by Sean Watman
“Although the deed was considered noble by many, the Pyrians hated both Tundar and Irone for what they did. The relationship between Pyrus and the outside world gradually diminished until they stopped communicating completely.” There were no images this time, but I was quite sure I understood what Gron was talking about.
“Tundar and Irone now had the exact power they sought to destroy: more influence over decisions. Their power became absolute, and they began bending, and even breaking, rules when necessary.” There were now images, but my mind pictured police officers back home letting loose Fred even though he killed me … or did he? I didn't even know anymore.
“In response to Pyrus losing contact with the rest of Tereer, the other countries decided to shape the landscape to their own will. The previous king defied them, however, and would not grant them passage to the true Pyrus. He was a skilled magician, and with his court, he managed to bind the volcanic landscape and replace it with forests, lakes, and wildlife.”
“Wasn't that what he was trying to prevent?” I asked, puzzled at the king's contradicting actions.
“In a sense, yes.” Gron paused, thinking about his wording probably. “But at the same time, Pyrus is protected from Tundar. When the king bound the landscape, he lowered all of the volcanoes, the magma, even the true palace of Pyrus, where the enemy would need to go in order to seize absolute control.” As he spoke, I saw the land begin to shift. I saw the forests emerge and the lakes rise out of the magma. It would have been pretty cool if the situation weren't so serious.
“So the palace that is above ground …” I began. In response, the palace appeared before us. The thing was massive, with a jade roof and stone walls. It looked to be as tall as the pyramids. The only difference was that this palace looked like its construction had just been finished—there were no signs of moss or decay anywhere..
“Exactly!” Gron said. “The palace you see is where King Sol resides, but if an enemy captures it, the country still has free will!” All of the images faded into a black room. Gron snapped his fingers, and a wooden door began to carve itself out of the shadows, not even a foot away from where we were standing.
Once we walked through the door, we reappeared back inside the cozy sitting room. The table was now emitting a deep blue glow and looked as though it was aging, just like humans do when we pass our natural magii limit. It must need to recharge! I thought to myself. It occurred to me how valuable the trip had been, given that the viewer's table went through so much stress to show it. However, I was still confused about one thing.
“What does all of this have to do with me?” I said. Gron looked at me the way my Kreysor did in my mental realm. When I looked into his eyes, I began to feel woozy. Gron told me I fainted on Pyrus, but that was only half the truth; only one person could answer the question I asked, and he lived inside my mind.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” I called out to my friend. The walls of flame were restored in my mental realm, so I knew he was here somewhere. I just needed to find him. My mind was a pretty big space, so I began to jog around, hoping I would find him. I discovered him sitting on what appeared to be the edge of my mind—if that was even possible. I saw that he still portrayed himself as an older version of me, but he seemed younger than before, more like he was directly mimicking me.
“You can show me your true form, you know!” I called out to him. I must have surprised him for once, because he jumped, turned around, and waved in greeting. I waved back, and he beckoned me to sit down with him. So, humoring him, I did.
“This is the beginning of my realm, and the end of yours.” He spoke so quietly that I had to lean in to hear him. His eyes glanced out at the black space, as if looking for something.
“I reached the record house, and I now know the history of Pyrus.” I talked quickly and to the point—there was no need to bother him with details. “I also met your companion, Centurion.” At the mention of his friend's name, he looked at me, his eyes no longer mine but another's.
“You still haven't figured out my name yet, have you?” His voice was no longer kind, but irritated and impatient. “How many times have I told you that you can't use my power unless …”
“I challenge you to a duel in your true form. If I win, then you have to tell me your name,” I interrupted. He considered my offer and then spoke.
“And if you lose?”
“Then I leave Pyrus, seeing as I would be unfit to be your Kreydur,” I replied evenly. He smiled at me. I was placing my bet—the question was: would he call it?
“I accept your challenge, Jack. But before I begin, I hope you do not get burned easily.” What an odd statement, I thought. As I was about to reply to it, he dropped onto all fours and burst into flame. The transformation took not even a second, and before I knew it, I was gazing into the face of the flaming lion. He was about as tall as my chest and his body was covered and flames. He roared at me, daring me to make the first move, but I knew better than that. Noticing my hesitation, he charged at me so quickly that I was hit and airborne before I knew what was happening.
Before I even landed, he was already charging at me, his claws ready to tear me apart. He was going to fight me without holding back, so there was no need for me to do otherwise. What I needed was time to get my chambers ready. Wait a minute! I thought. I can just do to him what I did to Glace! Focusing my thoughts on a clock, I began to slow down time. It worked just as I planned until he slashed the right side of my stomach.
“That was a clever plan,” he called out from behind me. “But your tricks will not work here. We are in between both of our realms now.” Okay, time for plan B: charge up as much magii as I can while taking his abuse..
Once again, I was knocked into the air, and I could feel the flames burning the skin on my back. I braced myself for another attack from below when he appeared before me and dug a claw into my abdomen. He knocked the wind out of me, and that only increased the speed of my fall. The claw stayed in even after I collided with the ground, my body making a crater.
I coughed up some blood as the claw finally left. Everything was fine until the flames began cauterizing the gash they had made. I nearly screamed in pain, but I held my tongue. He didn't need to see my pain.
“You are finished,” he said to me. “It looks like you lost your gamble, Jack.” There was no way he was going to get the last word. I wasn't done yet. Whispering “Fuhrhealminok,” I slowly repaired my damaged organs. When the spell was finished, I didn't get up. Not yet, just a little bit longer. I coaxed myself to be patient. The lion did just what I thought he would do: check to see if he knocked me unconscious or killed me. He was a little early though; if he realized my plan, he would really finish me off. Thankfully, Lady Luck was on my side. The moment he looked at my body, my chambers had reached their peak, and I punched him right in the face.
He was sent flying by the pure force of the magii coursing through my palms. Actually, magii was coursing through all of my chambers. Once again I was putting it all on the line. If I ran out of magii before I won, I was finished. No! My mind wouldn't accept negativity; there was going to be no jinxing my victory.
I finally saw the Kreysor crash to the ground. Not making the same mistake he did, I rushed toward the impact site. As I rushed, a claw slashed at my back, causing me to fall onto my face. I stood up but got slashed across my chest, destroying my shirt.
“Come on! Why destroy my shirt?” I yelled at him, hoping to pinpoint his location. The only reply was a slash across the cheek. My brain began to assess the situation. Okay, so I can't see him now, but there may be a way. As Gron said, not everything is seen through human eyes.
“Trublind!” I shouted out. I immediately felt the magii drain from my head chamber, but my eyes adjusted quickly. He left prints of magii wherever he stepped before he pounced, so I just had to duck so he would miss me. I still couldn't see him; he was most likely going to attack me from behind. Unless I concentrated extremely hard on the soun
ds he made before he attacked, I was done for.
None of this would have been possible to parry without my head magii chamber. My hearing became more acute, and the tiny sound caused by his arm preparing for a strike was all I needed to locate him. Instead of ducking like I had planned, I jumped and did a backflip just for bragging rights. He passed right under me, his swipe missing by a fraction of an inch. I followed my backflip with a double leg kick to the lion's back, and I sent him flying!
“You know, maybe unleashing all of my magii wasn't the best idea I've had,” I muttered to myself. I didn't have much time left in this form, and I was just wasting it chasing after him. I sent him flying because I couldn't control my power! He recovered faster than I had anticipated.
This was both good and bad; good because I could resume the fight on an even ground with him, and bad because he seemed very, very mad.
“How long has he been unconscious for?” Centurion asked as he walked in. Gron looked at him surprised, mostly because Centurion had a rare impatient tone in his voice.
“Ten minutes so far,” Gron replied unemotionally. Nodding stiffly, Centurion backed away from the body and proceeded down the hall. A few seconds later, Gron heard the screeches of the door as it opened and closed. Knowing that Centurion was now gone, Gron stared at Jack's body.
“Come on, Jack, hurry up!” Gron's voice began to sound worried. “You do not have that much time left. If you do not master him now, then you may never be able to.”
The battle raged on between the lion and me, and we were matching each other blow for blow. Fist met claw, and we both stumbled back from the recoil. His deafening roar met my scream as we both charged at each other once again, hoping that the other would give in. The lion went on the offensive first, clawing at me with raw power. I tried to block every strike, but whatever I couldn't block, I dodged. As his power began to decrease, I saw my chance and went on the offensive. I threw as many punches as I could, my speed unbelievably fast and constant. I was about to break through his guard when the aura around my palms began to flicker.
“No … no! Not now! I just need a little more time!” I yelled out loud at my chambers, hoping that there was some chance that they understood me. Noticing my hesitation, the lion took his chance and shoved his claw right into the chest. He hadn't impaled me, but pushed me. I could tell by the wind rushing past me as I flew across the arena.
The first thing I was greeted with upon skidding across the floor was pain followed by the loss of Trublind. I didn't have enough magii to safely continue using the spell, so I was forced to end it. I could feel the magii exhaustion seep through all of my muscles, but I wasn't going to let him win. This was no longer about staying in Tereer or learning his stupid name—this was me being stubborn.
I quickly reviewed my battles with the moths and Ivan, looking for something he wouldn't expect me to do. If I am the Kreydur of Pyrus, I can't use ice magic, only fire. My brain was fixed on the showdown with Ivan, more specifically on our laser beam duel. I forgot the name of the spell I had used, but it would certainly be something he wouldn't expect.
I struggled to remember the word. It was the key to my final plan, and I needed to remember. It was lava or magma of some kind. I began to sound it out in my head, hoping to get lucky. Magma … Magmor … Magmoras! Now that I had remembered the spell, that fear was quickly replaced by another: did I have enough magii to even consider firing the spell?
I could hear the sound of him approaching from behind me. He wanted me to hear him. He wanted me to know that I had failed. In desperation, I channeled everything I had left into my left palm. My hand pulsed a bright blue, even though I had no magii sensors. The concentration of magii was so strong, I knew that if I didn't win, I would die from overexerting myself.
The moment he stopped moving, I turned to face him and shouted, “Magmoras!” Lava didn't come out of my hand this time though. I think the amount of magii I used affected the spell somehow, because like I said, it wasn't lava that came out—it was like a whole freaking eruption. The lion was so shocked by my assault that he was hit dead-on by the explosion of lava.
Breathing heavily, my knees buckled and my hands slapped the floor. I could feel my organs begin to age, but only through sheer mental will did I manage to stand and limp across the battle-stricken ground to my opponent. I found him close by, trapped and bound in the magma, which had astonishingly already cooled.
“You have won,” he said, his fiery eyes staring straight at me. “I am too weak to escape this spell.” A smile crept on my lips that broke out into a grin once I realized what this meant. My body felt as weak as a newborn baby's, but my heart and my mind felt stronger than ever after my accomplishment.
“And now, for your reward, as we agreed.” His eyes remained fixed on me. My entire body waited anxiously in anticipation. His fierce eyes seemed to relax, and his tone became much gentler.
“My name … is Leo.”
Chapter 18: The Advancement
“Once more, Jack, and this time, I want you to concentrate!” Gron's voice echoed around a small blank room. This was how I learned to summon Leo and transform him into a weapon. It turns out Leo forced me to use his power before I actually had the strength to, and I was relying on it for the whole battle with Ivan. This time, though, I was calling out to him with my own magii, and thus, needed to train myself in the art of the Kreysor. With a heavy sigh, I began the incantation for the third time: “The volcanic land now asleep, shall now awaken with your leap. In the heart of the flame I call your name: Leo!” As if in response, Leo separated from my body as if he somehow mutated off of it. Once again, all of my magii was drained from the incantation. It was easy for Leo to maintain a physical form without my help, but it was murder to get him to that stage.
“Good! Now, once again,” Gron shouted down at me from where he was standing. Leo gave me a concerned look, probably knowing how much this was sapping my strength.
“You can see how exhausted he is! Let him rest before he continues,” Leo roared at him.
“It's … alright, Leo.” I managed to gasp out. “I … need to get stronger. This will get my magii chambers to increase in size. Please, can we try again?” Nodding in response, Leo faded away out of the physical world, but I still felt his presence inside of me.
“We do not have all day to focus on this one part!” Gron yelled down. “Once more, and I want you to do it faster! It took twelve seconds for Leo to emerge; reduce it to ten seconds!” Drill Sergeant Gron, I secretly thought. No way would I say that out loud. I continued reciting the incantation for a few more hours until I was so weak that I could barely breathe without feeling like there were one-hundred-pound weights on my lungs.
“Defend yourself!” Gron yelled from afar. I was about to ask what I was defending myself from, when a flaming arrow came straight at me. My reflexes kicked in, and I instinctively dodged. I couldn't pull it off again, and I got pinned against a wall by four arrows, two for my arms and two for my legs.
“That will be enough for today.” Gron approached me as he spoke, his left arm wielding an flaming bow. I was confused for a moment, but it took a minute for me to remember that he used to be a Kreydur.
“Centurion, we will try again tomorrow.” In response to his words, a flaming vortex formed to his left side, the arrows vanished, and Centurion took his physical form. Talk about an entrance! With a motion of his hand, Gron beckoned me to follow him through a black door that appeared out of thin air. Picking myself up of the floor, I managed to stand and quickly caught up to Gron. The moment I stepped through the opening, I was in the sitting room again. Gron was sitting in one of the chairs by the viewer's table, sipping a cup of tea.
As I approached Gron, memories from the past few days surfaced. I woke up after learning Leo's name to discover : I was lying in a blank room on top of a bed, and the sheets rustled as I tried to sit up. The injuries I had got from my internal struggle didn't seem to affect my body, and as I glanced down,
I happily noticed I had my shirt. As I tried to remember where I was, I tried to find the walls of the room, but it was too blank. It looked endless. Gron walked in and asked me if I was okay, and when I said I felt great, he led me to that room.
“You have been unconscious for quite a while now, I was afraid we had lost you for a moment.” Gron's voice called out. My eyes were still adjusting to being open, so it took a moment of squinting to find Gron leaning against a wall. With his cloak off, I got my first look at his outfit, which looked a lot better than mine. Everything he wore was black but was defined by stripes of white on the collar, cuffs, pants, and jacket. His shirt was also black, but had a large glistening ruby in its center. I have to say, he looked pretty badass.
“Come along, your real training begins now!” he called over his shoulder as he began to walk toward what seemed like a blank wall until the black door appeared. I guess that's what he meant by there was still magic leftover from the magicians of old. I got up off of the bed. The sound created by my shoes crashing on the floor echoed deafeningly in the silence. As I approached and opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of darkness. I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was five, but this darkness gave off an ominous vibe. I continued to stare into the endless abyss and finally mustered all of my courage and took a step forward into the suffocating darkness.
The moment my foot landed on the floor, the darkness vanished. Actually, I think I was the one who vanished. The sitting room with the viewer's table was the first and only thing I saw. I turned around, just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming, but the door and the room had disappeared. Gron was sitting down in one of the chairs, his pose communicating that he was thinking of what to do next.
