Two Souls

Foreword

Angels, heavenly-creatures, magical-beings. They are called by many names. Heaven, the World of Souls and I could go on and on. But does it really exist? No one can know for sure. Demons, dark-spirits. Hell, the World of the Damned. Does it exist? Absolutely! Five-leaf clover. Just imagining this tiny, special plant in front of us is a unique sight. But there's a world where the borders of the Kingdoms on the planet reveal it beautifully. From the two-leaved clover to the five-leaved. This world is known as Jupiterum and the age of knighthood as we know it characterizes the entire planet. There is no great tension between the different Kingdoms, however. Of course there are minor disagreements, but these would never pit the Kingdoms against each other. But there is a reason for that. These shamrock-shaped realms are bound together by wastelands, seas, snow-capped mountain ranges and rich jungles that are home to dangerous monsters that have adapted perfectly to the environment. But it's not really this diversity of species that is the biggest problem in the world. It is the Demon that poses the most serious problems and challenges to humans. But as hopeless as life sounds, it is not. Here, everywhere and in everything, you can find the magic that man has learned to use over the years to protect them self and them Kingdom. But it's not just in self-defense; it's also become a key element in everyday life. This power is linked to the elements that move the world, which people call Magow. Land, Water, Fire, and Wind. It is by manipulating and controlling these four basic elements that humans can thrive. But by mixing these elements, new ones have been created. Almost all humans are capable of using one type of element but not everyone is able to contract with the so called Elemental Souls. The origin of these souls is unknown, and each one looks different. There are individuals who are leaders and protectors, but there is also a hierarchy. The first and most powerful are the Magow Kings, followed by the Magow Captains and then the Magow Knights. The Demons. They are also bound by a ranking established by the Magow Knights, but even so, the limits of these infernal creatures' abilities and power are not known exactly. Every year the Kingdoms do a Magow Knight Tournament where any young person over the age of eighteen can enter to compete and, after only three successful tests, join a Magow Knight House to learn to defend their Kingdom and all who live there. But our story doesn't begin with this tournament!

Chapter. 1

Between the three and four-leaved clover Kingdoms lies the smallest, the two-leaved Kingdom; Oned. In a small village in the Kingdom called Nibikk lived a blacksmith with little magic. He was a middle-aged man named Harida. The man had a daughter whom he raised alone because the woman who gave birth to the child, the daughter, „died at birth". Harida tried his best to raise the daughter in good health and succeeded. Oneko was now in her tenth year with her father, who also had a negligible level of Magow, but a slightly higher level than her father. She was a brown, long-haired, beautiful, round-faced child who was beyond her years in her seriousness and outlook on life. But unfortunately she was lacking in everything but health, which caused her father a sense of shame. But the child, Oneko, did not care for deprivation. She thought she had everything she needed, because her loving father was there for her. One, Wednesday morning, the man was already at work. As usual, Oneko helped her father. She was drawing water from the well near the small and poor blacksmith's shop, while children of Oneko's age were playing happily and carefree not far away. The girl had lost so much sense of reality as she watched her peers at play that she failed to see the danger approaching. Two armor-clad horsemen approached, followed by a horse-drawn carriage. She lifted the bucket from the well and headed back towards Harida. As she crossed the road, she watched her contemporaries almost the whole time, and by the time she spotted the convoy, it was too late. Oneko, frightened, dropped the bucket and with a short scream, she fell to the ground, eyes narrowed. Harida also noticed that there was trouble, but he was too late. Oneko, however, was not hurt. The water from the bucket formed a wall between her and the horse. It made the animal stagger. Oneko opened her eyes and the water fell back into the bucket. Harida had reached it by then.

"Do you want to die child?! „ asked the rider.

Oneko was so scared that she couldn't even speak.

„Please forgive us, sir," Harida said.

„Let's go! „ a woman called out from the car.

Harida and Oneko moved out of the way of the horsemen and the coachman, who immediately set off. Neither the man nor the girl had any idea that they had just met a noble family of the Kingdom, for the coat of arms was on the other side of the carriage. The family symbol was a circle with a fishing hook inside. Harida finished work that day and stayed with her terrified daughter all day. The evening came and Oneko and Harida went to bed. But at dawn the next day, everything changed. Oneko woke up scared. Her father, Harida stood over her, waking the child with terror on his face.

„We must leave immediately! „ the man said.

The girl did not ask any questions. She got up, quickly put on some clothes and left. As she walked towards the door, her father left her for a moment, but Oneko just kept going. She tried to open the door but couldn't. Something was blocking it. Then she tried harder and the door opened. When Oneko came face to face with the sight that greeted her outside, her feet were rooted to the ground. The whole village was in ruins. Everything was in flames. From all directions, only the voices of those in pain could be heard. In front of the girl, a contemporary screamed in agony, his whole body in flames, until he finally fell to the ground and died before Oneko's eyes. Then she looked down at the ground in front of her. Oneko saw two small baskets and two babies lying in them, both sleeping peacefully despite everything that had happened. Harida also came out. He too was shaken by what he had seen, but immediately he looked at him daughter, who was already kneeling in front of the baskets, watching the children’s. The man was surprised to see the two babies and the fresh ashes clearly visible in front of the baskets, lying under Oneko's knees, but he knew they could not stay. Harida picked up both baskets and set off, followed without a word by her daughter. Oneko and Harida were far enough away from the village. They came to a clearing where they were greeted by a sight of beautiful pink flowers. The clearing was bisected by a small stream, the edges of which were lined with stones, large and small. Harida placed the baskets on one of these larger stones and examined the children more closely. Both were boys. One of the children was sleeping peacefully, with a small golden metal cross on his belly; with a small spike protruding from the top. The other was constantly moving. At this moment, we could tell he was a very energetic baby. The peacefully sleeping child had a name sewn into his clothes; Ruzu while the other child had no name.

„It's OK! We'll take care of you! „ Oneko said.

„What? How do you plan on us taking care of them? „Harida asked.

„I don't know... But we can't leave them alone! „ the girl said.

Harida stopped arguing with her daughter. He just watched Oneko silently, while she did not take her eyes off the babies. Harida saw nothing in her daughter but the determination she felt to protect the children. He almost forgot the sight of the destroyed village and smiled with pride.

„What should the little guy name be? „ asked the man.

„Him name? „Oneko asked back, surprised.

Harida did not reply but continued to smile at her daughter.

„Shika! Let him name be Shika! „ said Oneko a few moments later.

The baby kept fidgeting in the basket and Oneko just smiled.

„Dad... „ said the girl.

„Yes! I know! „ the man replied.

Both Harida and the man daughter knew they had to move on. They picked up the baskets again and set off. As they went on, the sky darkened above them. Harida tried to find shelter from the approaching storm, but in the distance he saw a horse drawn carriage that was not moving. As they approached, he noticed that one of the carts wheels was broken. They both became aware of the voice of an elderly woman. When they got to the carriage, what they thought was true. An elderly, short woman was trying to make the horse, which was tied to the front of the carriage, move, but the animal would not.

„Can I help you?" Harida asked.

„Oh, heaven sent you! My car is wrecked and this stubborn animal won't move..." said the old lady.

Harida put the baskets down and the lady looked at them. Oneko noticed this and stood in front of the baskets, hiding the two children from the stranger. Harida examined the cart and saw that it was badly damaged.

„Well, that's outrageous..." said the man.

„And you can't fix it, dear? Please help an old lady and in return I will host you tonight if you need a place to stay! „ said the old woman.

Despite her age, Oneko thought it was strange that the stranger was offering them accommodation, as no one could know what had happened to them. But she did not say anything about it. Harida decided to help, because he needed to keep not only him daughter safe from the approaching storm, but also the two children as well. The man knelt down beside the broken wheel. He saw that the axle was broken, so he thought he would use his magic to lift the carriage and try to fuse the metal axle together. He placed his hands on the ground and a narrow column of flame rose from the ground. The column soon reached the bottom of the carriage but could not lift it. Harida groaned and the spell was broken. The man didn't have enough magic to do that. When Harida looked up, he saw him daughter, Oneko kneeling beside him. She didn't say anything, just nodded. Oneko closed her eyes and she too began to conjure a pillar of flame, a little wider than her father and sooner. This column lifted the carriage. She could see that she was having difficulty holding it up so her father did not hesitate. The old lady looked from the beginning as if her eyes were closed but when Oneko did her magic she opened her eyes wide. In the end, Harida and Oneko repaired the carriage. She gasped for air and broke the spell.

„Thank you very much, my dears!" she said. „ How can I ever thank you? „ she asked.

„We're happy to help! If there was room for four strangers just for tonight, we'd be very grateful! „ Harida said.

„I can do better, dear! Take my horse and carriage," said the old woman.

„But we can't! This is for you! And how do you get home anyway? „ Harida said.

„I insist! Such a beautiful girl with two babies should not be out wandering around! And anyway, I don't live that far away... And my old bones need a little exercise," said the old lady.

Harida was reluctant to accept the offer for a long time, but finally accepted out of consideration for the children. After Oneko had loaded the two boys into the carriage, she climbed in and they were ready to leave.

„Are you sure we shouldn't take it for a while? „ Harida asked.

„No need, dear, just go! „ said the old lady.

Harida asked no further questions. They were on their way. The old lady just stood and watched them go. When they were far enough away, she took the form of a man, who smiled as he watched the carriage go by. The man was middle-aged, blond, with short hair. His face was ordinary, friendly and kind, but he had a tiny star tattooed on each temple. His clothes were clean and noble. His robe was decorated with several emblems, one of which was a golden two-leaf clover. Eventually the man simply disappeared. The wandering life of Harida and the others began. They travelled from one village to another, taking almost any job. This life was already in its eighth year. The two babies had grown up and Oneko was now of Magow exam age. Over the years, the girl had grown more magical, as Ruzu had become able to use the water element Magow. As the boy grew so did the mysterious metal cross that fit perfectly in the child hand. But Shika could not use any Magow ability. Harida and Oneko knew that Shika was magic-less but they did not want to crush his hopes and dreams as a child. As was evident on the day they found them, Ruzu was a calm reflective child and Shika had become an active, energetic boy. One day, they crossed a long road through a thicket of forest in a horse-drawn cart, which led to a crossroads with the royal capital on the right, and another village on the left. Ruzu walked beside the cart while Shika rode on horseback. The boy tried to urge the animal to go faster, but it had already recognized the boy perpetual energy and ignored him. As they approached the crossroads, Oneko grew more and more restless, and the animal suddenly stopped. From behind a dense bush on one side of the road, a group of three marauders emerged. She immediately moved the children to safety, and Harida blocked the marauders path. The man sensed that he was high above the three unknown Magow, but he had to protect his daughter and the boys.

„What do you want? „Harida asked.

„Only what you have! Everything!" said one of the strangers.

„Please let me pass! No one needs to get hurt unnecessarily! „ said the man.

The strangers started laughing.

„ So nice of you to be concerned for us. But the one who gets hurt here will be you! „ said one of the men.

Harida raised her right palm towards the attackers, sending a plume of flame flying.

„Come on! Don't make me laugh!" said one of the strangers.

The man raised both hands towards the oncoming flame. A wall of land rose up in the path of the flame and it crashed into it, but there was no sign of it on the wall. Another attacker leapt up from behind the wall. The man swung one fist, sending a water-based fist flying and striking Harida, who fell to the ground. The children’s watched the fight in horror while Oneko felt rage and wanted to protect her father and the two boys at all costs. The girl wanted to go to her father aid but Shika reached for her with tears in him eyes.

„It's going to be okay," she said. „I have to help him! I won't let them hurt you!

Ruzu then grabbed Shika hand, which he was holding and looked into Oneko eyes. She looked back at him with pride. Shika let go of Oneko and the girl rushed to Harida aid. When she got there, she saw her father unconscious.

„Hey looked over there! „ said one of the attackers. „What a pretty booby’s girl... Come and play a little! You can be our bitch! „he said.

Oneko just looked at her unconscious father, which made her angrier with every moment.

„You will regret this! „ said the girl.

„What did you say? „ one of the men asked.

„You hurt my father! You scared the boys! You will be punished for this!" she said.

„You little bitch! Who do you think you're talking to?! „ one of the men asked.

Oneko did not reply. She rushed at the marauder so fast that he could barely see her.

„Fast! „ thought the man."What kind of move is that?! How can so little Magow do such a thing?!

She was already standing next to him, and he noticed Oneko, whose right fist was covered with flame. She didn't hesitate; she struck him in the face with such force that he lost consciousness. The other two attackers looked at her in scared. They grabbed their unconscious companion from the ground and started to flee. There was a fog explosion that the third assailant recalled. Oneko was blinded and the attackers tried to flee. The fog dissipated and the girl tried to follow them, but as the girl stopped, so did the attackers. A man stood in the way of the fleeing men. Oneko was surprised to see the stranger, for she could not sense any Magow emanating from the man. Oneko had no way of knowing that it was the same man who had disguised as the old lady and given them the horse and cart years ago. The man's face and eyes suggested friendship and kindness. He stood before the robbers with a smile.

„Come on, come on! Is that any way to treat a wanderer? „ the man asked.

One of the attackers recognized the man.

„What are you doing here?! You can't be here..." the man said.

The smile disappeared from the unknown man's face. The looters tried to escape again, but they could not move. Their feet were covered with land up to their ankles. Oneko was very surprised, for only then did she feel the land element of Magow, but only for a moment, for it was gone. The unknown nobleman disappeared from sight and then appeared among the attackers.

„You'll never be a problem again! „ he said quietly, but with a much more serious expression.

The bodies of the robbers were covered with land and then melted into the ground. The unknown sorcerer teleported to Oneko father side, but she didn't notice any of this. The man was about to bend down towards Harida to help him up, but Oneko appeared beside him. She paid no attention to his appearance, his origin, or even his mysterious powers, and immediately went to her father defense. Her hand was again covered in flame and she was about to swipe, but the stranger disappeared. Then Ruzu and Shika stepped out from behind the cover of the carriage. The nobleman appeared before the boys and looked at them with a smile on his face.

„Was it he...?" thought the man.

Oneko wanted to go to the boy’s defense. The man noticed this; his eyes grew serious again and turned his attention to the attacking girl. At that moment all the magic was gone from Oneko body. She was shocked to feel this.

„What happened?" thought Oneko.

Without a Magow and stunned, she stopped between the children and the man. The unknown but certainly powerful man looked at the boys for a moment and then smiled again.

„Come on! Come on! There is no need to resort to violence immediately! „ the man said.

The nobleman disappeared again and teleported a few meters back.

„You are strong! The Magow tournament is about to start... Come and measure yourself! You have potential... „said the man and disappeared.

Oneko stepped up to her father and helped him up, but all the time the unknown words were in her head. When Harida got to him feet the children ran to him and hugged him. Oneko did not take her eyes off the huge, almost sky-high peak of the Kingdom palace. Her father noticed.

„Let's go! „ the man said.

„Where to?" asked Oneko.

„Do you know...

Then they rested for a short while and set off again. A day or maybe two later, they started to leave the forest and met more and more people. With every step they took they came closer to the Kingdom, and the sight of it amazed Ruzu and Shika. Among the people in their way, there were various vendors, or just plain onlookers. There was a carnival atmosphere. They saw more and more magicians, among whom there was a same age with Oneko. Shika noticed that the girl was excited and a little worried. The boy looked at Ruzu, who knew what Shika wanted. The two boys immediately ran to Oneko and took the girl hand. Oneko was very touched by this action of the children. From that moment on, the girl walked confidently again. The countless Magow users boasted of their magical abilities. But Oneko eyes were caught by the huge double-winged gate. On the side of the now paved road stood a huge building, obviously erected to house the animals. Harida started walking past the horse, herding the animal towards it. Oneko and the boys stopped and looked towards him.

„It's OK! Go ahead. I'll follow you soon! „Harida said.

The girl does not answer. She nodded and, still holding the children's hands, started walking again. As they got close to the gate she noticed that some kind of material was blocking the entrance, but a lady and a little girl passed by and simply stepped through. Oneko looked at the children and they too stepped through the barrier. They could not believe what they were seeing. From the outside, it was as if it was not the same Kingdom as the one they had just entered. On the other side of the gate was a huge circle, with people passing in and out of the Kingdom on either side. In the middle of the circle, a fountain enhanced the view. The three of them set off and were met by a bridge. The girl kept holding the boys hand, but she could not resist the temptation and stepped out onto the edge of the bridge, whose legs were huge stone statues, each holding the bridge on its shoulders. But it was the palace that really caught the eyes of the girl and the boys. Its summit reached almost to the sky, topped by a statue of a huge angel of a woman holding a spear to the sky. From the weapon, a force of visible magic was emanating upwards where golden rings of various sizes were slowly spinning, floating in one place. A woman in the armor typical of the Kingdom stood at the end of the bridge where she directed the people. Her armor covered almost her entire body and was decorated with blue ribbons. The helmet covering her head had an ornament resembling a rooster perch made of blue feathers.

„The Magow Knight Tournament arrivals on the left! Spectators to the right and take your seats in the Coliseum! „ said the woman.

Oneko looked worriedly at the boys as they were still very young. She did not want to leave them alone, but then Harida caught up with them.

„You can do it! „ the man said as he looked at his daughter.

The two boys hugged Oneko once more, and then,