Virion Eralith
"How are Virion and Arthur doing?" I asked General Aldir as we sat inside the council room. It was General Aldir, Lance Olfred, Lance Varay, and me. We weren't discussing anything important at the moment, but the battles underground are growing larger each month, and I was curious when the two brothers were coming back.
"From what I've heard from Windsom, they both are in capable hands." General Aldir told me. "We should discuss their future for when they return, Virion should be back within two weeks. Arthur still has a couple years since he is training with different Asuras, that's if he doesn't find out that the war already started."
"You haven't told him." I interrupted.
"If we told Arthur Leywin that the war started, he would be back here now, and if we told him his brother already encountered Alacryans in a dungeon with a mutant beast, Arthur wouldn't be able to focus on training." General Aldir told me, and I understood. However, I believe Arthur had a right to that knowledge.
"Discuss their future you say? Haven't we done that?" I asked him, hoping for him to elaborate a little.
"We've already discussed it, Arthur will be a Lance, for who, we don't know yet." The Asura paused for a second, then went on. "Virion, might be young, but I believe, and from what he's demonstrated to us, he should also be a Lance."
"I agree." Lance Varay spoke up. "Virion might be a boy, but he doesn't act like one, and has the attitude of an adult. I don't like some of the things I've heard about him from his teammates and Helen, but he's as strong as a Lance already at silver core."
"Lance Varay is right, if he manages to get to white core, he will be able to take on some of the strongest foes during the war." General Aldir said. "Virion will need to be kept on a tight leash of course, even if he has the strength, he might be a little rash in making decisions."
"I don't know about that." I told him. "Virion has proven that he can come up with strategies on the spot, he's very clever."
"That may be true, but I would still watch out for him, even if he is a Lance." General Aldir told me. "I've trained the boy, you're right, he is clever."
"The Lances were a team of six, two members from each race, if we add Arthur and Virion, it will be seven." Lance Varay gave me a meaningful look. "That might cause an issue, four humans."
"That's if they choose to be under the human King and Queen." General Aldir told us, I agreed with him there.
"We all know Virions hostility toward King Glayder." Lance Olfred spoke for the first time. "I highly doubt he would choose him, even if he is a human."
"He's also bonded with Lance Aya." Lance Varay added, and I realized there is a chance that both of the boys will decide to serve under the elves. "Lance Aya is quite fond of him, she is always talking about how she trained him."
"I trained the boy." I told the Lance. "If it wasn't for me, Virion wouldn't have ever mastered blood magic."
"Let's be glad you did." General Aldir pointed at me. "The boy will need someone to trust, either that's you or Lance Aya or someone else, we need to find someone he can lean on when the going gets tough."
"I think it should be someone out there in the field with him, not someone in here." Lance Varay spoke before I could agree with the Asura. "It could also be Arthur, but he doesn't have experience out in the field yet either, even if he is training with Asuras."
"Pairing both, Arthur and Virion together would be the best choice, but Virion needs a non-family member." I told her.
"Then Lance Aya." Lance Olfred was probably right, Virion chose to train with her, and I think he enjoyed that time. "She speaks like he is her younger brother."
"Lance Aya is the best choice." I agreed with General Aldir, if it wasn't going to be Arthur, then it should be her. "Commander Virion, you are the wisest choice to watch over Arthur, he will listen to you."
"And you are sure about Virion?" I asked him, thinking about something else.
"About what?" The Asura and the two Lances didn't know what I meant.
"You said, before, Arthur was going to be our savior, now, Lord Indrath and you all are telling us that Virion will be one too." I paused and looked at the three eyed Asura. "I have faith in Virion, but are we one hundred percent sure that he can do what you are asking?"
"No." General Aldir said simply. "We can never be one hundred percent, but Lord Indrath believes he will play an important part in the war, which means a lot."
"Commander Virion, if you don't mind, I'd like to say something." Lance Varay asked, and I nodded my head to her. "We all agree, Virion is a force to be scared of, I've fought him, and he's proved it to me. If he fights in the war, which he will, no matter what happens, he will be an important part. Now, I don't know if that means he's our savior or not, but I do know, whoever he faces in battle, they will be in trouble."
I knew that, it's hard thinking about sending a ten year old into war though. However, Virion will fight in the war even if we don't want him too. I've already accepted that; I think we've all accepted that.
"I know, Lance Varay." I told her. "Don't we all think that's a lot of pressure on him?"
"How can't it be?" Lance Olfred stepped up. "Look at it this way, Commander Virion, he will have everyone here looking out for him." He paused and the dwarve gave me a reassuring look. "I'll make sure nothing happens to the boy."
"That's nice to hear, Lance Olfred." I appreciated the words from the Lance, I knew he would try his best to keep them.
"Where's Virion's team now?" Lance Varay asked us.
"I gave them time off." I didn't want anything happening to them while he was training. "The Twin Horns are helping out a strike team near the wall, clearing some stuff out."
"That's good, their team has cleared now, what is it, three dungeons, and in each one, Virion has taken out the mutant."
"Yeah, I thought they could use some time off, they earned it for sure." I told them all as the doors to the council room opened, and Lance Aya walked inside.
"Commander Virion." She bowed to me. "I've returned from my scouting assignment, there were zero traces of Alacryans."
"I suspected that." General Aldir said, she went slightly south of the wall, it wasn't a serious mission, just routine to make sure no Alacryans appeared out of nowhere. The Lance has been patrolling for about three months now.
"Did I miss anything while I was gone?" Lance Aya approached Lance Varay and stood next to her.
"Your prodigy is training with someone in secret, an Asure, but that's all we know." Lance Varay informed her.
"That's great news, that boy keeps getting lucky with the people who train him." Lance Varay was right, he's been trained by the best of the best.
"Lance Aya, we were actually just talking about you." General Aldir stood up and turned to her. "We have a task for you, it's something not to be done now, but later on."
"Whatever is needed, General Aldir." The Lance stood up straight.
"It's about Virion, the boy will need someone to rely on, and we want it to be you." As General Aldir spoke, I stood up as well.
"Always." Lance Aya answered quickly. "I would be honored to be responsible for the boy, I've grown to care for him."
"You wouldn't be responsible for him, we all want to make sure he is okay, but war is a harsh reality, and he will soon realize that as the battles grow greater. Lance Aya just watch out for him when we all can't, of course, keep your missions your priority, and gain more of his trust."
"I will." Lance Aya responded. "I understand what you mean, and I know Virion is young, but I believe in him."
"We all do, just like his brother, he is going to do his best to save our Continent." I smiled toward the Lance.
"Watching him fight Lance Varay, with his blood magic, made me believe in him." Lance Olfred added in. "I have one question, who is stronger, Virion or Arthur?"
"That's a hard question to answer." General Aldir said, I didn't know the answer, I haven't seen Arthur in a while. "If they fought hand to hand, Arthur would win from what knowledge I have." The god paused then went on. "But if it was long distance and Virion could control his blood, he would win."
"Oh." Lance Olfred doesn't know Arthur that well, he only met him while he was being held captive. If they fought, Arthur would win hands down, I've seen him fight, Virion would put up a good fight, but in the end, Arthur would come out victorious. "I can't wait to see what the two of them do."
"Likewise." Lance Varay agreed. "I haven't seen Arthur fight, but if you are saying he is better than Virion, that's alarming."
"Those brothers." Lance Aya smiled, and the tension that normally ran in here kind of disappeared as we thought about the two brothers and their potential.
"They are special, both of them are anomalies in this war, otherwise they wouldn't be fighting in it." General Aldir spoke with a serious voice. "One's a Quadra Elemental and one is a Blood Deviant, we will need them to step up, if we have any hope in defeating Alacrya."
"General Aldir, are the Retainers and Scythes you talk about, really that strong? Could we Lances take them down?" Lance Olfred turned to the god, we've talked about them, but we don't know a lot.
"I truly don't know, Lance Olfred, our hope is that you Lances can take them down, Arthur is being trained to do just that, Virion is Virion with his blood magic, hopefully, he doesn't see any of them on the battlefield." General Aldir was being honest with them, we didn't know their strength.
"Then we all need to get stronger." The Lance said, and the rest of them agreed.
"Yes, we do." Lance Varay, the leader of the Lances said, and as she did, the doors opened once again, and a guard walked in.
I couldn't see who it was, but they bowed to me as they approached. "What is it?" I asked him.
"Commander, Princess Tessia is heading for the teleportation gate." I sighed, I had someone watch her after our talk we had this morning.
"I'll handle it." Lance Varay turned to me, and I nodded my head.
"Thank you, Lance Varay." I said as she walked out with the guard and to where my granddaughter was.
That girl wants to be in the war, and I am going to let her. It's hard to deny her after Prince Curtis, Princess Kathyln, and the young Virion have already joined the war.
It's sad to think, that our kingdom's future Kings and Queens are fighting in the wars, instead of staying back where it's safe, but that's to be expected.
I almost want to put Virion on her team, so I know she is safe. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, and I know it. The only issue is, Virion is close with his team members he has, I know he likes fighting with the man named Callias.
I'm sure I can assign their two teams together, just like I do with the Twin Horns and Virion. That way, they will have each other, and if anything happens, Virion will be there to protect her. It felt selfish to think that way, but it was the truth. Tessia would also protect him, if she had too.