“I raced through the thick foliage, my footsteps sure, yet delicate as a bee landing on a dandelion. Silent, swift, while still the capacity to sting long before my adversary was aware of my presence. My heart hammered like the beginning of a “hide and seek” match when the counter is counting much too fast. It was not often I served as the hunted, particularly not while matched against App. In the distance I could hear the clash of metal, mind you, not the metal that likely came to mind, but the metal of my world. Metal forged outside of time itself by Sid, in the eternal forges.

  We had now been in school for quite some time. There was no passing from day to night, no clock indicating a move from one hour to the next, Though I would venture to guess the quantity of training we completed would have taken several hundred years in your world to complete. We had learned all manners of combat, all manners of metallurgy, all manners of architecture, all manners of agriculture, all manners of law, all manners of medicine, all manners of music, all manners of art, all manners of astronomy, and surprisingly, all manners of technology. The son and Eli had been heavily involved in our training and education, focusing on a wide range of topics, at times providing general education, while at others helping each of us develop specific expertise.

  Sid was now the smith. Mind you, not a smith, but the Doxian blacksmith. The very one quite capable of creating metals that would later become the center pieces in the stories of old. Sid, always erring on the side of self gratification had long ago named this metal Sidalcum. His expertise within the field of metallurgy was unmatched by his peers, and only bettered by his instructor himself, the son.

  To the surprise of no one, Asa had proven an affinity for architecture and had grown to a level of expertise and creativity that regularly left both Speaker and his son beaming with pride. He was responsible for many of the new great structures in Doxa. The others had all developed areas of expertise while pursuing their natural inclinations, many of which I will detail later. App, Eli, the son, and I had developed an incredible relationship throughout all the training, often spending countless time in conversation discussing all manner of things. The son and Eli demonstrated the importance of music, wisdom, and combat. App excelled in both music and combat. Loving beauty and creativity, Speaker adored all forms of music. Several of the Malakh formed a band, regularly playing for the rest of us, but most importantly, for Speaker. App was the songwriter, the singer, the expert in all instruments, even inventing many of his own. Still to this day, there has never been, nor will there ever be a more gifted musician. Whether simply fingerpicking a guitar, bowing a violin, or singing the melody of his latest song, it could draw out the depths of sorrow in one note only to paint a masterpiece of triumphant joy to the ears on the next. While we were all drawn to him already due to his strength, charisma, and ability in combat, this ability with music drew us in as the gravity of a star on nearby planets.

  The son and Eli took a special interest in pushing App and I during philosophical discussions, always emphasizing a pursuit of not just knowledge, but wisdom. On the training ground they pushed the two of us far beyond the others, though training was certainly brutal on each of us. We learned the sword, the spear, the bow, hand to hand combat, and many other manners of warfare. Throughout all the training the son was regularly involved in the discussion, though never once did he physically involve himself in the actual combat. As a master practitioner observing his pupils he was always immensely focused on us. It was often a topic of conversation amongst the Twelve, with the ultimate question being, “What was the son truly like physically capable of?” His answers, minuscule adjustments of our technique, relentless pursuit for perfection in the art of war, and passion left little doubt his capabilities were likely far beyond on our own, nonetheless, we all wondered how far that power reached.

  We spent time in the school, time in the valley, time in the forest, time in the city, time in the great library of Doxa, time in our quarters, and time at the dinner table. Our time in the valley was often accompanied by conversations at the rock Eli had originally taken us too. Not just conversations, but the soul-searching, mind-expanding, heart-filling dialogue that draws on the depths of ones innermost being, forever changing the trajectory of futures. While the son often joined these conversations Eli led the vast majority, though it was clear, whatever topic we discussed, Eli and the son had already discussed at much greater length. Eli’s philosophical approach, always gentle, never proud, and much like Speaker and the son, never wasting a word made for incredible conversations. Outside of conversations with Speaker and the son which would come later, these were the most impactful moments of my existence. Eli’s pursuit of unconditional love, wisdom, and meekness could only have driven by Speaker himself. We, the Twelve that is, often discussed what Speaker, the son, and Eli must discuss when we were not around.

  There were several areas we were prohibited from entering. We were never permitted to approach or enter the great triangle structure at the center of Doxa, the original meadow we had been spoken in or the seventh door in our quarters. The gaps of our knowledge had been filled, each of us developing at least one, sometimes multiple areas of expertise, and much like App’s ability to conduct a symphony orchestra, these will each make more sense once the story unfolds further.

  We were now on our final training exercise. We had not been told what was to come at the conclusion, simply that the winning team would get first choice, though the choice of what was never articulated.

  The trap had been set. The question at hand was whether App and Sid would be arrogant enough to play into my hands. We had worked this exercise countless times. It was affectionately referred to as “The Hunt”. The concept was fairly simple. Though we had been introduced to a great deal of technology and faster transportation, the hunt required us to be on foot. The Twelve were split into two teams. Eli would take one team to a location, the son would take the other team. A scroll was placed to which both were given the coordinates, though only one team had the goal of retrieving the scroll and returning it to a specified location. The other was given the task of hunting the retrieving team and yielding each member before the scroll could be returned. The retrieving team was always placed closer to the object, ensuring they typically were able to obtain the scroll, though on a few occasions App, Uriah, or Zera had proven to have a mind-numbing ability for speed and even while on the hunting team, starting further from the scroll, had obtained the scroll first.

  For this final exercise the son had assigned Sid, Koka, Ram, Asa, and Sal to App on the hunter team, while Tabi, Raf, Uriah, Ragg, and Zera were assigned to me on the retrieving team. In every session before this one, the retrieving team, regardless of the team composition had immediately moved to the protected scroll for retrieval. In this session, utilizing Uriah and Zera’s incredible speed, I had directed them to move away from the scroll and allow themselves to be seen by member’s of the hunting team, hopefully drawing them away. Tabi, Raf, Ragg, and I moved quickly to the location of the scroll, positioning ourselves in the shape of an L, tucked away in the treeline, the scroll out in front of all of us in a small clearing, resting on a small stone pedestal. The actual yielding of participants varied each exercise. At times, serious injuries would occur, or severe damage to armor or weapons, forcing the Malakh to yield. Mind you, we had not started with possible consequences being this high, however, after countless training sessions, had elevated to a “live-fire” level in which there were possible serious consequences.

  Tabi and Raf were staged with bows of Doxa, capable of deploying bearak infused arrows at a shocking speed, and even more shocking power. The bows of Doxa allowed for three simultaneous arrows to be fired, and depending on the operator, striking with a near perfect accuracy. The hope was App and his team would believe they had reached the scroll before we had even arrived, and they would rush in to recover the scroll. The plan was for however many members of App’s team entered the small clearing to be struck with arrows while Ragg and I circled behind, cutting them off from retreat and the remaining members of their team. Ragg and I deployed a spear of Doxa, shield of Doxa, unsurprisingly shaped as a triangle with no points, and at present a sheathed double-edged sword of Doxa. The goal was to utilize the distance afforded by the spears to continue to keep App’s team at bay, while Tabi and Raf continued to fire arrows.

  The clash of metal in the distance spun it's own tale of combat and glory in this final session. Uriah and Zera were now on their own, and we could only hope several of App’s team had moved towards the location. The blood coursed through my veins. My heart rate accelerated, quickly followed by my breathing. That tickling sensation of nervousness poured into my core. We waited. We waited for any motion, any sound, any mistakes.

  As a volcano erupts, App, Sid, and Ram burst into the small clearing, wildfire blazing in their eyes as they locked on the tree line of the opposite end of the clearing, searching for our team. App carried his favored two double-edged swords, forgoing a shield. Sid carried a spear and shield, while Ram carried a great two-handed battle ax. All weapons, coursed with bearak. Tabi and Raf loosed all six arrows at once. App and Ram, with an almost imperceivable motion deflected four of the arrows in a simple motion of their weapons. The other two arrows struck Sid directly in the chest. An explosion of bearak erupted in clearing, obliterating his armor and sending Sid to the ground in an unconscious heap. A low growl came from App as he and Ram, without an audible word spoken, moved in the direction the arrows came from. Tabi and Raf loosed another volley, this time at a closer range. Ram, utilizing the flat side of his battle ax deflected several arrows, sending them soaring into the sky. App, however, spun, not with the force of a tornado, but the speed and precision of a top freshly spun on a glass table. As he spun, he pulled the arrows in towards his body. Whether it was the speed of him spinning or he actually caught the arrows with his hands, I did not know, however two arrows that had previously flashed as lightning across the meadow flashed again, but this time in the opposite direction. Tabi and Raf had no chance to see, let alone react, as the arrows struck their chests like lightning, the tree line erupting with bearak as both slumped to the ground, their armor disintegrating at the point of impact.

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  What had App just done? Eli never showed this technique. Perhaps the son had taught him during one of the individual sessions. Either way, now was not the time for questioning, as Ragg and I were already on the move, entering the clearing from behind App and Ram. App noticed Ragg first and spun, both swords descending in a downward arc at Ragg’s head. Ragg’s shield met force with force, sustaining the blow and the forest exploded with the chaos of battle. Ragg thrust his spear with the efficiency that would make a Spartan warrior envious. App, lazily pivoted on the balls of his feet, turning his torso to the side, allowing the spear thrust to pass behind him. App shuffle-stepped back, spun to his left, extending the blade in his left hand straight out as a lawn mower cutting blades of grass. Ragg again met the incoming strike with the force of his shield, however, this time, simultaneously thrust his spear in an upward motion. App, utilizing the energy created at the collision of the sword and the shield started to spin back the other way, and the upward motion of the bearak infused spear raked across the armor on his chest, sending a static discharge of bearak into the air and leaving a deep groove in the chest plate. Ragg smirked, knowing he had gotten the better of App in the opening exchange, however, App’s eyes flared with rage, as he asked, “Awfully early for a smirk, no?”

  In the same moment the App and Ragg exchange began Ram moved toward me. While only ten feet away, I crow-hopped, and with an arcing, overhead throw I hurled my spear towards Ram. The great brute of a Malakh attempted to deflect the spear, however, the distance was too short for the magnitude of the strike and the spear struck the armor of his left shoulder, sheering the armor off, the explosion of the bearak radiating to the chest piece, as spider web-like cracks began forming across the upper left portion of the chest. Ram did not even appear to notice, and as a lumberjack splitting wood, brought his great battle axe descending down towards my head. Elevating to the balls of my feet, I sidestepped right, utilizing the shield in my left hand to guide the axe away from my body and toward the ground. The earth groaned as the battle axe struck and soil flew into the air, the bearak radiating through the ground and air, creating a vortex at the point of impact. Despite Ram’s strength demanding respect, he was no match for my agility, as he quickly learned. I stepped into Ram’s workspace, immediately hooking my left arm and shield around his right arm and drawing him into me. I stepped past his right leg with my inside leg, planting the ball of my foot just behind his foot and scraping it along the ground back towards me, impacting heel to heel and sweeping Ram’s leg out from underneath him. His body cascaded to the ground as I drew my sword with my free right hand placing the razor sharp tip of the sword of Doxa to Ram’s shocked throat. Ram instantly raised his hand in the air yielding.

  Knowing there was no time to celebrate the quick yield I turned toward App and Ragg just in time to see Ragg back pedaling to a relentless App. The twin double-edge swords proving to be a brutally offensive weapon as Ragg attempted to use shield and spear to stave off the blur that was App’s hands. Just as Ragg appeared to efficiently deflect a pair of incoming strikes App’s right foot lashed out in a front kick, striking Ragg directly in the chest plate, sending Ragg and his bladed stance sliding backwards. Before the backward slide ceased App had already closed the distance to Ragg, and while Ragg continued to face App, App reached behind him, grabbed hold of his braids and with a nearly imperceptible motion slammed Ragg to the ground on his back. Prior to Ragg completely impacting the ground, the tip of App’s sword rested on the end of Ragg’s nose and a bewildered hand raised to the air in submission.

  App lept into the air while simultaneously turning, knowing I was moving to engage. His torso coiled like a professional baseball player preparing to swing a bat as he brought both swords to bear, slamming them down one at a time as a bass drummer in a marching band. I met the incoming blades, one with my shield, deflecting the other with my sword. We both slid backwards from the initial impact, taking a combat stance, feet shoulder width apart, our strong-side foot slightly back, knees bent, toes pointed forward, prepared, yet relaxed. App elevated off his right foot, turning the left side of his body towards me, bringing his right arm up over his head in a perfect cricket bowler motion sending one of his twin swords streaking towards me, bearak radiating from it. The son had taught me a combat technique in one of our individual lessons, allowing me to briefly slow time, though I had never used it in combat, until this moment that is, and even in this moment it felt as an almost subconscious decision. Even with the space around us slowing, App’s sword traveled at a speed almost beyond perception, completely overwhelming me. Utilizing the kinetic energy already generated in the balls of my feet, I elevated, allowing my body to rotate into a horizontal position, cycling in the air as an inline skater on a halfpipe. As I rotated, I released my shield of Doxa, in the direction of App, the shield appearing as a bolt of lightning. App’s feet were just landing in the soil as the shield deflected off his remaining sword held in his left hand.

  App smiled, appearing to look behind me while shaking his head. I chanced a brief glance and saw the other Malakh, all having yielded. The son and Eli stood amongst them; the son held App’s sword in his hand. App said, “He caught the sword… out of the air.” My mind was unable to process the statement. Surely the son did not catch the sword directly after App had thrown it. The speed, the power, the bearak coursing through it, even with all of the techniques we had learned it was not possible to control, let alone catch such a powerful strike. Smirking at App, I responded, “I’ll bet he did.” We both dropped our base at our knees, lowering our center of gravity, preparing for the next round, as the son stepped forward into the clear and said, “Cease.”

  The son continued, “Ingenuity. Creativity. Power. Grace. Courage. Meekness. These are the traits of the Malakh, however, much more importantly, these are the foundations of the Twelve. You have each fought well today.” The son glanced back at App, who had remained in a combat stance, intending to finish the exercise. “Cease, App,” stated the son, as he continued forward, placing himself between the two of us. The sword in App’s hand twitched, his heart clearly longing to finish the battle. The son looked at App and slowly turned to look at me, stating, “You have proven you can lead teams, you have proven you can work together, but can you follow me? Will you follow my orders? Will you do as I say, without hesitation?” We both stared at the son, not entirely sure how to respond. I nodded first. App soon followed. A slight glimmer or aura radiated out from the son, and his previously white garments now had a burgundy trim around them, as if the edges had been dipped in blood. The son held his right hand down and diagonally behind him as Eli had when Fortitude had appeared in his hand back in the classroom. A majestic double-edged sword appeared in his right hand. The hilt had a matte gray arched halfmoon at the base, extending up to metal hilt wrapped with a white material. The guard intricately bent out of the hilt, demanding a respect for the elegance of the blade as it glided towards the edge where it fanned out on each side, creating a cross-like symbol. Symbols of the language of Doxa ran along the guard just as the blade strutted out from the base. A deep, electrifying blue gemstone sat at the intersection of the hilt, guard, and blade. A matte metal filled the center of the blade; however, the edges were sharp and polished to a mirror-like reflection. Within the polished portion of the blade, additional symbols of Doxa were visible. From the gem, bearak coursed, no, not coursed, pulsed, as if the sword was alive. Remember, the son had never engaged in any of the combat training himself, he simply provided instruction. While he had assisted in teaching the finer points of weapon manipulation, he had never been seen in possession of or shown us a weapon of his own. This moment was not lost on us, as we all had suspected he was capable of an unimaginable level of combat just based on his ability to instruct.

  “App. Mik. Defend yourself,” echoed through our minds though we never saw or heard the son speak. Without coiling, jumping, or really, even moving, the son elevated himself off the ground just as App and I crashed on his position. The other Malakh were frozen. Their minds longed for clarity. App and I knew. This was the true test, yet before the test even began, App and I found ourselves flat on our backs, our weapons laying around the clearing as a medieval yard sale. We had not seen the son move beyond the initial elevation, yet here we lay, weaponless, defenseless, on our backs in a position of submission. App and I looked at the son perplexed. App stated, “I didn’t even see you move.” The son motioned with his hand the two of us should sit up. He then motioned for the others to come sit next to us. The son began, “You are the Twelve. Aside from my father and I, there are no greater beings. Your knowledge, your power, and your strength are unmatched, even by Eli, though he may choose to argue this point.” Eli allowed the first smile we had ever seen to briefly escape his lips, followed by a shaking of the head. The son continued, “I ask that you follow me. I ask that you lead with me. I ask, as my father begins speaking countless Malakh, you help instruct them properly. Will you do this?” To this question, App and I rose and stepped forward. In the manner of greeting the son had taught us at the dinner table, App shook the son’s hand. I followed, and the rest of the Malakh did so after me.

  The son exclaimed, “To the dinner table we must go!” Sid, the prospect of food hitting him like smelling salts to a fighter, leapt up from his prostrated position on the ground, albeit with the grace and balance of the town drunk leaving a bar.

  We had completed our training, and now, we would now be expected to lead.