บท 6: CHAPTER 5: PRELUDE TO THE BEGINNING
CHAPTER 5: PRELUDE TO THE BEGINNING
After Raygaard revealed his true strength to Gilgamesh, the Galagan Army began to see him in a new light. They revered him and feared him. There was something in Raygaard's eyes that reminded them of the Galagan King, Sword Master Abaddon. Since then, Gilgamesh had taken over the role of training Raygaard. For six whole months, Raygaard was so busy with training that he hardly had time to visit his friends. He had begun to respect his father a little bit and he began to feel happier knowing that his father was beginning to acknowledge him.
One day, after rigorous training, Raygaard and Gilgamesh sat together in the castle courtyard. Raygaard sighed deeply. Gilgamesh tossed him an apple. Raygaard caught it and stared at his father.
"Thanks father" Raygaard said gratefully.
Gilgamesh nodded.
"Raygaard, you've completed your basic training. You've mastered your sword but as it is now, your sword remains merely a sword. It will not become a Sekan until you bond with an Amooma" Gilgamesh said.
"I thought Sekan were supposed to be found" Raygaard said.
"No, Sekan are not found. They dwell within you. It's like a spiritual blade. Only by bonding with an Amooma can that spiritual blade be manifested through your physical weapon" Gilgamesh explained.
"I see" Raygaard muttered.
"I want you to search for your Amooma" Gilgamesh said.
"Wha…? Really?! Are you serious?!" Raygaard exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, you and your friends are going to become the next generation of Diibagura" Gilgamesh said.
"How did you know about my friends?" Raygaard asked suspiciously.
"Surely you didn't think you could possibly outwit me in hide and seek did you?" Gilgamesh glared at Raygaard.
"Haha, he always knew? And I thought I was the best" Raygaard looked depressed.
"You know the greatest virtue of a Diibagura don't you?" Gilgamesh asked Raygaard.
"Of course father, a Diibagura's most sacred duty is to protect and obey their king. I'm guessing that's you" Raygaard said.
To his surprise, Gilgamesh began to laugh.
"You've really become strong these past few months or maybe I'm just realizing it but…I'm proud of you Raygaard" Gilgamesh said.
Raygaard couldn't believe his ears. To make sure he wasn't dreaming, he actually punched himself.
"What are you doing?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Making sure I'm not dreaming" Raygaard muttered.
"You haven't seen your friends in a while. I think you should go and see them. Tell them this, the ceremonial contest to choose the next line of Diibaguras starts a month from now. During this period, they should prepare themselves. Hundreds may be chosen to seek the Amooma but only a handful will become Diibagura. Amongst the handful, the most worthy fighter will become the Diibagura Warrior Chief. I'm hoping that person will be you Raygaard" Gilgamesh said.
"Wow! A Diibagura Chief! I'll definitely become that Diibagura Chief Dad!" Raygaard promised.
Gilgamesh nodded and left the scene.
Raygaard wasted no time in informing June and Wedam. He found them in the Morticon Clan's Cavern.
"That sounds promising" June said.
Wedam agreed.
"I guess that gives us time to round off our training" he said.
"Raygaard, how about a duel?" Wedam challenged.
"Now?" Raygaard asked.
"In thirty years…OF COURSE I MEAN NOW SILLY!" Wedam roared.
"You haven't changed one bit. Still as obnoxious as always" Raygaard teased.
"And you're still always trying to avoid confrontations!" Wedam complained.
"What have you two been doing for the past six months?" Raygaard asked.
"What else?! We've been training! Every single day!" June roared.
"You two are definitely made for each other" Raygaard muttered.
After much debating, Wedam finally convinced Raygaard to duel him. As expected, both boys had been training for the past six months and had grown immensely stronger. They fought for hours with no clear winner so they decided to call it a draw.
"You've gotten much better" Raygaard panted.
"I didn't really expect you to be able to stand against the power of my awakened form. You're pretty strong yourself Ray" Wedam praised his rival.
"That was a good show. You guys seem to have mastered the basics of Endreginian combat" June said without much excitement.
"Just the basics?" Raygaard seemed irritated by June's lack of enthusiasm.
"There are four things to master in Endreginian Combat. Fighting is the most basic. Awakening your soul is the second. Next is bonding with an Amooma and the last is mastering use of your Sekan. Wedam and I are at level two. You're still stuck at level one" June said.
"Really? And which level is being able to reverse an awakening?" Raygaard asked.
"That's for the elite class of Endreginians…I think. Actually…is there such a thing? I've never heard of it" June asked.
She seemed embarrassed asking this question considering the fact that she prided herself in being well versed with all forms of Endreginian Combat.
"I think so. Raygaard once used it on me. I've tried to use it myself by copying everything he does when he uses it but…it's really tough. I just can't do it. How is it done Raygaard?" Wedam asked.
"Actually…I don't know. I just turn my hand like I'm locking a hatch and it just…happens" Raygaard said.
"Well I can't say I'm shocked considering the fact that you're descended from Sword Master Abaddon" June said, then she realized her mistake for Raygaard looked absolutely depressed.
"Did you really have to bring that up?" he muttered in disgust.
"Oops, I'm sorry. I didn't really think…" June was saying when…
"Just thinking that…his blood runs through my veins makes me sick to the stomach!" Raygaard roared.
June and Wedam had never seen him look so serious. It actually scared them.
"Calm down Ray" Wedam pleaded.
"I never want to hear that monster's name in any of our conversations! Especially anything that connects him to me! Ever!" Raygaard roared and stormed out of the Cavern.
"I guess I touched on a sensitive topic" June seemed uncomfortable.
"Whether he likes it or not, he'll have to accept that part of himself one day" Wedam said seriously.
A week after, Gilgamesh made a public declaration. The news spread throughout Endregen that the ceremonial contest to select the next generation of Diibaguras would begin a month from now. Soon, warriors from all over Endregen began to gather in Helios to prepare for the big event. Helios became a very lively place, hosting all sorts of mock competitions. Raygaard, Wedam and June spent all their time honing their skills. Half of Raygaard's days were spent training with Gilgamesh. The other half was spent duelling June and Wedam. Raygaard always defeated Wedam without fail but he couldn't bring himself to fight June with full strength and was defeated every time without fail. Anytime Wedam and June duelled, it always ended in a deadly stalemate. Wedam's strength was unrivalled, June's agility was unrivalled but Raygaard felt like he didn't excel in anything but swordsmanship. What irritated him even more was that June had begun to fight him barehanded and still without fail, Raygaard always lost.
On the sacred day of Raelyungaard, the day in which Sword Master Abaddon was defeated and banished to the depths of Hell, the contest began. The preliminaries were to eliminate at least half of the warriors and this was to be decided by a race through the Diabolic Valley which was North of Helios. The valley was called Diabolic because jagged rocks ran across it. The rocks were so sharp and filled with iron ores that they could kill one easily if you were foolish enough to pass through that valley. When the race began, it was more like a stampede. June had the time of her life running along the walls of the valley and swinging through the jagged rocks. Wedam wasted no time in awakening. He smashed right through the rocks. Raygaard's swordsmanship had improved so much that he could slice through solid rock without dirtying his blade. On top of that, his speed was unrivalled and he was already hot on June's tail. Wedam's awakened form also granted him the agility of a gorilla so he was soon hot on Raygaard's tail. Many of the warriors had to drop out of the race due to injuries caused by the jagged rocks. By midday, Raygaard, June and Wedam were far ahead of the others.
"I won't lose to you in a race June!" Raygaard declared.
"I won't lose to you Ray!" Wedam's voice sounded from behind them.
"Try catching up to the speed of a Leoness X!" June challenged them as she suddenly awakened.
Her form became slender and feline. She grew whiskers and lion ears. Her hair became wilder and longer like the lion's mane. Those weren't the only things that changed. In a flash, June disappeared from their sight!
"Heh! I've been losing to you in combat! Don't think I'll lose to you in a race!" Raygaard laughed and disappeared from Wedam's sight.
"Jeez! You guys are just too much! I'll do my best too!" Wedam declared as he increased his speed.
June was racing towards the finish line when a shadow of wind suddenly flashed past her.
"What was that?" she wondered and increased her speed.
She had to leap from wall to wall when she came to the sharp curves and soon she saw the finish line before her. As she neared it, she heard loud cheering. Everyone from Helios was watching the race from the top of the Valley and many more were positioned around the finish line which led into a wide field. June put in her greatest effort and dashed right through the finish line and into the field.
"I made it! I'm first!" she exclaimed happily.
"Who are you talking about? Do you know how long I've been waiting?" a familiar voice asked.
She looked to her side and saw Raygaard munching an apple and lying leisurely in the grass.
"Eh?! What?! How did you…?! I left you behind!" June roared in disbelief.
"Are you dumb? Didn't you feel a thing when I passed you by?" Raygaard asked.
"S-So that gust of wind was you? How can that be? You're even faster…way faster than my awakened form!" June exclaimed.
"Well, I'm a third human, Endreginian and Galagan, that's the best of three worlds! I'm sorry I scolded you guys back then when you mentioned Abaddon" Raygaard apologized.
"Well it's about time you apologized Ray! It took a whole damn week!" Wedam's voice sounded from behind them.
"Huh?! W-Wedam? When did you make it past the finish line?" June asked.
"I was right on your tail June! Nothing more agile than a monkey!" Wedam laughed.
"As expected, the son of King Gilgamesh, the son of the exiled renegade Raeioun Morticon and the daughter of Gilgamesh's greatest general Leo Blackthorne have all made it across the finish line as the top three contenders! What else do they have to offer?! The next test is a test of strength in the great Galagan War Games?! This will take place tomorrow and it will determine which fighters will advance to the main event of this contest, the three year quest for the legendary Earthbound Amooma!" the excited commentator declared.
"To think we are in the lead! Let's all excel and make it to the main event!" Wedam suggested.
"Definitely, it's a promise! We'll definitely make it to the top and one of us will become the next Diibagura Warrior Chief!" Raygaard declared.
"Let's look forward to that. Besides, it looks like you guys are the only challenge" June sighed and dropped to the ground.
As it turned out, of all the thousand fighters that entered the Diibagura Ceremonial Selection Contest, only three hundred completed the first round. The next challenge would start the following day
At sunset, Raygaard left the castle. Ever since he had earned Gilgamesh's approval, he no longer had to sneak out of the castle. As he left the castle, the Galagan bowed before him on either side. Raygaard left the castle majestically and soon, he was walking through Helios. People stared at him with admiration in their eyes. The girls of Helios wished he would pay attention to them and most of them rushed out to meet him in hopes of getting autographs. Raygaard actually had to run to escape all the attention. He managed to make it to Ryanne's Hospital. This time, even the receptionist received him nicely. Soon, he sat with Ryanne in the consulting room.
"I heard you really owned the contest. You've grown really strong Raygaard" Ryanne praised him.
"Heard? You mean…" Raygaard said as disappointment began to fill his heart.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Y-You didn't come to watch me? And I really tried my best because I thought…I thought you were watching! You don't care about me anymore!" Raygaard roared in anger.
"That's not true Raygaard. I do care about you" Ryanne said.
"Then why didn't you come?" Raygaard asked.
"It's because I didn't want to watch you get hurt Raygaard. You know how much I was against the idea of you racing through that valley and…you're so reckless but that doesn't mean I don't care about you Raygaard and I'm really proud of you and glad that you made it out of there without a scratch" Ryanne said.
"But…that doesn't explain why I don't see you around lately" Raygaard said.
"You've been busy with training and your father didn't want me distracting you. To top it off, I've been really busy with treating patients since there have been a lot of fights these past six months. To make it up to you, what would you like to do this evening?" Ryanne asked.
"You mean I get to choose?" Raygaard asked.
Ryanne nodded.
"Anything?" Raygaard asked.
"As long as it doesn't make your father angry" Ryanne quickly added.
"Okay, here goes…" Raygaard said as he whispered some words into Ryanne's ears.
"Wow, that's kinda unexpected and it will make your Dad angry" Ryanne said.
"I know but if he asks just say it was my idea" Raygaard said.
"Then let's risk it" Ryanne said with a smile.
An hour later, Raygaard and Ryanne sat in a theatre. A play was going to be acted that night by a tribe of nomad actors. According to the posters, it was going to be about the great battle between Wizard Alpheon, his companions and the evil Galagan Army Of Sword Master Abaddon. Shockingly enough, Wedam had invited June to watch the movie with him so the four of them met inside.
"To think we'd meet each other twice in the same day" June said.
"Ray, you do realize that this play ends with the defeat of Sword Master Abaddon right?" Wedam asked.
"Yep, I do. In fact, that's what I'm looking forward to the most!" Raygaard declared happily.
"And your Dad is aware you're watching this play?" June asked.
"Nope, he's actually been in a good mood lately. I'd like to see his reaction when he finds out" Raygaard laughed.
"And who is this Ray? You didn't tell me you have a girlfriend and she's much older than you are!" Wedam growled jealously.
June slammed her fist on his head.
Ryanne laughed.
"You're wrong. This is my big sis, Ryanne. You remember her don't you Wedam?" Raygaard asked.
Wedam stared at Ryanne closely.
"Yeah, of course, she's Miss Mo…" Wedam was about to say when Raygaard leapt on him and covered his mouth.
"Sh! Don't say that in front of her!" Raygaard warned Wedam.
"You guys settle down! The play is about to begin!" June ordered.
The play began soon enough with a long narration. The actors played their parts well and ended up infusing the play with melodramatic romance. By the time it ended, June and Ryanne were in tears especially when Arthur became King and named the love of his life Guinnevere as Queen. June was so touched that she actually sought solace in Wedam's arms. Wedam was the happiest guy that day and he didn't even have to do anything. The height of Raygaard's jealousy was boundless. He couldn't help wishing he had someone to love him the way June seemed to love Wedam.
When the play ended, the friends said their final goodbyes and parted.
"That was really nice wasn't it Raygaard?" Ryanne asked as they walked towards the castle.
"Yes, it was beautiful. Hey Ryanne, I want to ask you something" Raygaard said.
"What is it Raygaard?" Ryanne asked.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Raygaard asked.
Ryanne seemed embarrassed by this question.
"A…A boy-boyfriend? Wh-Why would you ask such a question?" Ryanne struggled with her words.
"You're really beautiful, kind and strong. I'm sure you must have some suitors" Raygaard said.
"I don't know about that. I don't have a boyfriend. What about you Raygaard?" Ryanne asked.
"Heh! All the girls in Endregen love me! A guy like me has to hide from all the popularity ya know?" Raygaard joked.
Ryanne laughed.
"But I am envious of Wedam. I can clearly see that June loves him and she tries so hard to act normal in his presence it's actually funny to watch. Sometimes I wish I had someone like that but hey…I'm too young to be thinking of girls. My Dad would flip if he knew I was thinking of romance at my age" Raygaard said.
"I can imagine the look on his face… 'What in the name of Abaddon are you babbling about Raygaard?! Don't tell me you have been infected with infectious human emotions!' He'd probably say something like that" Ryanne imitated Gilgamesh's voice.
"Hahaha! You imitate him pretty well Ryanne!" Raygaard laughed.
Soon they reached the castle.
"Thinking about it now, I guess I should apologize to you Ryanne. I could have made time to see you. I'm sorry" Raygaard apologized.
"Don't worry Ray, goodnight" Ryanne waved.
"Goodnight Ryanne, sweet dreams" Raygaard waved back and ascended the stairs leading to his room.
He hadn't realized then that Gilgamesh had been watching he and Ryanne through the window.
"She seems to be your weakness Raygaard. I will have to deal with that soon enough. To fulfil my plans, I need you to be heartless" Gilgamesh thought.
Raygaard met Gilgamesh in front of his room.
"Are you prepared for your challenge tomorrow? Don't disappoint me Raygaard" Gilgamesh said emotionlessly.
"I will not fail you father" Raygaard said as he entered his room and shut the door.
He knew better than to start a direct conversation with Gilgamesh. He lay on his bed and thought about the day's events. Then he shut his eyes and fell asleep.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง