“This should be fun.” Again, William’s voice wasn’t his own. He turned to Alex and brought his hands up, the crackling of his energy filled the room with a roar. Owen closed his eyes and lowered his head.
“Alright, have it your way.” The wave of statues he held back poured at William. Small energy blasts erupted from their mouths of the more minor figures, the more significant golems wielded massive weapons, and their chests opened to create more powerful explosions. They pushed William back from the injured Alex. William didn’t turn around. Instead, energy erupted from his shadow that destroyed encircling statues with black, purple, and sparkling green energies. The golems that were hit were shattered or cut in half. Owen blocked the ones he could. Fountains and waves of earth rolled and absorbed the attack that poured from William’s shadow. William refocused his gaze back to Alex as his shadow held off the statues.
He released a massive arc of energy at Alex. Alex was barely able to move, he closed his eyes and prepared to see his grandfather again. The power singed and tore the air as it barreled towards its mark. A rift opened in that instant and Michael leaped in front of the energy blocking Alex. The crackling power slammed into Michael’s flank. Michael howled in pain as the force of the blast spun him around, taking Alex with him as he slid into the wall.
“Michael! Are you ok?” Owen yelled as he sent a shockwave of rolling earth at William breaking the boy’s line of site on his targets.
“Yeah, I’m fine. He hit me with rift energy. Just shaken not stirred.” Michael growled. William brushed the wave of earth to the side with a thought and hurled a much larger ball of energy at Michael and Alex. Michael kicked Alex away and managed to get up and leap out of the way himself. Michael prepared for a concussion from the blast to rain debris upon him, but the energy ball stopped. The bright white sphere of beautifully wispy, electricity hung still in the air. Its momentum had halted. Between the energy ball and Michael; sat Dyaina astride David. The orb would have to go through them first, and this sacrifice was beginning to clear the haze in Williams mind. William’s outstretched hand shook with tension. Tears were now in his glazed eyes. The orb moved backward and then launched forward again with renewed purpose. Once more it stopped just feet from David’s broad head. Every strand of his fur stood on end; drawn to the electricity of the dangerous ball. The energy that coursed through the orb was agitated as if struggling for its real purpose.
“William, listen to me!” Dyaina yelled over the crackling energy. Another wave of statues hurled themselves at William, and once again their attack was repelled by powerful counterattacks born from William’s shadow. Tears fell down William’s cheek. A malevolent grin was spread across his face.
“I know this isn’t you. I know you wouldn’t hurt your father or me, but if you don’t do something you will kill us all!” Dyaina’s voice cracked at the possibility of not breaking through to her boy. She grabbed David’s fur tighter.
“I lost my sister today, and I’m not going to lose my son too! Do something William!” The orb hovered. The hopes of an age were dimmed and rekindled as a battle of a different variety was being waged in William’s mind.
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William was overcome with anger. The type of anger he had no idea he possessed. He wanted to kill Alex after Alex’s blast had hit him. He felt, no he knew Alex wanted his mother dead. He even saw images of Alex on the verge of killing his mother, flash through his mind. It took every ounce of restraint he could muster to release that rage. It was the type of insidious anger that claws at your guts looking for a way out. His hands shook as he allowed the furious energy to melt away. It wasn’t like him to be so consumed; something was wrong. Rather than releasing his anger his body grasped it stubbornly, holding it close. His energy wasn’t settling into his natural calm state, in fact, he felt his strength grow, his consciousness felt oddly disconnected. He saw through his own eyes, but his body was not his own. It moved of its own accord. What he saw afterward was like a bad movie with a broken stop button. His body was causing tremendous amounts of damage, carving swathes out of the earth without thought. He felt the earth beneath his feet shudder and groan. His mind raced, begging whatever powers that be, for control of his body. He felt his power focus on Alex, wanted to scream in warning to him, Owen, anyone who would listen. His body was on marionette strings for a cruel puppeteer.
A maniacal cackle of glee resounded in the darker recesses of his mind. Waves of statues were now being felled all around him. His essence crackled and popped as it broke the golems into brilliantly shattered shards of blue.
“He is right you know.” The deep rumbling voice echoed in his head. William’s eyes refocused on Alex’s form.
“You are weak, and everyone you know and love will die.” The foreign, chilling, voice paused to stifle a laugh. “They will die by your hand!” The voice rippled with insane laughter. His right hand leveled at Alex. William felt his essence traverse his arm and condense in the palm of his hand. The hand shook, but he wasn’t afforded its control. The arc of sputtering energy tore the air, and William saw everything in slow motion. William saw the Rift open, and Michael left in front of the blast a mere second before it struck Alex.
“NO!” William screamed from the confines of his mental prison. The abrupt distraction from within weakened the bolt of essence. It struck Michael hard enough to spin him around, his flank skidded into Alex before ultimately taking Alex with him.
“No! Stop it!” William pleaded.
“Oh, shut up and watch what someone with your power is supposed to do.” William felt his body summon even more energy that was now aimed at the sprawled out forms of Michael and Alex. William struggled with his mental bonds, trying to do something. His skin tingled, and he felt another rift open before he actually saw it. His body loosed its energy in the form of an orb about three feet in diameter, and it careened at the two men.
David deliberately leaped in front of the blast and planted his feet firmly, David lupine chest was broad and strong; his eyes focused on the orb, its reflection growing in his amber eyes as it got closer and closer. Upon his back was William’s mother. They sacrificed themselves to break through to William.
“Oh god, NO!” His voice was impossibly loud in his head. His hand snapped upwards to call the energy back. His mind felt for the threads of the energy and tugged them back.
His unwelcomed guest laughed hysterically.
“That’s not how this works boy.” The voice stopped, just short of stammering. It realized there was no explosion.
“How?” The voice turned noticeably darker, growling in anger.
“This is my body, I’ll tell you exactly how this works.” William strained for control of his arm. The visitor regained it’s insane tone, as the orb came back to William.
“Why did you bring your mother back if you’re only going to kill her yourself?” The self-satisfying smirk in his voice grew to a fanged grin of delight as the orb lurched forward again. Again William’s tenuous control held the sphere back.
“You can’t hope to beat me, boy.” The voice echoed through his skull, his mind filled with the black syrup of its condescension.
“You threaten my family with my power? You’re right. I won’t beat you.” William could feel the other presence within him gloating.
“I will destroy you!” The orb that had been tugged back and forth hurled upwards and slammed into the ceiling.
“Get out of my head!” William yelled, hunching forward as he held his head in his hands. A voluminous black shadow retreated from William own, its black claw was evaporating from Williams consciousness.
“You are too weak to destroy me.” The voice hissed angrily.
“I don’t need your power, I will kill them all as you watch!” Michael quickly grabbed up Alex in his jaws and hobbled to a newly formed portal. The reaper’s shadows amassed into a single puddle of miasmic black. The ancient robed figure emerged from the seething mass. The remaining statues that hadn’t been
destroyed or entirely reduced to rubble, quickly launched themselves at the Reaper, only to have their heroic paths cut short by the downward stroke of his massive scythe.
“Get on Will!” Dyaina held out a hand as she leaned over David’s back and then at the wounded Alex being carried by Michael.
“I would rather live a minute as a hero, than a lifetime as a coward.” Alex’s voice echoed through his head admonishing any attempt at retreat. William waved off his mother’s hand.
“Owen, get on!” William beckoned to the large man who strode across the room quickly.
“I know what I am meant to do.” Dyaina shook her head not wanting to admit the weight of her son’s decision.
“I know now, why Archmages are so important. I have to do this. Please get Ren and Brian, I will get you the time to get them clear.”
Owen extended his hand, William took it.
“Do me a favor and take these off.” William motioned to his limiters. William looked over his shoulder, the statues were almost all destroyed. The only two remaining where the two brutishly large guards from Irys’ room and they were holding off the shade for now. Their crystalline blades ricocheted blasts back at the Reaper as they swung and cleaved at the absolute blackness beneath the robe only to find nothing but air.
Owen nodded and unlocked the ornately carved metal bands with white stones. The bracers fell to the ground with a solid metallic jingle that belied their delicate structure. Owen climbed up behind Dyaina.
“Get us out of here David, Quickly!” David looked at his son, maybe for the last time. His large amber eyes narrowed.
“We are all proud of you Will, no matter what happens.” David leaped forward swiftly, heading for the rift.
“Going somewhere?!” The Reaper’s shadows acted as one evil entity, the endless blackness hurled from beneath his robes in a mass of grasping hands, claws, and fangs. The mass bore down on the escaping rift wolves.
“I didn’t say you could leave yet!” The Reaper’s laughter was echoed by the black mass.
Michael was so very close to the rift his sore flank really hindered his progress. Michael knew he was in trouble as his limbs slowed. He felt the life drain from his body as the seething blob of malice and hate got closer, only a few seconds away now.
“Hurry Michael! Don’t look back!” Dyaina urged her son on.
Owen willed a massive wall of earth to erupt from the ground in the path of the darkness, but the blackened appendages and teeth barreled through the structure, obliterating it. Its path was not going to be slowed.
David waited at the rift willing it opened for as long as he could. He would give his son every chance possible before saving his passengers. Owen and Dyaina urged Michael forward. Owen tried to propel Michael forward using the earth beneath his feet, but the weight of Michael’s despair crunched the ground under his paws.
Michael slowed to a stop, exhaustion was written all over his wolfish features. Michael hurled Alex as far from him as he could. Michael turned to face the shadows that consumed his energy. His eyes dimmed and grew heavier by the moment. Michael faced his fate. With what strength he had left, Michael willed a small rift open, the breach was to a more chaotic section of the energy pathways that he never maintained. The energy there was hungry and always seemed to form a sort of vacuum, wanting to pull at anything and everything at the open rift to feed it. The bolts of energy lingered and felt the air rather than dispersing in a flash.
The mass of shadows slammed into the rift, its mass was easily three times the size of the astral tear, but the hungry energies consumed and tore at the miasma. The Reaper howled in frustration as its attack was being absorbed. The reaper started another attack, but in a flash, William was there, he smashed the Reaper in his side with a blast of energy that hurled him against the wall and caused the monster to howl in pain.
Michael managed a smile as the last remnants of blackness were tugged into the rift by the starving bolts of energy. The breach began closing slowly, Michael tried to will it closed quicker but it wouldn’t. A menacing tentacle with a collection of claws at its end propelled itself from the rift and slammed into Michael’s sore flank. The claws tore into his limb. Upon contact, the shadows split into threads and wrapped around the rift wolf. The tentacle pulled mightily on Michael, but the wolf dug his paws in, his claws left deep gouges in the earth as he was drawn closer and closer. Owen kept trying to grab his legs with earthen animations, but they crumbled under the power of the pull of the vortex combined with the shadowy appendage. William constructed a prison of earth around the Reaper as soon as he hit the wall. It wouldn’t hold him for long, but his brother needed help. In a flash of light and a rumble of thunder, he was grasping his brother’s paws, tugging backward. He anchored himself into the earth for some type of footing. Michael’s paw shifted back into a human hand grasping his brother’s. His snout flattened, and ears drew back. His face gaped at William as his feet were sucked into the rift. William’s eyes were streaming with tears.
“Michael! Don’t give up!” William pleaded.
“I’m, sorry William. I wish we had more time, so much of this world I wanted to show you. Take care of….Mom…. Dad…” Michael’s eyes dimmed as more of his body was dragged into the rift. William’s hand gripped tightly on his brother’s. His body ignited as he drew upon more strength. He was beginning to pull Michael out of the rift. His breathing was heavy, and his limbs ached, but he kept pulling. He nearly had Michael’s body free of the rift.
“William, let…me go.” Michael pleaded softly. “You will die too!”
A hungry tentacle of rift energy shot out of the rift, not to be denied. It grabbed Michael and yanked him from William’s grip. William stared at his empty hands like there were not his own.
“I’m proud of you…My brother.” Michael’s voice was a whisper hidden behind the closing snap of the rift.
William stared at his hands as his body was wracked with involuntary sobs of deep-rooted despair and disappointment. He did not hear the yelling from his mother or Owen as they tried to get him back to his senses. Owen had hopped off of David’s back and ran towards Alex. He heaved the man over his shoulder and loped back towards David. All the while attempting to break through to William.
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William was tired, so impossibly tired. He told himself that he wouldn’t let anyone get hurt because of him. Now, looking at his empty hands and the deep claw marks in the earth, he realized all at once that he had failed. He lost his brother. It was his fault, he could have pulled harder. William’s eyes sparked striking his tears and banishing them. His hands shook, and his ears rang. He hit the ground on his knees, one palm on the ground the other over his face as his body was wracked with silent sobs. The earthen prison had lost its strength. As he faulted himself its walls began to crack. He was meant to destroy the bringer of death and evil, but he just wanted his brother back. Why couldn’t he have saved Michael? William’s breath caught. The Reaper did this. The Reaper took his brother, and William would take it out on the Reaper if it were the last thing he ever did. His body began to glow, and snaps of electricity slashed outwards from his body. The earthen prison around the Reaper collapsed. He yelled out in pain and rage and frustration as his body exploded in an immense concussion of light, wind and the buckling of earth. The Reaper’s familiar maniacal laughter rent the air as he launched himself at William.
“What do you hope to do? Your mind is ripe with despair, and it’s time to harvest! Your soul, your power shall be mine!” The Reaper’s form moved with tremendous agility and grace. He was on William in moments, William made no attempt to move but continued to howl in rage. The scythe collided with William’s cascading energy but couldn’t find its mark. The pressure of William’s anger was pushing the Reaper back. The ever-present grin of the dark mass began to change. The Reaper put more of his own energy behind his attack. Shadows amassed behind the figure and it enveloped the white-hot heat of William’s anger. William’s power
was being overtaken.
“I got you now boy!” The voice did not attempt to hide its glee. His scythe pressed forward followed by an explosion of black and white energy that exploded outwards. The blast launched David and his passengers against a nearby wall roughly. David scrambled quickly to make sure his wife was ok.
Dyaina had managed to hold onto David’s fur, and Owen was only a few feet away. Owen was staring at where William just was. David’s eyes tracked his. The energy in the center of the room was a burnt reality. The black energy of the Reaper and William’s white-hot energy now floated to the ground like ash on the wind. He was shocked at what he saw next. William was ablaze in a silver haze of energy, and he was holding the handle of the scythe, its blade mere inches from his grasp. Both figures were locked in place.
“Get Irys, I will hold back until everyone is clear.” William’s voice was eerie and profound. William felt everything around him, his father was not moving.
“Dad! Hurry!” The tone jarred David out of his reverie, and he quickly began to gather his passengers before bounding towards the rift.
The Reaper screamed in rage and frustration. Its victims were escaping. His robe bulged as he collected more power.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” William said to the Reaper as their glowing eyes locked. “If you attack them, if you lose your focus on me for one instant I will destroy you.” The Reaper scowled, and his eyes narrowed. He felt a new resolve from the boy, a dangerous self-certainty and self-sacrifice emanated from him. He hissed audibly because he knew the boy was right. The soulless prisoners in his robes attacked William as the room cracked with the collision of their energies. The air ruptured and burned. Barely noticed was the snapping shut of David’s rift.
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Elemental Courage Page 18