Aftermath

Chapter 8: Do You Wonder?

The Knights of Ardonia have made it their business to fight to protect the Prime Songs and Senn has joined, so far proving to be their greatest asset, knowing that Thalleous has hidden the Mobillium Prime in Crown Peak. Now all they need to do is forge a plan to find the remaining three Primes before the Voltaris

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Senn hadn't been the same since... Sendaria...

Even his time in Ataraxia hadn't been without pain for he spent his time with Galleous Sendaris – the last remnant of Thalleous there was – and it hadn't been easy. Every time he saw those markings, there was only one name that crossed his mind, shortly followed by an intense feeling of anger-driven vengeance that filled his heart. It wasn't Galleous' fault. Senn was just too young to know how best to process these emotions and Galleous' mind was too clouded to help him through that. Senn lost a mentor, but Galleous lost a brother.

He had made it his goal to train Senn as Thalleous would have, but he never knew why he'd made such a foolish promise when he knew from the start that he couldn't live up to that expectation. He had parted on bad terms with Thalleous for that very reason. Going behind his back with the child that he had rescued felt like a world on Galleous' shoulders. That's why, in the end, he called in an old student of his – Val Mendoris – to help. He gave it what he could, but Galleous was not strong enough to give Senn the courage and abilities that he would need for the inevitable that would shape the horizon to come. He was not strong enough for himself, let alone the clanless Ardoni now saddled with guilt and desire – which was the only factor that halted him in his tracks the night he caught Senn sneaking out of the Blacksmith.

He should have told him 'no.' He should have taken responsibility and worked to keep him safe; but he saw the look in Senn's eyes as he spoke of the Knights of Ardonia and he saw hope for the lad. He saw a burning desire to take things into his own hands and Galleous was not one to quell such power. He had failed to do so when Thalleous had the same look in his eyes during the Great War, and every day since. This time was no different. So Galleous told Senn where he would find the Knights' quarters and those white eyes glinted in the moonlight in happiness and gratitude – something he hadn't seen in the Ardoni for many years. He just had to keep telling himself that it was the right thing to do and that Thalleous would have wanted him to let Senn go.

But he would always wonder...

Naturally, Senn had settled in with the Knights well – he slotted in with them like the perfect puzzle piece – and it was no thanks to the arrival of Ria Sendaris whom he had been led to believe had been killed along with the other Sendaris he had grown up with, during the attack on Sendaria. She gave Senn the missing part of him that would inevitably power him through just about every battle just by being there, fuelled only by revenge.

That revenge was the very reason that the Knights of Ardonia existed. They knew that the Voltaris would grow in strength and return in the same bloody mess that they had left in – only this time, it was going to be much worse. They needed to be at least one step ahead of them at all times and, just like the plan of the Voltaris, it started with the Prime Songs. They knew that they had been after them since the attack on the clans and that gave them the heads-up that they needed. They just needed to work out how to start. Luckily for Senn, he had been well informed since his journey to Crown Peak with Thalleous.

"Where do we start? The Primes weren't with the clans when the Voltaris attacked, so they don't have them..." Hubris groaned, pacing along the cave corridors.

His Nestoris colours climbed the walls as he walked and Grim was left fascinated by their brightness. Onyx, however, was not.