Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - LOT - [Unedited.] [Working on 15]

Jack stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. The enormous dragon claw was completely frozen in place, unmoving. The entire dragon stood still, its expression frozen, its eyes still glaring at the spot Jack had just been.

“What?!” Jack sputtered out, his arms and legs still trembling. His emotions were flung all over the place, confusion overriding everything else currently.

Before he could do anything else, however, a woman’s voice rang out in his head, calm and soothing.

“My baby boy…”

“Mommy isn’t here to take care of you, I’m so sorry. I love you, my baby boy.”

“Mom?!” Deep inside Jack he felt something in his heart crumble. Tears welled up as he forgot about the pain in his arms, the fear and despair of a moment prior, everything. As Jack heard this voice, the words she spoke, he instinctively knew she wasn’t lying, that this was his mother.

Memories of his youngest years flowed into his mind, then, the repressed or forgotten moments filling his head. Memories of his mother, of his childhood, of seeing other members of his clan. Things he had all forgotten suddenly unsealed. At the same time, a flow of foreign memories filled him, locations of special places spread throughout the world.

He sat still in shock, quietly listening.

“You should be around fifteen years old when you hear this… I, your mother, Awakened at that age, the youngest in our Clan’s history, and I have no doubts you will surpass me.” Jack’s mother had a strong, rich undertone in her voice, one that carried both confidence and love. She paused for a moment, here, as if in regret.

“Our Time Clan always was one of the slowest blooming clans. Our bloodline only fully comes awake after more than a decade and a half of growth, and even then we must still train ourselves like any other Clan.” She continued, her voice a soothing melody,

“You must be careful, my baby boy. Things are not well for us. One of the Great Clans betrayed us to the Void. They hate us for our powers, as do those beings beyond the darkness, in the Void. The Space Clan is under attack too, even as I speak these words. They should be better off, their ability at escaping superior to ours.”

“Our clans are destined to fall on this day.”

A resounding silence echoed through Jack’s heart as he committed these words to memory. His mother continued,

“I am so sorry, my baby boy. I should have been here to take care of you. All I can do, instead, is share with you these words, and send you away before they reach here. These words you are hearing are the last remnant energy of my soul.”

“I hate myself for not being strong enough to protect you. But there is nothing I can do.” Her voice trembled here, in great pain. Jack felt his heart breaking as he heard this, tears welling up. He tried to hold his arms forward, to console his mother, aching for her.

“It is okay, though, my baby boy. Mommy is strong.” Her voice was strained, as if bearing a mighty burden.

“You must have so many questions. Unfortunately, I have no more time. Funny, that. The Clan Head of the Time Clan doesn’t have enough time…” A hint of a sad smile carried in her tone.

“Alas. I have cast you through time with what remains of my soul. I hope you will live a full life, and be careful. Do not let anyone know you are a remnant of the Time Clan. I know not which Great Clan betrayed us, but I know they are hunting us down, and might still be hunting us down whenever in time you land.”

“In your soul, I have planted the memories of every Time sealed storage or treasure room I am aware of, as well as imprinted upon you the Clan Leader’s imprint. With this, you should be able to access and open any of them, should you need them. Nothing else the Time Clan owns apart from that is likely to remain, not after tonight.”

“You were so young when I imprinted you with this and were sent through time, I had to store these memories and imprints near your mind, resulting in a horrid scar on your face. I’m sorry for this too, my baby boy. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. I have failed you as a mother.” Her tone became one of despair and defeat, the confident visage cracking.

“Laujack Draeli Lo’Henson, you are my baby boy, and I will love you forever. Do not try to avenge me, just live a happy and full life, that is my last wish.” The voice of Jack’s mom faded away, her last words filled with such love and self hatred it brought tears to Jack’s eyes anew.

“Mother… Mother… You didn’t fail me mother. Please, mother.” Jack whispered, tears dripping. He crawled into a ball, trying to hug his mother, to hear her voice one more time. He sat still for several minutes, the impact of what he was told slowly processing.

Time passed, in a world frozen by time.

Eventually, Jack’s trembling stopped. His eyes were calm, and tired.

Jack looked up at the dragon in front of him. Slowly, he felt the mysterious energy that had emanated from his scar begin to fade, the world slowly beginning to regain its time.

His eyes were no longer filled with despair. Instead, they were filled with a fierce but cold anger.

“Your last wish, mother… I am afraid this son cannot fulfill it.” The memories of his mother, of the time before he was an orphan were fresh in his mind, as was the pain of loss. He had just gained and lost his mother, in his mind, both things happening so abruptly. He was lightheaded, but felt a surprising sense of control, of purpose.

“I will find out everything, mother. I will see this through to the end.” His voice was filled with a steely determination as he walked forward, standing exactly where he had been before time froze. He looked at the enormous dragon claw that was a mere inch from his body, bracing himself.

“I am not able to save you, mother, but I will save Little Seven. And I will one day face this world anew. And there will be a reckoning.”

“Our clan may have fallen, but so long as I live, we will rise again. And any who try to stop us I will obliterate.”

“So I, Laujack Draeli Lo’Henson, swear.”

The world shook slightly. The blood that was boiling in Jack’s body gleamed brighter.

Alone in a world frozen by time, a thirteen year old boy made a promise that would one day cause the world itself to tremble.

The mysterious energy faded completely.

Time resumed.

..

..

“Ooh, looks like he died. Ah well, it was quite a good effort. I wonder what his Natural Ability is?” The female martial artist looked up from the scrying bowl the Chief of Snowbank City Branch of the Hunter Association had provided, shrugging.

“A dragon is a dragon, Lyra. If he had managed to defeat it, even I would be astonished. I doubt anyone in our Clan could defeat a dragon and be as young as you said he was.” The taller male martial artist replied without looking up from the maps he was glossing over.

A few moments passed.

Just as the woman was about to stand up, pushing away the scrying bowl, a knocking sound rang out. She turned to face the door, curious. The two men scanning maps on the table looked up.

“Come in.” Lyra, one of the representatives of the Impact Clan stationed in Snowbank City, proclaimed.

A man wearing a set of dark leather armor with the insignia of the Hunter Association on his shirt came in and gave a formal bow.

“Apologies for the interruption. A representative of the Duchy of Snow has come and requested your aid. Apparently a powerful rogue member of the Golden Flame Clan is attacking innocents in the city.”

..

..

Garmen Loyal, the Chief of the Snowbank City Branch of the Hunter Association, rubbed his chin as he watched the boy in front of him stumble to the ground in the center of the Hunter Ring.

The only thought on his mind was how incredible a performance he had witnessed. The thirteen year old boy in front of him had passed through all eleven waves of the test with flying colors, using his incredible swordsmanship and skill.

When Garmen first became a Hunter, more than 30 years ago, he too had taken the same test. He, however, had only managed to pass six waves before the Grey Wolves overwhelmed him. Even with his powerful Natural Ability, Heaven’s Gong, he had still been overwhelmed.

This young warrior before him, however… He mentally shook his head. Garmen had decided to hide himself among the applicants to observe them. The Vice Chiefs of this Branch were off on various missions for the Impact Clan searching for some cave or other, and he’d been left with a lot of free time. He’d already served as the Branch Chief of Snowbank City’s Hunter Association for seven years, it was rare that something like this happened.

He hadn’t expected anything to come of it. Indeed, he’d run into the usual suspects, a group of arrogant sons and daughters of rich parents, a few common warriors trying their luck, nothing special.

But this warrior here, he had immediately caught his eye. Coming in with an injured arm and a sword covered in rags. Refusing to bow down before the arrogant rich applicants, easily dodging and ignoring them.

He was incredibly interesting to the bored Chief.

“Well done, young fighter. There is no shame to fail when facing the last wave. Very few warriors even reach that wave.” The Chief spoke, his voice booming, containing a new level of respect. As he spoke aloud, the Chief decided he would help out this young fighter a bit, put in a good word for him.

Jack looked up at the Chief, his eyes calm and collected. The injuries on his body were all healed, save for his still cracked left shoulder. He flexed his right hand a few times, feeling it regain the full use and function. He also noticed that the Spirit Energy in his soul was completely replenished, as if he had never touched it.His body felt hot, the blood in him unstable and writhing.

“You honor me, Chief.” Jack responded, his voice respectful. He tried to put his hands together to bow and then winced, forgetting for a moment that his shoulder was still cracked.

The Chief smiled and nodded, pleased with his humble response.

“This is the last trial left. In assigning a rank to a Hunter, the Hunter Association acknowledges that not all Natural Abilities are equal, or equally useful. Some Natural Abilities cannot be properly shown off in a test like this. Thus, you now have the opportunity to explain your ability.” The Chief gestured with his hands as he spoke, the spear on his back swaying slightly.

“At the minimum, you must give a general description of what your Natural Ability is. You do not need to divulge anything secret, but to become a ranked Hunter in the Association, this is a requirement. The Ring will know if you lie about this.”

The Chief paused, giving Jack an expectant and questioning stare.

Jack looked up at the chief, his eyes emotionless.

“My Natural Ability increases my perception and lets me have a greater sense of control over my body, helping me move quickly and attack precisely. I’m afraid it isn’t anything special, you have already seen it in action.” Jack spread his hands as he sidestepped the truth, explaining his natural ability. What he was saying was technically true, his ability did do all of that.

The Chief looked at Jack for a moment, sensing that he was holding back slightly. However, he brushed it over with a smile, not caring. He’d let it slide for this young warrior.

“Hohoho, well then excellent! Among Ranked hunters, there are four normal Ranks. Rank D, Rank C, Rank B, Rank A. Each rank except for Rank A is broken down into Normal, Advanced, and Superior Ranking, to help coordinate levels of strength for Hunters when creating teams for missions or the like.”

“As such, you have passed this examination with flying colors. You are to be given an Advanced Rank C Hunter badge, quite a great achievement for a thirteen year old. I only reached that level when I was sixteen myself, hohoho! To think I was considered a genius.” The Chief shook his head.

As the Chief finished speaking, the fog that covered the Hunter Trials Ring vanished. From out of his pocket the Chief pulled out a small collection of badges, rifling through them till he found a golden badge with the letter “C” emblazoned on it, handing it to Jack.

As soon as Jack touched it, he felt a small spark of energy flow from the badge.

“The Badge will be bonded to you. You can make it vanish or appear at will, its only function, and its proof of authenticity. Welcome to the Hunter Association, young warrior. If you’ll wait a few minutes for me to finish testing the remaining applicants, we’ll head down the hall and fill out a few forms I’ll have to file for you to be listed as a Direct Member of the Hunter Association, and I’ll explain the benefits to you then.” The Chief grinned, holding out his hand to Jack.

Jack shook his hand, smiling. As he shook it, he saw from the corner of his eye the various rich applicants that had yet to be tested, including the arrogant one that attacked him, all staring at him in shock, eyes bulging. The words the Chief and spoken had carried out outside of ring, and everyone testing heard them.

The arrogant Daren looked at Jack, his face pallid. He pursed his lips as he turned his eyes away to avoid Jack’s gaze, covering up his own Rank D badge.

“Glad to be here.”

Jack began to step away from the Hunter Trials Ring. At that moment, however, a loud voice rang out, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“Ah, there it is!”

At the entrance of the testing room stood two powerful looking warriors. One very tall, wearing long scaled leggings and a brown woolen top, and a full brown beard. The other a regular sized man with a short black beard and mustache at odds with his balding head, tossing a pair of white daggers between his hands.

Behind them were a few associate guards of the Hunter Association, Rank C Hunters who took on or were assigned to guard the Branch as a daily mission.

“That boy there! He is the one with the faint aura about him from the lord’s death! Seize him!”