by T. J. Hunter
Chapter 7
“Do you remember the words you used to conjure lightning from the sky and destroy the dark rider on Zeshtune?” Alura asked
“Yes, it was ‘aknor stellara’.”
“Very good. Try summoning lighting with just enough emotion to turn that bush over there into a fireball.“
I looked at the bush Alura was pointing to and raised my hand up toward it. My ring amulet glowed, and I then shouted, “Aknor stellara.” A slight rumble of thunder followed, but nothing happened.
Alura told me it does not matter how loud I say the words because, without the right emotion behind the words, it was just noise. She raised her ring amulet to the sky and said in a normal voice, “Aknor stellara,” which instantly created a bolt of lightening that bounced off her ring into the bush causing it to burst into flames.
“Show-off,” I said and frowned a little. “Remind me to never get you mad sister.”
Alura smiled. “Yea, that is a good thing to remember brother.”
“Hey, this magic sure beats playing bounce the fire from our fingers, don’t you think?”
Alura grinned. “I suppose it does. Okay, now you try. Remember to focus on your emotion in proportion to the size of your target. Focus on the bush over there.”
“Okay, here goes.”
I pointed my ring at the bush and said, “Aknor stellara,” in a more moderate tone. A bolt of lightning raced down from the sky, bounced off my ring to the bush, and instantly turned it into smoldering ashes.
“Not bad hotshot,” Alura said.
“Yea, it was pretty good,” I said, feeling strangely comfortable with using magic, certainly more so than what one might have expected.
“Indeed, an impressive beginning,” Kyiel said.
“Did Kyiel just give me a compliment? Kyiel, I do believe you expressed some emotion, albeit without a smile.”
Alura laughed and punched me in the shoulder. Kyiel just stared at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
“Come on, the light of day runs short on Keob and we have much more to do,” Alura said. “Follow my lead and do what I do.”
Alura pointed her ring at a small pool of water about 50 feet away and said, “Hydlama.” Water began to rise swirling up into a cone high in the air. She began making small circle motions with her fist closed and the cone of water circled above us. When she stopped moving her fist, the water stood still except for some small splashes casing a drizzle. Alura then took a step to one side and lowered her arm in my direction causing the water to pour down and completely soaked me.
I stood there with my mouth open in shock while Alura broke out in hysterical laughter, nearly falling on the ground from amusing herself. She pointed her finger at me, then bent over and continued laughing.
“Not very funny and a bit immature,” I said.
Alura straightened up and stopped laughing, for a moment. I could tell she was trying to hold her laughter back and her grin left no doubt she would fail. She burst into laughing again.
“Oh, you want a water fight do you?” Fine little sister. Game on.”
I pointed my ring at another pool of water and said, “Hydlama,” causing the water to rise to a cone shape, then moved my hand in Alura’s direction. The water hovered over her head about 20 feet high, but she didn’t seem concerned and arched her eyebrow in a way that told me, ‘go ahead buster, I dare you’. I raised my eyebrow back at her and grinned, then let my arm fall to my side. The water came rushing down, but before it could soak her, she raised her arm up creating a shield that deflected all the water back on top of me. Not a single drop of water touched her, but I got soaked again.
“Well brother, at least you won’t need to take a shower today,” she said, still laughing, but managed to regain her composure and explained. “Our amulets recognize danger when present and will protect us if necessary. This small amount of water can not harm us and our minds know it, thus so do our amulets. The exception is when a wizard suddenly moves or acts in a reflexive manner, which raises our defense shield. I guess I forgot to mention this,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“I guess you did. What else have you forgotten to tell me?” I asked, shaking water from my drenched clothes.
“A girl doesn’t share all her secrets, especially with the grand wizard of Zeshtune. What fun would that be?”
Over the next few days, my training included shooting lightening bolts from the sky, exploding rocks, moving water through the air, but nothing could prepare me for the monsters Alura and Kyiel described. Not just one type, but all the ones in every child’s worst nightmares: vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies, ghouls, and more. Alura told me that these monsters are agents of the dark and those who do battle with them are of the light.
Makes sense. Dark versus light is the foundation of most human belief systems.
At first I believed Alura were exaggerating, but she wasn’t. The library on Keob is filled with the history of monsters, including how they came to be and why they’re here. What was most frightening is that these creatures have been among us everyday of our lives. They work in offices as accountants, customer service reps, musicians, even at McDonalds.
Hmmm … I wonder if that freaky Paul guy who worked at the university library was a zombie. He never said a word, was pale skinned, and moved like a tortoise. I guess I’ll never look at people the same way from now on.
Alura explained how some dark use glamour to hide themselves from humans, which is an illusion in appearance only. While someone might see a perfectly healthy and attractive person, they could very well be a dark grotesque being that sucks the life out you during an office break. She also told me that wizards can detect their presence when in close proximity, and when really close, glamour spells won’t work. Amulets, as it turns out, are an extension of a wizard’s internal magic and warn of the dark by increasing apprehension, such as raising neck hairs or causing nausea.
Once the dark are revealed, their auras can be seen when a wizard narrows his eyes to focus. Auras come in different colors depending of what the creature is: vampires are red, werewolves are yellow, witches are dark grey, and so on. Creatures of the light, such as yours truly, have an aura of blue and white light. Cool detection system, but the kicker is that seeing auras works both ways. If you can see them, they can see you.
“Now comes the interesting part,” Alura said.
“Really? Monsters from every possible nightmare are not interesting enough, in a really bad and scary sort of way?”
Alura sat next to me on the couch and placed a large book on my lap. It was old, leather bound, and smelt like a musty antique. I opened it up at the first page and saw a drawing of a werewolf with fangs and long sharp nails extending from each finger. At the top of the page were the letters liciavat, which made no sense to me until they began to swirl in a pattern of smoke that translated the letters to English. The letters read ‘lycanthrope’, which essential means werewolf. I would soon learn that lycanthropes are the ancient and most deadly of kind of werewolves.
“How does this book work? I mean, those swirling letters.”
“It gets much better,” she said. “Wizards are able to see any word translated from any language, whether Earthly or from other known worlds. In your case, it translates to English, but there is a more efficient way for a wizard to learn. Reading the old fashion way, page by page, takes too long and is unnecessary.”
“What’s better than reading page by page?” I asked in a reminiscent tone, being a university professor who poured over journals and books all day long.
“It will be easier to show instead of explaining,” she said and placed my hand on the book cover. “Okay brother, close your eyes and say the word ‘recalisa’.”
“What’s going to happen?”
Alura grinned. “Don’t be a baby. It won’t hurt, I promise. Come on, close your eyes and say the word.”
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said, “Recali
sa.” Seconds later, I saw a small speck of light in my mind which exploded into a cyclone of yellow lights swirling in all directions. Images of lycanthropes flooded my mind revealing transformations, killings of people, hunting villagers from medieval times, and a host of incantations. The entire history and knowledge of lycanthropes was being downloaded into my brain. As fast as the images started, they ended, and then there was only darkness. I opened my eyes feeling dizzy and started to fall over to the side of the couch. Alura grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.
“What just happened?” I asked.
“You learned all there is to know about lycanthropes in less than five minutes, all 836 pages in fact. It’s a wizard’s speed reading method that only a professor like you can appreciate.”
I still felt dizzy. “Is my head going to explode?”
Alura gave me that don’t be a baby look again and said, “Relax, it gets a lot easier with practice.”
Alura told me my speed reading ability was more impressive when I was a seated member of the Council of Elders on Zeshtune. During that time, I was able to walk into a library and acquire all the knowledge from every book simultaneously without touching anything. Alura reminded me that human brains are more delicate and I would have to settle for one book at a time, and not too many at once. Finally, my dizziness wore off and I could see more clearly.
“So, what happens if I mind melt with too many books at once?”
“Mind melt … really Azul?”
“Hey, just asking. After all, we’re talking about my head here.”
Alura smirked. “At first, you’ll just get a massive headache, then a nose bleed, and perhaps you’d faint,” she said. “Don’t worry too much because fainting is how magic protects you from having your brain explode.”
I frowned. “Are you serious?”
“Let’s not find out, okay?”
Okay then one book at a time it is.
Alura got up off the couch and pointed to a wall, then said, “There is your personal library. Now, go and learn.”
I looked to where Alura was pointing and saw nothing. I walked over to the wall thinking it was an illusion and knocked on it – yup, it’s solid.
“Okay smarty pants, what’s the trick with this one?”
Alura grinned. “All you have to do is say the magic word to open the door.”
I waiting a few moments for her to tell me the magic word, but she only stared at me with a cleaver grin.
“Not this time brother. I used the word you need when we first entered the Elder’s of Zeshtune chambers. If you don’t remember, you’ll have to search your mind for the word. It is there, you only need to recall it from your sleeping memory. Concentrate.”
I looked back at the wall and placed my hand on its surface, then closed my eyes. Almost instantly I began hearing sounds, not enough to distinguish at first, but soon could hear and see hundreds of words zipping by like I was racing in a car. I heard Alura telling me to concentrate on entering the library, and as I did, a single word emerged from hundreds off words. I heard how the word should be pronounced.
I said, “Entrunezum,” and my hand moved forward through air. I opened my eyes and the wall was gone revealing a massive library. There were at least 20 floors with multiple sections of walls that ran down isles filled with books as far as I could see. At the center of the ground floor was a podium with a single book resting on it’s top. Finely crafted designs in gold adorned the book edges and spine. It was exquisitely crafted, measuring two feet square, and I would not venture a guess as to how many pages were inside. On the front cover was a drawing of a man with long white hair holding a staff up toward stormy clouds, clearly a wizard casting spells.
I opened up the book and the first page was blank. When I reached to turn the page, I saw words appear as though someone was writing them in front of me, but no one was there. Normally seeing words appear on blank pages of a book would freak me out, however, this was pale in comparison to everything else I’ve seen lately. As the words appeared, I heard a man’s voice speak each word as if in a theatrical performance.
“Azul, this book is to complete the first of your many recognition phases here at Keob. Remember, a complete recognition will take years, and when you finally achieve it, you will become the leader of your people in fighting against the Darkzon once again. Magic is not enough to win the day, and you will need more than the knowledge in this library or that Kyiel and Alura can provide. You will need courage, conviction, and purpose.”
The voice went silent. I turned to the next page and it was blank. I skimmed past a few more pages and they too were blank. I raised my eyebrows, disappointed that the writing had stopped.
That’s a lot of book for only a few words written on the first page. Maybe it’s broken.
“No, Azul, the book is not broken,” the voice said as those same words appeared on the first page.
“Neat trick,” I said.
“No, not a trick,” the voice said.
The voice responded to what I said or was thinking and were written inside the book. Must be some sort of interactive book.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am you Azul. I am your memories, knowledge, and history. We are one. What you hear is not physical in nature, but a single conscience mind made of three parts: this book, your amulet, and your thoughts.”
“Forgive me for saying, but all this kind of goes against what I was raised to believe. You know, God being the Creator, man suffering here on Earth pending judgment, heaven, hell, being born, and dying. There was nothing about other planets, universes, or dimensions.”
“The great Creator is He who created all things in the beginning,” the voice said. “We are merely servants who battle the dark to help preserve the light as best we can. Earth is where man is tested, protected, and prepared for the end of days, as are all living beings throughout the universe. All what you have come to know, even the role of Zeshtune and Darkzon, is not new to Earth history. The battle continues without pause, and intensifies every 25,000 years according to Earth time.”
“25,000 years keeps coming a lot up these days,” I said.
“Yes, the people you call Mayans were taught many things about time, science, architecture, and more. Their calendar is one of the measurements used to determine when the Darkzon return and depart from Earth. It was you who showed the Mayans how to construct their calendar at the beginning of the last eternal cycle. Now listen closely Azul. The Darkzon are coming once again and you must prepare yourself.”
The voice continued explaining how the Darkzon are pure evil in the darkest sense of the word. These dark creatures only know conquest and placing other beings in slavery and will stop at nothing short of jeopardizing their own survival. Driven by conquest, the Darkzon are relentless, show no mercy, and have many dark allies on Earth who anxiously wait for their return.
“These agents of the dark on Earth will try to destroy you Azul,” the voice said.
“Okay, you see … right there … the whole thing about my mortality. Kyiel said he has known me for eons and a great battle occurred on Zeshtune many millenniums ago. How is that possible? What am I, some sort of reincarnated thing bouncing around the universe?”
“Not reincarnated,” the voice replied. “All souls are forever whether in spirit or physical form. Wizards preserve their souls in amulets when outside their physical forms so the Darkzon will not find them. When they are awakened, wizards return to physical form to once again protect humans on Earth. Time is relative Azul, and when a wizard sleeps for many thousands of years, it is like man sleeping for one night on Earth. Your soul has existed from the beginning when souls were first created.”
“The old guy with long white hair and beard fighting a dragon on Zeshtune was really me … I mean us?
“Yes, the man you saw was your original physical form. At the time of your first sleep, you were already many eons old. You do age, but not in the way you currently understand time.
Zeshtunians live for many millenniums on their homeworld before entering sleep. On Earth, however, the aging process occurs much quicker. A wizard on Earth may live hundreds of years, but they will age and die as do all men. Your amulet keeps you safe while awake or sleeping, and during recognition.”
“And I signed up for all this voluntarily?” I asked.
“Protecting the Earth from the Darkzon is the purpose you chose to undertake – it was not forced upon you. This has always been as it will always be until the end of days.”
“What about Alura. Is she my real sister, and how old is she?
“Alura is indeed your sister, born of the same spiritual union and has always been with you. For these past 100 years, she has prepared for your return and will help you, as determined by the Council of Elders.”
“What about Kyiel?”
“Kyiel is your friend and has been with you long before his fall at the great battle on Zeshtune. You can help him Azul. You can help him become what he once was and restore his free will knowing light from dark. He is wise and possesses much knowledge about magic. Kyiel’s mind is also not restricted by the limited capacity of the human mind, as you are on the Earth plane.”
The voice and I continued in a series of questions and answers until my head started swimming again. I began thinking how nice it was to have been clueless like everyone else on Earth. It was much easier getting up each day, going to work, enjoying simple things, and sleeping without knowing monsters existed. That life is over for me now, and it looked like it could be over soon for everyone if things don’t go as the Zeshtune prophecies predicted.
“Azul, it is now time for you to leave Keob and engage in your first battle against the lycanthropes. You already posses the knowledge to defeat them and Alura will help you. When the task is done, return to this room and say the words ‘tranpla domas’ and your adventure will be recorded in this book. Fear not Azul. I am always here for you, and let’s not forget that you’re the most powerful wizard Zeshtune has ever known.”
The book closed and there was no further conversation. I left the library with many unanswered questions, but also had more answers than before. I knew what the voice told me was true – I mean what my older self said. It was a strange feeling to know Jonathan Willington was actually an alias for Azul. It’s even stranger being told I’m a hero wizard destined to save Earth. Like I said, life was much easier a few days ago.