The Arisen

Chapter 3

Leander barely managed to prevent himself from spitting out his wine.

"Are you kidding me?!" he said, placing his cup onto the table, "You expect us kids to overthrow a king who has killed or exiled everyone who stands in his way?"

"Leander has a point," Hyphesia said, frowning, "It's not like we're destined to make this happen."

Menalarius silently gazed at each of the speakers, narrowing his old eyes as if he was reading their minds.

"I understand that this is a lot for each of you to take in. None of you asked for this. None of you even asked to be taken here. But with the right training, I believe the six of you can accomplish things everyone has been too scared to imagine," he eventually said, "You all might be mere children now, but I am confident that I can transform you all into heroes."

Leander guffawed.

"But why?" Quintiles spoke up, "Why us? Why now? Is there something we have done to be seen as capable?"

"Trust me," Menalarius said in a tone of confidence, "Each of you has been deemed worthy to be where you are right now."

These words sent a chill down each of the teens' spines.

"Well, where do we start?" Cleo asked Menalarius.

She seemed to show just enough interest to be oblivious to the recent protests. Phoebus surveyed the scene with silence. Despite the countless times he has managed to fool the guards, he knew this was going to be no easy task. Instead of city guards, he'd be facing an army. It was his instinct to survive by running or sneaking away, but he knew that wasn't enough to save a city.

"I will let you know tomorrow morning," Menalarius replied calmly, "But for now, I am presenting each of you an important question..."

The man grabbed a leather pouch that was hanging from his girdle. He opened it and took out six golden necklaces. Hanging from each of the golden chains was a golden coin.

"There it is!" Phoebus blurted out, "I was wondering what happened to those!"

The five other teens were silent, but internally they shared the same reaction as Phoebus. After arranging the six necklaces into a line on the table, Menalarius began to speak.

"These necklaces are signs of your allegiance to the freedom of Metrissa. If you wear this upon your neck, you are sworn to rise and fight for the people and all will recognize you as heroes. All will know that the legend has now become a reality. However, I do not wish to stand between you and what you hope to accomplish in life. This would be a drastic change from how things used to be. You have your lives and families waiting for you back in Metrissa. So, my question to each of you is...will you pledge your life to save Metrissa?"

The six teens sat there silently for a few minutes, staring at each of their own necklaces. This was likely their one chance to return back to their loved ones, back to having everything normal again after this strange day. Quintiles looked around hesitantly at the others. Hyphesia rose from her seat and began to take short paces. The others sat still without uttering a word. Menalarius waited patiently for the teens to at least voice their opinions, if not make their decision. Phoebus' eyes were fixed onto his golden coin. It seemed to be calling his name. The longer he stared at it, the louder the voice seemed to resonate in his head.

"I'll do it," Phoebus said, putting the necklace around his neck.

He instantly felt a sensation of firm resolve, as if the prospective idea of death had little effect on him. There was nothing for him to lose, anyway, and the idea of him not remaining a thief forever was intriguing.