14 Listen and Obey

The elderly woman sat on the couch, staring intently on Ojero's unconscious body. Her hands were curled into a fist which her chin was resting on.

"So, what happened? What is his magical aptitude?" Ryan asked.

He had the ticket in his hand and stood by the end of the table. The paladin had waited patiently for over a minute, simply watching Ojero and the All Mother.

She remained silent for a few seconds before responding.

"His talent is… difficult to understand."

She expected to hear some kind of shocked response from Ryan, but the large warrior simply sat there.

"... You knew, did you?"

"I could sense a strong connection to time in him from the start."

A high pitched cackle came from the All Mother at this.

"Time is the least of our worries with this one. I could sense many elements, far more than one of his blood should have. I sense the change of an era is nigh…"

This elicited a shocked response from the paladin, who tilted his head.

"What do you mean? What exactly did you see?"

The old woman waved her hand at him.

"Quiet boy. It is not your place to question me."

The paladin quickly stopped what he was doing, and nodded once.

"Of course All Mother. What am I to do now?"

"Take him. Complete your task. Question nothing, and tell no one what I have told you. It is for the world to learn on its own time. The Everentile Empire is the perfect place for the boy. Their magical teachings are good. Maybe not as good as mine, but only through conflict can his talent shine through."

Ryan nodded once again, and walked over to the sleeping teenager. The green ropes appeared and returned Ojero to his cocoon, before it floated up and followed Ryan out of the small hut.

Following him to the door, the All Mother spoke again.

"Be careful Ryan, I fear much is about to change."

The paladin turned around after he stepped outside, and looked her in the eye.

"Is he a dark one?"

Without a response, the old woman closed the door, giving Ryan no answer to his query.

The paladin simply turned around and walked out of the village, once more startling the villagers.

While the boy slept, he continued their journey deep in thought.

'It is unlike the All Mother to keep me in the dark. Something about this boy must worry her, or excite her.'

From what Ryan could remember, she only treated a select few people like this, and he was one of them. The All Mother found him when he was very young, and taught him the ways of magic.

It was due to her that he joined the Avarian Academy of Knights and eventually became a paladin. If she now believed Ojero could do something similar, then it was his moral duty to listen to her and do as she asked.

Eventually, Ojero woke up. He didn't know how long had passed, only that he had passed out from fear after the purple blast.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a sight he was not expecting. A massive city that dwarfed even Lumenbec was right in front of him, and he was currently being carried there by Ryan.