Camp

The night passed uneventfully and when he awoke Keven found himself in a small tent with what few belongings, he had. He had never thought to be here, right here, in the cool morning air with just a hint of smoke. Smelling it he knew he had to get up and meet everyone. His clothes weren’t the freshest but he put it out of his mind and set out. Emerging from his tent he was surprised to see that the ruined remains of the camp had been rebuilt. Not just that but Greg sat next to two people by a fire. Shaking off the nerves he approached.

While he walked up, he took in the look of the two other recruits. To Greg's left was a girl who looked a bit older than Keven. Her blond hair was long and lush but pulled into a high ponytail. I complimented her petite face which was soft but angular as if she came from a well-bred family. She was dressed in leather armor consisting of a studded breastplate, leg bracers, and vambraces over her arms. It highlighted how small she was. The last thing he noticed was at the base of her back she had a small straight-edged sword. Whose handle was wrapped in a silver chain and the pommel was topped with what seemed to be a ruby.

On the right was a short portly man dressed in soft silky garbs. They were black with a red trim. It complimented his dark skin. His hair was short and close cut to his head and he wore a small clean-cut goatee. His age seemed hard to tell but his youthful brown eyes gave him away. Based on how he was dressed Keven could tell he was from some kind of royalty. He didn’t seem to carry a sword though. He had to get a bit closer to notice the six-foot-long blade that lay leaning against the stump next to him. Taking in the sight of the blade Keven could see the craftsmanship. The scabbard had an intact dragon design on it. The hilt of the blade was etched with flames, ending in a dragon head design.

The man approached first.

“Pleased to meet you, my name's Dwight, this is Sara.” He said with a smile while gesturing at Sara.

“Nice to meet you, they call me love, on account of my powers.” She said, Keven noticed that even her voice is small.

Greg rose from his place stirring the fire and addressed the three of them.

“Good now that introductions are done, we should get started. You see those three rocks. That is where we will be conducting today’s lesson.” He said while pointing at three large boulders.

The three of them turn and look but before they could look back Greg was gone. They whipped their heads around and spotted him by the boulders. The random but stunning display of power left them in shock. They gathered themselves and walked over, a moment later they were standing before him.

“Please take a seat.” He said professionally.

The three of them took their seats and Greg raised his hands emitting a faint green glow. Then a circle of green appeared around them. Keven gave it little thought and listened to the instructions.

“Everything I just did was to demonstrate a small bit of my power. I did this to put you at ease, I know last night’s events have everyone shaken. But please know I can protect you, last night…” Greg never finished he just trailed off while looking down with a grave look on his face.

Keven felt uncomfortable after hearing it. He had never been good with heavy emotions. He squirmed a little and as he did, he realized he couldn’t stand up. Greg noticed the panic on his face and then continued.

“Yes, right. Well, this is the first day’s test. Once you activate your power you will be allowed to rise. This is the first of many tests. For you days will consist of chores physical tests and education in sword wielder history. The reason behind this strange seeming test is not all sword wielder powers are the same so they take different things to active.” He finished and sat a short way away and read from a small book he had.

They sat for a moment and Keven noticed the panic setting in on Love’s face and she blurted out.

“How long will you hold us if we can’t?” She asked trying to keep her voice even.

“Long as it takes,” Greg replied as he turned a page.

So, they sat there in an uncomfortable silent panic. Keven began to sweat because the only time he used this strange power was by accident. Time seemed to crawl every minute they sat felt like an eternity and since they couldn’t move their legs it was painfully uncomfortable. Eventually after what felt like forever but was probably an hour Dwight grabbed his blade and floated it above his head. The circle disappeared around him and he rose. Greg pointed him to the camp and he left.

Another thirty minutes passed before a squirrel passed by where they were sitting. Love’s eyes began to glow yellow and the squirrel ran over and jumped in her lap. Her circle vanished and it was only Keven left. As he then began, he started trying to do everything to get his skin to change. Eventually waving his arms and starting to hyperventilate. But then he hears Ader.

“I can’t believe you are this oblivious,” Ader said in a mocking tone.

Keven looked around trying to find the source of the voice forgetting it is in his head. Finally, he calmed down and spoke.

“What do you mean oblivious?” Keven asked annoyed, because Ader thought it was easy.

“I will explain then, I changed your eyes so you could perceive things with perfect clarity, especially while moving at high speeds. I increased your reflexes for the same reasons. You may have also noticed I increased your hearing as well. I did all this so you could handle your basic powers. As well you seem to have noticed the horns. Which allows you to detect energy, find some with your horns, like the sun, and you can activate your powers.” Ader finished with a smug sense to his voice.

Keven thought for a moment and angrily thought back.

“What the hell would I need to detect energy for?” Keven screamed in his head.

Ader's voice got grave sounding.

“DON’T!! I will explain when I explain. But listen to me now and I will explain more tonight. So please just do it.” Ader said fiercely.

Keven winced but continued. He took a breath and felt. He felt out to everything. He heard the leaves rustle and saw the sway of them in the trees. Then he felt it, he actually felt it. It felt like he was trying to drink an entire ocean all at once. It was massive and it felt like it was going to crush him. But he focused harder and drank in a small amount. Once he did, a strange bone-like structure formed over his arm. With more of his body covered he noticed a few things this time. His fingernails were slightly sharper and he had a black void-like strip that started at his fingertips and ran down the back of his hand and up his arms.

As he was admiring it the green circle vanished and when he stopped focusing the armor, for a lack of better words, disappeared.

“Go on, the others are already reading you will have to eat and read to catch up,” Greg said with a lazy smile.

Keven leaves the boulder with a sense of joy. He made it to his stool to find a book, The Complete History of Sword Wielders. The book made him more uneasy than anything else today because reading isn’t something he’s particularly good at. But he set in on the soup and the book. Fumbling through both, he finished the soup and read the first chapter. It was about Isicar, the name of the beast they fought, and the first sword wielder. He was an Isicar who defected and bonded with a human.

It also seemed that it wasn’t their life but their death that spawned the sword wielders. Greg walked over and took his seat in front of them. He made himself some of the soup.

“So, this has been your first day and I’m proud to say you all did well. But as the days press on I want you to ponder this question. Why do you wish to be sword wielders? You’ve just read what the point of the first sword wielder was. Which was to fight back. Now, as new sword wielders, you must find your reasons for being here. Discuss it amongst yourself because we head out soon. “He finished speaking as he wrapped up his soup.

Greg then vanished and so did the soup and bowls. They looked around fascinated still taken back by the speed.