INSIGNIAS: THE REGALIS

The sun had set when the group found the sparkling water of the Three Rivers at the foot of the highest mountain in the Wyvernshore. Its clear water reflected the orange blue tint of the late afternoon sky. Several clear trails run toward the river bank which was surrounded by layers of purple and yellow flowers extending towards the mountain slopes. The river was so wide that it was hard to see what was on the other side. The air was warm and smelt of fresh grass. The lower part of the mountains were green while the places near the top were brown. Thick and tall trees stood behind the rows of flowers.

Clyne stared in awe; his chest felt warm as he remembered his home near the mountains. It was as peaceful and beautiful. His heart warming thoughts were interrupted by the groans of his companions. He turned toward them, mirroring their weary expressions.

“Don’t tell me we have to hike that mountain.” Tessa was staring wide-eyed at the one of the tallest mountains in Arconien. The group had their few shares of climbing mountains and terrains but not as tall, steep, slippery and dangerous as the one in front of them. They stopped a few feet from the river, some were sitting on the thick dry grass, the others were looking curiously around them.

“No,” Skhy replied. He too was staring at the mountain beside the group.

“We’re not sure,” the stranger with them answered at the same time as Skhy. It earned another set of groans.

“Why was their reply so vague?” Lei complained. The group travelled for three days and the lack of enough sleep did not help their exhaustion due to their previous training.

“When I see him-”

“Could you repeat what they said?” Nate interrupted Aria’s outburst. Clyne watched Aria fuming as she thought about what she was going to do when she sees Storm or Ciar again. It both made him proud and terrified.

“Three Rivers,” the Eloise-lookalike said. She was no longer wearing her long white dress but a comfortable pair of jeans, white shirt and brown thick jacket, with a pair of brown boots. The new look made Clyne see several differences between her and Eloise but Faz refused to acknowledge her. She was standing far from the group.

“Three Rivers is huge,” Tessa exclaimed.

“The message also said ‘purple and yellow flowers’. The Wyvernshore’s part of the river is the only ones with those flowers,” Alyssa explained. Clyne was impressed at her patience with his friends who were fighting and complaining most of the time. Or maybe it’s just she’s expressionless.

“So we wait,” Skhy concluded.

“Until?” Clyne asked. As much as he liked the area, he wanted to do something. Skhy was about to answer when they heard growling.

“It’s not my stomach,” Tessa joked dryly. Everyone turned toward the mountain. It was no longer green because the sky was already dark but the bright round moon provided enough light.

“Mountain lion?” Lei whispered. The group shifted. Skhy and Faz stood in front of Tessa and Lei while Clyne stood closer to Aria. Nate walked toward Alyssa whose calm expression never gave anything away.

“Wait,” Tessa suddenly said. A few seconds after, she swiftly turned around and raised her hands. A huge wave formed in the river. Its shadow quickly engulfed them as Clyne stared at it. It rammed into an invisible wall and flowed back to the river. Tessa started panting.

“You’re good.” Several people shouted in surprise, including Clyne. A figure materialized above the water. The man who looked near Clyne’s age in blue shirt and black jeans walked toward them with a huge grin on his pale face. His dirty blonde hair was a mess. When he stopped walking, he was still staring at Tessa.

“Nicely done,” he said. “Though I was looking for a bit of fun.”

“Who are you? And what do you want?” Faz barked. He pushed Tessa behind him. The man chuckled, amused. “He warned me about you.”

“Eclipse.” Alyssa nodded at him. The man turned to her, his smile vanishing but he nodded in return.

“I’m Kol.” He regarded the group. “Ciar asked me to pick you up.” Clyne saw doubt crept in Skhy and Faz’s faces.

“I know. I know. I’m not the most trustworthy person,” he said with a grin. “The entrance is on that slope.” He pointed at a mountain slope a few minutes walk away from them.

Without waiting for anyone’s response, he started walking toward it.

“Come now. We don’t have all the time in the world.”

Clyne heard Faz mumbling something but he only understood ‘useless’, ‘weird’ and ‘Ciar.’ The group silently and cautiously followed Kol as he confidently hopped from one large rock on the ground to another.

“I don’t trust him,” Faz murmured beside Clyne.

“We don’t,” Tessa answered. “But we have no choice.” Faz groaned but remain quiet.

They hiked the steep slope until Kol stopped. Clyne frowned when he saw nothing but dirt in front of them.

“Where is the entrance?” Skhy asked.

“Wait a second,” Kol replied without turning. “I’m asking to be let in.” White light started shining on the ground. It started as a small square until it became door sized. The light was so bright that Clyne had to squint.

“Come now,” Kol said and walked through the light. Clyne glanced nervously at his friends. He wasn’t a fan of teleportation or going through things. It surprised him when it was Faz who first followed Kol. The others did the same. Aria grabbed his right hand which comforted him. They stepped into the bright light.

His eyes immediately adjusted to the new surrounding because of lack of light. The group was standing in front of a huge black fortress surrounded by nothing but grey clouds. Hundreds of glass windows decorated the castle which had five towers, one in each four sides and one, the highest, in the middle. His breath caught when he realized how similar it is to Concordian’s fortresses. Is it an abandoned Concordian fortress and the Eclipse occupied it???

“No, it’s not Concordian,” Kol said as if he heard Clyne’s thoughts. “But yes, it’s abandoned.” Kol started walking before Clyne could ask anything.

“You live here?” Lei asked when the group caught up with him.

“Yup.”

“How big is it?” Clyne asked.

“As big as the Concordians’.”

“Are we surrounded by clouds?” Tessa asked.

“Yup. And water.” Several questions followed but they stopped when the group neared the fortress. Clyne stared up. The tall double doors opened quietly. The inside wasn’t as dark as the outside. The walls were bare white; the floor was a mirror; the hallways clean and endless. The Seven silently stared at their surroundings. Clyne felt giddy when he saw weapons and armours on the walls.

Kol led them to a white double doors which opened to a ballroom. Clyne remembered a similar ballroom the first time their group entered Lux Signifer Academy.

“It is Sto- Ciar,” Tessa said. Clyne followed her gaze and found a group of people standing near a long table near the farthest wall. He zeroed in on Storm who never looked any different from their time in the academy except that he cut his dark grey hair short and the even darker circles around his eyes. His betrayal hurt Clyne. It wasn’t as much as for Hanne and Nate but Clyne still felt connected to Storm like Faz because they had been alone for years. Until the truth was revealed. Ciar had his whole family waiting for him to succeed in his mission. Clyne was disappointed and hurt at first. This turned to anger when he saw how broken Hanne and Nate were.

Then another truth was revealed. Ciar was actually working with Aubree and Savvier. The Seven were still uncertain of his intention. But it was hard to let go of the hurt and disappointment. As long as Hanne and Nate were happy, Clyne thought when the brother and sister reunited. He silently reminded himself that Storm did not exist.

“Ciar,” Skhy greeted.

“Skhy,” he greeted back.

“Lockhunts,” Faz gritted his teeth.

“Hunter.” Tessa and Lei shifted uncomfortably while Aria glared stubbornly at him. Nate stared, his expression gave nothing away like Alyssa. The awkward silence stretched until Kol talked.

“Let me introduce the others,” Kol said with a huge smile. Clyne finally regarded Ciar’s other companions.

“Raven.” He was the tallest and had white hair which made Clyne curious.

“Hi. I’m Kage.” He had blue eyes, as blue as Skhy’s. Are they ALL the members of Eclipse?

“Our other members are preoccupied,” Ciar explained.

“How many are there?” Tessa asked. Ciar stared at her for a few seconds.

“We reached a hundred,” Kol exclaimed with a grin.

“You already know why we’re here,” Skhy started.

“Let’s sit first.” Ciar turned around. “I’m sure you’re tired.”

Ciar took the head of the table on one side and Skhy on the other side.

“I don’t know why you’re here,” Ciar started. “Your message only said that you need to talk to me about uniting our forces.”

“If you don’t know, why did you meet us?” Faz taunted. Ciar returned his glare.

“Faz,” Tessa warned.

“Because I’m curious,” Ciar replied.

“You made us walk for three days because you’re curious?” Faz frowned.

“Stop!” Tessa’s shout echoed in the empty ballroom.

“We don’t have time for this.” She glared from Faz to Ciar, her golden eyes turning darker. Both men solemnly nodded in response. Clyne was so proud of her.

“Go on, Skhy,” she said. Skhy coughed once.

“Before we talk about uniting, we must first talk about our common enemies.” Skhy glanced at Alyssa whose expressionless stare was directed at the table. The Rosein Army.

“The other realms.” Ciar didn’t appear surprise or curious. Neither his companions. “Specifically, the Four Gems.” A chill ran down his spine when he remembered the battle in Northern Lux where he had to remove the gems from the Pandora’s Box.

“Do you think it’s possible to unite the two legions against them?” Tessa asked. Clyne watched Ciar looked down for a second.

“You’re seeking to unite the legions, not just to fight together with us?” Kage interrupted. Skhy, Tessa, Lei and Clyne nodded. Kage glanced nervously at Ciar. Kol and Raven regarded him with serious expressions.

“Skhy, I told you that I’m no longer associated with the Immortal Court,” Ciar replied.