Irinia awoke several hours later when the sun shone through the window. As with every morning so far, Croix was already missing from where he slept. His sword was still where he left it as was his bow and cloak. Irinia stood from the bed and changed her clothes. Just as she had finished the door opened slowly then stopped as though they just remembered something. She froze for a second remembering the shop in Orin.

  "Are you dressed?"

  She sighed in relief at the familiar voice. "Yes, Croix. Come in."

  The door opened fully and he stepped inside. He was wearing only his trousers and his hair was dripping onto the floor. Using a towel he dried his hair before donning a shirt. She kept stealing glances when she thought it was safe. Croix closed the clasp into place and attached his sword and bow to himself.

  "I'm starving," he said rubbing his stomach, "let's go eat."

  They collected their belongings and walked downstairs together where they were treated to an excessively large breakfast. It took them almost a whole hour to eat all of it. They stood to leave when the doors of the inn opened. Moira walked in and asked if there was anything she could do to change their minds about staying. After reassuring her that he would send a friend to help, Croix walked toward the door with Irinia close behind.

  They pushed through the door to continue north. As they walked, Croix returned the occasional nods and greetings. Several people forcefully shook his hand in thanks for saving their lives offering him money, favors, and gifts all of which he turned down. When they finally reached the outside of town he increased his pace.

  "We need to make up some time. We may skip sleeping tonight if you can manage. Traveling at night tends to be more eventful as well." He pointed to the mountain range. "Another two days of walking or so. When we get there we will make camp. We sleep that night and then we climb for a solid day."

  "That sounds exhausting."

  "It will be. That night you will sleep the best you ever will in your life." He laughed. "I told myself I'd never come back here after I had been forced to climb it the first time, but my old master had good reasons for making me do it. There are many lessons to learn on the mountain. Survival and such."

  After seeing what Croix was capable of, she could only imagine how powerful he one that taught he could have been. They walked through the day idly chatting now and again. Irinia found her mind continually wandering back to thoughts of home and how her father, brother, and friends were. She thought of her large soft bed and the safety of the guards. Although, after seeing their performance during her ceremony she had to wonder how safe Larin truly was from the daem. The daylight dimmed as the sun began to sink behind the horizon and the sounds from the trees lining the road made Irinia feel uneasy.

  "Could you-" Croix began to speak before he turned and saw Irinia walking closely right beside him. "Never mind then."

  The moon was now within sight, it was a full moon. The moonlight lit the road for a nice distance so they were able to see clearly enough and the air was warm. A slight breeze rustled the trees and some scattered leaves danced across their path. Their silence grew tiresome.

  "How many different type of daem are there? I've seen the sentinels and the craters. What other kinds are there?" Croix stepped around a raised tree root that had found its way up from the ground. He rolled his eyes up and moving his fingers to count. A few seconds later he shrugged. "Some where over fifteen. You will see many of them in time. Flying daem, hulking giants, creatures that a so agile they appear to teleport from place to place."

  Irinia nodded and jumped at the sound of sticks snapping beyond the treeline. Croix stopped at the sound and listened for a moment before he continued walking. "We should be thankful for this moonlight." He looked up toward the moon and smiled. "Such a helpful thing, the Moon. It can be just as harmful though. This night we have a good range of sight. That means any daem, or people for that matter, can see us as well."

  More sticks snapped in the treeline on the other side of the road. "Is something out there?" Irinia asked.

  Croix removed his bow stringing it as the arms extended. He removed a plain wooden arrow that was sharped to a point on the end from beneath his cloak and nocked it. This arrow was entirely wood.

  "What's the matter?" She asked.

  He gently shook his head. The bushes shook and a rabbit darted out of into their path. Croix pulled the arrow back and loosed it into the rabbit. The motion was very fast, it did not even appear as though he aimed. Collapsing his bow and replacing it beneath his cloak he walked over and picked up the rabbit.

  "Let's break for dinner. I'm hungry."

  Croix sat on the side of the road and cleaned the rabbit while Irinia searched for suitable wood for a fire to cook it. She was beginning to enjoy this adventure, though still scary at times. They had to gather their own food, and cook their own meals. She never had to do such a thing. She picked up several dry sticks and added them to her bundle and looked up. She saw Croix sitting patiently, waiting for her to return. She was enjoying his company as well. She had never known anyone so carefree that had such a serious and dangerous vocation. That and the mystery surrounding him was alluring. Nobody could tell her much about him; not how powerful he is, what he is capable of, or even where he came from. She walked over to where he was sitting and arranged the wood to make a fire.

  After lighting the wood, Croix cut placed the skewered rabbit over the fire. While the rabbit cooked, he would rotate it occasionally. Irinia sat and toyed with her bracelet. She looked closely at several symbols carved into the metal. "What do these symbols mean?" She asked.

  The wind blew through the trees giving her a chill. She pulled her shawl tighter around her.

  "Come closer." She moved closer beside him and held her arm out. "These first two here are compound sigils. Each will not function independently but require each other. In a way it is symbolic of the student-teacher relationship. However, technically speaking they are what bind our minds and our energies."

  "Can you hear what I'm thinking?"

  "If you project it strongly enough. I noticed your expression when you picked up on that a few times." He laughed quietly. This one here, " he pointed to the next sigil, "represents our independence from each other. While we are bound together neither of us have control over the other. That one is important. If it weren't there you would just be a mindless servant doing my bidding. Nobody would want that." She nodded in agreement.

  "What about these going around the outside." She ran her fingers around the front of the pendant.

  "Those are the sigils representing each element that is assisting you at any given time. Whether it is with some kind of magic or with a specific request. They are the sigils that complete the union."

  He removed the skewer from the fire and picked off a piece to eat. Nodding in satisfaction, held the spit out for Irinia to take some. They went back and forth like that for a little while until there was nothing left. Croix held an open hand toward the fire twisted and pulled inward. The fire went out immediately.

  They walked continuously until daybreak where they came to a clearing. Rather than trees on both sides of the road there were only open fields. The grass would blow gently in the wind making it look like an ocean of green. The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds in sight. It was a beautiful day.

  "Do you need to rest?" Croix asked her.

  Even though her feet were sore, and she was extremely tired from not sleeping she shook her head. The faster they made it to the mountains, the sooner she could rest.

  I really hope there is cabin in the mountains or something.

  She heard Croix laugh which made her guess that probably was not the case. The open road began to rise now. After several hours more of walking she noticed the environment change from the open fields to rocks. Jagged rocks protruding the earth in front of them. The road become progressively more difficult to traverse as they continued.

  At the base of the mountain Irinia looked upward. The mountain range erupted into the sky. They were a beautiful hue of blue and gray gradients. Looking east and west the mountains appeared to last forever. They disappeared into the horizon; she could not help but wonder how far they traveled. Without any rest Croix started his ascent. Irinia tried her best to stay close behind him, but the man seemed to have an inexhaustible source of energy. She, however, was short of breath and had to stop occasionally to message her legs before continuing. They continued on like that for hours.

  A section of the mountain jutted outward, it was too wide to go around so they had to climb over it. Croix placed a hand and foot on the cliff face. He paused to look at her. "You look exhausted." He said, "are you able to continue?"

  Irinia leaned against the cliff face to rest. She had to rest so she could catch her breath. The higher they went, the harder it was to breathe. She wanted to as Croix if they could just make a camp here or on the flat area they had just passed not too long ago. She just wanted to sleep. She looked at him to say just that until she saw the genuine concern on his face. She wanted to continue, even if she was not sure if she could.

  "I'm alright." She placed a hand on a piece of rock that felt as though it would hold her.

  "I'll stay beside you." Croix looked down the mountain. They had been climbing for several hours and had made great progress. "I would not want you to tumble down that. The air is thinner up here too. If you feel dizzy, we'll find a way to rest for a while."

  She nodded and they began to scale the mountain again. Each movement hurt her. Croix was obviously slowing himself down, keeping a close watch on her as they ascended. They were halfway to the ridge when a rock she had used as a handhold gave way. She panicked to find a place to grip the cliff face but could not find purchase. She felt herself beginning to fall backward.

  It's too bad... The view would have been spectacular from up there.

  The feeling of vertigo ceased. When she opened her eyes, she saw Croix gripping her arm. They had both fallen several paces from where they were. Croix was hanging from his sword which was plunged into the cliff face halfway up the blade. Croix lifted her up easily with one hand. She wrapped her free arm around his and followed it with her other arm when he released it.

  "Hold onto me, alright?" Croix patted her arm. "I'll handle the rest. Just rest for now."

  Irinia nodded and agreed quietly. Croix climbed the remainder of the mountain with Irinia on his back. For extra grip he would plunge his sword into the mountainside and use that to pull the both of them up. Irinia looked downward on several occasions to see how far they had gone. The base of the mountain was barely visible and still they climbed.

  “How much further?” She asked.

  “Not much now. See where that ridge is up there?”

  Irinia looked upward and saw where the face of the mountain sloped gently outward blocking the rest of the mountain from view.

  “Yes.”

  “That is where we stop. There will be a cave close by, and that is where we will seek shelter.”

  “How long will that be?” Irinia felt herself shiver against the wind.

  “A few weeks, a few months. However long it takes you to learn what I need to teach you.” He fell silent as he climbed the outward sloping portion just below the ridge.

  Finally, they reached the top and he pulled the both of them over the edge. Irinia stood to get a better view as she backed away from the ledge. The world appeared to go on forever. She could see vast plains to the west, forests to the east, and several clearings that most likely marked villages and towns. Her legs were still week, but the view was beautiful. She turned around to see the side of the cave gaping open revealing a darkness that appeared to know no depth. Croix began to walk toward the cave, so Irinia followed behind him casting one last glance at the scenery.

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  She could not see anything in the cave after entering. She could her Croix’s footsteps, but Irinia was afraid she would trip over something, so she stood in place not too far from the entrance of the cave. Croix’s echoing footsteps were growing distant.

  “Could you help lead the way, Croix? I can't see where I’m going.” Irinia took another couple of steps keeping her hand on the cave wall.

  “Take your hands from the wall.”

  Irinia pulled her hand to her side with a slap. She could see a faint red light glimmer in the distance of the cave. She heard a crack and fire flared on the ceiling of he cave tracing a line down each corner where the wall met the ceiling. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she realized that the cave was perfectly square except for the entrance. It must have been cut out of the rock by someone. An especially skilled someone at that. The corners looked perfect.

  After Irinia walked down the corridor she caught a glimpse of Croix disappeared around the corner. After she rounded that corner, the lights flared down that hallway as the fire in the corridor behind her died out. When she turned, she saw a vast room with a ceiling that may have gone to the top of the mountain. She was not sure, but it was huge. There was a chair carved out of the stone of the mountain with pillows on the seat, back and arms. A wash basin, also carved from the rock, rested beside the chair. Further in was a wooden table which sat low to the ground. Too low for a person to sit at a chair. There was a blanket laid beneath it for sitting she assumed.

  Even though the entire room was carved from the rock of the mountain it was surprisingly warm. Irinia reached out and touched the wall with a couple fingers. It was warm to the touch.

  “Is this some kind a magic?” Irinia pressed her palms to the wall now.

  “Somewhat. The lines that travel along the tops of the walls are, and some of the heat. Most of it comes from heat vents in the mountain though.” Croix removed his cloak and draped it gently over the stone chair before sitting down in it.

  “This is where we will be staying for awhile. The climb took the better part of the day. What do you say we have some dinner?” The way he said it was more of an announcement than a question.

  He stood and walked to another dark corridor at the back of the room. He waved for her to follow.

  “I’ll show you around. You will know they layout before long.”

  Irinia followed him down the corridor as it burst into light. They rounded another turn and she stepped onto a cold floor. She jumped back and squeaked in surprise. She saw flanks of forest animals laying within large container covered in ice. The walls and ceiling were lined with frost. She pulled her shawl closer to her body.

  “How do you make this room so cold?”

  Croix hefted a flank of what was probably a deer over his shoulder. He passed under a silver square piece hanging from the ceiling. It had mesh covering each side. He flicked the blue gem hanging from the bottom with his finger. Flakes of snow and ice fell from the box.

  “An old friend made me this artifact many years ago. It has many uses, but I needed a way to keep food frozen so I put it in here.” Croix walked into the corridor the had entered from . “That and when you store it in a pack it makes your back really cold. Terrible for long trips.”

  She laughed at that. "You can't turn it off?"

  “Nope, lousy design if I'm being honest." Croix dropped the meat onto a ledge that was also carved out the stone of the mountain. "This will need to thaw for a few hours.”

  “While we are waiting for that we can practice your concentration.” Croix sat down on the ground in the middle of the room. “Join me.”

  Irinia sat down across from him. After she smoothed her dress she asked, “Who made all of this?”

  “I did. I wanted a place to go when I wanted to be alone to my thoughts. So I dug this place out of the mountains. It would have been worse, but magic helps in these situations. It still took years...” Croix looked up toward the cone-shaped ceiling, “but we have much to do.”

  Croix lifted her chin with his fingertips so that her eyes met with his.

  “Think of how you initiate your healing ability.”

  Irinia nodded. It surprised her how easily she had been able to manifest those techniques so quickly.

  “Good, start it. After a moment you will feel a sensation in your chest,” he pointed to her chest, “ stop there and hold it.”

  Irinia closed her eyes and concentrated. She tried to clear her mind, but so much had happened in the past several days that it was impossible. She sighed and tried again. She imagined the energy traveling from her head down to her shoulders then to her hands. Instead of relaxing and releasing the tension the process created she held onto it.

  “Very good, “ Croix said in a whisper, “once you master this many other techniques will become much easier. Strengthen the will and interruptions will become less frequent. Soon you will be able to cast while you talk.” Croix stood and sat in the chair.

  Irinia opened her eyes and looked around trying very hard to hold her concentration. She noticed a square section of the wall had been carved out and was charred black. She wondered briefly, as she worried that too much thought would break her will, if that was a fireplace.

  “Are you still cold?” Croix asked. That was when she noticed that he was sitting and watching.

  She nodded once quickly, causing one of her hairpins to fall out.

  Croix moved to the fireplace and drew a rapid pattern in red onto the wall and repeated it on the floor beneath it. He placed his fingers into gaps at the bottoms of each sigil and pulled them together. The sigils resisted each other and pushed away until they both shattered and flame burst from the wall. For a moment it covered Croix’s arm. Irinia lost her concentration then worry, and felt the energy release from her fingertips. Her hands were suddenly very cold.

  Croix shook his arm twice to put the flame out and sat back down like nothing had happened. He saw Irinia rubbing her hands together to warm them.

  He gestured with his hand. “Remember, let nothing break your attention.”

  The floor felt cool beneath her. The fire gave warmth from her right and she could feel Croix’s presence in the room. By focusing on those things she was able to block them out. Now focused and able to draw her energy down to her hands, she tried again. Hours passed as she sat in concentration. It was exhausting.

  There was a ruffling sound as Croix stood and walked to the meat sitting on the stone ledge. He drew a knife and carved up the thawed meat into smaller pieces. Skewering those pieces with pointed narrow sticks which he procured from a small wooden box beside the ledge, he propped each stick against the wall above the fire. The smell of cooking meat spread through the room quickly. It reminded Irinia of the kitchens at home. They always smelled like meat and bread. When she realized what she was doing she forced herself to clear her mind again. At least as well as she could.

  Several more moments passed until she felt a hand press against her back.

  “Don’t break your will. Breathe in, breathe out. In, out.” Croix said. She focused on her breathing. “Good. Now slowly,” he emphasized the word, “ relax your mind and release the energy through your palms. Not your fingers.”

  She relaxed her whole body, which she was not sure how she could possibly be any more relaxed, and slowly released her focus. Now aware of her hands, she concentrated on her palm which she began to feel cool.

  Croix walked to the fire as she opened her eyes. When she started to rub her hands Croix raised his.

  “Leave them. You will need to get used to it. Healing has an iciness to it. Sometimes you can get so cold it hurts. It’s better to get grow accustomed to it now, than later.”

  She took a bite out of the meat Croix passed to her and enjoyed it.

  “You may have the chair.” Croix pointed with his chin.

  She sat down in the chair. “Are you sure? This is your hideout.” She took another bite of the meat.

  “You’re the lady.” Croix at a piece of meat in three large bites and did the same for two more pieces.

  To be treated like a princess she was used to, but the way she felt when Croix offered her gestures made her feel odd. She liked it. The feeling of independence was beginning to set in. She had never been away from home for so long. Irinia understood why her father enjoyed traveling to distant lands when he was younger. When she was a child, her parents let her go wherever she wanted within the city. Since it was such a peaceful place she would run from wall to wall and climb all sorts of towers and trees. The view from the mountains was spectacular. She would never have visited this place if not for Croix.

  She gently refused the chair and stayed put on the floor and ate. With the meat Croix had giver her eaten, Irinia ate one more piece before laying back against the chair. Her full stomach made her tired. Her eyes closed and she was drifting into sleep upright. At least, until a finger poked her in the forehead.

  “We’re not done here.” Croix said lightly as he sat down on the floor across from her. She began to focus her mind again until she felt Croix grab her hand. She was startled and looked up at him. He shook his head.

  Leaning back on his hands, Croix asked, “What are you hoping to achieve from doing this?”

  “Doing what?”

  “Fighting a war you didn’t know about until recently. You’re only...” he looked into her eyes, “eighteen. You were born into an era of peace after we had driven the daem into submission, albeit temporarily. The pattern is usually three hundred or four hundred years of war followed by perhaps twenty five or fifty years of peace. Granted there are a few stragglers here and there causing trouble, but it’s better than wartime. Knowing none of this you followed me out of your home almost instantly. I’m just wondering why.”

  He was right, she did not know too much about the wars. Only stories she had heard her father tell to her brother when they were younger. Irinia was not sure how much of this war she actually wanted to participate in or how, but she felt confined in the castle. She did not want to be married off to some prince in exchange for a nation’s loyalty. She wanted to live an adventurous life, like the ones in stories.

  “Royalty is not for me. Walking from town to town, helping people in need, and seeing things that many have thought to be fantasy are the memories of my life I would like to have when I am old.”

  “Sounds like a reasonable decision for you then.” Croix laughed.

  “What is so funny?”

  “The concept of you growing old. You may have already hit your zenith.”

  Irinia gave him a quizzical look. He pointed to his face.

  “I stopped aging after twenty four years. I will never look any older than this.” He have her a moment to let that sink in. “I know one that hit zenith at twelve. It’s a lot of fun entering tournaments with him. Nobody ever guesses that he’s closer to six hundred years. He has never lost. I think they feel bad for hitting him.”

  The thought of looking young for her entire life was incredible. Yet, she worried that people would always treat her like a child. She looked down at her hand to see the scar from the bind ceremony spread across its width.

  “So...”

  “Forever. I think that is why they make us do that and not heal ourselves. I think it’s to remind us that we aren’t indestructible. I just followed the directions.”

  The ceremony seemed so long ago now even though it had only been a few days.

  I cannot wait to go home to tell father and brother about this.

  Croix held up his hand wiggling his fingers. Irinia tipped her head, confused.

  “Five days. We will be passing through Larin on the way to your test.”

  Her heart practically stopped. She wanted to tell her family everything that had happened. Most of all she wanted to sleep in an actual bed. The hard ground may be acceptable for some, but Irinia simply has not been able to adjust to it. Surely in time she could, but for now...

  However she was conflicted. Wanting to experience more to have more stories to tell, she wished to continue her travels a bit longer before returning home.

  Croix patted her on the shoulder.

  “Back to work. Focus your will...”

  Together they practiced holding her mana at the ready, releasing mana at various rates, and canceling concentration altogether. After several hours of this she suddenly felt light headed and fell to one side. Croix caught her and picked her up. He carried her down the hall toward the cold room, but this time he turned sharply about halfway down. There was a smaller room hidden away there with a padded bed with blankets and pillows. He laid her down atop the bed and sat next to her.

  “You did. You pushed a little too hard on the last exercise. Be mindful that your will is an extension of your mind and it is not limitless. After awhile it will fatigue. Like now. It’s also like a muscle and the more the push it the stronger it will grow, within limits.” He walked to the archway to the room and turned. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Irinia was already asleep before he left.

  Croix walked down the hallway and sat down in the chair in his main chamber. He shifted his weight several times, but could not get comfortable. It was not long before he found himself walking down the exiting corridor. He did not bother to ignite the flame strips along the ceiling. That was only for the girl. He knew the way.

  Emerging from the mouth of the cave he could see the full moon generously sharing its light with him as a bitter cold wind whipped through the mountains. The thought of returning to collect his cloak passed through his mind, but he shrugged and continued on. The cold can be cancelled out. There was a small section where the rock jutted up the the ridge of the mountainside that often served as a railing for him to lean on, and he did just that. The beauty of this place that had brought him here so long ago was still there today. He had seen the mountains many centuries ago from a neighboring town that has since been destroyed by the scourge that cursed this world.

  Light feet stepped on the stones of the mountain ledge behind him. Croix did not turn to meet them. He simply raised a hand in greeting.

  “Hey.”

  A woman’s voice reverberated slightly through the air that Croix could feel throughout his whole being. “How are are you progressing with the girl?”

  Croix continued looking out over the fields.

  “Why did you have me do this? She is so young. People are usually brought into the fold much later.”

  The woman leaned on the natural railing beside Croix. He looked to her. She was beautiful. Her hair flowed behind her as she moved with a literal glow. Her long light blue robes nearly touched the ground.

  “This has to be done. You need to train students. You have a very unique gift, Croix. One that nobody else has.” She sighed and looked out over the plains while rubbing her hands together. “When the time comes you will understand.”

  Croix stood taking a few steps toward the mouth of the cave.

  “I understand that. Why her? She was the daughter of my friend.”

  The woman turned to him, “She still is his daughter.”

  Croix sighed. “She isn’t though. She is soon to be a roaming source of destruction. Doomed to spend the rest of her everlasting life fighting a never-ending battle until she is killed. What kind of fate is that? A fate that I just pulled her into.”

  “That girl will follow you to the ends of the world. She will be happy to do so. You have to trust me on this, Croix. You both are part of something huge. Peace will come...” She placed a hand on Croix’s shoulder. “You just need to give it time.”

  Croix resigned to her.

  “It’s been thousands upon thousands of years. I’ve lost so many friends,” his eyes took on a distant look his eyes, “so many. My family, no idea where they are. If they still exist.”

  “Your situation was different, and you know that, Croix.” The woman’s voice was calm, but reassuring. It would not be difficult to tell that the two talking have had the same conversation before.

  He looked up to the sky and agreed. When he looked back down the woman was gone. He stood outside in the cold for a long time in thought. Thinking of the things he had done and what he thought he had to do. With a heavy sigh he walked down the dark corridor and sat in his chair beside the fire burning in the wall. Watching the flames reminded him of how random events in a person’s life could be. Going this way and that. He walked down the hall to check on Irinia. She was still sleeping soundly in the bed so he went back to his chair.

  ”I hope she’s right… I’m so tired of this…” he muttered to himself before falling asleep himself.