The histories I’ve read here, they’re all too biased in favor of humanity. The Dominion’s, then called the Empire’s, mistakes and evil acts are minimized and constantly justified, while those of the other races, the elves in particular, are greatly focused and expounded upon. I even suspect they were exaggerated. I’d hoped to glean the truth by carefully studying these texts, even as biased as they are. Though I’d failed at that, I can say one thing for certain. The history I’ve read is likely unreliable, and is also likely to have omitted facts that do not favor the Dominion, the Champion, and humankind.

  -Excerpt from Galen Daxton’s Notes

  Aria could not process the happenings before her. One of the last people she ever expected to protect her, the Champion, had drawn his sword against his own people!

  Why? she thought as she gazed upon his back, Why?!

  She remained rooted in place, too stunned to move.

  What do you possibly have to gain by doing this?!

  She could only surmise that this had to be some sort of elaborate ruse, only the logical side of her mind was mentally slapping her for that ridiculous assumption. Because if the purpose of this whole charade was to trick her, the Champion was putting FAR too much effort into it.

  That could only mean that this wasn’t a charade, yet she refused to believe that either. She fully expected for the Champion to turn that black blade on her any second now.

  The other humes seemed to have finally lost patience, and charged. Aria figured it was now or never, and that the Champion would surely turn and swing his blade to cut her down.

  And swing his sword he did.

  But not at her.

  ***

  Galen HAD warned them that he would cut them down if they didn’t respect his authority. Yet, judging from the guards’ reaction when he swung Redian at one of them, they hadn’t believed he’d actually fight them over this.

  That had earned guard in the lead a cut to his cheek.

  They all backed off a bit after that, all with looks of offended surprise.

  Now, Galen could have gone for the neck and landed a lethal blow. The reason why he hadn’t was simple.

  He had never killed another person before.

  That brought hesitation to even consider doing so. He’d known that he’d likely be forced to take a life at some point given the role he was meant to play as the Champion. However, knowing that and actually having to go through with it were two very different things.

  He could only hope he could end this by merely incapacitating the guards.

  Speaking of them, they formed a semi circle and approached cautiously. No doubt they now knew for certain that he was serious. Thankfully the narrowness of the alleyway meant they couldn’t all swarm him at once. Their caution had also given him ample time to focus the Ether within his Capacity. Ever since he’d been led out of the Third Circle when that titanic battle began, he’d made sure both he and Redian were completely topped off with Ether.

  He burned the power, all the Ether training he’d done in the past few months guiding him now in directing the resulting energy throughout his body. And just in time, as one of the guards came at him with a stab.

  Galen easily parried the blow, and caught the attacker off guard with an elbow strike to his nose. A sickening crunch was heard as he managed to break his nose in that single strike. That guard swiftly fell to the ground, groaning in pain with a hand to his nose as he tried to stifle the waterfall of blood running down his face.

  One down, five to go, he counted.

  In retaliation, two more of the guards attacked at once, both moving at speeds only possible by using Ether.

  So they’re finally taking me seriously? Galen thought.

  Redian gave him some assistance. The instincts and muscle memory the Sentient Weapon provided him allowed him to perfectly parry one attack right into the other, stopping them both. He then countered, stabbing his blade at the foot of one of the guards. This caused the guard to fall to one knee with a cry.

  Galen then quickly slashed at the other guard, who managed to block his blade with his own. Redian gave him a warning that the one whose foot he’d stabbed was lunging for him from behind. He allowed the instincts provided by his sword to guide his movements. He elegantly sidestepped the attack, which caused the guard’s sword to clang loudly against his ally’s armor.

  With both of them unbalanced, Galen capitalized, sweeping the feet off the one who tried to attack him from behind. Continuing his spinning motion, he then stabbed at the hand of the other, Redian’s sharp blade managing to stab right through his gauntlet. The guard let out a cry of pain as he dropped his sword. Galen then flared his Ether for a moment, slamming Redian’s hilt onto the guard’s helm, caving in the metal and knocking the man out.

  Two down, four to go, he mentally counted.

  Redian warned him of two attacks from behind. Galen ducked low, avoiding the two stabs that would have pierced his back. He then moved forward, getting one foe over his shoulders before he sprang up, throwing that guard and flipping him onto his back. He then threw his own stab at the other, who managed to parry him.

  Galen managed to recover, but now found himself completely surrounded in a box like formation. His fighting became far more defensive at this point, as the guards came at him two at a time. He was surprised to find himself holding his own against multiple foes, only suffering a few minor cuts here and there, with him more than returning the damage.

  Compared to sparring against Arawn, these guys are a cakewalk! Galen realized.

  His confidence growing, his movements became sharper and were honed even further by the instincts Redian provided him. The guards seemed as surprised as he was. It seemed they hadn’t considered their Champion, being as new to this world and as young as he was, to be this capable.

  Eventually one of them made a mistake.

  And that mistake was going for the elf girl, who was on her knees frozen, watching him fight with wide eyed befuddlement.

  When Galen noticed that guard moving to attack her, anger swelled unexpectedly. He acted instinctively, flaring his Ether and redirecting the energy to his leg muscles. He leaped and flipped into the air, jumping over the three other guards and landing in front of the one that went for the girl.

  The man jumped back in surprise, and Galen used that advantage to lunge for him with a stab. The guard managed to parry somewhat, but it ultimately resulted in them locking blades with one another. Immersed in instinct, Galen locked his sword arm around the man’s own, and then struck out with a kick fueled by a burst of Ether. The kick landed at the man’s knee, and his kneecap was shattered by the blow. The man fell to the ground with a scream, but was silenced as Galen smashed Redian’s hilt into his head, knocking him out.

  He panted as he looked to the remaining three guards. They looked far less angry now, their rage now replaced with apprehension.

  Galen brandished Redian, hoping to intimidate the guards into fleeing or surrendering. They, unfortunately, did neither, as they all charged at him at once.

  ***

  Aria couldn’t believe the fight before her was actually happening. Her mind simply could not wrap around the fact that the Champion was fighting other humes to protect her, an elf. As she watched him fight, she saw him manage to take down half of the group of six humes.

  She was both impressed, and unimpressed.

  Impressed because the Champion was more capable in a fight than she’d thought he’d be. His skill clearly indicated prior training, more than what he would have gotten in his short time in Avani.

  Perhaps he had battle experience from his old world? Aria wondered through her stunned surprise.

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  On the other hand, his skill with Ether was… lackluster. Having managed to breathe in a bit of Ether, Aria could see with her enhanced eyes that he wasted far more Ether than necessary to empower himself. He was clearly an amateur with the power, but that only made his current skill with it all the more impressive.

  From what Aria had heard from her mother, having come from another world altogether meant that the Champion was completely new to Ether as a concept. And given it had only been half a year since this one had been summoned, his current skill with it was truly noteworthy. He was clearly a fast learner. Either that, or he’d had good teachers. Perhaps both.

  His skill with Ether was not what she was unimpressed with. It was the fact that Aria had just come from seeing her mother battle multiple Shadows at once. Compared to the power displayed in that fight, anything coming after would seem paltry by comparison.

  When one of the humes had come for her, she’d managed to snap out of her stunned state and been about to draw her sword. Only it hadn’t been necessary, as the Champion had managed to cut the man off and incapacitate him.

  The remaining three then charged at the Champion simultaneously.

  A part of Aria was telling her to take this chance and run, yet she remained rooted on the spot for reasons she herself didn’t understand. She analyzed the Champion as he fought, somehow managing to hold is own against three foes at once.

  It was then that she noticed something strange with the Champion. While his fighting skill was higher than she’d expected, she also noticed his skill seemingly spike at random intervals. It was the strangest thing, as though for mere moments at a time, the young hume fought with muscle memory beyond what he himself should possess.

  Were it not for these random spikes in skill, the Champion would have likely been overwhelmed by the numbers disadvantage. Just when the thought that she herself should either assist him or turn and run, she saw his sword begin to glow red hot.

  ***

  Fighting against three foes at once was not easy, and Galen knew he had to end this quickly lest he burn through all his Ether. With that thought, he mentally called to Redian, Cast an Art, but try not to kill them!

  “Got it, boss!” the Sentient Weapon responded.

  Redian’s blade began to slowly heat up, visibly glowing red hot.

  The other guards’ eyes widened at this, and their attacks became desperate as they tried to take him down before the Art could be completed.

  However, Galen managed to continue holding his own, his own skills and senses amplified by the instincts and muscle memory of Redian’s previous Wielders. Unable to defeat him, it was only a matter of time before he jumped back, raised his sword, and swung it down in a slash.

  Redian’s Art, one the sword had made over the course of Galen’s training with Aleksi and Arawn, was unleashed. This one being given the simple name by Redian, Flame Slash.

  Simple naming sense aside, the Art was powerful, but not nearly as much as Hell Blaze, the first Art Galen had cast with Redian, had been. That Art would have killed the guards outright, along with creating a massive, smoldering crater.

  Flame Slash, on the other hand, merely sent a blast of flames in the direction Galen slashed in. That wave of fire burned the guards while sending them flying back.

  As the flames slowly dispersed, Galen saw the guards lying on the ground past the alleyway, all either unconscious or suffering from their burns. Redian mentally confirmed for him that they were all still alive.

  The fight was over.

  Galen sighed, glad that the Sentient Weapon had used its own stores of Ether to fuel the Art. He fell back on his rear, and let out a long, tired exhale, “Man… today hasn’t gone how I thought it would AT ALL…”

  His eyes widened as he remembered the elf girl. He turned and saw she was still in the exact same spot and position. Galen forced himself onto his feet, and slowly approached her. He gave her a small smile, “Well, I hope you realize now that I truly mean you no harm.”

  ***

  “Well, I hope you realize now that I truly mean you no harm,” the Champion said to her with a small smile.

  Aria only half processed his words, as she was still turning over the Art he had used to end the fight in her mind. Had he used a mental Invocation to Cast that Art?! No, at his skill level, there’s no way he should be proficient enough with Ether to be able to do that! And that of course rules out Invocationless Casting. So then, how in the void did he manage to use that Art without a verbal Invocation?!

  Her eyes fell to the sword in his hand. It was then she remembered the accursed armor and weapons of the Shadows. It clicked in her mind that the Champion would, of course, possess a weapon of similar caliber and capabilities.

  The Champion noticed her gazing at his sword. He then flushed deeply, and said awkwardly, “Oh! Um… sorry, I guess I should sheathe Redian before getting any closer. I didn’t mean to startle you, I just… I forgot to sheathe him… sorry…”

  He cleared his throat as he sheathed his sword, still looking a little embarrassed.

  He isn’t acting is he? He’s genuinely embarrassed, even if it’s for a reason he misunderstood, Aria realized.

  The more time went on, the harder a time she had in convincing herself that this hume meant her harm. She was actually starting to believe him, an ashborn, when he said he didn’t want to hurt her. How else could she explain the absurdity of what she had just seen?

  The Champion, fighting his own… to protect an elf?

  The thought nearly made Aria’s brain short circuit.

  The young ashborn approached her slowly, trying not to startle her, she realized.

  “We need to get moving. The fight just now, and the Art I used to end it are probably going to attract attention. Attention I’m pretty sure you’re trying to avoid.”

  Aria narrowed her eyes at him.

  For the first time, she saw him grow a bit frustrated as he said, “Look, I’m not going to capture you or anything, alright?! Honestly, one would think protecting you from the guards would be proof enough!”

  He then unexpectedly calmed down, “No… no… I’m sorry. That’s not fair to you. Given what the Dominion has done to you and your people, I can understand why you’re so suspicious of me.”

  The Champion then knelt in front of her, “But I really mean you no harm. I simply wanted to ask you some questions, and then you can be on your way. I mean it.”

  Aria could see no trace of deception in the young hume’s eyes. He slowly and gently reached out a hand towards her.

  And Aria completely surprised herself by taking his hand without any hesitation.

  He pulled her up to her feet before letting go of her hand. As he looked down the alleyways for any signs of more guards, Aria stared wide eyed at the hand he’d pulled her up with.

  Elves normally did not like being touched, and Aria was no exception to this. Her people rarely exchanged physical contact, as such a thing in their culture was reserved for only family, very close friends, or romantic partners. It was part of the reason why she’d been so flustered when she woke up to find herself hugging Sana not that long ago.

  When it came to the people of other races, elves were even more averse to physical contact. To the point that avoiding touch became an instinctive move. If one from another race, especially a hume, tried to even shake hands with an elf, that elf would slap the hand away. Most of the time it wasn’t anything personal or malicious. It was genuinely done only out of instinct.

  While this was the norm for elves, Anila had told Aria that there were exceptions. Cases where an elf, upon meeting another elf or even someone of another race, would surprisingly not shy away at all from physical contact. This was culturally seen as a good omen by her people, as such scenarios almost always led to lifelong friendships or even romantic relationships.

  Aria flushed to her ears at that last thought, but her brief embarrassment was quickly overshadowed by the conflict that ensued within her.

  She had not shied away at all from the Champion’s touch. The implications of that sent her reeling, and in her stunned silence, it took her several moments to realize that the young hume was speaking to her.

  “Hey. Helloooooo! Earth to… huh, I’m just now realizing I don’t even know your name,” the Champion said, as he waved a hand in front of her.

  Aria blinked, a brief frown of confusion forming on her brow as she thought, What’s an “Earth?”

  She shook her head to rid herself of the silly thought, “Yes? What were you saying?”

  “I was asking if you have any idea where to go from here? I figured maybe you had a place in mind given you were escaping and all. I thought that maybe we could talk there,” the Champion explained.

  Aria’s frown returned, along with a blush, “I… I didn’t have a destination in mind. I was simply trying to escape.”

  The Champion grimaced at that before muttering something in a strange tongue that she was completely unfamiliar with. Though from the tone and his mannerisms, Aria guessed he’d simply cursed under his breath.

  “Well, that’s not good, because I haven’t the faintest clue as to where we should head from here…” the Champion said.

  Aria tilted her head, still unsure about going anywhere with the Champion.

  The young ashborn suddenly perked up, “Oh right, before I forget. Names! I realized we have yet to introduce ourselves.”

  Aria had been about to tell him that she didn’t care to know his name. She stopped herself as she realized that was a lie. She found she wanted to know.

  The Champion cleared his throat as he extended a hand towards her, “My name is Galen Daxton.”

  Once again, Aria found herself clasping his hand, not the slightest urge to shy away from his touch at all. She shook his and responded simply, “Aria Tufani.”

  ***

  “Aria Tufani,” the elf girl, Aria, greeted.

  A spark ran through Galen’s mind when he heard her name. It was as though some blockage in his head had suddenly cleared. As though something clicked back into place.

  Though this was the first time he heard Aria’s name in reality, he also paradoxically felt that he’d heard her name many times before.

  No doubt from his strange dreams. Dreams which he was now questioning the true nature of.

  Aria… he thought as he and Aria let go of each other’s hands.

  Aloud, he said, “It’s nice to finally meet you…”

  Unfortunately, just when he’d been about to return to the topic of leaving, a loud voice yelled out to them, “CHAMPION?! What are you doing?”

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