Alex woke up to a persistent pounding sound reverberating in his skull.
“Cadet! Open the door—this instant!”
God above, he slept in!
Springing up from his bed, Alex stumbled across his dorm room in the dark towards his dresser, bit his lower lip to avoid cursing, grabbed a spare undershirt and boxers from his dresser drawer, threw them on as quick as he could, tripped on his rug, stubbed his toe on the leg of the dresser, actually cursed under his breath this time, flicked on the light switch, and opened the door in a cold sweat.
There, standing in the doorway, giggling at him, was Templar Sophia Ryder.
Her auburn hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, with long curtain bangs split down the middle of her forehead to frame her face perfectly. She was about eight inches taller than Alex, with her boots adding a couple of inches as well. Looking down at the panicked look on his face, her hazel eyes scrunched up as she tried to suppress her laughter by covering her mouth with one hand.
“Sophie, don’t scare me like that!” Alex said.
“I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist,” Sophie said through her fingers.
As a templar, a member of an elite special operations division within the paladins, Sophie’s uniform was quite unique, and Alex couldn’t help but marvel at it every time he saw her wearing it.
Paladins usually wore the standard-issue armor of greaves, gauntlets, shoulder guards, and helmets, along with chainmail-lined dark blue double-breasted jackets, black pants, and black leather boots. Templars like Sophie, however, had the privilege of wearing magitech armor, which was far less bulky.
Her uniform was an all-black catsuit with far lighter and more form-fitting versions of paladin armor—shin guards instead of greaves, plated gloves instead of gauntlets, a flexible chest plate, and so on. Instead of a helmet, her outfit had a chainmail-lined hood and a protective mask for the lower half of her face. She had several pockets and pouches with God knows what kinds of gadgets inside, along with a slightly curved sheath on her waist for her magitech scimitar shortsword.
Sophie preferred the shorter curved scimitar over the longsword other paladins wielded, she had said to Alex once. She said it was good for the close-quarters combat she preferred. Alex always thought it kind of looked like a claw.
Along with the badge on her left side of her chest—the yellow Almighty Sun of the paladins, except with the templar’s red cross in the center of it—Alex could see the telltale signs of magitech runic circuitry carved throughout each of her armor plates, which occasionally gave off a slight luminous cyan glow as she shifted and moved. The magitech was how she was able to be so well-protected with such light armor. He had seen her activate them in combat training before—large flat cyan holograms had erupted from the armor like miniature shields, specifically attuned to Sophie’s instincts and mental commands. He had no doubt that the presbyter who added the runes had also blessed the armor in the name of God as well.
Alex took one look at his own underclothes and said, “You probably need me to get dressed, huh?”
“Yup. Get moving—we’re grabbing breakfast before your meeting today.”
“Is that a direct order, Templar Ryder?” Alex asked in a mocking sing-song voice.
“Yes, Cadet Carpenter,” Sophie replied in an equally sarcastic tone. “As your superior officer, I must ensure you are meeting adequate nutritional requirements and caloric intake as part of your personal training regimen with me. Now get dressed already, you dork!”
Alex turned and smiled as he put on his cadet uniform. She was correct—Sophie was his superior officer, but she was also his friend.
Probably his only real friend at Abraxas Paladin Academy, to be honest. Maybe in the whole city of Abraxas.
Alex opened his closet and sheepishly took out his cadet paladin uniform. It was broadly similar to a standard paladin uniform, minus the armor. Like Sophie’s badge, his badge also had a yellow Almighty Sun, but with a red letter ‘C’ in the middle. It had his name inscribed in full underneath the logo—Cadet Alexander Carpenter.
He never particularly liked his full name. It sounded too big for someone like him, like the verbal equivalent of hand-me-down clothes. ‘Alex’ was a fine enough substitute, he supposed. Truth be told, he only really liked his nickname when Sophie said it. Hell, she could probably read the dictionary to him and he’d still be enthralled.
Once he had gotten his uniform on, Alex took a look in the mirror.
He frowned.
Disgusting. Weak.
Scrawny little stick.
“Why do you hang out with someone like me, Sophie?” he mumbled.
Sophie rolled her eyes and grabbed his shoulders, looking over his shoulder at both of their reflections.
“I’ve told you this a thousand times, Alex!” she said warmly. “It’s because you remind me of me, way back when I first enrolled in the APA.”
Sophie had originally been an adjunct instructor for Alex’s first class when he enrolled as a freshman at Abraxas Paladin Academy. She had already graduated and had been a paladin for a couple of years, and was recommended for additional training to join the templars. Effectively, they had both started different training programs on the same day.
“I didn’t become a templar overnight, you know!” Sophie continued, playfully punching him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, but you were top of your class by the end of your freshman year. I’m so close to graduating and yet I’m so behind on completing my courses … I mean, the only reason I’ve been able to keep pace with my athletics requirements and combat training is because I have you to train me personally! It’s pathetic! I’m pathetic!”
Alex was on the verge of tears.
Stupid crybaby. Just suck it up already.
“Remember what we said about beating yourself up? That’s my job!” she joked. When he didn’t laugh, she said more genuinely, “Hey, look—everyone moves at their own pace. God will always provide for those who seek His light.”
Alex closed his eyes. What Sophie said helped a little, but not much.
Noticing his mood hadn’t shifted, she turned Alex away from the mirror to face her, placing both hands on his shoulders. He had to crane his neck slightly to look up at her.
“I’ll tell you what I used to tell my sister Zoe,” she said. “She’s around your age, and when she was little, it would always cheer her up whenever she felt sad or mad about herself. I would say to her, ‘Little Sis, just remember—you don’t have to be the best. You just need to be the best you.’That’s it, really. That’s all we’re expected to do in this life.”
Her gaze turned away from Alex, as if she were talking more to herself than him.
“We all have … weaknesses to overcome. Obstacles we face in our lives, unique to each of us. Personal failings. Original sins.” She closed her eyes, shook her head, and looked back at Alex with a warm smile. “The light of the Lord shines brightest on those who purify themselves the most.”
Turning away and walking towards the door, Sophie said over her shoulder as she pulled up her hood and face mask, “Now, I’m starving, so let’s take a walk and grab breakfast already! I found a little hole-in-the-wall a couple of blocks away last week that I gotta show you!”
Following her out of his dorm room, Alex felt a little better. Talking with Sophie always helped, at least temporarily.
He couldn’t help but worry sometimes if there was more going on in her head than she was willing to tell him.
Ah, well. He didn’t want to rock the boat and ruin their friendship. He was grateful to begin with that she was extremely patient with his own turbulent emotions. She didn’t need someone like him bothering her, anyway.
He said a brief prayer to himself for her well-being as they stepped outside onto the grounds of Abraxas Paladin Academy.
The APA was an anachronistic anomaly within the city. It looked like a medieval citadel had been placed by God Himself right in the heart of downtown Abraxas. Stone walls enclosed a lush grassy green courtyard which had stone-tiled paths pointing in all four cardinal directions, leading east to the gated entrance, south to the dormitories, west to the administrative offices, and north to the classroom building respectively.
They cut diagonally across the grass, which was slightly wet with morning dew, and Alex shivered a little in the cool morning air. Below their feet, on the underground level accessible from any building on campus, was the library, gymnasium, armory, combat training center, and various other doors to which templars and instructors like Sophie had access but were forbidden to cadets like Alex.
In the center of the courtyard was the mighty stone Academy Cathedral. Alex always found it beautiful in its immensity. Sure, it was relatively small compared to the skyscrapers that surrounded the campus walls, but in his mind there was something about the complex architecture of the cathedral that communicated transcendent power and majesty far more effectively than the countless cold monoliths of this decadent and sinful city.
Each facet of the structure was delicately carved with holy reverence by long-passed artisans. Large fields of flora, prancing fauna, and statues of tireless farmers and shepherds adorned the outside of the structure. Its towering flying buttresses flanked the north and south sides of the church, with large circular stained glass rose windows on the east and west walls depicting the Almighty Sun, bursting with vibrant shades of yellow and surrounded by rainbow flecks of color. The large wooden double-doored entrance to the cathedral was below the east wall, meaning that during morning services the sun would shine its light through the stained glass window behind the churchgoers and onto the altar at the west end.
A fitting display of the Lord’s power over his flock. The God of the Harvest was their farmer, their shepherd, and their guiding light.
Instructors, presbyters, paladins, and other cadets passed by Alex and Sophie as they walked through the courtyard. Some conversed about scriptural interpretations, some were in a hurry, but all of them saluted or bowed when they saw Sophie. Alex parroted their response, and straightened up to display that he too was showing respect for the senior officer he was currently following towards the gates.
It was always jarring to see how different Sophie acted when she was among other paladins, versus how relaxed and friendly she seemed when it was just her and Alex. On the job she stiffened up like she was made of ice. Her expression was always stone. Her demeanor was entirely serious and focused. She was both a public servant and a servant of the Lord and the Supreme Church—one of the best and most faithful to carry out the Lord’s work in the whole city of Abraxas.
Strange that a worshipper of the Sun God could be so cold in her devotion. You would never be able to guess how warm-hearted and sweet she really was.
It was only when they left the campus and entered the busy anonymity of the crowded morning streets of the city that Alex saw Sophie’s shoulders relax as she exhaled and pulled down the hood and face mask of her uniform.
Abraxas. There’s no other city quite like it.
As one of the biggest megacities in the world, the bustling metropolis of Abraxas was where tens of millions of people call home. The most powerful mega-corporations and the poorest slums intermingled in cosmopolitan debauchery. Crime was rampant, committed by the rich and poor alike. Sin touches the hearts of all people, after all.
So what better city to be governed by one of the largest and most powerful branches of the Supreme Church, in a city where God’s light is needed most, where the towering spires of human excess cast the greatest shadows? What better academy to be trained in, to be a warrior of the Lord? Where else on earth is there such an all-encompassing lion’s den of sin compared to the wretched cesspool of filth that is Abraxas?
Although, truth be told, if Alex was being honest with himself … he actually liked living here.
In fact, half of the reason he was so excited to get accepted to the APA was that it meant moving to the city. With enough people in one place, he was bound to find someone who would enjoy his company.
And he was right, even if it was just one friend.
That friend, Sophie, guided Alex along the sidewalk towards the direction of the breakfast place she wanted to show him, describing along the way how cozy the interior was with its comfy couches scattered about, how to be careful because their coffee was always way too hot to drink at first, how they cooked their eggs with just the perfect amount of fluffiness, and so on.
The crowd parted around them as they walked, but with a distinct lack of respect compared to the people they saw inside of the academy walls. Office workers ignored them, unhoused people mocked them, and teenage hooligans roughly bumped their shoulders. A pair of construction workers getting ready for work even spat at their feet and cat-called Sophie. It was humiliating for Alex, but Sophie took it all in stride without a hint of annoyance on her face.
The hole-in-the-wall had been just as welcoming and delicious as Sophie had said it would be, and Alex was grateful to be the first person she wanted to show it to first. However, by the time they got back to the academy, Alex was still feeling unsettled.
“Why do people seem to hate us so much?” he asked as they made their way to the administrative building.
“No one calls up a paladin unless there’s a crime being committed,” Sophie replied, slightly muffled from her face mask, “so of course most people won’t be happy to see us. Paladins are here to purge the world of sin, to make way for God’s light. Much like good medicine isn’t always pleasant-feeling, healing from sin can be painful for the soul.”
Inside the stone building, the receptionist scanned Alex and Sophie’s ID cards and directed them to the elevator just down the hallway behind the desk. Next to the elevator doors they scanned their cards on a rune-engraved sensor, which pulsed cyan for a second. They entered the elevator once it opened, and as they began their descent into the lower levels of Abraxas Paladin Academy for their special meeting, Sophie nudged Alex’s shoulder with one elbow as she pulled down her hood and mask.
“Nervous?” she asked.
“What do you think?” Alex said.
“You’re gonna be fine. Besides, I’m here to back you up. The bishop has a … quite favorable opinion of my expertise.” Sophie grimaced slightly.
Puzzled but grateful, Alex smiled and said, “I appreciate it, Soph. I literally couldn’t have done this without you.”
She smiled back and replied, “Hey, I don’t recommend cadets for exclusive training missions unless I think they can handle it. You know more about the beastesses than any other cadet in the academy. You’re perfect for this job. Trust me, Alex—you’ve made more progress than you think.”
It’s true, Alex supposed. He was still nowhere near as good as Sophie or his classmates, but he had come a long way in his paladin training from where he started.
But was he good enough for this?
The elevator doors opened onto a long arch-shaped hallway with a wood paneled floor and a curved stone ceiling that seamlessly connected with the walls on either side. At regular intervals on both sides, niches were carved into the stone that housed wooden doors whose locks shimmered cyan as they walked by.
Alex felt like he was walking through catacombs.
They reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of a much larger wooden door, which has a glowing Almighty Sun carved into it and covered in gold leaf. Below the sun was a metal plaque which read: The Most Reverend Saul Ironside, Bishop of Abraxas Paladin Academy.
Alex gulped. Sophie gave him a wink and knocked in the center of the sun three times.
“Enter,” a booming voice commanded from behind the door.