We go back to the very beginning with this one. The first story I ever wrote. Nearly twenty years ago, when I was still in high school, lol. I wrote this book as a bet with a teacher with no idea that it would be a foundational moment in my life. This story is gritty, dark, and filled with action. Elemental combat in nearly every chapter continues the narrative.
Introduction
Hello, I’m Roderick Dewitt Macintosh, but you can call me RDM for short. I’m the Overseer of the six Territories. I’m not the ruler, but rather, a guidance provider. I speak with one Liaison from each Territory who then relays my words to the Grandmaster of the Territory they belong to. I’m the only being that is bound by no element but a culmination of all in one vessel. We Overseers are not mortal beings, nor do we live forever. We are around while there are no others, the day a new Overseer is born, the old one shall vanish. I’m the seventh in a line of Overseers that has spanned nine thousand years. No one knows what it takes to become an Overseer, not even we do. Most of our memories are erased on the day of our “birth”.
Welcome to the Midlife as I call it. The space that occupies distance between our two worlds. You might call it a sort of limbo. Right now you are stuck between your world and ours. I wanted to give you a bit of an insight of how you have been called to our universe and a bit of history of the place you are about to see.
Here in our world, we are divided into six Territories. These Territories are classified by an element. Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Light, and Dark make up these six. These six Territories are placed around a mountain in a circular formation. The order is Light, Fire, Air, Earth, Dark, then Water which then connects back to light. Many moons have been set on fields of bloodshed, and many lives have been claimed fighting for their lands. For centuries, all the Territories killed, hunted, maimed, and enslaved one another until the first Overseer arrived.
He was a mighty warrior from the Fire territory named Dante. Dante was not the Grandmaster of his territory, he was not even a General, but rather, a recruit. Don’t let that take away from the boy’s image, though, he was a prodigy in itself. He always wanted to achieve peace amongst the six territories and calmed any situation that arose around him.
A great battle broke out one morning as the sun just began to peak its light over the hills of his hometown. The sunshine twinkled on the morning dew that sat on the blades of grass. Warriors from the bordering Air Territory came in under the cover of night. They swiftly went from house to house killing anyone that came into their line of sight. Dante was awoken by the screams of his friends and neighbors as they were slain in their homes. He quickly grabbed his sword and rushed out to fight off the attackers. As he emerged from his home he had seen about a half of a dozen warriors running from house to house, he quickly engaged. The first one didn’t see it coming. The blade cut cleanly through the throat of its foe like a hot knife through butter. Dante rushed through the war-torn streets of his hometown slicing down every enemy he could, but the damage was too great. As the dust settled and all the Air warriors were slain Dante was able to view the destruction to his home and himself. Entire homes were blown away, debris laid scattered all around, and bodies laid lifeless in the streets. He had been stabbed multiple times in this battle, injuries too grave for a man to recover.
That is when it happened. Some say it was because of the great pain suffered, others say it was due to his immediate forgiveness to the murderers of his people. No one knows for sure, but on that morning Dante became the first Overseer of these lands. As his mortal body fell to the ground his soul stepped out and took a physical form. He had the abilities of all known powers but the forgiveness no man could muster. With these newfound powers, he could lead the Fire Territory to conquer all the world but instead formed a Consulate.
The Consulate consisted of one member from each territory to act as a Liaison, to come together and be as one. He devised a tournament that would be held bi-annually. Each of the Territories shall send five combatants to participate in these games, with there being only one winner. To act as a controlled war with little to no one falling victim to mindless violence. There would be a series of trials devised, differently with each passing tournament. Fighting is the center point. The winner of the trials gets no special rule, but rather a sense of pride knowing they have defeated the best the world has to offer. By doing this tournament, everyone’s bloodlust will be satisfied and there will be no need for war among any Territories.
The rules for each fight will start with this as the base: 1 – They will remain one on one altercations. 2 – There will be no weapons. 3 – They will continue until one person either gives up or is unconscious. 4 – They will take place at the designated arena. 5 – Rules can be changed on site if both participating members agree. 6. – Weapons can be added, more people can participate, and in the most extreme of cases they can fight to the death.
The tournament takes place at the base of Smoke Mountain, the home of the Overseer, at a town built specifically for the tournament. The town is called Sensou. No flags are flown and the population is sparse. Only people who follow the path of the Overseer as a pacifist stay here. Surrounding the mountain is the Dark Forest. A difficult and dangerous place to navigate, which is usually trial one of the tournament. Inside this forest are creatures your nightmares couldn’t fathom. A lot of times, people who go in, don’t come out of the other side.
Each of the six Territories has a Grandmaster. These Grandmasters have no names but are instead called Grandmaster “element”. An example would be the Water Territory’s Grandmaster would be addressed as Grandmaster Water. The Fire Territory’s as Grandmaster Fire. They are the rulers of their lands and ultimately control what goes on. No Grandmaster is ever allowed to be the Overseer’s Liaison for their Territory.
For nine thousand years these lands have been at peace. The tournament has kept everyone’s thirst for violence and bloodshed quenched. Now that you have been caught up on the history of these lands I believe you are ready to proceed. Any questions you have will surely be answered. Any answers you have will surely be questioned. For here in this world, everything can change with the swing of a sword.
Chapter 1: The Water Territory
WHAM! A fist slammed into the face of young Javonta, knocking him to the ground with a thud.
“How do you expect to beat the rival Territories if you cannot even beat me,” Iceman yelled. “I know you are new, but you possess the power no one else in this Territory has ever seen. With that power comes the expectation of greatness.”
“Yes sir,” Javonta yelled back as he wiped the blood off his lip. Javonta was an eighteen-year-old orphan. He stood about six feet one inch tall and weighed around 200 pounds. He wore a green vest over a long-sleeved black shirt with black leggings. His hair was black, ruffled, unkempt, and messy. He was born in the Dark Territory, but a tragic fire broke out in his village when he was four that burned his home and his family to the ground. After the fire, Javonta wandered for days, crossing into the Water Territory. Usually, the child would be returned to their family without consequence in these circumstances. But, from where this child had no family to return to, he was taken in by a small village family in the lower fields of the Water Territory.
This family already had one boy, age twelve, who was excited to have a little brother. That boy’s name was Iceman. They got along very well. Both decided at a very young age to join the Water Academy and fight for their Territory.
Fourteen years later, Iceman had already been in the Academy for eight years. He was promoted so quickly that he was already named the Overseer’s Liaison for the Water Territory. He was a trainer to all new recruits, and now his little brother was one of them.
Each warrior from all Territories has a base element they can harness. Iceman’s base element was ice, which was noticeable by the constant chill falling off his right arm. Javonta harnessed water, but being a descendant of the Dark Territory, his water was green and had the effects of acid. The only warrior in all the Territories that had a cross power.
“You must focus; don’t rely too heavily on your eyes but more on your presence. Feel everything around you and notice any disturbances to your surroundings,” Iceman said as he stared Javonta in the eyes. Iceman lunged forward with a left punch. Javonta grabbed his hand and flung him upwards. They exchanged punch after punch, kick after kick, until CRACK, Javonta fell to the ground again from a hard iceball to the stomach. “You are doing well, but don’t rely on brute strength to win a battle. You have an element. We are not those brutes from the Earth Territory,” Iceman said calmly.
“I would hate to burn you, brother,” Javonta said with a laugh as he stood up quickly.
“Let’s see what you got then,” Iceman said with a smile. Iceman stood about five feet eight inches tall, not an imposing figure, but he made up for it with raw talent. The head of his class every year, he blew by the competition. Only running into trouble at the tournament. He wore a blue and black ninjutsu outfit with black pants. A mask is worn over his mouth and nose to act as a rebreather of sorts because the natural air is too warm and weakens him if he breathes too much of it. He also wore a helmet shaped like a trident in the front, leaving his eyes uncovered but coming over his nose. The helmet also covered the entire side and back of his head. His eyes were a pale blue, almost like a bright-colored sea.
Javonta slung some acid on the ground towards Iceman’s feet like a river of corrosion. As Iceman jumped to avoid it, Javonta tackled him to the ground. Iceman monkey rolled backward to assume the mount on Javonta. He reached his right hand up, and ice crystals began to collect on his hand. He slammed his fist into the ground, but Javonta was too quick; he dodged to the left and grabbed Iceman’s arm; he pulled his arm downward and gained a backmount. Iceman threw his head back, striking Javonta in the bridge of the nose; immediately, blood came rushing down Javonta’s face. Javonta kicked Iceman in the lower back without missing a step, causing him to fall on his face. He hurled an acid ball that hit Iceman right in the back of the head. Javonta approached Iceman slowly; as he was three paces away, he was kicked directly in the side, which sent him four feet away.
The body on the ground melted away as Iceman walked towards Javonta from the other side of the room. Iceman spoke, “It was just a decoy, but you are already far surpassing any expectations I had set. Good job, little brother.”
“I figured it was not you; it was moving too smoothly,” Javonta laughed as he shook his brother’s hand. “I have to get to class, bro. Will I see you afterward?”
“I’ll be around, man,” Iceman replied. Javonta rushed off to get to class. At the Academy, students are required to be proficient fighters and knowledgeable. A lot of the abilities and powers must be unlocked. This requires focus and knowing how to do so. Students must also understand their Territory’s history and how to prepare for the tournament.
The Water Academy was gorgeously placed in the center of a giant lake. Fountains shot water into the air on each side of the walkway leading to the gate. The walkway was a marvelously crafted stone bridge that arched slightly and led directly to the marble gates of the Academy. Looking into the Academy, you would see a bevy of ocean blue. The tops of buildings seemed to flow like waves of the sea against the ground around them—a truly gorgeous sight to see.
Only some students were selected for the tournament, but every student must be prepared for the chance that they may be picked. Five students were picked one month before the tournament. With that little amount of time, they must already be prepared years in advance. Fighters have ranged from rookies to veterans. It all depends on the abilities they show. The Overseer’s Liaisons were usually picked as the squad leader and helped their team through the tournament trials. Iceman had been in the tournament thrice, but this was his first tournament as the Overseer’s Liaison. Javonta had high hopes that he would be selected as one of the four remaining fighters.
Students would go to four classes daily: hand-to-hand combat training, elemental combat training, history, and the last block, a filler block for whatever the student wishes to progress further in. The classes lasted two hours each, with a fifteen-minute break between them. There were no grades. In place of grade levels were ranks. The ranks were as follows:
Level one was an Initiate. Initiates were people whose applications had been accepted but had not yet passed the Academy’s evaluation exam. After an Initiate passed the exam, they would be accepted into the Academy and promoted.
Level two was a Recruit: A Recruit was the general population of the Academy. Most of your entry years would be spent as a Recruit. Very few people got promoted past this point in their first few years. After you had shown ability and prowess with your powers you would be promoted.
Level three was a Soldier: Soldiers were still in the Academy, but they were honing their abilities instead of learning. They no longer were required to take the history classes; instead, they had two blocks for learning new skills and two blocks for improving already learned abilities. You could be promoted if you showed leadership and abilities above and beyond.
Level four was a Captain: Captains were the sub-leaders in the armies of a particular Territory. They controlled different regions’ defenses and the placement of Soldiers in these regions. Once promoted to the Captain rank, your training was at your discretion. Further promotion was very rare.
Level five was the Overseer’s Liaison: The Liaison was an in-between job—a higher rank than a Captain but with less control. The Liaison met with the Overseer’s Consulate randomly and then reported directly to the Grandmaster. Between these Consulate meetings, the Liaison was in charge of the new Recruits, hand selecting certain students to train who looked like promising candidates. Getting promoted to this title was an honor. The Overseer himself selected you, and one would usually remain with this title until death or retirement.
Level six was the Commander: The Commander was the leader of all the Captains. They were issuing orders directly from the Grandmaster himself. The Commander position was one that you will keep until death. To get promoted to Commander, you must show above-and-beyond abilities in combat strategy and execution, along with the best display of your power in battle.
Level seven was the Grandmaster: The Grandmaster was the leader of the entire Territory. His word was law. Grandmasters rarely were seen in public and usually only shared their presence with the Commander and the Overseer’s Liaison. The selection of a Grandmaster was a highly ceremonial occasion. The Grandmaster himself would select his predecessor at a time of his discretion.
“How are you two doing today?” Javonta asked as he walked past Blue and Freezie.
“We are doing just fine, young man,” Freezie answered.
“I’m Ready for the tournament; I know I’m getting picked,” Blue said, slamming his fist in his hand. Blue was a Soldier who stood about five feet five inches tall. He wore a light blue long-sleeve shirt and white pants, and his skin was ashen. He was bald and had a goatee.
“We’ll know soon enough, honey,” Freezie said as she rubbed Blue’s head playfully. Freezie and Blue were a married couple, one of the few in the entire Academy. Freezie was calmer than her other half. She stood about five feet tall and wore a white sleeveless dress. She wore a decorated white cape covering her shoulders along with the dress. She had long blondish-blue hair and a jeweled crown on top of her head.
“I hope we all get picked,” Javonta replied as Blue brushed Freezie’s hand off his head. “The choosing of the warriors is next week.”
“We will see. There are some really great fighters here. A Recruit has not been picked in ten years,” Freezie said to Javonta.
“I was picked as a Recruit; you just gotta show the gusto,” Blue said, laughing as he punched Javonta’s arm.
“Oh, I will show the gusto; I will show these people something they have never seen before.”
“Don’t get too reckless, young man; you don’t want to hurt yourself. Doing a move before you have mastered the technique can lead to you really hurting yourself,” Freezie chimed in.
“I understand, but I’m too good to hurt myself,” Javonta replied with a smirk.
“Well, come next week, we will all have our answers,” Blue concluded. The married couple walked off to their next round of training. Javonta looked at his schedule and saw that his technique training was his next class. He liked the hand-to-hand training more than his ability training, but he knew it was required.
He had already mastered his acid ball, the base skill of a fighter’s move set, and now he was working on learning his acid pool. Of course, being a younger fighter, he likes to try to skip out on the weaker moves and move up to the powerful ones, but Iceman would not let him. As he walked into the training grounds, he saw Iceman charging an ice wave, a very powerful move that sends a wave of razor-sharp ice formations toward an opponent. Moves as powerful as this needed to be charged briefly before they could be used.
Iceman released the move towards the setup attack dummies, who were mutilated. The ice shards ripped, tore, and decimated everything in their path, leaving a cold lane of destruction.
“Hey, Ice, when am I gonna get to learn that move?” Javonta yelled.
“When you are ready,” Iceman replied sternly. “Right now, you need to concentrate on the move at hand.”
“I know. I was just pulling your chain.”
“Now, I believe you have got the acid pool down. I think you are ready to move onto your acid chain. You can use the acid chain to rope your opponent in and land devastating strikes while they are vulnerable. Combined with the hand-to-hand training that you receive, you should do well.”
“Cool, sounds like a handy tool to have in my arsenal.”
“Because you have an acid-based element, your chain will burn without extra effort. While mine is just cold.”
“Alright, how do I do it?”
Iceman proceeded to show Javonta how to do the move. Javonta struggled at first, as incorrectly performing the move would result in a simple acid ball, but after a dozen or so tries, he started to grasp the execution.
SNAP! An acid chain cracked hard as it hit one of the test dummies. The chain dripped with corrosive material that sizzled as it dropped to the ground. The arm of the test dummy started to burn as Javonta held the chain there.
“Good job, man,” Iceman said as he gave him a pat on the back. “I told you it would not take you long.”
“It took me longer than you did. How am I ever going to prove myself if I’m just average?” Javonta questioned.
“Don’t worry, little brother. All good things come with the proper practice. Even if you don’t attend this year’s tournament, there will always be the next time.”
“I don’t want to wait until next time. I want to be able to prove myself now.”
“I understand your frustration, but you are on the right track. Just continue to train, and I’m sure you will be fine.”
“How do they judge who is picked and who is not anyway?”
“Well, the Commander is always watching. He watches all the students, Captains, Soldiers, and even me. Granted, I’m an automatic buy-in, but if he deemed me unworthy, the Grandmaster would consider not sending me. He looks at different people’s abilities because it’s not all about what moves you can do but how you use what moves you know. He has his own method for choosing, as do all the Commanders of each Territory. I’ve heard of Initiates being selected to represent our Territory, and I’ve heard of no one less than Captain going. It is kind of a crap shoot, really.”
“I hope I get selected.”
“We will see, little brother, we will see,” Iceman said as he and Javonta walked out of the training grounds. The second block was over, and it was time for Javonta to attend his history class. It was a boring but valuable class as it taught the rich history of the Overseers, the Territories, and the tournaments. Without knowledge of previous tournaments, students would be ill-prepared for the treacherous road ahead of them. The first trial of getting through the Dark Forest had claimed many lives from all Territories.
At the end of the day, students and Soldiers alike were free to roam, doing as they pleased. When they were ready for bed, they turned into their appointed rooms. Nothing fancy. Just a bed, closet, sink, table, and dresser. The bare necessities. But food in the Academy was free, so that was one less thing you had to worry about. Life was pretty easy, aside from vigorous training, but even that was only as hard as you put in. No, above and beyond was required, but students strived for it. To represent your Territory was one of the highest honors someone could have.
To be in the Academy was not a given. Not all students who applied were granted passage. Students who applied and didn’t pass the entrance exam would be barred from entry. To pass the exam, a student must display the ability to use an element and show the drive to master it. Captains conducted exams every quarter. Each Captain had their criteria an Initiate must reach. If an Initiate failed an exam, they would never be allowed to retry and would have to seek a life elsewhere. These students usually became farmers, but some traveled into the Dark Forest searching for the Forgotten Ones.
The Forgotten Ones were a band of people cast out by various Territories but refused to give up their search for power. They were one reason people who traveled too close to the forest’s edge came up missing. Most of them vowed to exact revenge on those who denied them access to their respective Academies.
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