INSIGNIAS: THE REGALIS

Aria pushed the clone into the cliff while Clyne severed his opponent’s head. Lei and Nate finished the fight at the same time. Homer didn’t give the Seven time to rest and explained that they had to do the same training again the following days. He led them deep into the forest until they reached a wide river with a towering waterfall. The falling rushing water muffled other noises around them. Smooth black rocks of different sizes lined the river. The river’s water was so clear that Skhy could see everything underneath; there wasn’t much but smooth rocks, pebbles, and large black sands. Looking up, he noticed a rainbow in the middle of falling water. Thick white clouds hovered above it so he couldn’t see the top of the waterfall.

They made their way to the edge of the waterfall, carefully stepping on the slippery rocks. Skhy saw Anika and Yuri waiting near the rushing water. Yuri waved at them.

“My work is done,” Homer said when the group reached the two. Before anyone could say anything, he turned and vanished.

“How was the first training?” Yuri asked with a huge smile. Skhy had no words to describe their training with Homer.

“Difficult,” Lei murmured. Yuri clapped once, surprising Skhy.

“Everything is difficult if you don’t practice to be better,” he said but Skhy had no energy left to argue with him. Anika stepped closer to the waterfall.

“Homer told you not to depend entirely on your elementals and weapons,” she started, “They are only strong if you, the vessel, are strong.” Skhy nodded sombrely. He could imagine Anika as an elemental or armoury teacher in Lux Signifer Academy but he figured that the academy life and teachings will limit Anika.

“Strong physically.” She looked at Lei then Tessa. “Mentally.” She turned to Clyne, Aria, and Nate. “Emotionally.” Lastly, she glanced at Skhy and Faz. “As an individual or as a group.” Skhy considered the hidden meaning behind her words.

“Now for your next easy task,” Yuri stated, emphasizing the word ‘easy’. “Retrieve the complete item in the water within an hour.” What?

“You didn’t ask if we know how to swim,” Faz pointed out, frowning.

“You know how.” Anika regarded the whole group.

“What are we looking for?” Skhy asked, uncertain.

“You will see,” Anika replied.

“How will we know if it’s the correct one?” Lei asked.

“You will know. Your brains will complete the puzzle,” Yuri responded. Skhy closed his eyes for a second. He didn’t like it when people speak in riddles. Turning toward the wide river, he silently sighed.

Yuri took a seat on a large rock while Anika stood beside him. It was their signal to start. The Seven clustered together in a circle.

“The river is huge,” Aria said a matter-a-fact.

“We’re looking for one thing, right?” Lei asked, “Yuri said ‘the item’.”

“We should divide the river into seven areas and look only in that particular spot,” Skhy suggested.

“Where’s the limit?” Nate asked. “We can’t search the whole river until we reach the ocean.”

“That bridge.” Tessa pointed to a bridge made of bamboo, logs, and rope. It wasn’t that far from the waterfall. However, Skhy was concerned about something.

“I think the middle of the river is deep.” He glanced at each of his friends, silently asking the question.

“I’ll do it,” Tessa offered. He was about to offer the same when Faz spoke.

“Me too.” He was already scanning the river.

“The water is deep and strong there unlike the river sides,” Lei started, “Maybe three people would do.” She gave Skhy a smile.

“I will help them.” After their agreement, the Seven rushed to the spots to start searching. Lei and Nate stayed on the bank while Aria and Clyne used the bridge to go to the other side. Skhy, Tessa, and Faz slowly made their way to the middle. Skhy uncontrollably shivered when the cold water touched his skin. Faz and Skhy decided that Faz would look nearest to the waterfall, Skhy in between, while Tessa check the area nearest to the bridge. As they come closer to the deepest part of the river, the current strengthen; the water rushed toward them. When the water reached Skhy’s shoulders, the rushing water painfully hit his face so he turned around, his back on the waterfall. The middle of the river wasn’t as deep as he expected because it only reached his jaw but the current was strong. His legs tensed as he tried to maintain his balance despite the strong current underwater. Glancing at his friends, he realized that even though the group knows how to swim, the strong current can pull and push them. He silently wished that the knights won’t let them drown.

With a deep breath, he dived underwater, making sure that his feet stayed anchored between rocks. He blinked at the cloudiness in his eyes. The water was clear but he couldn’t only recognize dark-coloured rocks from black to dark purple. Slowly, he walked around, keeping his head underwater. When he couldn’t hold his breath anymore, he surfaced with a loud gasp. He continued diving and searching; taking a few rocks and inspecting them above water. He didn’t know how long he was searching but when his head left the water, his whole body was trembling. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold water, muscle pains, or exhaustion. Maybe all of them. As he gasped for air, he looked around to check on his friends. Aria and Clyne were resting on the rocks on the banks. Nate and Lei stood in the water. Tessa had reached the wooden bridge. Skhy’s eyes lingered on the area near the waterfall, waiting for Faz to surface. He could hear the loud beating of his heart in his eyes as he counted the seconds. When Faz finally emerged, he laughed dryly at him cursing.

“Rocks!” Faz shouted. “All I see are blue rocks!” Skhy raised his hands above water and noticed his palms pruning.

“I see red rocks!” Clyne shouted back.

“Here’s yellow!” Aria threw a light-coloured rock in the river. Water splashed in front of her.

“Where is it hidden?” Faz trashed around, clearly frustrated.

Skhy felt his heart returning to its normal rhythm but his mind was turning. He remembered the first time he saw the river, the rocks underwater were dark, almost black, no matter where he looked.

“Coloured rocks,” he whispered while staring at waves. “Seven.” His heart started to drum beats again in his chest.

“Grab a rock!” he shouted, turning to look at each of his friends.

“What?” Faz asked.

“Grab a rock!” His friends hesitated but they grabbed a rock underwater. Skhy did the same. They held it up. Skhy saw blood red, fiery orange, wheat yellow, light green, sky blue, navy blue, and purple.

“Rainbow!” Tessa cried behind him. Skhy saw Faz turn toward the waterfall and looked up. The rainbow looked brighter than earlier, one of its ends touched the water rushing down while the other touched the clouds.

“Come on!” Skhy turned toward Lei’s voice. She and Nate started toward the bank, each holding a rock. Skhy was still gasping for air but he made his way toward the riverside on his wobbly legs and trembling arms.

“Here.” He raised his head, squinting at Nate’s outstretched hand. Skhy took it and his friend dragged him out of the cold river water.

“Are you sure that we’re looking for…a rock?” Clyne asked, staring at the red rock on his palm. Skhy’s friends surrounded him; all of them shivering in their wet clothes. Some sat beside him, and some stood.

“Rocks weren’t exactly hidden.”

“It’s not one item.” Lei gripped the rock between her hands as if it will warm her up.

“I get it,” Faz said before Skhy could explain.

“Yuri didn’t say one item,” Faz started. “He said ‘complete item’.”

“A rainbow isn’t complete without the seven colours,” Skhy explained.

“And Anika said our brains will complete the puzzle,” Tessa added.

“Yes.” Tessa yelped while Lei jumped when Anika emerged from behind them.

“Yes!” Yuri exclaimed after he placed his hands on Aria and Clyne’s shoulders. Skhy asked for the rocks and placed them in order on a flat rock.

Anika smiled slowly.

“But you failed.” Skhy’s friends started protesting.

“We’ve been there for more than an hour.” Yuri nodded in response to Skhy’s statement. Skhy glanced at his friends who, like him, looked exhausted; dark circles formed around their dim eyes; lips turning white.

“In the war,” Anika started, her eyes turning dark, “You won’t have an hour to think and plan as a team.”

“That’s why each you must think fast and coordinate fast.”

“This is an easy task.” Yuri took his place beside Anika, all trace of enthusiasm left his face. “The next one requires you to think under enormous pressure, to understand and predict your team’s movements.”

“With or without your elementals,” she added.

Skhy was reminded of the earlier training with Homer where Aria and later Faz gave him a silent signal to attack.

“Yes, Skhy.” He looked up at Anika.

Anika and Yuri led the shivering Seven to the manor to eat and rest before the next training late at night with Homer. Skhy grimaced, expecting that Homer was the worst teacher. So far. He wondered about when Neus and the rest would train the Seven. Homer focused on physical strength without using elementals or weapons while Anika and Yuri emphasized teamwork.

“Is our teamwork really that weak?” Lei asked as they trudged in the forest.

“No,” Skhy answered, “We just have to be better.” He fought together with Faz before the Eschaton war and during the time the group journeyed together toward Northern Lux but it felt like Skhy follows Faz rather than coordinating together. Faz was unpredictable yet Clyne could easily read him. He wondered how the two fought together before they met the Skhy and the others. It felt like they had a strong connection that Skhy won’t be able to match.

Among his friends, Lei was the person he could easily predict her movements in the fight. She fought beside him in the East Woodland for the first time but they fit like a puzzle. Aria, on the other hand, seemed to like fighting her own battles. Nate, like Skhy, read people’s movements and act accordingly but Skhy hadn’t tried fighting with him side by side. Then there’s Tessa. Tessa fought with her feelings which usually only show when she fights.

The hike was a blur but when he saw the manor, he wanted nothing but to sleep. His head was throbbing; his body shivering. The two knights left them the instruction for the next training.

“You think they did something about the Rosein Army?” Clyne gritted his teeth, more due because he was cold than he was angry. They had finished showering and changing clothes but Skhy was still weak.

“I don’t know,” Skhy replied. “Maybe we can ask later.”

“We have to tell Tessa and the others.” Skhy raised his eyebrow at Faz.

“We will.” Nate still shivered under his thick parka.

“We have to ask for medicine,” Clyne said.

They made their way to the kitchen to eat with Lei and the others. They ate in comfortable silence. Everyone agreed to stay behind the manor so they can talk. The warm wind blew as they sat on the thick green grass.

“We’re in danger,” Lei said after Skhy and Nate narrated the boys’ adventure the day before. Her face paled.

“It was still an irresponsible move.” To Skhy’s surprise, Aria directed her words and glare at the four of them, not just Clyne.

“You don’t trust the knights,” Tessa said matter-a-fact. Skhy and Faz looked at each other.

“And you plan to solve this on your own.” Her expression was surprising and dangerously calm.

“It’s going to be hard,” Nate started, “With all the training every day.”

“We have to,” Tessa said, making Skhy stare at her.

“We?” Faz frowned.

“We are in this together, aren’t we?” No one contradicted her.