Great, just one more problem we have to worry about. One more thing that is going to stall more of our time. I can’t help but show my annoyance.
Genu lies on the floor across the room, still unconscious and bloody. Asvarp peers over at him before teleporting us into the white room. I know that look on his face, it’s the same one Crystalline has whenever she’s about to get her way.
“Okay, now that it’s just the three of us, we must talk.”
“Why don’t you want Genu here?” She asks.
“Because he might get in the way. Plus, there is something that we have to discuss that will piss him off,” he responds rapidly.
“Like what?” I question.
“Your memories.”
How the hell…? I officially hate any form of psychic powers.
“You knew?!” Crystalline is surprisingly taken back.
“I only found out recently. When you killed the Grey King,” Asvarp keeps his tone flat, “and Zarvick collapsed, I knew something wasn’t right. Genu couldn’t see into his mind but the ruvtag can see almost anything, however, powerful magic was at work and only allowed me to catch glimpses. One of which was Reaper.”
I don’t know what to say. Both of them are waiting for my response, especially Crystalline. I can tell she feels hurt that I haven’t shared enough with her. They shouldn’t worry too much about it, honestly, it probably wasn’t anything.
“Look, I know how it sounds but Reaper was no more than a mere vision; it wasn’t inside my head nor am I in any kind of harm,” I speak directly at Crystalline.
She just ignores me for a moment before moving on. “What did you see in your memories exactly?”
“I—”
“The truth,” her voice is on the verge of yelling.
“I saw myself as a child; memories that I have forgotten, came to life with each fragment gained. Little things that say a lot about my life, such as how my parents gave up their immortality to be together…” I sorrowful pause to let that sink in, “and within each memory was a clue that leads to the solution to all of our problems.”
“What clues?” Asvarp ponders.
“The first was a colorful eagle holding an object but was stolen by Reaper after it killed the bird. The—”
Crystalline abruptly cuts me off, “what was the object?”
“A hollow cube attached to a metal spike.”
“The Hwevoxa!” Asvarp shouts, making the two of us jump.
“The what?” We ask at the same time.
“The he-boc-ah. It’s the core, the heart of the Rift which is home to the sisters of time and space: Xelom and Yiluf. The Hwevoxa contains tremendous power which can be unlocked to destroy all of reality or, in Reaper’s plans, alter time.”
“Why is that even a thing?” I ask.
“It was created to limit the sisters’ involvement within the cosmos; thus, it gives off a dense aura of gravity that pushes and pulls the fuloque in-and-out of the Rift.”
“Well, then. That just leaves us with an abundance of questions and we haven’t even heard the other two clues,” Crystalline sarcastically adds.
I have to agree with her. The other two clues are just as vague and don’t really tells us anything more than we know or haven’t already figured out. This is pointless.
“Asvarp, what is the Rift?” I am beginning my series of “annoying” questions.
“The Rift is a dimension where our concepts of reality are irrelevant, a place where beings beyond even our comprehension exist, and it is the home/cage for Xelom and Yiluf; the sisters can never leave their endless boundaries. Nevertheless, their influence on the universe is projected through the Hwevoxa. Which is why it is such a powerful object. Anything more than that I can’t tell you because I do not know.”
“Okay…do you know how we can go there?”
“No, I’ve never even seen the place. No mortal has,” Asvarp seems disgusted with himself because of this little fact. A mage as powerful as him should surely know that knowledge, “but, there are some stories that say the rift can be accessed through black holes. Whether that’s true or not, I couldn’t say.”
“How did Reaper even enter a place like that?” Crystalline interjects.
“I couldn’t tell you. Maybe it found a way to warp the physical structure of the Rift around itself…”
He trails off, murmuring to himself. Pacing back in forth, ignoring us. Something has triggered a series of revelations in his head. That could be a good thing for us; after all, we need as many answers as we can get right now.
Crystalline, however, is impatient; she grabs Asvarp by the arm and slaps him across the face. At first, he looks pissed but then thanks her.
“What were you thinking about?” I quickly ask.
“I have just discovered what Reaper is,” he responds with a glow in his eyes.
“Yeah, Reaper is a fucking undead monster that wants to destroy everything. Already beat you to the answer old man,” Crystalline snaps.
The mage shakes his head, “no, no, that’s not it…but I never considered the possibility of it being an undead being. What brought you to that conclusion?”
“I don’t have any solid proof but I can feel it in my bones. Plus, to be able to accomplish some of the feats Reaper has, you can’t possibly be alive,” she crosses her arms.
“Agreed,” Asvarp considers her thought process. “Anyways, there was a few millennium in my life where I was completely obsessed with power. I wanted to discover all of the forbidden magic and knowledge that I could. Along the way I came across power that no mortal should ever possess. I—”
“Asvarp, now even I’m getting impatient. So, get to the point,” I rudely interrupt him. Crystalline is rubbing off on me.
“Fine. That’ll be a story for another time then,” the old man is hurt. I feel bad now but he continues on, “anyhow, the level of mortal power in Elvendora goes as such, from bottom to top: warriors, wizards, witches, royalty, sorcerers—who are on par with druids—warlocks, and then volkanus. Each ranking generally has fewer and fewer members.”
“Where do you fall into place?” Crystalline contemplates.
“I’m a sorcerer,” Asvarp says proudly, “a powerful one. And possibly the last one.”
“Wait…what the hell is a volkanu?” That’s new.
“Well, Zarvick, they are the most powerful mortals in all of Elvendora. Perhaps in the universe. So strong, they can rival Ures and Culbur; however, their power is so wrathful that it causes them to go insane. With that said, only three of them can ever live at any one time. There was one lady I met who managed to control her power but, in the end, i-it consumed her, killed her.” The old man seems a little depressed, that woman could’ve been someone he once loved.
“Wow, that’s a lot,” I scratch my head, “and I’m guessing that you believe Reaper is a volkanu?”
“I don’t believe, I know,” Asvarp responds arrogantly. “Volkanus have a direct link with the Rift and seemingly draw power from it. That must be why Reaper is so deadly.”
At this point, I am already tired of all of this talking. The more we know the better, sure. Yet, it won’t help us in defeating Reaper because we don’t know how; Crystalline and I can gain all of our power back and still be killed by that monster. I must admit, I’m scared to death by Reaper.
“Okay,” I sigh, “how do we defeat Reaper?”
Asvarp just shakes his head and shrugs. Not even the almighty powerful sorcerer knows how to defeat the dark form.
“Why can’t you just kill Reaper?” Crystalline focuses on Asvarp.
“If I was in my prime, with the knowledge I possess now, I possibly could,” he’s almost nostalgic, “however, I am very old, beyond mortal years; using powerful magic puts a strain on my body that I can’t shrug off anymore. In a way, I feel as though this is all my fault.”
“Why is that?” I ponder. Don’t tell me he helped to create Reaper.
“I should’ve seen the signs t
hat lead to its uprising. Before Reaper, there was never a shadow on Elvendora; just rumors of a dark realm where death and corruption have completely merged together. Then one day, a peculiar presence could be felt all across the world and then the shadows came.”
“Reaper’s cloak, it’s from that dark realm isn’t it?” Crystalline forcefully questions.
“I suspect so,” he’s confused by her demeanor. “I must admit, I haven’t given it any thought. The thing is irritating, sure. But a cloak, nonetheless.”
“I think I figured out my purpose in all of this…” dramatic pause, “I have to purify Reaper.”
“What…?” Asvarp and I are both dumbfounded.
“Just think about it, if Reaper is dead; its cloak has to have come from this realm of shadows, which would explain the endless tentacles. Basically, the garment is a doorway between here and there. When its soul left its body on the day it died—if it died—it must have been tainted with some kind of black magic which allowed it to enter that realm. The cloak provided a sort of temporary physical body which is why it needed to kill my parents so it could absorb their forms. That means that I’m the only one who can stop the monster that is Reaper.”
“You have actually impressed me Crystalline,” Asvarp strokes his beard, “but it’s just a theory. We can’t prove any of this.”
I swear to Elvendora that I will murder these two someday. I am just the dumb excluded one of this group. They act like I am just a liability or a tool; I am the one who led the conversation to this point. I’m the one who’s getting the visions. Guess I’ll have to push my way into their theories.
“Remember when you told us that Queen Levouay is helping Reaper to raise an army?” I ask and Asvarp nods. “What if, based upon Crystalline’s profound analysis, Levouay was the one that made Reaper, Reaper? Wouldn’t that change everything?”
It’s obvious that I have just blown their minds. Both of them stare at each other, talking with their eyes. HAHA, I’m good! Well, not even I understand what this could mean. I do know that Elvendora is dying, I sense it, and we are just accelerating the process.
“That certainly would…” he’s lost in thought, “nevertheless, we can’t concern ourselves with these matters now. We must begin your training early tomorrow, we can’t afford to waste any more time.”
Seriously?! Crystalline makes a breakthrough and it’s all “impressive” but when I do it’s just “we can’t concern ourselves”. If I didn’t love her right now, I would stick a metal spike through her face.
“Wait, we never heard the other two clues from Zarvick’s memories,” Crystalline adds.
“Oh, right,” I say in a less than eager tone. “The second clue was Reaper holding the Hwevoxa and reality fractured, which conjured silhouettes of Elvendora’s royalty. And the third clue was the beast’s death, the Hwevoxa returning back to the Rift, and some lady who appeared in the form of nature.”
Asvarp puts his hand on my shoulder, “so, not only did you travel to the Rift but you met the spirit of Elvendora herself. You talked to the All-Mother.”
I don’t react to him, how should I? I just want to get all of this over with. This room is starting to make me uncomfortable. Plus, we’ve talked more than enough about Reaper and the endless possibilities of its existence for one day. I just want to get some rest.
“I guess, Asvarp. Can I go to sleep now? We’ve talked enough.”
After Crystalline agrees with me, the mage nods. Before we leave, he makes us take our helmets off and begins forming unique motions with his hands that synthesize red-yellow runes; striking both of our foreheads with his palms, a symbol temporarily craves its way into our flesh.
“What did you do?!” He just hit me.
“I placed a powerful protection enchantment on your psyches so that nothing and no one can use any form of psychic powers on your minds except for mild telepathy. It’s the same spell that I have shielding myself. Took me a century to perfect.”
“Why?” Crystalline slides her helmet back on.
“Let’s just say it’s another form of protection for the two of you.”
We leave it at that and off we go. The more I look at the facts the less confident I feel in our winning this game of Reaper’s; it has power beyond any of ours, yet hasn’t killed a single one of us. We’ll found out the truth eventually, hopefully, before it’s too late.
Chapter 30
(Crystalline)
That next morning, we all come back to the white room where Asvarp and Genu are quietly arguing about something, like usual. The mage took our armor and gave us back our old leather garments because he wanted to “study them”, whatever that means. Zarvick is still upset from our previous discussion because he feels that he’s been undermined in all of the intellectual conversation. I, on the other hand, am enjoying the fact that I’ve finally found my purpose in all of this, even if it is all theoretical; it’s no longer all about Zarvick being the primary focus. I am really starting to feel like myself, really beginning to understand my power.
The walls shiver as we walk by. They creep me out, just thinking about how this room is a false reality is insane.
Approaching Asvarp and Genu silences them. “What’s going on?” I pester them.
“Nothing, aside from Asvarp trying to take over both of your training,” Genu puffs.
Seriously, that’s what he’s mad about.
“What’s wrong with that?” Zarvick humors himself by fueling the fire.
“It’s not just that,” my father quietly broods, “the old man wants to kill me.”
This grabs both of our attentions. I mean, I knew they didn’t get along so well but do they really have to kill one another.
“I don’t want to kill anybody, I just need Genu to utilize his full power so we can train without time interfering,” Asvarp makes his correction.
“I’m sorry,” Zarvick rubs his face, “...what…?”
“I’m capable of freezing time with my psychic powers, Asvarp wants to use that so he can stop all of Elvendora. There is no way I can completely freeze all of Elvendora without killing myself.”
The two of them go back at it and I just start clenching my fist. We don’t have time for this; these two better start figuring something out.
Before I can make my advance towards them, the old man blast Genu backwards. Stabbing his staff into the ground in front of himself, he begins moving his hands in distinctive motions.
As the magic is activating, he enunciates, “govexum dowatvs colcaluss ebjkamilos magynolut”. Green rune fields make their way around Genu in the shape of a pyramid. Now, the mage’s attention is focused on his staff, where his fingers make weird gestures, casting symbols that form an ‘x’ around the ruvtag. Then he makes a triangle shape with his hands, thrusts them forward, and shouts, “fuloque”. A crooked radiant beam projects from the staff at the pyramid, melding all the runes together until there is only one unique symbol at the center of each of its sides.
This spell forces Genu to change his form. It’s an abomination. His skin darkens to a greyish blue and his body contorts as his bones realign themselves, adding another foot to his height. Fangs and claws sharpen as his face pushes outwards; bat ears extended along the side of his bald head. The zouvx’s appendages bulk to match his sudden growth; his leg bones breaking and realigning themselves to have a more wolf-like structure to them. After his garments completely dissolve, his wings flutter out of his back, Genu’s eyes blacken and golden laces swirl around until they form his pupils. He has transformed into his true vampiric-kaine form.
Magic sparks out from the pyramid and into him; the energy surges through Genu until a golden hue explodes out from his mind and he balls his hands into a fist. Everything stops, including the three of us.
After a moment, Asvarp steadily shifts his way to Zarvick and me; he places his palms on our chest, freeing us from Genu’s grasp.
“What happened?!” I worriedly ask.
“I unlo
cked Genu’s limitations and forced him to unleash his power. Now we can train for as long as he remains alive.”
“Doesn’t this mean that Reaper is also frozen in time?” Zarvick blurts out. “Why don’t we find it and kill it?”
The mage ignores him and brings his hands up to his torso; the white room morphs into an endless black void. Is he avoiding the question? For once, my love actually has a great idea; we have the upper hand now and should use that to our advantage.
“Asvarp, that sounds like a good plan,” I say whilst searching for his gaze.
He turns to face us, his voice wavering, “no, it’s not, because…I’m already here.”
The old man’s eyes glow in two individual colors as a cloak shrouds over his silhouette. Reaper!
I jump at him, conjuring a spear that I plan on ramming straight through his face. Throwing his hands, no, my parents’ hands forward releases a wave of force that knocks me back; Zarvick is simultaneously vaporized just as I hit the invisible floor.
I immediately flip to my feet, “I’ll kill you for your treachery!” Moving their hands in a circular motion, Reaper summons light grey mythic runes just before fusing them together and casting a shimmering bolt. It strikes me hard, harder than anything has ever before and I collapse against the emptiness.
I can’t move. My body is lifeless, thus, my soul escapes from its hollow shell. The traitor advances for me, nevertheless, I utilize as much power as I can muster. Ten dark blue silhouettes of soldiers randomly appear by my side; they charge Reaper, stabbing and slashing at him. It keeps him busy long enough for me to gather all the spiritual energy within my soul; under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this at will, however, my anger has made an exception. Not even sure what I should do now, I take a leap of faith and fly forward whilst a blinding light shines out from my soul prior to me grappling onto Reaper. My spiritual energy slowly dissolves as it consumes us both; with a flash, we are gone.
Dark Form_Book 1 of the Shadow War Trilogy Page 25
