Chapter 23: The Second Phase Ends

I was so busy laying the final details of my plan into motion that I hardly remember what was transpiring with you, Leon. You were always closer to your mother than to me. This was not entirely outside my design. A boy should see his father as a singular point; such a persona requires a certain amount of mystique, and even antagonism, between father and son. It is true that I never could be certain of your inner thoughts, nor you of mine, but that is not what I required in you. All I wanted for you was to be strong. Affection and coddling was the role of the mother after all. However, it did please me to watch you progress through the ranks of our family as a tactician and a warrior. My feigned indifference towards you achieved the desired result and propelled you to excel in your studies as a way of defiance against me, or slight admiration perhaps. I honestly didn’t know which emotion was more prevalent in you. But one thing I do know, even if I had spent every waking hour with you, Leon, no amount of time would have been enough to express all that I felt for you. All that you meant to me.

“They have nearly completed the second phase of the exam,” said Hannah Lioness as she appeared in a flash of light behind Zanderius.

“Yes, I know. I have been watching from here,” acknowledged the Light-Wielder as he petted Green-Eyes tenderly. Although the mystical canine preferred not to be referred to as a dog in conversation, she still enjoyed a good head scratch and could become terribly flustered if not attended to by Zand.

“You could just come down to the moon instead of hiding up here and staring down at them like a hawk?” asked Hannah quizzically as she observed the bubble of translucent light energy that hovered far above the atmosphere of the moon of Galsin.

Zand had created the bubble as a sort of miniature planet with its own atmosphere and gravity. At the center of the bubble, Zand sat in a silver chair with his divine wolf at his side. Hannah could hardly fathom what was transpiring in the mind of a being so powerful and so wise. All the accumulative knowledge of the whole of Elemency was stored in this man’s mind, possessing powers and abilities beyond mortal comprehension. And yet, to Hannah, he was never more than just a man ... never less than a good friend and a mentor. These feelings did not dwindle the immense amount of respect and awe she had for Zanderius Alastar, but seemed to enhance them somehow. That being said, Hannah did enjoy teasing him from time to time since she was one of the few people in a position to do so.

“You know full well that I can be at their side from here in the blink of an eye if I need to. However, I still cannot interfere directly in their affairs unless he does,” responded Zanderius as he rubbed his temple in deep thought.

I have not seen Zanderius this worried for a long time. The last time was just before...

Hannah quickly brought her own thoughts into submission, refusing to go back to those dark memories for even an instant. She couldn’t let herself fall back into grieving for Richard. She still had too much to do.

“Hannah. I want you to convey a message to Saria, warning her that someone on her staff has been replaced by a shapeshifter. I cannot tell who. He has been shielded from me, but I can warn them at the very least. Tell her to increase telepathic and psionic screenings to confirm one another’s identities, and everyone should travel in pairs from now on. I’d also like Blessed Monks to be close by as well, searching for evil intent. Saria may not like it, but their Light Elemency cannot be duplicated by a transformation.”

Although, the Mystic infiltrator will likely jump ship and hide out among the arriving dignitaries on the other side of the moon until the pressure dies down, thought Hannah, already sensing that despite their best efforts, the spy would not be found quickly for that very reason. And we have no jurisdiction with their security details. We could inform them, but I doubt they’d take such a report seriously. Most of the arriving nobles are from the Emperor’s cabinet, and they don’t think much about Elementals or Monks. So once again, Chissler is making my job that much more difficult.

Hannah nodded. “I’ll send word. She won’t enjoy hearing it from me, but I’ll do it. If I know Saria, though, she probably already knows and is taking the very same precautions.”

Hannah was about to leave, but then hesitated, feeling the strain that Zand was under, and knowing that she needed to find a way to ease that strain. “It would be easier if you could tell Saria herself. Just be there in person to repel whatever danger comes their way,” she said coyly.

Zand sighed, shaking his head. “It would be easier, but easy is not the way of a Sacred Vessel. You know as part of my vows, I must limit my direct influence on the universe as much as possible, especially when it involves future Children of Destiny. With the great and terrible powers I wield come necessary limitations. Only problems that they cannot solve themselves, problems that involve an illegal incursion involving Shadow Elemency, only then am allowed to take direct action. I sometimes stretch the limit of what I’m supposed to do even now. The Pure Vessel was ultimately meant to be a guide and protector for humanity ... not a ruler, and certainly not a god. If all the problems in the universe could be solved with a wave of the hand, then there’d be no reason to learn or to grow. No point in free will ... the freedom to determine one’s own destiny.”

Hannah smiled. “A freedom that you have denied yourself for the sake of others.”

Zand chuckled, his laugh almost childlike. “You asked me that question to make me feel better.”

“I could see how much you want to be with her even though the time’s not right yet. Occasionally, even the Prime Minister needs to be reminded of his priorities.”

As Hannah considered their conversation, she realized that Zand wasn’t the only one needing reassurance. “So you really think he’s coming for them?” she asked tentatively.

“I do, yes,” nodded Zand, his eyes still transfixed on the planet below. “But not directly. He has likely laid some plan into motion that even I cannot see with these eyes. However, I also believe that his obvious threat towards the children is a ruse to draw my attention away from other objects of his desire. Thankfully, Kormal is seeing to my wishes in that respect. An endless chess match with countless moves and countermoves, each subtler than the last. At least if we can come out of this current match relatively unscathed, then the Laws of Balance will be satisfied for the time being, and I can start taking a more proactive path forward.”

Hannah watched as Zand stood in silent concentration, as if he were in a strained contest with his foe even as he spoke to her.

“When do you think he will strike?”

Zand grunted slightly in frustration. “It is difficult to predict his mind, even for someone who knows him as well as I. However, if I had to guess, I would say that it will likely happen during the third phase of the exam.”

“I would think the second phase would be more logical as it has the least amount of security and covers a larger area than most other portions of the exam?” interjected Hannah as more of a question than a statement.

“Yes, it would be more logical to attempt a kidnapping during the second phase, and that is precisely why Zorron now waits for the third phase to make his move,” replied Zand, his gaze never leaving the children below.

“But why? It doesn’t make sense for him to declare his intentions to take the children in the first place, and then to do so at the final part of the exam when security is the most alert?”

“It’s just the way his mind works,” explained Zand. “Zorron is a master of switching between subtlety and blunt force. His declaration to take the children is a direct challenge to me. He is daring me to try and stop him if I can. Taking the children during a time when they seem most secure is just his way of saying that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. It is yet another psychological tactic that he has long employed in his war against me.”

“Then, could it just be a bluff?” she theorized. “After all, it was you who said that this is all likely a ruse to achieve some other objective.”

“And I still believe that, but if there is anything that I have learned of my old foe, it is that he does not make idle threats,” said Zand in an ominously quiet voice. “Our enemy is certainly resourceful enough to make a play on two different fronts. Or three. Or four. Or however many he thinks is necessary to win.”

Hannah grew troubled of trying to read the mind of their deranged enemy, so she thought a change in conversation was in order. However, before she could broker the subject, Zand beat her to the punch ... again.

“You were very proud of Ryan’s progress today, weren’t you?”

Hannah smiled and silently thanked Zand who had kindly acknowledged her wishes yet again. “Does someone like you really need to ask?”

“No,” said Zand as he turned to face Hannah for the first time since their conversation began. As always, his green eyes sparkled with an intensity and a mirth that could not be found in any other man. “But it always pleases me to hear your thoughts from your own mouth instead of having to steal them like a thief in the night.”

Hannah chuckled slightly. “Did you know he would come this far when you sent Torsha to tutor him? He has certainly already passed all of the requirements of a Second Level Elemental, maybe even a Third. I suppose what I am trying to ask ... is Ryan’s progress also according to your design?”

“You like to think of me as some master puppeteer carefully orchestrating every happenstance of life according to my whim. But doing so devalues the importance that choice plays in the grand scheme of the universe. Ryan’s achievements are his own just as yours are. I may poke and prod in an attempt to create an environment where the children can learn unhindered, but I believe you are starting to have an overestimation of my importance. After all, I am the past, and they are the future. This world is fated to be shaped according to their actions and decisions. I am only a guide, here to ensure they come to realize their respective roles in the events to come.”

Hannah enjoyed Zand’s lectures. He was like the eternal grandfather who never tired of teaching. His optimism for the next generation was a great comfort in such uncertain times.

“But you have to admit that you do have a certain influence over things to come?”

“My influence pales in comparison to the influence of the greater good that this universe is seeking to be compelled by. My only hope in governing is that people will eventually become wise enough to govern themselves without the need for a manipulative bureaucracy. But for that day to come, I am afraid you will have to put your faith in a being far greater than me. Pray for a destiny more wonderful than anything I could ever conceive.”

“Pray? But what being in this world is greater than the Sacred Vessel of Purity?” Hannah couldn’t help to ask, even knowing that such statements went against Monastery teachings of devotion to the Lord Caretaker.

“I did not say that the one to pray to is of this world,” answered Zand, unfazed by her show of faithlessness. “You forget that a Vessel is all I am. A humble steward of a far greater power. I am no more divine than you are, my dear Hannah. I had a mother and a father. I made mischief when I was a child, and I was overly emotional when I was a teenager. I bleed, I breathe, and I die, same as you. And yes, I have even made mistakes, some with more severe consequences than you could possibly imagine. It was only by the design of the true orchestrator that led me down this path of redemption I am on now. If mankind was meant to achieve godhood, then the universe is far too empty a place. For if I am the ultimate form of life, there really are no more wonders or mysteries left to behold. If that is truly the case, then I might as well give up in my quest to protect the sanctity of such a life so devoid of purpose or meaning. For what have we to live for if not the belief that there is a form of existence greater than our own? That is why I pray.”

Once again, Hannah found herself entranced by the Light Wielder’s words, as if his very voice was enchanted by some ancient magic. As a Monk that served the Light, Hannah, of course, believed in a power greater than mortals. The great spirit known by many names who was called Caretaker and Creator of all life. But Zanderius spoke of these beings as if he actually knew them, whereas Hannah had always thought of them as more of a hyperbole - a representation of the potential good that dwells in the hearts of all sentient life. Clearly, her mentor and superior thought otherwise. Hannah felt herself drawn to his ideals, but somehow filled with trepidation as well.

“I’d like to believe what you say. But with all the horrors I have seen, all the injustices that have yet to be righted, can I really believe that there is an overriding will governing the universe that means to turn all this sadness and death to good in the end?”

Zand smiled his fatherly, knowing smile that was somehow kind, loving, and sad all at the same time. It seemed as if he could feel all the pain within Hannah’s heart at that moment. “That is why we have faith, Hannah. And I find that faith is best cultivated by love. Both by the people that we love and by their love for us.”

Hannah shed a single tear before whispering gingerly, “Still trying to save my soul.”

Zand wiped the tear from her eye and cradled it in his finger as if it were a diamond. “Always,” he said gently. The tear floated from his hand and hovered in his palm for a moment. A simple trick with Elemency, but a beautiful one nonetheless.

As Hannah’s tear continued to hover, it suddenly crystalized, becoming a small blue oval-shaped diamond. A small white metal chain appeared around the tear-turned-crystal, transforming it into a necklace.

Feeling humbled to receive such a pristine gift, but unsurprised given Zand’s eccentricities, Hannah bowed reverently as the necklace hovered over her head to be draped gently around her neck.

Then, without another word, Zand turned back to the moon where the children were finishing up the exam.

“Our sentries are on watch all around the training area?”

Quickly composing herself, Hannah Lioness responded. “Yes, of course.”

“Good. Very good. You were right when you assumed that I was using these exams as a means of propelling Ryan to excel. However, even I could not be sure how far he would go. He is growing stronger with the power of the Golden Dragon that his father left him. This is both a blessing and a curse. I can tell you that the time when Ryan will require my personal attention is drawing near. But I want him to learn all he can from the Fire Ministry. I want him to cultivate friendships and relationships. His friends will be the source of his strength, and we will need that strength someday to set right the wrongs of this world.”

“Why can’t you train him yourself now?”

Hannah had to admit that she would feel more confident knowing that Ryan was in Zand’s care 24/7 instead of waiting for some monster to try and snatch him away.

Zanderius frowned. “Unfortunately, he is not yet strong enough for that. If he were to train under me right now, he would die from the proximity to the sacred power that I house in my body. He must become more accustomed to his own power first before he is exposed to mine.”

As always, Zand had an answer to everything. It both annoyed and comforted Hannah. “So, what do we do for now?”

“For now, we wait for the enemy to make the first move. Although he is not yet ready to bring the full depths of his plan into fruition, my old friend is certainly capable of stirring up a little mischief when it suits him.” Zand’s eyes had become steely and focused as if he were mentally preparing himself for war.