The Seventh Spirit

by Adam-Clay Webb

  Chapter 16: Thirteen Days

  “So you really believe that you hold the fate of the world in your hands?” Blade asked Lex, sounding cynical, but not humouring him like it was a ridiculous prospect.

  “Well, our hands,” Lex included.

  “And this legendary Trium is coming back in the near future, you say.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Alright, lemme get this straight… If you somehow find a way to get this vessel from Azar… you’ll have just under a third of Trium’s power, right?”

  “Well, I have ice. Clover has magic. Mike has his iron fist… You and Kyle have swords.”

  “Alright, I see, I see…” Blade didn’t sound convinced, but he tried not to be a source of daunting discouragement. “Just trying to be real, though… Let’s say Trium does come back. You don’t think the Magmalian and Herculean armies have a far better chance of defeating him? Prince Azar? The hired sorcerers? The Ogal council of Notherland? You do realize that the prince alone is more powerful than all of you combined, right? Imagine, now, how much stronger he will be when he absorbs the other half of the spirit. How exactly do you plan on getting that half from him?”

  Lex hesitated. “I’ll have to kill him, I believe.”

  “I see… The same man, who at his worst, took you down at your best—”

  “I have no choice, Blade!” Lex had become frustrated. “I need the entire spirit should I stand a chance against Trium! What help is it for you to try and—”

  “Show you reality?”

  “Well, you’ve heard our stories!” Clover came in. “Tell us, Blade, what is your story? I’m pretty sure it’s really interesting!” she tried to change the subject. “You said you’re from Zakashi Village, right? So why do you come all the way to this creepy place to meditate?”

  “Hmmm.” Blade thought, looking like he was fabricating a story in his mind. “Well it’s nice and quiet here. Once per month I leave the village and stay here for a few days.”

  “Wow! Doesn’t it get lonely around here? You’re not even a little scared? I mean, this is Ghost Town!”

  “Oh please!” Kyle came in, scoffing, “What’s here to be afraid of?”

  Blade snickered under his breath. “I don’t believe in such nonsense anyway,” Blade said.

  “You’re kidding, right?! Don’t you see those black shadows moving about and chairs rocking when you’re here?” She shivered just thinking about such things.

  “You see them because you believe they’re there. Because you are afraid.”

  “So what’s your village like?” Kyle asked, “Are there others as strong as you there?!”

  In all this, Lex couldn’t get his mind off the strange dream he had had. It worried him. He was sure it wasn’t meaningless.

  Blade seemed to have recessed in a solemn mood. “It’s a pretty nice place,” he said, obviously filled with nostalgia, like he hadn’t been there in ages. His eyes sunk in remembrance. “As strong as me you ask… Heh… There used to be.” Blade looked down at his scabbard. He grabbed the handle of the sword and slowly pulled it out. It was nothing short of perfect. As he withdrew it, Kyle stared at the elegant, slender thing. Even Clover was impressed.

  “It’s hard to believe that such a beautiful thing can be used to kill,” Clover said.

  Blade looked down at his sword in reflection and contemplation. “When killed by this precious blade… one dies beautifully… It inflicts no pain, and gives one an honourable death.”

  “Heh… Class A sword, huh?” Kyle asked.

  Blade snickered a bit. “This blade is in a class by itself… no doubt the most beautiful and deadliest thing in the world. Made from perfect Platina, the toughest alloy, that most swordsmiths don’t even know exists. Nine times tougher than diamond. Cuts through steel like regular swords cut through water.”

  “Ha! That is impossible!” Kyle exclaimed.

  Blade laughed proudly. “Come,” he told Kyle, and recased his sword, taking it with him outside. Kyle followed quickly.

  “Lex!” Clover called like he was miles away. He slowly turned his head and looked at her. It was quite evident his mind wasn’t with his body. “Where were you just now? You okay?”

  “… Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

  “You sure, kid?” a concerned-looking Mike asked.

  “It’s just…”

  “Just what?” Clover asked promptly.

  “It’s nothing really.”

  “Tell me anyway!” she insisted. Lex sighed, wondering how silly his complaint would sound.

  “Had a weird dream… Been stuck in my head.”

  “Since when?” Clover asked, her brows knitted.

  “Not too long ago. Just after we fought with Azar.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “There was this table… and some stones… and two vessels. A strong wind came by and knocked one down, and stuff came out.”

  “What kinda stuff?” she asked.

  “Some kinda liquid… milk maybe. I dunno. And then the other vessel floated up and filled the empty one.”

  “… That’s it?” Clover asked in a tone that made Lex feel stupid.

  “Well I told you it was nothing!”

  “So what do you think it means?” Mike asked, sounding more interested than Clover.

  “No idea… But I’m sure it means something… and I need to find out what.”

  “I hear there’s an old oracle just miles off the western end of this old godforsaken place,” Blade said, just coming in. Lex looked up at him.

  “Where’s my brother?” Clover asked, looking up at the swordsman.

  “Just outside. Learning to breathe.”

  “Huh?”

  “Never mind. Anyway, if you think that dream of yours is some kind of revelation relating to this Trium you’re planning to fight, perhaps we should go check her out.”

  Lex smiled, glad that Blade saw such a mission as necessary.

  “Thanks, Blade. I think it’s a good idea.”

  “You’re the boss, kid. Your instincts are our compass. I’ll go get Kyle.”

  “Well, at least it seems we might soon be getting outta this wretched place,” Clover said to herself.

  By nightfall, the group of five was well out of Ghost Town. Moonlight shimmered on the thick mist and gave them a dim, glassy light, but as they moved further away from Ghost Town, the mist thinned and so did their vision. Clover, Kyle and Mike shivered in the chilling cold, but Blade seemed unaffected, and being an Icemaker, Lex was quite the fan of chilliness. The cold felt wonderful, almost making him giddy. Lex put his arm around the shivering girl nervously. She clung on to him quickly like she long awaited his advance. The boy looked across at her in concern as she vibrated wildly. He clutched her tighter, but the shivering did not subside.

  “I--I c—can’t go on,” she shivered. Her teeth could be heard smashing up and down on one another.

  “We’re almost there,” Blade said, “and taking a break in this cold isn’t a very bright idea in any event.”

  As they walked on for nearly half an hour more, they finally spotted a dim, tiny light that struggled to pierce through the darkness. Silently, they moved at a constant slow speed toward the checkpoint, which they soon made out to be a hanging lantern. It hung from the roof of an old, sinister-looking little house.

  Clover wondered how a person could possibly live there, in the middle of nowhere, bordering on the infamous Ghost Town, but then she remembered that this person was a witch. Will I become this weird and creepy when I’m old? I really hope I’ll be more like Herriot. If I must choose anyway.

  They reached the front door. The veranda was so small that all of them could barely stand on it at the same time. Blade raised his hand, a folded fist, to knock on the wooden door. Before his hand could reach the door, it opened suddenly. Everyone but Blade jumped back in fright. Before them stood a miserable-looking, witchy old woman. Her face was as wrinkled as a stormy sea, and she didn’t tr
y to hide her not-so-good-looking teeth. Her eyes were bright and lively, though. She wore a long, frilly black dress that could not have looked more ghostly even had it been decorated with children’s blood. White skulls patterned the dress.

  “What do you want with me this time of night?” She didn’t seem friendly in the least.

  “Uh… I had a dream,” Lex begun. Blade stepped from between Lex and the woman.

  “So what?! We all have dreams!”

  “Well my dream has a meaning!”

  “Every dream has meaning, boy! What do you think is so special about yours that it’s worth any of my time?!”

  “Ha!” Clover laughed sneeringly and cynically, “I knew she was a fraud! A woman who can interpret dreams? I knew she couldn’t possibly do it!”

  “Don’t be foolish, young child!” the witch snapped in offense.

  Blade snickered under his breath. Not bad, kid.

  “I am the greatest witch, the greatest oracle who ever lived!” she boasted. “Born a witch, I advanced past sorcery entirely! I am an oracle! A prophetess! An interpreter!” she thundered.

  “Then tell me what my dream means... if you can.”

  “Very well,” the oracle hissed, “come in, all of you.” The woman closed the door behind them quickly.

  Inside was dimly lit by two candles, each at a corner of the room. The woman went over to one of the candles and took it up. With a much more powerful puff than necessary, the flame and its light were snuffed out. She took up the other candle and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. Old books and scrolls were scattered about it.

  “My name is Lex Leo,” the boy introduced.

  The oracle gave him a sudden, frightful stare.

  “Lex… Leo?” she called his name with a kind of reverence and disbelief that made them wonder.

  “Yyyes?…” Lex answered slowly.

  “The Icemaker?”

  “That’s right,” Lex answered, his face alight, knowing for sure now that neither his name nor his destiny was strange to her.

  “No way…” the oracle whispered. She shook nervously, staring at him in inspection. “Do you know who you are, boy?”

  “Yes… It seems you do too,” Lex answered.

  “You four, sit on that couch over there,” the witch instructed, pointing at it with her crooked index finger, lengthened even more by her inch-long nail. Blade sat on the nearby rocking couch. It was as long as an ordinary sofa, but it obviously wasn’t so ordinary. He sighed in pleasure as it swayed with him slowly. Mike, Kyle and Clover soon joined him, eying one another. Clover sat at one end, holding the tall, varnished arm that though not resembling anything in particular, had an eerie look and feel about it.

  “Come, Lex Leo,” the oracle invited, opening the door that led to her private chamber. She opened it only slightly, not wanting the others to see inside. Lex slipped in, and the oracle followed closely, shutting and locking the door behind her. Only a single strand of moonlight from a high window saved the room from total darkness. “Sit,” the oracle said. Lex saw the vague outlines of a table and two chairs. Fumbling, he grabbed one of the chairs and took a seat. The woman took the other, sitting opposite to him. He looked into the shining eyes of the woman nervously.

  “Charles Bengushi,” she began in a quiet voice, no doubt being careful so those outside wouldn’t hear her. “He summoned you to him. He wasn’t as powerful an Oracle as I am, but it seemed to be a dream of his. He studied prophecy, and studied well. He also invented a channel through which one’s inner powers can be discovered and used fully… Xashi.”

  Lex was certainly impressed with the oracle. “You surely are no fraud,” he said.

  She made a low titter.

  “Tell me then; will I prevail against Trium?”

  “Hmmm… The truth is… it doesn’t really matter, Lex. Trium’s return cannot mark the end of this world.”

  “What do you mean? You should know more than I do of Trium’s power!” Lex tried to keep his voice down.

  “Believe me, I know the full extent to Trium’s power, and he is not a feeble being… But this little world is well able to defend against such powers.”

  “But… I don’t understand.”

  “Let me help you see the light, Lex Leo… Trium, a third at a time, will set foot on this world. They will strike this very continent first.”

  “Libson? Why?”

  “Firstly, they will return for Maximo. Also, being spirit beings, they will find the most powerful beings in our world to possess… who will all be in Libson... Well excepting those cocky sorcerers down in Notherland.”

  “You mean me and my friends? The most powerful—”

  “Oh don’t flatter yourself, boy!” the witch tittered under her breath again. “You will never be the most powerful being in the world.”

  “Then why am I the one who will face Trium?”

  “Just listen, child!” She sounded annoyed. “I need to get some sleep, so don’t waste my time. I’ll do all the talking… Prophecy… it is a rather complex and paradoxical art…No one is shown perfectly the order of events that will occur in time. Oracles, contrary to popular belief, see an indefinite number of ends, each based on variations to their beginnings. We see what happens if, so no one is sure as to what will happen.”

  “Alright, alright, I get it,” Lex said hastily. “Tell me, then, what happens if I do not defeat Trium?”

  “Why begin so far in the future? Let me ask you a better question. What happens if you do not defeat the Magmalian Prince?”

  “What happens then?”

  “Trium will return to earth. He will kill you and capture the half of Maximo that you possess. He will also kill Azar and retrieve the half he has.”

  “And then what?”

  “Maximo will join Trium, and together, the four brothers will destroy all human life in their sights. They will leave our world, and then a new nation shall rise up… from under the earth! And the earth shall be more powerful and more pure than ever before.”

  Lex’s mind flashed back to a conversation he had had not too long ago. “And what if I do defeat Azar and collect the half he has?”

  “Then you and Maximo shall become as one. The purity of your heart, your righteousness, shall convert the demon, and he shall fight with you against his brothers.”

  “Will I then prevail against Trium?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

  “I cannot tell… But if you do prevail, it will only be the beginning!”

  “The beginning? What do you mean?”

  “If you fail to destroy Trium, that is, while he is in his early state—”

  “Early state of what?!”

  “Listen, boy! Less talking!” The oracle sighed in impatience.

  “The longer the dark beings stay on earth, the more powerful they become. If they’re responsible for the death of even a garden flower, they will convert that flower’s life energy into dark energy, power. Imagine how much more powerful they become after wiping out multitudes of people. In other words, if you wait too long to take Trium down, it will be beyond impossible. He will destroy the surface life, and then the hidden race will rise. However,” – here, she raised up a finger crookedly to emphasize her U-turn – “if you stand against Trium and defeat him, you would have opened up a whole new dimension of possible ways for the world to truly end, and I mean in the near future.”

  “So you mean, then… by saving the world, I put it at even greater risk? I put everyone in sure danger?!”

  “Yes. And whatever power will rise against earth if you defeat Trium will rise from out of the earth, and will be greater even than Trium. The world will face the power of gods, and gods are stronger than demons.” The oracle could see the look of fright in Lex’s eyes, even in the dim light.

  “And now you ask yourself ‘what should I do?’” The oracle laughed. “Well, let me advise you, son. Fight Trium with all your might. Try your best to defeat him. Save the lives of billions of people.
Then, and only then, when that task is done, you worry about how to solve the greater problems you will have created by saving the world. Remember, Lex, the future is always changing… The world is never truly doomed, then, is it?”

  The oracle laughed again, then gave out a loud, unexpected yawn. “I must sleep now.”

  “No, wait! My dream!”

  “Oh, right. Let’s do this quickly. Give me your hands.” The woman grabbed the boy’s hands and held on to them tightly. “Together, we will journey back to this dream of yours.” In a short while, while Lex sat there with his eyes closed, he felt himself fall into a trance. He was standing. He looked to his left quickly, where the oracle was standing. She turned to him and nodded, as if to say everything was alright. Lex looked before him again, seeing in recognition the table and the vessels and the stones. It was like he was having the exact same dream all over again, except this time, he had a visitor.

  “Hmm… Stones, days…. Thirteen days…The vessels… Spiritual hosts… Bodies…” The oracle inspected the elements on the table quite carefully. The sudden wind came in. “Wind… Hmmm… War, battle… Great conflict.”

  “The colours! What do they mean?”

  “White… Purity… Goodness. Righteousness… The blue… Neutrality, objectivity… Confusion, even indifference.” As she spoke, the white vessel toppled, giving in to the wind. “The fall… That is certainly death…” Lex’s eyes widened. All of a sudden, he hoped this woman was a fraud after all. “White life draining… Good life wasting away.” The sudden darkness fell upon the room. “Grief… Sadness… Mourning.” The woman looked surprised as the two vessels began to glow. “Light! Hope!” the oracle interpreted, sounding joyful. The blue vessel floated up above the white. She said nothing for a while.

  “What’s happening now?” Lex asked nervously. The white vessel stood erect.

  The oracle just watched. It seems even she was baffled. The blue vessel tilted, and the black liquid drained from it to the erect vessel. “Amazing…” the woman awed. “Maximo… He is giving you his own life!” Lex was paralyzed and speechless. He wondered what she really meant. Light appeared in the room through a window. “More light… More hope. More joy!” Then there were sudden bright flashes, and the trance ended. “Flashes of many colours… Ambivalence. Ambiguity.”