Last Sky

Chapter 8 A Journey Begins

The rest of the week was uneventful. Ken wasn't discovered, and he soon returned to Kukimura, after we made sure it seemed as if Ken had held his own in the forest. I got to smear mud onto his face, which was definitely worth the trouble of letting Ken stay at my place.

During that week, Ken and I spent the nights talking, usually about my past. He'd accompany me to my training ground and watch me train. He also became a good sparring partner. Ken was quick and light on his feet, and we realised that we could both improve, just by fighting each other. We decided we would meet nightly at the same spot to train. Over the course of a few weeks, we both improved drastically, and became seasoned in hand-to-hand combat, as well as in battles of magic. Ken would use his wind magic, and I would use all the different elemental magics. I even showed Ken my ghosting. It felt great to be able to finally reveal my secret to someone I could trust.

The Clan magics were tied to the earth, and each had strengths and weaknesses over each other. Water magic trumps Fire, Fire is stronger than Earth, Earth is greater than Wind, and Wind overcomes water. When the Shadow clan was in existence, Shadow and Sky were on equal terms, and they both trumped the other elements.

Three months from that time, I noticed a crowd gathering in the village center, and I headed over. I saw a messenger was standing in the middle, all dressed in fine white clothing. I snickered a little, because the hat he wore was absolutely ridiculous, what with feathers smothered everywhere.

The messenger cleared his throat and recited "Attention all citizens! The High Royals are looking for new people to join the Royal Guardians. This is a prestigious post! If you are willing to undergo the trials, you are doing so at the risk of your own life. Know that if you succeed in gaining this title, your lives are to be spent in protecting the Royal Family until your retirement or your death." He paused to take a breath and proceeded "If you are willing, step right up, sign the form that I have brought with me, and join us as we head back towards Haneul, capital city of Shora."

I saw behind the messenger a small group of people, all adults, who were laughing softly. One remarked that no one from this village was going to sign up.

It did seem true. The villagers of Satoyama weren't all that great in combat, and many had comfortable lives. They wouldn't risk their life in a trial they probably wouldn't succeed in. As a silence settled over the crowd, the messenger looked around, and was about to roll up the sign up sheet when I stepped forward.

"I'll go."