A World Of Decree: And The Seven Laws

Before anyone even noticed, a month had gone by, and Calvin had finally received some letters back from his former comrades. Out of the eight he wrote to, only four wrote back. One of the letters just had a simple "No" written in bold letters. The other three however, had a promising reply.

For Example, Javis Al-Coff who was currently the cancer zodiac, wrote the following message:

Dear Calvin,

I am pretty interested in this offer. I have gotten a request to bring back the dead before from Kaplan, but I denied his proposal due to circ.u.mstances that might arise if I did so. However, I do still owe you a favor, so I am willing to listen if you come by at your earliest convenience. I'm still at the old lab everyday, so you'll know where to find me.

Sincerely, Javis.

Calvin read the letter out loud in his office for both Mooks and Rina to hear. He read the other two as well, but those didn't come off as too friendly.

Without even hesitating, Rina instantly jumped to her final answer, "When are we leaving?"

Calvin glanced at Mooks, getting a death stare in response. Mooks purred, but Calvin and Rina just assumed he was thinking, "If you both leave, I'll take over training. I have some ties as well."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. Do you not trust your older brother?"

Calvin gulped a little nervousness down his throat, but remained stiff in his chair, "What about classes. Not only will I have to find a substitute, but Rina will need to do her work as well."

Mooks thought for a moment, looking like a gargoyle while giving a long pause before his response. "Alastor could fill your role. As much as you hate him, he fits the job quite well. As for the girl, she'll have to ask her professors to give her all her work for the time she's gone. I'm just hoping they allow it."

"I can do any work necessary on our trip." Rina butted in with a soft, pleasing voice to lighten the mood. "There's no chance I'm letting my grades fall because of this.."

Calvin sighed, looked at the old clock on his wall, and glared back at Rina. "Pack your bags. We're leaving on the morrow."

Rina smiled, nodded, and left in a hurry.

Mooks waited until she left, continuing the conversation without her presence, "Seems like her and her sister had a very important relationship." He glanced at Calvin with a wry look.

"More than just a relationship. They had a bond, a bond that couldn't be broken… If I died and you had possibility of bringing me back wou-"

"No." Mooks interrupted without even letting him finish.

Clavin flushed angrily, letting a deep breath of air escape his lungs in an instant, but understanding the decision more logically rather than emotionally. "Yeah. I wouldn't bring me back either."

…

The next day, Calvin met Rina by the dock with a couple bags of clothing, food, and of course, the gift of conversation. Calvin made sure to rent out a small boat Princewood usually never uses, and professor Zelle was kind enough to let Calvin borrow an enigma to navigate the boat in the correct direction.

The enigma was just the same as always; a faceless man wearing a suit, showing no emotion, having no internal structure, and following the orders Zelle would prescribe into them.

Rina wore a pair of old, beaten down shoes from when she was younger. A fairly clean pair of close-fitting pants, and a buttoned up shirt exposing most of her arms. It was an odd sense of fashion, but it's something she felt comfortable in. If she was seen on the street wearing this, then perhaps she would be mocked by her absence of knowledge in what a girl as pretty as her should be wearing. However, she didn't care, tossing her bags onto the boat like a worker would with sandbags.

Calvin tightened up his master's robes, "Are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to anyone?" He said in a low, ambiguous tone.

"If I did, they'd beg me to stay.." Her voice sounded sorry, and she avoided any eye contact. "Let's just go, I have all the work from my professors for the next couple months already."

Calvin nodded, "Very well, but you'll have to practice your magic too. We'll be on open waters for a while, so there will be no excuses for missing practice as well."

"I thought that was a part of why we took the boat in the first place." Rina gave him a devious grin, and Calvin bounced back the same expression right after.

…

Mooks met everyone in one of the Arenas that same evening. This arena was the same one from the initial entrance exams from when Atlas first entered the Academy. Giant stems of fresh wheat occupied the surroundings like stars in the sky. The ground was mushy, but remained its grip for easy navigation. The golden wheat leaves sprouted nearly 10 feet high, casting shadows in every direction. The gentle wind tickled the tips of wheat like a feather, further casting the shadows in multiple directions from the everchanging sun above.

This time, Calvin wasn't there, and neither was Rina, making everyone question what might have happened. Mooks was the first to make sure no one panicked, so he calmed everyone down immediately. "Listen up! Calvin and Rina are on a mission that shouldn't concern any of you. I'll be taking over your training for now, and Alastor will be filling in for Calvin's classes."

Atlas looked down, thinking about what Mooks just said. The thought of neither of them giving a warning or even saying a goodbye lingered through his mind like a lost memory, making him feel eerie and cold.

"I'm sure most of you remember the rings you had to collect during your entrance exams." Mooks started again. "To refresh your memories, there are about 12 silver rings in this field. The air is fine to breathe this time, but there is a special guest waiting for your entrance into the field."

"Special guest?" Leo asked, sort of used to a new addition to the training almost every week.

"An old companion of mine is participating today with you. Your job is to avoid him and bring back two silver rings to where we currently stand. And be wary, he's strong, so don't be afraid to fight back. You will be working in teams of two this time." Mooks glanced around the six students in front of him, trying his best to assign teams accordingly. "Leo and Faibel. Atlas and Laena. Cartuja and Paris. Those are your teams."

"Well lookie here," Cartuja bent down to Paris's eye level, "Seems like we'll be working together."

Paris humphed with a smirk, "Just don't slow me down."

Cartuja laughed, "Slow you down?" He cracked his neck, "Try an keep up!" Cartuja could practically see the frustration building up inside her, leading to an outcome no one expected.

Paris instantly jumped forward, facing the tall leaves of wheat like a samurai facing their opponent. She gently pushed her blade a few inches out of her holster, fully concentrating on her next attack as if it were her last. The world around her slowly seemed to freeze like before, turning into colors of pure black and white.

Her eyes shifted towards the wheat, seeing the fluorescent colors of golden change into streaks of white and silver. The pressure building inside her was tense, and her heart began to resist her temptations, but her mind stayed as strong as a phantom in the night. This was the perfect moment, the perfect strike, and the perfect execution. She knew Causality would guide her, unleashing her true power from within.

As the blade released from the holster, the thin sheet of carbon steel sliced through the air as smooth as melted butter. The wind dragged along with the motion of Paris cut, prompting her to cue her most powerful effect. "Lacerate," As her lips let the spell escape, the sheet of wind diced through the entire perimeter in a flash.

All the wheat gently fell to the soft soil below it, leaving the lower portion standing a few feet tall. The world of balck and white flashed back to normal for Paris, and her heart rate accelerated past it's normal rhythm along with it.

Paris gasped for air as her c.h.e.s.t seemed to tighten into a knot she didn't know how to unravel. She dropped to one knee, trying her best to get her breathing under control.

Mooks rushed over to her, "Would you like me to call the Medical?"

Paris raised her hand towards him, still panting, making her words quick and effective. "No… Leave. Me alone. I''m fine…"

Mooks glanced around, seeing today's so-called practice become completely ineffective. "Marlyn!" Mooks roared, "You can come out!"

A few shadows from afar started to form into a much larger, more compressed figure of darkness. The shadows slowly formed into a man wearing nothing but black clothing. He had long black hair down to his shoulders, a dark collar around his neck, and skin as pale as fresh paper.

He walked over, giving the most uneasy feeling to anyone that laid eyes upon him. "I am to assume that today's practice will be canceled."

Mooks sighed, "Seems so. These kids can't help but show off in front of one another."

Marlyn bowed, "That spell was very powerful. Reminds me of Celestia." He gave Paris a dim look, hiding any form of body language that might reveal his secrets. "If I hadn't been lucky enough to turn myself into a shadow, I would have been a dead man."

"Marlyn," Mooks gestured towards him, "Would you mind coming back tomorrow? I need to have a little chat with them."

"Not a problem." He snapped his fingers, disappearing into the remaining shadows in the field like a lone wolf in the night.

Paris finally managed to get a hold of herself, standing back up and sliding the thin edge of the blade back in its rightful place. "How's that for practice!" She said, expecting praise.

"That wasn't supposed to be the task. You know how long it took me to convince Marlyn to come here?" Mooks said as he prepared his leave.

"That dude was weird.." Cartuja and Leo both said in unison, but everyone felt the same within.

"Well that 'dude' as you like to call it is one of the members of Grim Nation. Yet another Guild you can expect to see in the Tournament. You all should be thankful that I and Calvin are finding new challenges for you. You can expect him to be here tomorrow, same time, and now fooling around." Mooks made sure he sounded like a dad yelling at his kids.

He walked over to the two silver handles implanted into the ground, and rifted out of the Arena to doze off into an early slumber. The rest followed, but their minds still had too much fighting spirit left, so Paris and Cartuja stayed to battle out whatever was left of the remaining wheat leaves.

It ended up being a long night, one that just seems to never end no matter how much time has passed. It was a night where stars hid themselves from view. A night where the moon refused to shine. A night for beginnings, and a night for letting go.