I just don’t feel completely set. I need more answers but I can tell Genu isn’t ready to give them. Either that or he doesn’t have them.
“Zarvick, I must go. I don’t know when I will return, but it’ll be soon. The old friend I mentioned before is who I am going to go see. The last time we saw each other…it didn’t end on good terms, hopefully, he’ll listen. He can be very stubborn. More than myself.”
“That’s hard to believe,” I laugh.
He smiles. Before we could continue the rest of the conversation, Crystalline walks in. Covering her mouth with one hand and stretching the other in the air. I had almost forgotten that she was asleep.
“Zarvick, don’t worry Crystalline,” Genu looks at me.
I nod. He wasn’t clear with his words, nevertheless, I understood them. Crystalline shouldn’t be worried about my vision and as for where Genu is headed; that is not in my place to tell her.
“Crystalline how was your nap?” I grin at her tired beauty.
She smiles, walks over to the table, reaches over, and picks up the glass. I fill it with water and, with one quick gulp, it’s all gone.
“Exhausting,” Crystalline chuckles.
Genu left the room when she grabbed the glass. By the time Crystalline had noticed his absence. It was too late. He was gone.
“Where is Genu? I don’t see his aura anywhere. I thought I saw him right here.”
“He must have left,” I respond guiltily.
“You’re a terrible liar, however, if Genu wanted you to keep a secret from me then he must have his reasons,” she said.
Crystalline, you are so trusting of him. I feel bad. All she knows is Genu.
She heads to the courtyard and I follow her without realizing it. Maybe she could tell me a little more. I have some questions that she could possibly answer. I hardly know anything about Genu, who better to ask than her?
“Crystalline, how is it that Genu raised you when he doesn’t seem that much older than us?”
She almost fell to the floor with laughter, “you are joking!”
The expression on my face changed her demeanor. Crystalline stands straight, calming her breaths.
“He isn’t anywhere close to our age. We are practically babies compared to him. Technically, if we were elves we would barely be children.”
I am struck dumbfounded, “how old is he?”
“Over five thousand years old,” Crystalline responds.
“How—”
“Does he look so young? That’s because he was born the way he is. Other vamprys look older depending on their age, yet are immortal. Kaines live longer than normal elves because they age slowly but, unlike vamprys, they still age. Both of his parents were among the first vamprys and kaines to walk Elvendora.”
The blue-white sun is bright in the sky. A magnificent glow glides across the land; sometimes I wish I had just run out of the forest as a kid. This is something that no one should ever miss. Something inside of me just wants to dive off the edge and into the world.
“Zarvick, I can only imagine how all of this is going for you. I just hope that you understand your life will never be the same.”
Crystalline stares at me.
“I understand. I just wish that nothing had turned out this way. Maybe everything could have been different without Reaper.”
She is taken back, “Genu told you?”
“Yes,” I answer.
“Hmmm, well we will have to do something while Genu is gone…I have just the thing!”
“What?”
“Let’s train,” Crystalline practically shouts.
I shake my head, “here we go again.”
Chapter 5
(Crystalline)
We head back into the castle. Zarvick didn’t seem all too happy to train but he agreed. I still can’t shake the feeling that he and Genu are hiding something. I mean, Genu never leaves without telling me. As much as I hate it, I’ll let it slide. Besides, now I can have a little fun with Zarvick. Hopefully, I can train him on how to use his powers.
“Crystalline, why does Genu live in such a huge castle? There is only two of you here,” Zarvick’s mildly deep voice rings into my thoughts.
Why does he always ask questions? “The castle once served as a meeting place for the leaders of Elvendora. They came from all around the world and joined here. From the stories, Genu told me this castle was never left without life in it. But now since Reaper has come about, past traditions have faded away through the years.”
Zarvick stays quiet, pondering my answer.
The castle seems to breathe us in the longer we are inside. It’s as though I am apart of it. I run my hand along the wall as we walk. Cold with the absence of happiness, yet warm to my touch. It may not be living but it has past life all around it. I can see them all wandering through the halls as if they never left. Zarvick and Genu may not know they are there but I do.
I can somewhat communicate with them, sense their presence. They may be dead but their spirits are thriving; everywhere there is life, there is death. Just in a different plane of existences than we are. Very few, such as myself, are able to see through the veil that separates the spiritual plane from the physical plane and interact with that energy. At least, that’s what I read in Genu’s library.
The spirits that wander here are the life of the castle and they don’t even realize it. They don’t even realize that we are walking right through them but it is fun listening to their conversations. At the same time, it’s sad, for these spirits are lost. They haven’t completely moved on to the spirit realm and, therefore, are trapped in a constant loop of their final days on Elvendora.
Accidently, my hand eases its way into the castle wall. Not physically, spiritually. I feel myself going farther and farther past the veil; I freeze and everything stops. Whilst looking back I see Zarvick’s hand on my shoulder, his mouth moves but no sound comes out. The sight of him draws me back; gathering myself, I begin to feel the physical world again.
“Crystalline…,” Zarvick’s voice grows louder, “Crystalline…,” I feel the pressure of his grasp on my shoulder, “can you hear me?”
“...yes…are you…are you okay?” I speak.
Zarvick raises an eyebrow, “me?! You are the one who is paler than Genu.”
“I wasn’t asking you,” I said rather harshly, “I was asking them.”
He turns, confused, Zarvick shakes his head then looks again. Still nothing. As for me, I see them standing there finally aware of their surrounding. They seem to have been knocked into the present and have acknowledged what they’ve missed. I must’ve reached out to them with my own soul. Using our aura, I draw them in.
Spirits can feed off of living aura and spiritual energy. Two reasons this can be done: 1), to possess the living; or 2), to gain more power. A common preference of the darker spirits.
“Wh-what has happened? Why are we here?”
The spirits finally speak in a present sense. They lose track of time after they’ve died, speaking with them is always harder than speaking with the living because spirits only know what they did before they died. Now, these lost souls have become attuned to the physical world. But exactly how, eludes me.
“Who’s there?!” Zarvick jumps.
Bewildered, I ask, “how did you hear them?”
Zarvick shakes his head not knowing. I realize that he is no longer holding my shoulder after he jumped back. I stand, then glance over at the spirits. I see nothing that links Zarvick to them. He doesn’t even notice that they are standing around him.
“How did you all create a connection into the physical world?”
They all look up at me. One of the larger and better-looking spirits answers, “through you, of course.”
I can’t say that I am shocked because I’m not. I’ve already figured it was because of me but that still leaves some unanswered questions. Great, now I am becoming Zarvick.
“How exactly?”
“When you w
ere crossing into our plane of existence;” another spirit replies, “we all felt your presence drawing nearer. Something pulled you out a little too soon, and some of your energy dragged the spiritual plane with you. Thus, allowing us to be attuned to the physical world.”
I let go a long deep sigh. Of course, it would happen like this and now of all times. The spirits are great when stuck in the spiritual realm but now they are annoying. These spirits are like newborns walking out into the world for the first time, for some reason they won’t leave Zarvick’s side. They gather around him like moths drawn to a flame.
“How do I—”
Zarvick intervenes, “who are you talking to? There is nobody here.”
A little irritated I ask, “you don’t hear them?”
“No.”
I stare into his large purple eyes. So beautiful, just like him. I shake my head throwing the thoughts around. I see no changes in his expression.
“When you grabbed my shoulder, did…did you continue holding it after I came back to myself?”
“Yes, why?”
“When you heard that voice appear out of thin air, were you still holding my shoulder?”
“Yes, why?!”
Interesting.
Turning towards the larger spirit I ask, “what is your name, sir?”
“Lyrexs. A former guardian of the royal council of great Elvendora herself.”
“Okay…do you know of any way that I can undo this?” Indicating towards them.
“No,” he turns towards the windows.
Of course, he can somehow explain to me how he got attuned to the physical world but can’t tell me how to undo it.
Ignoring them, I walk towards the training room. Zarvick takes note and rushes after me. Placing my hand out in front of me, I allow Zarvick to continue ahead. With a look that says, “I’ll explain later”. Once he goes around the last corner to the golden doors I turn back towards the spirits.
“I’m sorry but I have got to do something with you all. Since letting you all run amuck through the castle isn’t an option.”
Raising my hands, a burgundy glow sparkles from the ground in a tight circle. Gradually, my power swirls around them; forming a dome to conceal them within. As the other spirits grow distracted by the shifting energy and movement; I motion towards Lyrexs to make his way over; opening up a small gap, he runs out. Once the knight is completely out, I let loose. The dome closes and the light crystallizes.
Without looking at Lyrexs, I walk around the corner; I feel his presence as he follows closely behind. I have a good feeling about him, besides all guardians are said to be expert warriors. At least that is what Genu has told me in his stories. All of the former guardians—the good, the bad, and the ugly—have all done great things for this world. Seeing that I am no expert warrior compared to my lovely father, I could use a little help with Zarvick. He is quite reckless.
When I reach the golden doors, Zarvick stands there trying to figure out how to open it. It’s like watching a bird trying to fly for the first time. I walk up to the door, close my eyes and place my hand on it. After a few seconds, I open my eyes, drop my hand, and nod to Zarvick.
When he reaches for the door handle it glides around his hand and tightens along his wrist; he pushes it open with some effort, clearly lacking the same level of physical strength that I possess.
“Zarvick, are you alright?”
He looks at me in confusion, “yes, why?”
Here we go again.
I shake my head and make my way down the staircase. Zarvick lets his senses adjust, as do I. Moments later, we both can see through the darkness as clear as day with our night sight. It troubles me knowing that he can activate his senses but not his strength.
It must be because he only recently found out about himself, I remind myself. Everything is so new to him.
“Crystalline you are far stronger than I am. Why is that?”
He breaks the silence with more questioning. It’s a bit irritating, but if I was him I probably would do the same (no, I wouldn’t). On the other hand, how do I answer a question that I don’t know the answer to? Of course, Genu comes to mind. He always knows.
“Uh…well…maybe it’s because you don’t know how to use your strength properly. I was taught me how to use mine. Perhaps we should start with that. Who knows, it could help you control your powers.”
Silence. No words just quiet thoughts scrambling through his head. Ugh, why couldn’t I have telepathy?
“Or maybe it’s because his power is being distributed out of him.”
Lyrexs announces astonishing news. I nearly jump when I hear it. For two reasons, 1) I forgot that he was with us, and 2) because he is possibly right. Zarvick breaks out of his thoughts, grabbing me before I trip and fall. Grasping his arms, I peek into his soul—
“Impossible!”
His soul is shattered! He should be dead!
“You didn’t know?”
I glare at Lyrexs, “no! How did you find out?”
Then it hits me; spirits are attracted to damaged souls. It’s an easy target. Yet, Zarvick’s soul isn’t like any normal damaged or broken soul but it is weakened.
“His soul has been split apart. I couldn’t tell you how, for I am not on expert on souls,” Lyrexs points out.
Could’ve fooled me.
“What’s happening? And whose soul has been split apart?” Zarvick shakes me to pay attention to him.
After pushing him away, I explain that I have been talking to the spirits in the castle and that Lyrexs is with us. I leave it at that for I need to figure out the situation without him freaking out on me.
As we continue to the bottom of the staircase, darkness continues to surround us and our heightened vision begins to take full effect. With a quick flick of his wrist, all of the torches burn with blazing flames. Zarvick is a fast learner I will give him that but it won’t help. He’ll never be able to use his full power with his soul the way it is. He’s limited and I am not sure what to do without Genu’s advisement.
Now that I think about, could I to be limited?
“Should we get started,” Lyrexs appears next to me.
I nod and begin walking. His strength may be limited but that’s no excuse to skip a good training session. Especially when Reaper will kill us at any given moment. I just hope he can do something with what little power he has. Perhaps this fragment of his power is stronger than I am anticipating. Maybe it is strong enough to rival that of my own power. Haha, who am I kidding? As if.
Lyrexs walks alongside me as I make my way across the training room; he seems to be more eager than I am. Probably because this has been his first interaction with life in centuries, nonetheless, it will be nice to have him help.
“Crystalline? Are we just fighting with our fists?” Zarvick asks.
The question stops me. I haven’t even thought about it really. Wait, this could be how I test his powers. Wow, I am becoming Genu. I’ve got to get out of the castle more often.
“No,” I reply, “we will be using weapons.”
His gaze surveys the area, “where are they?”
I move my hands in a circular motion before bringing them together in front of my chest. My spiritual energy surge through me, channeling that power, I center it in-between my palms; shifting my hands in a one eighty degrees angle before sliding them apart. As they leave one another, a burgundy glow lashes from one palm to the next. Stretching my arms as far as they can go the light solidifies as a bar of energy.
“Zarvick, you will have to make your own weapons…if you can.”
Without a single second to spare, I am racing across the floor. My hands grasp the bar, its power radiates under my touch. A focused charge of my will causes the end of the staff facing the floor to change into a war-hammer head; with one smooth motion, I swing my weapon at Zarvick. The hammerhead strikes him across the face and I spin with the hit. As I am spinning the other end of the illuminated staff becomes another war-ham
mer head. With another smooth strike, I land a powerful uppercut in addition to a well-executed backhand spring. To Lyrex, I’m sure it looks like I’m dancing.
While Zarvick is stumbling backwards, I decided to hit him with something extra. I jab one hammerhead into his abdomen and just by slightly flicking my wrist it explodes with a forceful shock wave; the attack is so strong that it sends him flying through the air a good twenty feet.
Once he lands on the ground with a painful moan, I bend my right leg behind the other, place my left arm across my stomach, and extend my right arm at a downward angle holding my energy bar. Once set, I give a very polite bow. Then I straighten my back and the remaining war-hammer head disappears.
I love being me!
“That was amazing,” he groans, “I’ll give you that.”
Lyrexs intervenes, “he’s right that was pretty impressive.”
“Thank you!” Of course, I have wowed them.
“However,” Zarvick manages to ruin my happiness, “this isn’t over yet.”
He’s getting gutsy.
The quick upwards thrust of his left arm and then the sound of earth cracking shifts my attention to the right of me; yet, when I look nothing is happening. That’s when it hits me both figuratively and quite literally. Zarvick has pulled his other hand back, with it, he causes the water from the river hurtling into me; its strength propels me towards him. Now on his feet, he is prepared for me. I notice small pieces of earth wrapping around his hand; just when I am within reach, Zarvick delivers a tremendous backhand across my face.
I barrel through the air landing with a loud thud, rolling over onto my side. The energy bar shatters when it strikes the ground after I do; the pain and the shock from the whole situation are keeping me from getting up. I definitely underestimated him. He has quite a hold over his capability.
“That was excellent! He did quite the number on you. This Zarvick fellow really knows what he is doing. From faking you out to striking you at the right moment. I mean, it was pretty risky bringing you in so close the way he did. If you’d had even, for a moment, gained your footing it would have been him on the floor right now. Yet, he made sure that didn’t happen. Now, this is how you fight! What makes this even more exotic is how he can’t use more than a fragment of his full potential.”
Dark Form_Book 1 of the Shadow War Trilogy Page 5
