Shadows of the Light

Chapter 1

Everyone sat silent and still, enraptured by the battle that was about to commence. The mini coliseum was packed with the Repentant students and there was a great murmuring wafting over the place like a soft breeze. Down at the combat field stood two men, one a boy, toned with muscle due to hours of disciplined practice. He had jet black hair, which did cause a bit of a stir when he first arrived but was now firmly integrated into the school society. His eyes were now solely focused on the man he faced, not even aware of the crowd around him. The man stood tall and powerful, with numerous scars on his bare arms. His hair was white but dull with age, but his practiced stance with the wooden practice blade in his hands suggested anything but senility. Both wore sleeveless grey jerkins with matching leggings. The man announced loudly, "Sakiya Mening, what have you come here to do?" The boy replied just as loudly, "I have come to cast aside all the lies, all the misdeeds and all the corruption that I have been born in and to take my rightful place in service to the Light," The man nodded, "Are you then, ready to prove your worth to the Light? How then shall you prove it?" The boy stood confidently, "I have proven my willingness by my mind, now, I shall prove it with the strength of my resolve and of my blade," and he readied himself in his battle stance, legs apart with his sword raised with both hands. "So be it," and the man charged. The crowd roared as the two met in a furious clash of wooden swords. The dull thumping whipped the crowd into a frenzy as they witnessed slashes, parries, excellent counters and thrusts. It was a fierce battle and the battle-hardened man and the boy fought to the best of their ability. However, one of them had experience in heaps and the man nimbly dodged an overhead swing and cracked his wooden sword on the boy's knee. He cried out in pain as his right leg buckled and he was kicked onto the ground. He turned around to face the man, to find the wooden sword poised centimetres away from his neck. There were nervous mutterings rippling throughout the crowd when the man smiled and offered the boy a hand up. The mutters turned to barely concealed excitement. "Sakiya Mening!" he announced loudly, "You have shown me steadfast resolve and the fine temper of your blade! You have earned your place in the ranks of the Enlightened in the sword!" and a roar of delight sprung from the crowd but there was no one more overjoyed than the black-haired boy in question, whose name was Sakiya Mening.

"That was BRILLIANT Saki! Do you even know how fast those strokes were?? All we could see was a blur, then smack! Then before we knew it, smack again! And..."

"Calm down, Fornin." Sakiya grinned at his two friends, one describing his battle with childlike enthusiasm and broad gestures on hus left while the other walking calmly with his arms crossed on his right. "C'mon, Vexel! You must admit that that got yer blood running," Fornin exclaimed as he nudged his friend in the ribs. Fornin was small and wiry. He had a face resembling a child so though he was a lad of sixteen, people generally mistook him to be twelve. He had an untidy mop of autumn brown hair, a staid reminder of his status as the average class and if that wasn't enough, his less than casual clothes he wore accentuated that fact.

Vexel chuckled. "A good fight ALWAYS gets the blood of a man running, my friend. That's what makes us, well, men!" Where Fornin was small and short, Vexel was tall and well-built. His shining yellow hair and golden eyes marked him as one of the highest classes in the Illune Kingdom, and he carried himself well. Even in the dull training outfits they wore, one could feel an air of nobility and class about him. "But let us hear from the hero of the day himself: Sakiya! How did you see the match on your end?"

Sakiya was well described in the position he was standing: in between. He was of average height, taller than Fornin yet shorter than Vexel; both by a head. He was well built as well, but more rugged, due to hours practicing in the sun and with unsympathetic instructors. He was the son of a noble family, and so was quite well off. However, the most curious thing about Sakiya Mening was his hair and eyes. The hierarchy in the Illune Kingdom was focused around those two: the brighter yellow the eyes and hair were, the more noble one was considered. The present king: King Tychard the Seventh had a resplendent mane of fine gold thread and eyes that were rumoured to be so bright gold, it shone in the dark. Therefore in that context, Sakiya was a puzzle. So far, nothing had been said but it was still an underlying enigma. Sakiya shrugged. "Well, it was quite a lot of whack and bashing. I bashed him, he whacked me."

"The funny part about that," Vexel said, his tone neutral, "was the fact that it happened exactly as you said."

Sakiya winced. "That hit on the knee hurts you know."

"But I thought you had padding...." Fornin quipped.

Sakiya sighed. "You try getting hit in the knee then. With what ever padding you think!"

Fornin laughed, unperturbed. "I should. But you're Enlightened now! We might not have the same schedule to duel anymore!"

"Fornin, you're taking the test too. And just in case you didn't notice, so am I." Vexel said sullenly.

"I know, I know," Fornin replied hastily, "I just mean that, you guys are so much more prepared! I...just don't think I'm ready..."

Sakiya snorted. "Relax, Fornin. You'll do fine."

"I'm here too, Sakiya, just in case you thought you left me behind or something."

"Pssh Vexel. I already think you're Enlightened whenever I look at you. You're better than me in all areas. I've no doubt you'll pass in a breeze." Vexel smiled. Fornin was about to sat something but stopped as the three reached the residential fork. One led downwards towards the middle class houses while the other led upwards to the high end mansions. Fornin sighed. "Oh well. I'll just memorise the rest of what I wanted to say so I can regurgitate it on you guys the next time I see you."

Vexel and Sakiya looked at each other. "Disgusting," they said together. Fornin barked a laugh and made his way down. The two stood there as he made his way to his house which was quite near and waved a final goodbye before ascending to their respective homes.

"What Path do you think you want to take?" Vexel asked.

"The Blades, of course!" Sakiya replied, askance, "I mean, don't you? I thought we were going to go in together?"

"Well, to be honest, Sakiya, I'm thinking of becoming an Illuminator."

"You? An Illuminator? Not to sound insulting, but you were always better at the sword than spell-flinging! Remember that class?"

Vexel grimaced. "No need to remind me all the time you know."

"Sorry, sorry." Sakiya replied sheepishly.

"Well, I know I barely passed that lesson but my father had a Glow come over and he said that I had a deep energy reserve and that I would make a good one so...."

"You took his word for it."

"Yes. I noticed I had an affinity for big Illuminatings so I asked father if he could help me and he said he would if I promised him I would make good on my decision. So now, I'm thinking about it."

Sakiya was silent for a moment. "Well," he began, "I won't stop you. If you feel as if your promise to me is holding you back, don't worry, I understand. You make yourself proud."

They stopped outside Sakiya's gate and Vexel put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Sakiya. It really means a lot to me to hear you say that."

Sakiya smiled. "What are friends for?" he said jovially as he walked through the gate.

"Doing anything tomorrow?" Vexel asked.

"Yep. Father set another day with Lucienne for me."

Vexel's eyes sparkled mischeivously. "You know what? Get her a bouquet of Noontime Tulips. No girl can resist that."

"Vexel, I can't even imagine a married life! I mean, all I care about is swinging around a wooden sword! If let's say, father's marriage plans happened, what will I do with a well brought up lady?"

"Well, she'll just do what all Illune wives do," Vexel laughed as he waved goodbye, "Take care of everything that isn't a sword!"

Sakiya sighed as he walked through the front door and a servant put his shoes away. "He thinks he's such a joker..." he muttered.