The rays of sun penetrated the large openings now present around the room. Mathias was enthralled with the clever way the building had been constructed. One minute the room was shrouded in complete darkness, and the next it was illuminated by the outside world. But the room was not all that had captured the young Warden’s attention; where each of the panels had twisted and turned, a dark silhouette now stood silently waiting. There were four men and two women, and each one held a thin staff in their hands.
"Your first test begins now," the Monk stated, a wide grin plastered to his wrinkled face. At his words, the six figures stepped down into the room. Mathias noticed that they were some of the young men and women he had seen fighting in the courtyard outside. The one that caught his eye was the young boy that had greeted them at the door. His smile, though, had vanished, and now his face showed no sign of emotion. "As Grand Master of the Wardens, you will oftentimes find that your abilities alone will not be enough. Some in this galaxy have adapted to the magics the Wardens possess, and your power will do little to harm them. You must learn to fight in other ways if you are to succeed."
Mathias was shaking. He could feel a bead of sweat drip down his back as he thought about the fights him and Alistair used to get into as kids. Fighting as children was one thing, but battling trained warriors was another thing entirely.
"There are two sides to every fight," the Monk continued, using his staff as a crutch as he paced back and forth in front of Mathias. "The attack and the defense. Today, you will focus only on the latter. The fighters you see before you have trained their entire lives for this moment, and they will do everything in their power to take you down."
Mathias looked around at each of the faces staring back at him. None of them showed any sign of fear or doubt. He had to admit that he was impressed by their resolve.
"Your task is simple, young one: do not let them strike you. You can use everything in your knowledge to avoid an attack, but you will not retaliate in any way."
Suddenly, and catching everyone in the room completely off guard, Mathias smiled. The fear in him evaporated and his confidence swelled.
"Why do you smile?" The Monk asked, perplexed at the young boy’s reaction.
"You’ll see," Mathias responded, the smile of his own continuing to grow.
"Very well." The Monk motioned to the boy closest to him. Without hesitation, the young man stepped into the middle of the room to face Mathias. It was the boy they had met at the gate. He stood there before him now with only a pair of tattered shorts and his staff. The boy appeared incredibly strong as his finely toned muscles glistened in the sunlight, and, for the briefest of moments, Mathias thought this may end badly for him after all.
"Begin!" The Monk yelled and without warning the young boy immediately lashed out with his staff. Mathias had to jump back as the tip of the weapon just barely missed the side of his face. The boy gave Mathias no time to recover, already coming at him again with another attack. He dodged the blow once again, this time rolling just out of the way and jumping back to his feet. His opponent was incredibly fast and wasted no time preparing a new method of attack should the previous attempt fail. Mathias could tell that the boy was masterfully trained, and he would give everything he had in this encounter.
Mathias continued to dodge and dive to avoid the boy’s blows, using the entire space of the room to his advantage. He could see the young man growing frustrated, as he began to strike more ferociously and without proper planning. This gave Mathias an idea; he wasn’t allowed to strike, but he could still relieve his opponent of his weapon. The boy struck out again with the end of his staff, a move Mathias had become familiar with as the fight had dragged on. He had a good idea how the boy would attack next and positioned himself accordingly. The blow came as Mathias thought it would, and, as the boy thrust his weapon forward, Mathias slid slightly to the side and used his momentum to pull the weapon from his attacker’s grip. Completely caught off guard by the maneuver, the young boy was thrown forward as Mathias whipped the staff out of the boy’s hands.
The room was dead silent as Mathias leapt onto the fallen warrior and brought the staff within an inch of the boy’s face. He let the weapon hover there for a few seconds and then jumped off, tossing the staff back at his opponent. The boy caught it and came to his feet. He looked Mathias in the eyes and bowed. The Warden simply nodded at the boy and turned back to the Monk.
The Flame Warden stood wide-eyed at the head of the room, clearly not expecting Mathias to have performed so well. He gestured towards the two warriors on his left and, immediately, the two bounded into the room, weapons ready to strike.
Mathias hadn’t expected the next round to happen so quickly. His new opponents were both women, their white robes flapping as they moved through the air. Mathias prepared for the attack and jumped out of the way as the first woman swung her staff at his face. He ducked from the blow and was immediately attacked by the other woman, who was swinging her staff at his feet. Mathias rolled over the attack and away from the deadly duo. The two moved with a grace the likes of which Mathias had never seen. Each woman attacked where the other did not, forcing him to think fast and careful about how to dodge each strike.
The two suddenly attacked at the same time, one staff coming straight for Mathias’s face and the other aimed, once again, at his feet. Without thinking, Mathias leapt into the air and twisted himself into the small gap between the two weapons. The staves found only air as the Warden landed unscathed. The two looked at him in amazement, the maneuver never having failed the girls before. Mathias smiled at them, realizing how he was going to win the round.
The girls wasted no time as they charged back into the fray. The Warden danced his way through the blows, twisting and turning and leaping through the air to avoid every strike they threw at him. He was waiting for the duo to attack simultaneously again, and it happened much sooner than he expected. One of the girls spun rapidly and swung her staff forwards while her counterpart mimicked the move from behind him. Mathias twisted himself in such a way that as he dodged the blow, the two weapons collided in midair and shattered against the strength of the attack. Mathias rolled out of the collision and came to his feet, preparing for a further attack from the two, but it never came. Instead, the women dropped what remained of their weapons and bowed.
The second round was over.
Mathias relaxed himself, finding a quick moment to catch his breath. He knew what was coming next and needed to prepare. The sweat was pouring out of him, and he decided it was time to lose his shirt, the weight of it having slowed him down in the first two fights. He threw the soaked shirt to the side and looked over at the Monk, but the Flame Warden just glared back at him. Mathias smiled again and was about to taunt the man when he heard shuffling behind him. He turned just in time to jump out of the way of a powerful blow meant for the back of his head.
The three attackers that closed in around him were all men. They were huge and muscular, nowhere near as large as Joel, but intimidating nevertheless, and Mathias knew a strike from one of them would be the end of the game. The men positioned themselves around Mathias and suddenly lashed out all at once. The Warden spun around, gracefully dodging each attack as it came at him. The attacks were incredibly powerful, but the men themselves were slower than the others had been. Mathias danced with the blows, fluidly gliding around the staves as they came for him. Each strike was a different step of the dance, a dance Mathias had familiarized himself with years ago. He moved through the attacks, strategically placing himself where he needed to be. One of the men swung at him hard and, as Mathias ducked out of the way, the staff connected with another of the attackers. The blow sent the man instantly to the ground, blood immediately seeping from his ear. The two that remained roared out in anger and continued their attack. Again, Mathias danced around the blows, positioning himself between the two men. A powerful swing once again came for his face and he dodged the blow with ease, while the follow-through sent the man flying into the air. He landed on the ground so hard that the entire building shook, and bits of dust and rock crumbled from the ceiling. Two of the men were down for the count; Mathias only had one more to go.
The attacker was furious. He charged at Mathias, lifting his staff over his head for a final assault. Mathias quickly spun to the ground and brought his leg around into the charging man’s path. The warrior tripped over the extended appendage and landed face first on to the ground.
Mathias had passed the third round completely untouched. He turned once again to the Monk, breathing hard and dripping immensely with sweat.
The Flame Warden stood before him, his mouth agape in disbelief. The other Wardens were there as well, also in complete shock at the result of the battle. Joel and Ardemis looked at each other in stunned disbelief, while Mira just stared intensely back at Mathias and nodded her approval.
"How..." the Monk began, trying to piece together what had just happened. His warriors had trained their entire lives for this fight and, without ever landing a blow, Mathias had defeated them all.
"It’s funny, actually," Mathias began. He paused to catch his breath and then started to explain. "When I was younger, and my brother was training with my father, I would sneak off to watch their sessions. Alistair wasn’t the best fighter, so many of their sessions were focused on attacking and dodging. I would always pay close attention to the lessons, and when Alistair would practice with me, I would use what I learned against him. My brother could never land a blow on me. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the best at returning an attack, but dodging one I can do."
Everyone stared at him, no one really knowing what to say next. Suddenly, and to everyone’s great surprise, Mira stepped forward. She kicked a staff up off the ground and twirled it around in her hands, testing its durability. After she was satisfied, she walked into the middle of the room in front of Mathias. He looked around at the others, but nobody showed any sign of stopping her.
"Pick a number," Mira said to him.
"What?" Mathias asked, confused by her request.
"Pick a number." She stood before him with a burning intensity. Mathias looked behind her to the Monk. The man simply shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. He returned his gaze to the woman before him and tried to figure out what she was doing.
"Four," Mathias said with wavering uncertainty.
"So be it," Mira said, a twinge of disappointment in her voice, and then readied herself. She let the robe she had been wearing fall from her back, and Mathias found he could barely control himself. She wore a brown leather shirt that cut off at the shoulders and her loose, beige pants still managed to perfectly compliment her figure. Mathias was entranced, but it was short lived as she leapt at him without warning. Mathias jumped out of the way, rolling to the side and hopping back to his feet. The second attack was already on its way and Mathias was forced to duck to avoid the blow. The third strike came just as quickly as the second. Mathias rolled backwards away from the weapon as it came down. Mira, using the momentum of the staff, flipped through the air as Mathias rolled away from her and suddenly closed the gap between them. She brought the staff down fast and, as he came out of his roll, Mira landed on top of him bringing the staff down hard. Mathias noticed the attack far too late and had nowhere to go as the weapon came towards him with incredible speed. For a brief moment, Mira considered stopping the attack before it could connect, but quickly decided against it. Mathias watched as the fourth attack found its mark, striking the Warden directly on the forehead. The boy’s head snapped back onto the ground, and then everything went black.
***
The sound of laughter brought him back to his senses. His head was throbbing as he heard Joel cackling hysterically in the corner. Mathias rolled his head around and found Mira standing over to him. She held out her hand and hoisted Mathias back to his feet.
"How did I beat you?" She asked as she handed Mathias his wrinkled shirt. It was still wet with sweat as he slung it over his shoulder.
"I’d say the same way I won each trial; I watched how each of the warriors fought and adapted my style to how they attacked, eventually using those attacks against them. You watched for three rounds how I moved around and positioned myself, so you knew exactly how to strike at me to get me where you wanted." Mathias kept his eye’s locked on Mira’s the entire time.
"Impressive," she replied with a smile. Mathias was overjoyed; Mira had knocked him out and still, he couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
"Impressive indeed," stated the Monk as the two walked back to join the group. "Never before have I seen a new Warden move the way you just did. Nor has any Warden been able to fully grasp the true reasons for their defeat. You did well."
"Yea, until Mira knocked you senseless!" Joel was nearly heaving from laughing so hard.
"Maybe you’d like to try?" Mathias asked the burly man as he continued to giggle.
"Kid, you wouldn’t stand a chance," Joel replied as his laughing subsided.
"Then prove it," Mathias replied, his temper rising. Joel made a move to come at him but the Monk quickly stopped him.
"You two will have plenty of time to hit each other tomorrow," the wise old man said stepping between the two boys. "For now, you should all get some rest." Joel turned and stormed out of the room while Mathias chuckled to himself.
"You’d be wise not to antagonize him, lad," Ardemis said from behind.
"I was just having a bit of fun," he replied. As big as Joel was, Mathias really had no desire to fight him.
"Trust me, laddie, that would not have been fun," Ardemis said, then added with a chuckle, "For you, anyway." Mathias laughed along with the Sky Warden and then looked around for Mira. He didn’t see her in the room and decided she must have left already.
The panels of the walls suddenly started to twist and turn back into their original positions. The fading light of the day was quickly squelched as the room was thrust back into darkness. The Monk released a few balls of flame around the room to illuminate the way out.
"I’ll be along in a minute," Mathias called to Ardemis; he wanted to ask the Monk one more thing while they were alone.
"You want to know why none of the abilities manifested today." It wasn’t a question. The Monk had somehow surmised what Mathias was aching to know.
"Well that was the whole point of the fight, wasn’t it?" Mathias asked. He was disappointed that none of the powers had revealed themselves throughout the encounter.
"Patience, young one. It took your predecessors weeks to finally call forth an ability," the Monk replied, smiling and placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
"I guess I just got a little excited that something would happen today."
"Something did happen today!" The Monk replied loudly. "You managed to defeat my strongest warriors without ever laying a finger on them. That’s something your father could never have done."
"Really?" Mathias asked, a big smile spreading across his face.
"Aurilean was never the best fighter. He relied solely on his abilities with little regard for finesse. You, on the other hand, see everything around you. You move like the wind and dance with the flow of battle. If I had to guess, I’d say we’ll see something very interesting in the next few days."
Mathias was beaming, his confidence completely restored.
"Thanks," he said as he held out his hand. The Monk took it and shook firmly; his hand was incredibly warm, but not too much so.
"Run along now. I have no doubt the others are waiting for you." Mathias nodded at the old man and turned to leave. As he reached the edge of the room, he turned back and saw that the Monk had returned to balancing atop his staff. A small hum echoed across the room as he meditated, and Mathias wondered if one day, he too would find peace like that.
The sun was just beginning to set as the young Warden stepped out of the dark temple. For the first time, he was able to look around and truly take in the beauty of his surroundings. Rays of light glinted off of the twin dragon statues in the courtyard as the sun began to disappear beyond the horizon. The emerald blades of grass swayed as the gentle breeze wafted over them. The songbirds finished their tunes and settled in for the night as the trees rustled with the wind. Mathias could see tall, snowy mountains in the background of every direction he looked. Finally, his eyes fells upon Ardemis, leaning against a small statue of a lion just at the base of the stairs to the temple. Mathias made his way down to the man, rubbing the throbbing lump on the back of his head.
Ardemis had one foot against the statue, his other firmly on the ground. He turned his head as Mathias approached, but the rest of his body remained still.
"So, he answer all your questions?" Ardemis asked.
"Yea. He told me exactly what I needed to hear."
"He does that. Quite good at it, actually." The smile on the man’s face stretched from ear to ear.
"So what now?" Mathias asked, eagerly hoping sleep was in his near future.
"You put this on," Ardemis said slyly and threw a black sack in the boy’s direction.
"What?" Mathias carefully examined the black piece of fabric he now held in his hands.
"Trust me, lad. Just put it over your head."
He had no idea what was going on, but Mathias decided his new friends weren’t going to try and kill him just yet. He put the black sack over his head and was instantly shrouded in darkness. He couldn’t see a thing, but found he could breathe with ease.
"You should know, laddie, that thing makes you look ridiculous," Ardemis chortled. Mathias laughed along with him, deciding it best to just go with the flow. "Alright, lad. Put your hand on my shoulder and do your best to keep up."