TCO: Chapter One

Gyan whipped his gaze up and down the beach as he paused in his jog to catch his breath. He sighed with relief as he caught sight of a shadowed lump spread out next to one of the trees ahead of him. He immediately sped to a run again, spraying sand behind him.

"Aderes!" he called repeatedly as he ran.

Aderes immediately jerked his head to the side with a start, banging it against the base of the tree he was sleeping next to. He cursed and sat up. The book he had been reading fell from his lap into the surrounding sand. He looked out over the Green Sea waters and swore again as he noticed the first setting day star of Elsaria sitting just above the horizon. He grabbed his book and jumped to his feet.

Gyan hurried up the sandy bank toward him. "What are you doing? They are about to start ceremony!" he exclaimed through rapid breaths as he dropped his hands to his knees. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He took a deep breath and stood up straight. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Aderes brushed sand from his snow-white hair. "I lost the time…was reading and thinking about what we are going to learn next and fell asleep," he said as he matched his steps with Gyan.

Gyan glanced sideways at his friend. "Have another nightmare last night?" Gyan knew Aderes had a habit of napping during the day to make up for the sleep he lost at night.

"The same."

Aderes was referring to his flying dream, which he had told Gyan about before. In the dream, Aderes was flying higher and higher toward something he desired, except his destination in the dream remained blurred. The only thing he could see was a brilliant blue light surrounding whatever he was attempting to grasp. As always, just before reaching his goal, darkness would engulf him and he would fall, waking only right before he hit a wall of fire.

"Perhaps you should tell Elder Master Syam about the dream since it is so disruptive."

Aderes shrugged. "Nah. There are more important things to think about right now." He rubbed one hand down his browned face. His appearance contrasted significantly with his best friend, whose darker hair framed his light complexion.

"Such as?"

"Such as our next phase of training." He smiled at Gyan once more. "Aren't you ready to graduate and finally become a San?"

Gyan nodded, wondering what was next to learn after sixteen years of physical training, studying ancient ideologies and languages, and learning self-mastery techniques.

He glanced at the ceremonial temple ahead and the two quickened their pace. The setting glow of the day stars in the Elsaria sky, one significantly larger than the other, reflected light off the multitude of sapphires and other jewels embedded into the Temple of Kya, giving it a glorious and intimidating look. The temple stone was the same color as the white sand that embraced the Green Sea that bordered the Kingdom of Alsar.

Being the largest building in the kingdom, the Temple of Kya served as host to every large ceremony in the city of Yevani. The temple was built on tall cliffs that overlooked the sea. Its massive pillars easily made one feel tiny in comparison when walking through the front entrance, which was hosted by two fountains on either side of the front temple walkway. Each fountain projected large gold stars that arched over the walkway. Streams of sparkling, silver-white light emerged from the top of each star, creating a magical rainbow for temple visitors to pass beneath on their way into the temple.

Tonight, however, the stars projected multicolored light, which was in harmony with the colors representing the Ceremony of Pyhron. The ceremony was held to honor Gyan and Aderes’s team, the group of apreidus warriors transitioning to the next phase of warrior training.

As Aderes and Gyan climbed the ocean cliffs that led up to the temple, Gyan repeatedly glanced at Aderes, wondering if his friend felt as anxious as he did. Yet, he saw nothing but eagerness on Aderes's face. Aderes's red-haloed, gray eyes shone with excitement.

Gyan had been a spectator among the crowd at ceremonies held at the temple but had never been the one absorbing the kingdom's attention before. The thought made him nervous. As they neared the temple, he stopped abruptly as Jalena entered his mind.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Aderes. He paused in the middle of climbing. "You look ill."

"Nothing…just a bit nervous I guess."

Aderes laughed. "What's there to be nervous about? You're one of the best warriors there is—besides, we are finally getting the recognition we deserve for all our work." He gave Gyan a friendly slap on the shoulder. "After all these years of training, we finally get to learn the secrets of the masters…the good stuff—stuff beyond physical conditioning and mind-calming techniques." He rolled his eyes. His expression took on a serious note. "Then we can use what we know against our enemies."

Gyan raised his eyebrows. "What enemies do we have? We haven't many outside of Alsar."

Aderes dropped his gaze, his face turning grave. "I mean theoretically," he mumbled as he resumed climbing.

"Besides," Aderes continued moments later, "don't you remember Asceta Asana's words?" Aderes raised his voice to imitate their meditation teacher's voice. "During san training we will begin to be trusted with the secrets of the universe and thus—"

"—must be more responsible!" Gyan and Aderes finished together.

Gyan laughed, his anxiety subsiding.

Aderes paused his climb, his hand extending on a cliff rock above him. He peered at Gyan with a sly smile. "You're just nervous because Master Jalena will be at ceremony."

"That's not—" began Gyan.

Aderes smirked. "Every time she walks into a room, you forget your name."

Gyan smiled and looked away. Although Jalena was only a year older than he and Aderes, she was the first light warrior to train before the age of nine. Elder Master Syam, Jalena's father, had caught her mimicking the sparring moves of the masters in secret when she was only six years old. The elder warriors saw this as a sign of advanced ability, so she was allowed to train with the older teams. It was prophesied that Jalena was one of the greatest warriors in the kingdom.

"She could be the worst warrior in the kingdom, and you'd still think she was amazing," Aderes reminded him occasionally, insinuating that Gyan's affection for Jalena overshadowed his judgment of her skill. Still, Gyan knew Aderes was impressed by Jalena because he offered no criticism of her technique when the master warriors assisted them in training.

Aderes nudged Gyan in the ribs and motioned for him to look ahead as they reached the top of the sea cliffs. Jalena stood near the temple, speaking with one of the temple instructors, or Ascetas, as the warriors referred to them.

Gyan stopped abruptly and gasped. He had only seen Jalena out of training gear a few times over the years, but it was always from a distance and never without her royal blue master robes.

Aderes walked on, unaware that Gyan wasn't beside him. "I wonder if all the warriors will be at the falls after—" Aderes stopped talking as he realized he was alone.

He shook his head as he walked back to where Gyan stood and grabbed Gyan's arm to hurry him along.

"For stars’ sake, man, what's the matter with you?" Aderes sighed impatiently. "She's just another warrior."

Gyan did not understand what Aderes meant. Jalena was much more than that, even if she appeared more feminine tonight rather than fierce as he normally saw her.

Part of her black hair was swept up off her sun-kissed neck. The rest of her curling hair fell down her shoulders and back. A thin headdress of emeralds and silver decorated her forehead. The jewels from the headdress matched her flowing emerald-green ceremonial attire that cinched tightly at her waist with the remainder of the material falling loosely to the ground.

The only way Gyan would have known that she was a light warrior was from the unique black tribal markings visible across her left shoulder and arm and a circular vortex-like marking on the right side of her neck.

The symbol on a warrior's neck, or Lumsigne, represented the "sign of the illuminated" and appeared on every warrior during the Rite of Nysa master ceremony. It was the traditional mark of the Light Warrior Order.

Gyan swallowed hard; his tongue felt dry. He took a deep breath as Aderes led him to the temple. He did not take his eyes off Jalena until they reached the back entrance of the temple and Aderes shoved him inside.

"I need water," Gyan said hoarsely.

"Where have you both been?" Miliani's loud, scolding voice jarred Gyan's thoughts. His older sister approached the two rapidly. "Ceremony begins in five minutes! This way," she hissed.

"Mili!" Gyan protested as Miliani pushed him down the corridor with Aderes following closely.

"In there…and hurry!" Mili sighed as she pointed to the door of a room on their right. "I swear, Gyan. Your mind is still like a child sometimes."

Gyan grinned and gave her a return shove before he and Aderes entered a small room with a narrow staircase on the right and an oval door on the left.

The oval door lit around its edges and automatically opened inward as they approached, leading them into a large room that the elder masters reserved for meetings.

He drew his breath in sharply as they entered the room.

"Wow," Aderes whispered.

One wall of the room had shelves of books that extended from floor to ceiling. Different-sized screens stretched across the entire front of the room. Directly in the center of the room stood a large round table with deep engravings that spread from the middle of the table to the outer edges.

A large image of the Lumsigne had been carved into the middle of the table. Gyan reached out his hand and touched the edge of the table in awe but immediately withdrew it as the entire table lit up, protruding holographic images of the Vejar star system. Images of Elsaria and the surrounding planets spun in orbit before him.

Gyan turned as a deep voice spoke out from the corner shadow.

"Good evening, Apreidus." Syam stepped down into the room through another side door and approached the two, his short white-silver hair and beard glowing from the lights of the hologram.

"Elder Master," Gyan and Aderes said together. They bowed by holding their arms bent before their chest and interlocking their fingers—thumbs in opposite directions—while bending slightly at the waist.

Syam returned their bow and smiled. "Welcome to the Thesarei of Kya. It is here in this room you will meet many more of your Order once you join us for formal council."

He waved his hand near the edge of the round table, causing the images to disappear. "More of that later, however. Your attire is through the side door on your left. Come through the passageway to the temple stage as soon as you are ready."

"Yes, Elder Master," they replied in unison.

"I know you are excited but delay no longer. The rest of your team is waiting." Syam lifted the hood of his dark blood-red robe and exited the room.