INTERMIXED

0|4

XAREN IKAREZ

It happened in the blink of an eye.

The sword found its way to his neck, forcing him to the ground in defeat.

"Aren't you bored yet?" Xaren grinned, his face looming over his fallen training partner. "Loosing twice in a row, quite repetitive if you ask me."

Dean's brown hair splayed on the dirt beneath him, rocks and debris making their way through his now tangled mane. Despite having a sword at his neck, the sharp blade nicking at his sensitive skin, he looked up at the Head Enchanter with a playful expression.

Of course he had something to say, Xaren thought.

Dean leisurely shrugged the dirt of his tunic, not bothering to move from his place on the ground. " Sounds a bit rich coming from you, no?"

If Xaren hadn't spent most of his mornings training with Dean, he would've mistaken the smug look of confidence on the latter's face.

"I mean," he continued, averting his mischief filled eyes from the Xaren, "I'm not the one breaking out in sweat each time I try to shape-shift."

Shape-shifting.

No matter how hard, how much he tried; he couldn't seem to get it right. It was a skill he wanted to perfect prior to the trials. It would increase his chance of winning the cure.

"I'm working on it." He replied to Dean's comment with a clenched jaw. Despite how hard he tried to hide it, it hurt his pride to not be able to do such a mundane task.

"We'll try once again today, it's nothing to-," a cacophony of voices brought their conversation to a screeching halt.

The Enchanters loitering around the room filed out the door towards the outdoor grounds.

The Sanraz grounds spread over a vast expanse of land, lush grassland stretching as far as the eye could see. Trees strategically placed at the borders of the grounds cast a cool shadow upon the onlooking Enchanters.

"What is going on?" Dean exclaimed, intrigued by the sight of the massive stage.

"For Levaush's sake, she didn't tell me it was happening today." Xaren sighed, running a hand across his face in exasperation.

Krinna had informed him that they inevitably would have to face the curious Enchanters, to inform them about Nex's whereabouts. They also would have to address their people on the oncoming trials, instill how much ever public spirit they could manage.

Which seemed to be hard, considering the fact that they had just lost their first attempt of procuring the cure.

Xaren walked towards the stage with Dean, his fatigue from a morning's worth of training nowhere visible on his face.

Krinna stood atop the stage in robes of white, a colour deigned fit for only public appearances. Her robes shimmered the light glinting off the extensive crown placed on her head, symbolising her presence as the Master of The Orient.

She seemed to notice Xaren on the stairs leading to the stage, a minute smile cracking through her stoic expression.

Xaren gave back a reassuring smile while taking his place behind her, apprehensive for what was to come.

"Greetings to each one gathered here today!" Krinna's voice boomed across the grounds, commanding the attention of every Enchanter present.

"As you all are well aware," her eyes slowly moved through the crowd. "Our chance of retribution has finally arrived."

Shouts of agreement rang through the crowd.

"We have suffered tremendously for this past year, our loved ones falling victim to the disease tarnishing our land. We will no longer continue to live in anguish."