***
As Nihlen slept, his dreams were suddenly punctured by a strange feeling. His mind felt as if it was being prodded. The prodding pushed him between the dream world and reality, though he wasn't sure what was dream and what wasn't.
Nihlen... A voice whispered in his dream. Nihlen, wake up. There was a strange familiarity about the voice, and he began to wake. Nihlen, wake up!
Nihlen's eyes popped open, and he sat up. Sitting in a chair at the table was Marina. His head still muddled from sleep, he stared at her blankly for a moment. It's not a dream. The voice said in his mind.
The gears in his mind clicked, and he jumped out of the bed. “Marina!” He said, running over to her. Before he even thought about it, he had thrown his arms around her, gripping her tight. “We were so worried about you!”
“I was worried about you all as well.” Marina said, hugging him back.
The others began to stir at their noise, and moments later Nihlen was thrust aside as Cal bounded up to Marina. The group quickly celebrated their uniting once more, before everyone settled down to talk.
“Marina... This may sound weird, but were you talking to me while I slept?” Nihlen asked.
“I was, you are not imagining that. I have so much to tell you all!” Marina said, standing up. “I should let Karishian and Pheora know you are awake. Then we can talk.” She quickly left the room, returning moments later.
“What happened Marina? Why did that Urian guy just take you away all the sudden?” Cal asked.
“I was shocked at first too. Experiencing teleportation was one of the strangest things I've done. In an instant we were suddenly in a completely different place. I screamed, and tried to run from him. It took him hours to convince me to calm down enough to explain what was going on. I'm grateful he did though, Urian is amazing!” Marina said.
“So your ability is telepathy?” Nihlen asked.
“Not quite. You remember what Shaila said about my ability? That she's never seen one like it? Urian said the same thing. He showed up that night because he sensed my ability. When Shaila began the divination, Urian said he felt a ripple of power move across the land. He'd never felt anything like it. After that, the ripples continued, sending wave after wave of energy across the land. Urian is still unsure of what the ripple effect was, but he knew it was beyond normal. That's also how we were found back in the glade...” She paused, giving everyone an apologetic look. “So Urian brought me with him, and began examining my power.”
“What did he find?” Shaila asked.
“He still doesn't know, though he has figured out some things. He says my ability appears to be a bloodline ability, and it is quite similar to his own ability. It lies in the mental range, though the only one I've tapped into so far is telepathy.”
“Try it on me.” Cal said.
“I can't.” Marina said.
“Why not?” Cal asked.
“Because I can't sense everyone's mind currently.” Marina said. “Though my ability has begun to manifest, right now I can only sense two minds besides Urian's. One is Nihlen, and the other, I have no idea who it is. I can sense them from very far away, though I can't pinpoint their position. Neither Urian nor myself have any idea who the second mind I can sense is. I can only communicate across the space of this room, so reaching them is out of the question.”
“Is that how it will stay?” Galen asked.
“Definitely not.” Marina responded. “Urian says my ability is only just surfacing. He believes my ability has the potential to reach any kind of mental ability.”
“That's amazing.” Nihlen said. “Is Urian going to continue training you?”
“I'm not sure.” Marina responded. “Urian is speaking with Karishian and Pheora at the moment. They are planning what we will do next.”
Just then, Karishian, Pheora, and Urian came walking into the room.
“How is everyone feeling today?” Karishian asked.
Everyone responded with murmurs of fine.
“Good.” Karishian said, putting his hands behind his back. “There is much we must discuss today. Let's pick up where we left off yesterday.”
“I accept your story Karishian.” Nihlen stated. “What do we do from here?”
“Excellent, Prince Nihlen. I am glad to hear that. If that's the case, I will lay out our plans from here.” Karishian said, clearing his throat. “Yesterday, we said our goal was to take back Draven, then take Rinh and unite the two as Askrah once more. Then we'll began preparing to unite the other continents under the banner of Askrah, while also trying to dissuade the Garosha from engaging in battle with us once more. Those are our goals currently. So first we must focus on taking Draven back. This will be no easy task though.”
“Is Elharlia strong enough to wage war with Rinh for control?” Nihlen asked.
“Perhaps under normal circumstances, though it would be quite difficult. These aren't normal circumstances though. Erian Rinh now controls both countries. Add in ability users, and it becomes a staggering task to complete. Erian himself will be quite fierce I'm sure, since he possesses the counterpart of your Eye of Kings.” Karishian said. “The course of action we've chosen though is as follows: The next place you all will go is Inthule. There, you must convince them to aid you in your plight. They are currently working with us on the Garosha situation, in exchange for our help in dealing with Illian and Helida, but we will need their help to take Draven and Rinh as well. Only you can convince them to help you regain your kingdom. They are hesitant to get involved openly in political affairs, but I'm sure you will find a way to convince them. Once you have convinced Inthule to join us, we will see how strong our forces are, and go from there.”
“Will Inthule help us Shaila?” Marina asked.
“I honestly cannot say.” Shaila said. “Inthule has always kept itself apart from matters of other lands. It will be difficult to convince the elders to enter a war for land and politics, even if your true motives are for something greater. Considering the incident with Helida and Illian, they may be even more likely to push outside problems away.”
“Has Inthule ever aided an outside nation in war?” Nihlen asked.
“There have been times, though usually in small numbers. We participated in the original conflict with the Garosha, according to the book at least, but it is truly a rare sight to see Inthule fully march into war.” Shaila said.
“Will you aid us in convincing them?” Karishian asked.
“Certainly, but I hold little sway with the elders. I may be turned away at the gates for not completing my mission. In truth I am not supposed to return until Illian and Helida have been dealt with.”
Nihlen pondered Shaila's situation. After a few moments, he made a decision. “What if I promise them I will aid you in bringing Helida to justice, and recovering what was taken? I'm picking up big promises here already, so what's one more? I think I owe you that much anyways for all you've done for me. I doubt I'll get by without dealing with them, so we might as well try and use it to help us now.””
“It would certainly improve your standing, if they believe you. I don't know that it would be enough to move them into war though, even if you offered up your end of the bargain first.” Shaila said. “I thank you for your offer though, I appreciate the aid.”
“At the end of the day, you will have to convince them.” Karishian said. “I can supply normal fighters, and what ability users we have, but we'll need more ability users than I can supply, and the only large source of ability users I know of is Inthule. We need them to fight Erian.”
“The elders are wise. Hopefully nothing has happened to them in the time I have been gone. At worst, I'm sure I can at least get us in for an audience.” Shaila said.
“So when do we leave?” Marina asked.
“Soon.” Urian said. “While we are here though, we are going to train. Marina needs a lot more training before she can control her ability. Everyone needs to get stronger, and to finish the trai
ning you began with Shaila to protect everything you've learned here.
“Urian, why is it Marina can sense my mind, your mind, and this one other one, but no one else?” Nihlen asked.
“I wish I could answer that question. I am rather perplexed by it myself. All I can say is her ability is a bloodline ability, and therefore could be unique in any way. In time her awareness should expand.” Urian said. “I daresay she will be quite powerful one day.”
“Everyone, if I could have your attention.” Karishian called, bringing the conversation to a halt. “Today, another age begins to pass. Those of us gathered in this room, and many others to come, will one day hold the fate of our world in our hands. We are not the first, and we will not be the last. In this age though, it is up to us to carry the world into the next. We must fight with everything we have, and move with all haste. The threat of the Garosha looms on the horizon, and we have much to do before we'll have a chance for survival. The real adventure begins now, and tomorrow could be our last day. Keep this in mind as we begin working toward our goals. What you've experienced up until now is only the beginning. Starting today, the training will be unlike anything you've ever known. Each of you will undergo a specific training regiment focusing on ability development. We've done extensive work here in Elharlia, with the aid of Inthule, on ability development. We'll help Cal and Galen develop their abilities, and Nihlen and Marina will work on strengthening and controlling theirs. By the time we are done, all of you will be completely different people, ready to take on ability users as well as normal fighters. You'll have to truly, right down to your very soul, want to be stronger to withstand this training.”
A tingle ran down Nihlen's spine. He could almost feel the age turning, like standing on a stage in front of the entire world. Pressure, fear, exhilaration, anger, all swirling inside of him. He thought back on how much his life had changed since the day he was kidnapped. All that had happened, yet it had really only just begun. It's strange how our Path can change so much... Will we be able to do everything in time?
The world was changing as the group rose to leave the room and begin working toward their ever growing list of goals. Nihlen looked to each of his comrades. Cal, one time enemy turned hesitant friend. Marina, the greatest bright spot in the darkness surrounding his life. Galen, who had left the service of his Queen to aid him. Shaila, the mystical Tictinil of Inthule, powerful and wise. Now he also counted the most wanted man in the world, his nigh invulnerable wife, and a mysterious old man who seemed to guide it all among them. The world truly changes in mysterious ways.
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