by Mikkell Khan
“Aperion absconditum!”
The big round stones making up the wall started shrinking, getting smaller and smaller and eventually disappeared into nothingness.
“Come now,” he said and entered a brightly lit chamber which had just been revealed in front of them. Amadalia was standing with her mouth agape incapable of believing her own eye. Gudrunn turned around when he didn’t hear her footsteps following him,
“Amadalia, child! Keep focus! We have a lot of work to do!”
Amadalia followed her grandfather into the brightly lit underground room. It had a very high ceiling and no furniture. In fact, there was nothing in the room, except for the source of the blinding light.
In the middle of the room there was an intricate shape, made of some type of glass… crystal perhaps. The more the observer strained to look at it and determine what the material was the harder it became to solve. At first, it looked like the light was contained in some sort of receptacle but upon closer inspection, it seemed more as if the light itself was making the shape.
* * *
And this was not the only bizarre thing about it- the colors were also unnerving, a person with weak nerves would not be able to behold its presence. At certain moments the light seemed like it was composed of all the possible colors and refracted every now and then- a flash of violet here, a hint of green there. However, when the observer tried to pinpoint an exact color at an exact moment it got impossible. The colors looked more like a mirage, a hallucination caused by straining your eyes to stare at something incomprehensible.
* * *
The light was alive. There was no other word to describe its state. Normal sources of light, even the planet’s sun looked like a stable beam of light despite being a massive gas ball constantly covered in eruptions all over its surface. But a star could only dream of being this alive with activity. This abstract sculpture of light looked as if it had a mind. It seemed as if it had ambition, desires, intelligence and all sorts of uncharacteristic traits.
* * *
“This, Amadalia, is the most important moment in your teachings.”
“What...what is this?”
“The Enixar. I want you to look in it center and tell me what you see. That will determine whether or not I was correct in thinking you are worthy of learning,” he told her.
“But.. what is it?” Amadalia was mesmerized by the dancing light.
“You tell me,” he insisted, observing her impressions of the entity.
The girl felt the room spin and the light sculpture sucked her in. She didn’t scream or resist. The allure was too irresistible to do anything anyway. She was suddenly looking at a massive cloud made up of countless colors and sprinkled heavily with the brightest little dots- they looked like distant stars. This marvelous display of universal abundance and versatility was aesthetically juxtapositioned against an ancient black backdrop which looked like it was made of velvet.
Amadalia was not scared. She didn’t feel the need to return to the underground cavern because she knew she would. The girl felt the need to take in as much of this scene as she could. At the center of the massive cloud formation, there was a strange effect- a distortion, an optical illusion maybe. It was hard for her to tell what it was exactly. Amadalia felt an overwhelming desire to touch it. She extended her arm towards the distortion even though it was obvious she was hundreds of thousands miles away from it. Or maybe she was just a couple of feet away? It was hard to tell. She stretched her arm and her fingers suddenly touched the surface of the illusion and ripples spread from the tips of her fingers outward. The girl felt the warmth crawl up her arm and spread all over her body. Then a surge of energy filled her entire body. She felt as if she had been filled with power, with energy and potential. The sensation was addicting but also becoming stronger and stronger. Her hand began to shake and go numb and she pulled it away before the feeling of energy flowing into her became unbearable.
As she pulled her hand out of the optical distortion she flung back, away from the brilliant scene in front of her. The feeling was as if she fell from a tall height but instead of hitting the ground she found herself standing on her own two feet back in the underground room next to her grandfather. Amadalia was not expecting any of this so she lost her balance, stumbled and almost fell over.
“Oh my god...what was that?” she exclaimed with exhilaration. She never felt so alive and so powerful.
“Tell me, what did you see when you looked into it?” he asked.
“I went… somewhere. It was beautiful. I was floating in front of this… place, there was no ground, no sky. Everything was up and down. And I saw something in front of me- like it was a lens or a magnifying glass but sort of twisted. I touched it and I felt like I was getting filled up with energy! It was like nothing I can describe, I have never felt anything like it,” Amadalia was waving her arms and explaining with an excited voice.
“Most people can’t bear to look straight at the Enixar longer than a few seconds. And only a handful of chosen people can take a peek at Alpha Sinteres. That is what you saw- the Prime Galaxy, the place from which all life originated.”
“Chosen people? What do I have to do with that?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“Many many years ago powerful beings lived and populated Alpha Sinteres. The top few of them had immense power they gained through conquest, compassion, and devotion. They were called the Architects. They founded the building blocks of the universe and with that power, they constructed many things to aid in the Universe's development as we know it today. But even the most powerful beings can become corrupt. An event happened, and war broke out. Leaving nothing but destruction in its path. We are not sure what happened after that, but all beings were cast out of the first universe, their memories wiped and only save for a few have the abilities from that time. Those of us who began to refresh our memories and study what we can, try to find a way back to Alpha Sinteres but all attempts have failed. I believe because those who tried were not strong enough, they did not share the bloodline of the original Architects. They exist, but they are very few. The bloodlines were spread thinly and their powers were passed down from generation to generation. We... you and I, are two of those Descendants.”
He took a breath to consider the marvel that stood before him. “And I believe the Enixar, the one pure element of power that remained intact from the Prime Galaxy, will take us back there.”
Gudrunn was extremely happy to finally speak to a relative about his belief in the Enixar and the plans for his conquest. It was refreshing compared to the drivel of running an empire and getting all the world’s citizens to comply to his will.
“This explains a lot actually,” she answered.
“What do you mean?” Gudrunn raised his eyebrow, what could this child know about the story he just told her?
“I can do things. Like control objects. Stop them. Move them. I can’t really explain it.”
“That is because you don’t know the power you carry or how to use it. But I will teach you. I need a successor, but it can’t be just anyone. It must be a true and worthy descendant.”
“I am ready,” said Amadalia with determination.
“Very well,” Gudrunn agreed and stuck out his hand. Amadalia bowed and kissed it.
* * *
Their training had begun.
Abbot Finn and the priests sent their reply via messenger parrot. When the bird caught up to Meriaus he stopped to give the horse a rest and spend the night in an inn midway between the monastery and the Lord’s palace. He went to bed but didn’t get much sleep. Instead, he spent a restless night. He kept tossing and turning and drifting in and out of disturbing nightmares. In his mind, he saw gruesome images of uncontrollable flames engulfing people alive. They did not perish right away as the flames seemed to roast them to a slow and agonizing demise. The screams were so real and the images so vivid he could have sworn each time he woke up it was a memory, not a dream. He hadn’t
witnessed anything like that in his life, so he reassured himself it was just a very vivid hallucination.
* * *
He remembered it so clear though, who could forget witnessing a brutal massacre? He could not see any faces clearly or recognize anyone. Someone was killing men in a brutal way- burning them one by one without mercy. People were screaming but the killer was focused on the intent and not listening to them. The perpetrator was just outside of Meriaus' vision. When he finally woke up from his slumber, he was incredibly frustrated and perplexed by the meaning of his unsettling manifestations.
* * *
His mood did not improve when his mind caught up and remembered the tasks scheduled for the day. He was going to have to tell the Lord about the monk’s reluctance to join them.
* * *
Meriaus was saddling up his horse and packing the saddlebags when the monk's bright green bird flew overhead, swooped down and landed on the horse’s back. It pecked the feather’s under its left wing shook its head frantically and almost magically said,
“Meriaus, we have made the decision to give control of our small and peaceful sanctuary to the Lord as a gesture of good faith and collaboration. Godspeed on your journey home. The Abbot.”
“Wise choice, Abbot Finn. I will inform the Lord about this as soon as I return home. Thank you, stay safe and keep listening. We will see each other again soon. Keep a look out to the sky for a bird carrying the message about the date and time of our arrival for the ceremony. Meriaus.”
He gave the bird a little piece of the carrot he was feeding to the horse as a treat. The bird happily chirped and flew off to the Monastery.
Meriaus was happy, his mood suddenly lifted. This was going to save him a lot of trouble.
Amadalia was having crazy dreams that night as well. She saw herself hooked up to some strange machines. Big and clunky monstrosities made from all sorts of materials; all lined up next to one another. Something was flying overhead and casting giant shadows on the ground but every time she looked up all she saw was that shimmering colourful cloud she observed in the heart of the Enixar.
She woke up in the morning in a state of exhaustion from the endless strange dreams. She turned around on her side in the bed in an attempt to get comfortable and steal a little more sleep before it was time for her tutors to come. Before closing her eyes she saw an envelope propped up against her night lamp on her bed stand. Someone had left her a message.
She sat up in the bed and opened it.
“Come to the meadows, East of the Giant oak at midnight. G.”
Her grandfather would be giving her the next lesson tonight. That meant she wasn’t going to catch up on any sleep soon. Still, she wasn't about to complain. This was what she had been searching for for a while now- a purpose, a calling, some meaning to her existence. Her family gave her a luxurious life and she had everything she needed, but she felt empty. What does her life boil down to really? To keep going to lessons in royalty, to learn languages and advanced calculus to become a baby making machine and the best trophy wife she could be? To be married off to some fat pompous son of a rich aristocrat because of reasons unbeknownst to her but apparent to her mercantile family? No, not her. There was more to it than that. What was the point of all this grooming for greatness? She now knew the answer. The point was for her to be able to reach out and provide it for herself.
All day long she could barely contain and conceal her excitement about growing her power and magical abilities.
At 11 o’clock that night, she grabbed her purple robe, put on the hood and snuck out of her room. She got out of the castle without a problem- no one was worried about people sneaking out, everyone was more concerned with enemies sneaking in.
She rode her horse to the Giant oak as per the directions. The tree was named such because it was over five thousand years old and had grown to a mammoth size. The enormous crown contained the well-preserved remnants of a village which had been very prosperous centuries ago. Now all that was left as a memory from the bustling life were empty treehouses and countless rope bridges.
Amadalia stopped at the trunk and checked her compass to ensure she headed East. After a 15 minute ride, she arrived at the meadow. The moon was bathing the grass in light and casting sharp shadows on the ground.
She walked to the center of the meadow surrounded by trees and looked around.
“Grandfather?”
There was no one here. She looked at her watch- 12 o’clock on the dot. Her grandfather was one of the most punctual people in existence. This was strange.
Suddenly, she was hit by an invisible force and flung back. Before she knew what was going on she found herself in Alpha Sinteres in front of the stunning nebula.
“Amadalia,” said Gudrunn’s voice. The girl looked around but couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Where are you? What’s going on?”
“Do not focus on the trivial child. What matters now is that you learn to take energy and use it as a weapon. If you don’t, you will get hurt.”
“What? I don’t know how to do that? Tell me how to use the energy!” Amadalia panicked.
Suddenly a small comet flew passed the girl. She felt the heat as it came near and scorched her arm. She looked at the sore spot and saw the red, burned skin. She looked in the direction from which the comet came and saw a barrage of countless more scolding hot pieces of rock flying through space toward her. She screamed and tried to duck and take cover but there was nowhere to hide. She was floating mid-space.
“Amadalia, don’t be afraid. Trust your ability to manipulate the matter and energy,” Gudrunn reassured her.
“Stop! You’re going to get me killed!” she shouted. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Are you just going to stand there?” the Lord asked.
“I…” before she could finish a small comet hit her in the shoulder. Her eyes watered from the pain. She looked at the impact spot and almost got sick by the sight of blisters on her skin. She felt furious. What was the meaning of this torture? She was just starting off and he was already putting her in mortal danger. She felt the anger bubble up inside her.
The large meteors were hurling towards her and going to hit her at any moment. She stared at the encroaching threat. Amadalia gathered all her fury and channeled it towards the incoming danger. The rock fragments started vibrating while still flying towards her. Suddenly, her anger reached its peak… the vibration become even more violent and the meteors started blowing up into tiny pieces one after another. Soon enough, there were only dust particles floating around where moments ago had a deadly barrage of meteors. Amadalia closed her eyes to shield them from the fragments and debris still flying in her direction. A few seconds passed and she felt nothing hit her. When she opened her eyes again she found herself back at the meadow, under the moonlight, her grandfather standing in front of her. The girl looked around at the ground and saw countless holes in the dirt in different sizes, some of them were still smoldering.
“That was most excellent,” he praised his granddaughter.
“You almost killed me,” she said quietly in disbelief at the mortal danger to which her grandfather had exposed her.
“Did I? You were capable of handling it. This is how our training in magic is going to be. I won’t teach you how to mix potions and cast spells, that you can learn on your own. I will show you how to channel power within you to manipulate energy, matter and space around yourself. Does that sound like a safe occupation to you? Or do you suspect there could be a high degree of risk involved?”
“Can’t I start off with something easier?” the teenager whined.
“Amadalia, you are either all in or out. Learn this from me and learn it well- the harder and more dangerous our lessons are, the more powerful you will become with each one. The more unstoppable you will be, the more successful. What do you choose- mediocrity or greatness?”
“Thank you for the lesson, my Lord,” she apologized, ashamed of her complaining wh
en being given such a valuable gift. “I understand what you mean. I will learn to love the challenge.”
* * *
The teacher and student made their lessons a regular midnight activity. Amadalia was growing stronger with each passing day. The more enthralled she became with magic the less she cared about her regular studies. She just didn’t care about her life as an aristocrat anymore.
Chapter 4
Lord Gudrunn’s delegation was traveling through the kingdom. Everywhere they passed people were demonstrating their admiration for the supreme ruler.
* * *
His entourage consisted of fifty or so men- mostly guards and servants. Not that the Sorcerer needed any guards- he was dangerous enough on his own. Amadalia did not attend as Gudrunn knew there were spies in the kingdom and she was not powerful enough to protect herself. He knew his enemies would use any weakness against him. It was better to keep the child and her powers a secret… for now.
Along the way, the delegation stopped in a small village nestled between a rounded hill and a forest. While the servants were tending to the horses Gudrunn was sitting in his carriage and looking at the locals pass by with their heads down. A young woman tending to her garden outside a haberdashery caught his eye.
“Svenvard!” Gudrunn called his lackey.
“Yes My Lord?” reacted the servant instantly.
“That woman over there, do you see her? The one with the red hair.”
“Yes, My Lord?” said Svenvard.
“She is coming with us. Go and arrange it."
“As you wish My Lord.”
The lackey headed off towards Jessika, the young woman Lord Gudrunn saw in the haberdashery. She greeted Svenvard with a little bow. They started talking and as soon as she understood what was asked of her the dialog transitioned into a heated argument. An older man, Jessika’s father, came out of the shop after apparently hearing all of the ruckus being caused outside his little business. He demanded the lackey explain what was going on. The lackey gave a brief summary and gestured towards the carriage to illustrate the pressing nature of the situation.