Augur of Shadows

by Jacob Rundle

  The three of them took a moment to think who the avatar could be. Henri relaxed his mind to see if he could get an image of her avatar. Henri saw the same door he had before in his mind’s eye. However, the inscriptions on the door were completely different. The writing style didn’t seem familiar to him.

  “These symbols are saying some kind of story, but I can’t read them. What do they mean? The sigils could lead anywhere, and the possibilities are endless,” Henri was frustrated with the constant ups and downs of their mission.

  He approached his spiritual door, hoping that he would get an answer. The sigils on the frame of the door started to glow the closer he got. Henri reached the door, and he placed the palm of his hand on the door, and he verbalized his desire to find the avatar. Henri expected the results to be the same as the last time he used his divine connector. However, nothing happened.

  “Why isn’t it working?” they all asked in unison.

  “Didn’t work?” A mysterious voice echoed in Henri’s head. He looked around to see who else was there. Henri braced himself to approach the cloaked figure. Without thinking too hard, he did just that.

  The cloaked figure laughed at Henri’s trepidation. It paced back and forth, waiting to say something. Its gestures suggested that it was acquainted with Henri and the others.

  “Who are you?” Henri asked.

  “We have met before, Augur?” the cloaked one mumbled.

  “I do not have time to waste. I need to get back to my friends. Let me ask you again, who are you?” Henri repeated his previous question.

  The cloaked figure stopped mid-question and stood face to face with Henri. “It is said that patience truly is a virtue.”

  “You realize that if I don’t get back to finish what I started, the Old Ones will come back? They will devour everything - including you. Why won’t you stop staring at me and help me!” Henri released his emotions onto the cloaked-figured.

  “Why don’t I help you? Listen, child, it is not my duty in this universe to stop helping all the others just to help you. This is your path. Find the scimitar… it is your duty, not mine. You will show me the proper respect or I will end you with the snap of a finger.” The cloaked-figure stepped forward to reveal their identity - Arnav.

  “Wait… Arnav? You are the avatar?” Henri asked shockingly.

  “Hello, Henri. And, yes. I am the avatar of Kali. Even though I am fond of you, my stance still stands. You will remember who I am,” Arnav’s presence was different as an avatar than a tour guide, as he seemed as he had aged.

  “Arnav, I apologize for my rudeness, but if I don’t find a way to get through that wall so that I can get the scimitar, the entire universe is finished. I can’t stand the idea of everything being devoured by these damn, soulless bastards.” Henri fell into his knees in defeat, tears splashing on the ground.

  “Augur, rise when you speak with me. There is no reason to feel defeated. I don’t need to assist you because you already know how to get through the door,” Arnav assured Henri.

  “How can I get through?” Henri asked.

  “The same way you do everything else,” Arnav explained. Henri analyzed all that had happened to see what Arnav was suggesting. He cleared his mind to see if anything came to him. Henri waited for an amazing idea on how to get through that wall.

  Finally, Henri had an idea on how to get to the other side.

  “There it is,” Arnav whispered.

  “Would that work?” Henri asked rhetorically.

  “Now, you need to return to that chamber, and you need to finish your task.” Arnav watched as the young Augur headed back to the chamber.

  Henri stood tall to show Kali and her avatar that the universe had chosen the right person.

  CHAPTER 32

  The vibrating sounds of Etlina and Siméon’s voices floated in Henri’s ears, facilitating him to open his eyes. Henri had heaviness in his head, feeling off balance. He glanced at the wall, examining the exterior surface. Henri replayed his conversation with Arnav. Moments later, he became aware of his surroundings.

  “Henri, you’re back?” Etlina asked, staring wide-eyed.

  “Arnav…he is the avatar,” Henri answered, releasing a sigh.

  “Wait… that little kid is the avatar of Kali?” Siméon asked, trying to picture a child being the human embodiment of a Hindu Goddess.

  “Not a kid. He gave me what I needed to get through to the other side.” Henri focused upon the carving, and he ran the palm of his hand over the indentations of the carvings. He found he could pinpoint the vibrations of the ancient markings. He began to blend his mind with the wall’s energy. Henri felt the intense energy of its ward. He located the signature of the energy that was the source of its power.

  Etlina watched Henri, and she saw a magical transformation happening to him. His eyes glowed a bright cerulean glimmer. “Henri, what is happening to you?”

  “I’m becoming one with the ward itself.” Henri hoped his idea panned out.

  “Henri, I don’t like this!” Siméon tried to get Henri to see the possible outcomes of his actions. Henri continued to channel the energy. “I’m trying to short circuit the ward. These wards are getting in our way.”

  “Yes, but if you aren’t careful with taking in that much power then you could kill yourself,” Etlina wanted to stop Henri from overwhelming himself, but he wasn’t paying too much attention.

  “I’ll be fine. Promise.” Henri became a sponge, and he absorbed the residual energy. He directed all the siphoned magic to the ward, causing the ward to become overloaded.

  Once the ward was destroyed, Henri directed the remaining energy to the wall. He could tell that the wall was soaking up every bit of energy.

  The wall emitted mystical signatures, indicating that the wall had reached its limit. Henri glanced back at Etlina and Siméon, feeling that these might be his final moments. Henri gave the wall his full attention, and he released the magic that he held inside himself. The electrifying blast annihilated the partition.

  “Well, that apparently worked.” Henri gasped as he fell to the ground.

  Siméon fought his way to Henri’s side. “What were you thinking?”

  “Siméon, I am fine.” Henri saw the love and concern in his eyes.

  “Henri, that amount of power is more than hundred nuclear bombs!” Siméon hated Henri’s restlessness.

  “Listen, we have a job to do, and I did what I had to do. Thank you for worrying about me, though,” Henri reiterated to his friends.

  “Let us go inside the room. I am sure someone heard us,” Etlina whispered. They composed themselves and stepped into the darkened room.

  In the center of the room, stood a solid pillar of gold and Marble. There were numerous carvings on the pillar that told many stories of the past. Henri walked in circles around the pillar to see if he could get anything from any of the carvings.

  He was interrupted by Etlina’s gasp. “Guys! Look! There is something stuck in the pillar.” She pointed out whatever it was to the boys.

  “Etlina, that’s it…Kali’s scimitar,” Henri said, a huge smile spreading across his face. They all admired the intricacies of her treasure. No one had seen such a curved blade covered with precious jewels before. Its sheath was lined with images and signatures of its divine wielder.

  “Let me get it. When I have it in my hands, I can call on her.” Henri climbed his way up the pillar to reach the entombed treasure.

  Henri ascended to the top, and he placed a firm grasp on the scimitar’s handle. A surge of mystical energy coursed through the scimitar and into Henri’s body, exciting every molecule of his being.

  To Henri’s surprise, the scimitar opened a portal as Etlina had done in the past. The mystical portal’s magnetic force pulled Henri into it. Henri glanced around to see that he was back in the wastelands—his least favorite place.

  “How am I back here?”

  “Because I brought you back here, child,” a familiar voice comment
ed. Henri was staring into her eyes once again, “Kali. What is going on?”

  “Things are much better since you found my weapon. And, now, we can get to business, Henri.” Kali Maa motioned him to follow her into her plane. Henri had some fond memories of his time in her world, but he never wanted to return. Henri was aware that he may be joining the local residents after he opened the gateway.

  CHAPTER 33

  “I see that you realized who my avatar is.” Kali stood in such a manner that expressed her energy, her position.

  “Yes. Arnav. I had no idea. He is so young though.” Henri didn’t care for subtleties.

  “Too young? Are you saying that I picked someone ill-prepared to be my avatar?” she asked, getting very angry at Henri’s choice of words.

  “No…no…no… that is not what I meant. I just meant that I didn’t know that anyone could be an avatar,” Henri tried to get himself out of trouble with Kali. She still terrified him to his core.

  “Shall we continue with your journey?” She once again forgave Henri for his rudeness.

  “So, the scimitar. It brought you here. As you can see, the scimitar is a doorway. So, you are here, now, Augur.”

  Henri noticed that Kali had a way of delivering words.

  “So, how do I resurrect a demon? You said that you’d help me when I found your treasure.”

  “I did say such a thing. I told you, the very last drop of the demon Raktabija’s essence is in the weapon itself. We must now conduct the resurrection dance,” Kali explained as she gestured towards the center of the desert-like wastelands.

  “We do a dance, and the demon Raktabija is resurrected. And, then what?” Henri asked with a look of bewilderment on his face.

  “We shall see, Seer,” she answered. They walked deeper into the depths of the desert.

  “Child, you need to realize something. With each passing moment, you are raising your own vibration, your own energy field. And, now, you are on a journey that impacts the fabric of reality itself. That would change anyone,” Kali explained with poetry and ease.

  “I forget that you can read minds,” Henri responded. He wished that Kali wouldn’t read his mind. The desire to maintain his sense of privacy from her motivated him to keep his thoughts clear and clean.

  “Child, I read souls. I don’t need to read anyone’s mind. The soul tells the truth. You can’t hide who you truly are from me.” Kali chuckled at Henri’s innocence.

  “What is so funny?” Henri asked.

  “You would think that with all that you have completed up to this moment that your mind would become more open.” She motioned for Henri to move forward.

  “Well, I think that I am doing the best that I can at the moment,” Henri commented.

  “We will see. The true test is about to start.” She pointed into the sky for Henri to see that they had reached one of the pillars that he saw the first time he was in the wastelands. The sight was gruesome from the first step to the very last. Henri could only imagine the ritual bloodbaths that occurred there.

  Images of death, pain, and despair flashed through his mind. He began to think that it was too much for him to bear. The top portion of the steps was constructed entirely out of gold with images similar to the ones in the sacred chamber in the temple at Kalighat.

  At the pinnacle of the pillar, existed a platform used for what appeared to be ceremonies. There was a golden throne in the aft-center of the platform where Henri assumed that Kali must reside during the rituals. She directed Henri to stand in the center of the platform. She strolled over to the throne and sat down with her regal pose.

  Henri stood in the center, waiting for Kali to instruct him on how to commence the ritual. She sat staring at Henri. Her eyes pierced through the fabric of reality. There was much knowledge and power behind those eyes.

  “Kali, what am I to do?” Henri asked.

  “Henri, place the scimitar in the center of the platform.” Henri took the scimitar as instructed, and he stabbed the curved-blade into the slab of stone in the center. The moment that the scimitar made contact with the slab of stone, Henri felt a massive rush of power and energy circulate into him from the platform and the scimitar. The amount of energy caused a reciprocating force inside Henri’s body, and the energy exited out of his crown.

  The exiting energy connected the earth of the wasteland, the platform, the scimitar, Henri and the heavens. Henri had never felt more connected to the universe before that very moment. His ability to channel allowed him to feel the Earth beneath him, the scimitar itself.

  “Augur of Shadows, this is the resurrection dance. In order to resurrect anything, you must take from the Earth and the heavens. I told you once that balance is key. To have the desired outcome, you need permission from both, and you must ask such a request. In your case, you must give something up,” Kali explained with discernment.

  “Kali, what is it? You’re hiding something from me,” Henri stated. She nodded her head in agreement, yet Henri didn’t know why.

  “I am a keeper of Universal Balance. However, what I ask of you this time, Augur, is to maintain that balance. By resurrecting Raktabija, you are essentially opening the first gateway,” Kali stated with sadness. Henri knew how much the demon took away from her and her people.

  “Yes. I know that,” Henri interrupted.

  “You must give up something,” she explained to the young, tender-hearted Henri.

  “Wait. What do you mean?” Henri was frustrated once again with divine cryptic messages.

  “You will lose something. And if you don’t agree then the entirety of existence will cease to be.” She lowered her head in defeat. Henri was extremely shocked to see such human traits from a goddess.

  “I agree to pay the price. It must be done.” Henri was terrified with his blanket statement. He told himself to not worry about the consequences. He felt strongly that he had made the right decision.

  “Agreed.” Kali snapped her fingers. A massive beam of light descended from the heavens, and an equally intense beam ascended from the ground to meet in the middle—the scimitar. The scimitar exploded into a million pieces, leaving a shiny, celestial, garnet orb. The remaining energy circulated the orb, creating a mini star in the center of the platform.

  The sky turned as black as night and the ground quaked unlike it ever had before. A dark storm brewed in the darkened skies, and the winds and the rain performed a stylistic dance similar to a hurricane’s duet. Kali created a sonic screech that pierced the depths of every single soul in the wastelands.

  Henri looked down to see tears falling from Kali’s eyes which confused him. The moment he saw the humanity of the Dark Mother, he had a fleeting thought of uncertainty.

  The red orb shined brighter than the sun, releasing ancient cosmic forces with unknown effects. The light turned into wave after wave of darkness and blood. Blood oozed out of the orb, forming a massive puddle on the floor of the platform. Henri couldn’t hide the look of terror on his face, and Kali saw his expression.

  The column of light pierced the puddle of blood, and the crimson secret took shape into something darker. Henri was still immobilized due to the dance’s ritual. The bloody puddle completed its transformation, and finally, Henri set his eyes upon the massive demon he assumed was Raktabija.

  The skies grew obsidian-themed as a storm released its fury. The earth continued to shake vigorously with the thunder and lightning taking their turn to shock. Henri fell to the ground. He couldn’t move, yet his body continued to convulse.

  Henri was completely drained of energy, and he was unable to run away. The reality of the situation hit Henri, and he realized that an ancient demon was standing a few feet away from him.

  Raktabija stood from the platform; he was nine foot tall. His skin shone with a ruby red glare and scars covered his entire body. He carried an enormous blade on his back. He had two giant horns protruding from his cranium. The first thought that Henri had after looking at Raktabija was that he resembled
what everyone feared - the Devil.

  He moved like the wind, making it difficult to keep an eye on him. His demonic laugh caused the earth to tremble in his wake. Henri was still paralyzed by the sight of the demon.

  “Tsk… tsk… tsk, Kali. Did I not tell you that you would see me again?” Raktabija smirked, and he continued in pursuit of his captor.

  “Raktabija, how unfortunate that I must see your sad soul again,” Kali rebuked.

  Raktabija laughed at the idea that he had Kali fearing him. “How are you to kill me without your scimitar?”

  She couldn’t hide her fear from him any longer. She knew that she needed all of her weapons, and she hated that her scimitar was now in a million pieces after his resurrection. “I don’t need the scimitar. I can kill you with my hands,” she threatened.

  Laughing, he turned around to see Henri, the one who brought him back. “Oh, so you are the human that brought me here.” Henri had no plan and no energy to initiate an attack.

  “I am,” Henri replied with disgust.

  “Why so sad? I haven’t eaten you yet!” He laughed. The garnet demon had a few tricks up his sleeve, using his telekinesis against Henri. The intensity of the demon’s might increased with every second, and Henri’s death crept closer with every breath.

  Henri screamed the loudest he could muster. When all seemed lost, the dark skies opened and an arrow pierced down at the earth. It flew through the air with precise ease and the force of a million bullets. It punctured the chest of the demon, knocking him off the platform and to the ground miles below. Henri released a sigh of relief. He looked to the sky, wanting to know who sent the arrow that saved him, yet he saw no one.

  Henri sought out Kali only to see Raktabija standing right behind her with an evil grin on his face. “Big mistake, boy.” He swung his massive blade out from behind his back, and he plunged the blade into Kali, immobilizing her. He turned her head so that she could see the hundreds of minion demons he had already spawned due to the arrow piercing his skin. “See, Kali… I have already started building my army. And you thought some stupid arrow was going to stop me? Whoever shot that arrow wasn’t thinking.”