Expanded Horizons: Beyond the Blue

Cast Away: Chapter Four

Colm ran his fingers over the curved black lines along his arm, shoulder, and chest. He thought that the process would be painful, but it felt more like an obnoxious poking the whole time. And it didn't even take that long, either, not like the lectures he had to suffer through. He even did his mushin tattoo on his other shoulder along with it because it was so easy.

Master Abdo insisted Colm get markings when he turned sixteen, so Colm complied. The mushin was an obvious one, but Master Abdo also told him he should get a mark for his personal philosophy. Most masters' philosophies revolved around their pursuit of knowledge in some way, and their marks reflected that.

Colm went against the grain. He designed his mark much larger, and it reflected his way of one heart. Master Abdo seemed confused, but gladly accepted it as a new way of thinking that could help advance knowledge in inspiring new ways. Afterwards, he said he had a note he wanted to give Colm. Odd, considering he could have just told Colm whatever was on it at the time.

He took time off that morning to get his marks, missing a boring lecture, and now could go straight to the training hall to improve his combination of fundamental magic with his empty hand fighting. He was throttling the other students, even the ones who recently took up weapons, as no one could beat him at speed, strength, or his mastery of the most fundamental concepts in close-in fighting.

"Master?" Colm called as he walked into the training hall. Not a single person was there; no one sparring, no one doing forms, not even anyone in the weightlifting area. The quiet in the air sent a tingle up Colm's spine.

Colm walked in and tried to find someone to find out what was up, but he couldn't find them, not even in the changing rooms. Colm shrugged it off and started equipping himself with sparring gear- shin pads, foot pads, gloves, and a helmet- and began his usual stretches.

Moments later, loud clanging and clashes sounded from outside. He ignored it at first, but soon, the sound of metal-on-metal and shouting sent a new, colder chill down his spine, and he rushed outside to find out what was happening.

When he exited the training hall, he found blood spilled on the ground, bodies all about, and a horde of strange-looking people attacking the monastery. The shock of seeing so many people froze him for a moment, long enough for one to attempt to attack him on sight, but Colm instinctively responded with a parry and struck his throat. The attacker fell to the ground, not dead, but struggling to breathe.

"Master?!" Colm called out as he ran into the fray.

Colm ran through the chaos, stepping through pools of blood and over the bodies of attackers and occasional monks, searching for his master. Screaming people and cries for vengeance or defense filled the air, lost to Colm's ears as he focused his conscious effort on finding Master Abdo and let his instincts take care of the rest.

Colm found him, by the overlook at the edge of the monastery, fighting off numerous attackers on his own, but clearly close to being overwhelmed. Colm leapt into the fight, kneeing one attacked in the back of the head as he flew forward, and rolled up to his feet by Master Abdo to take his side.

"Master, what's going on?!" he asked frantically.

"Get back!"

Master Abdo pushed Colm back toward the edge and launched a fire spell forward with a candle from his pocket. Colm fell to the ground just by the edge and watched in awe as his master burned the enemies to a crisp, their ashes almost instantly carried off by the wind. Master Abdo pulled something else from his coat and struck the ground, causing the entire monastery to rumble, and the ground to crack. Colm felt his little island of stone shift beneath him.