Rebellion: Prince of Dawn

Chapter 5.2: The Hierophant

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ILIAS PAYNE

A week or so after it was decided that I should start learning jynx at an earlier age, a response letter from Camaro's friend arrived.

   The colonel brought it with him when he and Jaime came to pick me up (she started to accompany Camaro early in the morning).

   He read the message aloud.

Hello, Chariot

Your request seems intriguing. Luckily for you, Gilead is along the path I plan on taking. I will be there in a fortnight or so and I will drop by to see if this boy is someone I want to teach.

I hope this child won't be like the others.

Sincerely yours, Silver

   That was a short letter. It was all business and no emotion. Every word was straight to the point.

   The lessons continued as they were, with Camaro teaching Jaime and I general education in the morning. On some afternoons when he wasn't busy, Camaro would take us to the field behind the library and train us in the sword.

   Jaime struggled to keep up when we were learning in the library, but she was beyond captivated when the same thing was happening with a sword in her hand.

   She was more proficient at answering than I was and I think Camaro thought I was uninterested in the sword as Jaime was in reading and writing. That wasn't the case. The difference was that I was bored because I already knew the things he was teaching.

   "If you pull out a sword without making it known that you are no harm, you will get hurt."

   "Think of the sword as a part of your arm. An extension of your body. Each strike must be filled with harmony."

   "Can you drop a part of your arm? No? Then you mustn't drop your sword as well. Have a steady grip, but allow it to move fluidly as well."

   These were lessons that were drilled into me way back then and they didn't need to be drilled into me now.

   It was the opposite for Jaime. Even if Camaro taught sword theory for three hours and we only got actual sword practice for three minutes, she would give all of her attention to the colonel.

   She reminds me of Valentine. Except Valentine was easier to control.

   I was proud of knowing the sword, but the colonel and Mother wanted me to focus more on jynx which I agree to. However, something in me didn't want to be a so-called jynxist.

   I didn't know why. Maybe it was some psychological thing because my mind and body were completely different. But even though I wanted to learn jynx, I was scared to lose my connection to the sword.

   My mind says I should be a swordsman and my body says I should be a jynxist.

   I knew what I had to pick. I knew the right choice. But thinking about it made me afraid.

   When my sixth birthday came, Mother threw a party at our house. The colonel and Jaime, the lieutenant, Camaro's unit, and all of her friends showed up to celebrate. There were no kids, however, except for myself and Jaime.