“How can I change that? How can I keep my mind pure?”
“Sacrifice,” she said through a smile. “A horrible word, isn’t it? Yet only with it, can the ordinary become extra.”
“What do I have to sacrifice?”
“You haven’t figured it out by now? Usually one can only achieve greatness when their mind is concentrated on one thing at a time. Divide it, and it just takes that much longer to reach the pinnacle, if at all. So, are you willing to devote all your energy to one focus?”
“You’re talking about Catherine,” James said solemnly.
“It’s a pickle, isn’t it? You can give up on her completely to become the greatest Sage that ever lived, but possibly lose your chance at love in the process…or, you can pursue love full time and gain only small advances in your skill, hoping in the mean time that it’s enough to protect her and not cut your love short. Troubling, isn’t it?”
“But you have both. You’re the strongest, and you have Kyran.”
“You don’t understand our relationship though. We’re soul mates for sure, but how we show our love is not manifest. And he’s not big on spending time being mushy. Add that to the fact he goes away on missions, and I’d say I have plenty of time to get stronger.”
“But don’t you have duties too? Students to take care of?”
“I’m the lunch lady. And as far as students, I’m big on the whole, the power lies inside you thing. Most times I just give them tasks to complete. If they become a Sage, they do. If not, they don’t.”
“That sounds like horrible teaching,” James laughed.
“Yet here you are,” Chloe laughed with him. “Asking me for advice.”
“Then let’s get to it.”
“Wait, you haven’t answered the question. Are you willing to sacrifice? Can you give up Catherine while you focus only on our training? Knowing that Dominic could swoop in and grab her?”
James looked over to the two of them, walking side by side, actually laughing. He was about to say no on instinct, but then he saw Achan, walking alone, but with a look of satisfaction and contentment on his face. Achan would make the sacrifice…he would be the better man. Because deep down, he’d know that ultimately Catherine made the choice. And if she didn’t choose him, he was never worthy of her in the first place. That was where the matter ended…
To protect her, to provide her security, to give her a better life and become the husband and King she deserved, that the people of Allay deserved…he had to grow. He had to better himself first and ensure he could handle the challenge…
But it didn’t make the decision any harder.
“I’ll give her up,” James declared, feeling his stomach clench the moment he spoke the words into existence. “Train me.”
“Excellent,” Chloe said, adjusting her hat again. “Then our first lesson begins now. Pay attention.”
“I’m ready.”
“When you release your eidolon and expose it to the world,” Chloe said. “Out of your five senses, which is your eidolon lacking in the most? Which is your weakest?”
“Hmm,” James thought carefully. “I would have to say taste. My soul can’t really taste anything.”
“I would disagree,” Chloe said. “You can disagree too, but…I think our eidolon is tasting the moment it emerges. Take your eidolon out.”
James obeyed and Chloe stuck her tongue out to lap the air.
“It’s a different kind of taste, for sure, but it’s taste nonetheless. It takes in the particles of each organism, living or non-living, and processes it only the way taste can. It breaks down its composition, and tells you the recipe like you’re baking a cake. See what I mean?”
“I do,” James said, realizing he never thought of it that way.
“In actuality, taste is probably one of its most powerful senses. See, we fail to think of our eidolon in proper terms. First and foremost people just think of it as a weapon. A sword, a blade, a halberd, a shuriken…all weapons. But why a weapon? Why not a cup? Why not a tree? Why not a room? A house? A castle? The problem is that we give it this name: eidolon. And it sounds so exotic and foreign when in fact we can break it down to its basest form. What it really is: our soul.”
“So you’re saying you can turn your soul into a house?” James scoffed. Chloe laughed heartily and slapped him on the shoulder, though she was the one that said it.
“You’re getting ahead of me, silly…now, we tend to look at souls as this separate entity. This formless, invisible thing that we treat like a tag on the back of the shirts we wear. We don’t give it the importance that it’s due. We don’t treat it like it really is: us. No matter how you try to avoid it, it is us, and even stronger than the shell we associate ‘us’ with. Our shell dies. It decomposes and becomes worm food. But our soul…it’s eternal. It lives on forever, whether it’s in Paradise or Oblivion is irrelevant right now. We must remember only that it lives forever, and we take this eternal thing, and fashion it into a weapon for our use. This unfathomable endless supply of energy is in our grasp, and we confine it.”
“So what you’re saying…” James tried to wrap his mind around it. “That if our souls are eternal, what we create is limited only by us?”
“Exactly!” she said, clapping her hands. “Most people don’t become Sages because the concept is too much for them to handle. They actually think their husks; their bodies are more powerful than their souls are when it’s not true at all! It’s only when one starts thinking beyond their shell, that they abandon it, that they can reach their soul, and their eidolon can emerge.”
“So for me,” James thought carefully. “It was when I gave up on my own life…for Catherine. I stopped caring about life and death. I stopped caring about what Kyran could do to my body, the unimportant part, and dwelled only on helping her. That’s when my soul intervened.”
“Without this revelation, it’s nearly impossible to reach down and form an eidolon. Of course, we don’t just explain this to everyone. Because we want those that become Sages to fight with us in the natural world…”
“I don’t understand.”
“An eidolon’s strength is tied into one’s will. Now, although a soul cannot die, a body can, and that body is the only thing keeping our soul firm in the natural world. Say one has an eidolon, but their will is weak, and it breaks. The soul isn’t killed. It just dispersed. It’s still you. It’s still eternal. But unfortunately the physical body has a core in which to hold the soul in place. Once the soul disperses into the air, it can’t just mold back into its core form. Therefore, it can’t re-enter the body. And the body needs its energy source to survive. Now do you understand why we don’t just take anyone on our journey? For a recruit who’s eidolon shatters, they’re just going on to the afterlife, but it does no good for our mission. Understand?”
“I…think so,” James said, blinking his eyes. “I think I get it.”
“Eidolon mechanics 101,” Chloe said.
“But it still doesn’t help me get stronger.”
“Uh, yes it does,” she laughed. “With this understanding, you can technically craft anything you want, as long as your will is strong enough. The bigger the manifestation, the weaker the structure will be, meaning the more likely you’ll die if it’s broken. But, you can form anything. We only choose a sword because it’s relatively small, so it’s nice and dense. But if you remember my words, then you can do this.”
Chloe stuck her hand out, and in the blink of an eye, her bare arm was covered up to the shoulder in a green robe. Then in the next second, it was gone.
“You can transform yourself,” she said. “Just with your mind. Strengthen your will. The rest will follow. Just keep practicing the same forms over and over, or the same techniques. Those forms and techniques will get stronger, last longer, become more structurally sound.”
James smiled as he thought of the possibilities. But he had just one more question.
“So what is the weakest sense of the eidolo
n?”
“Touch,” she said. “Because all you can think about when you introduce your will to the world…is what you can smash with it. Change your approach…and perhaps…you can manifest a new world…”
Chapter 11 – The Mountain of Conun
“Sounds like a long lesson,” Kyran said as he looked curiously as his wife. Whatever they had discussed, it sounded like they were having a wonderful time, laughing and giggling. That sort of thing. Chloe smiled sweetly as she looked up into Kyran’s eyes, both of them sitting on the bed in their very own couples’ suite.
After walking another hour, they had finally found a lodge in which to stay, located at the base of the snow covered Mountain of Conun, separating the Kingdom of Prattle from the rest of the world. Although it was barely evening, Arimus decided the group should rest for the night and climb up the mountain in the morning.
No one complained.
All of them were able to procure their individual rooms as the lodge had not seen much business over the last century. Still, the owners were able to secure their living through gardening, raising their own livestock and drawing water from their own private well. Finding the only good soil in many miles, the old couple that owned it considered themselves blessed. Ma and Pa Conun, two Prattlians after which the mountain was named had received the lodge after it was passed down through their family over many generations. The Conun family were a proud family of Prattlians that grew weary of the bickering in the Kingdom and decided to stop talking and start doing. Though business was great when the lodge was first built, as many visited Prattle back then, it had died off in more recent and tumultuous times. But occasionally they did see business. The weary traveler, the lost caravan, the Prattlian who needed a vacation from his cohorts. Business always came at just the right time and usually they were to get what they needed most.
So when the Sages arrived, they were more than happy to take their standard swords (except for Catherine’s of course) as payment for their night’s stay. They asked no questions and preferred it that way. Questions meant there were answers, and opinions…and there were plenty of opinions being thrown around the Kingdom of Prattle. If they wanted opinions, they wouldn’t have the lodge…
Chloe steadied her eyes as Kyran questioned her again. She was shocked.
Two questions one right after the other? She thought. My, he’s curious tonight!
“What did you two talk about?” he asked.
“Manifestations,” she said. “And how there’s more your soul can do than make a weapon.”
“It’s all he’ll need.”
“Maybe,” she winked. “You never know.”
“It’s like that thing you created once…it was pointless.”
“I call it a roller coaster.”
“Yes,” Kyran said emotionless. “When you made that instead of an eidolon. It was pointless.”
“I had fun.”
“But it doesn’t help our mission.”
“Maybe not,” she said. “But it’s how you get stronger. Stretching out. If you stay stiff and closed in, then your eidolon will remain stagnant.”
“Are you implying something?”
“About you, dear?” she said, leaning into him seductively. “Oh, no. Not at all.”
“Your body temperature is rising.”
“It’s not a bad thing,” she laughed backing away and sitting on the bed with her hands folded. “Why are so curious, anyways?”
“I was just thinking.”
“Of?”
“Of eidolons breaking.”
“That’s morbid thinking.”
“Do you remember who you married?”
“Did you just make a funny?” Chloe gasped. “I think you made a funny!”
“What is a…funny?”
“Oh, c’mon. You just made a joke. I know you did.”
“I was making an observation,” he said, his eyes wandering off into the corner.
“If we’re not laughing then, tell me,” she said concerned. “Why are you dwelling on broken eidolons?”
“Because it is important. You’re telling James to stretch his imagination, but that will only endanger him further. We all can form more than swords if we want, but we shouldn’t. It’s dangerous.”
“He wanted to know how to get stronger. I told him.”
“He is not you. He doesn’t have your talents.”
“That’s not for us to say,” Chloe said, staring into her husband’s eyes. “But is that really why you’re bringing this up? You’re concerned about James? Kyran, you hate James…”
“I was thinking of what happens when they break…because of Oblivion.”
“Why would you dwell on such a place? We don’t even know it exists.”
“You believe in it.”
“But you don’t,” Chloe said quickly.
“When we die, you will go to Paradise. I will not,” Kyran stated. Chloe took a deep breath and grabbed his hand.
“Stop it,” she said firmly. “Don’t do that.”
“Why not?” Kyran said, snatching his hand away. “It’s true.”
“I can’t imagine being anywhere without you,” Chloe said. “Don’t talk about this.”
“But our chances of dying and going to one of those places…are very possible, very soon.”
“Then…” Chloe began to cry. “Why didn’t you let me kill the King?”
“STOP IT!” Kyran roared, standing up from the bed. He immediately blinked and composed himself after the sudden outburst. “I’m sorry…I have to go…”
“Kyran!” Chloe cried out as he went invisible and walked out the room. “DON’T YOU DO THIS TO ME AGAIN!”
Chloe burst out the room as Scarlet was walking down the hallway, eating an apple as red as the carpet beneath her. She looked up, realized who it was and went back to eating, turning the doorknob to her room. Chloe walked up to her.
“Did you see which way Kyran went off to?”
“Don’t care,” Scarlet said quickly, opening her door and walking inside.
“Please?” Chloe pleaded as Scarlet sighed and turned around to face her.
“Listen, sunshine, I could care less what happens between you and Hubby. And even less about helping you repair it.”
“When are you going to let this go?” Chloe asked, shaking her head. “This is petty.”
“I’ll let it go when you’re dead,” Scarlet replied coldly. “Sweet dreams.”
Scarlet slammed the door in Chloe’s face as she blinked the tears away from her eyes and looked down both sides of the hall. Wherever he went, she would find him.
After all, she didn’t need to unsheathe her eidolon to hone her senses.
* * * * *
“James?” Catherine called out, walking along the outside of the lodge. She had noticed that everyone had retired to their rooms except him. And he had been so distant recently. It was unlike him.
“Yes?” James asked, appearing suddenly behind her. Catherine jumped and clutched her chest.
“Geez, where did you come from?”
“I’ve been pretty much standing here the whole time.”
“Have you now?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Not one bit.”
“Then close your eyes, and don’t move.”
“Fine,” she muttered as she closed them. James rubbed his hands together and then stretched them out, concentrating on the area around him and Catherine. It took a minute before it began to form. The walls, the carpet, the lights on the ceiling…and there was so much more detail to include, but he could feel his body aching, longing for his soul to retract, to come back to its shell. James fought through the ache and moaned.
“Okay, open.”
Catherine opened her eyes and gasped.
They were back in the Academy. The hall of the dorms…except…the color was wrong, and there was a couple doors missing. The carpet was only half there, and James…James looked like a mess.
&nbs
p; “You’re doing this?” she whispered as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
“Yep,” he said weakly as it suddenly disappeared, and they were back at the lodge again. James moaned and nearly fainted. Catherine barely caught him and slung an arm over her shoulder as she patted his stomach.
“You must not have gotten enough to eat,” she laughed nervously. “But seriously…James, what were you doing?”
“I was trying to recreate the dorm room,” he said. “Just an exercise.”
“You’re about to faint. Let me bring you inside.”
“No!” he said sharply, freeing himself from her arms. “I have to train more.”
“You’ve barely slept since we left Allay. Go inside or I’ll knock you out myself.”
“I can’t!’
“Why?!”
“Because I have to get stronger!” he yelled at her. “It’s the only way I can protect you.”
“I have six other bodyguards,” Catherine said. “Neither one of them are making dorm rooms. I know what you’re doing. I saw you talking to Chloe. She’s started telling you about forming your soul into more than an eidolon. James, there’s no point. All you need is your eidolon right now. Don’t strain yourself to the point you’re no good when we need you most!”
“Chloe’s strong because she tries to master the soul, not just use it like a tool. I can do the same.”
“And what if it doesn’t work out?” Catherine cried out as James dropped to all fours, panting and heaving. “What if all you do is make things worse?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“What if you die then? Because your soul has been stretched to its limits making buildings?”
“Then I die,” James chuckled between his panting. He wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’m just a walking corpse anyways. I should have died the day you took that test against Kyran.”
“What about us then?” Catherine said, her voice cracking. “You’re willing to throw your life away and end our friendship? Any possibility of something more?”
The Dark Kingdom (Sage Trilogy, Book 2) Page 19