Though we’ve lost much in the war, we must never forget that which we’ve saved. That which we’ve gained. The Great Fragmentation was obviously a desperate last resort of the elves. They and the other races, fearing our potential, nearly ended the world trying to contain us. We must never forget this atrocity, nor must we forget all the others they have done unto us. I swear to you, my people, that I will bring us justice one day. If not me, then one of my descendants. That is my oath to you!

  -Excerpt from “The Champion’s Oath” dated two weeks after the Great Fragmentation

  Days after Galen tested Redian’s abilities, the dreaded day arrived. The feast he had no choice but to attend.

  He did his best not to groan or whine as the maids came. They asked him which outfit he’d like to wear for the event. They were a bit too excited to be dressing him up for his liking.

  He didn’t like any of the offered outfits. They were all too… high class. He understood why given the importance of his position.

  That didn’t mean he hated it any less.

  Ultimately, with a resigned sigh, he chose the option that was the most familiar. It was the same outfit he had worn in his first trip into Ignis.

  The maids didn’t seem to mind, and they eagerly took the chosen clothing to make some minor alterations.

  Redian was resting in the corner, sheathed in its scabbard. Despite not being on his person, Galen had found that his mental connection to the Sentient Weapon remained. He briefly wondered how much distance could be placed between himself and the sword before their connection either severed or weakened. The blade had helpfully given him the answers.

  Their connection would remain regardless of distance unless it were to choose a new Wielder. Their ability to mentally communicate had its limits, though. After a certain amount of distance, communication would become impossible. However, that limit could be raised as his bond with the sword and his prowess with Ether grew.

  The Sentient Weapon was quiet when the maids were present. Though, now that they were gone, Redian freely spoke in Galen’s mind.

  And it started with a snicker.

  “Man, you really don’t like social events. Huh, boss?”

  Galen gave an exasperated sigh, I’ve never really been one for parties or big celebrations. Especially not in this world. With these people.

  “Why’s that? I sense a lot of resentment in that thought.”

  I’ve already explained that to you, didn’t I? I really don’t like how the people here treat me. It’s the reason I prefer to talk with Aleksi. He treats me normally. And thus far? I think he’s the only one who does. Everyone else is too eager to lick my boots or suck up to me. All because I’m the “Champion” that’s supposed to help the Dominion reunify Avani somehow…

  After Arawn had told Galen about the upcoming feast and mentioned Serenity’s passing, Redian had grown curious and asked about her. Figuring that the Sentient Weapon wouldn’t stop pestering him about it until it got its answer, he’d reluctantly told the sword about the earthquake that struck his home back on Earth, and how Serenity died in the disaster. He’d finished by explaining how he’d been summoned against his will to Avani.

  The Sentient Weapon was normally far too eager to talk, but it had been strangely quiet for the remainder of the day after that.

  Galen scowled as he tried to read one of the history books in his room, but was in too much of a bad mood to properly focus. His mood had been dour since his interaction with Arawn. It wasn’t just being reminded of Serenity, but also because he had been banned from physically training until after the feast. He was dying to keep training with Redian and Aleksi, and learn more about Ether. But that would have to wait.

  He heard a polite knock on his door, and the familiar voices of one of the maids called out, “Honored Champion! We have finished with the alterations. Please get dressed and allow us to see how the outfit fits.”

  He nearly banged his head on the table, Today was going to be a long day…

  And, of course, Redian chose then to chime in, “Look on the bright side, boss. Technically today can’t be longer than any other day since every day has the same number of hours!”

  Don’t be a smartass Redian.

  “I can’t be a smartass since I’m a sword, not a donkey. So you should have called me a-”

  Galen hung his head and groaned.

  ***

  The maids spent entirely too long inspecting him in his outfit for Galen’s liking. After over an hour, they finally gave their approval. They then worked on his hair.

  Another hour later, and Galen was now walking down the halls with some guards protectively at his sides. He eyed each of his guards, but none of them seemed to react. He couldn’t read any of their expressions since their helms covered the entirety of their faces. They looked to be perfect soldiers, marching at his side without any fault in their formation.

  Man he wished he could be alone, and not have to attend that stupid feast. He could guess why the guards were attending with him. It was as much for the theatrics as it was his protection. His marching into the feast with a bunch of disciplined and formidable looking soldiers would make for a far bigger impression than him simply walking in alone.

  His sour mood was uplifted slightly as he saw his mentor, Aleksi, waiting for him by the large doors leading into the feast hall. Galen had been expecting the man to be wearing the formal robes he’d worn when they ventured into Ignis. Instead, his tutor wore armor similar to the guards attending him. Only where their surcoats were white, his was gray. All, however, bore the Eye of Athanasius on them, with chainmail underneath. His arms were covered in steel vambraces, legs in segmented steel greaves, and sturdy looking steel boots.

  “That armor suits you,” Galen noted, “considering how good you are at kicking my ass, I figured you were a soldier of some kind. Guess I was right.”

  Aleksi gave a half smile in response, “Yes, though I never mentioned it. I suppose my combat prowess would make such a thing obvious.”

  “What’s your rank?” Galen asked curiously.

  Aleksi shrugged, “Considering we haven’t really gotten to teaching you about the formal ranks of the Dominion’s military, I doubt my answer would be very enlightening. For now, let’s just say the color of my surcoat denotes that I am of decent ranking. The order goes from white, blue, gray, red, and finally black.”

  Galen nodded in understanding. He gestured towards the door, “So, do I just… walk in? Or are you all going to announce my arrival in some overly grandiose fashion to add gravitas to my entrance?”

  Aleksi chuckled, amused at his wording, “The latter, I’m afraid. Give me a moment, I need to give the signal that you’ve arrived.”

  He expected the man to invoke an Art or something equally impressive to send the message. So he’d been rather disappointed when Aleksi had simply knocked on the door in a deliberate and coded manner.

  Well, that was lame, he thought.

  “Agreed,” Redian sighed, “if the goal was to make an entrance, maybe we should have blown the doors off their hinges using Hell Blaze! That would have made for a dramatic entrance!”

  Considering the size of the explosion you made when you last used it, a lot more than just the door would be blown up!

  “Exactly! Now that would be quite the introduction.”

  Galen sighed out loud. He was finding that Milton’s warning about the Sentient Weapons offering overboard advice was proving to be rather accurate.

  A minute or so later, a rhythmic knock coming from someone inside the feast hall was heard. Aleksi nodded, and gestured to Galen and his guards, “It’s time, let’s go.”

  As he neared the door, he could already hear what sounded like Milton finishing an introductory speech for their Champion’s entrance, “...and now our most esteemed guest! The one chosen by our holy lord, Athanasius Durai, to be the new Champion of the Dominion! His name is Galen Daxton! He is one from another world altogether, the same one that our First Champion hailed from. He is the one who will be our sword! The one who will help us reunify Avani. Cast your eyes on him. And give our Champion a welcome deserving of one destined for greatness!”

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Galen walked into the massive feast hall, and was greeted with thunderous applause. He had to squint his eyes at the bright lights that shone in the spacious room. There had to be well over a hundred people present, and they all wore rather fine and expensive looking clothing. Their fashion was surprisingly modern and Earth like. Many wearing fine suits with ties, and extravagant dresses that hugged the body. Though he noted the blazers many wore were longer, resembling overcoats. Numerous, extravagant, circular tables littered the room, and he noticed a table towards the end that was larger and more rectangular than the rest.

  Milton, wearing a more militaristic uniform that seemed out of place on the nerdy scribe, was at that table along with Arawn, who wore fancy looking robes, and several others he didn’t recognize. The scribe gestured for Galen to come to the table.

  He did his best to walk upright, and not show any of the awkwardness and discomfort he felt in the moment. He made a show of looking around the room, and saw the looks of awe and wonder on the attendees’ faces. He heard through the applause excited whispers and murmurs, though he obviously couldn’t make out what they were saying. He thought for a moment that he could even hear some prayers. The incredibly high expectations people had for him was clear to see.

  To say he was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

  They weren’t seeing him. They were seeing the Champion, or at least, the one who would grow to become the Champion. He worried what would happen if he failed to meet the absurdly high standards they were holding him to.

  As he looked around, he noted once more just how beautiful the people of this world were. Even the maids and butlers would have been considered extremely attractive back on Earth. The attendees, however, were on another level.

  His eyes met that of a dark haired, green eyed woman who was perhaps only a few years older than he was. Not counting himself or Milton, she was probably the youngest one in the room. His breath momentarily hitched. That dark haired young woman was easily one of the most attractive people in the room, and definitely one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Her beauty was to the point of being eerie.

  When the woman met his eyes, she actually blushed and looked away.

  That was unexpected. She was clearly WAY out of his league.

  He marched on, doing his best to drown out the noise and cheers. It felt like it took far longer than it should have, but he eventually made it to the table. He sat next to Milton, and, to his relief, Aleksi was allowed a seat at his right.

  Milton smiled widely and, still standing, he announced to the crowd, “Now, I’m sure you are all eager for an opportunity to converse with the Champion. I assure you there will be time for that later. But first, allow us to feast in celebration of his arrival to our world!”

  The crowd cheered. Within moments, maids and butlers filed into the room, each carrying plates and pushing carts full of delicious looking food. Galen’s stomach grumbled in response to the visuals and the wonderful smells that began to permeate the room.

  As the food was delivered to each table, conversations began, and the hall was filled with the sounds of clattering silverware and dozens of conversations going on at once.

  Galen caught Milton’s eye, and he could have sworn the scribe was glaring at him for some reason. He blinked, and just like that the expression was gone and replaced with a smile.

  Did I imagine that?

  “Anything to drink, Champion?” Milton offered, “perhaps you’d like to start with some of our finest wines? Or perhaps you’d prefer stronger drink?”

  Galen frowned at that, “You’re offering me alcohol? I’m only fifteen.”

  Milton blinked in confusion. Galen felt stupid for having assumed in the moment that Avani had the same laws as the United States had back on Earth.

  He cleared his throat awkwardly as he explained, “Back in my country, you had to be at least twenty-one years old to be able to legally drink alcohol.”

  Granted, people broke that law all the time.

  “Even you, boss?!” Redian asked with exaggerated shock.

  What?! NO! I never drank!

  “Well, aren’t you a goody two shoes,” Redian snickered.

  He ignored the sword.

  Milton chuckled at that, “Twenty-one? Really? That’s seems rather late. According to the Dominion’s laws, one is allowed to legally partake in the consumption of alcohol at the age of fifteen. For that is the age of adulthood here. And if I recall correctly, you are, in fact, fifteen. So, what would you like to drink?”

  Galen shrugged, “Well, if you insist, I’ll have a glass of water.”

  “Very well! I’ll have the servants bring us a cup of our finest-” Milton frowned, “uh… wait, did you say water?”

  He nodded, “Yes. That’s what I said. As cold as you can get and with ice, please.”

  “Ah… well…” Milton then cleared his throat and gave a nervous chuckle. It was then that he noticed at the scribe seemed unusually tense for some reason, “Forgive me, Champion, for my befuddlement. Most of our youths are rather eager to partake in alcohol, so I had simply expected you to be the same. However, you have spoken! I shall have the servants bring you the most refreshing, cooling water that we have.”

  Galen watched him go, amused at how such a simple request had caught the scribe so off guard.

  Aleksi chuckled next to him, “I must admit, seeing you befuddle poor Milton was a rather amusing way to start this feast.”

  Arawn, who sat in front of Galen, raised a brow at him, “I’m curious, Champion. Why refuse Milton’s offer of drink?”

  Galen frowned, “What, am I not allowed to choose my own drinks? Or… don’t tell me… Did I break some kind of unspoken cultural rule or taboo or something?”

  “No, no… nothing like that,” Arawn quickly assured him, “I’m simply curious, is all. I sense a deeper reason behind your refusal.”

  That unnerved Galen a bit. He did, in fact, have a deeper reason behind his choice. The fact that Arawn had picked up on that unsettled him.

  He figured it wouldn’t hurt to explain, “I made a promise to both my parents and myself that I would never drink alcohol. I’ve never had the stuff before. And I never will.”

  “Interesting…” Arawn stroked his long beard, “if you don’t mind my asking, why?”

  “Why so curious?” Galen asked defensively.

  “Many of those present came for the opportunity to speak with you and get to know the man who will become their new Champion,” Arawn explained, “I’m no different. I’d advise you to get used to this. Many will be asking you much before the evening is done.”

  Galen sighed in resignation, “Well, for one, my parents were both rather strict in my upbringing. They both had strong opinions on the matter, and I guess that rubbed off on me. That was part of the reason. The other reason is that I had an uncle who… let’s just say he used to drink. A lot. He’d had several emergency visits to the doctors for alcohol poisoning, and we all warned him that if he didn’t cut back, it’d be the death of him. My family and his were rather close, so I got to see him waste away, slowly becoming more addicted and consumed by strong drink. Thankfully, he decided to quit before it could kill him. And man, was it hell for him to break that addiction. One day, during his rehab, he sat me down and had a talk with me. I still remember that day clearly. He looked me in the eye and told me to never drink. I promised him and my parents that I never would.”

  Aleksi and Arawn were quiet for a bit after that.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Aleksi finally said before smiling, “but good on him for freeing himself of that addiction. Conquering such things is never easy.”

  Galen nodded in agreement.

  It had been years since then, however, that experience remained strong in his mind. His uncle’s experience had given Galen a rather strong and negative opinion on alcohol. An opinion only solidified and worsened when he once made the mistake of attending a high school party.

  There was a third reason behind his refusal to drink, however. One that he didn’t mention in front of Arawn. That being, that both his parents had given him advice for when he was older and was allowed to make his own decisions on such things. The advice they had given him, that he was putting to use now, was to never drink alcohol if you don’t have people you trust implicitly nearby.

  Though Galen trusted Aleksi, the feast could easily separate the two for the evening, and he really didn’t want to be under any sort of influence while speaking with people he didn’t know or trust.

  Arawn spoke next, noting with a gleam in his green eyes, “I can see you have a rather strong sense of responsibility, Champion. That is good. It’s an honorable and praiseworthy trait to have.”

  Galen was surprised by the praise, “Thanks… My parents are to thank for that.”

  “They raised you well,” Aleksi said with a smile.

  He returned the smile, “Yeah, they did. That’s why I need to make it back to my world, eventually. For their sake. They already lost my little sister. If I can make it back to them, I can at least make sure they don’t lose me too…”

  “A strong sense of responsibility indeed…” Arawn muttered, nodding with an approving smile.

  Milton then returned to sit at Galen’s left, and shortly after, some maids came to deliver plates full of delicious looking food. One of them handed Galen a tall glass of iced water, complete with a slice of lemon at the rim of the cup.

  He took a long drink. He didn’t realize how parched he was until the cold water met his lips. With the food now present, Galen and the others began to dig in. He took his time, not looking forward to the upcoming multitude of conversations and politicking he’d have to partake in.

  He could only eat so slowly, however. Partly due to how downright delicious the food was, and also because if he was too slow in eating, the others would catch onto the fact that he was stalling.

  After the main courses were done, the servants returned with gusto. They worked quickly and efficiently, picking up every single dirty plate and utensil. As they worked, Galen noticed Milton, Arawn, Aleksi, and the other attendees beginning to stand, so he followed their lead.

  The servants then began to grab and remove the chairs of all things from the room, and more returned with plates and carts of what looked to be all kinds of desserts. They replaced the cloth at every single table and placed all the prepared sweets on them. The best, most delicious looking ones were placed at Galen’s table.

  Once the servants did their duty, they quickly left the room. As they did, the attendees began to mingle, grabbing small plates and picking out their desserts. Aleksi handed Galen a plate, and he nodded his thanks.

  As he picked out his desserts, Aleksi whispered in his ear, “This is where the nobles begin to mingle with one another. So be ready for them to come up and speak with you. I’ll try to remain nearby, but as someone who’s been rising in the ranks, especially as someone who was chosen to be your tutor, I may find myself dragged into separate conversations.”

  Galen nodded, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

  He’d feared as much. And his nerves spiked when he saw some nobles coming his way.

  Here we go…

  https://www.patreon.com/c/GenZVall2025