NOVEL WEB Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The giant monster slams us into the ground. Its big thick lobster-like claws have a firm grip on our knight. The beast we are fighting is one of the many abominations that come crawling out of the underlands. This one, we named it Clawpounder, happens to look like a cross between a lobster and a large ape of some sort. Four muscular arms, two with those giant pincers and the others with almost human-like hands. We find that goofy names tends to make them less scary and the trend has caught on.
My co-pilot, Juliet, looks over at me and I meet her gaze. We both smile as we can feel each other’s confidence rebound in each other’s souls. As one, we activate a series of magical arrays that bring a glowing cannon to life in our shared torso. After a few seconds of charging, it blasts out and tears off one of the pincers, allowing us to free ourselves from its grip.
We hop back, each movement would shake the earth around us for anyone foolish enough to linger in the area. Thoughts and feelings rush between us in an instant as we decide on how to finish the fight. Juliet has a wicked grin on her face and I am filled with such an intense love for the woman, I almost fail to hide it from her. With our souls bonded like this, I can’t afford for her to feel my love and admiration for her. It’d just strain our partnership as unusual as it is. Juliet notices something is wrong and flashes me a concerned look.
It’s in this moment of distraction that everything goes wrong. Clawpounder grabs our torso with its lower hands and holds us in place as it pieces its remaining claw through our torso. The way it’s got us gripped, if it squeezes that pincher down, it’ll sheer our knight’s head in half. More specifically, it’ll crush the side of the head I’m on.
We have seconds to react, and while Juilet is trying to figure out a way to get us out of this, I just turn and lock eyes with her. “Juliet,” I say, my voice strained and tired. “I lo-” I on’t get to finish as the eerie scream of steel being sheared fills our ears. Then something strange happens. For a split second, I find myself looking at my own body as it is crushed beneath the monster’s claw. Everything goes dark after that. In my last moments of consciousness, I reminisce about how Juliet and I met.
****
I woke up like it was any other day. Slowly and with great reluctance. As long as I could remember, I always preferred my dreams to reality. I rarely ever got nightmares and I always felt more comfortable in the soft embrace of slumber.
Still, despite my desire to cling to the ethereal tendrils of my mindscape, I managed to remind myself that there was no time to waste. I couldn’t be late to the choosing ceremony.
Every seven years, the great mages of Ravaria spread out across the nation to search for the next generation of dreamers. These aren’t regular dreamers though, it’s what we call those that have the potential to serve the kingdom as Knights.
It was finally going to be my year; I just knew it. I was in the right age range, I had top marks in all my preliminary aptitude tests and I knew more about the Knights than anyone else in my school.
My excitement must’ve caught my mother’s attention as she beamed at me as I settled at the table for breakfast. “Well look at you sweetie. Out of bed and dressed already. Normally it’s an hour long argument to get you to change.” She had a point. I always hated changing clothes. Still do. It’d never been very clear why, but I just couldn’t stand the sight of my own body. I tended to avoid my reflection and would avoid any situation that required me to get naked. As such, I’d earned a bit of a reputation in my class as being that smelly boy who stares at girls. It wasn’t my fault girls were just so mesmerizing.
It wasn’t a sexual thing, or at least that’s what I insisted to myself. I just found women aesthetically appealing. I’d been trying to convince myself I was gay for years so that maybe it’d turn out to be true. In hindsight, the only person I was fooling was myself though. It was pretty obvious I was only attracted to women which all but scuttled any chance of me becoming a Knight.
All Knights were piloted by two people. They had to be compatible in certain ways for the soul binding process to work. Unfortunately, one of those requirements was that the two pilots needed to be compatible in a way that always resulted in the pilots becoming life partners in every way. This wouldn’t have been an issue, if the other requirement was that they had to have the same gender identity, or at least close enough. So girls with girls, guys with guys, and enbies with enbies. The enbies were a little more complicated as there was a wide swath of genders that fell under that umbrella and they had to be close on the spectrum to count.
There was next to zero chance I’d be picked, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. Perhaps I just hadn’t met the right guy yet. I could have had very selective preferences for men that I hadn’t figured out yet. So on the off chance that I might be picked, I had to try.
“Well today’s a special day!” I finally replied to my mom. I’d even showered despite my hatred for the task. I never knew why people enjoyed washing up or trying on clothes. I always figured everyone hated the process as much as me, but were just better at hiding it.
“Good luck sweetheart. Your father will be home shortly after you need to leave, but we’ll be watching!” It filled me with warmth to know that my dad would stay up a bit longer to watch the ceremony. He worked a night shift as a city guard so he often went to sleep shortly after getting home. As a result, I didn’t see him as much as I’d like, though I did still get to spend time with him in the late afternoon before he had to head to work.
With one final farewell to my mom, I hurried towards the amphitheater where the local choosing ceremony would be held. Each settlement above a certain size would have a mage arriving today to conduct the ritual to search for compatible pairs. The mages would act as conduits for the main ritual being performed in Ravaria’s capital city by the Archmage himself. Viewing crystals would be set up from multiple angles to allow people at home to watch the proceedings and to allow the organizers to show pairs to each other if they weren’t in the same location.
My school had been organizing the local ceremony for generations. Since nearly all eligible applicants would be students, it was easy for them to set up a signin station where you’d confirm your attendance and get a name tag for convenience of identification.
I shuffled in among my classmates, earning a few glares and snide remarks about how I smelled bad or what a creep I apparently was. I didn’t care though. They could hate me all they wanted so long as I was picked. I had to be picked. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what I would do if I wasn’t selected.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I settled down into my assigned seat. I was right between two of the nicer classmates I had, so that was a small mercy. On my right was Gregory Smith, who’s dad was appropriately enough, one of the town’s smiths. Most likely his ancestor was one of the town’s original smiths before surnames became common in the wake of crystal technology allowing the various townships of Ravaria to connect like never before.
On my left was Gina Stone, her parents ran one of the most successful trading guilds in the kingdom. Fortunately, she never let her status make her any less of a wonderful person.
Since my name was Gordon Windlebloom, and they always sorted by given names, that’s why I was lucky enough to usually sit between them at school run events. I wouldn’t say we were friends, but at least we were friendly with each other. I gave them both a nod and they nodded back before we all turned our attention to the stage below us. The ceremony was starting.
A woman in a bright violet robe stepped out onto the stage and accepted a wooden handled microphone. The small devices used crystals to transmit someone’s voice to loud speakers beside them. Between those and the natural effect of the amphitheater's shape, everyone could very clearly hear the mage before us.
“Welcome children to the choosing ceremony. It’s my genuine honor to oversee the township of Evansburg’s event this year.” There was a roar of applause from the crowd until she held up a hand for us to quiet down. “Thank you, thank you,” she beamed. “But you don’t need to make such a big ruckus about it. I grew up just outside the town, some of your parents might even remember me. But, since they aren’t here, allow me to introduce myself.” She paused for effect before continuing, “My name is Rayla Gerber. Not the most flattering of surnames, I know, but it could be worse,” she joked, eliciting quiet chuckles from everyone.
She tapped the side of her head then nodded. “Looks like we’re ready to begin everyone!” she called out. “Focus on your soul like you were taught in class and I’ll handle the rest. If I call out your name, come down to the stage.” She waited until we were all deep in meditation before handing away her microphone as she began to chant.
The techniques used to focus on our soul get taught to us when we’re young regardless of if we’re going to be the right age to be a Knight. It was useful for connecting with yourself. I’d always struggled with it though. My teachers often suggested that there was something about me that I hadn’t figured out yet, but I never found out what it was. Fortunately, I’d practiced so much that even if I couldn’t make a full connection, it was more than adequate for the choosing ceremony.
Aside from Rayla’s chanting, everything was quiet until the big display screen behind the mage lit up and we got our first looks at one of the pairs selected. A pair of boys from the capitol. The next pair were two girls that were from towns clear across the country from each other. Next was a pair of enbies.
There was a lengthy pause, making me worry that the ceremony would be over soon when another name was announced on the screen. Juliet was from a rural farming town that had only just gotten big enough to hold their own ceremony rather than traveling somewhere else. When I saw her on screen, my heart skipped a beat. She was more beautiful than anyone I’d ever seen. Objectively I knew she was more cute than sexy, but to me she practically shone like a beacon of loveliness. So it was absolutely mind boggling when my name was called out as her pair.
The amphitheater became deathly quiet as I got up and walked down to the stage. I spared a look toward the screen and saw the look of worry on Juliet’s face. It was reflected on everyone else’s as well.
I couldn’t decide whether I was hoping it was a mistake, or whether I hoped it wasn’t. Whichever the case, it seemed we were the final pair in the end, which left me in a difficult situation to say the least.
Rayla was busy talking to someone on her crystal earpiece while I stood awkwardly to the side. All the other attendees were slowly making their way out of the building while I heard someone contact my parents to bring my things before I left.
It seemed that they were going to operate as if this unprecedented event was still legitimate. I managed to catch some snippets of Rayla’s conversation while I waited for my parents to arrive. From what I heard, I was fairly certain she was talking to the Archmage, and that she was getting exasperated by his excitement over my situation.
After a short wait, my mom and dad showed up with a travel chest full of my things. I gave them both hugs, though they were a little strained due to the strangeness of my selection. They went over to talk to Rayla who had just hung up with the Archmage, which left me to double check my chest to see if anything was forgotten.
Everything I could possibly want from my room was in there, along with a few things I might’ve wanted to keep hidden, like my collection of Knight figurines. The last thing I needed was a reputation as a fanboy.
Rayla soon came over to me and gave me a critical look before speaking. “As I’m sure you’re aware, this has never happened before. A boy and a girl being bonded together shouldn’t be possible.” She shook her head in disbelief. “But the Archmage wants to see you two for himself to determine how it happened and if you are actually compatible in person. If he deems you two suitable, you’ll begin training as the first hetero pilot pairing in the history of our nation.”
I just gawked at her. It was like up until she said that, I had been half expecting them to just send me home, but suddenly my dreams of becoming a Knight might be realized. It was a dream come true. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed.
It took mere moments for Rayla to teleport me and my things to the capitol’s Knight training facility, which most people called The Fields on account of the massive training grounds used to practice combat in.
Shortly after our arrival, I was ushered to the Archmage’s sanctum where I soon came face to face with both Juliet and the leader of the Order of Defense, the Archmage, Kelvithor. It wasn’t his original name, but nobody knew what that was. Every Archmage would take a new name when they attained the rank. It was to symbolize the ending of their old life, and the beginning of one in total service to the kingdom.
Juliet looked annoyed by my presence, which was not the best start admittedly. But even with her disappointed scowl, she was absolutely radiant. There was something behind her expression though that gave me hope that maybe we would be compatible after all. It was like she saw me the same way I saw her, which might have been making her more upset.
The Archmage however looked absolutely giddy as he silently stared at the pair of us. He got up and walked around us several times before settling back into the desk he’d started in.
“Never in all my years,” he spoke so softly I almost didn’t hear him. “How it happened, I can’t even begin to understand, but somehow you two truly are a compatible bond. It’s absolutely remarkable. I wonder how this will affect the development of your Knight,” he mused aloud as if we weren’t even there.
After a few more minutes of awkward mutterings, he instructed Rayla and the mage who had brought Juliet to take us to the High Smith for processing. I grinned excitedly at that, and even Juliet seemed eager as well. The High Smith was the most skilled craftsmen in all of Ravaria. She was in charge of the creation of new Squires and as such, our meeting with her would be our first step at becoming full Knights.
****
I slowly wake up from what felt like a dream. Like all my dreams since being chosen as a Dreamer and becoming a Knight, it was incredibly vivid. A thought blooms in my mind and makes me panic. I’m dead, or I should be. There’s no way I could’ve survived being crushed like that. But even though I can remember the sensation of my body being turned to mulch between a monster’s pincers, I also remember watching it happen from the outside.
I try to take stock of how I feel, but it’s stranger than anything I’ve ever experienced. It feels like I’m floating, though beyond that I can’t feel any part of my body. It’s just more evidence that I’m probably dead.
“Hello!” I call out in hopes that someone can hear me. My voice sounds strange. It’s clearly my voice but different. It’s more like the voice I hear in my head, but I can’t really quantify how it’s different from the one I’m used to speaking with. It’s also not actually sound either, which leads me to think that maybe I’m in some sort of coma, and that I’m possibly still alive.
****
Hours, or what feels like hours go by before something changes. A bright light begins to fill the world around me until I realize I’m opening my eyes. I can see an infirmary, which leads credence to my having been in a coma. I try to look around but my body doesn’t obey me.
I start to feel panicked until I hear a door open just out of sight. A doctor comes in that I vaguely remember patching me up after a brutal battle a few months ago. “Hello doctor, I’m having some trouble moving,” I try to say, but she doesn’t seem to hear me.
My head turns to look around as I hear Juliet’s voice ask, “Did you hear that?” Her voice is so much closer than I’ve ever heard it before. Actually, that’s not true. The only time her voice feels this close is when we’re bonded in our Knight.
The doctor shakes her head. “Hear what?” she asks as she checks over the chart at the end of the bed.
It’s starting to get more than a little frightening as my view shifts without me wanting it. I’m suddenly faced with something even more confusing than before as I can see a reflection in the window beside me. Only it’s not my reflection, it’s Juliet’s.
End Chapter 1