Wardens of Elysia

Chapter 23 ▪ Warden History ☆

The voice of Master Gandris reverberated through the room...
"Legends tell us that the first men, called the Alphas, each chose a place to reside in the world." The boxes formed rough silhouettes of twelve robust-looking men. They were roleplaying a scene.

"One of the twelve was named Arkius the Brave," a boxed human figure stepped forward, "who journeyed through the lands to the east." The other eleven men faded and the platform looked as if there was a man walking. Just then, cube particles from his left formed another person, "He had a beautiful wife. And because of his love, he named the lands after her, Yverna." Each sceptre movement and each story of Master Gandris, the floating boxes played.

"She gave birth to seven delightful daughters." Seven lady figures danced at the background, all separated by a different monochrome cube color.

"When they grew up, Arkius divided the lands in the same number. He called each region according to their names, Karokkia, Alluvia, Lycida, Byreah, Plythia, Meera and our region, Elysia." Their lady forms turned into squiggly shapes. When Elysia was called, the shapes moved backward and stuck to the papyrus map at the board, all forming the country Yverna.

Elysia then appeared as a lady again. She looked like she wore a veil to her head with a basket on her arm.

"Elysia soon got married, as the others, and now had to divide her share of the land to her five offspring. This time, she gave birth to five sons," five more distinct hues appeared, "Namely, Isennos, Acuarios, Lavendros, Kalos, and Sephyros."

There was no anatomical difference among the five men. Tierra guessed that Master Gandris made them thus so none of them would compare the features of the two cities.

"Just the same, Elysia divided her land to her five sons. Later on, there was a decree to call capital cities with a suffix of -ia, which eventually changed Sephyros to Sephyria."

Heads of the academics bobbed here and there, eager not to miss a view of the formations. Each time, Master Gandis made slight flicks to his sceptre.

He now pointed to the top.

Just then, a few brightly lit boxes descended from the ceiling, "The Alphas had one true deity they believed in...the Omni. The Omni speaks to the people through maggoule rock which are said to be gifts from the heavens and are found only in sacred and extremely rare caves."

The boxes cramped into two parts of the map, "In Yverna, they are found both in the deserts of Karokkia and in the tundras of Meera."

The preceptor's voice dimmed, "But He doesn't speak directly with a voice," he flicked the sceptre and the cubes jigged in their place, causing a chaotic little scene, "which discords and radicals now argue as proof of the Omni's nonexistence or potential inferiority...which will be discussed soon enough."

A huge brown sphere formed from thin air. A girl from the front tried touching it.

Master Gandris went on emphasizing his words, "The Omni speaks through the heart of an aspirant during the maggoule ceremony, in which ours is four months from now. A message can be seen in its shards; whether you will be charged as His divine guardian, a warden, or be destined not to." He paused long enough for the class to absorb that information, then waved the sceptre again, causing the moving cubes to zoom back to its orb.

Tierra exhaled, pouting a bit after realizing the presentation has ended.

"Now 856 years since the Alphas, we are now here, still practicing the same old traditions, learning the same old teachings, and training the same old chosen age of fourteen year olds." Master Gandris walked to the center of the platform. He tapped the sceptre's circular gem with his index finger, his voice dimmed, "Or maybe this year it will be different. Again. Like selected years from the past."

Allie was seen wiping her eyes. Jerille was tapping his feet with the amount of his thoughts. Monnet was clearly shaking.

"Which lead us to the rumors of wars," he went on.

"Savants."

Heads turned to him.

"Elysian radicals have....well, performed what is now being forbidden. They have used dark magic to foretell the times. And most of their...well, the outcomes of these premonitions all predict that this year is that special year."

The class buzzed into frenzied assumptions.

"What is he talking about?" Karys whispered to them, infuriated.

Tierra glanced at Eros, who was talking to Reed. Salovin was being silent, while the other boys made jests of skepticism.

"Yes, yes. You are rightful to be bothered by it." He bowed his head, smiling again as if enjoying the stir he had brought about. He looked at the class.
"This year, in Elysia, a savant will be charged."

Heads cocked, backs straightened, brows crumpled.

"What?"

"Pardon?"

"How is that possible, Master Gandris?"

"How will we know if one is charged with three instead of one?"

"Did they say which city the savant will come from?" Questions just came popping here and there. This time, academics didn't wait to be called.

The preceptor's eyes glinted in spine-tingling euphoria, "We know little, I'm afraid. And the little knowledge we have tells us this year may just be special. But if we did know more than that, we should have replaced the Omni Himself, should we not? Hahaha!" His laughter echoed the lecture hall but was unrequited. Still, the preceptor looked drunken in his ecstasy.

"How do we recognize a savant and from which city? I have no answers to that, my dear aspirants. But I wish I knew. I wish I knew." He combed his beard with his gnarly fingers.

Tierra felt her heart pounding, afraid of the answer of what she was about to ask, "If by chance, Master Gandris," she called out as the preceptor turned to her, his eyes wild with excitement. "If there really will be a savant this year," she gulped and looked down, "what will be done to him or her?"

Master Gandris retained his stare before breaking into a aweful grin, "You could only imagine the possibilities, my child."

The class went silent, images swirled in their minds.

"But you're right to be curious about it," he continued, "Why else would the east wage war if it were not so?"

The class was again in buzzing disappointments. Some even seemed to be arguing.

"Well, look at the time! It's almost lunch hour." He clasped his hands amidst the noise, "I shall leave you with that."

"Is there a possibility that the...the radicals are wrong, Sir?" It was Allie. Sweat moistened the sides of her face.

Master Gandris stalled. He looked at the academics' faces, who were eager to hear the answer.
"Do you know why prophecy rituals are considered dark magic?" he paused and made a haunting smile, "Because it is brewed from the deepest parts of human energy...from the person's fearful secrets, his darkest desires, his most unacceptable fantasies, the sins of his subconscious, and even beyond that. It harvests the most powerful source a man can produce that it becomes too dangerous it is forbidden."

The class held their breath.

Master Gandris's next words pierced through the silence in morbid echoes...
"I personally believe dark magic is the ultimate truth."

Their eyes widened.

Is Master Gandris a radical? Tierra panicked in her thoughts.

"So if I were you, I'd tell my preceptors the first sign I discover that I'm a savant." He picked up the stack of assessment papers,
"I would not want other kingdoms to get to me first,"
and with that he left.

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No pictures for now and no long post-entries...
Let the story sink in...