Dual Wielding

Corrin and Wyn were not supposed to leave their homes. They were not supposed to leave the village. They certainly were not allowed to walk miles into the spirit glades, unaccompanied by any adults.

But of course, children are not known for following rules, and at eight years of age, they were of the particularly adventurous variety. Well, at least Corrin was, and Wyn was the type to get dragged along with whatever his friend was doing.

“C’mon Wyn, I heard from brother Relis that the adults found a cave in these woods that still had ice in it! Don’t you want to see?” Corrin propped one knee onto a fallen stump and held his hand to shade his eyes as he surveyed the surrounding area, just like a good adventurer should.

The small clearing was breathtaking, the spirit glades were almost completely untouched by man, and seemed to glimmer with a certain ethereal light. Dancing in the air around them were a variety of spirits Corrin had never even seen, darting through the air in all the colors of the rainbow. Most appeared as simple orbs of light, but some took on more complex forms: spectral storm clouds, rabbits, and even a snake-like dragon the size of his arm, which drifted through the air in gentle oscillations, leaving the two boys alone.

The spirit glades were only “safely” traversable in the summer. During any other seasons, those who wandered into the glades never returned. In the summer, only about half of those who ventured there would go missing.

A young boy with raven black hair followed behind Corrin, tripping over a small branch in his path. “I mean, yeah, I want to see it. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea. We’re not supposed to be out here. The adults say this forest is dangerous.” The boy, Wyn, glanced around the area quickly, fretting over every little movement in the underbrush.

Corrin laughed, “That’s what makes it fun! It’s not a real adventure if there’s no danger. Besides…” He hopped down from the log and marched over to the edge of the clearing, grabbing a stick and swinging it around. “We’ll just have to fight a spirit beast if one shows up.”

“We’re not spirit knights Corrin, if something like that shows up, we should run… And what if we get in trouble? My father will be mad if he finds out we were here,” Wyn muttered.

“He doesn’t have to find out,” Corrin said, “We’ll be back before anyone realizes we’re gone. Besides, it’s not like he’ll punish me for it. Nobody wants to be strict with the orphans.” He laughed maniacally.

“I’m not sure if you should be so happy about that.”

“Well having parents sure made you a stick in the mud, so I’d say it was a decent trade.”

“Fine,” Wyn gave up, “Let’s keep going then.”

“That’s the spirit!” Corrin grinned and began to run forwards further in, leaving Wyn no choice but to follow him.

Almost an hour later, the boys were hopelessly lost, and the mist in the forest had thickened enough that they couldn’t see more than ten feet ahead of them. Corrin jumped as a twig cracked underfoot, looking around as best he could.

“Hey Wyn? Didn’t we just pass that tree?” He asked.

“I–I think so, it looks familiar,” Wyn trembled, “I can’t really tell though. Stay close Corrin.”

Corrin nodded, continuing to go forward. He was brave! A little mist didn’t scare him…

What was that eerie humming song?

“Wyn stop that! It’s creepy!” He complained.

Wyn turned a bright red and put his hands behind his back, “Sorry Corrin, I didn’t realize.”

Both boys continued in relative silence, too afraid to speak. The air itself seemed heavy in the glade, a feeling almost akin to humidity, though it wasn’t particularly wet. The further in they got, the less natural the landscape seemed. Trees abruptly ended in perfect cuts, the precision of which even an ax couldn’t create. Some grew flowers and leaves of varying unnatural colors, and some even glowed. The mist around them caught that light, and reflected it within itself, casting an even more enchanted glow on the forest floor.

Ever-present though, were the swarms of spirits. Though Corrin had seen many throughout his life, the only time the air was this thick with them was during a solstice or eclipse only a few times a year. Most spirits were harmless, and some were even helpful to humans, but somehow the air was tense, like the world itself was waiting for disaster to strike. Finally, something caught Corrin’s ear, and he hushed Wyn to listen more closely.

“Do you hear that?” he asked, trying to put his finger on what it was.

“Hear what? The music?” Wyn looked around confused.

“Music? No, the… water!”

Running water. It made sense that there was some sort of stream or lake in the glades, but Corrin found himself surprised regardless. It broke up the fantastical monotony of the rest of the forest like the eye of a storm, and he quickened his pace towards the sound.

About ten paces later, they broke out of the mist and into a small clearing. Up ahead, a small waterfall trickled into a pond of unnaturally still, azure water. The vaguest scent of something like cinnamon hung on the air as Corrin stood, transfixed by the beautiful sight of the pool of water, ringed in vibrant, otherworldly flowers.

"Woah," Wyn muttered.

"Yeah…"

Wyn stepped forward in a daze, "The song stopped?"

"What are you talking about?" Corrin asked, slowly realizing that the forest was suddenly devoid of spirits, whereas they had once been buzzing around in the air, the glade was now completely silent and empty. It was like all the spirits had left.

Or like they were hiding from something.

Corrin turned to run, "Wyn! We need to—"

A deep snarl sounded from the edge of the clearing, sending a chill down Corrin's spine as he froze in place.

The first thing he saw were its eyes. They were pale white like the moon, and might've been beautiful were they not locked onto him, with the sharp black pupils of a predator. As it stepped into the clearing, the size of its wolf-like body became clear, and it towered over the two of them, even larger than a horse, with razor sharp fangs. It almost didn't seem like a wild animal, as its silvery fur wasn't nearly as patchy as other wild dogs Corrin had seen, instead it glimmered as it rustled from the light breeze. This was a spirit beast, with one foot in both the mortal and spiritual worlds.

It stalked towards the two of them slowly, intelligent yet hungry eyes boring into Corrin's as visible frost escaped its maw.

Corrin's heart hammered in his chest, but he couldn't move. He couldn’t run, he couldn’t fight, he could only watch as the wolf’s legs tensed.

The beast lunged. Corrin was dead.

Except death never came.

There was a loud crack as the wolf was abruptly blown across the clearing and into a tree, which after a moment slowly toppled over.

Left in place of the wolf was a young man, dressed in white and black robes, fluttering from the sudden movement. He carried a sword at his side, longer than Corrin was tall, and thin with a curved blade. His head was shaved, and his skin was dark, which surprised Corrin. He'd heard from some of the traders that some people in the far south had that dark brown skin, but why would someone from there be all the way up north, in the middle of nowhere?

“Why are you children out here?” The man spoke with a strange accent, “These woods are very dangerous.”

“We uh… got lost?” Corrin tried to play dumb.

The man raised his eyebrow, clearly not buying it, but at that moment the wolf began to get back up, staggering to its feet. He turned to face the beast, and sighed, closing his eyes.

The most terrible creature Corrin had ever seen began to run towards the man, who stood still, his eyes still shut with a calm expression on his face. Corrin tried to shout a warning, but his breath was stuck in his throat. Pouncing, the wolf soared through the air with its claws outstretched.

In a single instant, one that Corrin felt more than saw, the man raised his arm, and all the color drained from the world, casting the forest in tones of black and white. All motion ceased; the wolf paused midflight. The leaves falling from the trees seemed to halt on their way to the ground, as even gravity knelt before the authority of the man in the robes. White flames, brighter than the midday sun flashed in the man’s hand. In this moment of frozen time, it seemed almost as though he whispered something to the beast as the flames enveloped it entirely, burning it away, leaving nothing behind, not even ash. His sword never left his side.

The world resumed, and color bled back in, more vibrant than before. But Corrin stood there, still frozen, entirely transfixed. His entire worldview had been burned away by those flames, devoured by their non-existent heat. The way this man had blown away such a beast with little more effort than swatting a fly… The power to make an insurmountable problem vanish in the blink of an eye. The power to change his life. At that moment, Corrin knew, with absolute certainty, exactly what he wanted, more than anything else in the world.

“Please—please teach me how to become strong like you!”

The man turned, seemingly surprised by the request. “What is your name, little one?”

“My name is Corrin,” He straightened his posture to seem confident.

Wyn stepped up beside him nervously, “And I’m Wyn.”

The man walked to them, a warm smile on his face. He spoke softly, “Corrin. Wyn. Allow me to impart some advice, and pay attention, as this is something many take a long time to learn.”

“Please… tell me how. I’ll do whatever you ask!” Corrin fell to the ground, bowing.

The man crouched down to their level, “I wish all my students were as willing as you, but please, do not bow, young Corrin. Listen well. True strength is not something you can learn from others. It is not something I can teach you; it is not something I can give you. It is something you must cultivate within yourself.”

“But—” Corrin started, confused, “You can teach me how to fight like you right?”

He laughed, a gentle thing, “Sometimes I forget how children can be. Very well Corrin, I will make you a deal. This goes for you as well, Wyn. Should you seek me out again, when you come of age, I will train you as you wish.”

Corrin beamed, “It’s a deal!” He stuck out his hand, and the man shook it, smiling.

“Now children, run back to your home, these forests can be quite dangerous, but if you leave now, you should be safe.” he said.

Corrin grabbed Wyn and pretended to walk away, but instead, as soon as they were out of sight, he dashed behind a tree and peaked back towards the man, who had knelt at the crystalline pool.

“What are we–'' Wyn started, but Corrin quickly hushed him, watching the man carefully.

There was a dazzling light which rose up from the pond, nearly blinding Corrin as he averted his eyes. When he looked back, a spectral woman with bright green hair was floating just above the surface of the pond, four flaming wings stretched out behind her. She appeared to be talking to the man knelt before her. Corrin strained his ears, trying to catch the conversation.

“...some time since you last visited me, Sezim. Should I consider it an insult that you came to see me last?” Corrin couldn’t make out her expression, but her voice was playful.

The man stayed knelt, his head facing the ground, “Apologies Great One, but you of all beings should know such a thing was beyond my control.”

She giggled, “Of course, I only jest. How are my siblings? I haven’t spoken to them in almost a century now.”

“The circumstances are unfortunate, Great One,” He nodded, “I hope you shall continue to view me favorably as your intermediary in the meantime.”

“Please Sezim, dispense of the formalities, your station is enough to permit you that much.”

The man, Sezim, straightened and stood up, brushing off his robes, “As you wish. I bring news from your elder sister. The dragons to the north begin to encroach further and further, she wishes to see this dealt with before they become too much of a threat."

The woman hummed thoughtfully, "I see, I'll send a messenger and see if we can renegotiate our borders with them, I'd rather things not come to open war while we're so restricted."

"Will you require me to go as the messenger?" Sezim asked.

"No no, your skills will be used elsewhere, was there any other news she had for me?"

"None from Rhea," he said, "However, your brother requests aid from at least one of your knights in hunting a leviathan in the burning isles."

"Inform him he shall have it. I will personally arrange for one of my other servants to deal with it," she waved a hand dismissively.

"Will there be anything else Great One?" Sezim asked.

"I have one last task for you personally, but this one cannot be heard by little children hiding behind trees." She said pointedly.

Corrin turned to leave, but Wyn seemed rooted to the spot. Unwilling to abandon him, Corrin stayed, even as his hands shook. This must be a great spirit, like in the stories, she could kill them both with a mere thought.

Sezim for his part, blanched and fell to his knees again, "I was careless, your grace, please, I implore you to spare their lives."

The woman seemed horrified, "Spare their—? Sezim, I forget you are sworn to that vile little crotch louse in the desert. Is that how she treats humans these days?”

“Apologies, but I must ask you to refrain from referring to my master in such a way.”

“Oh, so you do have a tongue on you,” She giggled, “Pay it no heed, I love my sister dearly, but being her twin should grant me some leeway in how I speak of her. The children are in no danger, Sezim. Please, lead them from the forest and then we can continue our conversation.”

“As you wish, Great One.” Sezim bowed one last time and strode over to where they were hiding. “Follow me children, it’s time you leave this forest.”

“Yes sir…” Corrin said tensely. He was grateful that they’d shown him mercy, but he couldn’t help feeling as though he was missing out on something interesting.

The walk back to the edge of the spirit glades was far less eventful, as the mist seemed to part before them on the way out, and it only took a few minutes rather than hours. That shouldn’t have been possible, they’d walked in a straight line to arrive here, but seeing as how it was true, Corrin had no choice but to accept it. As they exited the woods, Sezim seemed to be looking around thoughtfully, like he was taking in the surrounding area.

Corrin was surprised when Wyn spoke up, “Um, sir, could I ask you a question?”

“Of course you may,” Sezim smiled warmly, “But first, you must promise me you’ll stay out of these woods.”

Both boys nodded, anticipation and excitement warring within them.

“A promise should always be spoken if you truly mean it,” Sezim said.

“Right right,” Corrin mumbled, “So the spirits hear it and know if you lie.” It was a phrase parroted by the church back in town.

But Sezim shook his head, “No. So that you may hear it. Our inner voices speak so quickly, important things often get lost and brushed over. But a promise is something you should not brush over. Take the time to say it aloud, think about the words as you say them, and mean each one. If you break it, it is you who must deal with the guilt.”

Wyn did so, promising to stay out of the woods. But Corrin was quite hesitant until he caught Wyn glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. He sighed.

“I promise to stay away from the spirit glades.”

“Good,” Sezim smiled, “Now let me hear your question.”

“You said we should seek you out when we come of age,” Wyn started, “But where exactly should we go to look for you?”

Oh right… Corrin hadn’t thought about that.

Sezim knelt before them, eyes sparkling, “I happen to be an instructor at the Royal Swordcraft Academy in Taravast. Should you enter as students, I’ll be more than happy to teach you. I’m sure the two of you would make fine knights.”

Taravast.

Even from across the continent, Corrin had heard of the city of heroes. Despite being only the capital of Edria, it was often considered the capital of the entire continent of Aeora. It was the city where the first spirit knight had supposedly been born, along with half of the historical figures Corrin had ever heard of. He didn’t know the name of the nearest town, but he’d known of Taravast since he was old enough to know what it was.

The two boys sat and processed this news, while Sezim turned unceremoniously, and walked back into the forest, disappearing into the tree line.

When the shock faded, and they regained their bearings, it was Wyn who spoke first:

“He’s one of them isn’t he. A spirit knight.”

“What else?”

“The stories don’t do them justice.”

Corrin nodded vaguely, they really didn’t.

***

The boys were quiet on their way back to town, and Corrin’s mind played a nonstop loop of the events that had just transpired. The power Sezim had displayed enraptured him. Corrin wanted that power. The strength to make any of his problems disappear with a single stroke of his sword, or a flick of his wrist. And beyond that, it just looked really cool.

Finally, they reached the spearwood, an enormous pine tree outside of town. It rested atop a hill overlooking the valley where the two boys had spent their entire lives, and its branches seemed to reach up to the heavens themselves. Without a word, they stopped to rest in the shade the giant tree granted, laying in the grass as a cool wind blew across the valley. Though there were spirits floating around on the breeze, compared to the glades, they were hardly noticeable, and Corrin didn’t even register their presence.

An insatiable longing had been stirred within him. And there was no putting it back to sleep. When he thought about what he needed to do, there was no hesitation.

“Wyn, I’m going to go to Taravast,” He declared, “I’m going to learn from him, and I’m going to become strong too.”

Wyn sat up next to him, looking into Corrin’s eyes. “I’ll come with you. I want to become a knight.”

As simple as that, their pact was made. The agreement was unspoken, they would never be satisfied with their small lives here. Things could never go back to the way they were. Not after seeing what they’d seen: witnessing what the world had to offer.

After a moment, Wyn spoke again, “My mother told me about the world from stories. They say that there are places in this world that we can’t even imagine. Water that stretches as far as the eye can see. Grass taller than a person, and chasms whose bottoms have never been found. Entire forests with trees as big as the spearwood…”

Corrin nodded, “We’ll go see it all. We’ll become strong enough to do what we want. To go where we want. The strongest in the world.”

“Well,” Wyn grinned, “I might be a little stronger than you.”

“Not a chance,” Corrin laughed. “I’m going to be the strongest one there is.”

“It’s a promise then?”

“It’s a promise.”