- The Final Day

"No, absolutely not. Doing that puts him in unnecessary danger."

"Tess, he's a rank S. He can handle himself."

"No, no he can't. He's a child. You said it yourself, rank basically means nothing, it's about skill."

Garnell stood up. "You can't change the ranking, that's illegitimate process. Rasha, put him down as an S."

"No, you have no say in this," Tess responded. "And say nothing about legitimacy, you gladly recruited a ten-year-old to fight for you. Rasha, protect him and reduce the ranking."

"If that's what you want. But consider how he'll feel."

"He'll understand, at least when he's older."

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She breathed heavily. Her shirt stuck to her back, acting as proof of her efforts.

She looked up at the sky after being thrown onto her back. She hissed out words of punishment that she directed to herself, before getting back up and trying once more.

"Roxy, you okay? You sure you want to go again?"

"Yeah, Miss Grant. I have to. The world is a dangerous place now, and no weak people belong here."

It had been seven years since Roxy had been liberated from her enslavement by the woman in front of her. Due to her being taken back East with Tess she had become enrolled in an aspirant system used by the Shadowstriders, a project that trained children to become future killers for the sake of the nation.

Following the incident at the workshop, the syndicate had dove further underground than they already were in a defensive act of survival.

Of course, their actions continued throughout the underground of the North and eventually parts of the midlands as well, as their influence began to spread and take root in other places, the growing organisation assimilating various organisations with similar goals to theirs with ease. There were even rumours of their influence spreading across borders, their deals bringing them wealth in faraway lands.

Yet somehow, there still had not been anything done about them. While they still hadn't outright done anything to attract the antagonism of the Guard, they were still an organisation that stood in opposition to them, and also now stood in competition with them in terms of wealth and influence.

This inaction angered Roxy as she saw them as a threat that needed to be removed, no doubt encouraged by her underlying hatred of the people who once 'owned' her.

But they were not the only threats that were emerging.

To the southeast, the minor kingdom cluster was slowly being taken over, either by force, coercion, or another method, by one leader. This was viewed as an active threat to the nation of Rovinia as the emergence of another, more aggressive nation that would no doubt harbour grudges against Rovinia for perceived grievances could lead to war, even if the grievances were unfounded.

Further East, the neighbouring nation of Kerrun had seen general dissatisfaction in the public evolve into a minor uprising, with multiple towns in the south declaring an independent state. The threat to Rovinia was that the resulting nation after the seemingly inevitable conflict could end up as yet another enemy in a time when it seemed like more and more kept emerging.

In the West, the nation of Merthin was also undergoing change. A successful coup by aggressive heads of the military three years ago had displaced the pacifist king, caused their vassal nation that occupied part of the northern border between Merthin and Rovinia to declare independence when the survivors of the royal family, the eldest prince and next in line to the throne and his younger sister, fled there seeking refuge.

War erupted between the two nations a handful of months ago, following years of increased military development by Merthin.

In the time since the outbreak of the war, the minor nation hadn't fallen, no doubt as a result of the famed Three Keeps of Threll, a trio of large bastions, each a city more than a military outpost, that acted as a deterrent to any would-be attackers, its towering walls and pain-inducing labyrinthian design promising pain and suffering to all who would dare approach with malicious intent.

Possibly most concerning, however, was the sudden emergence into the common person's knowledge of the cult of the once long forgotten elemental deity, Yar-Anar. The cult had rapidly spread throughout Rovinia and possibly further, their promises of strength, power, and security enticing the weak, the afraid, the greedy, and the evil of people to join their cause.

Unfortunately for the Guard, who saw them as a threat, nothing could be done about them due to the old law protecting religious freedom in the land until there was just cause, by which point it would almost certainly be too late.

"I wouldn't worry about you being weak any more. You have learned to master your darkness well, and your lightning usage is exceptional," Tess assured her.

"And just in time too," she continued, walking back to the other side of the training room. "Now that the recruitment age into the training regiments has been reduced to twelve, it won't be long before you're eligible. Granted, we do things a little differently here..."

In response to the number of threats posed to Rovinia that had been revealed in recent times, the High Commander of the nation's United Military had issued a decree reducing the minimum recruit age to the training regiments from fourteen to twelve, and subsequently reduced the age a trainee would become a fully fledged soldier of the nation by the same amount to fourteen years old.

"... By the way, there's going to be a mission in a few days. I'm heading back up North later today, if you're allowed, you can follow me up there shortly."

"Hope you're ready," Tess said as shadows began to rise out of her body.

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"And that about finishes it up. As I'm sure you're all aware, the Guard will be here tomorrow to assess your abilities, so good luck. And good luck with your lives once you leave this place."

Marcus lay awake that night, his mind racing over the information regarding magic he had learned over the years. Once more, he tried to reinforce in his mind the knowledge of what his two awoken elements, Earth and Fire, were capable of.

Fire magic, at a base level, actually encompassed all temperatures above freezing, not just actual fire. It would be more wise to refer to it as heat magic. It was mostly a combat element, with most of the spells made for the element acting to weaponise it. There were exceptions, such as cooks finding success with it, however they were absolutely in the minority.

Things that he could do using fire magic included setting things alight, burning air away from enemies, and trapping enemies with large walls of flame.

Earth, on the other hand, was a much more civilian element. It was a popular element that people sought in employment fields such as construction. Much like Fire, Earth wasn't an accurate descriptor for the element. Skilled users could essentially tap into anything that could be found underfoot and around them on the ground, ranging from wood to various metals.

With this element, Marcus could create weapons whenever he needed them, shore up his defence with protrusions from the ground, and construct shelter almost at will.

He ran the thoughts through his mind over and over, searing them onto his consciousness in fear he would otherwise forget.

Eventually he drifted off, his mind taken by the deep embrace of sleep. Once there, he dreamed for what felt like an eternity.