Marc Arden and the Siphilon Academy

- Offbendi

Marc awoke with a start, pulling in long, shuddering breaths, trying to pump oxygen into his system, but the plants inside his body didn't make it easy for him. He started panicking, and Fire rose up to the interior of his skin, heating him up. Dom appeared in his vision, carrying something in his hands. Marc calmed down the moment he saw his mentor in front of him, shutting out his fire.

Dom placed a hand on his shoulder, peering into his eyes. He then firmly gripped Marc and closed his eyes. Marc immediately felt an unbearable sensation as the plants crawled out of his throat.

When the last strands of the roots tickled its way out, Marc turned over on his side and retched violently. Dom rubbed his back gently and handed him a bowl of soup.

"Sip this slowly, it will make your throat feel better."

Marc gratefully took it. He opened his mouth to speak, but Dom placed a finger to his lips.

Dom waited in silence for Marc to finish his soup, then whisked the bowl away. It was this time that Marc had his first look around him. He was in his mud hut. Light streamed through the entrance, displaying a cloud of dust that danced in the air. Marc blew at the dust particles, gingerly testing out his throat.

How Dom managed to carry him, he had no idea. Dom returned with a sad smile.

"What happened to me?" Croaked Marc, almost incomprehensible.

"I should first ask you to please be silent while I talk, using up the energy you struggled to regain is something I wouldn't allow."

Marc nodded and inclined his head at Dom to continue.

"Many things happened to you yesterday, or should I say, affected you. You suffered from drowning and when you were unconscious, your body didn't have enough energy to heal. You also suffered from my healing."

Marc knew Dom wouldn't just list out all his sufferings like that. There was something off.

"I healed you by using plants to absorb all the water inside you-" Dom raised a hand to stop Marc as he tried to speak. "I'm sorry to say that Scarlett ran away in the night. Though I can track her using Earth."

"If she didn't fly, that is." Marc pointed out, straining to speak.

Dom disregarded his act of stubbornness.

"Yes, I believe that she has the power in her to manipulate air to carry her, but I'm sure of it when I say she didn't have enough energy to complete such a feat."

"Her dagger does, a lot of it. I used some to try and stop her." Said Marc strongly. The surprise was visible on Dom's face. He looked disgusted at himself, looking away from Marc, and speaking quietly. Like someone conveying the word of the death of a loved one.

"What you most suffered from yesterday is that by using Falcata's energy supplies, from the dagger cursed to you, the curse brought about Scarlett's unexpected anger and something else." Dom's voice was filled with pain.

"What is it…?" Whispered Marc, urgently.

"You lost your connection to Metal and we may very well have lost Scarlett."

Marc grew cold. He grasped deep within him, searching for the tether binding him to his Metal sense, but all he found was emptiness. He looked at Dom for guidance.

"As I was healing you, I couldn't sense your Metal."

Dom looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than here, disclosing Marc's sufferings. Tears threatened to spill from Marc's eyes.

"I'm so sorry Marc but when I spoke to Scarlett yesterday, she seemed to think she only brought harm on you and nothing else. She swore to herself not to get attached to you. I tried and thought I succeeded in calming her down, but today I realized that she ran away. I have a feeling Arcane responded to her flight and followed her."

Marc's vision swam with tears. His heart ached in agony, excruciatingly cold. Dom's melancholic words etched itself in his mind.

"We need to go. I cannot stay here anymore." Said Marc quietly. He ceased tearing up. Replaced by a sense of urgency. Dom nodded and gave Marc a brief hug, before proceeding to pack for the journey to Middenheim.

Marc stood facing the pond. He filled his Fire with all his pain and shot the pond with a fireball. The fireball spread into a wave of flames at contact with the surface of the water, but didn't extinguish, but rather it continued to burn, and as long as it burns, Marc will feel its calling.

He whispered a final blessing to the pond, Lorenzic words instinctively uttered from his tongue.

"Ziste Makra, Limnoula." The pond sparkled in response. Marc shivered as a trickle of energy left his body.

He went back to packing his bags, when he suddenly felt a flutter in his heart, and a tug pulling him southwest in the direction of Middenheim. He immediately reported to Dom.

"It seems that you have something in that direction that has some sort of connection to you. I have many conclusions as to what it is." Dom looked at Marc thoughtfully.

"And those conclusions are…?"

"It may be your mother, but you haven't ever felt this tug with her before. It could be your sister but that too is ruled out."

"Why? I haven't felt a tug...but I've had dreams of both of them."

"Dreams are powerful. They reveal inklings of what is to happen. But they aren't very precise. This tugging is more definite. So there are only two more ideas I could think of."

"And that is…?" Insisted Marc impatiently.

"Arcane. You were elementally bound to him the moment you evolved him into a phoenix, if he is with Scarlett, you can lead us to Scarlett. The second idea is that Falcata is fire and water-based, but also with a connection to you, and I know that Scarlett took Falcata with her. Either way, we'll be able to track her."

"How do you know that?" Asked Marc.

"Well, one thing we know is that she's southwest from here, which means she's off to Middenheim. The other thing is that I used Earth to sense her but found nothing. Arcane most probably carried her by air. And if she has Falcata and Arcane, we have a huge lead on her whereabouts."

Marc smiled in relief. But the thought that Scarlett was going to Middenheim disturbed Marc. Based on Dom's account, Scarlett wanted nothing to do with him, so why would she go to the very place Marc was headed to?

"Then we've got no time to lose. The faster we get to Middenheim, the easier it is to find her there."

Dom shook his head. "No. We need to catch up with Scarlett before she reaches Middenheim. I strongly think your mother will want to meet Scarlett. She seems to have a very powerful connection to elements. If she falls into the hands of the Offbendi..." Dom, trailed off, a troubled look flashing across his face.

"Why? Are we still at war?" Marc asked.

"I'll fill you up on the current situation while we ride, we really don't have any time to spare."

Marc nodded, mounted Conflagre and buckled up. He moved his sword sheath from his waist, to his back absentmindedly, and noticed Dom bringing out his Diochete from his pocket and hooking it by its wires onto his belt. Dom was preparing for a fight, making Marc shiver in anxiety.

Dom eased Paderon into a fast canter, allowing Conflagre to catch up to his pace, and the two horses rode side by side, heading into the woods at breakneck speed.

"Okay so first off…" Dom began. "…after the war ended, the Siphilons remained separated into two factions. The Elbendi claimed full control over the Siphilon Academies of Middenheim and Hirea. They also ruled under the jurisdiction of our Great Halls, in the heart of Andergard."

Dom paused for a moment, trying to recall something. He cleared his throat and continued,

"The Offbendi faction went rogue and planned to overthrow the Elbendi leader, Delaneira. She took charge after the death of my father. They believe that she is deep inside Andergard, gracing our Great Halls. But actually, she is at the Siphilon Academy in Middenheim, training young Siphilons herself."

"What's stopping the Offbendi from conquering the Great Hall's if Delaneira isn't there to protect it?"

"Our Great Hall is hidden with a rare combination of elements. I believe the Moon element combined with the Shadow element. But even if the Offbendi are able to locate the Great Halls, the First Almighty – The only Siphilon in existence to master every single element - resides inside the Halls with his dragon, Cadmus."

Marc took a deep breath to process this information. Losing himself in the peaceful passing of the scenery.

"Shadow?"

"Yes Marc, there are unlikely elements like that. As a result of this unlikely combination, only the exact elements of Sun and Light can countervail the cloak on the Great Hall. The Offbendi have been working hard themselves to unveil our Great Hall, which is impossible because no Sun bender is alive to this date, that we know of, was my father, Paderon. I assumed that my inheritance from him would be the Sun element, but instead, you absorbed it, which is impossible if Paderon didn't choose you for his inheritance. It's highly unlikely that my father even knew of you."

Dom's voice was stained with a slight edge of jealousy and regret.

"But after you told me that you absorbed it, I thought you inherited the Sun element, but I couldn't sense anything in you, nor could I see any signs of Sun from you. So my worst suspicion seems true, that my father's Sun element died down with him. The Siphilon now face a great dilemma in relocating the Great Hall. Not even our strongest Siphilons can do anything about it."

"You're talking about Delaneira?" Marc asked.

"Yes, she is an Elder in Middenheim and has in many times protected the Academy from Offbendi. She is also very good at sensing a Siphilon's elements and their strengths, with the help of her Moon element. The Academy strives to produce strong Siphilons to strengthen our ranks. If we are lucky enough, we may develop a Sun bender."

Marc nodded, lost in thought. They continued through the gloomy woods with only the clopping of their horses' hooves and the rustling of leaves to listen to. The thin barks of the trees and the wide space in between each tree, made their surroundings look bare.

Marc perked up and asked, "Dom? Could you brief me on the Offbendi movements to unveil the Great Halls?"

"They aim at capturing the Siphilon Academy to control influence over our students. Elements are much more flexible being channeled through Young Siphilons. The older you age, the less easy it is to begin channeling a new element. Elements can be forced into Siphilons but the consequences are horrible. Everyone but the strongest Siphilons lose their minds as the element consumes them. The Offbendi are trying to force the Sun element into a strong enough Siphilon, which they will use to open up the Great Halls. They aren't worried about finding a Light bender. The Light element is very flexible, making it common among Siphilons."

"But any lone Siphilon strong enough to handle Sun could be captured by the Offbendi!" Marc protested.

"Marc, what you must understand is that this bender has to be of immense potential. The fact that the Offbendi are still in hiding proves that they have been highly unsuccessful. But it also isn't like we Elbendi aren't doing anything. The Royal Guards of the Great Halls - with immense strength over their elements - are scattered across Lorenzia. They are the ones who bring in Siphilons to the Siphilon Academies."

"What's the strongest Siph - I'm gonna call the word 'Siph' if that's alright. What's the strongest Siph the Academy has produced for the Elbendi to help us in this war."

"I don't know. The last time I was in Middenheim, I personally helped graduate a fire bender. But recent years might have brought about more Elbendi."

"So what do I have to do to enroll for the Academy?"

"All you have to do is show up at the front desk with a qualified Siph to be submitted into the Academy. I hope that was a hypothetical question because you won't be attending the Siphilon Academy."

"Why? Is it because you aren't qualified to admit me?"

Dom burst out laughing.

"Oh my dear Marc, I am perfectly well qualified to admit you. This isn't a question about me, it's more to do with you."

Dom wiped a few tears, still grinning silently. Marc's heart sank.

"I'm not good enough…"

Dom's smile was wiped off his expression.

"Marc! Don't ever say that again! You understand me?" Dom warned. "In reality, it's entirely the opposite. You are the most powerful Siphilon I've seen at your age, but you only lack in control and discipline."

Marc stayed silent, instead of replying. Heeding his mentor's words for once.

"I believe that the Academy doesn't have much that it can give you. The components of training you need help with will be perfectly fitting for me to handle. But even so, I could maybe admit you into Physical Enhancement sessions. Where Siphs learn to heighten senses and strengthen their physique to suit a multitude of situations. Physical Enhancements are as useful as being able to channel a new element."

Marc grieved at the loss of his Metal. The combination of Metal with his Fire was indomitable. He coldly stared at a beehive on a tree, thinking about blasting it to smithereens.

Dom looked at Marc for confirmation.

"So? Do you want to try out for Physical Enhancement?"

Marc shrugged and nodded. They rode on for a few more paces. The sun was way past its zenith. Marc and Dom basked in the afternoon sun gladly.

Suddenly Dom halted Paderon to a skidding stop. Marc followed suit, looking at Dom in confusion, tugging on the reins of Conflagre. Ever motionless as possible, Dom drew a finger to his lips, eyes wide in concentration.

Dom immediately rode out of the path, and behind some trees and bushes at a side. Marc followed. They both dismounted the horses and Dom slung his bow off his shoulder, reaching with another hand to fetch an arrow and notch it in place.

Marc was so confused as he tried to listen to anything around. He identified the unmistakable sound of men's voices.

He drew his sword out of its sheath and peered in the direction of their voices, they sounded rather close but were nowhere to be seen.

Dom edged past him and beckoned him to follow. They reached a second copse, instinctively peeking to get a look at the plains beyond.

Marc furrowed his eyebrows. He heard a group of men laughing right in front of him, but couldn't see anyone. Dom cursed and headed across the plains to the next cover of trees.

He waved at Marc to do so too.

The moment Marc reached him, he caught Marc's shoulder and whispered urgently.

"They're here. About five tough men. They could be ordinary thieves, but I know better than to take them on. If they are Offbendi, then I've foolishly put us into a terrible situation."

"But how did I hear them, we were like a whole plain away!"

"You develop enhancement in hearing the stronger you grow. Now stay quiet."

Marc's jaw fell open. He didn't even notice his refined hearing. He peered at the men. They were drinking and grew more boisterous. But Marc noticed one person sitting alone in the distance, unmoving.

Marc pointed it out to Dom, who nodded in response and was on the move.

They walked through the foliage, carefully avoiding the group of men. Soon, they were halfway around the glade, almost in reach of the single man sitting away from the group.

Just then the group of men piled up as many drinks as they could in their burly arms and brought their party over to the lone man, with a lot of jeering.

Dom pulled Marc over and they quickly headed closer to the group, hiding flat out on the ground, straining to hear every word.

Marc sensed the drunken pushing the lone man around, brutally.

He observed Dom wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"How's it going, sweetheart? Not going to throw anymore tantrums are you?" One man sneered.

There was a lot of muffled screaming and possibly a cry of disdain. The group of men burst out laughing mirthlessly.

Dom indicated to Marc that it was a woman. Marc nodded back.

"Can't help yourself, could you. Always have to open your big mouth." A man mocked in a baby voice.

The unmistakable ripping of tape entered Marc's hearing.

"You bastards! I'll rip you all apart if I have to, don't beg mercy then! You drunk buckets!" Shouted the woman, her voice tight in pain.

Marc froze, nothing, not even the jeers and ridicules of the men could prevent him from hearing that shout of pain, the same scream of frustration she exclaimed when she ran away, leaving Marc to drown.

Marc boiled, releasing steam from him. He looked at Dom - whose eyes were wild in anger - for the signal. Dom shook his head and dropped his bow, reaching out to take Marc's sword. Marc handed it to him, and he pulled out his Diochete from his belt and placed it in the middle of the sword's hilt, eyebrows knitted in concentration. The sword glowed briefly before dying down. Dom handed the sword returned the sword back to Marc with a shake of his head.

Not now.

Marc growled in an undertone and gripped the hilt tightly, flaring his sword's blade on fire in anger.

"No mercy? Like we need your mercy, look at you, squealing like a pig. No one's around to hear you, honey!"

Marc rose just in time to see a big brute pull Scarlett's hair so roughly that Marc flinched.

Her cries filled the air. Marc closed his eyes, holding himself in for a moment. When he opened his eyes, Dom was shaking his head vigorously for Marc to stand down. Marc gave him a steely glare, before stepping out into the open and letting it all out.

He lunged forward and thrust his sword into the shortest man's neck, the hot metal charring it so badly that the man couldn't even scream. He dropped to the floor, twitching horribly.

Marc formed a fireball in his free hand and rocketed it at two other men running towards him. The first man dodged the fireball easily, getting into range of Marc, but the other man wasn't so lucky and got blasted in the chest, falling unconscious.

Marc was about to deflect his opponent's strike when an arrow flew out of the shadows and lodged itself into his heart. Two men remained. Dom rolled out of the bushes and struck up a duel with one of them, using his sword to attack and his bow to parry shots and trip his opponent. The other man shouted in the direction of their camp,

"Ramon, over here! We're being ambushed!" The man was so drunk, and his words were slurring. There was a chance his shout didn't carry all the way to the tents.

Marc cursed and braced himself as the second man ran towards him, sword swiveling in his grip with relish, unable to think straight enough to channel his elements.

Marc readied himself as the man slashed with his sword at Marc's head.

In quick succession, Marc ducked, and kick out at the man's legs. The man went tumbling down to the ground. Marc seized the opportunity to climb on top of him to finish him off.

The man held his sword in between him and Marc. The latter pressing his sword down at the man's throat. The man's grip was ridiculously strong and didn't budge.

Marc smiled at him in a grimace and sensed the Metal in the other man's sword, willing his Fire through the sword's heat conductivity to the man's hand. With a cry of shock, the man let go of the sword. Marc threw his sword away and punch the man in the face with a sickening c***k. He was pleased to an extent that losing Metal didn't necessarily mean he lost the ability to sense the element in other Siphs.

He left the unconscious man with the bloodied nose on the ground and headed off to help Dom. He noticed Scarlett half-heartedly trying to get his attention - through the corner of his eye - but didn't consider her a priority at the moment as he saw Dom bleeding through a gash on his forehead.

Dom fought against two Siphs - A Metal bender and a Wood bender - and was finding it difficult to dispatch him. Two of his arrows lay snapped in half at his feet.

The Metal bender held an intricately designed and shaped sword, resembling a machete. The blade was single-edged and black in color. At the handle glinted a red gem.

Marc summoned fire onto the machete and increased its temper, waiting for the man's tolerance of heat to run out.

"It doesn't work on those weapons, Marc! They're runed to be protected against elements." Dom shouted behind a wooden shield that had a rune of itself in the middle.

Marc threw up his hands in frustration and retreated behind Dom's shield. The two men opposite them started conversing urgently.

"Target the Metal bender on my count!" Dom whispered, handing Marc his shield.

Just as Dom began to countdown, the Wood bender suddenly broke off the battle and ran towards the tents.

Dom cursed and yelled, "Cover me!" as he notched an arrow in a flurry and took aim. The Metal bender rushed to stop Dom, but Marc stepped forward with the shield in one arm and his other arm blazing with fire.

The Metal bender brought his machete down on the shield with inhuman force, shattering it in half. Marc held his ground, and roundhouse kicked at the man's chest, but he rolled backward, out of reach. A twang of a bowstring and a thud indicated that Dom hit his target.

"Dom! Your sword!" Marc cried out. Dom pulled his sword out of his sheath and tossed it at Marc, just as the Metal bender flung a dagger at Dom. The latter brought his bow up to block the throw, and the dagger sliced the bowstring.

With a curse, Dom pulled out two arrows from his quiver and held them like mini spears. Marc and Dom slowly advanced on the Metal bender, whose eyes darted back and forth at the camp, realizing his comrade failed to sound the alarm. Just as Marc was about to lunge, the Metal bender took off running.

"Stop him!" Dom shouted, his voice hoarse.

Marc quickly looked around for options when his eyes landed on Scarlett, looking straight back at him. He inclined at the man running towards the camp and then waved his fist of fire.

As accurate as can be, he shot a fleck of fire at Scarlett's tied hands. Scarlett gritted her teeth as fire tore at the rope binding her hands, burning her skin. She strained against the rope and broke free and Marc hurriedly extinguished his Fire.

Scarlett rose menacingly. She spread her arms out and clawed inwards, summoning a gust of wind that blasted the man off his feet and onto the ground. He spat dirt out of his mouth and stood up gingerly.

Marc rocketed another fireball at him, he sliced it with his machete.

Desperately, the man crafted a metal dagger and flung it as fast as he could at a large tent in the distance.

Dom cursed loudly and tried to warn Scarlett to stop the dagger, but Scarlett was clutching at a bad cut on her knee.

Marc watched, helplessly, as the dagger slit through the tent's delicate fabric.

With a huff, Scarlett drew Falcata and threw it at the Metal bender, face tight in pain. The dagger revolved and was just about to bury itself into the man's neck when it abruptly stopped mid-air, unmoving.

The area near the dagger flashed with reflections of light, a large man materialized - rippling with muscles and sporting a long braided beard and bushy mustache. His long hair was braided too. He wore armour - chainmail gauntlets wrapped around leather sleeves, and a metal chestplate covering his chest.

"Ramon! Thank the elements!" The Metal bender hollered in relief. He tried to take a step forward but collapsed under his weight in exhaustion.

"Cover me!" Scarlett shouted as he sprinted back to them. She looked in really bad shape, limping as she ran. Her arms and legs were cut in several places. Her lip glistened with blood.

Ramon growled behind Scarlett and brought his hands together, shooting something blue straight out of his palms at Scarlett.

Dom wrenched the wooden shield out of Marc's grip and threw it in between Scarlett and Ramon. The blue element cut through Dom's shield so easily, it was as if the shield was made of cotton.

The blue element struck Scarlett at the small of her back, sending her sprawling to the ground in front of her. She lay there, unmoving.

Marc cried out in alarm and ran to Scarlett, lighting up his hands on fire.

"Be careful, Marc!" Dom shouted. "This man is a Crystal bender!"

Marc's anxiety spiked up. He knew nothing about Crystal properties.

Ramon shot another stream of Crystal light at Marc, who flung out his flaming hands in front of him, pulsing with heat. The light hit the overlapping flames and dissolved. Marc cheered triumphantly.

He beckoned Dom to stay with Scarlett as he advanced at Ramon. The large man rummaged at his belt around his waist and drew out his Diochete, motioning at his feet briefly whilst running towards Marc, like a lion moving in for the kill.

Marc immediately tried to enter a stance, but blue light at his feet made it impossible for him to move his legs. He stood there helplessly as Ramon reached him, throwing a punch at his face.

He caught the punch and almost fell off balance. The moment he laid contact on Ramon, his legs were freed.

The man glanced down at Marc's shuffling feet, confused. Marc took this as a chance to try a new trick. He hung on the tall man's arm - his fiery grip blackening the chainmail - swinging his legs up around Ramon's thick neck, choking him. Ramon tried to shake him off, crashing onto the ground, and it worked.

Marc's breath left him as he was ploughed into a dirt ditch. Gasping for air, he buried his fist into Ramon's chest plate, melting the metal. His fist plunged into Ramon's flesh, burning off his skin.

Ramon roared in pain and threw Marc bodily away from him, clutching his chest.

Marc slid across the soft grass, burning a trail of black. Marc wildly turned around, looking for Ramon, but he was nowhere to be seen around him.

He looked at Dom, who gestured urgently for Marc to retreat. Marc wasted no time in sprinting back to Dom and Scarlett, retrieving his sword on the way.

"We need to leave, immediately! He disappeared by arranging light around him to render him invisible. He could be anywhere!"

Scarlett clutched Falcata in her hand, propped against Dom with her arm around his shoulder. They eased their way slowly in the direction of their horses. Dom had successfully revived her.

Marc searched the skies for any sign of Arcane. Nothing.

With an urge from Dom, Marc also started towards the horses, deciding on calling Arcane down with fire. He felt some hairs stand on the back of his neck, and rounded on his heels instantly.

Ramon stood a few feet away, hands clasped behind his back respectfully.

"O ílios eínai zontanós. Alvida sýntrofos!" He spoke in fluent Lorenzic and with that, Ramon disappeared again, Marc saw dust clouds of his footprints recede away into the distance, towards his camp.

Fatigued by terror, Marc stumbled out of the glade.