Chapter 2

Though it was not as I remember, instead it was as if I was watching it from above as if I was someone or something else. "Now, attack!" yelled a young man as two formations raced across a field at each other, weapons drawn and ready to battle with each other. One flew the flag of Guerrant (the god of war and fighting) and the other the flag of Veda. Once they met it was organized chaos, their blows were bone jarring but never seemed to connect. Every time a blow came close, it would pass through the person but not harm them. Even though no one died, the combatant's still fell to the ground as if the wounds were a death-dealing blow.   

He watched as the armies beat at each other for the better part of an hour before signaling his troops forward. His troops were brought in to test these new commanders, to see if they were ready to leave this school and go onto the real thing. He charged at the formations along with his troops. As they neared the other formation, the archers let loose a volley of arrows Zeke laughed as he watched the enemies fall while the arrows passed through them. It was funny because these cadets were not ready for anything like his army. You see his army does not fight like the average army, they move like the wind and strike like lightning.   

They hit the enemy flanks hard and fast, striking then retreating so the archers and casters could strike at them. When the arrows hit, the ground started to tremble. Everyone stopped to look out at the east where the trembling was coming from; there was a whole army of monsters rushing at them. They were too many to count accurately and they were too close to the school and towns, so they could not even retreat.   He signals one of his runners and says, "Warn them to be ready, we will hold them as long as we can!" The runner took as fast as he could to the castle that held the military academy of the gods.

Zeke's head caster ran up to him "Sir, what's going on? Is this part of their test?"   

"I doubt it, Luke, I need you and the others to dispel our weapons and I mean all of our weapons. We need to fight for real." Ordered Zeke   

"Yes, sir !" Luke replied as he ran off toward Zeke's casters and told them what they need to do. Zeke signaled the Guerrant and Veda commanders to him.   

"I have my casters dispelling our weapons as we speak." Zeke,  said as they ran up to him their weapons glowed white then returned to their normal state. The Guerrant commander was huge he stood at 6'4 and at least 250 pounds of muscle. He had a squashed face as if someone had set on his face as a baby, his eyes were a fiery topaz almost gold. He had a big flat nose with a long scar that went across the bridge of his nose and under both eyes. With hair that was so black that it looked blue, cut into a very straight and short style. He had big lips and an even bigger frown on his face. The Veda commander was short in comparison standing at 5'5, she was built like a sword fighter lithe and quick. She had golden brown hair in a ponytail that comes down to her shoulder, which framed her sharp angular face. She had the most beautiful eyes Zeke had ever seen, her eyes ringed with blue, faded to green before became golden around the irises. She had a small nose that came to a slight point, her lips are also small and had a bit of a light pink color to them. When she smiled, you can just see that points of two of her teeth that are very cute.   

"What in Azer's domain is going on?" roared the large brute that is the Guerrant's commander.   

"Well it's clear that the monsters finally have the balls to attack the school," replied the beautiful young woman that is Veda's commander.  

"Good to see you again, Selena. You do your patron goddess justice with your looks and your battle strategies." Zeke says to her, he had gone to school with her, in fact, this very school, Zeke had just graduated two years ago.   

"Well, Zeke, I haven't seen you about two years, this is going to be a close one." She smiles as she grasps his forearm.   

"Yes but aren't they always when we are together?" he smiles and looks on longingly as they release forearms. "So, how many warriors do each of you have under your command?"

"I am Buster. Well met Zeke, I have heard much about you, I have 2,500 under my command and they all are tried and true in the arts of war," boasts Buster proudly.   "I have 1,500 of the best swordsmen and women the academy has to offer, and also 485 of the best archers and 15 Strong casters...." His voice seemed to trail off into a long and beautiful song which started Zeke from reliving his past.  

I wake to the most beautifully tragic song in the universe. So many things ran through my mind as I heard it and the most prominent one being that I had to help this being, even half-awake my brain knew no mortal could sing like that. I rush towards the room where the singing was emanating from and burst through the door with my sword drawn. I only see a young woman with long raven black hair. She is sitting at a desk in the middle of the room with the light of the moon shining brightly on her. I run up to her and did what every stupid hero (the funny thing is I was just talking about that) does I leaped without another thought. I put my hand on her shoulder to get her attention she turns to looks at me.  I could not even begin to describe the face I was seeing. That was because she had such an unearthly appearance than any words I could think of would not do her justice. Though the one thing that got my attention was her eyes. Once I saw those, I could not look away.

I felt like my soul was ripped out and consumed by infinite depths of her eyes, that were the color of molten gold. Traveling the depths of her eyes I saw so many things that can't even be described. Lives, so many fates, so many possible futures, and that being has seen or experienced them all. It was too much for my mortal brain to handle and I blacked out.   I struggle to open my eyes as the bright lights flood in from the hole in the ceiling I rolled over on my side and groaned in pain. I could not remember what had happened last night and when I tried to remember it a searing pain rushed through my whole body and onto my chest. It was as if the power of the sun was running through my veins and into my heart.

I looked around to see a small bathroom and rush towards it; as I burst through the door and head straight to the wall length mirror. I wipe the dust off the mirror and undo my leather and metal chest plate as it fell away I pulled my shirt off and almost passed out from shock. What I saw made no sense, thin glowing golden lines scrolled out away from my heart. The longer I looked the clearer the lines became, they are actually small golden letters. In some langue that I had no clue how to read, "What in Azer's domain had happened to me?" All I could recall from last night was her song, I headed back out into the room and looked around, all that is left of the Being's visit was the desk and a metal gauntlet. When I picked up the gauntlet, a piece of parchment fell out of it.   

I bent down and picked it up and read it, "To the great hero who came to my rescue use my gifts wisely." signed G.O.T.P., P.S. "The gauntlet is made of metal from the plains of the celestial beings, to use it just run your hand over the top of the gauntlet." I slide my hand into the gauntlet noticing that it fit perfectly and was as to as a feather. I do as instructed, which caused the metal to spiral up and out from the center of the gauntlet. As soon as it was fully deployed, it had a weight to it. It was a large round shield with a picture a Phoenix on it. I looked at the letter again and read the last part "When you need to deactivate it, tap the middle of the shield and it will return to its original shape."