12: Augustus' Escape

"I knew if I couldn't leave the tower then, I would have been attached to it forever. It seems that Gabriel knew this as well. He may seem like an idiot when you speak to him, but he does have a lot going on inside of his skull. He decided that it would be better to help me escape. After all, I would get nowhere without his assistance. As long as the first, Yuri Centurion, was watching over me, I had no chance of escape. If he had heard that I escaped, he would simply stop time and run over to my location, then proceed to punish me for my 'vain' actions."

"The plan was set. We made it seem as if Gabriel was taking me on an excursion for training and I'd run off during that time. It was a simple but effective plan. However, nothing ever really turns out exactly the way I want it. Just before we left, Valor wanted to join us. He said it wouldn't be a very good training trip if he wasn't there. To this day, I'm not sure if Yuri put him up to this, or if he just wanted to come along for fun, we were going someplace extremely dangerous after all. After a brief argument, the second's excessive excitement got the better of Gabriel and he gave in, allowing the second to come along."

"We traveled for weeks on end, spending many sleepless nights killing swarms of beasts on the level of the Cerberus we fought a few days ago. After a month of traveling we made it to our destination, a place commonly called Hell's Gate."

"The region is very diverse, going from a barren desert to a frozen wasteland, with a plethora of ecosystems between the two. The beasts dwelling there are on another level entirely. A single beast would give even the second a decent amount of trouble, never mind a horde of them."

"The initial plan was to stay there for a month or so and then head back to the tower, but just before we went back, I would escape deep into Hell's Gate, somewhere where Gabriel would claim it was too risky to follow me to. However, things would be different with Valor along with us."

"When we took our first night in Hell's Gate, I had an idea. I felt that Valor would be different than the rest, just like Gabriel. Just because he was in on the plan doesn't mean he would have liked it. Back then I was much more confident in my skills and was much more sociable, I wouldn't be able to pull a stunt like this today. I went with my gut feeling and told him everything. from what I knew was going to happen to me, to the plan of escape."

"After I told him what I knew, he looked up at the sky for a second then looked back at me. He agreed with everything I said, and even told me he'd let me escape. However, his next words will stay with me until the grave. He said: 'I will allow you to leave and travel on your own, but on one condition: you must strike me down at your full power, proving to me that you are worthy of surpassing me as my successor. If you are incapable of this, you will be struck dead at my hands.'"

"The deal was struck, and Gabriel was instructed to travel out of sight, so he could report with full honesty on the events that occurred. As you can see, I am still alive now, which means the second is dead. It's been a decade since then, and I still remember our fight vividly."

"He was and still is the strongest opponent I have ever faced. Our fight lasted well over five hours, destroying a large amount of the jungle. For the last three hours of our fight it was raining heavily, and Valor was in his own element at that point. The entire fight I was struggling on whether or not to kill him until near the end of the fight where he formed a sword entirely of lightning and gorged out my chest. That was the first time in my life where I had genuinely feared the idea of dying. I realized he was trying to kill me and gained some resolve. I looked him dead in the eyes, and I said 'Goodbye.' He smiled at me and said his last words. 'Finally, you dropped a pair. I was seriously wondering if I would have to kill you by this point.' I finished him instantly after that, using physical enhancements of two-hundred percent and infusing fire into my blade, instantly disintegrating him. I took one look back at where Gabriel should have been before leaving."

"I gathered all of Valor's ashes, at least all of the ones I could find, and traveled to a snow-capped mountain, where I could see it was always storming. From the top of that mountain I spread the ashes of my teacher. Even though he was harsh, he still helped me live much longer than I would have, especially now that I don't have any powers, it would have been impossible to live as a wandering merc, like I am now. After I spread them off of the peak, watching them get swept away, I forcefully gave up my name. The rest is pretty much history."

"After Gabriel escaped the forest he traveled as fast as he could back to the tower, to tell them of my escape and the second's death. They decided it would be better to wait for me to come to them, because it would happen eventually. They sent agents out everywhere in the kingdom, trying to catch any information about me, and eventually found out where I was. They also found out I had discarded my name and was traveling as an unnamed. Upon hearing this they decided to announce my death, as well as the second's death, to the public. Not even the king knew the truth. The next part is my take on what probably happened, so do not take this as fact. I believe the seven remaining archmagi took a vow of silence on my existence, vowing not to speak of my existence to any that do not know I am still alive. The vow probably lasts until I reveal myself to the public again. They also probably made an agreement to reserve the second seat for my return. I killed the second after all, which means I am more powerful and have every right to take that place. However I don't want that, and they know it. This trial is just a farce to make me rename myself."

"This brings me to why I was traveling in the first place. I hate the idea of being named and having a debt to whoever named you. I despise that system. Not a day goes by where I don't miss the powers I have lost, but on the other hand, I have never regretted losing my powers. I am looking for a way to regain my powers without reclaiming my name. I thought it was going to be impossible until just under a week ago. I can feel the mana coursing through me at times, and sometimes I can even control it. You saw the results during our fight with the Cerberus. I was able to use mana as an unnamed. However, I cannot control this at will, and that is the goal of my journey right now, to reclaim my powers on my own."

"I'm getting tired after so many sleepless nights though. I do think we should take a good rest now…" the knight trailed off as he laid his head down on his pillow then promptly fell into a deep sleep. Cleo looked at him in a mixture of disbelief and wonder. She had never seen someone fall asleep so fast before.

Cleo also laid down on her bed, but she couldn't sleep at that moment. Her head was full of thoughts about the knight, thinking about how his past was, and why he would have given something like that up. He had all the power in the world, if he so desired, but he threw it all away for his own interests, rather than the betterment of the world. Her thoughts drifted into each other, becoming a slurry of mixed up images and words, and she drifted off into a deep sleep as well. They would need to be well rested for the coming trial.