On The Revolution of Heavenly Spears: Part Four

The incessant clanging rang mercilessly into Ryshu’s ears, forcing the poor Nimmo out of sleep with its painful volume. Eyes snapping open, he absent-mindedly stumbled out of bed in a zombie-like state, his head still stubbornly thick as solid rock and his body still drenched in ice-cold sweat. The images from the nightmare he just had would haunt him for a long while, no doubt. Just a dream, the better part of his mind tried to tell the other half, the one that felt like giving up on hope completely. Though he knew reality might as well have been his imagination. At that point the world could have been in black and white and he wouldn’t have cared less. His Master was gone.

Nothing was true anymore.

If it was even possible, whatever was making that clanging noise, presumably some emergency bell, had not stopped and was only adding to Ryshu’s already overwhelming feelings. Guilt. Sadness. Fear.

He almost wished the Techo Master was in the room, though not for the sake of seeing him free from the clutches of Captain Scarblade, or even for a source of comfort, but just so he could throw himself down onto his knees and beg the Master for all of it to end. The Master had chosen wrongly. He knew that now with reckless certainty. He was not the right student for this mission, not at all. He never was, and would never be.

Oh, everything was just turning out… wrong!

Exasperated by his own utter failure, Ryshu threw himself back onto the bed, meaning to sink back into a faraway paradise and never, ever come back. Instead, his back smashed into something – or some things. Rubbing his now aching back, he sat up and removed those attachments with the mildest curiosity, setting them on the floor for a better view.

The Shadow Shield and the Potion of Meridell united with Kelpbeard’s Trident in perfect harmony, as if the three weapons were meant to be together all along.

And as if he himself knew what was to come next, Ryshu did something so calmly then that the self of him a few minutes ago would not have believed himself. He folded his legs, pushed himself a few feet into the air and meditated.

For a few moments, only the stubborn clanging occupied his thoughts. Ryshu pushed it away, and then...

“…never let your guard down.” The Shadow Usul’s sneaky voice started echoing in place of the bell, though fading away as quickly as it came.

But Valrigard followed right behind, his cheeky tone unmistakable. “…as if you were floating on air.”

Slowly but surely, and definitely more and more naturally in the process, Ryshu’s mind accumulated more and more of such memories until it soon became flooded with all of the cheerful images and sounds of the euphoria he experienced in the past days of training with his new teachers. It was breathtakingly beautiful; Ryshu could almost hear his favourite tune playing in the background, urging him onwards towards victory. These visions were quite literally uncountable, blinding his inner vision with brilliant rays of positive light which obliterated the darkness beyond. Just reflecting upon the rush of adrenaline when he leaped out of the way of the flying arrow, the burst of energy when he savoured that zesty drink, and the warmness of heart when he made friends with a denizen of Neopia made his eyes teary… And even in the seemingly worst moments – when he got kicked by the Shadow Usul, when he lost patience with Valrigard and when he heard the devastating news from King Kelpbeard – he could find something to be grateful for: that he had someone by his side.

“…blend into the darkness.”

Because that made everything perfect.

“…take things lightly.”

A big, fresh tear slid from his closed eyes…

“NEVER GIVE UP!”

Realising with a start that that couldn’t possibly have been his imagination, Ryshu’s eyes snapped open.

Sure enough, standing in the doorway was none other than King Kelpbeard, eyes shining with renewed care and relief at the sight of the Nimmo in his composed state, and of course, much happiness and pride in having overcome his negative feelings independently, bravely.

The King took a step into the room, leaving the entrance open. And at first Ryshu couldn’t believe his eyes, though his face beamed for the first time in many, many long hours when he realised he wasn’t dreaming. For standing by the King’s side were two grinning faces of the Shadow Usul and Valrigard. He had friends again.

And he would treasure them like never before.

***

Half an hour later, Ryshu and his friends, together with many officials of the Maraquan army, were gathered in the King’s throne room for an urgent discussion.

“Let us make this meeting as quick as possible, for I’m sure everyone has other matters they need to attend to,” announced King Kelpbeard hurriedly. “I have received word that Captain Scarblade has an army of pirates boosted with Jhudora’s dark magic, and as the Shadow Usul here has the most expertise in the element of darkness, she will be giving our commanders a quick word on its weaknesses in just a few moments.”

“The land dwellers on Mystery Island have also been preparing for this attack. However, as the Captain’s ships are most likely armed with cannons of the highest quality, getting to, let alone landing on, the ship could prove fatal. As such, Valrigard shall travel to Mystery Island as quickly as possible to brief the army there on defence and combat in mid-air.”

“Once all of that is accomplished by, perhaps, half an hour later, I shall lead our army into the open seas, since I believe I am most familiar with my land, and for that matter, battling underwater.”

It was only at this point that the officers started nodding in approval.

“But take note that Ryshu here will be giving out the battle strategies. He is, by a clear mile, the best warrior among us all, with battle experience unlike anyone–” Here the King paused to look at Ryshu, eyes sparkling. “– And he has all the aforementioned elements in him.”

The officers froze in mid-nod, staring at the Nimmo in scrutiny, no doubt attempting to evaluate his abilities.

Ryshu, for his part, was even more shocked than the commanders. What in Neopia was the King thinking? The sight of his friends had been instrumental in almost fully restoring him, but he still doubted himself; he knew he was nothing without his Master. Maybe he had been fighting for a longer period than anyone in the room, but elements? There was no way he was better than the Shadow Usul and Valrigard and King Kelpbeard.

But whatever the case, it was time to test his skills as the current head of strategy.

As the commanders quickly filed out of the room, along with his former teachers, a voice rang out, “Wait!”

All faces turned towards the source expectantly. When the officers realised it was just the young Nimmo, some were impatient, while others were plain annoyed.

“I… I just want some time to talk to… my friends. The rest of you may go.”

The King didn’t hesitate. “You heard him. Please carry on!”

***

Ryshu took a deep breath.

“There’s nothing much I want to say, except that, well… I want to thank you all for giving me a weapon in hopes that I might excel in combat, but the fact is…” he swallowed, yet choosing to carry on resolutely. “…I would like to give them to someone else, for better application. Valrigard, the Shadow Shield should go to you, as you yourself might be vulnerable with your exposed position when you are flying. For you, the Shadow Usul, I believe Kelpbeard’s Trident will come in handy, since your ability to sneak behind opponents can only be complemented with a strong burst of power. And lastly, your Majesty, the Potion of Meridell Castle is yours, because I think only you alone know the true extent of its power, and know how to use it effectively.”

His friends froze for an instant, not because they were offended but because they were surprised, before nodding in firm approval, comprehending Ryshu’s words.

Unfortunately, they had to leave the next instant or face the wrath of many impatient commanders, or worse: the wrath of the Captain’s army itself. But even that would not stop the legendary heroes from savouring the legendary moment of receiving a legendary item.

The Shadow Usul cradled the Trident like a baby, eyes wide with excitement at handling such a precious artefact.

Valrigard couldn’t stop staring at the beauty of the Shield’s swirling patterns.

And handling the Potion with utmost care, the King, as always, paused before leaving, smiling in encouragement. “Well done, Ryshu.”

Seeing his friends’ impressed faces lit up a new spark in Ryshu’s heart, though something else occurred to him altogether and he decided to pause to give it some speculation, since he knew it could be important.

The room was soulless save for him. Ryshu got into his meditating position calmly and began to think.

As there had not been any new teachers this morning, it seemed as though King Kelpbeard was his third and final instructor, which made sense, because the elements he had been trained in – darkness, air and water – seemed to be the most applicable in this battle of pirates: what they would employ, and where they would fight in. Besides, he knew his Master was clever enough to have anticipated an attack on the fourth day and would not risk requesting a teacher for Ryshu without the full safety of both of them. There was nothing amiss at all.

Why then did it somehow feel incomplete? He thought a little longer and suddenly gasped, realising.

Darkness.

It was because the Techo Master was missing. The joy he felt at seeing his former teachers had almost kept him from the obvious but simple truth.

Air.

In other words, there was a fourth teacher, a fourth element. His Master. It was just that he was gone at the moment. And that couldn’t possibly have been a coincidence. His Master was much too powerful for that.

Water.

The Master, his clever teacher, had meant him to be alone and reflect privately as he was doing so now. When there was no one by his side and nothing to fight with: that was the real test, the real showdown, the real element. And Ryshu was willing to bet that this was the only thing the Master was worried about initially, when he seemed to doubt Ryshu’s abilities – not the training, but the feelings of pain and loss he was forced to go through. But in realising these he’d overcome those. He no longer felt any fear. He was alone…

Nothing.

…but he was powerful. Because he knew. The fourth element, the one whose initial letter completed the only possible word, had revealed the secret to success.

Darkness

Air

Water

Nothing

Dawn.

He was meant for the job, after all. And with his newly found power, he would finish it.

***

One month later

The defeat of the notorious pirate captain was still being celebrated late into the night, though not just by the islanders and Maraquans; Neopians from all over Neopia had come to attend this glorious full-day festival. All of the participants, including the whole of Maraquan army, were paid respects by many rulers – Queen Fyora and King Altador among others.

Ryshu and every single one of his teachers were honoured as heroes.

As luck would have had it, the training school suddenly became packed from day to night, so much so that the Techo Master was convinced to open a night shift, when the Shadow Usul and Valrigard gave extra guidance to those willing to train harder. Even ‘willing’ would be an underestimation, however. It had been an inspiring story, and no one wanted to miss out on the chance to write the next chapter.

Speaking of books, Ryshu was persuaded to write one, too, such that he would have more time in his day for training (rather than being ambushed by the media for personal stories and interview). He persuaded himself to include a secret, too. The secret. Of how he won and came to be one of the most well-trained warriors to ever exist. It is, dear reader, in your hands.

Let it dawn on you.