"Fairy King Elisol, it is a pleasure seeing you again," Akielas said and bowed.
Eckxio bowed as well and the sword he held disappeared from his hands.
"A most delightful reunion," Elisol said gracefully. His golden eyes glowed like a yellow ring of honey. "It's been so long. You two have been the only ones to visit me in the last twenty years, besides that demigod. It is a wonderful surprise to see the two of you in my realm. It seems that your paths have intertwined and I see that there is something troubling you tremendously."
"Fairy King, we have come today because we...no...the world is in danger," Akielas replied. "My apprentices betrayed me and now they plan to rid the world of magic. A malicious plan that I am guilty of, and now they intend to make it a reality. They have already gathered two cosmo jewels and have killed one of our friends as well as taken the soul of another. We have tried everything we could to stop them and now we fear that we have been overpowered and outsmarted. Please, Fairy King Elisol, I know you are no longer of our world, but I know you have an answer. What can we do to stop the Specters? We must hurry before it's too late."
There was silence for a moment, but then the fairy king began to laugh. Not a mocking laughter but rather a laughter of no worries. Akielas could not understand why the fairy king laughed but he was patient, for he was sure that the holy entity had a solution to his prayers.
"The world is always in trouble," the fairy king said. "Peace does not last long, because humanity is always at war with itself."
It was a truthful statement, but Akielas and Eckxio waited for something more.
"Is that all you have to say," Eckxio said.
"Do not speak to the fairy king in such a way," Akielas murmured to Eckxio.
"It is fine, do not worry," the fairy king said. He seemed to have no burdens. "This reminds me of the time when the crystal bearers fought against the Alexanders. Those were dark times and I thought the world would end. It seems that this is how we are shifting into the age of twilight. However, fear not, despair not and do not let your faith vanish into darkness."
"But how can we defeat the Specters when they have the unlimited power of two cosmo jewels?" Akielas asked desperately.
"I have been feeling the angry maju of these Specters you speak of," the fairy king replied. "I see their motives are linked to the past they had with you. Regardless of whatever power they posses, they might disable a multitude of people, but they will never rid the world of magic. It is an arrogant and selfish act and they will only harm themselves in the process."
"Harm themselves?" Akielas questioned. "It sure does not seem that way. We have been fighting them with sword and spells. Again I will ask you, Elisol, is there anything we can use to put an end to them?"
"Yes there is," the fairy king answered and frowned. "But I am afraid to tell you for it will steer you away from that possible future."
"What?" Eckxio snarled, puzzled. "Steer us away? That does not make any sense. If you know how to defeat the Specters then we can do it right now. Why wait?"
The fairy king smiled and did not answer. Akielas felt as if he was speaking to Nehushine in Kazenolumos once more. Shifting into the age of twilight, Akielas pondered. I think I understand what the fairy king means. I am starting to understand what the age of twilight really means.
"Elisol, in our future, can you see us defeating the Specters?" Akielas asked.
"That is a much better question," the fairy king responded. "Because I can see the events that will happen I cannot tell you exactly how they will come about. So to answer your question. The Specters will be defeated, but not in the way you imagined it."
"Well, umm, I guess that is... good," Eckxio said, still perplexed.
"I once walked Odealeous just like you," the fairy king said. "I know how this works. I was once flesh and blood. I loved and hated, fought and bled. After going through my human phase I decided to ascend and become enlightened. I have seen this pattern before, but it is happening in the world with a new energy. All I can say to you brave souls is to follow your hearts, fight for what you believe in, be persistent and you will see the light of Elysious in your physical world."
Akielas was speechless. He felt as though he wasted his time coming to the fairy king for answers. What he wanted to hear was different. He thought the fairy king would know of a tool or spell to defeat the Specters, but he felt empty with the motivational speech that Elisol had given.
"Akielas," the fairy king spoke again. "You came here because you feel apprehensive. You are uncertain of how everything will result. I am sorry, but I cannot give you any answers. It is difficult for me as well because I cannot allow you to see the future, for it will reverse the possibilities. Embrace uncertainty, study your enemy, and you will bring balance. However, if you act out of desperation, if you lose hope, then it will all be over for you."
"Thank you, Fairy King, I am grateful," Akielas said and bowed. He was grateful, yet still apprehensive. "One more thing. What exactly is the age of twilight?"
The fairy king laughed then answered, "It is called the age of twilight due to the wheel of the eight elements. You have already heard about twilight magic. Every two thousand years the astral wheel changes at the time of the tri-eclipse when the sun aligns with the two moons. This causes the energy of Odealeous to shift into the next attribute on the wheel. We are exiting the age of light and entering the age of twilight. The age where opposites become one. The age where all that seemed to be different and separated will join and meld as one. Look at your allies. They are all from different countries, yet they gathered to fight the Specters. You have been chosen as one of the catalysts for this change.”
"I see," Akielas whispered and all his confusion melted in that instant. He had gained some clarity and felt more acceptance towards what he did not know.
"Wait! We are not done here," Eckxio called out. "Don't forget why I am here."
"Well, of course," the fairy king said cheerfully. "There is a woman you want to save. Her soul was stolen by the Specters."
Eckxio nodded.
"I cannot tell you what you must do but I will say that you will succeed," the fairy king foretold.
"Thank you, that is good enough," Eckxio replied with a smile. "I have but one last question. Do you know where I can get the Angel Valiarmos?"
"So that is what you seek," the fairy king said, stroking his beard. "The Angel Valiarmos, just like the last Elf that sought it. It resides with the Lumnos in the realm of light. Enter the realm of light and pass the test of the Lumnos. If you can pass their test, then the Valiarmos is yours."
"So it's true," Eckxio said cheerfully. "But wait. How does one enter the realm of light?"
"That I cannot reveal," the fairy king answered. "Much like Akielas, this is something you must figure out on your own."
"You can't be serious. You have to tell me," Eckxio pled.
"Time is up, I must go now," the fairy king said, waving goodbye. "Take what I said, have faith, and follow your hearts. There are no shortcuts."
The zeustoss shards on the pedestal released a beam of light and the fairy king ascended. The night sky around them began to vanish as the winds began to howl. For a moment everything was a blank slate and when Akielas blinked it all changed back to the Quariras Mountains. The Stonehenge was surrounded by rocky slopes again, clouds moved ever so slowly in the sky, and the wind moaned. Sunlight blazed on Akielas's face as he stared skyward as though he could still see the fairy king ascending.
"Follow your heart, he says," Akielas murmured. "There are no shortcuts, he says. I cannot tell you the future, he says."
"You sound disappointed," Eckxio commented.
"He is right, you know," Akielas confessed. "I have lost faith, immensely, ever since my apprentices betrayed me. I have lost my confidence ever since I started fighting them."
"Come on, stop pitying yourself," Eckxio cheered. "You heard the fairy king. The Specters will lose."
"I know, I know,"
Akielas said looking livelier. "Let's go to Kazenolumos and speak to the Effeelions. They will know how to enter the realm of light."
"I want to see the Greamos first," Eckxio replied. "I have to see how they are doing."
"Very well then, I will wait for you in the sanctum," Akielas said.
"See you soon," Eckxio said and ran towards the portal down the mountain path.
Akielas watched Eckxio running towards the portal and contemplated what the fairy king had said. "He did not want to show me my future, yet he was willing to tell me that the Specters will be defeated. Why do I get the feeling the fairy king was foreseeing my death?"
Eckxio
He walked through the Ougrian forest where Mouah Cross, the home of the Greamos, resided. The eastern forest was full of deadly plants. Eckxio never walked this forest without Willow. Her herbomancy tamed the plants and kept poisonous shrubs away from them. Eckxio walked with no sword and shield, his paploo fairy was with the young Elves of the village and he could not cast any offensive magic. All he had was extromancy, And that is all I need, he would think.
There was a time when Eckxio thought of himself as defenseless as an Elf who was magically disabled, but ever since he mastered his extromancy he feared nothing and no one.
"Last time I walked through this forest we fought together," he said as he thought about Willow. "Every time I walk through the forests, I will think of you, my love." He clutched the pendant made of rose quartz and jade around his neck. It had a hint of her maju that she had given him to always be by his side. "It would be great to have Nana with me right now, but the Elves need her more than I do. My little fairy, such a tremendous help that you have been all these years, I never thanked you properly."
He began to run through tall grass and was whipped by low branches. A school of vampire finches flew above him. Small furred animals ran away as he rushed between trees. Some plants would throw needles at him, but his armor would block them. Eckxio extracted the maju of the forest then released it with a pulse to repel plants and other poisonous bugs from stinging or touching him; it was a little trick he learned from Willow.
He ran towards Mouah Cross and, as he got closer, he could hear the waterfall of its whereabouts. The village of the Greamos was well hidden so no one would find it. He grabbed onto a vine, swung through the forest, landed on a branch, then climbed up a tree to the canopy. The Elf jumped from branch to branch until he reached the river where the great waterfall hid the village of the insect humanoids.
Eckxio stood on a branch fifty feet off the ground. He gazed at the colossal waterfall. It was one hundred feet high and foamed vastly at the bottom looking like clouds in the sky. It was a beautiful sight and Eckxio never grew tired of looking at it. It was the wonders of being raised in the forest.
Eckxio coughed dryly with a hammering sound that expanded his chest. He felt his illness rising again. Immediately he reached into his belt pocket and took out a small bottle with a green fluid that was made by his father. He gulped it down and took a moment to catch his breath.
"That was the last bottle," he said. "It should keep me going for a few more days."
Eckxio had never found a cure for his illness. His father told him to stop using extromancy, but it was Eckxio's only magical weapon and, whenever he used it, it made his illness worse. Using other people's maju affected his own. He had not yet found a way to channel maju without it streaming through his body. Some said it was a curse that his only magical skill was the very thing that made him ill, but Eckxio thought of it as a gift, The greater the skill, the greater the sacrifice, he would say. Willow once told him that one day he will die because of his rare ability and Eckxio remembered laughing at her.
"With this ability I will save many lives," he murmured.
Eckxio jumped into the river from the tree. He plunged into the water with his feet in first, creating a large splash. As the river swallowed his fall he used the natural maju of the water to rise up again. Fish swam around him and, when they reached the surface, they jumped in and out of the water. Using his extromancy, he walked on the water, pushing the maju below his feet. He sprinted over the water, moving towards the cascade. Eckxio dashed through the waterfall and felt the current pounding his head and back. On the other side he climbed up twenty feet until he reached the entrance of Mouah Cross.
He stood on rocky ground and before him was a wall with the symbol of earth; a tower balancing a square on either side.
"This would be so much easier if I had Nana or the Gorgon eye with me," he said.
Eckxio placed his hands on the stone wall and felt the maju on the other side. He extracted the maju and the energy ran through his arms to his heart, stopping at his solar plexus. He stepped back and shot the maju at the symbol, shouting, "Terras Greamos!"
The symbol glowed and the stone wall began to disappear. This was the only way to enter the secret village of the Greamos. Once the wall disappeared Eckxio walked in and went down a wooden spiral stairway that had been made by the Greamos. When he arrived at the village his eyes swelled and he gaped at the disaster.
Bridges that connected trees were now destroyed. The elder tree in the very center of the village was greatly damaged. "Fiends were here. Willow must have fought them," he concluded.
He hurried to the elder tree and ran over handrails that still formed what was left of the bridge. He balanced himself on the handrail until he reached the grand tree. He then saw a few Greamos with broken antennae and cracked shells. Some lay bleeding purple blood and others lay dead with their bodies torn in half. Eckxio looked around and saw that some trees had fallen to the lake below and, when he looked down, he noticed that the lake no longer shone like it once had.
"Since the Emerald Cosmo Jewel was taken, this village has been suffering without its energy," he said with sorrow.
There were still Greamos wandering around, but they were also injured. Some of them had wings torn off and others their legs and arms had been severed. Some children walked silently on a bridge that had not been damaged.
"Sir Eckxio," a masculine voice called from behind him.
He spun around and saw Igroff, the Greamos commander of the warrior class.
"You are still alive," Eckxio said with awe and bowed. "Terramus raises the earth with you."
"Yes, I am blessed to be standing and able to help the people," Igroff said. He stepped forward then faltered. Eckxio rushed forward and helped the commander to walk. "Thank you. I cannot believe I am being helped by an Elf. I am glad that our people are no longer enemies."
"Let us forget the past," Eckxio said. "Although disasters have happened, we must let go of our pride and unite if we are to survive."
"I am afraid we won't survive for very long without the emerald jewel," Igroff said and a tear left his glossy dark eyes. His antennaes were broken and Eckxio noticed that his hind wings were torn off.
"Fiends did this to you?" Eckxio asked.
"Yes and Lady Willow did her best to defend us," Igroff answered and coughed purple blood.
Eckxio placed him on the ground against the bark of the grand tree next to another injured Greamos.
"Are the queen and Moyeed safe?" the Elf asked gently.
"In the throne room," Igroff replied.
"Thank you," Eckxio said and entered the grand tree. He did not know what else to say to the injured Greamos. Sometimes it was too painful seeing his friends suffering and he did not have any healing abilities.
Inside the grand tree there was a spiral of stairs. Eckxio scampered up till he reached the throne room. He saw Queen Ganoless sitting on the throne with Moyeed by her side. Four Elves spoke with the queen. Two held staffs and the others carried bows and quivers full of arrows on their backs.
When the queen noticed Eckxio, her eyes beamed with bliss and her arms extended towards him, as if to hold him. Looking at her brought a smile to Eckxio. It was such a warm feeling in his heart to see the lovely queen shine at his presence.
"My
dearest, oh by the gemstones and verdant greens," the queen praised. "My Eckxio, please come to me."
The Elf went forward for an embrace. He gently wrapped his arms around the queen and felt her smooth yellow and brown skin along with the rough sides like fish scales. He looked at her face and into those big dark glossy beautiful eyes like a poodle moth. The Greamos faces were shaped like humans, but their eyes were twice as big, while their lips and noses were a little smaller.
"My beautiful queen," Eckxio said and kissed her hands. Moyeed came and embraced him as well. Moyeed was the Greamos woman who had raised and mothered Willow.
"Where is my daughter?" Moyeed asked eagerly, with a smile on her face.
Eckxio frowned and looked down. It was just too painful to explain and Willow's mother looked so happy. There is no way I won't break her heart, he thought at that very moment.
"My dear, what happened to your face?" The queen asked him.
"Sir Eckxio, we are pleased to see you," the Elves said. "Will you be joining us in our new home?"
"Everyone please, just give me a moment," he said, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. He took a deep breath and looked at all their faces. "It's been difficult times. I have been fighting these villains that call themselves the Specters alongside my allies. They are the ones who stole the Emerald Cosmo Jewel and destroyed Evee Iris. They continue to take and destroy all throughout the world, not just in Verday. While fighting these masked fiends I...I..."
"What happened?" Queen Ganoless asked, leaning forward on her throne.
Eckxio could not look them in the face when he said, "I lost Willow."
Moyeed gasped, placing her hands on her lips and her eyes moistening.
"Her soul was taken and her body is now an empty shell," he said while staring at the wooden ground. "If her heart stops beating her body will wither. My father Sherwood is taking her to the home of the Elves in the south. I am sorry, I have failed you. I am sorry I could not save her in time."
Spirit of Mages (Rift of Chaos Book 2) Page 12
