Auron went back to the palace, descending upon its entrance with his Eedahlan. He saw King Mahamuth waiting below. He must have seen what happened, Auron guessed. Garuda left him at the bottom of the stairs before the entrance. The avian kicked off the ground, causing a gust of wind, and rose into the sky shattering into golden dust. It returned to limbo creating a grey light in the sky.
Auron went up the stairs slowly, thinking of what he would say to Ganicus's father. Reaching the top of the stairs the king clutched Auron's shoulders and shook him.
"What happened to him!" the king yelled, scowling like a lion.
"I am sorry," Auron whispered. He opened his hand and showed the king the Golden Sun.
Auron could not make eye contact. Mahamuth took the medallion from Auron's hands and a tear left the king's eyes. Mahamuth let out a roar that echoed throughout Oba Oasis. A roar of pain, of loss and sadness. The roar of a beast before its last breath. The king dropped to his knees, his soldiers surrounded him but he pushed them away, slamming his fist into the ground. Auron had no words; he closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the sadness.
"Why," the king whispered. "Why, Majithus? Why did you let this happen? My son was clad with the legendary cloth. How could he lose?"
"She was too powerful. It is not his fault," Auron said softly. "He gave it his all."
The king then stormed back into the palace, his soldiers following him. Auron did not want to bother the king. He understood what it was like to lose someone important, to lose family. Five years ago when he fought Ember, the previous king of his country had raided his village that was hidden in the woods. The king massacred his people and burned down his precious village. Auron and his band fought an entire army of knights and then had to surrender to the king in order to save what was left of the village.
Auron sat on the stairs of the palace gazing at the horizon. He did not want to go back home. He wanted to know what King Mahamuth planned to do with the Golden Sun. Such a powerful relic was of great use to fight against the Specters. "Either he joins us or someone else must use this Valiarmos. Maybe Eckxio can use it; he is really good with items."
He sat there unsure of what to do next and wondered what Akielas was doing. He thought of how Ember could have taken Willow's soul. That means the girl is no longer alive, he concluded. Ganicus and Willow are gone. We have lost two allies. Perhaps I should ask the king to join us. The fate of the world should be a priority to him. Auron was nervous and apprehensive now more than he had ever been. He began to sweat just thinking about facing Ember again. How would he win against her now? We need more talented mages on our side, but not just any mages, we need someone who knows how to use cosmo. That is the only way that we will be able to defeat the Specters.
The sun began to set and Auron had never found himself so worried before, hesitant and unsure. His usual self would know what to do and would always have a backup plan. This wasn't like last time when he feared for his old village. This was about Odealeous itself. Then again, even if Ember manages to rid the world of magic we would still be alive, he continued to think. No...there would be no kings. As she said, she and the other Specters would be the only rulers and no one would be able to stand against them. With all the horrible things that have happened, I believe that she can accomplish such a goal. That is what scares me. It is not just a fairy tale anymore.
"You there!" Auron heard a soldier from behind. He looked over his shoulder and it was a scorpion rank soldier, wearing a silver mask with a turban. "The king summons you."
Without hesitation Auron hurried into the palace and went to the king's throne room. When he entered the chamber, it was a mess. King Mahamuth had knocked over pottery, beaten women in his harem, torn his garments, punched holes in the walls, even knocked over the throne and bent his crown. Auron was speechless. Soldiers and bruised women raced out of the throne room in fear. The Golden Sun was on the floor and Auron was tempted to take it but he dared not anger the king. Mahamuth looked at Auron, panting, scowling and eyes red.
"I am leaving," Auron said.
"Before you go," Mahamuth said as he began to relax. "I want you to take it."
"Take what?" He asked.
"The Golden Sun. I want you to use it," Mahamuth answered. He lifted the medallion from the marble floor and handed it to Auron. The redhead stared at it as if he did not recognize it.
"I can't. It belongs to you," Auron said. "I know that Ganicus wanted me to use it, but I was thinking, King Mahamuth, you should join us. Join Akielas's alliance."
"I would not survive. In fact, I would only get in the way," the king replied. "I am not open to the outer world like my son was. As a king, my mind is here in my country. The Golden Sun has chosen you and so I will respect my son's wishes. Accept it and return it once you have defeated the Specters."
"But I am weak against fire," Auron said. "The Golden Sun's attributes are fire and light. My body and soul will weaken using its power."
Mahamuth laughed and seemed more at ease. "I am sure that my son already knew that and still chose you," he said. "Accept it Auron. You saw what my son was able to do with it. Perhaps it will grant you incredible power as well."
Auron gazed at the medallion, wondering how he would make it work. It was going to be a challenge but perhaps this was his opportunity to finally overcome his weaknesses.
"I accept. Thank you, King of the Desert." Auron and the king grabbed each other's forearms and shook. A salute of the people of Zolan.
"I will find out how it works. Farewell, King Mahamuth." Auron bowed and ran down the halls of the palace. He ran down the ivory steps, took a boat to the city's square and made his way outside the walls of Oba Oasis.
He ran through the desert and walked up a rocky hill till he reached the cliff where Akielas's pentacle portal was marked on the ground. With his teleport crystal, Auron triggered the magic of the portal. Blue lights rose and surrounded him in a cylinder, then sent him traveling through an unknown abyss. Once the blue lights vanished, he found himself in Akiela's sanctum. A large room made of granite. A wooden table had been flipped onto its side, tea was spilled on the tiled floor, alcoves were empty and there were books and scrolls scattered all over the room. There were holes in the walls that he had not seen before.
"Akielas must have been really angry. What happened?" he asked aloud.
"We lost one battle, nothing more." A voice startled him. He looked at the window and Eckxio stood there looking outside. Eckxio turned around and, when Auron saw his face, he felt as though he had been gone for months rather than days. The left side of Eckxio's face was covered with burns and cuts, even his pointy ears were damaged. His left arm was covered in bandages, stained crimson from blood.
"Great Terramus, what did I miss?" Auron whispered.
Akielas
Cursed, yet fortunate.
He had traveled throughout the entire map of Odealeous. From the west continent to the east. From the North Glacier to the south. From the spiral land of Maer Weeyar to the Yama country.
No sight was rare for Akielas. He had seen it all in the past decade since leaving the islands of El Nido in the equator, after he had lost his wife and son, till now.
No sight was rare. Not the advanced city of Ironside, hidden in the isles of the west continents. Not even Kazenolumos, floating above the clouds over the Kumo Sora Mountains in the Yama country, where he currently stood.
Wind lashed at his face, his hair streaming like a flag of black and grey. His cloak danced, revealing his chest plate and a one handed sword that hung from his waist. He gazed at the clouds below, looking at the ocean and the Yama country in a daze. He stood in the first level of Kazenolumos, that surrounded him like a pyramid shaped garden temple with the sun shining all around. Gold glinted from the walls while ivory columns held up the second level. Thousands of Effeelions flew using aeromancy around the sanctuary.
Will they listen to me? He asked himself. Of course they will, this is their world
too. If they want their city to continue floating, as it has for millennia, then they will listen to me. The entire world is in danger.
Akielas had befriended the Effeelions five years ago in his travels. As he hunted for rare magical items, like the cursed pendant that hung from his neck, he discovered Kazenolumos. He was one of the few humans that had ever set foot in the legendary sky city. Akielas gained the trust of the evolved Elves with the recommendation of Caim, the demigod and guardian of the sky city. Since the first day he met the demigod, Caim had trusted him like the many allies he had around the world.
Akielas was never short on friends. He was blessed with friendship and people were drawn to him for reasons he still did not understand. He stayed for a day in Kazenolumos after Willow's soul was taken by the Specters. The girl's body lay in his sanctum like an empty shell and her lover, Eckxio, was guarding her until Akielas returned.
As he gazed up at the city, squinting, he saw Caim flying towards him amongst thousands of Effeelions. The demigod's hair was white as the clouds and his skin was bronze. Caim's green tunic ruffled as he flew, and when he slowed down, his large sleeves filled with air. The demigod descended and landed softly on the tiled floor with his brown sandals. The most mesmerizing of all were his lavender eyes, a sign of his cosmo power.
"Just like last time, pondering by the edge of the first level and staring down at the mountains," Caim said.
Akielas only looked at the demigod with an empty expression.
"Five years ago I thought I knew what I was doing. I wasted so much time searching for power, thinking that I could do this alone," he said, somberly.
"Don't get your hopes up. I have not made any agreements. Not yet," Caim replied. "The last five years have turned you into a sad man Akielas. I can see it in your eyes. As if you are always living in a nightmare."
"A nightmare that I had created and now it is going to cloud the world," Akielas grieved. "They are coming Caim, and you know it."
"Yes, I know," Caim said and closed his eyes. "Ten years ago, one of those white masked ghouls with horns invaded Kazenolumos trying to take the Aero Cosmo Jewel from the Effeelions. I always knew he would be back, but I wasn't sure when. However, these Specters, as you call them, do not frighten me."
"Not even if they possess the remnants of the dragon gods?" Akielas asked and stared solemnly.
It took a moment for Caim to answer.
"No," the demigod replied.
"You really don't care about this world," Akielas stated. "Not even if the Specters destroy it. What do you live for? What do the Effeelions live for, if not for this world?"
"The Effeelions and I have dedicated our lives to finding the realm of Cosmus," Caim answered. "We research, meditate, pray and travel through dimensions, trying to find the mother of all realms. That is our purpose. Although we reside in Odealeous, we invest only in that which is of high importance."
"The end of the world does not sound important enough for you?" Akielas asked.
"You misunderstand, my friend," Caim answered.
"Yes, tell me, why don't the Effeelions, the most spiritual beings in Odealeous, care about the end of the world?" he snarled.
"Calm yourself," Caim responded.
Akielas turned his face and gazed at the clouds again. The Specters weren't the only ones on his mind. His own apprentices betrayed him and became his enemies. Sure, he felt guilty for creating such monsters, but what bothered him the most was this feeling of loss. Ganicus...what happened to him? He asked of the dragon gods. I can't feel his presence. The desert prince. By the gods, please stay alive Ganicus.
Regularly he would be able to sense the maju of his friends, the energy source in every form of life that mages use to cast magic. When he closed his eyes he could feel Auron's presence as well as Eckxio's. Willow's soul had been captured by the Specters, but Ganicus had gone to his homeland, the Zolan country, with Auron. Could he be dead?
"The Specters are not the only thing that is bothering you," Caim said. "Do not misunderstand us, Akielas. You should know by now that the Effeelions do not interfere with human affairs, and this includes the chaos that your apprentices are causing. It might seem unfair to you that we do not bother to help, however, the Effeelions believe that everything happens for a reason, and they don't like to interfere in how Odealeous brings change to the world."
"Change?" Akielas raised his eyebrows, feeling as if Caim were veering away from the conversation. "We are not talking about the philosophy of the Effeelions, we are talking about the entire world."
"Yes, I know," Caim replied. "But you just don't understand. This is our creed here in Kazenolumos, we believe that everything that is currently happening is for the purpose of the world."
"Are you serious?" Akielas was in disbelief.
"Yes I am," Caim answered. The demigod showed no facial expressions, he was usually solemn when he spoke. "Because the Effeelions are highly spiritual, they see what the rest of the world does not see, and have lived for thousands of years since before the time of Prodigus Kollos. The current chaos that your apprentices are causing in Odealeous could be a way for the planet to begin a new age, a new era, a new world. Call it what you please."
"In other words, the chaos that the Specters are causing is a...good thing. Is that what you are saying?" Akielas was confused.
It was not unusual for him to hear such perplexing ideas of morality here in Kazenolumos. The Effeelions had a bizarre way of looking at the world, yet it was peaceful, nonviolent and it felt like the truth. Caim said it in a way that made Akielas almost accept everything that had happened.
"Yes, and no," Caim answered. It was expected of him to give such twisting answers to puzzle the mind. "It is difficult to answer, but we have no right to judge if this is right or wrong. Odealeous has its own way of making changes through all beings in the side of either light or darkness. However, if the Specters attack Kazenolumos, I will destroy them."
"Sounds very selfish," Akielas said.
"To you and to every other human being in Odealeous it might sound selfish, but it is what we believe in," Caim replied.
"You only live for what you believe in?" Akielas asked as his mind spun.
"It is what every living creature in this world does," Caim answered and raised his chin. "Come with me," he said, "I will take you to the third level. You will speak with the council of seven. The have allowed you to stay for the day as they were away astral projecting into another realm. You will now have a chance to persuade them. If they agree, then I will join you and fight the Specters, but if they decline, then I am afraid you are on your own. I do promise you one thing, the Specters will not get their hands on the Aero Cosmo Jewel."
"Hmmph...that is exactly what I am afraid of," Akielas said and frowned.
Caim extended an arm with an open palm and Akielas grabbed his forearm. Caim ascended with his godly energy, lifting Akielas with him. They flew up while swirling around the Effeelions that flew everywhere. The Effeelions were short creatures, only four feet in height. They had ears longer than Elves, with big eyes and small noses like cats. They all used aeromancy, flying around the great pyramid. Akielas saw a few islands that floated around Kazenolumos. One of those islands had a hut with trees surrounding it; it was Caim's home.
They flew up smoothly, passing by the second level of the pyramid. Akielas glanced at the second level and saw marble homes stacked over each other with long stairs and bridges stretching in every direction.
This fortress had been floating in the sky for thousands of years. Akielas had browsed its libraries and read through scrolls with Elven codex. He had made friends with the Effeelions, creatures that had evolved from Elves millennia ago. They were spiritual creatures. Akielas considered them the monks of the Elf race. They were highly intelligent and nomadic. Very few had ever seen the Effeelions. They were considered a fairy tale to the world and only a lucky few such as Akielas had seen them. Whenever they left their sanctuary, they shifted, disgui
sing themselves as birds using aeromancy. Air was their innate element. My opposite, Akielas thought. He had an earth innate nature, which meant his priority was to the world while the Effeelion's priority was spirituality, and their minds were usually in another world.
They finally reached the third level where the council of seven resided. Caim flew towards the dome and dove into the oculus with Akielas. They landed gently on the floor.
It was a spacious chamber where the elders of the Effeelions had their conferences. Shelves and alcoves lined the walls with scrolls locked and pressed down so the air wouldn't blow them away. The domed ceiling was painted glass in gradients of yellow and red and the sun blurred above. In the center there was a crescent moon platform where the elders would sit in the lotus position for meditation. Seven Effeelions stared at Akielas.
"Please, step forward Akielas," The leader Nehushine beckoned him into the center where he sat.
"Thank you, Lord Nehushine." Akielas bowed and took three steps forward, stepping into the circle of a sun and moon illustration on the floor.
"It is good to see you again," Nehushine said. "There aren't many outsiders that we trust, so it is heartwarming to have a friend in the world that will keep our secrets safe."
"It is my pleasure," Akielas replied. "So much has happened in the last five years."
"So I have heard," Nehushine said. "It seems that the world is going through a great change for such catastrophes to occur."
Akielas stepped forward once more and eyed the council. All seven sages looked at him with a smile. "Are you not worried of what is happening in the world, my lord?" Akielas asked.
"It is not for me to determine whether this is good or bad, but I do feel the pain of the innocent," the elder answered. "I know that you came here because of the monsters that mar the world with chaos."
Spirit of Mages (Rift of Chaos Book 2) Page 3
