. Then again, Thatch proved himself to be an above-average magic-user during their last duel. Additionally, Rune also factored in the strange manite crystal he kept in his possession. It had increased his magical power, elevating him to the same level as some of the famous combat mages who participated in the war.

Typically, there was a limit to how much a human body can withstand the inverse effects of magic. It was what made tomes so important, they granted mages the ability to use spells that they would otherwise be incapable of casting due to the limitation of their physical bodies. Even so, everyone had their limits. When Thatch burned that crystal before Rune, it was as if he utterly demolished his. In that twisted, unnatural state, he might even be a match for someone like Brigadier General Leones. Rune shook his head from side to side. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking of such a drear outcome.

“Hope you’ve had a good rest, Rune. Something tells me our job isn’t going to be easy,” mentioned Ebony, running closely next to him.

“Oh, you needn’t worry about me,” Rune smirked. “After all, I am a combat mage, aren’t I?”

“Right,” the girl acknowledged, hiding the delicate smile of hers. “I suppose you are.”

The Deliverance Memorial Tower; a giant prism of granite with the names of the soldiers that perished in the 7 Year War engraved into its smooth hide. Trevor would stare at it with a limitless supply of malice.

With his fists clenched and his rage barely being contained by a facade of composure, Trevor glanced around him. His mortal enemies, the Esterans, why, they indulged in their everyday routine lives without a care in the world. Why would they be concerned for the pain Esteras brought to others’ doorsteps? They remained completely ignorant of it, of course. Some of them would never know war, never no death. Never have to experience the hopelessness, the dread of returning to their homes stripped of its love and character. To find the scorched corpses of their family buried underneath a pit of ash.

But today would be different. Today, he would show them a piece of his hell. Reaching into his pocket, Trevor brandished a smile as well as the flickering manite crystal. Softly, he rested the azure, crystalline ticket to his symphony of revenge onto the cement. Right at the foot of the ridiculous tower that pierced his Gala in the heart. Staring into the sky, he exhaled, “Are you watching, Fey, Amelia, Rohan? This day is in honor of your memory. The monsters that defiled our lives, raped our country, why, they’re finally going to receive their judgment.” Gazing at the tower once again, he could only smile. “You lot are gonna need a bigger one of these pretty soon.”

“I beg to differ.”

Trevor spun around to find a squad of Esteran soldiers facing him several paces away. Most were Blues, brandishing their rifles straight at the center of his forehead. Littered among them were Blacks, sorcerers prepared to use their tomes at any moment. Their leader, a man armed with dark-brown hair and a nonchalant smirk, was posted at the front of the group. Standing on either side of him was a mage, a woman with red hair and a hulking, giant of a man whose muscles constantly shifted underneath the layer of constricting fabric. He sensed their mana levels fluctuating. They weren’t to be underestimated. Nearby civilians pointed and discussed amongst themselves, the wisest of the herd choosing to vacate with haste.

“So much for your Esteran hospitality. And to think, I’ve heard so much about how welcoming this country is,” Trevor announced, patting his nape. “Shall I add it to the long list of lies you feed your descendants?”

“Trevor Thatch, you’ve caused us quite the headache these past months.”

“Feeling’s mutual, James Griffin. That is your name, yes? While your government has beared little interest in my operation, you wouldn’t let me be, would you? Poisoned by determination, I imagine. To think, Esteras would have long since fallen, if you relentless mutts kept off our asses.”

“Well, in my defense, it’s kind of hard to ignore the actions of a terrorist. Especially when you threaten to destroy the very peace I’ve fought so hard to protect.”

“A terrorist, am I? Never was fond of that word. In any case, can you really blame me? Everybody else in my homeland was too intimidated by your military might. Fear the Esterans, they told me! Those monsters with their tomes can lay waste to civilizations! Needless to say, I’m incredibly disappointed. I mean, let’s look at what all I’ve accomplished, shall we, Major? I’ve taken out more of you combat mages than I care to count. I’m beginning to wonder if the reason we lost the war was a result of your indomitable power, or my leaders’ incompetence.”

“You’ve killed people, and that’s a crime I cannot overlook.”

“Believe me, you’ve made your point very clear. That was quite the stunt you pulled in Star Bell. Lost a good handful of my best men, and a large sum of my manite crystals too. But therein lies the difference between an Esteran and a Gyrakian,” he smirked. “My kin knows not the meaning of the word “surrender”, while your demons grow fat and arrogant and deluded. To allow your enemies to so easily waltz right into the heart of your country, why, is that not a modest display of the ignorance you entertain?”

“The only delusion here is thinking your plan would ever actually succeed,” the major countered. “We fought in the war to bring an end to the needless violence and bloodshed. And I don’t intend to allow another pointless feud to exist ever again.”

“War is inevitable, my friend,” Trevor grinned. “You can try to move forward, try to pretend like everything has returned to normal. But I assure you, Major Griffin, the past never forgets!”

James scowled. “Nor would I expect it to.”

Another sorcerer, a woman with short, spiky hair leaped out the cover of soldiers, her tome floating closely at her side. Flipping its pages, Trevor sensed as the mana started to flow throughout her body. In an instant, the woman had become infused with properties of magic. Extending her arm at him, she recited the name of her spell, “Tenere Fumo!”, as inflated streams of gray clouds manifested out of thin air. They shot across the field and, like a pack of famished serpents, constricted Trevor by his waist and shoulders. His restraints were entirely composed of smoke yet he couldn’t free himself. He was trapped.

Coldfire frowned. “How annoying...”

“Like I already said. Whatever you were trying to accomplish, it ends now,” announced James, pridefully stepping forward.

“Gyrak’s rage cannot be contained. You foolish Esterans should have shot me when you had the chance.”

At his side, Glade, his tome, activated for its master. And so the magical energy began to consume his very being. It reacted with the manite crystal behind him, the enchanted jewel radiating a magnificent blue light that washed over the area. Suddenly, an enormous tremor pulsated beneath the surface of the earth, sending tectonic ripples across the city. It shook buildings, split streets, and tossed aside vehicles. Everything was exactly as he envisioned it. Paying a glance towards his captors, the Esteran soldiers attempted to maintain their balance as the very crust beneath them roared to life.

“All of you are too late! For the Day of Zero has begun!!”

Emitting a subterranean howl of madness, the titanic construction erected from below the earth. Rising into the sky, it demolished the memorial tower, erasing it from the world forever. Its shards of granite flung in every direction, numerous calcified comets spraying towards his captors. “Take cover!” one of them shouted as the soldiers ducked and leaped out the range of the flying debris. The same went for the smoke mage, Trevor watching as she was forced to retreat, the commotion hindering her concentration and weakening her spell. With a powerful grunt, Trevor flexed his arms outward, breaking free of his smoggy chains. And he’d just enough time to witness the rewards of his efforts.

Its shadow slithered over the land as the crystalline, frozen skyscraper proceeded with its ascension. Rising higher and higher until no building surpassed it. At its base, the frosting pillar released a strong current of ice that froze the air. Expanding across the ground, however, crept solidified plates of ice. With every second, their reach grew. They slithered to the nearby buildings. Froze the trees and grass. Petrified the remains of cars. Should someone be unfortunate enough to fall victim to its unwavering yet graduated advance, they too would become a shimmering statue for the rest of eternity. Though this was a looming threat the spell caster wouldn’t have to fret over. Smiling like a mad man, Trevor unleashed his screeching laughter into the atmosphere. Overflowing with joy, he couldn’t stop the intense hilarity festering in his gut.

He regarded James and his men once more with glowing eyes and an infinite grin. “You filthy Esteran better start praying to your God! Cause what you’re about to witness is the collapse of your oh, so precious country!” he bellowed as the icy mist swallowed him whole.

“Soon Esteras shall be no more!!”