"I am back home?...no...Evee Iris was destroyed," he said to himself. "This is a dream or a memory I am seeing."
"Good guess," someone said from behind him.
Eckxio spun around only to find his own reflection. As Elves walked around Evee Iris he stared in surprise at a near identical image of himself. The main differences being that the image was completely black from skin to clothes, had red glowing eyes and was wielding the Tharos sword and shield.
"Who are you?" He asked his dark image.
"I am the one you hate the most," the dark Eckxio said.
"Hate who? You mean...me. I hate me." Eckxio was perplexed.
"That is right," the dark side of him said. "I am going to end you right now and become whole. So raise your sword and face me."
Suddenly Eckxio felt heavy objects in both hands. He looked down at himself and realized he held in his left hand the first sword he had ever wielded and in his right hand was the bronze shield he used after he was exiled from his village. This was the equipment he had after he was exiled from his village ten years ago.
"What is this? Why have I gone back in time?" He asked aloud.
"Don't you understand," the dark Eckxio said. "You have hated me for far too long. Now it is time I take over."
"I hated you? You mean I hated myself. That is a lie," Eckxio said and took a stance with his shield in front ready to duel. "I have never hated myself. This can't be my darkness. Siddhartha must have made a mistake."
"You are a coward," his dark side replied.
All the Elves in the villages disappeared in a flash then flames engulfed the village. Trees caught fire and the river dried. He found himself trapped in a circle of flames with his dark side.
"I will finally set myself free," the dark Eckxio said. "Prepare to die."
His dark side lunged with a shining blade and a battle cry echoing in the village. Eckxio guarded, afraid to fight himself, wondering how he could defeat his dark side.
Willow
Memories.
When she had remembered her name she began to recall her past. Her home in the forest. "What was it called again?" She asked herself. "Where I would play with the animals and mother would sing to me. What was the name of that forest?"
She struggled but it gradually flowed back into her mind. Like butterflies, every new memory tickled her mind and she giggled. "Ah, the Spirituah forest." She finally remembered. "Mother raised me in the forest. Yes, but she does not look like me. She was different."
The puzzle landed in its place. She saw it in her mind's eye. Her mother, Moyeed, part of a species called the Greamos. Insect humanoids. Moyeed took her to the lair of the Emerald Cosmo Jewel two months after her birth and Terramus, the dragon god of earth, blessed her with his maju. That was why Willow was gifted with herbomancy. She learned quickly and never had trouble with animals. Wildlife bowed to her, they were her friend.
"Why doesn't mother look like me? Why is she different?"
She always wondered why she was raised by a Greamos then remembered one day when she turned eighteen years of age, her mother told her the truth. Willow was the daughter of the queen of Verday. The queen gave her away to Moyeed. The Greamos did not want a human to grow up among them so they exiled Moyeed and she raised Willow in the forest.
Willow learned from the animals. To climb like the apes. To run like the jaguars. To hold her breath for long periods of time underwater. Moyeed taught her hydromancy and terramancy. Before the age of eighteen Willow was able to defeat Elves in mage duels. Her mother was astonished when Willow learned herbomancy all by herself by combining hydromancy and terramancy. She was a true prodigy and soon the Elves that lived in the forest invited her to Evee Iris.
Willow remembered the village of trees connected by bridges. She recalled how the Elves moved through the village on wires with hooks and used aeromancy to glide from tree to tree. She taught the Elves how to improve their magic by learning how to connect deeper with nature like the animals. Then came the time when the Elves taught her how to fight with weapons and, for the first time in her life, she saw steel. To her it was like a sharp rock that could cut through anything, but she learned the Elven martial arts using two short swords. She was nine inches taller than her instructors and they were faster, but Willow gradually caught up to them. She clashed blades with them, mastering the art of combat. When it came time to use her new skills she...
"Uh." The memories ceased to flow. "What happened? It was all coming back to me."
Something was blocking the flow of memories. "What happened next? I remember something terrible happening between two...ah, I can't remember."
"Have you enjoyed the recalling of your past?" the voice of Terramus spoke.
"It's you again," she replied, "Why did my memories stop flowing?"
"Patience," Terramus said. "They will continue to flow gradually. You do not need to hurry. Take the time to contemplate what thou already recalled. Cherish the early beginnings. Your early life. Your childhood. How does it feel?"
She thought about it for a moment and felt warmth somewhere in her center. "I was always happy. Mother took great care of me. My entire youth was with mother and the Elves. I never lived with other humans. And then he showed up..." Suddenly she felt one of her toes wiggle. "Ah, I can feel my foot."
"Do not stop," Terramus said, his voice echoing. Be present with your memories. Feel your past, allow the emotions to flow. Dive into them like a river, feel them fully and you shall find your home again. Your body."
And so she followed the instructions of Terramus. She felt her memories deeply. She felt the loneliness of never seeing other species such as herself. Sure, the Elves kept her company through her childhood and she loved them dearly, but there was always a hole in her heart. A void she did not understand. How come there is no one else like me? She would ask herself.
Finally, one day her mother, Moyeed, took her to see her birth parent. The queen of Verday. Willow remembered seeing humans for the first time in her life. Walking through a city of thousands of people, all wearing too much clothes and clad in steel. She learned about what people called money and they seemed disconnected from each other. Some of the humans were friendly and others were hostile. Some mocked her and called her an "ape girl." Willow thought of her own kind as, "more territorial than animals." But what puzzled her the most was why did people have to pay for food. Food was everywhere, yet they worked so hard for this thing called money so that they could get food. It made no sense to her, having been raised in the forest.
One thing that she truly loved was the titanic structure of Castle Verdeh. A castle covered in plants. Vine columns, archways, statues and verdant gardens filled with rare plants, some plants that she had never seen before. When she finally met her birth mother, Queen Veronica, it was like staring at her older self. The queen was blonde with blue eyes just like her. They shared the same height and their body movement was similar, confident yet somewhat shy. Her mother confessed to having given her away to, "become a virgin again," so that the spirit of the throne would accept her as the new ruler. Queen Veronica did not deny Willow but she did not embrace her either. Veronica was emotionally distant while Willow loved the idea of getting close with someone. Willow was lovable while her birth mother was kind yet cold and did not seem to understand intimacy. "Where is my birth father?" Willow asked the queen but Veronica did not know. Her father left after she was born and never told anyone where he went. The only thing the queen knew about Willow's father was that he was a healer and nothing more.
Willow returned to the forest. She was glad to have finally met her mother but she was disappointed. During that time she was so happy that he was by her side. He had journeyed with her the entire time. She thought he was an enemy at first but she had strong feelings for him. Something lured her towards him.
"What was his name again?" She asked Terramus and finally felt her heart beating.
Ember
On their solitary island she
gazed at the storm from the balcony of her bedroom in the tower, a skyscraper as dark as the hills of Necrovania. Thunder thudded in the dark clouds and the wind howled. Waves crashed on the plateaus of the small island, rising high as if to swallow it. A storm that never rested. It was their creation. It made them feel safe as if no one would dare to approach their domain.
Ember stood nude on her balcony, pondering how to take down the only thing that was standing in her way. Akielas is no longer a threat, she thought. Auron now has the Golden Sun but it is futile now that we have the two god remnants in our hands. That Elf has no power to stand against us and that Xaianian man's only asset is the Omnistar. However, that dreaded demigod is standing in my way. He is the only thing preventing us from taking the Aero Cosmo Jewel from the Effeelions. She gripped the handrail of the balcony, digging her nails into it. She clenched her teeth then screamed, breathing fire like a dragon. She heard the sweet comforting sound of thunder again, then reached for the sky, hands wide open.
"Reaching towards the heavens?" Naunet asked, standing behind her. "I thought you did not care about Elysious. You once said the Lumnos were hypocrites laughing at humanity from the realm of light."
Ember did not respond. She just gazed at the dark clouds with hands raised praising the dark environment, admiring the storm. Naunet was clad in black, wearing the Specter leather clothing without his horned mask. He had tied his dreadlocks into a tail. He walked from her bedroom to the balcony, embraced her from behind and whispered in her ear, "Want to talk about it?"
"Call Hertha and Jairo," she said. "We will combine our minds and find a way to destroy Caim. He is the only thing getting in our way."
"So Master Akielas is no longer a concern of ours?" Naunet questioned.
"Of course he is, but he is not a threat, just an obstacle," Ember answered. She looked over her shoulder and kissed Naunet.
"An obstacle you get rid of," her lover remarked.
She pushed him away and returned to her bedroom with a grimace. By her bed her black leather garments hung on the wall. She grabbed them, swung them around her body, the leather turned to shadows then shifted again into leather. She then donned her cloak, it cascaded down her back and dragged on the floor. When she looked at her mask hanging on the wall, her Omiack eye ached and she placed her palm over it.
"What's wrong?" Naunet worried about her.
"I am fine," she replied. "I think I used too much cosmo when I fought Auron. It is still aching."
"I see," Naunet said. "The Omiack eye is our source of cosmo and it takes a toll on our bodies. That is why I try not to use so much of it. Try not to waste too much of your magic on Akielas and his lackeys."
"Lackeys." Ember repeated. The word made her laugh. It described how she saw Akielas's followers. Minions following a man with no purpose, an indecisive man not sure of where he was going. She spun and embraced Naunet, resting her head on his chest.
"By the way, how is everything going in Maer Weeyar?" She asked.
"Princess Serena believes that I am the man of her dreams," he answered. "She will be torn apart when it comes time to break her heart. It is almost sad."
"You belong to me," Ember said and dug her nails in his chest. "Don't you dare fall in love with her. She is only a mission. You can please her and distract her with your love but remember that she is only a tool for us to take the Sapphire Cosmo Jewel."
"Do not worry, for I am a master in the art of deception," Naunet replied and kissed her, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
There was a knocking on the door that infuriated Ember. "Why is it that they always knock when we are together?" She wondered. "Just come in, Hertha."
The door creaked open and Hertha entered with Jairo behind her. They were clad in black without their masks. Hertha jumped on the bed then sat on it. "Smells like fornication in here," she said.
"I was just about to call the two of you," Ember said.
"Yes, we need to discuss a plan to get rid of this demigod," Jairo stated. He paced around the room with scrolls held in his armpit. "Arkana said that she must face Caim herself so perhaps we won't have to deal with him at all."
"You are forgetting the fact that she is in a non-physical state," Hertha reminded.
"I assume she will take some action to get him out of our way," Ember said.
"There is nothing that she can do on a physical level," Jairo analyzed. "Perhaps goddess Arkana will have some kind of battle in a mystical way where Caim will be destroyed from the inside out. That is just my guess for now. They are both demigods so she must know some way to defeat him."
"I saw him bleed," Hertha commented. All heads turned to her.
"Continue." Ember encouraged her foster sister.
"I struck him with the omnithium staff and saw his forehead bleeding," the youngest Specter said. "Of course it was not easy. He was powerful and he could have easily killed me. No spell or attack seemed to have much effect on him, however, when I drove my staff into his face and heard him groan with pain, I realized that it could be a small weakness."
"Now that you mentioned it, when I fought him ten years ago he was weak against my kaminyte katana," Jairo recalled. "Although it affected him, it did not kill him. We might be able to hurt him but not kill him. Therefore, it is still useless. If we strike him with omnithium it is futile if he is able to recover within seconds."
"Perhaps a few seconds is all we need," Ember said. "Think about it. We just need enough time to take the Aero Cosmo Jewel. Our fiends will attack the Effeelions and all we need to do is distract Caim. Then one of us will take the jewel and flee."
"As one of his victims, let me remind you that he can track us wherever we go," Jairo said. "He can sense your maju from miles away. He is not like Akielas and his other allies. Escaping won't be of much help since he is faster than us, tenfold. None of our attacks work against him and even with the cosmo jewels that we now possess, he can still break through our attacks and kill us with his bare hands."
Hertha giggled at how Jairo feared Caim and bounced on the bed.
"What in Necros is so funny?" Jairo snarled.
"Hertha! Get off my bed!" Ember yelled at her.
Hertha jumped and glided around Ember's chamber. Sometimes she was so annoying Ember wanted to slap the girl and make her cry.
"I don't believe that he is unbreakable," Hertha said then paced around the room touching Ember's pottery and artifacts on the tables. "If we can't kill him or hurt him, then let's attack his heart."
"I agree with Hertha," Naunet said, standing beside Ember. "We can threaten to annihilate the Effeelions if he refuses to surrender the cosmo jewel. As simple as that."
"Once again, you are forgetting the fact that he is a demigod," Jairo reminded. "He can take on an entire army. The Effeelions don't need to defend themselves. That is why they have Caim on their side. They are not stupid. In fact, they already know that we want the Aero Cosmo Jewel and are preparing for whenever we strike."
"Obviously humans like us will not be able to take down a demigod," Ember concluded. "So why don't we ask our goddess Arkana. Only a demigod can destroy a demigod. Of course she will know something that we don't."
"My thoughts exactly," Jairo said. He hurried over to the balcony and flew up to the pinnacle of the tower.
All four ascended to the apex of the tower. Rain soaked them and wind lashed their faces, their Omiack eyes glowing violet. When they reached the top, the goddess of fate, Arkana, floated motionless, her body transparent, glowing blue. The rain and wind streamed through her. She was like a ghost, a soul that had lost her body.
"My lady," Ember spoke to the goddess in a shy manner. Her foster siblings hovered beside her. "We wanted to know what you are planning against the demigod, Caim."
Thunder roared as they waited for a response. The wind howled and large waves crashed at the bottom of the tower. Ember always felt nervous around Arkana, like a child soon to be punished. Finally the goddess spoke and said, "If you
can make the gods bleed, people will cease to believe in them."
"Couldn’t agree more," Ember said.
"Caim has been detaching himself from his human side," Arkana said, her voice echoing. "As I watched him and sensed his soul, I noticed that ever since he joined Akielas he has been reconnecting with his human desires like he once did a decade ago."
"What are you suggesting we do my lady?" Ember asked, her cloak dancing in the wind.
"I won't tell you what to do," Arkana replied. "I have told you many times that I cannot help you arrive at your future. To take the Aero Cosmo Jewel is your destiny and confronting Caim is mine. I have a personal history with the demigod. You will do as you must but leave Caim to me. This is vengeance for destroying my body. Either I regain mine or I take his."
Akielas
It had been two years since Akielas had set foot in this factory. In awe he walked among the hayunsuh and the trains. He loved to see how the workers in the factory melted metal and forged it into parts for the train. It was like looking into the past of how Ironside was made. The Golden Gear factory even made wooden toys for children. He loved the sound of gears spinning, clattering with chains and clanking. It was amazing to him the way workers would use machines to lift heavy objects, even boulders. The craftsmanship and the patience people had working in the factory to him was like reinventing a different form of magic on a physical level. "If magic did not exist then machines would rule the world," he would say. His favorite invention was the hayunsuh. He loved the speed of the vehicle. Handmade magic, he would call the inventions of the Golden Gear factory.
Spirit of Mages (Rift of Chaos Book 2) Page 23
