Chapter 9! Enjoy!

As a side note, I'll be having these little paragraphs of info once in a while, when I feel it's appropriate. ^^

Chapter 9: Grief

-----

“Gar’nashian education begins at the age of 8, and continues till the age of 16, whereupon children are considered adults.

Aptitude tests conducted every year for 7 year olds determines their place of education the next year, and ultimately, their place in society as well. Those who show potential as warriors will be accepted into the Warrior Academy, whereas those who can manipulate mana are accepted into the Mage Academy.

Of course, those who show aptitude in neither still have a place in the warrior academy. If they are unable to show reasonable improvement by the time they are 10, however, they will be transferred to a vocational school of their choice, where they will be trained to still benefit society.”

- Pamphlet on the Gar’nashian Educational System

-----

“It’s been three years since Draygor’s gone missing, huh?” Dhi’na mused as she lay on the grass, staring at the night sky. A pretty smile came to her face as she reminisced of the times she spent with him.

“I wonder how many years it’ll be before I see him again…” she wondered aloud.

-----

The first year of Draygor’s disappearance had been the worst year of Lhi’ra’s life. She had cried nearly every day, not knowing what had happened to her son.

Perhaps he was dead.

That thought came to her many times, but she always banished it from her mind. He was definitely still alive, she knew it! It was a mother’s intuition, and she refused to accept any other outcome. On the other hand, Garick didn’t shed a single tear the whole year. He couldn’t; he was the pillar of strength for his wife, and he knew that if he fell, so would she.

Those close to Garick knew better though. While he didn’t show any obvious signs of grief, neither did he exhibit any other emotions. His laughter was forced, and he didn’t join in for activities at his job at the restaurant.

Dhi’na too was clearly affected by the disappearance of her best friend. She had always been a loner, quiet around the other children, and with Draygor going missing, she retreated deeper into her shell. She hid herself in her room, and would often spend hours just staring at the wall, or reading one of the books that Draygor had lent her with occasional whimpers.

The High Priestess had managed to pull some strings to get Lhi’ra leave from her service in the army for as long as she needed, since she was clearly unfit to do her duty at the time. Lah’ra felt personally guilty for Draygor’s disappearance, since she had received the vision from Mhi’ra, yet had been unable to protect the boy.

She had paid a visit to the Mithras household a month after the incident, and told Garick and Lhi’ra the truth about her meeting with Draygor. Dhi’na had been present as well, as she deserved to know.

Lhi’ra had chased Lah’ra out after her explanation, cursing both her and Mhi’ra’s name. Most would have been executed for using the names of the goddess and her prophet in vain, but of course no action was taken.

“It’s my fault…” thought Lah’ra. She should have warned Draygor’s parents in the first place, after receiving that vision.

-----

At the beginning of the second year, Lah’ra received another vision from Mhi’ra. She saw that Draygor was unconscious, but alive, in a location she could not pinpoint.

“He will return one day,” Mhi’ra had said.

She had burst into tears as soon as she woke up, relieved that her incompetence had not caused the death of a child.

He was alive!

Of course, she had immediately rushed to deliver the news to Garick and Lhi’ra. Lah’ra decided to keep the fact that Draygor had been unconscious hidden, but other than that, she passed on the goddess’ message fully to the couple. Garick finally let his emotions overtake him at the news, and soon all three were weeping in joy and relief. They did not know when Draygor would return, but for now, it was good enough to know that he was alive.

Dhi’na also brightened up considerably when she had heard the news. She spent a few days pondering something, before she turned up at the Mithras household one morning to ask something surprising of Lhi’ra.

“Lhi’ra, will you teach me how to fight?”

-----

“Come on, again!” Lhi’ra shouted at the small, dirt-covered figure laying on the ground.

“Get up! Is this all you’ve got?”

With a grunt, the figure pushed itself off the floor. It was a girl with fiery red hair tied up in a ponytail, and dark blue scales adorning bits of her body. The girl was Dhi’na, of course. She was bruised all over, and tears ran down the side of her face, but still she stood, raising a wooden training shield with her left arm and holding a wooden training sword with her other hand.

Roaring, Dhi’na charged at Lhi’ra again, swinging her sword recklessly in an attempt to land a hit on her instructor. Lhi’ra simply sidestepped her blows, and with a quick swipe of her own wooden blade, swatted Dhi’na’s sword aside. Being disarmed didn’t faze the smaller female though, as she swung her shield in retaliation. The shield went wide, missing her target again as Lhi’ra dodged backwards. Lhi’ra’s sword whistled in the wind as she struck back at Dhi’na, impacting on her shield and knocking her down for the umpteenth time.

“Again! Faster this time. Use the techniques that I’ve taught you!” barked Lhi’ra again, staring at her pupil with a harsh, strict gaze.

“Yes ma’am!” came Dhi’na’s pained reply, as she got up to retrieve her sword and shield before getting back into position.

-----

Garick winced as Dhi’na was knocked down again, averting his gaze slightly from the familiar, daily scene. Lhi’ra had told the girl that her training would be harsh, but even he had not expected such intensity. Was this the kind of training his wife went through when she was younger? The thought caused him to look at Lhi’ra in a new light, and his love for her only grew.

“Get up! Once more!” Lhi’ra yelled again, and he shuddered slightly at the hint of a smile upon her face. He never thought of his wife as a sadist, though in hindsight she was pretty rough with him in the bedroom sometimes.

“Honey? Perhaps we should take a short break…” Garick spoke up as Dhi’na was knocked down once more. There was blood on her knees now, having been grazed from falling on the hard ground.

“Nonsense! If she can’t take something this simple, then she is not fit to be my student!” Lhi’ra retorted without even sparing her husband so much a glance. “Again!”

“B-but – ”

“It’s alright, uncle Garick. I’m fine!” Dhi’na shouted in a voice full of determination, interrupting Garick before he could respond, as she picked herself up and dusted herself off.

“Alright then…” Garick shrugged with a small cough. It was her choice, and he did not have the heart to stop her when she seemed so determined.

-----

A small smile unknowningly crept upon Lhi’ra’s face as Dhi’na charged her again. She was proud of the girl, proud of her determination and perseverance. Dhi’na was like family now, considering the time she spent over at their home training, though Lhi’ra certainly didn’t go easy on her. Dhi’na’s parents, while worried, whole heartedly supported their daughter, proud that she had a dream and that she was working hard toward it.

Lhi’ra had been in a better mood since the High Priestess had come with the news that Draygor was alive. She still missed her son terribly, and still cried on some nights when she thought about how her boy was all alone in an unknown place. The goddess’ words comforted her, and for now, she could wait for her son to make his way safely back to them.

Dhi’na asking for her tutelage had shocked and surprised her.

“I want to protect my friends and family!” Dhi’na had said with resolve, and Lhi’ra nearly missed what she whispered next due to her surprise. “And I want to protect Draygor…”

Her training would be harsh, Lhi’ra had warned, but the girl never faltered, despite all the tears and blood she’d shed. Dhi’na had chosen a sword and shield as her weapons of choice during their first training session; it seemed she really took her goal of wanting to protect those she held dear seriously. Thus, Lhi’ra’s lessons so far had been essentially her knocking Dhi’na down relentlessly.

“If you want to protect others, first you must learn to protect yourself! No matter how many times you fall, you have to get up, because if you don’t, those behind the safety of your shield will perish. Even when you lay battered and bruised, with no strength left in you, you will get up! As long as you still draw breath, you will get up! Then, when your opponents make a mistake, counterattack with your sword!”

“These are the basics of fighting with a sword and shield! Master these principles, and there will be nothing you cannot protect your family and friends against!”

Lhi’ra had drilled those words into Dhi’na’s mind. The girl was still young, with her horns not yet grown, but Lhi’ra had been the same age when her master had taken her in, and it was at this tender age that learning was best done.

“Up! Raise your shield! There’ll be no rest until this session is over!”

-----

A yellow soul floated in the air, above a small town in Elysium, gazing upon the vessel of its previous life. The lifeless body of a female Ely had her arms wrapped around a male counterpart, which was similarly dead. Memories flashed through the soul’s consciousness.

She had gotten married to the love of her life, but fate was a cruel mistress, and just five years into their marriage, her husband had died of an incurable disease. The funeral had taken place over a mere three days, as relatives and friends came to pay their respects, and each day had felt like a lifetime to her. Many tried to console her in her grief, but life was just so empty without him.

It held no meaning!

Therefore, on the night before the burial, she wrapped her arms around her beloved’s corpse and took her own life, stabbing a knife deep into her heart. The body was found the next morning, and what a heart breaking sight it was. It had been a quick death, though the grief was still fresh in the soul’s consciousness. As the soul stayed to watch the funeral processions of its previous life, its light seemed to dim.

Before, it had glowed a vibrant yellow, but now, it was a dull gold. For a long while it floated in the same spot, pondering its past experiences. It regained a little of its previous light as happier thoughts flowed through its consciousness. Playing with the other children in the town, looking at her parents proud faces when she did well in school, a white soul…

A white soul?

That’s right! It’d had a friend before! The soul bobbed happily for a few moments as it recalled the fun times it’d shared with the white soul before its home had called, and it wondered where his friend was now. Perhaps it still hadn’t found a home.

No matter, the soul had lots of time now, before the call of home would come again. It began to search the world, looking for a pure white soul. Even amongst the living it searched, for souls could sense other souls in their bodies, though they could not communicate. The soul yearned to catch a glimpse of its friend again, but could find no sign of it.

It was puzzled. It was impossible that the soul could find no clue of its friend; where had its friend gone? The soul began asking around, radiating its emotions in the hope that another soul would understand what it was trying to say, and give it an answer. It took a long while, but eventually a turquoise soul understood it, and pointed the soul in the direction of the Rift.

The yellow soul was delighted, and immediately sped off to the Rift. It would go through the Rift and find its friend! As the soul neared the Rift, however, other souls began radiating negative emotions – panic, danger, despair – and made half-hearted attempts at blocking its way. The soul didn’t understand why; surely if its friend had went through the Rift, it would be safe! Thus, it pushed past the nay-sayers and floated into the Rift.

“Odd. There are no other souls here…” was the first thought that came to its consciousness as the soul entered the Rift.

It floated on cautiously, finding no sign of its friend. Suddenly, the soul was overcome by an overwhelming sense of fear, and found that it could no longer move. Something it could not see was restraining it, and it cried out in its consciousness, radiating its panic and despair. It thought of its friend, the white soul. Had the same happened to it?

A loud, malicious voice rang out in its consciousness, and it tried even harder to escape from whatever was holding it down, but it was all in vain.

“Welcome home, my little darling!”

The last thoughts of the poor soul was of its friend in white, before it winked out from existence.