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  “Where does your family reside, George? I will help you find them no matter what it takes. As the Fancore is my witness, you shall see your family smiling at you again as the new man you have become. They shall be warmed in your presence, just as you have warmed us as a part of the Ozborn household.”

  George stood, approached me with arms spread wide open, and squeezed me as tightly as he could. With love overflowing from our hearts like fountains in a pond, I held him just as tight as he hugged me. He told us that his family lived to the southeast of the nameless, northern borough in Shimbia. It was a ragged slum with a poor economy and a miserable condition; the place Shi Shii sent the remnants of the homeless to rot in their own filth. The house, George told us, was on the countryside, a few miles away from a nameless forest in the east. George and I were going to find his family together, so we prepared ourselves to trek the unforgiving world to the north, once again. My parents needed to stay home to protect the community, however. At least, that was what my father insisted. My parents permitted me and George to go, but Molli Su dreaded the fact that we were leaving like this.

  I equipped my jeweled armored blouse, armed myself with Soba, bow and arrow, and awaited George to suit up with some of the armor my father had given him. It wasn’t anything as fancy as mine, but it had a certain sense of character, with its reliable, light-weight brown leather and decent protection of robust steel. He brought along his daggers and a charmed bracelet that was given to him by his mother, when he was a child in the country, southeast of The Northern Division of Shimbia.

  Our farewells were brief, and complete with reassurance that it would not take long for us to return and see each other again. My mother would probably consent to the Goodwills moving in with us if they deemed it a fitting place. King Bonitheraj II was a poor ruler; he needed some major touch-ups on his decree, and the order of his society. There were too few wealthy families and many slaves, vagabonds, and beggars that wandered the callous, northern streets. They were outcasts, sent to the slums, many miles across the country and wild lands. Many Shimbian people lived in tiny huts or rundown houses in the kingdom’s wilderness, like George and his family once did. Shi Shii was the only place in The Province of Shimbia that could be considered a civilized city, because the rich made it strong.

  Before I began to pack my bags with necessities, I nearly forgot that I needed to ask my mother what the meaning of the light surrounding the flaming leaf was on the amulet she gifted me the night of the festival. I approached her with it around my neck; the strange symbol lying upon my breast.

  “Mum, what is this amulet you gave me? I mean, what does it symbolize, and why did grandmother pass it on to me and not directly to you?”

  Bowing her head, she smiled and sat me down at the dining table. She began to explain the significance of the fire-ringed leaf. I was able to see that she was thrilled to tell me what it was just by the tone in her voice and the fluidity in her hand gestures.

  “It’s called the Pyro Leaf Amulet; the symbol of a very ancient and secret organization for women with the zeal to overcome the prejudice that comes with being a female warrior or mage. Your grandmother was a part of this organization, and as a proud member of the Pyro Leaf Organization, she was allowed to pass on her membership after death. And she chose you, Sui.”

  “Why did she do that for me? Is it not because I am the chosen one?”

  My mother remained silent and grinned widely, grabbing hold of my hands.

  “Yes, Sui. She did it because she loved you, not that she loved me any less, but she foresaw something in you; something not of the average human being.”

  She paused for a moment, reflecting on the time she had spoken with her mother. I could clearly notice that she had a prevailing bond with her, and nothing could ever break them apart. A couple drops of tears slid down her cheeks, rolled down her chin, and fell to her lap. She tried to remain calm and not worry me with her melancholy by putting on a mask. She started telling me more about my grandmother and how she changed her life for the better.

  “Ha, I thought she was mad when she told me she could see the future. But then I discovered the gift of foresight myself, and knew she had good cause to choose you. Before I met Jon, I found some ancient temples on Ildis bearing your name, and your future legacy. I spent many years waiting for the right time to give this to you, and now, you wear it just as she did. She wanted to give it to you because she loved you. She gave it to me, to give to you, because she knew who you would be; but most of all, she passed it on to you because there’s no other bearer better to hold this mighty symbol of true strength. It is time to show that women have just as much ability to fight for their home and family as do men.”

  Her lip quivered as she attempted to hold back the outbreak of tears. She continued to touch my heart, bringing the same emotions to erupt from my heart. Though I never met my grandmother, I missed her more than ever. My mother was overwhelmed with grief that I had to leave again.

  “Sui, I love you,” she cried, “and there is nothing that makes me, as a mother, more proud than to see you grow to be this gorgeous young woman with all the strength of the Ozborns and of the Wiztis! Now, you go out there and find our forefather. And find George’s family so that they can all come home to us and experience our warm hospitality! You can never have too much family, you know?”

  A tear weld up in my eye as I began to realize the cause of the red light, distracting the undead dragon that night. It was the spirit of my grandmother, protecting me from her roost in the spirit realm. Her favorite color was red. Graci Wizti had saved George and me from certain death. As I thought on this, I threw my arms around my mother, “Oh, Mum!”

  We sat in the chairs at the dining table and held each other for a moment, completely filling the room around us with warmth.

  “Your father is talking with George right now. Why don’t you go talk to your sister?”

  “I will, but please don’t let Father get drunk again. He knows how it makes us feel when he does that.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, dear,” she said, wiping tears off her eyes, “I shall ensure all of his liquors are hidden far, far away from him. And I’ll be sure to inform his friends to not loan him a single drop of theirs.”

  “Thank you.”

  We kissed each other on the cheek and went on about other affairs. It was time that I said my farewell to Molli Su. So much evil is out there in the world that you can never be sure if you’ll make it back alive. After all, to be certain George and I would survive would mean that I wouldn’t have to say anything before I left. It would just be another heroic rescue, like in the novels I read. Unfortunately, that is not how my part of the Fancore works. It is a little harsher than that.

  Molli was in her doll-infested bedroom, reading the book I gave to her called The Mysterious Mysteries of the Origins. It was a book full of theories on how life was created and constantly flows in the cosmos and beyond the boundaries of the naked eye. She looked up at me with sadness that I had to leave her behind, again. After a moment of staring at me with her eyes watering, she looked back down at the book.

  “Are you enjoying that book I gave you, Molli? It was one of my favorites when I was your age.”

  “Yes, I like it a lot.” A long silence filled the room. “You won’t be gone too long will you? I had something I wanted to do with you and George, but it has to wait now since you’ll be gone. And before you ask, it’s a surprise. Don’t want to go through the same ordeal like last time you found out before I wanted you to.”

  I recalled the time when she was six and I was twelve. I had found a present, partially wrapped, with a few tufts of feathers hanging out, neon orange ones to be exact. I followed a trail of them and found our dog chewing on something small. Killer was a good mutt, until he ate the crossicute chick that would have been mine to fly on someday, when it fully grew to be a hen or a cock.

  �
��Oh, I remember Killer killing the surprise, not me, my sister.”

  “Yeah, but I told you not to go into the living room until the afternoon when the presents would be all ready.”

  “That you did, Molli Su,” I nodded in recognition, “but I was curious as to what the cheeping was all about. Can you blame a girl for being inquisitive?”

  “Yes! It was your entire fault! You can’t be curious when it comes to surprises because you’re bound to ruin the whole thing!”

  Putting the incident out of my mind, I laughed and reminisced about the good times I had had with my sister in this household. The sweet air in Molli Su’s room was mostly from the dolls scents, which they carried on their plastic skin, to assume the role of perfume, but there was another thing that made the aroma in the air so pungently pleasing to the nose; love, and a whole lot of it was present with us, as we sat on the bed and hugged.

  When George appeared in the doorway with the bags and gear all packed and ready to go, I knew that it was time to say my farewells to one last person, before I kept George waiting any longer. I tousled my sister’s blond hair, and ran out with a laugh, knowing that she would chase me for it. George followed us with a chuckle while he watched Molli Su and me running around the dining table with our laughter echoing around the kitchen. My dad playfully picked Molli Su up off the ground, and gave me a clear passage back to the living room with George. After kicking around in my dad’s arms and laughing for a bit, she finally gave up, and laughed as she passed me by to return to her room.

  When my father put his hands in his pockets and gazed intently at me, with a smile and a sigh, I knew that he was about to give a speech very similar to the one my mother had given me. My mother said her farewells to George in the hallway by our bedroom and held his hands as a mother would with her son, as she spoke to him. Just as I was about to speak first, I was interrupted by my father, who cleared his throat and smiled at me, with a tear streaming down his cheek and into his beard. He took my hands and told me everything that was in his heart to tell.

  “I could never understand what made you so special, but now I see it. You are becoming the woman you were destined to be. You are becoming the chosen one, and that makes me the most fortunate of all fathers, anywhere. I made a special arrangement for you to keep in contact with us, here.” In his hand was a device made of metal, with a single button on the top of it. I started to think I knew what it was, but I didn’t say anything or ask any questions. I just took it from him and grinned.

  “It is a communication device I obtained from a merchant in Galistar. I expect you to call me if you have anything going on that you can’t handle. Will you do that for me?”

  “I shall call you every dawn when I awaken, and every dusk before I rest for the hours of darkness. I can almost guarantee you, Dad, that I won’t have much to worry about out there except for what I might find if Forefather is-”

  “Forefather is not dead, Sui. He must be lost, or caught up in some other business he didn’t expect. I promise you, Sui, as long as he’s lived-”

  “He has always had a way to counter death. Yes, I know, Dad.”

  “I love you, Sui.”

  “I love you, Dad.”

  I took a deep breath and put my arms around him, shedding another tear of profound emotion. He slipped the device into the side pocket of my armored blouse and patted my shoulder tenderly. I looked into his face and saw that he absolutely did not see me as a girl anymore, but rather, as a woman. I was proud to be seen as an adult. It was something I had been waiting eighteen and a half years for, and now that I was praised as such. I couldn’t explain how honored I was. When George and my mother made their way through the hallway, Molli Su came out of her room and followed behind them. The three walked up to us and threw their arms around me and Dad. We formed a family group hug that lasted longer than all the other hugs I could remember ever receiving. After the farewells, George and I were ready to leave for the north.

  ***

  A soldier fights for his land, but a man fights for the Fancore, as a whole.

  ~Aloli-Ta Äbaka

  The eleven mages, doing their duties around the camp came to a sudden halt, so that they could stand in my presence. Their faces, young and old, were all tattered and filthy from the heat of the raging conflict on Salidiah Pulse. They wore various types of robes, and all had hoods over their heads. As far I could tell, some of them were highly nervous to stand before me. I was their idol, apparently, and it was time to act as an icon would toward his noble disciples. One of them was a tall, beautiful high elf with long, blonde hair named Espersia Day. She was a teacher of white magick, particularly healing spells, evident by the tomes she had piled next to her tent. It was evident in the way she looked at Diruiyal, that she had feelings for him, but never truly expressed them. When I looked over at Diruiyal the old man seemed to nervously glance at her with a blush on his face. It seemed that there was a two way crush happening between the Archmage and the teacher.

  There were four teachers and seven students who had survived the battle on Salidiah Pulse. I started with the teachers and learned their names as well as a bit of their history. Then I looked at the students; young, flexible, nervous were some, but among a select few of them, I could sense bravery and excitement above all. I decided to meet them one by one in the row that they were standing in. After meeting with the first five, the next one called me by name.

  “Äbaka, my name is Harri Harris.” It was a boy with skin as pale as the moons and hair as black as the sky above us. “This is my brother Jimmithon Harris. He is a mute, so please don’t expect him to say much.”

  “Oh, I won’t forget that, young man. I have worked with many mute students in my lifetime. I even trained mutes who didn’t even want to listen.”

  “How did you do that?” asked Diruiyal with slight skepticism.

  “A good wizard never reveals his tools, which he uses to conduct his sorcery. I abide by that rule as well as all the many rules a wizard must follow.”

  The boy, Jimmithon, stood out to me and gave off a peculiar vibe that I neither felt to be comfortable, brave, nor nervous. His brother was a timid wreck, barely peeking at me through his robe’s hood. I took it as though he was still shaken by the loss of the college and many friends. I stroked my beard and took a deep breath as I looked at the entire group of mages, begging for my help. I told them everything they needed to do in order to prepare. Then after the appropriate precautions were made, I went to oversee the college from the mountain tops as stealthily as I could, in case there were any hawkeyed jaqae who might have spotted me standing over them. I counted sixty-one alive and hundreds more dead. The bodies of the dead mages were long since removed, and now the jaqae held it as a camp and a forge for creating their jagged weapons and armor. Many of their tools were made using their own bones, so the bodies were out there for their benefit.

  After seeing the basic set up of catapults, traps, and crossbow cannons, ready to fire on the demons below, I hopped back to our camp to acquire my staff for battle. I also grabbed a sword and sharpened it to an epic point. The only thing left that I had to do was kneel on the ground and meditate. I had to absorb as much energy around me as I could to fill my soul with power. As the rest of the group sharpened their blades, I spoke with the waves of energy, asking them to guide me through the rage of battle and to keep my mind sharper than my blade. When I completed the ritual, I awoke out of a trance to see Diruiyal standing over me with a woeful expression.

  “I do not know if I can allow them to suffer anymore, Master Äbaka. It has been too much for them to handle Salidiah Pulse, let alone see the ruins of my other school. I am setting a high price; having twelve mages against hundreds of those ass-ears.”

  “Numbers are meaningless, Diruiyal. Only bravery, willpower, intelligence, and fortune can favor someone in battle. Listen to the voice of your heart, as I have told many others
before, you shall understand what it is that worries you most. It shall be brought to your attention soon enough.”

  The old Archmage nodded and stared at me with his eyes half open. I could see that he was growing tired from lack of sleep. I knew what I could do to bring his blood flow back to a normal pace. I pointed my staff’s blade at him and zapped his chest with a light bolt of electricity. Almost instantly, he leaped up in a frenzy of nerves and looked at me in shock, yet twenty times more awake than he was before.

  “You shocked me!”

  “No, I merely woke you up. You cannot fight jaqae with a resting body. I’ll get the mages ready; you make sure that everything you want to bring with you is out of this camp. We may not return after the battle, even if we defeat them all.”

  And with that, I stood and left him to gather his things, so that I could warn the rest of the survivors of our possible permanent absence of this particular area. The reason we wouldn’t be returning to the hidden outpost was because the heat of the battle to rage would be far too overwhelming for us to walk back. We would have to rest next to the bleeding bodies of many demons before returning to the very places to which we belonged.

  Sui and George were now searching for me on Imga I. I could feel it in the wind wafting softly against my beard. I knew they would never find me here, so the only way to keep them from searching in vain was for me to return to Imga I as soon as possible. But since I had promises to keep, I had but one choice and one choice alone: I had to forsake the two for the time being.

  I took three slow and deep breaths, collected my sword and staff for the battle, and then ran to the meeting area in the mountain walls standing over the old college of Imga XII. Even though I was displeased with the Archmage for using me as a war veteran in this whole situation, I had to keep a level head. If I was going to be fighting at his side against the jaqae, I hoped that I would be getting a fair deal with that college he promised. As for the students and other teachers, I saw no reason to have an aversion of them. They didn’t seem to show desperation for my presence in the battle. They simply admired me for my historic past as a great wizard. I feared for my own life as much as them, but I didn’t make it known.