by Ben van Eijk
“This is a custom I am not familiar with, but ok...” The imp held his hand out in a similar fashion to Seth. Seth reached for his hand and tried to shake it, but shaking Red’s hand was like pushing a house. Seth brought his hand back to his side, momentarily timid.
He continued his enquiry:
“So why is there no rock or monster behind me now?”
Red held up his hand in a stopping motion.
“As I was saying, everything repeats itself — just like the destruction of your city. It was inevitable; the element binders who destroyed it have done so millions of times. We are all sick of seeing it over and over again. So, we are trying to achieve the closest thing to death possible, using a sort of meditation to clear our minds. We are depriving our senses to achieve a state of zen, and bury ourselves deep underground to avoid being disturbed. Believe me, if I could leave here, I would do it in a flash, but the element binders who placed us here were very skilled and we do not have the power to overcome their spell. You shouldn’t be able to enter here either — people normally encounter an unseen wall, but the recent shockwave that has disturbed so much of your planet must have weakened the spell.”
Seth was amazed how much the creature knew about his own world. He couldn’t even begin to figure out how to get back there, and he’d only taken a few steps on “his” planet before arriving here in the Restyard. Red spoke with ease as he continued his explanation.
“The Restyard travels through different universes almost every second, making it almost impossible to find and even harder to break into — or out of. We are all creatures of pure magic, so we can never exit, but you can, at any time. This is a failsafe the element binders created, but the chances are you will end up somewhere completely alien to you. Luckily for you, I have lived above ground here so long that I know the sequence of universe shifts off by heart. I know that it will be roughly one of your years before the cycle brings us to your world again.
“You see, I witness a second of your universe every year, and I have been following hundreds of thousands of stories in this same manner. I saw your city being created and I saw how it almost fell. Over the course of five years, I watched the shockwave of energy that damaged it — quite fast actually, considering it was 856 years before you arrived here. I am glad to have someone in here to talk with again, however you’re not our first visitor. This bubble has a specific sequence for where and when it jumps so its creators can find it again, but it is not meant to be found by anybody else.”
Red the imp began rubbing his hands together and his demeanour picked up a little as he began the next part of his well-rehearsed story.
“The pair of element binders have hidden us away here because we know their secrets. We have all been the right hand to one of the two at some point and have the potential to shift the balance of power out of their favour, which is why I am going to use the next year passing these secrets onto you; I’m not exactly happy about being sentenced to immortality inside this bubble.”
“Forgive me, but I don’t see any food here. How exactly am I going to last a whole year?” Seth was suddenly angry with uncertainty.
“That will be your first lesson. I know the element binders taught your people element binding, but they misled you when they said water was the only safe source of energy. I know how to create food from virtually nothing — even the water in your body is more than enough to flood this entire chamber.” The imp pointed an open palm to the ground and an apple tree grew in a matter of seconds, its branches heavy with fruit.
Seth was impressed by Red’s display of power and began to listen to his story a little more cooperatively. The imp lowered his hand and an apple drifted slowly from the tree into his open palm. He sank razor sharp teeth into the freshly grown fruit with a loud crunch. The imp continued to speak with a mouthful of apple.
“Thif if why oo eed my helf.” He swallowed a bit of apple and added “young man.”
“How did you do that?” Seth looked at the tree in amazement. Red pointed at a stain on Seth’s robe.
“Any food you spilled on your robe and failed to wash can be used to make any form of the food. I could have made an apple sauce tree — would have made a mess but still very possible. If you spilled any steak on there, we can have a good meal right now!” proclaimed Red proudly.
“Yeah probably, but I don’t know which stain is what, and I’m afraid we might make something neither of us want to eat.” Seth blushed, a little bit embarrassed.
“Well, the point I am trying to make is this: any element can be used as a source of energy, and this greatly influences the outcome of your spell. Until now you have only been using water as a source of energy. Granted, it is an extremely efficient source, but that is more because it comes partially from a different universe —” Red cut himself off.
“— but that’s a matter I will not get into right now,” said Red casually, knocking Seth off balance with his casual reveal of such revolutionary information.
“Basically, you always fire beams of water because water is where your energy comes from, but imagine you could fire a beam of rock, or fire, or even pure energy! And not just firing a beam; you can create a wieldable sword made of fire, or use your own essence to create another living version of yourself!” Red was getting excited as he explained the potential Seth had been missing all these years.
“Please! Teach me all you have to teach! I’m happy to get started right now then, if I can do this I don’t want to waste any time!” Seth responded eagerly.
Red’s smile broadened significantly as he rubbed his hands together.
“First things first: jewellery! You are not a real Element Binder without some serious decorations.”
Chapter 3
His year in the bubble was not nearly long enough for him to learn everything Red had to teach, but what he did learn was utterly mind boggling. The first hurdle he had to overcome was acknowledging that the water wielders who created Swevender were not infallible. They had chosen water as a principle source of energy not because it contained more energy than other matter — actually, every kind of matter seemed to contain limitless power. Seth had been quite good at water wielding in Swevender. He was powerful and controlled; he could submerge someone in water up to their necks, then with a wave of his hand have them bone dry, with a perfect cube of water next to them. Unlike his classmates he could create a propeller of water large and fast enough to keep him floating steadily above the ground. But his experiments had led to Seth almost dying while practising this water manifestation, flying too close to the edge of Swevender’s great cloud stratum. Now, after a year of studying with Red, Seth was able to float using oxygen as his catalyst. He could even use a small amount of water on his skin to create a year’s supply of drinking water (a trick that took a long time to master, but even now Seth could still taste himself in the water).
Seth’s hands were covered in many rings, at least two per finger, each with its own unique characteristics. This made them easy to distinguish from each other, but reflected its wearer’s complete lack of style. No matter: Seth could now manipulate almost any kind of matter, so he made sure he had his favourite ones literally on hand at all times. Red taught him that each type of matter has a different effect. Some were better for certain things than others. Fire was great for casting devastating beams: A ring of flint of his index finger and one of iron on his thumb were able to create the source for fire spells. He kept some magnesium on a ring around his middle finger for creating even hotter flames — and for keeping his garden healthy.
Seth also had a ring with water inside a tiny glass globe, as he was already adept at using this element and felt more comfortable having it with him. On his pinky finger was a ring of gold Red insisted he wear, although Seth hadn’t found anything so special about that metal. Too soft. Seth also had one ring encasing a small apple seed, but he didn’t want to eat another apple again for years if it could be helped. At least having that with him ensured
he would always have something to eat.
A lot of the sleeping familiars in the Restyard still had jewellery left over from their days with their master, so Seth had many sources to create his personal trinkets. His fingers were covered in as many variations of matter as possible, while still maintaining the use of his hands. His way to test this was if he was able to drum a nice tune on his legs without feeling encumbered by his jewellery; then he didn’t have too many rings.
He was also wearing a chain around his neck, weighted with globes containing different liquids and stones. In the beginning Seth had felt a bit silly decorated this way, but after a few months he forgot he was even wearing the jewellery. His facial hair had darkened slightly over his year in the bubble and now grew a little thicker. He now had what could be called a goatee clinging to his chin, but the rest of his face could have been shaved using a sharp gust of wind.
“Well, it’s not often I am sorry to see someone go Seth, but you have taught me a bit in this past year too,” Red said tearfully as he was shaking Seth’s hand.
“I taught you more, obviously, but it’s still very rare for me to learn anything nowadays. I’ve seen it all already.”
Seth was also getting a little emotional. Being in such close proximity with someone for so long is bound to create some sort of bond, regardless of how complementary their personalities are. That said, Seth had found Red to be a suitably appropriate person. He too seemed to be rebelling against something and had the same ‘just go with the flow’ attitude. Red had taught him more than just element binding (Seth now preferred calling it ‘matter manipulation’. He had thought up six different ways to name his powers over the past year); he had also taught him the importance of hard work, sticking to your principles and a good night’s sleep. Seth and Red now even shared a few mannerisms after their year in the Restyard together.
Through the glassy surface of the bubble encompassing their tiny world, they had witnessed planets being destroyed and reborn. For Seth it was an extremely interesting distraction, watching worlds flicker past a second at a time. They passed at least thirty cities submerged under the greatest masses of water Seth had ever seen — “oceans”, Red called them. Most universes didn’t make any sense to Seth; a mass of colours swirling around chaotically, or sometimes just black, so when something coherent came into view, he took note. His favourite sight was spotting people halfway through falling over. The more damage they looked like they would cause, the more entertaining it was for Seth. Red called him puerile the first time he caught Seth laughing at someone else’s misfortune, but before the year was out, Red was pointing them out to Seth himself and laughing before Seth had a chance to even see.
“I never thought I would want to stay in such a tiny place as your Restyard, but I do find myself regretting leaving.” Seth finished shaking Red’s hand and wiped a tear away from his eye with a ring covered hand.
“But I guess it’s time to get back to my fight; with everything you taught me, that monster won’t stand a chance now. I can’t thank you enough, Red.”
A bony finger extended from one of Red’s outstretched arms to indicate Seth should turn his attention to outside the bubble.
“Your stop is coming up in a few minutes. Don’t forget you were already being assaulted by that creature; you will have to deal with that as soon as you are back — no time to stop and reminisce. And solve it in a way I can be proud of; I will be watching it happen for a long time,” Red reminded Seth.
“You have no need to worry about me. I’ll shatter that thing to pieces in such a spectacular way, you won’t want turn away for even a second, once every year.”
Seth was now paying close attention to the outside of the bubble to make sure he didn’t miss his world in the queue.
Red smiled behind Seth as he held out his hand, palm toward Seth, and said:
“You are going to regret spreading your sense of humour to me in this past year though...”
Seth turned his head to look at Red, asking “why is tha-“, but before Seth could finish his sentence, air rippled from Red’s hand and Seth burst out of the bubble at an alarming speed. Seth’s surroundings were suddenly missing the familiar rippling sky he had grown accustomed to over the past year. He fell to the ground as a rock flew past him, dangerously close. He stood up and wondered how long Red had been laughing while he had been falling to the ground.
Seth stood up and dusted himself off while looking around. He saw the long-armed creature prying another rock from the dirt. Seth raised both arms dramatically, conscious of his audience in the Restyard. Seth had made an arc with his hands, framing the creature where it stood, rock in hand. It pitched the new rock towards Seth, but the rock shattered mid-air and came nowhere near him. The creature cocked its head to the side in confusion, but its expression didn’t change. Seth focused on his ring holding a small piece of azurite, and a beam made of bright blue stone shot out at an incredible velocity, growing like the root of a tree. The small stone driving the stone beam had a bright blue colour with small darker blues running across its surface like lightning, giving the stone beam a beautiful appearance despite its intention. The stone pole curved and pierced the creature’s head. Seth lowered his hand and the azurite beam fell to the ground, crushing more of the gangly-armed creature under its weight.
Seth looked at the fallen creature with pride and relief but couldn’t help thinking that this was actually a little anticlimactic. He had hoped for a longer battle — maybe even a scar — but his enemy already lay defeated on the ground. Seth walked up to the corpse of the beast and saw that its blood was a thick, silvery ooze. There was more and more leaking out from underneath the blue stone he had generated. As he stood over the vanquished beast, he revelled in the growth of his powers. Maybe he should indeed have expected a quick conclusion to this battle; with his powers as they were now it was hard to imagine having trouble with anyone — or anything — else. The ease of his victory felt bittersweet. He didn’t want to get hurt but he didn’t want to win without a challenge either.
Seth took a sample of the creature’s blood to see if he would be able to utilise any of its unique properties in the future. A small glass vial materialised in his hand and scooped up some ‘blood’. He remembered that Red was probably watching him. He turned around to where he had exited the bubble and gave a thumbs up and a smile. He lingered a little. He wanted to make sure Red definitely saw it from one of the Restyard’s yearly journeys through his universe. His smile disappeared as he heard rock cracking behind him. Seth turned to see the creature’s silvery blood dripping up the blue stone that had crushed it. A huge crack had appeared in the column, and through it came tendrils of silver ooze, poking at the air.
Quickly the ooze took the shape of one of the creature’s lanky arms and began swinging about wildly. It knocked Seth to the ground before he had a chance to react and his vial of ooze flew from his hand, smashing on the ground. A metallic goo reflection of the original beast was now looming above Seth. It raised both its enormous hands together above its head. The huge blob of fist began to fall towards Seth, now lying on the ground. Seth panicked and with a wave of his hand, a blue column erupted from the stone on the ground beneath him, pushing him sideways and out of harm’s way. He had cast this last spell a bit carelessly and was now winded; the stone had smashed into his chest. Seth used the dirt beneath him to create a column, elevating himself out of the creature’s reach. He stood up, still finding it hard to suck in any air. The creature began to pound at the base of his small dirt podium. It was a surprisingly effective attack; Seth found he had to kneel to stop from falling over. The creature succeeded in breaking Seth’s dirt tower and it began to tilt to the ground with Seth still on it.
Whatever the creature is made of, it must be very heavy, thought Seth. I should definitely get a sample of its essence when I figure out how to beat it. He jumped and simultaneously summoned another dirt column, landing roughly. This column was three times as wide and ther
efore much sturdier. He peeked over the edge, now able to breathe somewhat normally, and clicked his fingers. The ensuing spark expanded in less than a second; a fiery pole accelerated downwards and encompassed the entire creature. Seth blasted the beast with fire for about three seconds and looked down, expecting to see a small black pile of ashes. Instead he saw the silver monster still hammering mercilessly against his dirt fort.
Seth shouted in rage at the creature.
“You should be dead!”
Seth manifested a huge blue rock to aim its head, but even as it fell, Seth realised it had been a mistake. The beast caught the rock with both hands and hurled it straight back at him. Seth quickly elevated himself even higher to dodge the projectile, the massive boulder bouncing harmlessly off the giant earthen tower. He created another giant rock, and as it fell another one appeared in its place, and then another, and more and more, each one a bit bigger than the last. He saw from his high perch that while the creature caught the first rock, the second made it wobble a little, and the third caused it to fall. The rest of the rocks fell square on top of the thing and spread its metallic fluid across the ground.
Seth slowly lowered himself to the ground via his dirt column, to inspect the debris. This time he was inspecting it while keeping himself ready for another sudden flailing-arm attack. One of the rocks flew at Seth, almost knocking his head off as he ducked. He turned to see the creature standing there once more, with a huge boulder held high above its head. Seth fired an extremely fast blast of air at the beast and temporarily cut it in half, causing it to drop the azurite boulder. But its gooey body sewed itself back together as quick as it had been disassembled. He fired more blades of air at the beast, but it just kept repairing itself.
Seth was starting to get fed up; how can something so simple-minded, something clearly operating only on instinct, be so cunning? Where did it come from? Seth clearly had to think up a new strategy if he was to defeat it. But he needed time to think. He erected four azurite walls around the beast, each wall made of stone three metres thick. He could still hear the creature thumping angrily, but he had at least bought himself some time.
