Chapter 319: The Last Light Recruits

The training fields were spaced between two of the encampments, resting directly underneath the shadow of the colossal stone monolith. Young, bright-eyed soldiers marched in neat files or ran through combat drills on the frosty fields. Orion strode confidently into their midst, nodding his approval as they snapped to attention.

“Ranks!” he shouted, crossing his arms and glaring at the youth sternly.

They reacted instantly with the discipline that came from long hours of dedication and practice, falling into three distinct companies. Each group held several dozen men, with a few women sprinkled throughout, all between second and third levels. When the last soldier fell into place, they pressed their gauntlets to their breastplates, filling the brisk morning air with the ring of steel.

I stood on the outside with my hands clasped together, my tail flicking back and forth. My crimson hair and dress, not to mention my demonic characteristics, stood out like a fire on the frosty white field. The soldiers remained in formation, their eyes locked forward, but I could feel their curiosity intently upon me. Among the three companies, I found the familiar faces of the group camped around my tent. Their faces lit up ever so slightly as they found me watching, though only Solim risked a small wave. I offered a small smile in return and my tail relaxed, the tension leaving my body.

Orion cleared his throat and raised a hand, sharply gesturing toward me. “I bring with me today a living legend, the Final Star of the Last Light Company itself, Lady Xiviyah. Many of you have heard rumors of her heroic feats amongst your predecessors and those battling the demons on the front lines, and I am here to assure you they are all true. While you are a member of this company, you will treat her with the utmost respect. Any who dare act inappropriately in her presence shall be assigned latrine duty for the rest of their term.”

“P-pleased to meet you,” I said timidly, giving a shallow curtsey. It had been long since I’d executed the formal gesture, yet it came naturally to me, ingrained through countless long hours of training at the Divine Throne and High Valley.

I flushed under their attentive gaze, looking helplessly at Orion. He nodded slightly and winked. His face hardened as he turned back to the soldiers, and he folded his arms.

“Lady Xiviyah will be overseeing your training today. She is as delicate as she is beautiful, so I expect you to keep yourselves under control and be aware when she is near. There are to be no training accidents. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir!” they shouted in unison.

The companies broke up again, returning to whatever training activity and drills they’d been involved in before we interrupted them. Orion walked over to me and stood by my side, arms folded as he watched them with no small amount of pride. After a few minutes, I frowned, then shook my head and looked up at the broad-shouldered man.

“Orion?” I asked, shrinking away as he turned that intense gaze onto me. I took a small breath and pushed on, praying he didn’t get offended. “They fight well, but they’re so weak. Unless they learn to properly manage their mana and clean up their magical techniques, even first-level scions would shatter their formations. I don’t have much to offer in martial training, yet perhaps I can offer some guidance on mana manipulation.”

Orion stroked his chin for a second then nodded. “A sound idea. What did you have in mind?”

I hesitated a second longer then gestured with my hand, sweeping over the whole assembly. “Would it be too much to link them in a Nexus? It’s difficult to explain with just words.”

“As you wish. Now, if I recall correctly, this spell requires the participants to be linked physically, does it not?”

Reaching out my hand, I summoned my staff. “It’s alright, I can take care of it now. I’ve made a few changes to the spell since we last fought together.”

Without waiting for him to respond, I waved my staff and summoned a sixth-circle array in the air. It was small at first, barely a few feet across. Just large enough for me to manage as I slowly crafted the individual circles before fusing them together and forming the initial array.

The sudden strain on my soul took my breath away, draining nearly three-quarters of my mana, but the spell quickly stabilized. A few seconds later, the array expanded in size, rapidly swelling to fall beneath the feet of the entire company. The soldiers faltered in their steps, swords and spears falling limply to their sides. In all likelihood, most of them had never seen a true sixth-circle spell before, the experience leaving them wide-eyed and awestruck. A few hushed whispers broke out, expressing shock at the lack of chant or the smooth precision with which I directed the circles, but Orion silenced those with a glare.

“Nexus!”

My soft voice filled the air and the six circles flashed with light. Threads of mana shot out of my soul, bouncing from soldier to soldier until we formed a glistening spiderweb visible to my eyes alone. At least, for now.

All at once, I was assaulted by a flood of emotion. Wonder, shock, even fear. The soldiers exchanged looks, hands falling uncertainly on their weapons, as they experienced each other’s minds and hearts. The empathy was shallow, yet overwhelming for the unprepared.

I gave them a few seconds to adjust to the unique sensation before Soul Casting a third-circle spell, flipping their worlds upside down again.

“Link Ability: Oracle of Eternity!”

A pulse of mana erupted from my soul, flowing through the Nexus and bestowing the ability upon each soul. If the recruits had been surprised before, they were stunned witless as an entire new world was opened up to them. Even Orion took an uneasy look around, his face pale. He gripped the hilt of his sword uneasily, knuckles whitening as he strove to understand the alien scene around him.

After a moment, I stepped forward and lowered my staff, holding it horizontally in the air with both hands. The bewildered soldiers focused on me, eyes pleading for understanding, which I gladly gave.

“You now see a part of what I do, a hint at the flow of mana within your souls. With this, you should be able to tighten your control and improve your magical techniques. It’s important to be able to compress and direct your mana instinctively, reacting to danger before it even manifests. Furthermore, with practice, you can increase the efficiency and power of your attacks to overwhelm opponents far stronger than you.”

They stared at me blankly, the words passing right over their head. I frowned, an anxious tremor running down my tail. Didn’t they understand what I was talking about?

I grasped desperately at words, to somehow explain it in a way they understood, but this kind thing was a commonplace teaching amongst mages at the Divine Throne. Did they really not teach warriors the essential foundations of using their mana?

“Perhaps a demonstration would be useful,” Orion offered helpfully. I shot him a grateful look and nodded.

“Would someone like to volunteer?” I asked timidly, not daring to meet any of their gazes.

Orion snorted and clapped his hand, immediately attracting the soldiers’ gazes. “In an army, you must command, not request. Solim, you seem awfully happy to train with Lady Xiviyah, don’t you? That’s right, I saw you break discipline earlier. Step forward.”

Solim gulped and separated himself from the rest of his company. I looked at Orion and waited for his encouraging nod before raising my staff. Soul casting, I summoned a simple Aegis spell before him, a glimmering translucent sphere of gold.

“This is the first-circle spell Aegis, normally capable of stopping several first-level attacks. Um, Solim, if you could–” I glanced at Orion, who rolled his eyes, and quickly changed my wording. “Solim, please attack it. Try your best to break it.”

He nodded and raised his sword, surrounding the blade in a sheathe of roaring flames. His sword struck once, then twice, each blow bearing the full might of a second-circle magical technique. The Aegis sang like a tinkling crystal, flashing brightly as it absorbed the duel impacts without so much as cracking.

Solim frowned and attacked again, this time expending almost half of his mana in a third-level attack. The Aegis rang out again, but this time, a long, sinewy line snaked across the sphere.

“See?” I asked hopefully, “Just like I can refine and strengthen my spells, your magical techniques can become more effective too. Pay close attention to the way your mana moves when you call it. You can see your friends’ souls tool, so be sure to help each other out.”

I let out a breath of relief as they all nodded, understanding finally dawning in their eyes. Orion shouted at them again, and they quickly returned to training, only this time exclusively working on their magical techniques.

For the next hour, I drifted between the soldiers, offering what little guidance I could. Almost all of my experience with magical techniques came from watching my various companions practice, and I wished for the thousandth time Korra was here to help me. She’d literally invented a new style of techniques called arts. Wouldn’t she be perfect for teaching this kind of thing?

Fortunately, Orion was much more adept than I, correcting sloppy or inefficient attacks with a sharp word or example. I found myself focusing more on those who struggled to control their mana at all, showing them how to more perfectly manipulate it in their body and manifest power on their weapons.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, the sun had reached its zenith. Just as I was about to retire and find a place to sit and rest, my mana tingled, sending a warning shiver down my spine. I glanced about and my eyes came to rest on a small party making their way toward us from the city. Their cloaks billowed in the breeze, flapping just high enough to reveal the sun emblems emblazoned on the back. White cloaks. Inquisitors.

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