x
- NUALLIS -
In her mind, what she floated in was not a dream; at least it did not feel like one. She was far too aware of her surroundings. Darkness surrounded her, but not complete darkness. Countless stars and other heavenly bodies were above her head and below her feet. Where am I, she thought as she swam through the void, am I in the night sky?
below her, panes of glass rose to meet her feet as they did she felt grounded, an odd presence of heaviness in outer space. She more transparent shards rose to make a path for her that she followed. At the end was a bright star with four points. Stars fell above her, leaving white-hot trails behind them, all descending towards the greater.
The path curved this way and that but straightened out at the end. The star turned out to be like that of a cross-shaped crystal, it's sun-like brightness dimming to a sacred phosphorescence.
Its left arm was crowned with stones: little asteroids circling around the tip. The right arm had a halo of water surrounded by steam and spheres of ice. At its foot, a hurricane swirled, massive clouds hiding what lay below the grand crystal. A crown of ferocious flame sat on the head of the star, making Nuallis cover her face to protect her both from its light and heat.
As Nuallis walked closer to the artifact, she saw in the flat surface of the crystal's center the face of a stranger. Before Nu could try to remember if she knew to who it belonged to, it changed. Thousands of faces did it show, too fast for Nu to study any of them. Except the last one. When it stopped, it showed a reflection of her own visage. It began to speak to her.
"The time draws near," her reflection told her, "soon the Aether spirit will awaken."
"Here? In the town?" asked Nuallis. "How do you know? Who are you?"
"I am the Aether Spirit," it told her, "I am you, as you were the other's in the past and will be in the future."
"I don't understand," said Nu her confusion becoming anxiety, "what is this place?"
"This is the Path of Phanes," the Aether Spirit told her, "this is where all is born. Where the gods lay dormant as the tribes draw their power from them. It is you, she who is known as Nuallis, who will awaken them. That is the duty of the Aether Spirit."
"But," Nuallis hesitated, "isn't it dangerous? Won't a lot of people get hurt? I mean, it is what Caecius wants, but he doesn't undestand."
"There is nothing to fear," her reflection said without emotion, "the Eye of Aion is close. Find it and fulfill your duty. As you always have. As I always have."
The Aether Spirit needed no response. The panes shattered below Nuallis, becoming a cloud of gold dust. The crystal melted and drained into the gyre below it. And the world Nuallis hoped was real ushered itself in.
She awoke on a moldy couch. Only a little amount of light, an amount penetrating through the heavy clouds, bled in through the boarded up windows. Vandal was cursing as he threw pieces of rubble off a larger pile of ceiling that had fallen over a doorway.
"Senshi, gods-damnit," muttered Van, "what was she thinking? Running off towards Jaydin and Cordis like that?"
It was a pointless effort. He soon realized this, spat on the floor and began to reload Leonette and a smaller gun.
"Um ... " began Nu, "Van?"
Van snapped his face towards her, a snarl on his lips, but ever so quickly did it dissolve when he realized who was speaking to him.
"Nu," he said, softening his expression, "you're awake."
"What happened?" the elementalist asked, "Did you find me in the colosseum?"
"Huh? Uh ... yeah," Van lied, though not sure why he did, "listen, stay here, I have to help the others." The gunner dug out the water stone from his pocket and tossed it to Nu, "I hope you won't need it."
Van entered a hallway, his mind set on finding an exit out of the building and ,hopefully, a path that would take him to the main street. Nu followed him.
"What's wrong with the others?" Nu asked.
"Jayden and Cordis are going at it," said Van, "When I carried you in here, the ceiling collapsed. Those two ... I swear, they'll split the land in half before they're finished."
"You said something about Senshi," Nu reminded him.
"She was running towards Cordis and Jayden, I think Magpie went after her to stop her."
They had to cross through an alley and into the neighboring building. They worked their way to the front. They heard voices from a shattered display window. Nu and Van kept low and moved slowly, Van with his long gun at the ready. Outside she saw the faery talking to someone.
"Sorry ... " said Senshi sorrowfully.
"For?" pressed Jayden.
"So they are alright," whispered Van who was beginning to stand.
"Wait," Nu encouraged, "something's not right."
Is that really him ... or ...
"Betraying everyone ... Betraying you ... " murmured Senshi.
"Betraying who?" again, pressed Jayden.
"You." Senshi admitted.
Jayden gripped Senshi's throat.
"When you say 'you,' which you are you talking to, my spitfire, because neither of us like a traitor."
Let her go, thought Nu, a newfound vigor burning in her heart.
She let water stream from the stone in her pocket to her hand, forming a dagger of ice. I miss being a healer, the elementalist brooded.
Vandal was already several steps ahead, pointing his long gun at who was surely Cordis.
- CAECIUS -
"Well," said Caecius as he made to leave, "we best be on our way."
"What?" said Moryuu with disbelief, "you're going to run away, too?"
"These odds are not exactly fair," said Caecius, pointing two fingers, one at Shadow and the other at Moryuu, "two against one, see?" The aeromancer tried to quote Gideon about the honor of a duel or melee, but he only remember bits and pieces, so he kept his mouth shut. "We're done here."
"No, we are not," said Moryuu brandishing his tonfas, "Shadow, silence his magic. I'll make this quick."
"Eh," was all Shadow uttered.
"What do you mean by that?" said Moryuu.
"This bores me," said Shadow, "also you, heard the lady. I must not kill him. You can though. I won't stop you."
"You can't be serious," said Moryuu.
"Oh, I can, boy," said Shadow drily, "there's just no fun in it."
Shadow thought for a moment.
"Thinking seriously, why exactly should I help you? At least me an Caecius were, how you say, roommates, for a short while. Furthermore, you are quite late to the party. Well, either that, or you've been hiding. Maybe spying on all of us since my sweet Elyza entered this afterlife." The necromancer sniffed the air around Moryuu. "Something doesn't smell right with you, my friend."
Moryuu shoved him away. Caecius, intrigued, walked to Shadow's side, unthreatened. The sorcerer has a point, realized Caecius, who is this man?
"Which warehouse did you wake up in?" asked Caecius.
"This is ridiculous," said Moryuu as he backed away from the pair.
He threw something on the ground that burst into thick smoke. Caecius raised his hands to swipe away the trick, but a throwing dagger flew out of the pall to ruin his concentration. Had he not sidestepped, the blade would have buried itself between his ribs.
When the smoke parted, the stranger was gone.
"And I just wanted to get to know him better," pouted Shadow sarcastically.
"You think he means to rescue us?" asked Caecius.
"If he did," shrugged Shadow, "violence probably wasn't the best answer."
"You know," said Caecius, "I should kill you for letting those bastards take Nu away."
"Then why haven't you," mocked Shadow, "do I frighten you?"
"I am frightened of a meaningless death. In my land, a man who switches sides as often as you do tend to live short lives and lose their heads quick. But somehow you have survived this long. You are dangerous, vile creature full of lies and secrets. I don't know what low cunning or rotten, dark elements you command, but I know that if a tornado or a tidal wave threatens to level your home, you run as far from its shade as you can or you perish." He looked Shadow in his red eyes, sinister scarlet gems behind of which twisted plots and evil thoughts curdled. "Whatever wind or tide you bring, however, I'll be sure to ride it."
Caecius pulled his hood over his head, turned from Shadow, and went in search of the pillars. New ones have sprung, thought Caecius, perhaps the Eye is one of them.
"I'll take that as a compliment," called out Shadow, smiling enigmatically.
Image by https://pixabay.com/users/pexels-2286921/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1867616518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPu1deWLkc
