Where the orb stuck, a large dome of colors now lies from the discharge of energy. It only lasts a few moments before disappearing, however, it lasted long enough to distract me from the next orb being fired. I evade it at the last possible second but it still grazes my shoulder, leaving it smoldering. The sphere turns its path upwards before heading back for me.
Invisible waves of force coat my hands before I throw them outwards. Once the orb comes within arm's reach I clap my hands together causing the waves to fuse. This blows my telekinetic power forth creating a rippling ring; this force disperses the magic into a bright flash of rainbow colors. Once my eyes readjust their focus, I see the mist closing up. I must act now!
My wings expand outwards as I dive towards the opening; they close around me once I begin spinning like a torpedo fish. I create a repulsing vortex that blows back the mist as I zoom through the hole. Before I know it I am deep into the swamp’s interior. My wings unravel, morphing back into a cloak, and my feet plant themselves into the muddy water. I take one step and a crackling breaks through the silence as tree branches rush towards me.
My instincts kick in—claws extend and sharpen—and I dodge the branches with lightning reflexes. They come at me from all angles but I see them all. Effortlessly, I slash through them, yet they are relentless. The ground beneath me beings to shake as the trees start to close in; the only thing that comes to mind is setting everything on fire. Performing an aerial backflip, I dodge the abundance of roots that come bursting from the ground.
Hastily, the trees turn towards me and reveal crazed faces. Of course, it just had to be treants. Glowing eyes puncture the hazy air and darkened mouths open. One mouth spontaneously combusts with a coral flame; without any further ado, it spews its blazing venom at me. So, burning them might not work after all. With a swift roundhouse kick I sweep the fire off to the side; when I come back around, I slide my other leg through the air sending a blob of muddy water into the treant’s mouth.
Again branches and roots rush at me; with an upward thrust of my arm, a large muddy ball forms in front of me, catching the tree’s limbs. Quickly, I strengthen my tension on the mud causing it to thicken around the branches and roots. Heat begins to rise behind me as more trees begin to spew their venom at me. I strip the water from the mud around me, putting up a wall to block the fire. They close in, taking advantage of my lack of offensive maneuvers.
Before I could push through, a burst of light penetrates through their silhouettes. A surge of magic flows over my body as I slouch down paralyzed by all of the commotion. The treants begin to retreat and my power fails me in my time of need. As I focus on the source of power I see the stature of a strong (old) man behind the light: Asvarp.
“Enough! I will handle the matter from here on!” His wise voice bellows through the swamp.
I stand with some effort, not ready to reveal myself.
“Show yourself demon!”
Double checking my surroundings, I stand completely still, slowly becoming visible. Once I do, I hear a small grunt from Asvarp as he begins walking away. I take a step forward, with a burst of speed, I am instantly standing next to Asvarp. I focus my vision to see him through the darkness, however, he somehow stays a darkened silhouette.
“It’s been quite some time since we last spoke,” he exclaims.
“Yes, that was due to our stubbornness,” I respond.
“Hmm, you are willing to admit your stubbornness, you’ve improved since we last spoke. Speaking of which, we haven’t talked in over a century because of you and only you. Nevertheless, I know that this is not the real reason you have come.”
“Have you been spying on me?”
“Yes.”
Nice to know that he trusts me.
“And in case you are wondering, I didn’t do it because of you. Crystalline and Zarvick are very important to Elvendora’s future. If they die so does everyone and everything else.” His wise voice rises above the eerie noises of the swamp.
“I know.”
“ I doubt you know what is going on in Elvendora today,” Asvarp says.
“Not sure if I understand what you mean,” I respond.
Asvarp and I come to a hut at the swamp’s heart. The area is a little more open than the rest of the swamp; mainly to give room for the small hut but not to give away its location. Before I continue forward, Asvarp lets his staff fall against my chest; I hold my place knowing that he is doing this for a reason. When I focus my hearing a little more, there is a soft hum pulsing from the hut. He continues forward, disappearing within the building.
After a few moments of him being in there, the humming fades and little sparks detonate through the air. Dissolving after quick flashes. I sprint forward, the very moment I try to pass through the door I am rebuffed and knocked back.
“Asvarp!” I grunt angrily.
Deep inside the hut, I hear his voice, “I’m terribly sorry I forgot to deactivate that one.”
Tiny ripples waver from the doorway as Asvarp dispels his magic. Not wanting to waste any more time, I dash into the hut. I knew instantly that I was in over my head as I looked around me. Despite the small feeble appearance of the hut on the outside; the space on the inside is bigger than my castle. I just look around for the nearest door and make haste.
Minutes later, after what seemed to be an eternity of searching through the hut/tower, I seem to find myself staring out a window that overlooks Elvendora’s horizon. I just stare, forgetting everything around me, and hoping that everything will change.
“Magnificent isn’t it?” Asvarp’s voice bellows into the empty staircase.
“You always had a knack for the ‘magnificent’,” I turn to face him.
“Hmph, of course. Why live without that from which you receive happiness?”
“Because there is always something more,” I respond in a dead tone.
He ignores me and waves his hand over the stone steps; the ground beneath begins to bend and shift. Black woody vines rise from the floor, entangled at the top is a large shimmering crystal ball. After rising about four feet from the floor, the vines skate across the surface, reforming around the bottom of the sphere.
“I have been watching over Crystalline and Zarvick since they were born. I have always made sure they were safe. That’s why I helped you put the barrier around your castle and increased the purification powers of the Sacred Forest. However, I didn’t take into account Reaper’s growing strength. It has grown stronger and stronger over the years, yet Crystalline and Zarvick have barely grown at all.”
What does he want me to say?
“Well…how do you propose we make them stronger, Asvarp?”
He shakes his head, “we can’t. They must do it on their own, all the same, that’ll be hard. You should know better than anyone that guiding a person is difficult.”
“Why is that?” I smile.
“Because you are stubborn. Anyways, Zarvick is limited, I can sense it. Do to the natural balance of all things, Crystalline doesn’t fair any better than him,” Asvarp sighs, “nor do either of us fair any better at killing Reaper.”
I look out the window; the sun begins to descend beyond the horizon. When I turn back I am able to see Asvarp clearly. He bares misty grey mage robes, his pale hair runs down to his shoulders and his pale beard falls loosely onto his chest. In his right-hand, the old man holds a twisted brown wooden staff with a jagged top showcasing a stone of endless colors entwined with twig-like spikes. His light bronze skin somehow gives him a younger appearance but the wrinkles say otherwise.
“What can we do in the meantime?” I ask.
“Nothing really. I do have a lead on a time shift theory of mine, however—”
“Edon and Delphine came to Zarvick in a vision, mentioning to him there was a time shift.”
He glares at me for interrupting him, “that’s nice to know they are still with him and that my suspicions grow more correct. Nonetheless, I need a certain item that will help me gre
atly.”
“What would that be?” I say in an annoyed tone of voice.
“The ruvtag.”
I simply raise an eyebrow as a response.
“Crystal balls have limited power, however, they weren’t always like this. The first crystal ball ever created was called ruvtag; it held boundless capabilities because it had no limitations. Instead of destroying it, out of fear of what might happen, the mage council that created it hid it away from civilization. Later, wizards began producing more crystal balls with great limitations. Now, all they are good for is spying on unshielded people. Unshielded being questionable.”
“So you need me to get this…ruvtag, in order for you to do your thing?” I question.
“Yes.”
“Fine. Where can I find it?”
“In Levouay’s kingdom,” Asvarp speaks with disgust.
“I don’t like this but I’ll do it for Crystalline.”
“Thank—” A sudden shock wave emits from the mage’s crystal ball and cuts him off.
When he waves his hand over it, everything comes into focus. I‘m taken back with what I see: Reaper is destroying the castle! My castle!
“Genu, you must go! I will be there shortly.”
Without hesitation, I plunge right through the window and appear above the swamp. My wings expand and I zoom through the sky at a raging speed; a sonic roar sounds around me as I reach greater speeds.
This is not the time for an attack. I won’t let anyone die…not again.
Chapter 7
(Zarvick)
My knuckles turn white as my grip tightens around the glaive’s handle; the rubble from the castle is getting closer to crushing Crystalline and myself. I gradually shift the bottom blade into the ground to hold the glaive in place; the top blade pierces into one of the rocks, holding everything in place. I slide over to Crystalline, who is still passed out on the floor, and I caress her face. She feels a bit cold and worn down but I believe in her. I bring my body closer to her’s, gently lean my face inwards, and press my lips against hers. Crystalline’s body begins to grow warmer as she pulls her body into mine; her lips give back to my own and, unwillingly, she pulls away.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’ve been better,” she responds.
“How do you suppose we get out of here?”
“You can control the elements, so try to move the rocks.”
I stare at her, “we both know that won’t work.”
Crystalline simply nods in agreement, so I slide back down to the glaive and get into an uncomfortable crouching position. Wrapping my fingers around the glaive, I feel a slight surge of energy rush through my body but not nearly enough to move this much stone. Knowing that I must try no matter what, I allow it to flush through my body; like a pendulum, the power flows back and forth between the glaive and I. Steadily, it expands beyond my body and presses against the rock’s around us; I may not be able to see the energy but I feel it.
With all of my might, I push against the rubble and hope for the best, yet they barely budge. I try again and again and again, still nothing. Right when I begin to lose all of my faith, new strength jolts through me, sparking hidden talents that I didn’t know that I had. When I look over my shoulder I see Crystalline concentrating as her hands press firmly against my back. Now, this time, I try even harder than before; the rocks around us deliberately move as if they were alive.
Little beams of moonlight ease through the cracks as my power expands farther and farther; finally, I feel my body grasping all of the pieces of the broken castle. With an abrupt shift of the glaive all of the rocks blowout into a frenzied volley.
Gasping for air, I grin very proudly. Although I didn’t do this alone, I know that I have the potential to be powerful. Very powerful. On the other hand, I’m not entirely sure if I want this power; it causes more problems than it solves. Nevertheless, I have to use it to help Crystalline and get us out of here.
“Zarvick…do you hear that?”
I concentrate my keen hearing and, sure enough, I hear the waterfall from the training room. It roars down the side of a cliff; thus forcing me to stand and see for myself.
As I come to my feet, using the glaive to maintain my balance, I am amazed by the sight. I never realized that the castle was really a part of a giant mountain; the waterfall drops for hundreds of feet and I doubt that either of us is in the mood to put our durability to the test.
“Crystalline, I’m not sure if we should be jumping off of a cliff in our current states. Is there some secret exit we can try?”
“There was but everything is lost,” she responds while fixing her bow and quiver onto her back.
Maybe…“how deep do you think the water is down there?” I ask, knowing it’s our only option.
“I believe it drops down into a small lake but I’m not positive.”
I sigh, with more effort than it should take to simply breathe. I decide to move a boulder over to us. Indicating to the rock with my hand, she stumbles over to me; I quickly put my arm around her to help. We struggle to get onto the rock.
“I’m not sure if this is safe, however, it’s better than nothing,” I say.
“Don’t worry about me. Let’s go,” excitement replacing the exhaustion in her voice.
I strike the ground with the bottom blade of the glaive, sending us over the edge of the cliff. Instantly, I retract the glaive and stick it into the boulder; once I do she wraps her arms around my waist for support. After a few seconds of falling, I feel the bottom of the rock break through the surface of the water; not wanting to test the deepness of it, I grab Crystalline and hurdle through the airborne water.
We land with a hard hmph but shake it off. As I get to my knees, I see that the water is deeper than I thought and begin regretting leaving the glaive. This lovely woman, on the other hand, decides otherwise and tosses a burgundy chain around the glaive’s handle; right away I seize the chain and tug it with the last bit of strength that I have. It comes flying towards us; both Crystalline and I slide out-of-the-way as it jabs into the ground between us.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Don’t mention it,” she responds, breathless.
I snatch the weapon and help her to her feet; we walk some ways before stopping for a breather. Soon after, we straighten our backs and begin walking again. Exhaustion overcomes us both but neither of us wants to give in; we try to push on as far as we can go.
“Zarvick…wh-where did Genu go?” Crystalline stops.
“Genu said that he’ll be with a friend and isn’t sure when he’ll come back.”
We stand in silence for a minute before continuing again. I use the glaive as a walking stick to help support me as I support her. I can’t help but feel that I should find a cave for Crystalline and then leave because none of this would happen if I wasn’t here. But the feeling is lost when a shadowy figure stands before us. Immediately, I nudge her behind me so she is leaning on my back; she pulls off her bow and hastily grabs an arrow from her quiver.
“Behind us,” she whispers.
I glance over my shoulder to see shadows all around us; some linger behind the trees, just waiting. I firmly clinch the glaive in both hands ready for a fight; Crystalline draws her arrow, pointing it at one of the shadows. I know we won’t be able to fend them off for long. Or at all. At least I won’t die alone.
The shadows charge towards us and I swing the glaive at the closest one, slicing its head off vaporizes the being. Crystalline releases her arrow and it pierces one of them in the chest, purifying it into dust. Another shadow lunges for me, I react with another swing; this time a little anger pours into my focus. A flame ignites around both blades, this puts a smile on my face as I watch this shadow burn from my attack. Two down, far too many left to go.
They start to pour in all around us and I just can’t help but feel more and more anger building up inside of me. These damn things killed everyone I’ve ever loved.
“Crystal
line, if possible, shield yourself!”
Without waiting for her, I begin to swing the glaive into a circular motion above my head; fire springs up all about us, slowly whirling into a vortex. The glaive becomes a ring of pure flame and helps me in creating a massive tornado.
“Burn! Burn, like you burned everything I ever cared about!” I yell with rage and a little laughter.
The fire ruptures, incinerating everything around me; Crystalline managed to form a barrier around her but I sense it breaking. Once I am positive that all of the shadows are gone, I reverse the spin on the glaive, causing all of the fire to disperse. I stumble after all of the fire is gone and I stick the weapon into the ground to maintain my balance. She stands up behind me, putting her head on the back of my shoulder and wraps her arms around my waist.
“It’s okay. We can get through this,” she whispers into my ear.
I smile and drape my arm over her shoulder and across her back. As I look around I see the damage of my power: the ground is scorched, the trees that were closest to us were reduced to ash and further ones are scorched or on fire, and there are small black spots of where the shadows were standing as the flame ate them. I just push it out of my head and continue walking down this dark dirt path; when I look over at Crystalline’s face, the moonlight glistens across it as it always has. Somethings don’t change.
“What are these shadow creatures?” I ask.
“They are probably a type of darkened spirit. Their essence, or core, has been tainted with black magic, maybe. The only thing I know for sure is that they corrupt whatever they get in contact with. Transforming their victim into a shadow.”
“Is it irreversible?”
“Yes and no. My powers can purify them. Basically breaking their control over the spirits they have corrupted. Yet, there’s no guarantee that the person or animal or plant or whatever will be saved. Their soul could forever be demolished and the host body would dissipate. I pity the shadows at times.”
Dark Form_Book 1 of the Shadow War Trilogy Page 7
