Spirit of Mages (Rift of Chaos Book 2)

by A. J. Martinez

  "This was written a year ago. So then this would be the year of the tri-eclipse," Rey concluded.

  "Now we just need to know how they intend to use the cosmo jewels," Akielas said then looked at Audrey. "Any information on the four jewels?"

  "We have a couple scrolls about the four jewels, however," Audrey answered and cleaned his monocle with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. "Because the four sacred jewels have never been gathered into one place, I cannot guarantee any definitive answers. This has historically never been done."

  "How do you know?" Akielas asked.

  "Well, umm, uh. By the stars, we don't have all the answers," Audrey snapped.

  "Akielas, don't you think it's better if we find out how they control the jewels with those dark staffs," Rey implied.

  "Those kaminyte staffs?" Akielas repeated. "What of them?"

  "Think about it. They are using those staffs to control the jewels," Rey explained. "I think those staffs are made of something more than kaminyte. I have mined enough kaminyte to know what it looks like. Their staffs were a strange grey color. Whatever they are made of, it is able to contain the jewel's maju enough for a mage to use its power at will. I think it is better if we look into that. We know enough about the jewels already and have seen what they can do."

  "Well, you do know more about metals," Akielas said. "Along with kaminyte we need to find out more about zeustoss and mythium."

  "Zeustoss?" Rey did not recognize the word.

  "They are metals that the Specters have been collecting along with the kaminyte," Akielas explained.

  "My father once showed me what mythium looks like, but I don't recall zeustoss," Rey replied.

  "It's considered a holy metal. It is white and it is believed to have divine maju," Akielas said.

  "If you have decided what you need, then I know where to find it," Audrey added.

  "Take us to it," Rey said.

  The three men strode down the hall of the second floor, scampered down the coiling stairs and turned right to the shelves directly below where they had been. In this section Rey saw paintings of landscapes and gemstones that he had never seen before. Hardcover books had jewels embedded in them. There was a table between two shelves with a cluster of amethyst crystals. Between the books there were muzquiz fluorite clusters and apophyllite stones. There was a row of shelves containing only scrolls and, at the end of this row, a quartz pyramid rose from the ground to five feet in height. They turned left and it seemed to Rey as though Audrey forgot where the information was. Finally they came to a stop when they saw a bonsai tree rising through the roof and to the second floor. There were kaminyte, mythium and a glossy white stone that created a border for the tree's soil. Rey guessed that the white stone was the "zeustoss" that Akielas mentioned, but what was most intriguing to him were the orange bulbs in the trees like eyes or lanterns. They looked like lizard eyes without the sharp pupils. It was hypnotic looking at them. Rey reached out to touch them...

  "No! Don't touch it!" Audrey shrieked.

  "Sorry, it was just so...alluring," Rey said. "Anyway, where is the scroll or book we are looking for?"

  "Right over here." Audrey walked around the tree and over to a shelf of scrolls. He climbed a ladder, reached to the very top, pulled out a scroll with a red dowel and tossed it down to Akielas.

  Akielas opened the scroll and it showed the illustrations of kaminyte, mythium and zeustoss, all drawn in their colors. Rey Ling listened as Akielas read from the scroll.

  Year 1975 (A.P.K.) Second Month of Spring

  Kaminyte- The steel of darkness- The steel of the dark dragon god, Odiamus.

  Melts at a higher temperature than any other steel we have ever used. It takes the pyromancy of five or more mages to be able to forge this type of metal and, once it is forged, there is absolutely nothing that can oppose it except itself or zeustoss.

  It contains dark maju and, after being tested by dark mages, we have found that it is linked to the underworld, Necrovania. We decided to call it the steel of darkness for this very reason. We forged a sword from this type of steel. It enhances dark magic and prevents paranormal creatures from attacking you.

  Some mages wore it in their sleep and were said to have dreamt of the underworld. A dream so real that it felt as if the dreamer was part of that realm. Although it's not so hard to find, it is extremely difficult to melt and only with dark magic can a mage tap into its maju.

  Mythium- The steel of nature

  Next to zeustoss and kaminyte, this one is not as powerful. However, it is rare and, throughout history, many warriors and mages in the east have used it not only to make swords but for armor as well. It contains incredible amounts of maju that it absorbs from nature and has the ability to enhance magic and spells. It is much stronger than titanium and it will never rust. Swords have been found in Verday that are more than a hundred years old with a blade so sharp it could still cut through any metal.

  Zeustoss- The divine steel- The steel of the divine dragon god, Lovamus.

  It is as holy as it looks. So white and pure it could cleanse you of your sins. Divine maju has been found inside this metal. It can be easily confused with a regular gemstone but when forged into a sword it can cut through anything and even break kaminyte.

  It is said that those who wield a sword made of zeustoss can hear the whispers of angelic entities. Some of our mages here in Ironside have had such experiences. This steel enhances illumancy and has healing abilities. But its healing abilities are more spiritual than physical. Some of our mages have experienced a higher level of bliss while either wearing or wielding this steel as a weapon. It melts at the same temperature as kaminyte.

  Omnithium- The omni steel- The ultimate metal

  After testing kaminyte, zeustoss and mythium, we decided to melt all three metals together and the results were unexpected. At first we thought that we would have the ultimate and most unbreakable steel, but its abilities exceeded our expectations. We call it omnithium because of its ability to absorb all types of maju.

  We had our mages test it with elemental magic as well as dark and light. Our dark mage managed to trap a soul inside the metal. It was so frightening that we almost decided to abandon the research and prohibit the use of all three metals. However, we decided the smart thing to do would be to continue to test it and use its powers for the benefit of Ironside and its people. This will surely make a fine weapon if we are ever at war.

  We discovered that omnithium has no limit to how much maju it can store.

  The souls that we trapped inside the metals were set free by the effort of ten of our best dark and white mages. Hettakus Kollos used this exact steel to forge all the Valiarmos scattered around the world, including the Golden Sun in Zolan.

  We thought that trapping a soul was frightening enough but one day, one of our mages struck one of our fellow men and in an instant all their magical powers were stripped away. It became more of a dangerous tool that even the non magic users were too afraid to even touch omnithium. It was terrifying. The sad part was that those who lost their magic to this metal never got their magic back. I felt terrible for getting people involved in this project and decided to bury all the omnithium we had in an uncharted location.

  If a mage manages to combine his or her maju with solar power using this material, the mage has the power to remove the magical abilities from countless living creatures. We thought it would end there but this can also be used during the light of the moon, or worse, during a solar eclipse. It has never been done in written history, but this is what our research has led us to believe, according to tests we have conducted using this metal. Someone with malicious intentions can use this metal to strip thousands, if not millions, of people from their magical abilities. This is only a theory but we hope no fool or evil being walks Odealeous with this information.

  Omnithium is truly the steel of the gods.

  Thankfully, this metal can only be created by melting kaminyte, zeustoss and mythium togethe
r. It is difficult to find enough of all three.

  "Omnithium," Rey whispered and the word echoed in his mind. It haunted him. The word sounded so familiar, he was sure that he had heard it before. "I remember," he whispered.

  "You have heard of it or have you seen it?" Akielas asked.

  "I remember now. When I was a little boy, my grandfather had once forged this metal," Rey said and there was a long silence before he realized what the Specters would do next.

  Eckxio

  "Is that all you have, you coward!" his dark side yelled.

  Flames surrounded them. Nowhere to escape with Evee Iris in flames. Eckxio was reliving a nightmare. Sweat drenched his brown and his breath was heavy. The scars and burns on his face irritated him. His left arm ached and he wanted to run away more than ever. He had never run from a fight before, but was tempted while standing inside the ring of fire with his dark self. He looked at his shadow self and saw those glowing red eyes. While he wielded his old sword and shield, his dark side sported his Tharos sword tainted black with kaminyte instead of zeustoss.

  The dark Eckxio lunged and he parried. Sparks flew, he staggered back and parried again. He swung but missed and his dark side aimed for his neck, but he managed to block in time with his bronze shield. He stepped back then they glared at each other fiercely and walked in a circle while staying away from the flames.

  "You are soft and weak," the dark Eckxio said. "I am going to kill you and become whole. You can't suppress your hatred anymore."

  "I don't know what you are talking about," he snarled. "If I truly hated myself then I would have ended my own life long ago."

  "You are too much of a coward to take your own life," dark Eckxio replied and laughed. He used extromancy and absorbed some of the flames around them then bathed his blade with fire and lunged.

  Eckxio blocked multiple blows and was pushed back near the perimeter of the fire. He rolled on the ground away from his opponent and kept his distance. His dark side hurled the black sword, Eckxio crouched and felt the sword slicing the air. He ran towards his foe but quickly felt the sword flying back to its master. Eckxio jumped and somersaulted backwards.

  "A little trick I made up," his dark side said.

  "So you are real," he whispered as he stood up.

  "Of course I am. The longer you deny me, the longer I will haunt you," his dark side replied and licked his lips. "Why do you think you have that illness. Coughing your lungs out. It's not just a side effect of extromancy."

  "Then what is it?" Eckxio asked, panting.

  "It is your hidden hatred towards me," dark Eckxio answered. "Your body is slowly killing itself because you hate how weak you are. You don't truly believe in your own strength. You hid behind your Tharos sword and shield for the longest time and now your own self hatred is leaking out of your body trying to kill you and you know this to be true."

  Eckxio remained silent scowling at his dark side. Of course no one else could see how he truly felt since the day he was exiled by his entire village. Even now that he had been accepted and marked as a hero, he still hated himself. Even with Willow in his bed, there was just something about himself that he detested and a part of him wanted to die. "I guess I could not hide forever," he whispered. "This is what the fairy king was talking about years ago when I first visited him in the Quariras Mountains. This is what Siddhartha wanted to show me."

  "Ah, yes, so you are finally admitting it," said the dark Eckxio and grinned. "The coward finally decides to stop hiding."

  "Call me whatever you want," Eckxio responded wearily. He stared at the ground and tears left his eyes.

  "Yes, that's it, shed your last tears before I kill you and claim my place as the real Eckxio," his dark side said and dashed forward.

  Swords collided and pushed against each other. They pulled back and struck again, this time his dark side kicked him in his midsection. Eckxio lost his breath and, when he blocked with his shield, he lost his balance and his tunic caught fire. He quickly removed his broken chest plate and shirt. His chest and abdomen were clear of scars but his arms and face told a different story.

  "When Willow looked into my eyes she could also tell that there was a void in me," Eckxio confessed. "I loved her so much but I didn't think that I deserved her. I didn't even deserve all the praise that the village gave me. A part of me still felt useless. Like I cheated and lied to myself too much. Even after meeting the fairy king, I still could not cast magic like the rest of the Elves. I was always ungifted and made up for it with swordplay and my limited ability of extromancy."

  "Willow was a lonely girl who found a desperate man," his dark side said. "Two empty souls trying to complete each other. A forest girl who never lived with humans. The only one of her kind in the wild. An exiled Elf, the only one in his race that could not cast magic. Sounds like the perfect couple to me. You are both pitiful and weak, that is why you both lost your homes. It is no coincidence."

  They lunged towards each other again. Blades collided and metallic sounds echoed. The dark Eckxio spilled the first drop of blood with a cut on the forearm. Eckxio blocked, unable to land any blows. His dark side landed a blow so hard that it sent his sword flying and fell in the circle of fire. He then swung to end Eckxio's life, but Eckxio used extromancy and called the fire to strike his opponent. He rolled away then scanned the flames looking for his sword.

  "You are pathetic," his foe said and laughed menacingly. "You are going to die. No matter how much you confess, I am going to slay you with your own Tharos sword."

  His dark side walked towards him slowly, confident in his victory, with a smirk on his face. Eckxio stood up and began to breathe in the maju of the flames. "I can fight without my sword," Eckxio said.

  "Can you?" His enemy said and lunged.

  Eckxio unleashed a wave of maju with a roar. His dark side dodged it but Eckxio launched a second wave and struck him. The dark Eckxio was pushed into the flames but quickly jumped out.

  "That's it, come at me," his dark side said.

  "I won't give up. For so long I have been my own worst enemy," Eckxio admitted. "I am done feeling sorry for myself. I hated myself for not being able to cast magic like the rest of the Elves in the village. I didn't like myself for relying on the Tharos sword and shield. Many times I felt useless without it, powerless without it. As much as I loved the Tharos sword, I still felt a void when using it. The fairy king told me that I had the unique ability of extromancy and that I should use it to my advantage, that it was a divine gift. But I hated it, I resented it and I think the fairy king knew that. Of course he did. I am ungrateful and selfish. I have been taking everything that has been given to me for granted. After years of hiding now it is really taking effect." Eckxio dry coughed and fell to his knees. He coughed so hard he almost could not breathe until finally he saw blood on his hands.

  "You have made me suffer for far too long," his dark side said. "I cannot bear this illness anymore. I cannot hide anymore. Once I kill you, I will be set free. I will take over this body and claim it as my own. I will be the real Eckxio of Evee Iris."

  "I am sorry," Eckxio said and stood up.

  "Saying sorry won't be enough," his dark side replied.

  "I made myself suffer," Eckxio continued to confess. "You are the reflection of my suffering. You are the reflection of my hate. I could have gone back to Evee Iris years before I met Willow. I knew that my little brother had framed me. I had the evidence but I didn't want to go back. I chose to be alone because I could not be like the other Elves. And when I traveled to other lands populated by humans, I felt even more isolated and alone. I resented being born an Elf and wished I could be human. I felt like I was born in the wrong body and every time I fought with the Tharos sword and shield, I never truly counted those victories as my own. The Tharos spirit assisted me in every fight, but it knew how I felt. To this day I still wonder why it chose me. Willow had tried to help me with my inner pain but I pushed her away, yet she pursued me and loved me regardless
of how cold I was at times." Tears trickled down his cheeks and he felt a soothing relief in his soul. "I am done hating myself. I will embrace my extromancy, my real gift. I am done hiding and I am tired of being weak. I will find my true strength whether I obtain the Valiarmos or not. I don't care about the Angel Valiarmos anymore."

  "Enough talk!" his dark side rasped and lunged with steel and fire.

  Eckxio absorbed the maju of the flames much faster than before. What was once a wall of fire shrunk to the size of grass, mere embers. Eckxio rushed forward and smashed his fist into his opponent's chest. His dark side was paralyzed and its red eyes ceased to glow. Finally he began to tug at the darkness.

  "No, what are you doing?" His dark side yelled, unable to move.

  "I am using extromancy to extract the dark maju within you, within me," he answered. "I am going to free us both and then we will become one and be whole again. For so long I wanted to die thinking that I was useless to this world, hiding my melancholy until it made me ill. This time I will do things right. I don't need to continue looking outside myself. I will find the power within."

  "No! Stop it! Only one of us can claim this body. We cannot become whole," his dark side said.

  "Thank you. You have helped me see my own shadows. Thank you for setting me free." With those last words Eckxio pulled at the darkness and it formed into a ball of shadows. He looked at his other self and saw himself exactly as he was. He was now at peace. The flames vanished and Evee Iris returned to normal. His other self smiled and whispered, Thank you.

  "Let's reunite," he said to his other half. "We don't need to fight each other anymore. We can live together in this body and be healthy."

  "What will you do with our darkness?" His other self asked solemnly.

  "This sphere of darkness, I will keep it as a memory. It has taught me so much," Eckxio answered. The ball of darkness became solid and he now held a black pearl. He joined hands with his other self and a force brought them together.