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The First Phase: A "Newcomer's" Perspective

I wake up alone, in the darkness in some sort of wooden box. I check my surroundings as my eyes slowly adjust to the lack of light...I'm in a CARRIAGE! I jump in shock and hear the clang of metal. I look down at myself: finding my usual black-furred arms and blue-furred chest and tail, but covered in cobalt blue heavy armor. Some sort of stamp resembling an eclipsing sun covers my chest plate. I feel strange and I barely remember my own name: Aeneas. But wasn't I back at my house in the suburbs a few moments ago? "What the heck happened to me?" I shake my head still looking at the intricate armor that I'm wearing, "Wasn't my girlfriend Sophie with me when I fell asleep?"

"Aeneas? Are you awake, sir?" I hear an unfamiliar voice knock on the door, then proceed to open it, the light of noon searing my eyes.

Instinctively, I draw my favorite knife. (Weird, how did I know that?). A cute leopard faces me, scared out of her mind, "I'm sorry, don't kill me master! We thought you were dead."

"Master?" I wonder. "Sorry, master, I'd almost forgotten your full title: Assassin of the Darkness," the leopard who looks shockingly like my friend Lisa apologizes.

I stand baffled, "Uhh...don't call me that Lisa, call me Aeneas."

She looks at me perplexed, "Lisa, sir?...I mean Aeneas? I'm just your servant and I was never given a name. Are you alright?".

"I'm fine," I declare, "But why are you my servant?"

"Well, you saved my life from an attacking lion once and I pledged my allegiance to you," she recalls gratefully.

"When did we first meet?"

"We've known each other since we were both cubs. Are you sure you're alright, master? You've been sleeping for months," she raises an eyebrow.

"I have no clue where I am right now, but I feel like a horrible person for having a servant. You can go free, if you'd like," I propose.

"Really?" she starts crying, "I've never been free before, even when I was with my parents!"

"Yeah, you can go. Unless you want to work for me, for pay of course. I guess you could hang out at this camp while you think about it, but get used to me calling you Elizabeth, because I want you to have your own name," I smile, checking out the camp that probably houses a force of maybe a thousand souls in a sylvan landscape.

She jumps in excitement, "Great! Umm...what is 'hang out'?"

Giving myself a slap on the face as if it would wake me from this peculiar dream, I walk outside into the bright sun and see a large camp of troops sharpening blades and restringing bows. Everyone bows as I pass and I don't understand why. The leopard told me that people thought I was dead, so that might be the reason. Elizabeth taps me, "The general wanted to see you in the large white tent over there when you woke up". I answer with a nod, running over to the tent as best I can in such heavy armor. It seems like everyone in the camp is a wolf, a panther, or a leopard...I wonder why?

At the entrance, the guard wolf in light armor addresses me, "Good to see you up and about again, Master Assassin. Please proceed".

"Shouldn't I leave my weapons out of respect, praetorian?"

He smiles, "It's fine, Master Assassin. No one would dare question your loyalty toward the general. After willingly offering to surrender your weapons right now, I have no doubts."

I nod respectfully as I dodge into the tent, finding a fully armored white-furred wolf with brown hair: Sophie? Confused, I salute, "General."

She signals to relax, "Aeneas, after all this time, you don't have to salute me. Just call me Themis, my friend. Thank the Heavens that you yet live". Themis...Titan of divine law and prophecy. Damn, why is it that everyone seems like someone else to me! Even her name is similar to Sophia's. (A name meaning wisdom in Greek is similar to meaning law, but Sophie now feels like a lost memory to me. Almost as if she never existed).

"Well, Themis, what did you want me here for?"

The strong-voiced wolf uncharacteristically blushes, "Aeneas, remember you're the only one I've ever trusted with my 'problem' at birth. While you were away, I started questioning myself again...am I still female if I act male? I feel strange and I think that I'm a liability to the army. If I'm unsure about my own gender, how would I be sure about the real decisions I make? I hold the lives of thousands in my hands...I can't act like this."

Okay, this is just getting too weird: she looks like Sophie, but her voice and personality is completely different. "Themis, since you're the general of this army, I don't think anyone would ever question you about being female. And if they did say something negative, I'd really need to restrain myself from killing them," I declare, not sure where that emotion came from.

"Thanks, Aeneas. I appreciate it. I'm glad you're not mad about us...well, not seeing each other any further. I still consider you my equal."

Hoping that the date is in the 11th Century and this is just some sort of strange dream, I mutter to myself, "Equal in a thousand years, maybe."

"Aeneas!" she calls for me as I turn away, "I still love you!"

I struggle to reciprocate, but I manage, "I love you too, my general" and walk away. Is this a memory or an entirely new world? It seems too vivid to be of my imagination and there's something about this situation that tells me it's not an illusion.

The former servant leopard stands next to me as I stare into the distance of high mountains and rolling hills, "Need something, sir?"

"Elizabeth, are there any books about me?"

"Books, sir?" she asks, not understanding the request.

"Tomes, manuscripts, scrolls...something like that?"

She grows excited, "Yes, sir! Libraries worth! Come with me!". I laugh at her newly-found enthusiasm as she leads me to a tent filled with books and points to a wall, "That's all about you, Aeneas. You are quite the interesting person. I've read about half of them all by myself, even if I only like the ones with drawings." Honestly amazed, I take a book and start reading: it'll take a while to learn everything about myself...

---

Twenty hours later:

Well I'm definitely an assassin, and a darn good one at that. I'm nineteen in this world and related to whoever founded these lands in the world of Novaterrum Arcanum. I'm actually fifth in the line of succession according to one source...although it doesn't seem likely that I will ever be a leader. (How do I know these random facts without knowing anything else?). According to a biography, by focusing my energies, I can cloak myself in darkness and harness the power of light to blind my foes. According to one account, I can even teleport short ranges!

I'm the youngest of the three known master assassins: I am of darkness and light, there is a jackal in the east of the arcane wood, an equine in the west of who mastered the hidden fire, and there is supposed to be an unknown assassin who mirrors my powers (a bit nervous about that) somewhere in the north. If there was any doubt left in my mind that this wasn't real, the fact that I'm reading a book disproves it. Everybody knows you can't read in a dream. Deductively, this is a new world and I don't think I can ever get back, so I might as well make the best of it.

As for weaponry, I usually use light arms and usually light armor, which contradicts what I'm wearing now. According to Elizabeth, I'm wearing ceremonial armor since sometime today, my people are supposed to hold peace talks with our old rivals, the Northern Alliance, a combined force of foxes (the Vulpine Monarchy) and lions (the Leonine Coalition).

My people are the leopards and panthers (the Pardine and Pantherine Republics) and, of course, the wolves (the Lupine Republic). Together, we are the Southern Republics, but it has been millennia since we've had a true leader. There are myths of the lost king who is destined to bring peace to Novaterrum, but hopes of finding him have been lost by the leadership of my people. Until the king is re-established, the Southern Regions will remain Republics. As much as people may doubt his existence, I somehow feel as if I should depart on a quest to find him...I just can't explain the urge.

I hear a bugle call to battle and Themis' voice carries, "To arms! The Northern Alliance attacks! Time to defend the Southern Republics! May the Heavens protect us!". She howls dominantly as the line of the enemy approaches, outnumbering us three to one. (I guess I have good battle instincts).

"Well, there goes that whole 'peace' thing...Time to put this to work," I smile in some confidence I never knew I had, closing the book that describes my power. Making sure Elizabeth is safe in the tent, I dash into battle, fading into shadow as I teleport to the front line of battle: of the opposing side. I quickly dash behind the line to their leader, pulling the high-ranking lion down from his horse and knocking him out. (What? Just because I'm an assassin doesn't mean I'm going to kill everyone!).

Climbing onto his horse, I command the enemy troops, "Fall back! The enemy is too fast!" leading them directly into the adjacent forest and abandoning them in its depths, making an illusion of a new moon. They'll be stuck there for a while...

Riding out, I chuckle heartily, "Didn't think I had that in me!". I dismount from the horse and run toward the right line of battle, using bursts of light to disrupt and disorient the enemy archers. Blinded, their leader issues a retreat and they turn and run. I consider chasing them one by one, but I easily resist my blood lust...I don't want anyone to die if it's avoidable. Great: now all that's left is the real fighting.

I can hear it from quite a distance away. The scene that unfolds in front of me is utter chaos. The earth is stained with the noble blood of warriors on both sides and the air is polluted with the smell of iron as it breaks against heavier steel. The green of the grass is barely noticeable with the scores of brave dead and broken weapons that litter the field. It's a shame to see such a beautiful land be engulfed by flame and violence.

As I reach the main source of resistance, the right flank of heavily armored knights of the Lupine Republic make a daring charge into a line of lightly armored Leonine and Vulpine sicarii units. The wolves easily emerge the victors due to their superior defensive ability, leaving the light armored troops in their wake. It's just sad to see such carnage, even in war. Something just feels wrong about it all.

Leonine rangers in full sprint almost reach the vulnerable left flank of panther healers, but the archers and crossbowmen of the Pardine Republic easily volley them down before they could make a single slash. The death that surrounds me makes me shudder: I've never witnessed even one person die before and now my job is to kill others. This is madness, but my instinct tells me we're winning this battle decisively and that I must continue for the good of my people.

Rushing to the new line of battle, our mobile light infantry flanks their moderately-armored regulars. The bugle calls for a charge and I watch as Themis easily downs an entire squad of foxes and lions in one cleave and blocks an arrow aimed at her face with her signature claymore without any support. The line of Vulpine regulars falls quickly to the pressure of battle and is routed, granting our army a quick rest with minimal casualties taken.

A fox assassin appears out of a nearby bush and rushes behind Themis with a poisoned dagger. He strikes forth with a deadly precision...and a shot of light strikes him, instantly disintegrating the poor lad. I rub my paw which stings from the heat: I feel sorry about that, but it's my job, isn't it? After seeing one of their men burst into ashes, the rest of the disorganized army turns tail and runs. " VICTORY!" Themis howls to the clang of swords against shields.

Only after the officially signaled retreat does Themis notice the pile of ashes with a poisoned dagger stabbed through it which was once the fox behind her, "Aeneas, you saved me?"

"Just my duty, general."

"I wish all of our army were so fortunate," she looks at the countless bodies of honorable wolves, lions, panthers, leopards, and foxes that litter the battlefield.

"I did what I could to avoid unnecessary death, my lady," I admit saddened after seeing the carnage around me. (We've won, but at what cost?)

"I...I know, Aeneas. I just can't understand why we were attacked! This was supposed to be a meeting of peoples, but the agreement has been voided by such drastic actions taken against us!" she grows adamant.

"I understand. What are your orders?" I wonder.

"I haven't heard a word from our council since the beginning of this journey. As acting commander, I order that we scout for an allied town or village. Hopefully some fellow lupines, panthers, or leopards: I'm sick of fighting," she sighs and turns away to debrief her army.

Healing those whom I can with the power of light, I decide to walk toward the mountains just to clear my head. Finding a fountain, I take a drink and clean my face. I killed someone...I still feel sick about it. Sitting down, I think of home, but it's oddly detached from me now. It's like I'm not the same Aeneas, but am an entirely different person. I'm still me, but not the same me that I used to be...I'll work through this, I always do somehow. I'm getting a headache after thinking about that.

A vision of a blue ocean blinds me and an assassin in a brown cloak that covers their full body appears before me. The entity stabs at me with a steel knife, but I shatter the blade by forming sound waves on my armor. Geez, that was close. Light is awesome: I can fluctuate the energy in anything!

"Who are you?" I ask, drawing my rapier.

"I am the fourth assassin," a female voice resonates, "I am of the water and earth. I represent the will of the Northern Alliance."

She might say that, but I detect independence from her nation's will. "Why kill a fellow master assassin? Can we not coexist?"

"I...I have no choice. I am sorry, but you must die by my blade!" she almost runs me through with her katana but I fade into shadow just before she makes contact. She uses her magic to rust my blade just as I reappear and she strikes quickly. I barely block, but my blade explodes into an iron wind.

"For Heaven's sake!" I yell, frustrated, "I don't know who I am or whether I deserve to die, but can we please just talk it out!"

She summons and throws five earthen-forged knives at me, which I vaporize with light, "Your people are not heretics, like my people say?"

"Uhh, I don't think so?"

"You speak of the Heavens...do your powers emanate from there?"

"Yes, at least according to my books...or manuscripts, rather".

She sheaths her katana, "I too have been confused about who I am, but they call me Gaia, Assassin of the Earth."

I sheathe my own black steel dagger, "I'm Aeneas, Assassin of the Darkness, but I'm not used to being that, so just call me Aeneas."

"Thank you, Aeneas. You may also just call me Gaia," she bows respectfully. Gaia: Mother of the Earth itself. I don't think I've ever met someone like her...or maybe I'm forgetting my past life.

"I know you do not trust me, Gaia, but could we talk? I really want peace to exist between our lands."

Gaia nods, "I have seen the thought of peace in your mind. You speak truth, but I suspect your general would have me killed if I were to come unannounced. I agree that we must meet, but first ask your general: I sense that she will not be upset. Then, show me a sign and I will arrive."

"Sounds like a plan!" I outstretch my paw for a shake.

She awkwardly follows suit and laughs, "Is that something they do in the Southern Republics?"

"Nope, probably just me," I smirk, "No backstabs!"

"I promise", she answers as she disappears into the forest and I teleport into the library tent.

---

As I reorient myself to my surroundings, Elizabeth hugs me tightly, "You've returned! I thought you had been killed!"

"I'm okay, but I found the fourth assassin out there...I need to see the general this instant!"

Coincidentally, Themis walks into the tent at that exact moment and sees me with my arms around her, "Aeneas, what the heck are you doing with your slave?!".

She covers for me, "He just granted me my freedom and I embraced him for it...sorry."

Themis laughs, "It's fine, leopard. What did you need to see me about, my friend?"

I recount, "When I left the battlefield, I encountered the fourth assassin."

She yelps, "What?! Did you kill him?"

"No, she and I fought, but we were evenly matched. We agreed to discuss peace terms, if you would condone our meeting."

"All that I want is an end to this war...I agree, but don't get killed out there, Aeneas. Your people need you. I need you," she adds passionately.

"I understand," I nod, "The meeting will commence shortly. Wish me luck."

She turns away, "Here's hoping." Waiting for her to come inside I set up a table and some chairs with a official-looking map and some cups of fermented nectar.

A voice speaks to me, "Is the coast clear? Give me a sign". Okay, Gaia is a bit weird. Using mind links to communicate is all well and good, but it just feels awkward. "I heard that thought!" she yells into my mind.

Okay, I'll send a signal of where I am...something dramatic: a solar flare! Walking outside, I channel light into a burst of pure energy, masking the stars in the night sky with a radiant bloom of sheer power.

"Show-off," she groans as she makes her way towards me. Elizabeth ducks behind me as the majestic tigress approaches the table without her cloak and any weapons.

I run into the back part of the tent, phasing out of my armor by turning to shadow and returning to her with the same amount of clothing that she has on (just bedclothes), "Sorry. I know you wouldn't have felt threatened by the armor, but I just wanted the meeting to be more casual."

"Thank you for the thought," Gaia takes a seat, "You're the first person to not doubt my ability based upon my gender. I respect you for that."

"I know that you are just as skilled as I am," I take the seat opposite her.

"Sorry for scaring the leopardess. I mean no harm."

"Not a problem. I'll help her get over her fears later," I smile, fixing the dark blue fur on my chest, "So...how about peace?".

"As much as I would love to, I still sense anger among the armies," Gaia answers logically.

"An attack at dawn tends to do that," I rebuke.

She replies, "I know: it was not honorable for combat, but I am not the leader, wolf. My army was told that you are heretics trying to wipe us off the face of the earth. We were scared".

"And how did a tiger end up with the Northern Alliance? They do not protect the Tigrine lands."

"I was kidnapped," she answers matter-of-factly, "I was trained day and night every day since I was sixteen and now I'm twenty. What about you?"

I scramble through a book and find a passage that describes my life, "I was an inventor and learned of my abilities to harness light and create darkness. After that, the role just came to me, I guess...I'm full wolf, but I hold no biases. I can give you a pardon of the state if you really want to discuss peace back at the capital city. I know you will probably refuse my offer, but it's worth a..."

She silences me with a peace of her paw and answers, "I accept. Our army will be too weak without me and will stop attacking, but I want to be treated as a prisoner of war until you get a pardon in order. Since I am of the Northern Alliance, surely, you will oblige." Gaia kneels before me and awaits her capture.

"I...I can't treat you as anything other than my equal, Gaia. I'm no better than anyone else."

"Interesting, if you truly believe that...then what about your pardine slave? Is she not also your equal?"

"She's free."

Gaia looks up at me, surprised, "_What?! _You freed a servant?"

"Uhh, I didn't know that was bad..."

"No, it's not. It's a great thing, but you have nothing to gain from it."

"Not everything I do is for my own benefit."

She smiles, "You are an honorable man, Aeneas. Maybe the first I've ever met. How will you have me travel?"

"Take that bed, I'll sleep in the carriage."

She grows irate, "Do you favor me because I'm a female?!" I do not want to get on her bad side.

"Not exactly, but what do you propose?"

"That we sleep together as equals...I didn't mean that," she blushes.

"It's fine, we can separate ourselves with an extra blanket, removing all temptations and fears of touching," I reason.

The tigress nods, "Okay, thank you. I'll take an oath not to kill you in your sleep. Tonight, at least."

Getting into the small bed, I pile up the blankets in the center, giving both of us enough room to sleep while separating us. I easily fall asleep: the day really wore me out...

---

"No! Don't kill them! Take me! I don't want them to die!" I hear Gaia scream into my ear, convulsing in a horrible nightmare. Her eyes are wide open, but I can tell she's not awake. "What are you doing?! I'm only sixteen! What is that thing?! It hurts me, get it away!" she yells again, screaming as if she was in constant pain.

I quickly wake up to help her. As a master of darkness, I allow myself to drain the dark energy from her dream world and replace it with happier thoughts of light by placing my paw on her forehead and having her paw against my chest.

Her screaming subsides and she begins to weep softly. With her mind link with me, she notices my occupation of her mind, "Aeneas...did you watch my dream?"

"No, I wouldn't overstep myself," I declare. "Thank you for draining that thought," she gets up, quickly removing her paw from my body, "But I fear that I must tell you of my dream, if you will allow me."

"Of course, Gaia," I invite her to continue, projecting some light so we can see each other. Her bedclothes are in shreds from her convulsions and I try to focus only on her face, although I notice her beauty for the first time. I guess when you're fighting someone, you almost forget to look at their face: she looks more beautiful than a goddess.

"Remember how I told you I was kidnapped and taken from my parents? Well, from what you heard, that wasn't the only thing that happened that night. I hope I don't need to explain it, but I'm sorry I put you through that," she alludes briefly to her unethical and reckless torture at the hands of her kidnappers, even though she was only an innocent sixteen-year-old cub. She imparts her memory of the assault onto me with the mind link and I find it hard to watch, especially from her perspective. She was so young and they were so abusive.

"How can you possibly be loyal to them after that, Gaia?!" I demand, then correct myself, "Don't answer: that's none of my business."

She looks as if she is debating something in her mind, then addresses me, "I have nowhere to go. If I returned to my family out in the east, I'd only put them in danger. I made sure that they could never be found again when I left. I fear that if I abandon them, they will torture me in the same way as they did then...you may remove the blanket of separation, Aeneas". I comply and she hugs me, "This is a sign of thanks for your people, is it not?"

Very hesitantly, I hug her back, half expecting a knife to stab through my body, "Are we enemies still?"

She ponders, "I have not yet made a choice. Will you protect me from the wrath of your people because of my species?".

"You will be my guest."

"So no chains, jails, or enslavement?" she clarifies.

I nod, "Unless unavoidable, I'll try my best."

Gaia smiles, "Do all warriors of the Southern Republics speak as strangely and act as friendly as you?"

"I sincerely doubt that. I'm just special," I answer jokingly.

"You are indeed, Master Assassin," she laughs, "Now I must sleep: I sense that the morrow will not be restful". Taking her word for it, I too ready myself for another few hours of sleep. It'll probably be another rough day tomorrow, but it can't be much worse than today.

Just as I drift off to sleep, I hear her voice, "I am grateful for all you have done for me, wolf, but do not fully trust me for I do not yet trust you. I am still a citizen of the Northern Alliance and you must treat me as such: an enemy. Now have a good night and we shall resume this talk in the morning".

Damn, I was really hoping that we could be friends or at least just companions...(wait, she can hear me). Yeah, I'll keep her loyalties in mind as we travel. It was a long night, but the sleep was great. I needed my rest for the treacherous road ahead. I have a feeling it might be treacherous in more ways than one.