The Echoes Of Souls

Chapter 5

Three months of training had finally started to show results.

Everett could now hold the two-handed sword without immediately dropping it. He could swing it with some control, defend himself for longer, and even force Darian to take him seriously during certain moments of their sparring sessions.

But Darian had made one thing clear.

This was only the beginning.

It was early morning when Darian opened Everett's bedroom door.

The door swung open with enough force to wake anyone who might still have been sleeping.

Everett looked up at him.

Darian stood there silently for a moment.

“Morning training time,” Everett said, stretching his jaw. “I'm ready. Are we going?”

“Yeah. We're going,” Darian replied. “But not to our usual training ground. Follow me.”

Everett frowned.

He had assumed they would be heading toward the lakes for their morning workout, but Darian took him in a completely different direction.

As they moved through Veyrith, Everett found himself looking around more than usual.

The city was already busy despite the early hour. People were heading to work, opening shops, carrying supplies, and rushing through the streets to take care of their daily business.

Everett found himself surprised by how much he had missed.

For the past three months, his life had followed almost the same pattern every day.

Training.

Studying.

Training again.

Then more studying.

He had barely gone anywhere without Darian, and most of his time had been spent either at Darian's house or at the training grounds near the castle.

This felt different.

For once, he was simply walking through the city.

Everett watched the people around him.

Back on Earth, he remembered that people often looked tired or annoyed when they walked through busy streets. Here, there was a different energy in the air. People seemed focused on whatever they were doing, but there was also a sense of confidence and enthusiasm that Everett had not expected to see.

Perhaps it had something to do with the way King Vaelric ruled Valdoria.

Everett looked toward the sky.

Aurelis was already shining above the city, its blue-white light spreading across the streets.

He smiled.

“Maybe this star really does affect people,” he muttered to himself. “At least it gives me my favorite color.”

Darian glanced at him.

Everett chuckled.

After several more minutes, his curiosity finally became too much.

“Okay, I can't take it anymore. Where are we going?”

“To see the king.”

Everett looked at him.

Darian's usual expression had changed slightly. There was something different in his eyes.

Everett studied him for a moment.

Was he angry?

No.

It was something else.

Pride.

Darian looked almost proud of whatever was waiting for them.

Everett smiled.

“I hope you're not planning to humiliate me in another duel in front of King Vaelric.”

Darian laughed.

“No.”

The two continued walking.

“We're going there because you need to continue your training.”

Everett's eyebrows rose.

“Wait. Is the king going to train me himself?”

Darian gave him a look.

“No. We need His Highness's permission for the next stage of your training.”

Everett became even more curious.

“Permission for what?”

Darian's smile returned.

“Don't ask.”

Everett stared at him.

“That sounds suspicious.”

“You'll find out.”

They made their way through the crowded streets until the buildings began to thin and the path opened toward the castle.

Along the way, they passed the valley of statues.

Everett recognized some of the figures from the books he had studied, but seeing them standing above him was different. The stone warriors seemed to watch over the path leading toward the castle.

The guards stationed along the route noticed Darian almost immediately.

They straightened and greeted him respectfully as he passed.

Everett noticed it.

Darian did not need to introduce himself or explain his position. The guards already knew him.

His reputation clearly reached far beyond the walls of the Sovereign's Guard.

When they reached the castle gates, the guards opened them without hesitation and allowed Darian and Everett to pass.

The gates closed behind them.

Everett looked ahead.

The sight of the King's Hall left him staring for several seconds.

“The King's Hall,” he murmured.

It was his second time seeing the place, but it still impressed him.

King Vaelric was waiting for them.

“What brings you here?” the king asked with a wide smile. “And before you say anything, please don't bow this time.”

He laughed at his own joke.

Everett leaned slightly toward Darian.

“He really likes joking around.”

Darian turned his head and gave him a cold look.

Everett immediately straightened.

Darian stepped forward.

“Your Highness, Everett has developed a strong physique over the past three months. I believe he is ready for the next stage of his training, but I need your permission before I can take him there.”

Vaelric's smile faded as he became more serious.

“Where do you intend to take him?”

“I want to take him to Mage-Mountain,” Darian answered. “He needs to continue his training in the forest there, where the spirits and the energy of our ancestors are said to sleep.”

The king said nothing.

His expression became thoughtful.

Darian remained completely still, his eyes fixed on Vaelric. He did not shift his weight or show the slightest sign of impatience.

Everett, however, was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

The silence seemed to stretch forever.

Mage-Mountain?

He had read about mountains, forests, dangerous animals, and other natural environments in Darian's books. He understood the dangers in theory.

But none of those books had prepared him for the possibility that he would soon have to experience them himself.

Then Vaelric finally spoke.

“Darian, you are my right hand. Your judgment carries almost as much weight as my own words.”

He paused.

“I trust your judgment, and I know you would not make this request unless you were certain of what you are doing.”

Darian gave a slight nod.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

At that exact moment, Aurelis reached the perfect position in the sky.

A single beam of its blue-white light entered through the center of the King's Hall and struck a small object positioned above them.

The object caught the light.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the light reflected upward.

Blue rays spread across the ceiling before scattering throughout the entire hall.

Everett slowly looked up.

The sight was breathtaking.

The strange object seemed to gather the light from Aurelis and send it through the hall, turning the entire chamber blue-white.

Everett had no idea who had designed such a thing, but whoever had created it must have possessed extraordinary knowledge.

He stared upward, unable to look away.

“Everett, please wait outside for a moment,” King Vaelric said.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Everett glanced at Darian before turning toward the entrance.

Just before he stepped outside, the blue-white light filling the King's Hall suddenly faded.

The beautiful display was over.

Everett walked through the gates, and they closed behind him.

He barely took two steps before he felt something wet on his cheek.

He touched it with his fingers and stared at the moisture in confusion.

A guard standing nearby noticed his expression and laughed.

“It was just that time of day,” the guard said. “The King's Hall has a way of making people cry, whether from joy or despair.”

Everett looked at him, still trying to understand what had happened.

The guard smiled.

“That hall was built to make people cry. In your case, my boy, it was from joy.”

He paused before reciting an old saying.

“Thou who art bestowed with sight shall have tears in thy eyes, caused by eternal beauty.”

The guard said nothing more.

Everett slowly walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.

“I actually cried because of that?”

He looked back toward the King's Hall.

“That was crazy.”

He shook his head, still struggling to find the right words.

“It was magical. It was sorcery.”

For several minutes, he remained there, trying to recover from what he had just seen.

Then his thoughts returned to the conversation inside.

Mage-Mountain.

The king's attitude had changed the moment Darian mentioned it. Whatever was waiting there was clearly important.

Darian had also said his training would continue there, but he had made it sound completely different from everything they had done before.

Everett leaned back against the bench.

He wanted to know what was happening.

Eventually, the doors opened.

Darian stepped outside.

Everett immediately looked past him, hoping to catch another glimpse of the incredible light inside the hall, but the chamber was already growing darker.

Aurelis had moved across the sky.

The moment was gone.

Everett turned toward Darian.

“So, what happens now?”

Darian walked toward him.

“I have two pieces of news. One is good, and one is bad. Which one do you want first?”

Everett smiled.

“Give me the bad news. Once it knocks me down, the good news can pull me back up.”

Darian gave a quiet laugh.

“Fine.”

He became more serious.

“The bad news is that you'll be alone for this part of your training. It will be very different from everything we've done so far.”

Everett's smile faded slightly.

“You'll go to Mage-Mountain.”

Darian pointed toward the enormous waterfalls behind the city.

“You remember those waterfalls? The ones that feed the lakes around Veyrith?”

Everett nodded.

“Mage-Mountain lies beyond them.”

He paused before continuing.

“You will stay there until you believe you are ready to return.”

“Until I believe I'm ready?”

“Yes.”

Everett frowned.

“You'll see a sign when the time comes. I can't tell you what that sign will be or when it will appear. You'll know it when you see it.”

Everett was silent for a moment.

“That sounds kind of scary.”

He looked toward the waterfalls.

“I've barely lived in this world. I don't know what I'll find out there.”

He glanced at Darian.

“Maybe that's the point of the training?”

“Something like that.”

Darian nodded.

“I'll take you to the mountain myself, but once I show you the path, you'll continue alone.”

Everett listened carefully.

“You'll follow that path until you can turn around and see neither the path nor the city behind you. Then you'll keep going.”

Darian's expression became firm.

“You need to go deep enough into the forest that returning to the city would take more than a day's walk.”

Everett stared at him.

“That is supposed to be training?”

Darian smiled faintly.

“It is.”

Everett let out a long sigh.

“Okay. It sounds harsh, but if that's what I have to do, then I'll do it.”

He looked at Darian.

“You said there was good news.”

Darian's expression changed slightly.

“There is.”

Everett waited.

“So what is it?”

Darian took a second to reply, but smiled and replied, "That you are allowed to continue your training!"

They both laughed, but Everett could feel something inside. Was it building fear and insecurity? Not long though, and they both got serious. They went home and Darian helped the young man pack what he would need for what seemed to be a dangerous adventure.