Atticus And The Orb Of Time

by M K Drake

  Elric runs to Myrddin, “We must hurry, Myrddin. How much time do you need?”

  “At least five more minutes; do you think you can hold him?” replies Myrddin.

  “We will try,” says Elric as he turns to the other Majjai Six members and shouts, “Form a line, ahead of the portal! Hurry!”

  The demons all break off their attack, waiting for their leader to step through. They gather around the portal, numbering in their thousands; almost four times the number of soldiers and Majjai opposing them.

  Draconus hovers above the portal, his massive wings blowing the sand into the air. The demons stomp their feet, Screamers roar into the air, Graigons punch their massive fists into the ground forcing the earth to shake beneath the Majjai and human army. The portal changes colour again, this time to a bright, blinding green.

  A giant foot steps out, followed by the rest of the body of Razakel. Atticus knows it is him from his dreams, but this version of Razakel is even larger than the one he saw.

  The student crowd gasps − for most, this is the first time they have seen the demon king. He stands, observing the Majjai and human army with an obvious degree of nonchalance.

  “Majjai, I declare this realm as mine. Stand down, or die!” says Razakel. His voice rings deep, rumbling through the air.

  Elric steps forward, “You have no rights here, return to your hell and leave us be!”

  Razakel looks at Elric, his stare thrusting forward, sharp and foreboding, “You dare address me! Foolish Majjai!”

  Elric feels a force push him into the ground, his stomach burns as he screams in pain. As Razakel attacks Elric, Barmak runs forward. He jumps high and flies towards the demon, his two feet aimed directly towards Razakel’s chest. Barmak’s entire body begins to glow blue, screaming as he nears Razakel. The impact is huge. Razakel’s focus is on Elric and he is not prepared for the power of Barmak’s blow, which pushes the Demon King back, almost right through the portal. Barmak lands on the ground in front of him. Razakel swings a fist towards him, which Barmak dodges, then throws beams of energy back towards Razakel as he grabs Elric, retreating back to the line of control held by the Majjai army.

  “Is that all you have, Majjai?” asks Razakel, “You have no hope in winning this war,” he moves his arms together quickly, slapping the palms of his hands with such force that a massive pressure wave fires forward towards the Majjai army. Their attempts at shielding themselves are futile, as the wave of energy throws the entire army into the ground or flying into the air.

  The Majjai Six regroup quickly and fire energy beams, fireballs, anything they can towards Razakel. Their impact has no effect; the attacks just bounce off his massive body. Arshan storms forward and punches the ground with massive force, causing the very ground to shake and sending another large wave of energy through the sand towards Razakel. The impact destabilises him slightly, allowing Barmak to launch another attack.

  The rest of the demons rejoin the battle as the Majjai army who survived Razakel’s assault charge forward.

  Finally Myrddin stands and walks towards the giant portal, beckoning Elric to follow him.

  Elric sends a signal to Arshan, indicating that he is joining Myrddin, before he too makes his way.

  “Have you finished the key?” he asks Myrddin.

  Myrddin nods, “Yes, but first we need to destroy his ability to create any more portals into this realm!”

  “Agreed,” Elric says as he puts his hand on Myrddin’s shoulder.

  “Are you with me Elric? Do we dance into hell for our last stand?” asks Myrddin.

  “Always, my friend!” replies Elric.

  Razakel spots them and commands Draconus and Herensugue to stop them. Myrddin and Elric jump into the portal, quickly followed by the dragon and the serpent. As Myrddin and Elric land on the other side, they drop white glowing crystals onto the floor and wait for their pursuers to venture through.

  Herensugue and Draconus land on the barren landscape, spot Myrddin running towards Razakel’s castle, and give chase. Elric steps out of hiding and plants several more crystals just behind them, which create a giant cage, holding the two demons. He smiles at his captives before following Myrddin towards the castle.

  They reach the castle in a matter of moments. Myrddin pulls out a compass directing him towards a large room. They carefully navigate the corridors, trying to avoid contact with any possible demons still lurking within it.

  Elric follows Myrddin for some way, until he senses something strange behind one of the doors, “Myrddin, over here, quickly,” he whispers, “Do you sense it?”

  “Yes,” replies Myrddin, “this presence is strong. Do you think…?”

  “It’s Majjai, that is for certain; but I have never felt one as strong as this,” Elric replies as he approaches the door.

  “It could be a trap,” says Myrddin.

  “Perhaps, but there is only one way to find out,” Elric replies as he flings open the door.

  Two Screamers are guarding what appear to be six globular objects. Atticus has seen the largest one before − the Gooyeh Partaab in Professor Sprocking’s chamber. Myrddin and Elric dispose of the Screamers quickly, and approach the row of Gooyeh Partaabs.

  “I never knew these actually existed,” says Elric.

  “I knew of them, but did not think they would be here, in this realm,” replies Myrddin as he approaches the smaller Partaabs, “These are empty.”

  “This one is not,” says Elric as he nears the largest one and peers into it, “A baby? Why trap a baby’s powers?”

  “Look at his arm, Elric, he has the mark,” says Myrddin, as they both peer down and see the mark of the Majjai, “It is the mark of the chosen one. There is a traitor; the only way this child could have been placed here is through betrayal.”

  “But who? The chosen one is unknown to us. But… can we use this to find him?” says Elric.

  “Yes, but we don’t have much time right now. Those crystals won’t hold Draconus and Herensugue for long. Quickly, let’s gather these and find the source of the demon’s portal.”

  Elric stretches out one arm and transforms it into a large sack, which drops off his body, being replaced by another arm as it does so. They quickly put the Partaabs into the sack.

  “I must say, I do admire your powers of transformation, Elric. Very useful at times like this,” Myrddin says to Elric.

  “Indeed,” replies Elric as he quickly creates a portal back to his home and gently passes the heavy sack through it, “I will have to rejoin with myself later; I already feel like I’m falling to pieces,” he jokes as the portal closes.

  Myrddin winces before looking blankly towards his friend, “Although I’m glad I do not have your sense of humour.”

  They continue to follow the compass towards the source of the demon’s ability to create portals into the Earth realm. It doesn’t take long to reach their destination and they quickly dispose of the demon guards in and around the chamber. They walk to an altar near the centre of the room; the dome-like ceiling reaches high into the air, and the flesh and stone walls are just how Atticus remembers.

  “We cannot destroy it straight away,” says Myrddin as he reaches into his robes and pulls out a large pouch, “Something I borrowed from the future. Fabulous invention − the mortals call it gunpowder.”

  “Are you sure they cannot just rebuild this Altar?” asks Elric.

  “No, the Magic used to create this is dead; once destroyed, there is no way back into our realm for these demons. This portal pillar will just become a black hole for any life force that tries to repair it,” replies Myrddin, “We need to time the explosion properly or we will also be trapped. Quick, light these candles.”

  Elric shoots a small fireball to ignite the wicks, and watches as Myrddin ties some string to a stick, which in turn is tied to one of the other candles.

  “When the string burns, the other candle should drop and ignite the gunpowder.”

  “How much time do we hav
e?” asks Elric.

  “About ten minutes. Should give us enough time to return to the battle and put part two of our plan into action,” Myrddin turns to Elric and puts his hand on his shoulder, “We will win this, I have faith.”

  “I know, but the Gooyeh Partaab, it… it changes things; well, what we saw within it changes things,” says Elric.

  “Yes, but we can discuss that after we deal with Razakel. Otherwise there will be nothing left to discuss.”

  Myrddin and Elric run back to the large portal. Draconus and Herensugue are still trapped within the white cage of light created by the crystals. They roar and scream at the two Majjai, but are unable to break through their makeshift prison.

  As the two Majjai step through the portal a giant fireball heads in their direction. Quickly diving out of the way, the two head towards the centre of the battlefield, destroying as many demons as possible on their way. Razakel can be seen causing havoc with Alvarez right behind him. The Majjai standing up to Razakel do not stand a chance, without remorse he destroys each and every opposing soldier who stands in his way.

  Barmak and the other Majjai Six members are trying to get to Razakel but he moves too quickly. Myrddin calls out to them.

  “We must tempt him towards us!” he shouts, “quickly, flank him, we must get him back through speedily, we only have a few minutes left!”

  “But how do we tempt him?” asks Zarileh, glancing towards Elric with concern, as if to make sure he is ok.

  “With this,” replies Myrddin, as he retrieves the Quantorbium from within his robes.

  “The Orb, you brought it with you?” questions Arshan.

  “Of course,” says Myrddin, “I cannot stay in this time. There is a certain future King who needs my services. I came here to help with this battle and prepare you for the next, nothing more. Now quickly − Asad, Barmak, take him by the flanks and become a distraction while I weaken him.”

  “And how exactly are you going to do that?” asks Zarileh.

  Elric answers before Myrddin can, “The Void. You are going to use the Void, aren’t you? That’s what you were working on, that is what the keystone is for isn’t it?”

  “It is too risky!” says Asad.

  “Do not worry, my calculations are precise, now go, trust me!” replies Myrddin.

  Asad and Barmak run to flank Razakel as Myrddin holds the Quantorbium high in the air.

  “Razakel!” screams Myrddin, forcing the battlefield into silence.

  Razakel turns to see the Quantorbium. He growls as his red skin glistens in the desert heat. He begins to charge towards Myrddin and the others. Elric and Zarileh attack first, but they barely hinder Razakel. Arshan uses his Axe to send a giant arc of energy at Razakel; again, it doesn’t even faze him.

  Asad and Barmak attack from the sides and coax him closer to his own portal. Myrddin stands his ground, and waits. The other Majjai Six members regroup in front of him. Together they launch a simultaneous attack, five massive bolts of energy fire into Razakel, and finally, they slow his pace. Another attack is launched, and Razakel stumbles.

  “Now Myrddin! You have to do it now!” shouts Elric.

  Myrddin teleports behind Razakel and activates a black, charred keystone. It begins to create a large dark spiral, swirling inwards. Razakel turns, tries to step away from the spiralling whirlpool-like entity but it is too late, and his body is slowly dragged into The Void.

  He drags himself forward, straining with every ounce of energy to pull himself away from the black entity, but it’s no good; every step Razakel takes forward, he is pulled back by another two. Red light begins to swirl around his entire body creating a mist that is sucked straight into the abyss. It’s as if his very essence, his very life-force, is being sucked out of his body and into this swirling whirlpool of nothingness shrinking both his size and power.

  “You dare defy me?” screams Razakel, “I am your master! Satan himself… fears…meeeeeeee!”

  Elric steps forward and shouts back at Razakel, “Make sure you say hi to him for us.”

  With those words Myrddin, collapses the keystone’s whirlpool. The Majjai Six know Razakel is weakened enough now and launch one last massive attack, blasting Razakel back through his own portal. They all line up and fire as many fireballs and energy beams towards the Demon King as they can. Razakel cannot hold on, and eventually he is beaten back.

  “No!” Razakel screams as he is blasted back through his own portal, which collapses in time with a large explosion from his castle.

  Myrddin grins towards Elric, “Gunpowder.”

  “We won?” says Asad

  “Not quite, there is a small matter of those guys,” says Barmak, pointing to the remaining demon army.

  It doesn’t take long for the Majjai forces to destroy the remnants of their enemy that do not run away; all but a few are vanquished.

  “Alvarez has disappeared, no-one has seen him since Razakel was weakened and sent back through the portal,” reports one of the Majjai soldiers.

  “His time will come.” says Myrddin as the Majjai army celebrate their great victory. He turns to the other Majjai Six members, “We have more important things to discuss right now. Elric and I found something interesting while destroying the portal.”

  “What did you find?” asks Arshan.

  “It could be the chosen one. Well, his essence more than anything else,” replies Elric.

  “The legend is true then?” asks Zarileh, “There will be another Majjai Six?”

  “Perhaps,” says Elric, “What makes things more interesting is the way we discovered his presence. The Gooyeh Partaabs were in Razakel’s possession, and the essence of the chosen one was trapped inside one of them.”

  “The Partaabs exist? This truly is a day of discovery. But, how?” asks Barmak.

  “This we do not yet know. And to what degree the essence of the chosen one is trapped within the Gooyeh Partaab is also something we need to ascertain. I fear this war is far from over; the real battle to end it is yet to come,” replies Myrddin.

  The Majjai Six give their final orders to the soldiers who remain behind, then Elric opens a portal to his chambers and the Majjai Six follow him through. Upon their arrival, he reveals the Partaabs’ to the others.

  The image in front of the Majjai students then zooms into the largest Partaab, holding the essence of the chosen one. The projection then fades and disappears, along with all of the massive horns.

  “Damn,” says Ju Long, “I was going to ask Elric if I could borrow those babies!”

  Atticus does not respond. He looks towards the other Majjai students and all they can do is stare back at him. He can feel the questions flowing through their minds, together with the thirst for more answers that he himself requires.

  “I know there will be questions,” says Elric, pulling the focus away from Atticus and back to himself, “There will be a special assembly tomorrow; please, formulate what you wish to ask, and all will be revealed. For now, please, enjoy free periods for the rest of the day.”

  The Majjai students cheer and leave the field quickly before any of the professors can persuade Elric to change his mind.

  Atticus and the other Majjai Six remain, along with Professor Sprocking and Mage Callan.

  Elric walks towards Atticus, “It’s time you knew the whole truth, Atticus,” he turns to the others, “All of you, there are great challenges ahead. The war is nearing its end, and I have one more crystal to show you. What happened after the great battle.”

  A Majjai History, Vol 1 Chapter 17: Where do bad Majjai go?

  All beings need a disciplinary model of sorts. The Majjai have many laws that govern their existence, but only a handful deal out the harshest punishment, one open to both Demon and Majjai. This prison is known simply as ‘The Void.’ No one has ever returned from The Void to explain what is inside, but it is thought to be pure emptiness, nothingness, not even darkness exists there, just nothing.

  The Majjai Six are rumoured
to have utilised the Void in the Battle of Aria, helping them overcome the force of Razakel and the demonic realm. Razakel survived his attempted imprisonment, but it weakened him immensely. Leaving the mortal world in relative peace, at least until Razakel recovered his strength. The time window available to access the Void was exhausted. Razakel was simply too powerful to completely absorbed.

  To the best of our knowledge, The Void has not been used since the Battle of Aria. Some Majjai, desperate to discover the fate of Kazmagus, have been said to attempt access to the prison, but no one has succeeded in breaking through.

  No one knows if this prison was created or if it is simply a natural phenomenon that appears between planes of existence. Some scholars have found evidence of ancient scriptures hinting at The Void being a form of living entity, a sentient being that exists simply to punish. The original scriptures have never been verified, however, and were rumoured to have disappeared around the same time as Kazmagus.

  Only senior Majjai have the knowledge to summon The Void. The only Majjai of modern times that are known to have this ability are Elric Griffin and Myrddin. It is rumoured that one other will also have this ability, the fabled Chosen One, whose identity is still unknown at the time of this writing.

  Chapter 18

  Truth

  Elric waits for the playing fields to clear before continuing, “There is much more to this tale than what the first crystal showed,” he beckons everyone to follow him.

  “Isn’t Professor Sprocking coming?” asks Safaya.

  Mage Callan answers, “Elric has given him an important task; he will be joining us later, with guests… hopefully.”

  The professors, Mage Callan, Atticus, and the other Majjai Six members follow Elric towards his chamber. Atticus hasn’t said a word since the end of the earlier presentation and just feels like he is in the midst of a cloud of information overload.

  “I know, Atticus,” says Elric, “There has been so much for you to take in over the last few weeks. I wish we could take things slower; but unfortunately, Razakel is a rather impatient fellow,” Elric sits and pulls a small, lilac velvet pouch from his drawer, “You need to open this, Atticus. Myrddin has locked it so that only you are able to activate it.”