For a while, the Sage said nothing, seemingly lost in memory. “She would always protect me. She grabbed me and ran. I didn’t even see the end of my mother. We ran and ran and ran… But Magmalian soldiers soon caught up on us. They fired an arrow into her.” Clover saw the Sage shivering as he spoke. “But she remained strong as always. It seemed the will to survive and to protect me unlocked the dormant power within her. At that young age, she summoned up some of her father’s great power, and slew the enemies with vines. She grabbed me and ran with me again, then we fell… I was out cold. When I came to, I found that we were in a den. It must have been some old military hideout or something like that. It was a small room. On the wall was a little glowing plant that gave us some light.”
The listeners were fully immersed in the Sage’s story, even Karukia, who had never heard it from the Sage himself, and Rainshine, who had heard it many times when he was a child.
“My sister’s wound,” the Sage continued, “it was terrible, dreadful… Somehow, the entrance from which we fell was sealed, and there was no way of getting out. I cried… I cried so much when I thought about everything… But Summer never shed one tear. She told me over and over that Mother Nature was watching over us, and would keep us alive. Still, she was dying, and I knew it. Days passed and we were still stuck down there. We ate plants and bugs to stay alive. I remember one day – or night, I couldn’t tell the difference – she told me… that I had to preserve the race and the power of our father, that it was our legacy to keep and defend. She told me there was only one way for our mother and father to live on… But I did not understand.
“And in the dark, damp den… she made me… … I didn’t understand, but she did, and that was enough for me; it had always been. It felt like many years passed down there. Mother Nature preserved us until my sister was with child. The baby was finally born. It was a girl. That same hour, my sister…” Tears came to the Sage’s eyes as he remembered everything too vividly. “She returned to the earth… I cried so much… I was sure I even went insane. I couldn’t sleep for many nights.
“Then, one silent night, when all my tears were finished, I held the little baby in my hands. I knelt, and I prayed to Mother Nature, as I saw my sister do many times. I begged her to make a way. She heard my prayer, and that same minute, the earth began to quake. The quake was massive. I was terrified. I held the babe tightly in my arms. It was, to me, my sister, and so I loved it. The earth opened up, and before me was forged a narrow passage. The quake probably lasted an hour!” A look of marvel and fright was on the Sage’s face as he spoke, as he recounted perfectly the emotions he had felt many years ago. “It was the greatest miracle I had ever seen. It was then that I became sure that Mother Nature was watching over me. I followed the path lit by thousands of glowing flowers, and it led me to this new world… my world… the world that never sees the sun, except through the glowing flowers, a world forged by Mother Nature herself for the sake of my father’s people… her people. I prayed to Mother Nature and thanked her, and beseeched her to continue to protect and to guide both me and the baby girl. Days passed… I explored my world and began making plans… Each day I would mourn my sister’s death anew, and curse Nature for letting her die. I always wished that she could see this amazing haven that I had found.
“Weeks passed… months… No one can imagine what I went through. I felt alone. The babe could not speak to me, and I began even to lose my faith in Nature. But each time I thought about Summer, because of the faith she had, my belief in my god was renewed. After probably a year had passed, I started to keep an approximate record of time by marking on the bark of a tree each time I felt a day had ended. Years passed… When I was fourteen, I realized my power, the power passed down to me from my father. Years more passed, and I had nothing to do except train, practice, discover, create techniques… build… and take care of my daughter, Winter. She could speak to me now, and kept me sane and hopeful. I taught her everything I knew, everything I discovered. When she was eleven, she realized her power. She progressed much more quickly than I did… She was so beautiful… so perfect… Long, white hair, just like mine, just like her mother’s, just like her grandfather’s. She was without flaw, without blemish. I remember trying to explain to her what the sky looked like… what the sun and moon and stars look like, but those were such abstract, foreign concepts, that I began to fear even I would one day begin to fail to understand, to remember.
“Each day, I still tried to get back to the surface, but it was impossible, and only because it was not the will of God. I soon learnt through visions given to me by the supreme one, that the surface world would contaminate my perfect people, and my daughter, and all who would descend from us would lose our perfection, our longevity, our immortality…
“When she was sixteen, I finally did what was necessary. She brought forth two more girls, and we named them Spring and Autumn. We raised them. They grew. I had more children with Winter. The more we had, the easier it became. Our seventh child was a boy… Rainshine… Decades passed, and it became the order of the day to bring forth children. Finally, I could see myself succeeding at preserving not only a powerful race, but a perfect race, untainted by the outside world, undiluted by common blood. I built… We built, I and my children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. We built a shrine, and in it, an altar. And from stone, we built the statue of a woman that would be a symbol of Mother Nature. We prayed and worshipped. We multiplied quickly, and trained, and honed our sacred skill. Secretly… the statue of stone represented to me my sister… who I loved more than I can ever love anyone else… more than I love even my children…
“After around five-hundred years, I began having frequent dreams and visions. Mother Nature had given me great wisdom. She showed me history and prophecy, things gone and things to come. She told me the story of Trium, Trinity and Maximo… the true story… which I was made to swear never to tell even to my own.”
“What do you mean tr—”
“Shhh!!” Kyle, Mike and Clover shushed Lex in a snap.
“Mother Nature showed me my seed,” the Sage continued, “it is to become far greater than it is now… I saw Trium return to destroy the earth. I saw a boy… a child who had found Maximo… He used him to battle Trium. The outcome of the battle was never revealed to me, but I was shown how great that final war was. Many will die trying to defend the earth.”
Lex’s eyes widened. “So is there any chance you and your people will be helping us out in the fight against Trium?” Lex asked.
“No… I cannot expose them to the surface just yet. They are not ready. Trium’s power… it would overwhelm us, and our race would be destroyed.”
“What?! You must at least try!” Lex flared, “To battle Trium is the very purpose and destiny of your people!” Lex sounded angry and indignant.
“Your efforts against Trium are likely to be futile,” the Sage said. “The might I saw Trium wield… it is too great…”
“I see,” Kyle came in, “so your plan is to watch Lex and whoever else who sees it necessary to at least try and defend the earth perish under Trium’s assault. While Trium wipes out the surface race, you’re sitting here hoarding all this power and skill, then you all just march up the surface and inherit the earth! That’s your master plan, isn’t it?!”
“Hmmm… Impressive…” the Sage admitted in a genuine tone. “But that is the way things are destined to be, I’m afraid… You don’t understand… Trium’s power… it cannot be countered. When Trium believes he has annihilated the human race, then earth will be perfect again, like it was in the beginning. The race of earth, nature itself will be restored, and there will be no more death, no more strife. That is the destiny of my people.”
“Utter rubbish!” Kyle blasted.
“The beginning of time…” Mike said a curious, musing tone.
“Yes. I have seen it, but I cannot enlighten you. Some truths must only be known by the perfect ra
ce.”
“Won’t the surface contaminate you ‘perfect’ people when Trium destroys everyone else?!” Kyle questioned, “And what if Trium literally destroys the whole damn planet?!”
The sage laughed. “It is neither the sun nor the surface that contaminates; it is the existence of the imperfect surface-dwellers. Also, the earth will never be destroyed, nor will life ever seize to exist upon its face.”
“Lemme guess, Mama Nature told you that?!” Kyle asked contemptuously and in obvious mockery.
“Listen, young ones,” the sage said calmly, “do not let my words discourage you.”
“You think some old nut can stop us from fulfilling our destiny?!” Kyle blasted, standing.
The Sage sighed heavily. “The boy in the prophecy is real… Mother Nature proves credible again. You must all leave this place. Become strong and fulfil your destinies. I bid you farewell and good luck. I have a statue to rebuild!”
“Heh! Sorry about that, Mr. Sage!” Lex said.
“Before you leave, though, you must all swear never to speak of this secret place.”
“Alright,” Lex agreed.
“As you wish, great sage,” Mike said, smiling.
“Whatever,” Kyle hissed.
Clover nodded.
“So that’s it?!” Rainshine blasted in disbelief and discontent. “They barge in here and discover the secret we have been protecting for the better part of two thousand years, and you’re just letting them go like that?! They could sabotage us! What if they got this news to Magma Land?!”
The Sage laughed, stroking his long white beard. “Do not worry, my child. What would you expect I do, put the boy from the prophecy and his companions in bondage? Kill them, the ones who I saw defending the earth in visions? I could never in my right mind stand in the way of prophecy!”
“Listen, oh Great Sage,” Rainshine said in a persuasive tone. He went closer to the Sage, almost whispering. “It’s a win-win if you just get rid of him! Then we would be certain that Trium would wipe out the surface world. We would most certainly inherit the earth and make it pure!”
The Sage looked at him with serious ire and disappointment. “Nonsense!” he banged, “You would try to assist the prophecy by setting up the surface world for sure destruction?! Madness! Our god needs not our help in anything! We should allow things to take their natural course… What is to be will always be. The prophecies are always right. We will inherit and purify the earth. If this boy and his companions, and the rest of the surface dwellers manage to defeat Trium at his return, then we will only have been given more time to grow stronger and multiply!” the Sage said optimistically.
“And when would we inherit the earth?!”
“I do not know just yet, but I am sure that we will, as Nature had promised. The surface world will be destroyed at the will of Mother Nature… not at your or my will, or even Trium’s. It is senseless and reckless to try to rush the process and offend our god!”
Rainshine hissed and walked past the visitors out of the temple. The Sage sighed and shook his head slightly. Karukia bowed before the Sage, ready to escort the visitors back to the surface. The others followed his example.
“Be off now,” the Sage said.
“It was nice meeting you!” Mike said, bowing again. The Sage nodded and smiled.
“The honour is mine, seeing the team who will fight for the good of earth. I am Eden, the Leaf Sage. Now go, and fulfil your destinies!”
Chapter 14: The Pinta Bullies
Night had fallen, and the secret vine haven was miles behind. Their discovery of such a place, and their meeting with its founder felt like an incredible dream, and it still filled their minds. What Eden said about Trium’s might sent shivers up Lex’s spine every now and again. He worried whether he would even stand a chance against such a foe.
“Kyle, I really can’t go on!” Clover kvetched.
He hissed again, annoyed with his sister’s constant whining. “Fine. Let us at least find a decent spot to stop for rest,” Kyle gave in. They walked for a few minutes more until they found somewhere they agreed would be comfortable enough. They spread their blankets and rested their heads, releasing long sighs of tiredness and relief. They quickly fell asleep, still reflecting on the hidden city of vines.
Arise, Lex Leo… Time is upon us… Time is running out, a familiar, whispery voice spoke. Though low the voice was, it somehow woke the still-tired boy. He could see the first rays of morning sun rising from behind the mountains. He stood and looked around. His friends were all soundly sleeping. He quickly began shaking them, feeling a sense of urgency. Mike got up, rubbing his eyes. He stretched and yawned, wondering how Lex was up so early, wondering if he really saw a city of vines.
“Time is upon us,” Lex warned, sounding almost nervous, “help me wake them. We must get going.” Without question, Mike started slapping Kyle on the cheeks. The boy sprung up with irritation.
“What the hell’s the matter with you?!”
“Relax, man! It’s just me!” Mike defended, almost laughing, stepping back with his hands up. Kyle hissed and sighed. The commotion woke Clover.
“Pack up. We must get going,” Lex snapped, already walking off. The others looked at one another with the same expression of puzzle. Seeing he was quite serious, they rolled up their sleeping gear quickly and hurried toward him before he reached out of sight.
In just a few minutes, they managed to clear the woods. The sight before Kyle puzzled him. In front of them, in a small, gentle valley was a crammed cluster of around two dozen houses. With knitted brows, Kyle rolled out his map and looked at it again. As he had thought, the village was unaccounted for. “Where is this place?” Kyle asked Mike.
“Hmm... Haven’t the slightest clue, actually,” Mike said, looking more puzzled than Kyle. “Looks friendly enough, though! Let’s check it out!” With that, the little group slowly moved toward the settlement. As they neared, they noticed that everyone they saw there were children, as far as they could see at least.
“What the hell’s going on down there?” Kyle thought aloud. Their curiosity made them advance more quickly. As they went on, what was happening became clear. Some rough-looking boys were thrashing two much smaller boys with thin sticks.
“Stop them!” Clover shouted in immediate anger, and sympathy for the crying boys. She wondered why so many children were just standing around, watching, and she wondered where the grownups were.
As Lex, Kyle, Mike and Clover ran up to the group of children, all eyes turned on them. The beaters paused and looked to see what had gotten everyone else’s attention. The two bleeding boys didn’t hesitate to stand and flee the scene through the tens of spectators. They moved with energy that it seemed they really couldn’t have had after enduring such thorough lashing.
There was a short-lived silence.
“And who are you prowlers?” one of the boys spat, still holding his stick. As he spoke, six more boys, looking to be around his age, in their mid to late teens, pushed the onlookers out of the way and stood by him.
“What could possibly lead you to beat those boys like that?” Clover pressed, almost in tears.
“Got a problem, pretty girl?” the same boy asked, smiling deviously at Clover, taking a step toward her, seemingly ignoring the boys that stood about her. Lex stepped in front of Clover quickly, and stretched his right hand, pressing upon the boy’s chest, looking up at him.
“That’s far enough,” he said, trying not to sound as nervous as he was.
“Jester, you leave him alone!” Lex blasted, his heart nearly jumping through his mouth. The crowd gave way for Jester to see who dared interfere. The two-hundred-pounder tossed Seth aside, banging him on his locker. Seth fell on his face in exhaustion, his browned underwear nearly all the way over his head.
“Lex! What are you doing?!” Seth struggled to get up, pulling his underpants down, fearing for his best friend.
“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, you big
coward?!” the annoyed, disgusted Lex blasted, causing an uproar amongst the watchers. Jester rushed at Lex, his eyes reddened, his temper shorter even than his attention span in class. Like he had some kind of superpower, he stretched out his right palm. Jester’s chest felt like it was made of concrete. Lex was paralyzed by fear. In a flash, one of Jester’s blows brought him down. The principal and a few teachers finally arrived. None of them by themselves could handle Jester.
All that passed though Lex’s mind in a flash. He looked up at the ruffian, who strangely resembled Jester.
“Just who do you kids think you are?” another of the boys asked.
“Look! That one’s got a sword!” another called to his companions’ attention in alarm.
“And don’t think I’m afraid to use it,” Kyle threatened, reaching for it. The boy that Lex had stepped to took a backward step in consideration, feeling a slight chill he thought was just his mind going off slightly. The seven boys seemed to think deeply for a little while. In stature, each them was much bigger even than Mike, who was the toughest-looking of the intruders.
“No sword, no powers. We don’t want any bloodshed,” Clover whispered to the three boys. Kyle sighed in disappointment and reluctance, then slowly moved his hand from the handle of his blade.
“They’re planning! Attack!” one of the boys raved. With that, the brawl began.
Clover’s being a girl didn’t even faintly hinder one of the rough-looking men from throwing a blow at her delicate face. She quickly pulled down her head and grabbed the knees of the muscular attacker. The man grabbed Clover and pushed her off, tossing her aside easily. The crowd of spectators parted as she landed and rolled on the low carpet of grass.
The Seventh Spirit Page 23