Chapter 21: Caden

　　The stupidest mistake he ever made in his life was opening the door to Cerise Hall without permission. As a child, he had met the Crusaders before, but that was a long time ago. Since then, he`d not so much as seen them, let alone confronted them.

　　The room was a wide-open circle with high walls that led to a second floor, which housed seats for an audience. In the center sat the Crusaders, all four of the most powerful beings to ever live - and Caden had just walked in unannounced.

　　"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Thane. He was the first to rise. His height shocked Caden the most because he was nearly seven feet tall. He wore fully plated silver armor - besides the gloves - and had red adornments glowing throughout. He was bald, had these piercing eyes, and had a permanent scowl. He moved like he had been fighting for his entire life.

　　"Don`t kill him!" Darian spoke next, and Caden recalled the man from his earlier training. He spun around in his chair to face the two of them, opting to sit on it the wrong way. His armor glinted with a blue glow.

　　"There should be a proper reason for an interruption," Zelik spoke next, "State your case, soldier." He was a thin man with the same armor, yet his glow was purple. He wore a black

　　scarf, just like the rest of them. The two spikes protruding from his shoulder pads were the most prominent feature. He had thick, wavy hair and looked more like a scholar than a warrior.

　　"Oh my, an interruption. Two new cuties in the room? How bizarre," Bloom chimed in. She was short and stout, and her armor was adorned with green stars that looked like stickers all over her outfit. She had long dark hair that was tied back, and her ungloved hands rested by her face as if she was permanently giggling.

　　Thane stopped his stampede. "Tell me, boy, who authorized this?"

　　"Oi!" called Darian, "I said not to kill him!"

　　Thane pointed a thick finger in Caden`s face, "Speak." He reached his hand out to his left, and a mace appeared from thin air. He grabbed it, "Or I`ll make you."

　　Caden shook in place and took a stance with his hands behind his back. He swallowed harshly, sweat beating down his face, but he finally managed to speak. "There has been a murder in the Palace. A Shrine Cleric."

　　Shane huddled behind him.

　　"Thane," Bloom spoke, and she moved, but Caden didn`t even see her get up. It was like one moment, she was across the room, and the next, she was there. "This is Hector`s son; we should not kill the kin of our beloved ally. Besides, he`s just a little cutie. Come on, look at him. He`s scared out of his mind."

　　The truth was, Caden was afraid, not because of the Crusaders, because he barged in here unauthorized, or even because he was being threatened. It was because he did not have his Defiant Flame.

　　"You speak of murder?" Zelik interjected. He, too, vanished, but it wasn`t into flames. None of them used any kind of spell. They simply moved quickly. "Why must you barge in here then? It seems quite unwise." He put his hand to his chin.

　　"Cut the kid some slack!" Darian called. He stayed put in his chair.

　　Red, Purple, Green. The three Crusaders glowed with brilliant auras in front of him.

　　"Please tell me you didn`t interrupt us to report a simple murder."

　　Caden had to speak. . . Now! "I believe the culprit was an Emberward." He gestured to Shane behind him. "This squire was a key witness in the crime and claimed they have ripped memories from the incident."

　　"Peculiar," said Zelik. "I`ll have this looked into."

　　"An Emberward? Don`t be ridiculous!" Thane shouted, "If one of them were within twenty miles of the city, I would know about it." He dropped his mace, and it vanished in a puff of flames. How could these warriors summon weapons from nothing? What kind of magic was this?

　　"Do you ever relax?" said Darian, joining the group. He placed a hand on Thane`s shoulder, then poked him on the cheek. "So, kid, whatcha got? Show us the goods, the evidence." He pronounced the last word completely wrong.

　　"Should we take his authority seriously? He is just a knight," Zelik said.

　　"Elite in training," Caden said, then covered his mouth.

　　Thane shot him a look that said: Defy us again. I dare you.

　　Caden swallowed, then turned around to face Shane. The boy was as pale as a ghost. He looked much worse off. He was shaking. "Shane, just tell them what you told me. Nobody is going to hurt you."

　　He nodded slowly and took a few more deep breaths to calm himself down.

　　"Speak! We don`t have all day!" Thane snapped.

　　"If you shout at him, he`s never going to -"

　　Caden was struck by an impossibly powerful force. It slammed into his stomach and stole the air from his lungs. He toppled to his knees and heaved in breaths of air as drool spilled from his mouth. He blinked a few times, then looked up. What just happened?

　　"Thane! What did I say about killing him?"

　　"He`s alive."

　　"That is Hector`s son," said Bloom, "hitting him would be unwise."

　　"Hector abandoned us! This kid deserves no respect!" Thane exclaimed, crossing his arms.

　　Caden`s legs shook as he tried to pull himself to his feet. He desperately wished he could absorb Heat to heal. Some of his ribs felt broken, and his core throbbed in pain. He nearly toppled over before finally managing to stand again.

　　"He went mad," said Zelik, "That is not abandonment."

　　"Forgive me, Lord Thane," Caden said through breaths.

　　Thane spat on the ground.

　　"Rude!" said Darian, "Now then, Squire, can you tell us what you saw?" his voice softened as if he was trying to tame a wild animal.

　　Shane swallowed harshly, then took a step forward.

　　"Uhm. I was tasked with escorting Lady Jasmine today. Oh, you know that already. Uhm, Lords and Lady. Uh, well, I woke up this morning, and Jasmine and I went through the courtyard, and then I was standing next to her after she`d been stabbed. W-when I try to remember that, it`s like. . ." he paused, putting a hand on his head, "it hurts. It hurts so bad to try and remember. I only recall glimpses. Like walking around, then we were suddenly inside, then suddenly back outside. Then suddenly, Jasmine said, "Hey, are you okay?" Then suddenly I was inside, and she was dead. . ." he paused for another moment, breathing heavily, "I`m so sorry I talked way too long. I`ll shut up now."

　　Nobody said anything for a long moment, so Caden said: "See? That`s an Emberward. They snipped his memories."

　　"And where did you learn of the forbidden magic, little one?" Bloom asked.

　　"Like you said, I`m Hector`s son. He`s told me what to look out for. You`ve seen him, you know what happened. . ."

　　Caden thought of the state his father was in, and his heart shattered. He should apologize for treating him so poorly the last time he visited. Be better, he told himself.

　　"Squire," Zelik said, "it`s of the utmost importance you report this to nobody, understood."

　　Shane nodded vigorously.

　　"Good, then please return to your barracks."

　　Shane ran off. Caden had never seen someone exit a room that fast.

　　"So?" Darian asked, "should we do something?"

　　All four Crusaders took a few steps from Caden and began talking.

　　"I will investigate," Zelik said, "if the boy`s claims are false, we throw him out."

　　"We could draw them out, perhaps find a motive for the kill and lay a trap," Bloom said.

　　"It took a man going crazed to get Cassian in prison," added Thane, "like this Emberward would fall for a trap."

　　Darian snapped his fingers, "What do you propose we do, oh son of Hector?"

　　"Don`t ask him! He`s just a knight!"

　　"How do we know this wasn`t the doing of the Lady of the Stars?" Zelik asked.

　　"She summons the powers of the Tigress. They don`t take memories," Bloom said. "And besides, she`s lovely, so why should she kill a Shrine Cleric?"

　　"Why does she kill our knights?" Thane snapped.

　　"Oh, come on, Thaney-poo, you know the Sanctuary needs reforming. She`s probably just fighting the ones who are too stupid to treat people with respect."

　　"On top of that, we still need to come up with a reformation for the tunnel system underneath the city. Patrols looking for vagrants have receded, which is good, but what of that haven?" Zelik interjected. He put a hand to his chin, "It`s much easier than reforming the sanctuary."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

　　Hold on, they are discussing the problems we are trying to solve. Caden thought.

　　"If only the cutie who keeps killing our Knights came to visit us," Bloom said, "I`d adore for that little one to be a Crusader. Oh, how I wish to visit her one day. Maybe she`s going to the festival! Think about it Darian," she turned to him with a big smile on her face, "Two lovely women as Crusaders? Wouldn`t that just be wonderful?"

　　"No," said Thane.

　　Bloom crossed her arms and gave him a look that said, I was not talking to you.

　　"Guys, I think we`re forgetting that someone else is in the room right now." Darian pointed to Caden, "Shall we let him speak?"

　　"No," Thane repeated.

　　"Seconded," said Zelik, "I`ll investigate this instead."

　　"I say let him speak. See what plan his little brain cooks up."

　　"Overruled," Darian pointed to the sky, "Speak, oh child of Hector!" He pointed to Caden.

　　Thane and Zelik both looked unhappy, but Bloom and Darian held the exact opposite demeanor. No wonder the Crusaders take forever to do anything.

　　Caden stood his ground; this time, he already had an answer. "I propose we tell nobody about the Emberward. If they catch on that we know they will vanish. Jasmine was killed with an Aberrant dagger, which leaves only a few suspects. I believe the best bet is for me to single-handedly investigate and report directly to you with my findings."

　　Thane bellowed in laughter, "You? Alone? A single knight? Be realistic! The Emberward will chew you up and spit you out like you`re nothing!"

　　"I don`t know," Darian said, "he is Hector`s son, and you remember how flashy that man was. You`ve trained in Pyromancy since our last meeting?"

　　Caden nodded.

　　"I think it`s a wonderful idea," Bloom said, putting her hands together. "Oh, I do hope you are successful."

　　"You`re all horrible!" Thane exclaimed, "Are you all incompetent now because of Hector`s kin?"

　　"It`s sad to say that I agree. . ." added Zelik, "I believe we are more equipped to investigate this situation."

　　"I say let the cutie try his best," Bloom said, giving Caden a bright smile, "if he fails, we can always kick him out of the Order."

　　"And if he succeeds, we can promote him to Elite!" Darian laughed.

　　"Excuse me? That`s preposterous!" Thane shouted, pointing a finger at Darian.

　　"Deal," said Caden.

　　He turned to go after the exchange, leaving the Crusaders to argue. As soon as he turned, they all began to shout at each other, all besides Bloom, who just laughed and waved to Caden.

　　"I like the kid!" said Darian, "He`s got this fire in him, ya know?"

　　Caden exited Cerise Hall. He had not planned to get promoted to an Elite just by solving a simple case, but this would bring him closer to the duel, his ultimate revenge.

　　What about being better? He thought. Was revenge still the way for him to go? He told Luna he`d be better; he told his father he would be better. . . no. He needed this. If there was one thing he could want in this world, it was to get revenge on the man who killed Isabel. If he was going to solve this case and defeat him in the duel, he would first need his Defiant Flame back.

　　* * *

　　Out of everyone Caden had ever met, Solaris was the oddest. He was an extremely powerful and serious retired assassin with insane control over his magic, yet one of the silliest people he had ever met. Even now, as Caden knocked on the door to his hovel, Solaris had opened it just an inch and poked his hand out. He wore some kind of sock puppet.

　　"What`s the password," said Solaris in an obviously disguised voice.

　　"Is it, let me inside?"

　　"No!" he slammed the door. What followed were sounds of scuffling and fighting from within the hovel. Before Caden could knock again, the door opened normally.

　　"Ah, sorry about that. Had this fight with a rascal who broke into my house, but he sadly got away." Solaris looked disheveled, as if he had actually been fighting. He covered his mouth, "I will return for your souls!" he spoke in the puppet`s voice again. "Who said that?" He said normally, as if Caden didn`t know it was him.

　　"You`re one weird guy," he said, walking into the hovel.

　　Solaris followed, "Oh, come on! Isabel loved the sock puppet bit. She`d always laugh, but also, she would break my hand in the pretend fight, so maybe it`s best you didn`t do that. . ." He closed the door.

　　The hovel was small. That was what Caden noticed first. The entire place was about the size of Luna`s bedroom. There was a desk, sofa, kitchen area, and a door at the back of the room. Part of Caden couldn`t help but wonder if Luna was thankful for her living accommodations - but how could she be when Elena was the way she was?

　　"Sorry, don`t have much stuff in here. Erodan gave me a place when I returned from the Spires," Solaris said, falling onto the couch.

　　Caden sighed but remained standing, "I need help with Pyromancy." Every breath he took still hurt, and his ribs ached. If he were being honest, he just wanted his Heat back so he could heal.

　　Solaris dramatically put a hand to his head, "Oh no, the boy needs help with Pyromancy!" he laughed, "Don`t you have Elite training? I`m not really cut out to be a teacher."

　　"You have more control over the flame than anybody I know," Caden said, "I need help."

　　"I thought you came by to hang out! Come on, I even invited you over to talk about my feelings, remember?" He pursed his lips.

　　Caden rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I experienced Burnout a few days ago."

　　Solaris`s entire demeanor changed, and his smile faded. He perked up in his seat, took a wide stance, and put his hands on his chin. "How bad?"

　　"Very. Four knights died."

　　"God, Caden, that`s bad."

　　He said nothing for a while, just blankly stared at him.

　　"Do you still feel it now?" Solaris asked.

　　"No. Elena fixed me."

　　"Our mastermind? You went to her?"

　　"I had nowhere else to go. . ." Caden said, "I don`t think she`s as bad as we think."

　　"She controls people," Solaris said, "people like Luna."

　　That stung. He was right.

　　"Where else could I have gone?"

　　Solaris sighed, "That`s a good point. Elena was probably your safest bet. The Order would be confused about how you`ve gathered so much Heat. I just don`t trust that girl though, not after. . ."

　　"After what?"

　　"After Isabel`s job."

　　"What exactly happened?"

　　Solaris frowned, "Elena was a very different girl while Izzy was alive. She would smile every second of the day and always tried her best to impress your sister. She wanted her to be proud of her; she was like her mother," he paused, then continued with a grim stare, "This caused many issues in our plans. She always made rash decisions on impulse. She never had a plan, so she would just act. I guess that`s why she is the way she is now."

　　Caden had a hard time processing this. Elena, the girl who seemed to be behind everything, used to act like a puppy and give in to Isabel`s every whim. That seemed unlikely, but this was Solaris. He had no reason to lie.

　　A long silence ensued.

　　"So, what happened? Why don`t you trust her?" Caden finally asked.

　　Solaris swallowed, "Elena, she uh, found an opening. A way into the Palace to find the information Isabel needed, whatever it was. . ." he paused, "She went in alone, and Isabel went in after her."

　　"What about you?" Caden asked, "Did you follow?" He took a seat on the floor, staring intently at Solaris. He could see the pain written all over his face. Something terrible must have happened.

　　He shook his head. "I couldn`t. . . she had asked me to protect your father. After Izzy went in, I don`t know much of what happened. Just whispers. She got Elena out, and I think she was Kindling at the time. Izzy saw an opening and took it. It was rash, but it worked. I don`t know what they found, nor do I know if they were together or not."

　　Caden paused for a long time. He didn`t really know what to say to that. It was hard for him to ask any more questions when Solaris was obviously grieving. He looked so broken in this state, as if there was so much more to the story.

　　"Why did you need to protect Father?"

　　Solaris looked at Caden, and when they met eyes, all he saw was sorrow. "The Aberrants," his voice cracked. He paused for a long time, swallowed harshly, and then continued, "The Aberrant Division. They were after him and went to your house to kill him. They blamed him for the Royals leaving and their exile. I don`t know all the details, but I did not stand with them. I betrayed them. They were my friends. I. . ." He paused a second time, for much, much longer. He did not cry. Instead, he just stayed still, hands folded and covering his mouth.

　　Caden thought the Aberrant Division was on Izzy`s side. Why target his father? "You don`t have to say more," he said, seeing the state Solaris was in.

　　"No. You`re Izzy`s brother. You should know these things about me."

　　He nodded.

　　"The Aberrant Division was going to kill Hector. And I stopped them."

　　"You. . ."

　　"They were my friends, more than that, they were my family. . . and I killed them for Hector, and for Isabel, and for the world. I thought the Sun would return. I didn`t want to kill them, but I had no choice."

　　Caden wondered how this man could ever smile after that. At this moment, he knew he was sitting in front of the most powerful Pyromancer to ever live.

　　"Why?" He wanted to cover his mouth and take back the question, but Solaris answered.

　　"Hector was your father," Solaris said, "if he died that day, she wouldn`t have been the same. And. . . you would have had to grow up without a father," he paused, "Or a sister."

　　Caden understood, at that moment, everything was clear. He did it for her, and he did it for him. "You loved her, didn`t you?"

　　Solaris ran a hand through his hair and gave him a confused look, "You don`t know? Isabel or Elena never told you?"

　　"Know what?"

　　"Isabel and I, we were set to marry a few days after the job went bad."

　　Caden`s mouth dropped. Isabel had never mentioned a partner, let alone someone she would marry! He felt a pang of pity, and he knew he would never understand Solaris.

　　"I didn`t know. . ." he said, "I`m so sorry."

　　"Isabel had many secrets," Solaris said, his voice cracking, "I guess I was just one of them."

　　Caden turned away. Solaris cried one tear, and at that moment, Caden felt a lump in the back of his throat. He swallowed the sorrow down and wondered what life could have been if Isabel had lived.

　　"Now then," he said, "Let`s talk about Burnout."

　　The smile covered his face once more. It was like a mask he used to shield any and all pain.

　　That must have taken more strength than anything I could ever do.

　　He strode up off the couch and glided into the kitchen area. He opened a cabinet, pulled out three candles, and placed them in the center of the room. He sat across from Caden.

　　"This is the lesson I used to gain control over my Heat to such a degree that it appears infinite. Truth is, it will always be finite, but you can expend certain amounts of it in different ways. Only a fraction of my reserve can be used to restore you completely."

　　Caden listened intently.

　　"The trick is to find precision." He lit one of the candles. "I want you to try to absorb the flame and transfer it from candle to candle." The flame began to dance, alternating which candle was burning. "Once you can do that, it will strengthen your flame as a muscle and prevent you from expending so much Heat. You`re experiencing burnout because of how much you use. It`s constantly draining from you, so if you`re able to stop the faucet or put the flame out, you won`t experience burnout."

　　"You need to be calm. Let the anger of natural attacks dissuade you. If you`re always angry, it won`t work. Precision is required."

　　He took a deep breath and reached out for the flame. He`d never absorbed a flame this tiny before. He`d always had Luna or bigger heat sources. Now, more than ever, he felt weak. But he sat for an hour, trying to get the spec of the candle to absorb within himself.

　　After a long silence, Caden gave up, "This is impossible!"

　　"Then why can I do it?"

　　"I don`t know, you`re some kind of God Pyromancer?"

　　Solaris laughed, "No, it just takes time and precision."

　　"Can`t you give me some of your Heat to start? I`m sure I can light the other candles."

　　He shook his head, "Nope. If I do that, you`ll just burnout again, you`ll kill again," his voice grew somber, "and what if next time, it`s Luna who happened to be standing next to you, instead of some random knights?"

　　Caden doubled his resolve. He needed to focus, summon it by force. More hours passed. In fact, time became a blur. The candle burned all the way down, and Solaris had to replace it. He desperately needed his flame back, and burnout was not an option. He needed this right now. Even the thought of hurting Luna haunted him. She could kill him before he really hurt her, but would she be willing to?

　　After an enormous amount of time, Caden grunted in frustration.

　　Solaris perked up from the couch, "I`m awake!"

　　"Just how strong are you?" He asked. "I`ll never be able to do this!"

　　A long silence washed over the room as Solaris collected himself.

　　"Did you see the Crusaders fight off the riot?"

　　He nodded.

　　Solaris reached his hand out in front of him, and in a blaze of fire and fury, a sword appeared on his lap. "I`m about as strong as one of them. This is what legends call a Sunblade. Or, well, Ferris claims the true name is a Souledge. It`s an incredibly powerful artifact, one given to only a few."

　　"Those are what the Crusaders have," Caden said.

　　"Yes, they have four different types of weapons." Solaris smiled again. How could he keep smiling after that?

　　"How do I get one?"

　　Solaris`s smile faded. "You don`t want one."

　　"Why?"

　　"In order to get one, you must lose someone dearly close to you. The legends say their souls are transferred into the weapon and bound to the one they loved most."

　　"I understand," Caden said.

　　He would not ask more questions. He knew, he already knew that the Sunblade was given to him as the Aberrant Division lay dead in front of him. It was their final gift to the only surviving member. They died, and their souls were transferred to that weapon. It`s as if. . . he still fights with them today.

　　Caden went back to his practice. He stayed up all night and worked well into the morning but could never snuff out the flame.