Chapter 53: Imminent Attack

Zephyr was deep in thought, his mind focused only on the grave before him. “Artemis Krauser,” it read, “you will live for a lifetime…” He barely remembered the man who was remembered by little more than a stone marked in a site where many others lay, but his sentiments remained as strong as ever.

“I wasn’t strong enough…” Zephyr whispered, feeling the presence of the man who stood behind him, watching silently from the shadows. “Neither were you…” he said softly, knowing he was not the only one who had failed to prevent the slaughter of so many students he had grown up with.

Leon stood behind the boy, his hair blowing wistfully in the wind, but his stance remaining as firm as his conviction. “Neither was she…” Leon whispered, in the most sincere way he could confer the news of Zephyr’s beloved mistress falling in the heat of battle.

“Olivia…” Zephyr whispered, his body tensing up in response to the inevitable answer.

“Zephyr…” replied Leon, his voice as soft and caring as it had been previously.

“Where is she?!” Zephyr hissed, standing upright and spinning, sword in hand.

“I’m sorry…” Leon whispered, drawing his own weapons in response.

Zephyr eyed the boy, venom in his eyes, hatred in his face and loathing in his stance. Leon remained equally empathetic, but it did not serve to calm Zephyr. He unwillingly raised his blades, ready to charge forth in combat, but his attention snapped elsewhere. His eyes flicked back to Zephyr, but Zephyr was also distracted.

“I hear it too,” Zephyr answered his gaze.

With nothing else said, Leon had disappeared into the trees, whereas Zephyr sprinted towards Luan and Griff, who were trying to console the surviving students.

“Ready the soldiers,” Zephyr ordered as he ran towards Harmony.

“What do you mean?” Griff questioned.

“Ready the soldiers!” Zephyr repeated, more forcefully.

“Surely the Empyreans wouldn’t attack again so soon?” Luan chimed in, questioning Zephyr’s haste.

“It’s not the Empyreans we need to worry about,” Zephyr replied hastily, “now ready the troops!” he demanded.

Within minutes the Academy was again ready for battle, though their weariness and despair was clearly evident.

As Zephyr had predicted, Syntians soon stood at the top of the hill, ready to crush what little resistance remained of the Valice Academy.

“We have stood strong against the Empyrean invasion!” Zephyr yelled as he rode atop Harmony, pacing back and forth in front of the soldiers. “Now let’s show the Syntians why their days are numbered!”

Outwardly, he did not seem perturbed by the army before him, but inwardly Zephyr was crying out in anguish, wanting reprieve from the slaughters he had been subjected to. It was inevitable, though, and soon the Academy was again fighting for little more than survival.

Zephyr charged forward as his comrades fought in the ruins of their home. He felt a power surging through him, and he swung his staff, conjuring fireballs staff that sent shockwaves through the Syntian forces. Harmony reared up and shifted course, in perfect synchronisation with Zephyr, who watched as icicles fell from the sky and crippled another wave of Syntians. He did not have the slightest idea where this magic was coming from, knowing only that he could feel the power surging through him and resonating within both his staff and Harmony.

Zephyr’s magic inspired a new wave of adrenaline throughout the Academy, and the students charged forward, decimating waves of Syntians with minimal casualties. Harmony did not break stride even as projectiles from siege weaponry pounded the ground around them, allowing Zephyr to destroy another squad of Syntians within seconds. As the siege weapons crept forward, their range encompassed the students, but Harmony did not falter as Zephyr continued to destroy the Syntian Army.

As the projectiles hurtled towards the students, a woman in red sprinted to the front and leapt in the air, spinning as she recited “entre deluge emorath.” A large shield surrounded the students, and the projectiles fell to the floor harmlessly, giving Zephyr enough time to destroy the siege weaponry before the shield faded.

The man clad in black armour was also adept with magic, sending fireballs to greet the Syntians with swings of his axes. He charged forward, the heavy armour not hindering his speed in the slightest as he greeted the Syntians with vicious chops and slices, decimating their numbers as ruthlessly as Zephyr. It was then that the dragon that had destroyed the Empyreans reappeared, sending flames across the Syntian lines, scorching what soldiers remained.

The Academy Warriors let out a cheer as the Syntians were destroyed, but the awe of the magic-users before them was equally evident. Offensive magic was only ever talked about in lore, concerning the Great War and the history preceding it. It had been assumed lost when the other creatures of lore had disappeared, but as the creatures began to slowly reappear, so did the magic that accompanied them.

Unlike the other two magic-users, though, Zephyr could not handle the strain of using magic, and he fell from Harmony, unconscious. The man in black armour shook his head and walked away, as did the woman in red. They knew that it was not yet time to reveal themselves to the boy, assisting only where it was absolutely necessary to ensure his survival.

Zephyr awoke to a hushed exchange of words. “I understand your distress, Lazaro,” one man hissed quietly, “but we need you here!”

“I understand that, Luan,” Lazaro replied, equally flustered, “but I need to find her. I’m sorry, but I’m going.” Zephyr turned to find Lazaro climbing onto his horse and riding off, ignoring Luan’s protests.

“What’s going on?” Zephyr asked.

“Oh, Zephyr, you’re finally awake,” Luan smiled, but the smile was soon replaced with a grim expression. “A number of staff and students have gone missing, among them Narelle. Lazaro believes they were taken prisoners, and has made it his duty to find them.”

“How could either of the armies possibly take prisoners?” Zephyr asked, referring to their complete obliteration.

“Don’t be so sure of your victory, Zephyr,” Luan advised. “There were countless opportunities for prisoners to be taken, in both attacks, and rest assured it would have been a very viable strategy. It is a simple fact of war that prisoners can offer plenty of information that would otherwise be unobtainable, and it would have been the first thing any military commander would have ordered assuming their would be further battles. The Syntians were headstrong, so I don’t think we’ll see them again, but rest assured we’ll be seeing the Empyreans many times to come.”

“I see…” Zephyr conceded. “And what of the rest of the Academy?”

“The staff and students were ordered to return to their home-towns, as is to be expected.”

Zephyr looked around. There was still members of the Academy scattered around, but Luan had not finished. “There were, however, a number of us who have decided to join you.”

“What do you mean?” Zephyr asked, puzzled.

“You’re not planning on letting this destruction go unanswered, are you?” Luan asked.

“Well, no,” Zephyr answered.

“Nor have we,” Luan replied. “There are one-hundred-and-fifty soldiers and fifty medics at your disposal. We will go wherever you lead us.”

“…Why me?” Zephyr asked. Luan raised his eyebrows at Zephyr, questioning if the boy truly had no idea. “Conceded,” Zephyr muttered.

“As a Board Member, I will act as your political advisor, and Griff will act as your military advisor. I answer to the Board as he answers to an elected group of Ancient Warfare teachers. I was hoping that Lazaro would stay, as he offers a very unique and noble perspective, but alas, that is not to be. I trust you have no objections?”

Zephyr sighed. Too many of the Oracles’ predictions had come true of late, and he knew that the Academy believed in him as much as they did the other predictions. He did not want to be responsible for their lives, but he did not have a choice. “No,” he lied, accepting the role begrudgingly.

“Excellent,” Luan smiled, “now, what do you think our first move should be?”

“Well, we can’t stay here, that’s for sure. There aren’t enough of us to defend if we’re attacked. Any ideas?”

“We can either try to finish off the Syntians and liberate Quentac, or we can attack the Empyrean fortification,” Griff chimed in, having wandered over to Zephyr and Luan. “I think Quentac will be able offer significant funding to our cause, so I think that should be our first move.”

“Then I guess we’ll attack the Syntians,” Zephyr agreed. “Luan, can you ask the Board for funds in preparation for an assault on Quentac?”

“We won’t get much, but I’ll definitely try,” Luan nodded.

“Alright, well, we’ll attack in a few days. Where do you suggest we stay until then?”

“Students and staff from Quentac were sent to Tyria following Syntian occupation. If we head there we might be able to muster some support for the invasion, and it’s the closest town to Quentac. On the contrary, though, because it’s so close to Quentac, the Syntians might catch wind of our plan.”

“Avoiding that is a luxury we don’t really have,” Zephyr muttered. “Send the Warriors to Tyria to recover, and use what funds we have to buy equipment and horses. Track down the other students and staff from Quentac, and quietly, I can’t stress this enough, quietly try and recruit for the attack. Keep the villagers in the dark, only talk to those from the Academy.”

“As you wish,” Griff nodded. “And when will you be joining us?” he asked.

“Soon. I just need to go somewhere first.”

“Understood.”

Zephyr dismissed his advisors and climbed atop Harmony. He rode to his old house in the forest, coming to rest in front of the small shrine he had dedicated to his fallen comrades. “I’m sorry,” he whispered softly as he knelt before the grave, digging a small hall to prop Raziel’s swords against the stone.

Saying nothing more, he pulled his dagger from his belt and carved the boy’s name, taking a moment to lower his head in tribute.

“I won’t join you.” Zephyr turned to find Leon before him, his usual grin replaced with a solemn look. “But I will help if you need, for a fee. If you require my services, leave a note at an Inn, and after completion I’ll send for my payment.”

“Leon…” Zephyr whispered softly, but he knew his pleas would fall on deaf ears. “I can’t do this alone…”

Leon shook his head. “I work alone,” he said bluntly. “I will offer my services, but I won’t offer my allegiance.”

Zephyr nodded. Dismissing the boy, he returned to Harmony and made his way towards Tyria.