Hero's Journey

Chapter 65

Happy New Years! I thank you for coming along my journey with me. I've felt like I've accomplished so much this year and I am sincerely grateful that you've been able to witness it and give me so much loving support. It is because of you that I have the motivation to write. I've always had the love and drive, but you all keep me updating and working hard.

Once more I wish you a Happy New Year and all the blessings in the world to help you thrive in 2017. Thanks, that's all!

~Ashlee

〰〰〰
Kagon watches Leona with a bored kind of interest, the kind where there's nothing better to do than watch what's happening in front of you. He even yawns.

Zoya elbows him in the side. "Show some respect." She hisses.

He sends her a grin, but otherwise doesn't answer. Magic and mystery are a tool in his adventuring, but what he really yearns for is the action of it; when his heart beats so fast that it nearly escapes and joins the fray, when sweat trickles from every pore, and adrenaline courses through him like a mighty tidal wave.

Leona rubs more of the thick liquid into her hands before taking some salt from one of the bowls and tossing it in the air. Then, she chews up some sort of black root and spits it on to the sand. The hero watches in amusement as Delia's nose wrinkles in disgust as the old woman closes her eyes and stomps on to the crushed, gunky liquid. It oozes between her toes.

Now that's gross. Kagon thinks, his own nose wrinkling. Suddenly, his gaze snaps up to meet Leona's sparkling eyes. Within them is mischief and something else that Kagon doesn't quite like. Leona opens her mouth to speak. Kagon holds his breath, feeling tension fill up the air right before she utters the words that he somehow knows will lead up to a huge event that will befuddle him for a lifetime.

"SII DAAYO!"

The words resonate within him like the metal clanging of a large bell. Somehow, he understands the language. The translation is a mind's echo of the powerful foreign words. Release.

Then, the world explodes, or at least it does in Kagon's eyes. White light pulsates around him in a beat that matches that of a heart. Blue spikes of energy pervade the white and bounce around chaotically. Streaks of darkness attempt to wrap around the core of the white light and smother it, but are warded off by the brightness. Kagon feels as if his whole body is shrinking in and collapsing on itself. He has never felt such soul-destroying agony as this.

A clear, yet strained voice pierces through the storm of energy, light, and retracting darkness. Kagon, being completely overwhelmed by suffering, cannot comprehend what the voice is saying, but can only hear its sharpness and clarity.

The jagged blue energy spikes go flat and smooth out, now contained. Finally, there is one last explosion of brightness that nearly blinds the hero. Then, his blue eyes open to a sunny sky, but more importantly, The Sea Sorceress bobs with the waves of the Lividia Ocean.  All his friends are safe on its decks, it is as if they were never thrown off course at all.

However, when Kagon pushes himself up from where he lays flat on his back, he can see the continent of Roaria and make out two figures on its shores. When he shades his eyes, he sees that they are two roaring lionesses --one golden and one thin and dull. Leona and Zoya. If he concentrates, he can hear their mighty roar, but then again it can just as easily be the sound of the rolling turquoise waves.

〰〰〰

Kagon, Delia, Maude, and Tavius spend the rest of the day in seclusion from one another. When each of them woke up, they were all equally as disoriented and addled as the other. They all had decided to leave each other alone so that each of them could process the extraordinary experience in their own way.

Kagon still has no idea what to think of it all, so he does what he does best. Block it out like the life of being a hero has taught him.

Face the physical and leave the mental in the dust. Kagon thinks whilst sparring with empty air. His golden blade glints majestically in the sunlight before slicing in a downward arc that can easily cut the threads of fate if he were to do it himself.

As he cuts and slashes at nothing but the refreshing wind, it causes him to appreciate when Kip was there to spar alongside him.

I miss the lad, he was --is-- a fine apprentice.

Despite his efforts, his mind begins to leak questions about the magical craziness that causes The Sea Sorceress to sail the sea once more. The most prominent and pressing question is one he knows he'll most likely never know the answer to.

What happened?

All his mind can bring up as an answer is the memory of the lights and pain he felt. So, not much to go on.

Kagon shakes his head, releasing a low growl deep in his throat. "Enough!" He says aloud, hacking away at the breeze. If it was a person, they'd be cut to ribbons.

Being wrapped up in his own perplexing thoughts, he's shocked back to reality when another weapon clangs against his sword. He takes a second to study the weapon. It's a curved dagger with a smooth mirror-like blade and serration near its hilt.  The hilt itself is made from ivory and bejeweled with a purple stone.

I recognize this dagger.

His eyes widen when he sees the person wielding the dagger is none other than Delia. Her stern, stormy colored eyes look up into his.
Kagon goes to sheath his sword. "Delia..."

The girl immediately stops him by hitting her weapon against his.

"I will not fight you lass, I've already told you that many times." Kagon says, however inside he smirks at the challenge she provides. He always likes Delia best when she's at her most confident and stubborn. It's why he brought her along with him in the first place.

"You have been a witness to many different women fighting as hard and as well as any man. I myself have had some training, but it is you that I want to train me. Teach me." She urges.

"Why this all of a sudden?" Kagon asks. Delia has always shown her want for him to teach her in the past, but he has been able to brush her aside each and every time. She has never come at him with such intensity.

"I am done with you Kagon of Pik." For a moment Kagon can see hurt and anger flash in her eyes. "You just saw how strong Zoya is. I admit that I will never be a warrior like her, it is not in my nature nor is it my passion. However, it is a need that I learn as much as I can before we enter the Shadowlands for what I feel might be the fight of our lives."

"Have Tavius do it then." The words leave a sour aftertaste in the back of his throat.

"Tavius was able to help me some." Delia admits. "But it will be you that I fight beside for as long as I travel with you. So please," Her voice lowers and Kagon can see the vulnerability in her clearly, "allow me to at least be your new sparring partner until Kip recovers."

Kagon raises his sword and attacks without a word. The grin on Delia's face is so wide that it nearly causes Kagon to smile as well until he remembers that he should not be happy that he just gave in to her. Kagon of Pik never gives in, and yet a small, hardly visible trace of a smile somehow finds its way to his lips.