***
James was not in the mood to see Catherine as he power-walked down the east wing. But she was waiting for him by his room, leaning against the wall with legs crossed while deep in thought. He didn’t know what time it was, but he could tell that it was late by the lack of voices coming from the bedrooms. Catherine heard him grunt as he walked and she giggled at his approach. James waved a quick hi and stopped before her, but he wasn’t sure what to say. She waited for him to speak first as he tried to calm himself down, but he never was very good at that. Still, it was a good time to practice. It wouldn’t be right if he took his frustrations out on her.
James attempted a smile and took a breath, noticing that in the dim hallway light he couldn’t see the small patches of freckles that lightly decorated her cheeks.
“So how was your day?” she asked cautiously, tired of waiting for James to stop analyzing her and to actually speak.
“I didn’t pass if that’s what you’re asking,” James muttered as he folded his arms across his chest.
“At least you have two more days.”
“Yeah, but trust me, it would take a miracle for me to improve enough to pass that test.”
“Don’t give up yet. Just think about what you could do differently.”
“I guess so.”
“Wow, you really are bummed. You haven’t asked me one question yet. You’re usually so inquisitive.”
James sighed and didn’t respond.
“So, if you don’t mind me asking...” Catherine continued. “What was your second test? I know everyone has a different one.”
“I had to face Dominic.”
Catherine’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Wow. That must’ve been hard!”
“He’s not that tough,” James muttered, sneering at the awe in her voice.
“Oh no—no, I’m not saying he’s like the best or anything. Only it’s a little unusual to have to face a student for your test. Especially one that has an eidolon!”
“Okay, you have to tell me, what is an eidolon exactly?”
“You didn’t get a good look at Dominic’s?” she inquired, raising her eyebrows suspiciously.
“I uh…” James stammered. “I was actually knocked unconscious by some blinding light when he supposedly pulled it out.”
Catherine giggled in response and James scowled, nearly turning and storming into his dorm room. It took a lot of restraint to remain still.
“I can’t believe you fell unconscious…” Catherine said. “I mean, that is impressive.”
“Why?”
“An eidolon edge is a sword, but not just any sword. It’s actually a person’s very soul manifested into the form of a blade. The very word eidolon means ideal, so when a person’s eidolon is released, it reveals the inner desires of a person, transformed into blade form.”
“So you mean someone might pull out an eidolon that looks like a pink flamingo or something?” James said slyly, thinking of what ridiculous figure Dominic’s might take on.
“Not exactly. If you were to see someone’s eidolon, it may take some thought and interpretation to figure out what desires their eidolon represents. Unless you really know a person, odds are, you probably won’t figure out what the blade is revealing to you, but all of that is irrelevant. What’s impressive is what the eidolon can do. Each one possesses abilities that can take out waves upon waves of armies with little effort. It is a Sage’s ultimate weapon.”
“But Arimus said that Dominic isn’t a Sage,” James stated, forgetting his promise to keep it a secret.
“You’re not supposed to be telling me that.”
“Oops,” James said, shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t really care who knew Dominic’s little secret.
“In any case, I already knew that. Arimus told me as well.”
James looked at her suspiciously. How much did she talk to Arimus anyway? James made a mental note to find out what their history was. Maybe he was her guardian or something. The way they looked, it would be hard to believe he was her father.
“Even though Dominic isn’t a full blown Sage, he’s well on his way to becoming one. The fact that he can manifest his eidolon is a testament to that. There is a lot more to a Sage than developing an eidolon, but one can’t even begin to live the life of a Sage without doing so.”
“Why? Why is having an eidolon so important?”
“It’s true that the eidolon is the weapon of a Sage, but don’t forget that it is also the soul. A Sage’s life is such that a person’s spirit must be developed to a certain maturity—a level at which eidolon wielding would come naturally. When a Sage transfers their being into an eidolon, they are able to abstractly and efficiently determine the next move of their opponent. When their soul is out in the open, the eidolon absorbs everything around it. The very air is taken in. For example, take a sword that it clashes with—the eidolon will instantly know the durability upon impact, and that knowledge is instantly absorbed so that the next time it comes across something similar, it can break it easily. It learns as we do, and the eidolon can only get stronger as one’s spirit does, reaching limitless heights over time.”
“This is a lot to take in…so, this eidolon is your soul, right? And it can absorb all this knowledge just by touching things?”
“It’s not as scary as it sounds. While it is your soul, it’s not like it turns you into a mindless drone once it’s out in the open. Now I’m not exactly sure how much of a percentage of your soul is taken and manifested into the sword, but I know there is still a link between you and it. I’ve heard that Sages can’t just let go of their eidolon either. If someone forced it out of your hand, it would just disappear and go back into your body. It’s not like you’d see it clank on the ground and shatter to pieces.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“I’m sure it’s crossed everyone’s mind, once they find out what an eidolon actually is. I’ve heard that there’s more to a Sage than their eidolon, but I’m just not sure what it is. Their weapon is very, very important.”
“So the fact that I wasn’t even able to see Dominic’s eidolon means that he’s a whole lot stronger than I am.”
“I don’t mean to discourage you, James. The fact that you still got to fight means it couldn’t have been that powerful. You may have been knocked down by the light, but you did get back up.”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better.”
“Is it working?” She flashed an inquisitive smile that made her face glow.
“I’ll let you know.”
“What do you mean you’ll let me know?” she asked slyly. “Are you going to make me stay up all night wondering if you’re feeling better or not?”
“You would stay up all night thinking about me?”
“You think too highly of yourself,” Catherine giggled. “The only reason I’d be up is because I’d be thinking of a way to console you after you survive your next beating, since, obviously, your tactics don’t work.”
“That’s so cold.” James laughed in spite of himself.
“Since you’re taking my teasing soooo well, I’ll let you in on a little secret.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“You may not know this, but Kyran isn’t known for his skill in combat. He’s an assassin. He may not be able to take many down one-on-one, but he is second to none in stealth and speed.”
“So how does that help me? Should I ask Kyran for help?”
“Oh, no, you wouldn’t get very far asking him for favors. He’s all threats and stringency. Not to mention his overly grim outlook on everything.”
“Tell me about it,” James muttered, thinking about the prophecy Kyran had set forth in front of the cafeteria.
“I bring this up because in the Sage test, you have to face someone one-on-one, and if you end up facing Kyran, you will at least now know that straight combat is not his strength. See, he didn’t pass t
he tests but he did come very close. Very close. He figured out that there was no way he could catch his opponent off guard in such a wide open space, and that it was impossible to be stealthy, so he simply gave it his all.”
“Gave it his all?” James spat out in disgust. It sounded like a cheesy slogan.
“In battle, the idea is to go directly for the kill, but if two opponents are on guard and quite evenly matched, then a seemingly endless battle of endurance will ensue, neither giving sway to the other and each slowly tiring until one somehow gains the upper hand. This is usually when one of them figures out that he has nothing to lose and so he simply gives his all against the opponent. A last ditch effort so to speak. It could be in the form of letting himself take a blow in order to get closer to deliver a more severe strike to his adversary, or even mustering all the strength and speed he can for one last thrust. The element of surprise becomes his ally.”
“And this is what Kyran did?”
“Yes. The proctor was aware that he had three days to pass. The last thing he expected was for Kyran to give everything he had in one string of attacks. When it was over, the proctor had no choice but to render Kyran unconscious in fear of his own life. The whole day passed with Kyran unconscious and he simply tried the same thing the next day, getting closer and closer to victory. Kyran threw all caution to the side. He was literally trying to kill his opponent. Without that dedication, he might not have even gotten that far.”
“But he didn’t make it.”
“That doesn’t mean you won’t. In any case, what you’ve done so far hasn’t worked. Time to try out some fresh tactics.”
“What do you have to gain out of all this?”
“Why can’t I just help a friend in need?”
“I don’t know…I mean my father always told me that people don’t act out of kindness. There’s always some selfish motive.”
“If that’s true, then I guess we as a people aren’t worth saving.”
“Don’t get so gloomy on me, Catherine. We’re only part of the infantry -”
“—correction. I’m part of the infantry. You haven’t passed the second test yet.”
“It’s not like some regular soldier is going to save the world or anything,” James stated, ignoring her previous comment.
“You make it sound like the infantry is nothing but a bunch of kids playing army.”
“It might as well be. What’s so great about an army that can be taken out by one Sage? That’s ridiculous. If you don’t become a Sage, I see no point in going on.”
Catherine shook her head in amazement.
“Wow. You really are full of yourself. You care for nothing and no one around you, huh? It’s all about what you’re going through.”
“What? I didn’t say anything about me.”
“You talk as if you’re going to become a Sage—effortlessly— when you’re not even close to passing this second test. Tell you what, until you have an iota or a foggy idea of what you’re talking about and what you’re coming up against, just concentrate on getting through that. Until then, I’ll catch you later.”
“Katie, I didn’t offend you did I?”
“I have no clue where you got that from,” she snapped sarcastically as she continued walking. “AND DON’T CALL ME KATIE!”
James stood there in confusion, going over his last words to her. Eventually, he sighed and let it go.
“Well, I knew a long time ago that I’d never understand women.”
Sighing heavily, James hurried over to his bed, determined to fall asleep as fast as he could. He knew he would be sore in the morning, but at least his mind would be sharp with enough rest. Catherine did have a point. Dominic was far superior to him at the moment, and there was no way he was going to close the gap in a couple of days. The strategy Kyran had used in Catherine’s story was sounding better and better. All he had to do now was figure out a way to give his all. He needed a plan that would catch Dominic off guard. His ego was definitely an issue. Maybe that could be used to James’ advantage.
James smiled at how quickly he had come to a solution and so he turned his head on the pillow. He made up his mind to apologize to Catherine about the infantry comments. After all, it was probably her dream that had gotten crushed too. Not becoming a Sage had to be devastating.
Then again, he could be assuming. Maybe she was a Sage-in-training, and no one had told him yet. Dominic had surprised him with the fact that he was taking the Sage classes. Maybe Catherine was in there too. She did know a lot about the heads of the Academy. What was she hiding? Was she that close to all of them or was there something more? She was obviously much younger than both Arimus and Kyran so it wasn’t like they grew up together. It was possible she’d been spying on them but that was ridiculous too. If Kyran was any good at his job, he would’ve detected her presence right away. Arimus didn’t seem to be the oblivious type either. Bottom line, there was a lot she wasn’t telling him.
James sighed and turned to the other side of the pillow. He cursed his overactive imagination and slapped the palm of his hand on his forehead, trying to make his thoughts shut up for once. Whatever Catherine was hiding, it would have to wait. There was no way he was going to track her down in the middle of the night demanding answers and she was probably not in the mood to give them. James laughed as he thought of Catherine being a Sage. It was impossible. She wasn’t short but she seemed so small. Her green eyes reminded him of the tree he used to play in as a kid. Very lush and verdant. Lacking in any kind of danger or reason to be cautious. The freckles that inhabited her cheeks just added even more to her juvenile appearance. How could someone who looked like that strike fear into the hearts of an army?
James chuckled into his pillow and went back to the task at hand: shutting his mind down.