INSIGNIAS: THE LUX SIGNIFER ACADEMY

The wide calm river reflected the round moon and starry night. The river seemed to be a perfect canvass of the firmament. The first hurdle was just half a kilometre away. The mountain extended to the other side of the river. They needed to be careful in traversing the slope. They shouldn’t get anywhere near South Edgeburn. They decided to rest near the water and wait for the others. Skhy was drained of energy. His elemental weakened after trying to break the elemental barrier in the dense forest. He would be able to gain it back after an hour or so of rest.

“Give them to me,” Faz said. He grabbed Skhy, Lei, and Tessa’s tumblers without waiting for a reply. He grabbed a water filter from his backpack. Skhy looked at him with amazement as he ran toward the river. He didn’t seem to run out of energy.

“His energy doesn’t run out,” Tessa commented at the same time. Skhy turned to her.

“How do you feel?” he asked. He noticed her hands trembling slightly. He desperately wanted to hold them. The thought surprised him but he didn’t show it.

“Just need rest,” she replied then put her head on her backpack she was hugging.

“Lei? How are you feeling?” Lei looked surprised by his question. Or was it his voice? She nodded then smiled. Under the moonlight, it seemed to be a melancholic smile. But it felt like a part of the weight was lift off of his chest with the sight of it. He hoped she won’t feel down anymore after what happened on the bus. She turned toward the forest.

“Do you think they’re safe?” she asked softly. Skhy also stared at the large trees. He couldn’t distinguish what’s the trunk and the darkness beside it.

Skhy suddenly felt scared. Not for him but his team. The forest was determined to keep them there forever. He didn’t know what it is and what it keeps. It is the subject of absurd rumours of sucking energies and lives of the travellers. Both he and Hunter hadn’t been in the dense part of this forest because there wasn’t a reason to be.

What is it? What is it made of?

“Here.” Faz placed the water-filled tumblers in front of them. The bright light from the round moon was enough to illuminate the surroundings but it was getting chilly.

“I’ll get woods,” Hunter announced then immediately stood up.

“Wait. It’s dangerous to go there,” Tessa exclaimed. She had a blanket, which she pulled out from her backpack, around her.

“I’m not going there,” Faz replied.

“Where-” He didn’t wait for Tessa to finish and walked away. He walked along the bank and started to pick something. Skhy rummaged into his backpack for a lighter and scrap paper.

“The phones aren’t working here…” Lei noted as she stared at her mobile after he found the items.

“Do you think they also encountered the dark portal?” Tessa asked while rubbing her arms.

“I don’t know…” Skhy replied. He dreaded the statement. For him, the sentence means defeat. Or death. Especially if one is on the battlefield.

He flinched when twigs dropped in front of him. He looked up and found a pissed Hunter.

“Did something happen?” Tessa asked him. He shook his head. Skhy and Faz started a fire to keep everything warm as they wait for their friends. When it started burning, Lei and Tessa scooted closer.

As Skhy started at the dancing red, he couldn’t stop himself thinking about the possible dangers that Nate, Aria, Clyne, and Hanne are facing. He also imagined scenarios that they might encounter as they move forward. If we’re lucky enough to move safely…. There’s also the danger waiting for them in The Mort.

“Are you regretting it?” Faz’s voice woke him from his thoughts.

“What?...No. I’m just worried,” Skhy answered honestly.

“We don’t regret it,” Tessa said. Lei nodded in agreement.

“Whatever happens, we should trust our…team. They are doing their best,” Faz said before munching on a piece of bread.

“We should heat water for them,” Lei suggested.

Skhy smiled. He was supposed to be the guardian and protector. All this time he wanted to be there for his team. But he kept forgetting that they are also his friends.

Lei and Tessa had just finished setting up the small pot when they felt a presence moving toward them. Skhy quickly stood up and stared at the dark forest. It’s impossible to see anything. The presence was still too far for him to know if it’s their friends or enemies. Faz also became tense.

“They’re weak…” Skhy noticed after a minute of silence and observation. After his statement, he saw the shadows emerged from the blanket of the forest.

“It’s them,” Tessa cried. Skhy’s shoulders relaxed. But he noticed that only three shadows were walking slowly toward them. His heartbeat quickened. With his hands clenched, Skhy ran quickly to the shadows.

“Skhy!” Clyne exclaimed when he neared them. He slowed down when he realized why there were only three shadows.

“What happened?” he asked while panting.

“Her feet hurt,” Nate replied.

“I just tripped-”

“But she couldn’t walk properly,” Clyne interrupted Aria who was glaring at his head while she’s on his back. The two started bickering about how clumsy Aria is and the lost flashlight. They’re okay…

Skhy laughed softly. The two stopped talking.

“Aria! Are you okay?” Tessa shouted behind him. She was also panting. Lei came behind her.

“Yes. I’m fine,” Aria said. Skhy noticed that she tightened her grip on Clyne’s shoulders. Skhy smiled secretly at this.

“We thought…someone…” Lei trailed. Nate, Hanne, Clyne, and Aria exchanged a confused look.

“The shadows…”

“Ah. You thought there were only three of us,” Hanne pointed out. Skhy nodded.

“What’s with that? We won’t leave that forest incomplete,” Clyne smugly said. He smirked. Aria shook her head as if mocking him.

Hunter was waiting for them near the fire.

“You didn’t meet us halfway. You don’t miss me?” Clyne cooed at him while Aria got off him. His statement earned a glare from Faz. The four started eating bread and drink hot chocolate.

“Undead?” Hunter repeated.

“Yeah. Like zombies but they can use elementals,” Nate said. They were talking about the danger they encountered in the dense forest.

“Their body…didn’t look death at all. Weird, right?” Clyne said.

“It’s the first time I heard of it,” Skhy added. Zombies aren’t common compared to witches and monsters. This is because they don’t move on their own. Someone with a specific power needed to raise them from the dead and control them. They were present in the Eschaton war in the South Edgeburn. The last sighting before that was more than 30 years ago. How are they using elementals?

“Maybe they aren’t zombies per se…” Skhy trailed on. The fire danced violently as the chilly wind blows. The moon hid behind a blanket of thick clouds.

“Yeah,” Clyne agreed. “They don’t look dead.” Silence enveloped them. Skhy thought about a possible explanation. Even the shifting of the demon’s portal to trap people is a mystery. He was the first one to break the silence.

“The shifting of the demon’s portal is also unusual….”

“There’s a demon’s portal in this forest?” Clyne asked with wide and terrified eyes. Under the moonlight, Clyne’s horrified expression was highlighted by the shadow.

“Yes,” Skhy replied. Clyne immediately shook his head. Faz suddenly stood up.

“We’re going to look for more wood.” He was looking at Clyne.

“What’s wrong, Clyne?” Aria, who was sitting beside him, asked. Hunter moved behind him. Skhy was curious. Faz looked worried. An emotion he rarely show to people. He was about to put on Clyne’s shoulder when Clyne revealed something.

“My uncle… he was sucked in a demon’s portal.” He had his head low. Skhy couldn’t see his face but he must be stopping himself from crying. Faz stood up but didn’t move from behind him.

“We’re sorry, Clyne. We didn’t know.” Tessa softly patted his back. Skhy noticed Aria’s dejected expression.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“No, don’t apologize. You’re hurt,” Skhy said.

“An earthquake… made my grandmother fall. My uncle tried to save her. But…both of them fell inside.” He raised his head. There were traces of tears.

“In the Eschaton war. It was my fault,” he added with a sad smile.

“The Eschaton war is not your fault, Clyne,” Lei tried to comfort him.

“When I heard about the ongoing war in the South Edgeburn, I went without telling them.” Skhy’s eyes widened. Why…

“Because I thought…I could see my parents there.” He said this while looking at Skhy. “I was foolish, right?”

“Yeah.” Skhy wasn’t at all surprised by Faz’s statement. “I would do the same thing to meet people important to me. Your grandmother and uncle saved you so treasure your life more.”

“I see. I thought you and Clyne don’t match,” Skhy said as Faz returned to his spot beside Skhy. It was a miracle that he didn’t complain. “Now I realized you two go together.” This earned a giggle from Hanne, Lei, and Tessa, and a chuckle from Nate and Aria. Faz didn’t look amused at all.

“Thank you, guys,” Clyne said with a huge smile. Skhy was glad that he was able to share something heavy with his friends. I should do it too… Because he’d been carrying everything by himself.

“I still dream of it sometimes. But I’m getting better,” he added. “Someday, I’ll forget the huge black hole on the ground.”

“Black hole on the ground?” Nate looked confused.

“Yeah. It was huge. It was far from the battlefield. It was inside the forest before the desert.” Nate’s eyes widened. Hanne touched his arm.

“What’s wrong, Nate?” Skhy asked.

“Uh… I remember a dream,” he replied, “Four people left me and my sister then jumped inside. I think we’re still young when it happened.”

“That’s scary…” Hanne commented. Nate told her sorry then patted her head. Was it a memory? If it is, why did they jump inside willingly?

“What did they jump?” Lei was the one who voiced out the question in Skhy’s mind. Nate didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to be lost in thought.

“I’m not sure. I don’t remember the faces of the people.”

“Did you dream of it again?” Tessa asked. Skhy noticed when the blanket of clouds moved and the sky revealed countless stars.

“I don’t think it’s the first time, Nate,” Hanne said. Everyone turned to her. Nate looked confused.

“What do you mean?” Nate asked his sister.

“I think it was three years ago when you were shouting and crying in your sleep for hours,” Hanne narrated with a sad and troubled expression. “You had a high fever. After you got better, you didn’t seem to remember that night.” Nate’s expression showed that it was the first time he heard of it.

Skhy looked up. The round moon was watching them along with the twinkling dots.

“Three years ago. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, I think all of us felt it. For us who were fighting, we felt pain. For you who weren’t there, though you think it wasn’t unusual, you felt something strange is happening.”

No one said anything. But Skhy knew that they understood his words. The day of the Eschaton war sealed their fate.