The Ancients

by Adam-Clay Webb

  Fross fell to his knees in despair, certain that Icilda could not have survived the inferno.

  The councillors and Fross narrowed their eyes as there was a swift, shadowy movement. A black streak burst out of the raging furnace. Pika’s eyes followed the movement keenly.

  “Impossible,” Pika mused under his breath. That shadowy movement was Lex. The boy, swarmed with darkness and accompanied by sixteen wings, flew out of the furnace with the burnt, blackened, unconscious girl in his arms. Pika looked back down on the ground where Lex’s body was just a moment ago, but only the imprint of him was left in the snow.

  “Summoning!” Drake blasted. She was still standing on the dragonite, and was at the same height as Lex.

  Lex zoomed off through the air immediately.

  “Wind Dragons!” Drake summoned. Four small white dragons appeared in purple clouds. In a moment, each Shadow Councillor was on one. But Lex was already a great distance off. Fross watched helplessly as Lex swooped down into a forest for a moment, then zoomed back up. The wind dragons followed suit, keeping up with the swiftly flying boy.

  Fross knew that Lex had hidden Icilda. He looked behind him at the approaching horses. Ido led the company of soldiers.

  “What the hell happened here?!” Ido blasted as he reached up to Fross.

  “Artaco is… Come, Icilda is this way!”

  By this time, though only seconds had passed, neither Lex nor the Shadow Councillors were in sight. So Fross knew that Lex had landed somewhere, and they had no doubt swooped down on him.

  Lex landed and skated a few meters in an open, snowy wasteland. As the wind dragons moved down on Lex’s position, the councillors jumped off, surrounding the black-eyed Icemaker. The bracelets by now had sublimed due to the dark aura around him, and the Zagans had recovered from the lightning attack. Somehow. The councillors’ strange-looking cloaks fluttered eerily in the white fog that covered the land.

  “I applaud your work in the last war, Lex Leo,” Pika said. “But our master will not have you in the next one.” With that, Pika ran up to Lex in a burst of speed.

  Lex, we can’t take another hit from this guy! Maximo warned.

  “I know!” Lex jumped back, escaping the swing of a sword Pika had brandished too quickly for Lex to read. As Lex jumped back, black streaks stretched out from his cloak in many directions, swiftly snaking their way toward each councillor. The councillors spaceshifted, but the streaks became more numerous, and faster. But the councillors would not be hit by such unrefined attacks.

  “Summoning!” Drake shouted.

  “No you don’t!” Lex zoomed toward Drake, flying just above the ground, a shadowball ready. “Dammit!”

  Drake shifted just in time to avoid the attack.

  Lex! Maximo hollered. He jumped up about ten meters, and Pika’s lightning grazed him.

  “These sorcerers, their attacks are too fast and co-ordinated,” Lex said.

  “Fox, get him down!” Pika blasted.

  “Right!” Fox answered. Purple mana flared flamboyantly about Fox. He clasped his hands. “Gravity Flux!” On his command, the laws of gravity were warped within several square miles.

  Lex’s eyes bulged as he felt himself plummet toward the ground. As he landed on all fours, the place shook. He struggled even with the Zagans’ might, but the most movement he could attain was standing, and barely. He felt his bones tighten under an immense pressure. Even though the councillors looked as collected as they could, Lex could see that even they were similarly affected by this dangerous spell. Maximo, I can’t move! My body is heavy!

  Pika stretched his hand out toward Lex. He struggled in keeping his hand outstretched. “I am honoured to see your strength first hand, boy, but against the Shadow Council, not even you can prevail,” Pika said.

  “Whatever this Shadow Council is, just know that I’ve beat far stronger enemies than you, so get over your damn selves!” Lex blasted, and in a second, one-hundred-and-twelve more slender black wings shot out from his back. He clenched his teeth. Pika shot a bolt of lightning at him, but before it could reach, Lex had already vanished.

  “Impossible!” Fox blasted.

  “Summo--” Before Drake could think of what to summon, Lex’s hand forced a shadowball though her back. A dark laughter came from behind the woman. Blood flooded the place.

  “Summon this!” Lex said.

  “Gravity Flux! Particular Lightening!” Fox reversed his technique.

  Lex pulled his hand from Drake’s chest, and she fell on her face, the gaping hole a testament of Lex’s vileness. Lex then flew up to Fox without delay, two shadow balls in hand.

  Fox spaceshifted immediately. Lex skated and threw the black spheres at Falcon and Pika, whose quick movements gave them an escape. Pika sent another streak of lighting at Lex. Lex dodged the steak quite easily and rushed at Falcon. Lex flashed his eyes upward at the rustling sound of danger. Above him was a white portal prepared by Fox. The portal belched out Pika’s lightning bolt which Lex had previous dodged. Lex jumped back swiftly, and Falcon made a backward leap. The bolt crashed down between them.

  “Fox, tend to Drake!” Pika said.

  “It’s no use,” Fox answered grimly. Not even Fox’s advanced healing techniques could save her.

  Pika hissed.

  “I’ll finish this,” Falcon said. “Fire Art! Flame Angel!” Fire engulfed Falcon, and fiery wings appeared on him. A white sword of purest fire appeared in his hands.

  Pika held on to his wrist. “Grit! Appear!” he called. In that moment, a purple cloud brought forth the fifth and final councillor. “I know you’re not battle-ready, but we need you. Drake is dead.”

  Grit nodded. His mask resembled that of a monkey. Drake was killed, and Falcon was using the Flame Angel, so Grit understood how dire the situation was. Under Grit’s cloaks were grievous wounds that healing spells could not get rid of.

  Falcon flew up to Lex. His speed startled the boy. Lex jumped back, reaching several meters into the air. Falcon gave chase, and attacked with his white sword. Lex dodged, but the heat that the sword gave off made him even more nervous.

  “Anam Resal!” As Lex dodged another of Falcon’s swift, hot swings, Grit sent a beam of mana at him. Lex tried to move in another burst of speed, but he felt the tight grip of enemy hands. Pika was already behind him. There was a stunning brightness as the beam of powerful purple mana blasted Lex and Pika. The massive beam of raw energy sent the two flying almost a quarter of a mile. Lex landed on his feet and skated back, blinded by the brightness. A sharp pain and severe jerking grabbed Lex as Pika, who had already recovered from the massive attack, grabbed on to Lex’s neck. The blackness disappeared from his eyes and he fell to his knees limply.

  Pika grabbed Lex by his collar and pulled him up. “You killed Drake, so you won’t die easy,” he said. Lightning buzzed about his fists. The other three councillors stood about them, having no need to interfere. Hit after hit, Lex’s body jerked and the Zagans cried out as Pika’s lightning fists punished them. Finally, Lex’s consciousness began to wane. His body grew totally numb, and his vision was almost completely gone. “Boy, wake up!” Pika blasted, and grabbed Lex’s chest, releasing a hefty surge of lightning. Lex’s body rocketed across the ground before he landed and rolled.

  Somehow, he made it back to hit feet. Pika was already just before him. Lex’s vision flickered, and in a time too short to understand, he saw something quite strange. He wondered in that moment if the pain was causing him to hallucinate. He saw a mist suddenly appear beside Pika. A hand came forth from the clearing mist, which Lex knew was not mana. He was somehow sure that it was a quintessential, yet fleeting form of ice energy. The hand gripped Pika, and in that moment, Pika was frozen solid in a thick block of ice.

  Lex, stunned by this, lengthened his consciousness as much as he could.

  “Pika!” Fox cried out. The emerging man with a gentle face and thick yellow hair glanced over at the fox-masked councillor. As his eyes reache
d Fox, the councillor was immediately entrapped in white ice. Grit and Falcon did not hesitate to shift away as soon as they witnessed this. The yellow-haired man then touched the massive block of ice beside him and motioned his hand downward. The block of ice sunk into the snow until it was completely under the ground. He then stretched a hand out in the direction of Fox, then clenched his fist. As he spread his fingers suddenly, the block of ice shattered.

  Lex stared at this man in marvel. An Icemaker who can freeze an enemy by looking at him? This simply was not possible. Lex stepped back faintly as the man approached him, but then his weakness took over, and he fell back. Instead of the snowy ground, he felt himself ease down into cool, comforting hands.

  “Y’suha…” the voice behind him said, then he finally blacked out.

  Chapter 25: Into the Dark

  “It appears both of our eldest sons are making mischief,” Oga said. He and Kizer were on Orenda. Their plan was to add another layer of sealing around it to ensure that Wizard could never enter. That mystery attacker also made them uneasy.

  “He only asked for time to think about everything,” Kizer defended. “And he is willing to work with your deadline, so leave him be.”

  “Oh, that’s not nearly the mischief I speak of,” Oga said. “You keep such a close eye on me, yet your own children are out there plotting against us.”

  Kizer didn’t say anything. He just flashed a nasty glare at Oga. Of course, a good explanation must have been coming.

  “Yuki has met up with Lex Leo. He has no regard for even your orders.”

  “What--”

  “Come, let us meet up with him. You can ask him yourself.”

  ***

  “Councillor, we must then create a summit,” Azar said urgently. “We have to gather every leader across the world and co-ordinate our defences. We could have suffered far less casualties in the Black War if we were a united force.”

  “In theory, you are perfectly correct,” Hawthorne said. “But…” she held her head down. “I have been stripped of my councillorship.” She didn’t look at Azar, not wanting to see the expression on his face. For so much of her life, this title was who she was. “The Prime Minister is essentially single-handedly in control of Notherland, and he will not entertain the idea of Oga being a resurrected villain who is about to destroy the world with the help of Kizer.”

  Throughout the entire meeting, Ruben had been almost constantly checking eight small spheres he had in the pocket of his sweater, reading critical information from them. “I’m afraid the Prime Minister already knows about Oga,” the boy said.

  “What?! Of course he doesn’t!” Hawthorne said.

  “Actually, Oga has approached him already. On Oga’s orders, the Prime Minister sent out an attack on Lex Leo,” the boy said nervously, glancing at Clover.

  “What?!” Clover stood up immediately, and her blue mana roused about her.

  “Calm down – he survived the attack,” Ruben said. “He is fine.”

  “Does this mean that it has started?” Hawthorne asked. “The war.”

  “Not exactly,” Ruben said.

  “Azar, I am shifting to Lex,” Clover said. “I need to--”

  “Clover sit down!” Azar said. “He is fine for the moment. We must think before we do anything.”

  “Since when do we need to think before msking sure Lex is alive?!”

  Azar grabbed on to his wrist. “Viknor!” he summoned. Immediately after, the wizard appeared in a purple cloud.

  “Are we having a party?” the old man asked with a grin, looking around at Clover, the unfamiliar boy and the ex-councillor.

  His grin vanished as soon as his eyes settled on Hawthorne. His face grew sombre, and he almost looked sick.

  “This mana…” Hawthorne stuttered. It took her three or four seconds, then her hands began to shake like mad. She struggled to stand.

  “Azar, what is the meaning of this?” Viknor asked in a loud whisper.

  “You are…” Hawthorne could barely say the name. Even after the passing of decades, the pungent scent of Viknor’s mana, the fabric of Hawthorne’s many nightmares, did not leave her mind.

  “Yes, I am he,” Viknor finally said.

  The room heated and everyone left the table immediately as Hawthorne’s purple mana bust around her.

  “Councillor, please calm down! There will be no fighting here!” Azar tried to pacify.

  The door burst open and guards entered.

  “Get out!” Azar blasted, and threw a nearby vase at them, smashing it into the wall to left of the door. They scurried out and closed the door behind them.

  “You are V—You are the one responsible for the death of two councillors – Lady Lydia and Lord Thimius. And you also sealed away Lady Hilda’s magic. You single-handedly defeated the Council.” Hawthorne’s mana raged, but Viknor did not make a response.

  Azar stood before Viknor. “You know all of this, then you know you cannot win against this man,” Azar said.

  Hawthorne seemed to have just considered that. “How do you still have your magic?!” she asked.

  “Please, Councillor, put the past aside. Viknor is now on our side, and he is one of my most important assets. He helped us win the Black War, and has--”

  “Nothing you do will pay for your crimes!” Hawthorne blasted.

  Viknor sighed.

  “Oh, and by the way, everyone, The Elders have returned,” Ruben came in causally.

  All eyes turned on him immediately.

  “What elders?” Azar rightfully asked.

  “The Elders,” Ruben confirmed.

  “Who is this boy? And why is he making bad jokes at a time as this?” Viknor asked.

  “That’s impossible! When did this happen?” Azar asked the boy.

  “They were revived the moment Oga released the power from the Crystal Eye,” Ruben reported.

  “What did you say boy?” Viknor asked, now frantic. “What do you know about--”

  “More than we do,” Azar said. “He is Ruben. He and I will coordinate the movements of our forces in the coming war.”

  Ruben’s eyes lit up when Azar said that. He gasped and a beaming grin shot across his face.

  “The Elders! We must get to them immediately!” Viknor said. “If they too are our enemies--”

  “Then the world doesn’t stand a chance,” a chilling voice came in.

  Appearing from the vanishing blackness were arcanines whose names were etched in history, those studied and revered by every generation of sorcerers that succeeded them.

  ***

  Yuki had built a shrine of ice on Mount Hamez, where he would meditate in solitude upon a solution to the impending catastrophe that was the Zagans’ approach. But not even this remote place would prove troublesome for these two to reach.

  “Yuki,” Kizer greeted his son, who arose to greet the appeared men.

  “I had to,” Yuki said immediately. “My son was attacked, and he would have been killed had I not intervened.”

  “Attacked?”

  “Even if he is telling the truth, it doesn’t matter. This act of yours is nothing but defiance,” Oga said.

  “Attacked by whom?” Kizer inquired.

  “A secret group of sorcerers called the Shadow Council.”

  “For what reason?”

  Yuki glanced over at Oga. The knowing look in Yuki’s eyes made Oga feel vulnerably transparent.

  “I have no idea,” the sage finally said.

  “There will be a meeting in six hours,” Kizer said. “You have forfeited your provisional time.”

  Yuki nodded without any sign of opposition, and Kizer and Oga vanished in a white cloud.

  ***

  “Viknor, son of Aredes; and Azar, King of Magma Land, you two had tried to acquire the Crystal Eye, but since you have failed, it has landed in the hands of Kizer and Oga,” Vis said.

  Azar and Viknor eyed each other.

  “But of course, we Elders were the ones who cr
eated that weapon, and so ultimately, we have a responsibility to defend the world against those brought back by it, and of course, against those you people call gods,” Vis continued

  “So you guys are on our side!” Clover said.

  “This can’t be… Are you real?” Viknor struggled to ask, his eyes shaking.

  “The Elders I know about are five,” Hawthorne said. “I take it only four of you were brought back?”

  “Lukia is not with us at the moment,” Ohm said. “As things are, we’re not sure whether he will be a problem or not.”

  “Sage Lukia…” Viknor mused at the name. He couldn’t even imagine having to go up against that legend.

  “Vis, Shade, Ohm and In,” Azar said. “Standing against the gods with us will drastically improve our chances.” Azar bowed before them. Viknor and Hawthorne followed suit. Viknor’s eyes settled on Shade for a moment. He knew that he was Shade, as he could feel a dangerous aura about him that stifled his mana almost entirely.

  “I have so much to ask you!” Viknor said, unable to contain his excitement.

  “Your questions will have to wait,” Vis said dismissively. “For now, we must turn our attention to Lex Leo.”

  ***

  As his consciousness returned, he felt a heaviness in his head. “Where… What the--” He scraped his wrists as he tried to stand. “That man…” he muttered. He knew that he was in trouble, and the only face he could see in his mind was the face of the man who saved him and defeated two Shadow Councillors in a moment of ease. He made another attempt to get free, this one more deliberate. But somehow, he had no strength in him. He was on his knees. The snow beneath him was thick, and in sight was nothing but an endless scape of trees. His back was against a tree, and his arms stretched around it tightly. He felt bruises and heavy weights on his wrists.

  “Maximo, wake up!” he hollered, and struggled futilely to get free.

  He then heard a movement a few meters behind him.

  “So you finally wake,” a familiar voice followed.

  “Icilda! So he captured you as we--”

  He froze as the woman appeared before him.