Chapter 2: 1.

Volan raised his sword and blocked two incoming strikes from his training partner’s sword. Twisting the grip he had on the wooden longsword to quickly deflect them, but using a two-handed sword left him at a major disadvantage against a sword and shield. His partner, Angel Quesada, came at him again. This time Angel thrust out at him, aiming for the face with his shortsword. Volan went for a disarming strike, but the attack was a feint and Angel quickly withdrew his attacking arm to smash Volan in with a shield bash. Unprepared for the feint, Volan forced his body to brace for impact rather than dodging. The shield smashed into him and sent Volan stumbling backwards, staggering him as Volan tried to quickly regain his balance. One foot stumbling over the other for a good ten feet backwards.

Mr. Hunt, the instructor responsible for training Sentinels, chided him, “What the hell was that, Roltand?! What kinda Sentinel can’t take a hit?! Quesada!”

Angel’s head nervously turned to recognize Mr. Hunt.

He continued, “Again!”

Mr. Hunt blew his whistle, signaling for Angel and Volan to go another round, but Angel could tell Volan was nearly at his limit. Angel didn’t want to get in trouble with the instructor so he did as he was told and charged at Volan.

At the same time, Volan panted and tried to recover a sense of feeling in his hands. They were numb but pulsed with pain every time he heard his heartbeat pound in his head. It hurt just to hold his sword as the small blisters on his hands were stressed beneath the protective gloves. Volan’s mind did its best to comprehend the coming attack and formulate some kind of strategy, but he was too tired to remember that Mr. Hunt was present.

Volan gripped his sword loosely and took a defensive stance, placing most of his weight on his bent front leg while letting the other lightly touch the ground. For a moment, time slowed and Volan acted reflexively. Not having enough energy to dodge and retaliate, he instead raised his sword before quickly flipping his grip. Now, holding the sword as if to stab the ground, Volan pushed his shoulder against the flat of the blade and crashed into Angel’s shield.

The two now colliding, Volan quickly used his lighter leg to shift the clashing energy out to the side and forced Angel’s shield out of the way. Caught off-guard by the movement, Angel was now wide open and Volan changed his grip back to normal while letting his sword fall. All so he could do an upward diagonal slash across Angel’s chest; the blade hitting Angel’s right hip and going out his left shoulder. If not for this being training, Angel genuinely believed he might’ve been sent to see his ancestors.

With that strike, Angel stood stunned for a moment before turning around.

“Nice coun-”

But before Angel could compliment Volan, Mr. Hunt blew his whistle and was already hounding Volan.

“Are you trying to be a disappointment to your father, Roltand?! Who said you could attack like that?!”

Volan was on one knee, absolutely drained, “N-no one. Sir.”

“Then what in the name of the flame god are you trying to pull in my class, Roltand?! This is Sentinel training, not ballerina dancing!” Mr. Hunt grumbled, “If not for your father’s influence, I’d have you thrown out of this school! Do you understand?!”

Everyone else in the training hall watched as Mr. Hunt scolded Volan for pulling another of his unusual movements. Some of the children from the Old House nobility smiled and joked in whispers about how Volan shouldn’t be here, or made quiet jabs about Volan being undeserving of being at such a prestigious school.

Volan replied through breaths, “Y-yes. Sir.”

The bell signaling the end of the day rang out, and Mr. Hunt turned his back on Volan.

“Alright, everyone! Class dismissed!” Though, as Mr. Hunt walked away, he mumbled under his breath, “Son of the royal Sword-Captain my ass…”

The Old House noble kids sneered or quietly laughed at Volan as they left. Angel stood in place, unsure of what to do. Like Volan, he was a commoner who’d also been allowed to attend the Academy. But he got in through a scholarship, and he’d rather not attract the ire of the Old House nobles for helping Volan in some way or another.

Volan called over to Angel, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be alright.”

Angel wasn’t sure of what to say, but nodded and went on his way. At the same time, Volan groaned as he got back to his feet. His body hurt all over from being pushed to its limits, but it was something he’d gotten used to over his years at the Academy. 

Heading to the locker room, Volan started to change and clean himself up. Wiping the sweat off him with a towel and applying fresh deodorant to handle any smells until he could take a shower at home. He still needed to do some studying for upcoming tests. There was plenty about resistances and the different kinds of magic that existed, but Volan was never a great scholar. If it were simpler academics like math, crystal sciences, or history, he could at least smash the formulas and dates into his head. But things were never so simple.

Going over to a sink, Volan splashed water on his face and through his brown hair. It wasn’t much, but it at least helped him cool down for the moment. The cold water helped him and forget about Mr. Hunt and all the other instructors that burdened him with ridiculously high expectations. At least he would be able to study in peace for the rest of the day. Changing out of his practice gear and exercise clothing, Volan put his student clothing on and headed for the library. He aimed to get his studying done as quickly as possible so he and his father could enjoy their yearly outing.

*    *    *    *    *

Soon enough, Volan was amongst many others in a grand library. The place smelled of old paper, sharpened pencils, and worn out leather. Students walked here and there while mechanical book stockers and retrievers handled the more mundane duties of a librarian. He found it a little funny how, not too long ago, such conveniences were but fantasies locked away in science fiction books. He still remembered having to look for books by an author’s last name. Now it was but a request away.

Walking down the steps from the entrance while running a hand along a banister, Volan found a seat amongst a myriad of desks with privacy dividers. Setting his bag down at the side, he pulled the chair back and sat down. And considering what test he dreads the most, he began to reread his history textbook. Flipping it open, Volan scanned the pages to better understand where he lived: The Eternal Kingdom of Fire, Zekanto.

 

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Originally a small nation founded at the joining point of two rivers, Zekanto quickly prospered due to the abundance of resources found in nearby hills. It wasn’t long before the nation found itself with more than it could use, and thus attracted settlers seeking new lives. And with time, Zekanto expanded and established itself as a proper kingdom. But with the amount of people coming and the borders continuing to grow, a King alone would not be enough to govern everything properly.

Needing the aid of others, the first King established noble houses to govern in his place. While the crown would have the final say on any matters it deemed necessary to take direct action on, the nobles would act in his stead when the King could not be present. And thus the first territories in the West and North found themselves divided up into the first noble houses; now known as the Nobles of the Old Houses. And for a while, things remained this way. Growth slowed to a stable point, but progress continued and the Old House nobles made use of the troves of ore beneath their hills.

Then, new people started to come again. They had come for the same reasons the original settlers had, but they were also vagrants, exiles and more. It wasn’t all at once, but they began to appear in successive waves that only increased with time. At first, the Old houses were welcoming and glad to bring in new blood to the kingdom. But, eventually coming to see these settlers as threats, the Old Houses started to close their doors and became very selective of who they let in. They had begun to fear that if they continued to let people in unabated, the resources they held would be sucked dry and none would be left for anyone.

Now kept at a distance, the settlers realized there was an abundance of land to the South and East few were using. It wasn’t as wealthy in lumber or ore, but it was incredibly fertile and perfect for farming. Hoping they would be allowed to live there, the settlers asked if they could make use of the land. The current King saw no reason to deny them, though the Old Houses saw it as a means of both keeping an eye on the new citizens as well as keeping them at a distance. So, the new people began to live new lives as farmers. And to both the King and Old houses, these new settlements rapidly expanded. In what the Old Houses established in over a century, the new lands were already beyond that in a matter of just over a decade.

Due to metals and lumber being scarce, great advancements in technology and magic were made to compensate. Thus, the new citizens of Zekanto quickly grew to the same size as the Old Houses’ lands; some even greater. But they understood the ways of the kingdom and did not seek to cause any unnecessary problems. Thus, they requested the King form new noble houses for them. The King agreed, but the Old Houses protested. They argued that these new people had only just recently settled and had not yet earned the right to govern their own lands. Rather, these people should be governed by representatives of the Old Houses as they already have shown themselves capable.

The King was swayed by the nobles of the Old Houses, but then the new people spoke up for themselves. They stated how the Old Houses closed their doors to them when they asked to live within their borders, and thus they had to carve out their own homes with their own hands. Had the Old Houses accepted them, the lands would have become theirs with time. But they hadn’t and thus they desired to handle their affairs themselves, just as the Old Nobles had been allowed to long ago.

The Old Houses stood aghast at this request. Stating that such a request was not to even be considered when made by commoners. Yet the King saw no reason to deny it. Honoring the ways of old and doing so as a gesture of trust, the King granted their request. Twas only fair that these people be allowed the same treatment the Old Houses received, and so the Nobles of the New Houses were created. The Old Houses detested their newly anointed equals, but did not disobey nor contest the King’s decision.

And for a time, things remained this way. In the following years, the Old Houses and New Houses continued as they desired. The Old Houses kept to traditions that they’d brought with them during the younger years of the nation. And while they’d grown quiet wealthy and indulged in both lavish and opulent lives, they served the kingdom loyally. They would adopt new developments in technology and crystal sciences, but slowly and cautiously. For them, things needed to be proven without a shadow of a doubt before being considered. But even then, faith in the past often triumphed over all else.

 

“The past colors the present, defining us. A new future can only be made if we respect the ways of old.”

 

- Davin Rose, Head of the House of the Blue Rose

 

 

At the same time, the New Houses weren’t present during Zekanto’s early years and could only truly rely on what they’d built to sustain them. Through this the New houses adopted a view of looking to the future for answers. They invested greatly in the development of new technologies and discoveries to make up for the disparity in resources. To them, the titles were empty yet necessary as it was the measure of one’s ability to adapt and evolve that mattered more.

 

“With new knowledge we shall forge a brilliant future for all. And with new discoveries, shall we refine it.”

 

- Victor Nisenan Elk, Head of the House of the Silver Elk

 

 

The two primary noble factions viewed things differently, and often butted heads when discussing how the kingdom should grow. The Old Houses believed that they should rely on tried and true methods of the past. That their old ways would establish a solid foundation to build off of. Yet the new Houses pushed for the use of their new, but unproven, discoveries and technology. Stating how the future would need new means of progressing, but could never give a stable base to go construct from.

The two factions weren’t allies by any means, but they weren’t enemies either. In times of crisis, they would set all differences aside and work together regardless of what they needed to face. It didn’t matter if it was a natural disaster or the armies of a far off nation, they would face it head-on and without fear together. The Old and New Houses both understood what it meant to stand together or fall alone, and thus they always aimed to create a better Zekanto.

 

As Volan read through the textbook, he found his eyes getting heavy and his head started to nod. He couldn’t tell if it was exhaustion catching up to him or the textbook draining away his ability to focus, but a nap sounded perfect right about now. Falling face first into his text book, Volan passed out. Yet, off in the distance, he wondered if someone was whispering to him. The words were unintelligible, but seemed to be aimed at him. Soon enough, Volan was out cold.

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