One Last Knight. A Series of Short Stories.

Hey! 

Happy New Year!!

What about the fact that O.L.K. just hit 70.67K Views this morning!!!!

And an additional 48.41K in Spanish!!! And 6.83K in German!!!

And welcome back to the gates of Enverdolmal! 

I hope this latest entry finds you well and that you had an amazing holiday season!

I was literally at work for both Christmas and New Year's (which also happened to be my birthday) lol but such is life, and I have bills to pay, and chapters to write!

-I don't get paid to write, mind you- 

But bills demand money!

I hope you and yours have enough, and make more than enough this year.

Who knows, I might just be able to get a physical version of this out for ya'll late this year!!!

A boy can dream, yeah?

I won't keep you, I know what you all came for! 

ALSO!!!!

I just created an Instagram for One Last Knight!

I know, I know, I am old lmaoooooo.

I just turned 36 Okay!? Cut me some slack lol.

My handle -I think that's what it's called, yeah?- is Blackguyinnabowtie

Feel free to follow me there and keep an eye out for art drops, world map drops, and so much more!

The One Last Knight Facebook is also up and going, so dive in and say something lol.

I also love and respond to questions regarding the book, so feel free!

I love you all dearly. 

You have no idea.

Here is to -hopefully- another 115(ish)K soon!

You all keep me going just by returning for my weird little drops...you really have no idea.

I will see you all back here soon enough.

Enjoy.

-----

The group of 12 Year One students stood in a wide semicircle around the Shift-sand display table, their eyes wide in awe and amazement as the Aether-infused particles danced and rolled over one another forming both simple and intricate shapes. 

The youngest of them just 10 years of age, the eldest just breaching 11.

Across the roster was an even split of boys, girls, and everything in between yet not all simple Humans.

Elves, Dwarves, Tinker-kin, Elfym, and Dwarfym all graced the room. 

With the diversity of culture within the group came a diversity of affinities for Aether.

To Rayden, this fact was the most interesting.

The most exciting.

"Step forward all!"

He bade with a smile and a nod, spreading his arms as he did with a bit of a dramatic flair. 

His long white professor coat flowing behind him, draped over his shoulders as it was. 

His right "eye" flared with a teal-colored Aetheral flash.

Several tiny runic tattoos on his left arm sprang to life, glowing with the same hue.

He had no real right eye, for it had been lost in his youth, along with the majority of his right arm.

Both of these parts of him had been replaced by the Universe itself with pure and unrefined Cosmic Aether.

One of Rayden's favorite pastimes was to demonstrate to new students the pros and cons of each elemental affinity, and maybe even a few less...practical uses for one's Aether. 

His quick and simple courses were highly sought after and praised by the Year Three and Year Four students, but their times with him were few and far between in nature, as he preferred to "gift" these random pop-up classes to the younger and less experienced students.

He was ever one to cheer for the underdog.

Today the students were eager and receptive.

Their little heads bobbed with excitement.

Their little hands clasped behind them and set in the small of their backs as they had been shown. 

Rayden began:

"Today's course shall be short and sweet, yes?

Or should I say, quick and dirty?"

He said, his voice light and melodic to the ears of those within range to hear.

"Either is an accurate and acceptable description!" 

Rayden's hands had been clasped at the small of his back till that point just as the students before him.

His right arm -forged of glowing Cosmic Aether- swung about from behind, bending at the elbow before a short, sharp snap rang out from the tips of two of his Aetheral fingers.

With the snap came a pair of sparks.

One crimson, the other sapphire. 

They tumbled to the "field" morphing into the forms of a pair of faceless mannequins. 

The one of crimson bowed deeply, its hands gripping its wrist in a ceremonial hold. 

The one of sapphire simply placed a hand on its left hip and waved vigorously to the gathered crowd. 

"Let me introduce you to a couple of friends of mine."

Rayden said with a sly wink, one that let lose a second pair of tiny sparks, these one silver in color.

As these fell toward each of the little figures, they morphed just as instantaneously, landing in the hands of the waiting duelist as simple wands. 

"Our diminutive, demonstrative duelist! Crim and Sapp!"

Crim, the crimson-skinned one, tossed its wand into the air above its head before it clapped its hands together before itself and bowed once more. It rose in time to catch the falling wand with an intricate flourish. 

Sapp, whose skin was sapphire in hue from head to toe, launched itself into a quick and nimble backflip, landing in a dramatic, heroic pose. Its wand never leaving its hand.

The children seemed to react a bit more enthusiastically toward this display than the first.

Understandably so. 

Rayden raised his Aetheral hand to his mouth in a soft fist and let loose an even softer cough, one that was just loud enough to garner the impromptu class's attention. 

"Today's lesson will be on Elemental Affinity."

Rayden began just as soon as the silence had set in.

A tiny hand shot up from somewhere to his left, and before he could respond, a question rolled forth from the mouth of an Elfym child.

"What's an Elephantal Anility?

The young girl said, the words bouncing from her tongue and dripping in a thick, Elven accent. 

Or maybe she had not heard him clearly.

Although a handful of the other children gave a muffled chuckle, Rayden answered without pause or judgment.

As any good educator would, but he did offer a bit of correction. 

As any good educator would.

"That would be ELEMENTAL AFFINITY young Ms. Thryn." 

He said with a smile and a nod.

He went on.

"And fear not! You shall have your answer soon enough!"

He proclaimed with a sprinkle of his own eagerness showing through.

He raised his index finger on his Aetheral hand, tapping his right temple with another wry wink.

The girl's head dipped a bit in embarrassment for her haste, but alas, such excitement was to be expected of such youth. 

"All of us are born with an affinity to one element or another, sometimes two if the individual is so lucky. In that event, this is simply called a Secondary Affinity."

He began to explain. 

As he did, he waved his right hand about subtly, casting simple spells as he did.

The twin figures who stood upon the Shift-sand began to move about, walking in opposite directions of each other until they reached the opposing end of the table. 

Crim bowed once more.

Sapp put its hands on its hips and puffed out its little chest.

"Our friend Crim here has an affinity for fire and Sapp? Its affinity is for water. The two are very nearly opposite of one another, meaning that they will typically cancel each other out if the spells are of similar strength."

Crim whipped its wand up and then out suddenly, pointing it at its jarred opponent.

A massive and blazing ball of flame shot forward from its tip, rolling toward Sapp with what would have been a deafening roar had the spell been cast at full size.

Sapp's response was swift and equal.

With a flick of its wrist and two steps back, it cast a counter spell.

A pillar of water burst forth from the ground at a speed that the student's eyes couldn't have possibly followed. 

In an instant, the fireball collided with the pillar in a dazzling display of elemental reactions and Aether flashes.

Dense, thick steam and mist swirled together as the water's staggering weight matched the blistering heat of the encroaching flame. 

All but a few of the spectating students raised their hands to their faces reflexively.

Those who hadn't took a cautious step backward. 

As the obstruction cleared, both Crim and Sapp could be seen standing essentially where they were, both unharmed and unphased. 

"See there?"

Rayden spoke, drawing the children's attention once more.

"Water negates Fire if the spell power is equal on both ends. This works both ways, yes? Observe." 

He said, nodding his chin in the direction of the tabletop once more.

With a slight jester the pair of softly pulsating duelists set into motion once more, this time Sapp took the initiative. The glowing figure raised both hands above its head, the fingers on its left hand waggled about as its right hand jerked its wand to and fro in a handful of intricate patterns.

Across the field and several inches above Crim, a dark storm cloud formed rapidly before letting loose a wave of heavy and torrential rain.

The blazing red, miniature mannequin stood its ground. Its right foot slipped back and its right hand went to the small of its back as it raised its wand in response.

Crim whipped his wrist in a tight circle, summoning forth a glowing, growing tornado of searing flame.

The rolling wave of rain collided with the scorching cone of fire, both spells imploding in another breathtaking display of Aetheral clashes and elemental power.

Again the students shied away, an aftershock of depleted Aether putting them on their toes once more.

A thick and all-consuming steam/mist combination once again obscured the view that the gathered group took in, bringing with it an air of finality.

On either end of the literal sandbox stood the waring duelist, each heaved and huffed just a bit, a sign of the amount of Aether exerted by both.

With a wave of his hand, Rayden "fed" the pair a booster to their respective Aether pools, refreshing and revitalizing them in turn.

"See there how their spells cancel out one another?"

The Astronomage inquired of the gathered younglings, Many of which had begun to jump about and clap excitedly as the lesson to be learned sank in.

"Yes, fire and water are naturally opposed, but it is the spell's power that matters most in situations where the spell that is being utilized is deeply or mostly elemental."

The Elfym child who had spoken out earlier spoke up once again:

"What of the second dairy anility?"

She asked as she bounced on her toes, undoubtedly eager for another demonstration. 

Her wish would quickly be answered.

Rayden found himself stifling a chuckle as the young girl's accent and ignorance once again butchered the terminology. 

Several of the gathered students did not have such luck with their attempts as their impromptu instructor. 

The girl seemed unphased, perhaps even used to such behavior.

Rayden took note of the girl's resolve and went on with the short lesson, a lesson that was becoming a bit longer than he had intended.

A longer lesson that he didn't mind giving. He cleared his throat once more, gathering again the student's attention

"Thank you kindly for your question, and for keeping this old cook on track!"

Rayden said with another wink. He "clapped" the pointer and thumb of his right hand together, and the Aether mannequins joined in with the tiniest of applause. 

"Secondary Affinities are quite rare little Ms. Thryn, but when they do manifest, oh what a treat it does tend to be!"

Rayden brought his hands together, all of his fingers matching the opposing finger of the opposing hand.

He went on.

"Although the majority of us are born with but a single Affinity, there have been cases of children who have been gifted the affinity of both parents, should said parents have Affinities that are not only different from one another but not inherently opposite."

He could see that his terminology may be been a bit much for the still-budding minds before him.

He digressed a bit and explained in simpler terms. 

"For example, one cannot be born with an Affinity for both fire and water. In such cases, the child will inherit one element or the other."

From the edge of his vision, Rayden caught Ms. Thryn's little mouth just as it began to open, her hand slowly rising to grab his attention.

He went on before the question could leave her lips. 

"The inherited element is typically gifted based on which parent between the two has the deeper Aether pool, and thus the stronger Affinity. This is genetic in nature, and we have no control over that process, nor can it be influenced by any known means."

The Elfym girl nodded in understanding, as all the rest did around her.

"While it can indeed be advantageous to wield two elements in combat, it is also a known fact that someone with a single Affinity is going to be naturally more efficient and thus have the potential to become that much more powerful."

Rayden gave a quick glance at the nearest clock before continuing on to what he hoped would be a timely conclusion. 

"Ah, but alas! We've time for one last quick demonstration!"

He said with a flourish of his hand and a series of quick snaps. 

"A show of what one with a Secondary Affinity can accomplish when given the opportunity, and what one with but a single Affinity can overcome when pressed to the brink!"

With that, the figures began to cast at the same time.

Just before the transitional bell began to blare on the wall behind the gathered and anxious group.

"My apologies! It seems as if I may have overestimated the amount of time we had at hand!

Oh well, until next time Lovies!"

Rayden said, taking a small step back from his Shift-sand table.

His Aetheral mannequins suddenly dissipating into fine and glittering flakes.

All of the students before him groaned in disappointment as their hopes for a grand finish were dashed against the wall.

"Off to class with the lot of you! And be sure to keep an eye out for the next course!"

As one the group moved off down the wide corridor, laughing and discussing what they had all had the honor of experiencing.

Before they could fall beyond earshot, Rayden called out to the Elfym child just loud enough for her to hear.

She turned and gave the Astronomage her full attention.

"Sir?"

She said, her little head cocking to one side, her tall, pointed ears giving a twitch.

Rayden dropped to one knee, bringing himself down to her level with respect. He looked the child in her eyes, his own assessing her every thought, or so it seemed.

"You seem to be rather interested in Elemental Affinities young Ms. Thryn, maybe a few extra lessons would serve you well?

The girl's eyes grew alite at the words, her shoulders rose just a bit as well.

"I would enjoy this very much!"

She said, excitement alive in her voice.

Rayden was ever one for a lesson, and his time was typically his to do with what he would outside of his duties in and about the ever-busy walls of Garth Verlore. 

Sharing the gift of knowledge was the least he could do with the thing that he had arguably the most of, and time was the one thing that he would never be short on.

He stood and offered the girl his right hand, she hesitated at first, staring in awe at the glowing, pulsating appendage before gently taking hold of a pair of his fingers.

"Let's get you to class, yeah? The rest can be discussed in due time. Wouldn't want you to miss any of the good stuff!"

Rayden said with one last wink, a lasting and sticking habit of his. 

Ms. Thryn looked up and nodded her agreement casting him a wink of her own.

And off they went. 

-----

I hope that this was sufficient for the first drop of the year!

I look forward to bringing Volume One: Embers to an end with Part 1 & 1.5 and starting the deeper dive into Volume Two: Smoke with Part 2!

This ought to be an interesting and amazing year both within the world of Enverdolmal, and here in the real world as well.

I hope that you will all stick around and enjoy what's to come just as you have for the past TWO YEARS! Can you believe that!?

Your love and loyalty are almost beyond me to handle, but I will do my best.

I will see you all back here at the gates to Enverdolmal soon enough!

Again, happy New Year folks, let's try to make it a good one!

As always, Safe travels!

Stay safe.

Stay healthy.

Stay vigilant.

-Redd.