Chapter 2

“Land sighted!” Came the call from the lookout perch. The sailors scrambled to the sides to get a view of their destination. Almost none of them had seen the famous Saint Malay, the Sandbox home to The Saviors. 

“Alright! Enough sight seeing! Back to your positions! Load the coal, I want us there within the hour!” The newly appointed Captain Chow shouted. It had been four days after the attack and losing their previous captain. The men rushed back to their previous tasks. The engineers loaded more coal into the burner and the ship lurched forward with the new fuel it got. One man still lingered at the railing, staring off at the horizon.

“Saint Malay huh? It sure looks nice.”

“Trust me, its better up close.”

Realt turned around and smiled as Tori walked up to him. She leaned against the railing and stared as well. Realt went back to his position.

“So, how long has it been since you were here?” Realt asked as he ducked to avoid a seagull.

“Since I was assigned my task it’s been almost two months.” Tori replied. Her voice was wispy as if she were recalling past memories. “I sure have missed this place.”

“So what’s it like?”

“The city is absolutely beautiful. Most of the people there are employed by The Saviors and they just built their homes and began living there. The best part is the forest we have. After it rains the trees are absolutely beautiful in the spring. The water drips from the trees falling to the forest floor carpeted with flowers. I go there whenever I need to think.”

“That sounds lovely, you’ll have to show me after I become a Savior.” Realt got up and began walking away. Tori also straighten up and followed him.

“You sure are confident. Aren’t you worried about the test at all?” 

“Well I figured if I have to do this to become a Savior, then I didn’t need to worry. After all I made a promise to become a Savior and I don’t break my promises.” Realt was moving his hands as he explained this and did not see the bucket. He stepped on the bucket and fell to the ground. He slid along the ground towards the railing. He reached out to grab a hold of the railing but ended up grabbing the anchor’s rope. He continued to fall towards the sea, but the anchor prevented him from falling in. He hung about four feet off the surface and tried to climb. But the rope had tied around his arm and he couldn’t climb. Tori leaned over the rail to look for him and gasped looking at the sea. Realt followed her gaze and saw a fin coming towards him parting the sand.

“Ahhh! A sand shark! Help me!” Realt began to panic and swung all over the place. As a result he bumped his head on the ship’s hull. His struggles stopped as he slipped unconscious. 

“Hold on!” Tori began to pull on the rope but she knew she wouldn’t be able to pull him up in time. She turned to a sailor who had come over. “You, help me pull him up!” Together they hoisted him up out of the reach of the sand shark. With the help of more sailors they were able to pull Realt back on the ship. Chow shook his head.

“That kids gonna kill himself one day. All right, shows over, back to your posts!” The men went back to their duties once more now that the commotion was over. Tori dragged Realt away from the railing and leaned him against the mast. She grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it on him. Realt jumped to his feet immediately and looked around.

“Where’s the sand shark! It didn’t get me!” He began patting himself looking for any sign that the sand shark got him. “I’m alive!” He then noticed Tori’s annoyed expression. “Oh, you saved me. Thanks. I thought I was a goner for sure.” Tara sighed.

“How’s your head?”

“My head?” As if in response to the question his head began throbbing. “Ow!” 

“You need to be more careful. That sand shark could have eaten you if the sailors and I hadn’t pulled you up.” She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Realt. Realt hung his head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see the bucket. I’ll be more careful next time.” There was a loud crash and a small box fell overboard. A sailor tried to catch it before it fell, but barely missed it and watched it fall into the sea.

“No! I got that toy specifically for my daughter. It was the one she wanted.” Realt looked over to the sailor. He began to run towards the man. Tori followed behind him.

“Realt! Don’t do it!" Realt ignored her and dived off the ship. Tori grabbed hold of the rail and looked over. Realt surfaced holding the box. He smiled and held it up, but then he went under. Tori waited for a few seconds but he did not resurface. 

“Realt!” She removed her cloak and dived in. She searched for him moving her hands in a circle pattern. She felt something and grabbed it. She swam to the surface of the sand and pulled Realt up. He coughed out sand and tried to wipe his eyes. Tori smacked him in the back of the head.

“Who dives off a ship when they can’t swim?” 

The sailor threw a rope out and Tori pushed Realt towards it. He grabbed it and began climbing. She followed after him. Once they were both back onboard the sailor pulled the rope up. Realt handed the small box to the sailor and smiled.

“You dropped this. Make sure you don’t drop it again.” The sailor took it and smiled.

“Thank you son. My daughter will appreciate what you did.” He went below decks to place the box in his room. Realt turned around and jumped back.

“Ahh! Tori, don’t scare me like that.” She continued to glare at him. 

“Why did you do that?”

“I couldn’t stand by and watch the cause of a little girls dreams being crushed. Besides, everything turned out alright.” Tori pointed to her clothes.

“These were my last clothes that are clean. Thanks to you I have to go into the base wet.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind. Besides your not that wet.”

“I’m completely covered in sand! And so are you!” She moved her hands along her clothes to indicate this. “Isaac will never let me live this down.”

“Isaac?”

“He is one of the Commanders. The strongest of The Saviors. There are five in total, but only two are currently at Saint Malay. The others are on missions. You’ll meet them eventually. We’ll dock in a ten minutes so go gather your belongings.”

Tori went below decks to retrieve her stuff from her room and Realt went to fetch his. He rolled his bed up and tied it to his shoulders. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulders. Last but not least he picked up his swords and carried them back upstairs. After a few minutes Tori emerged with her stuff. They sat in silence until the boat docked. Chow shouted orders at the sailors and they lowered the gangplank. 

“Here, let me get those for you.” Realt picked up Tori’s two bags. He tossed them over his shoulder alongside his bag. Tori smiled.

“Thank you. I’ll take you to the base. Follow me.”

Tori led him down the gangplank and down a street. There were a few people gathered to welcome them and they waved. Realt waved back with Tori though he didn’t know any of the people. Tori continued to lead him down the street and turned down another. They followed this street until it spilt into two different roads. They continued down the left one. Eventually the city ended and they were walking through a forest. 

“Is this the forest you mentioned earlier?”

“Yeah this is it. Beautiful isn’t it?”

She motioned to the endless flowers that dotted the ground and the trees. Even the shrubs had flowers.

“Absolutely. These are some beautiful species.” 

They continued walking in silence until they reached a small shack. As they approached it a man stepped out. He was wearing full armor so Realt couldn’t tell what the man looked like.

“Welcome back Savior. Who is this?” He pointed towards Realt, his hand on his blade.

“He is a possible candidate. I’m taking him to the base to take the test.”

“Very well. Continue.” He stepped to the side to allow them to pass, but kept his hand on his blade. Realt gave the man a wide berth as he passed him. The man continued to watch them as they continued.

“Nice security.”

“Tell me about it. It gets aggravating sometimes but its necessary.”

About a half hour later they arrived to a castle. The gate was already opened and a man leaned against the wall waiting for them. His spiky black hair was combed to the side. He wore a black jacket exposing the top of his chest. It was decorated with bright silver, the sunlight that glinted off blinded Realt for a second until he moved out of its path. His gray pants covered his bright red boots. On his back were two large swords. But what caught Realt’s attention was his face. He couldn’t have much older than Realt was, yet his coal eyes held wisdom that comes with age. 

He pushed off the wall and walked towards them with his arms spread wide.

“Tori, I thought you’d be home today. Its good to see you.” He continued to walk appearing to embrace her in a hug but stopped once he saw her clothes. “Go for a swim did we?” He then turned his attention to Realt. “Got a newbie do we? How interesting.”

Tori sighed. “Realt, this is Isaac.” She pointed to the man. Realt held out his hand.

“I’m Realt Wallen, nice to meet you.”

“That’s not how we do it here.” He embraced Realt in a hug lifted him in the air. He set him down and released him. “The names Isaac Redcliff, Commander of the Saviors. Well one of them anyway. Welcome to the Saviors.” He brushed sand off his clothes and bowed. He then held his hand to Tori. She snorted and continued walking.

He accompanied them as they entered the castle. Isaac took their stuff and nodded them towards a hall.

“I’ll take your stuff to your rooms. Take him to get his test done. See you later sweetheart.” He walked down a separate hall. Tori motioned for Realt to follow her and walked down the hall Isaac had nodded to.

“So that’s a Commander. He seemed nice enough.” Tori snorted.

“That’s what I thought when I first joined. I later realized who he truly was. A womanizing smart a*s.”

“I don’t know, he seemed pretty nice to me.”

“Give it time. He’ll show his true self.” 

She turned down a hallway and stopped causing Realt to bump into her.

“Sorry. I didn’t see you stop.” She sighed.

“Great. Just who I didn’t want to see.” 

Realt stepped to the side to see what she was talking about. A man was hanging from the ceiling by two chains wrapped around his arms. His golden hair stuck out wildly all over the place. He wore a skintight green and gray wetsuit and no shoes. He had peculiar blue markings across his face that seemed to amplify his amber eyes.

“Who’s that?”

“Kai Lion. Another Commander. Lets go.” She sighed and continued onwards. Realt hesitated before following her. Kai’s face seemed to explode with happiness when he spotted them. He dropped from the ceiling and sprinted towards them. After he closed about half the distance he did a summersault that brought right in front of them. He grabbed them both and pressed them to his chest in a massive hug.

“Welcome back little bird. You didn’t get hurt on while away from the nest.” 

Tori attempted to reply but his chest muffled her response. He released them and inspected Realt.

“Is this little bird a candidate? My is he cute.”

“Yes, I’m taking him to take the test. So perhaps we can talk later.”

Kai looked back and forth between them for a while. His smile got even wider.

“You two will make a great couple.”

Tori’s cheeks flashed red and she pushed past Kai, dragging Realt by his hand.

“Don’t be absurd Kai. Come on Realt.”

Kai flashed a thumbs up at Realt before his chains shot up and embedded themselves in the ceiling. He began to swing forward shooting his chains into the ceiling repeatedly. They eventually arrived at a white door. In the middle of the door was a large black S. Tori knocked on the door and pushed Realt forward.

“Go on in. The council will direct you further.” She turned to walk away but Realt grabbed her hand. She turned back to him.

“What do I do when I pass?”

“If you pass then come and find me in lounge.”

“Alright. Then I’ll see you then.” He flashed a grin.

“I’ll be waiting then.” She returned his grin and walked back down the hall.

Realt took a deep breath before opening the door and entering the room. He shut the door behind him and was immediately wrapped in the pitch black darkness of the room. 

“Hello?” He called out into the darkness.

“Welcome Realt Wallen. Prepare to take the test.” Multiply voices answered in return. He couldn’t be sure as to where the voices were coming from but it seemed like it came from above him. 

As he prepared to respond, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees gripping his head. The pain began to intensify spreading from his head to his entire body. He collapsed on the floor screaming in pain. Realt clinched his teeth and gripped the floor. He pushed himself up onto one knee. As he rose to his feet, the pain increased, burning his entire body. He let out another scream of pain and fell to back to the ground. The more he fought the pain, the more it hurt. The pain eventually became so great that he couldn’t move at all. He slowly began to lose consciousness and slipped into darkness.

He awoke in a white room. He was strapped to a table. As he tried to break free of the restraints the pain returned. He screamed once more in agony and fell back to the table. As he lay there panting from exhaustion, a voice boomed.

“Realt Wallen, through the door in front of you is everyone you have ever met in your life. In ten seconds the room will be filled with poisonous gas. If you can break free of your restraints and open the door, then they will be saved. If you do so, then you shall die. Let them perish and you shall live. Make your choice. Begin!”

“What! No! Stop!”

Realt tried to break free and the pain returned. He clinched his teeth and pushed with all his might. The pain continued to increase the harder he pushed himself. He screamed in pain and fell back to the table.

“Stop this! They did nothing wrong!”

“Five seconds have passed.”

“Stop!”

He screamed in fury and pushed with all his might against the restraints. The pain burned his body from head to toe but he continued to push. He screamed in agony as the restraints ripped. He fell from the table and stumbled to the door. He slammed into the door and grabbed the handle. He ripped the door open.

“Get out!” He fell to the floor and crawled on his stomach into the room. “Quick, get out!” He lifted his head and looked into the empty room. No one was there.

“Very good. You are willing to sacrifice your life on the line to protect what matters to you. You have passed.”

The white room faded and he was back in the dark room. The pain faded from his body completely and he slowly stood up.

“Congratulations Realt Wallen. You have passed the test. You are now a Savior. Serve us and protect what you believe in.”

The door opened and Realt bowed.

“Thank you. I will do my best.”

He turned around and walked out the door. He continued to walk down the hall and came to room. Several halls connected to the room. Realt looked back and forth between the halls. He decided to the one on the furthest left. He followed that hall and turned right when it split off. He followed that hall until it opened into a room. The same room that he had just been in. He went through another hall and about five minutes later he arrived back in the same room. He went through another hall and followed it.

About an hour later he was still in the same room. He slumped against the wall and put his head between his knees.

“How do I get out of this place?” He asked aloud to the empty room. “Every hall leads back to the same place.”

“That’s because you went the wrong way my little bird.” Kai’s face popped in front of Realt. He jumped back and let out a cry of surprise. He looked up and saw the chains that Kai wore allowing him to hang upside down from the ceiling.

“But I tried every single path. Not one of them worked.”

“Me thinks you took a wrong turn somewhere or another. Don’t worry, Papa Bird will take you home.” 

Kai dropped to the ground and grabbed Realt. He took off down one of the halls Realt had taken it earlier. He continued to run down it, ignoring the split offs. He did so four about five minutes until the arrived to a four way spilt. He took the left path and ran down that one. As they came around the corner they barged through a group of men quietly discussing something. Cries of protest and angry came from behind them as Kai continued to run. He took a right at the next split and followed that one until it split off once more. He then took another right, which led them down a long hall. At the end of the hall they arrived to a door. Kai skidded to a stop in front of the door and placed Realt on his feet.

“And there we go, please allow Papa Bird to take you to the nest.” He opened the door and bowed, motioning Realt to enter. Realt thanked him and entered the “nest”. Inside were several people relaxing on couches and chairs. Many sat together in groups while others sat apart. He looked around and spotted Tori. He waved to her and began to make his way over. 

“May I sit down?” He asked her.

“Of course.” She patted the seat next to her and Realt sat down. 

“So how was your test? "Everything alright?” She asked sounded concerned.

“It was . . . interesting. But this place is large; I got lost on my way here.”

“So that’s why it took so long to get here. Anyway how do you feel?”

As Realt prepared to reply Isaac sat down on the couch across from them. Accompanying him was a pretty blond woman. Both her shirt and pants were made out of some animal fur. Her eyes glittered with happiness, as she looked Isaac. 

“Hey there’s the new guy. Didn’t think you’d make it, you were screaming pretty hard.”

“Wait, you guys could hear that?”

“Well yeah, it’s always like this. Everyone screams just some more so than others. You did pretty well. Only about twenty minutes I’d say. Wouldn’t you agree Tori?” He turned to Tori.

“Sure, whatever.” She looked down at her hands as she placed them in her lap. Isaac smiled at Realt. His smile faded and he smacked himself in the face. He turned to the woman his arm was wrapped around.

“How could I forget? Realt this is Juliet, my reason to exist.” Juliet held out her hand to Realt and he took it. 

“Nice to meet you.” She said as she shook his hand.

“Likewise.” He replied releasing her hand. 

“So you guys ready?”

“Ready for what?” Realt asked confused.

“You mean Tori didn’t tell you? Tsk Tsk Tori, I expected better of you.” He shook his head from side to side to emphasize his words.

“I was about to when you barged in.” She turned to Realt. “We are to report to Marcus to receive our instructions. Most likely it will be a mission.”

“Your first mission eh? That one always sticks with you. After all it decides whether you live or die.” He smiled and burst out laughing. “Nah I’m just screwing with you. You’ll be fine; you don’t look like the dying type. Alright honey come on; let’s leave these two to themselves.” Isaac and Juliet got up and walked out of the lounge. Tori sighed.

“Amazing what she sees in him. I’m surprised they’ve lasted this long. Isaac usually dumps them after about a week and it’s been two months.”

“Well, I’m sure he possesses traits certain women find attractive. He is pretty good-looking and funny. He seems to a good attitude.”

Tori stared in disbelief at Realt. “You mean you actually like him?”

“Well yeah, I don’t see why you dislike him.”

“Trust me, after two years of him constantly hitting on me gave birth to those feelings. Anyway let’s go see Marcus.” She rose to her feet followed by Realt. As they exited the lounge, Kai smiled and waved to Realt. He returned the wave and Kai jumped to his feet shouting in joy.

“So yeah, what’s the story behind Kai?”

“Well he was in an asylum until the Saviors discovered him. So he is pretty much crazy.”

“Oh. I see.”

They continued walking for about five minutes until they arrived at an open door. Tori knocked the doorframe and a voice told them to enter. A dark skinned man directed them to sit in chairs across from his desk.

“Tori, Realt.” He nodded to each in turn. “I believe you know why you’re here.”

“Another mission right?”

“Correct. We’ve had reports of an unbelievably strong swordsman has taken residence in Dusk Port. I sent one Savior already but he has failed to respond. This was two days ago. I’m worried that something has happened to him and I want you two to investigate. We don’t know if this man is just a lone Sandman or if he is part of the Black Roses. Exercise extreme caution when searching for him. "Any questions?” Realt raised his hand.

“What are the Black Roses? Tori mentioned them earlier.”

“The Black Roses are a group of terrorists that wish to stop The Saviors. We don’t know their location or their exact strength. The only thing we know for sure is that they wish to kill each and every one of us. They have a radical idea that the meteor descending to wipe out human life. But since it didn’t they believe that it is their mission to do it. They will stop at nothing to uncover the meteor. Though I’m sure they are unaware of its location, we have to stop them before they find it.”

“Oh. Wow, that’s not good. Well I guess I’m ready when you are Tori.”

“Don’t be absurd. Tori just returned today and you endured the test. I want you two to rest for the night. Set off tomorrow morning. Tori can show you to your room.” He motioned for them to leave and pulled a book out of a drawer in his desk. Tori and Realt got to their feet and left his office. She showed him to his room. 

“My room is four doors down. If you need anything don’t be afraid to ask.” She turned to leave but stopped. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Realt. “It’s a map. So you don’t get lost.”

“Thanks you Tori. Good night.” Realt entered his room. 

Realt looked around his room. Inside were a bed, a chest, and a dresser with several drawers. His stuff was placed on top of the dresser. He took his shirt and coat off and folded them and then placed them on the chest. He climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over his body. He put his hands behind his head and began to sing his lullaby. He smiled.

“Now I’m a Savior. I look forward to the day we meet brother.”

He continued to sing his lullaby until he drifted off to sleep.