Elementalist: The New Inheritance

by Seever, Tyler

  Lenthean yelped. Arms latched themselves onto the boy and his mother’s shoulders and began tugging them apart from one another. “Momma!” Lenthean yelled.

  “Lenthean! Lenthe—” Ayla coughed and wheezed, lapsing into an unnatural fit of hysteria, seizing and convulsing on the cobblestone road. Lenthean grimaced and fell back on his heels at the sight of his mother’s possession.

  “MOM!” Lenthean tried as he was yanked farther away from her. Her eyes shut, and she curled up into a ball on the cobblestone. She finally lifted her head back up with a loud popping of the neck. Her eyes glowed white. Lenthean gasped in shock and disgust. Her neck was clicking and cracking like those of everyone else around Lenthean.

  Erendar commanded once more, “Give up, Lenthean. Even your mother has discovered the true nature of our cause. Look at her! She is happy as can be.”

  His mother’s lips quivered and trembled, then slowly dissolved into a forced smile. Drool trickled from her mouth.

  “Lenthean,” Erendar continued. “You can have this too. We all can. Join us. You are so close to saving the world. Isn’t that what you want?”

  More and more hands grabbed onto the boy, perhaps hundreds of them. He was being crushed under the weight of all the people. His face met the pavement rather quickly, as many hands and feet kept him firmly against the ground. He squirmed and struggled but to no avail. He was suffocating under the pressure of all the people stampeding him to the ground.

  I must act quickly, the boy thought. The boy focused long and hard as well as he could under the immense pressure, then successfully slipped into the shadows of the surface beneath him.

  He composed himself under the surface, lurking in the shadows. He moved through the ground and witnessed an entire nation of people following his every movement, even though he was hidden underground. His presence was attracting these corrupted people. He darted through the ground as fast as he could possibly move to escape their grasp.

  He shot up through the ground and maintained a fighting stance. He looked here then there then back again. They were closing in on him yet again. The boy thrust his arms forward, and waves of black shadows shot from the ground. He struck at the people, only intending to knock them down or off balance, not to harm. He struck fast and held off soldier after soldier. Left, right, up, left, right. The boy did well at fending for himself.

  “Good, my son,” Erendar’s ominous voice spoke. “You truly do want peace for this world. You won’t harm any of them. Our cause will be delighted to have you take part in it. Perhaps it is time to put down your arms and take us in?”

  Lenthean fought back. Many soldiers tumbled and rolled down various alleyways from defensive strikes. Each eventually dusted himself off and headed back to the brawl against Lenthean. The boy noticed the numbers of intruders was growing. All of it was growing—the number of assailants, their speed, their aggressive nature.

  “GIVE UP,” Erendar commanded.

  Lenthean grunted repeatedly and fought back with valor and bravery. The boy was running out of breath, so he took a dive back into the surface of the earth. Panting, he analyzed his situation. There were hundreds, potentially thousands of people moving in on his location; he would not be able to fight them all.

  “Hiding from the world’s problems will get you nowhere, Shadow Elementalist. If you will not join us, you will be the cause of their deaths,” Erendar warned. Lenthean’s eyes grew wide with horror as he watched all the corrupted people draw their blades and polearms and take aim at one another.

  Lenthean instantly emerged from the earth and struck faster than the boy realized he could even move, entirely out of instinct. His shadow strikes tunneled down the corridors like a whirlwind of black wind and toppled over people as far as he could see. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. Strike. His fists moved so quickly they were a blur. He could not let anyone die. He couldn’t. He would not allow it. Over and over he struck until he saw them no more, so he finally did catch his breath. But they did eventually poise to strike one another once more, no matter how much he knocked them off balance. Lenthean looked around the dusty city and felt helpless. His shadow abilities were no match for Erendar’s Soul Elementalist prowess.

  Lenthean turned his head and found a familiar sight—Prince Gael. “Gael! What are you doing here?! It’s not safe to be here!”

  “Lenthean!” young Prince Gael’s voice was genuine. “I’m sorry! He got me too! Don’t let him—”

  “Don’t let him what?” Lenthean asked. The Prince’s body twisted and writhed under manipulation. His eyes were oozing the very same white energy as had Ayla, as was his mouth. The prince roared with agony, and a voice of echoed possession took hold.

  Lenthean heard Erendar speak. “Will you let a friend die?”

  “No!” Lenthean shouted. Soldiers came plunging with their polearms at Gael. Lenthean sprung into action and placed his back against Prince Gael’s chest. He fought off intrusion from up, down, left, and right. Any direction the boy turned was someone who needed to be held off. His shadow strikes were enough to hold them off for now.

  As the lad held off the wave, he heard none other than Prince Gael himself draw his sword and quickly swipe at Lenthean’s back. The boy fumbled to maintain his footing. He ducked low then left, barely dodging the sharp, crystal-white blade. The boy shot a hand up, and a shadow latched onto Prince Gael’s sword and tugged it underground, rendering the prince disarmed.

  “You FOOL!” Erendar shouted. “You forgot about your MOTHER!” The boy did not hesitate, only shot through the ground without thinking to his mother’s position.

  There too he held off wave after wave of assaulters attempting to take a life. He parried attack after attack. Block and dodge, wave after wave, protecting his mother from those oppressed by Erendar’s soul grip. The boy caught his breath and held strong to his mother’s arm. “You aren’t going anywhere, Mom; I won’t let Erendar take you.”

  Ayla didn’t reply. She was under Erendar’s control.

  The assaults stopped.

  All the assailants rose to their feet. They turned in unison to face one direction—the city center, where Lenthean had seen the blood-painted shadow symbol. Where in the world are they headed? And why? Lenthean wondered.

  All the people Erendar controlled sprinted to the city center where Erendar supposedly still was. Ayla tugged away from Lenthean’s grip and ran too. “Wait!” Lenthean longed to keep his mother by his side. He took off down the alleyway with them. But he was no match for their unnatural running speeds.

  Where are they going? Lenthean thought. One moment, he’s manipulating them to attack me, then my mother or the prince, and now, they all make way for Erendar? What is up his sleeve? I must get there quickly, before it’s too late.

  The boy re-entered the city square and found hundreds of Der’ Tanellians surrounding Erendar’s position. They all faced outward with their swords and polearms, defending their leader. Their eyes were still seeping with ghostly white energy.

  “Mom!” Lenthean called out. He could not locate her. Nor could he find the prince.

  He scanned the crowd for his mother, but she was nowhere to be seen. She had somehow slipped the boy’s grasp and had gotten away. The boy ran on foot around the hundreds of Der’ Tanellians surrounding Erendar, all of them attempting to strike whenever the boy would tread too close. In the space between their heads, he finally saw his mother and the prince at the epicenter. Lenthean instinctively threw his arms out and swiped away people with his shadow powers. Blackness spewed from the earth and pulled people from their positions. The boy’s adrenalin was at an all-time high. He roared while tossing the locals away from Erendar so they could no longer defend him.

  Finally the boy made eye contact with Erendar. If the boy could just make it through three more rows of people . . . His adrenalin continued to increase as he kept pushing through the crowd to confront the Soul Elementalist.

  Erendar’s chin was up. His eyes were closed. His
hands were resting on the scalps of two people.

  “MOTHER!” Lenthean called. Lenthean pushed harder than ever and stumbled upon Erendar in the process of ripping the souls from the bodies of Ayla and Prince Gael. The two were decrepit, turning dark brown in color.

  “KILL ME, SHADOW ELEMENTALIST! SHOW THE WORLD OF YOUR IMPERFECT BEING! DENY THE WORLD OF ITS FREEDOM, ELSE PREPARE FOR THEM TO TAKE ON DEATH!”

  Lenthean angled his fingers into a blade and the shadows concealed his arm as one. “Don’t try me, Erendar. Do not tamper with their souls!”

  “DO IT! KILL ME! KILL ME! SHOW THE WORLD YOUR SELF-INTERESTED NARCISSISM!” Erendar yelled, tugging on their souls more.

  The boy leapt from his position through the air with an open shadowy palm and clasped onto Erendar’s forehead. The collision knocked Erendar to the ground. Lenthean was firmly gripping Erendar’s face when reality seemed to fade from itself.

  ---

  All was white.

  All was white.

  “Wh—Where am I? Am I . . . Am I dead?”

  “No. I am here to give you a chance. A chance at the truth.”

  “I—I can’t see. Who’s there?”

  “It’s me. The Shadow Elementalist.”

  “But . . . You were . . . Where are we?”

  “I have taken you here, Erendar. I’ve taken you to the Nethervoid. Here, between the border of the dark and the light, you will find transparency in all things. You will find the truth.”

  Erendar stumbled to his feet and rubbed his eyes. He finally lifted his head and looked directly at Lenthean. He glanced around at the black pit and the white world of clouds and mystery.

  “What—What is this place? How did we get here?” Erendar asked in shock and awe.

  Lenthean looked down then looked back at him. “Once one has been here, he can find his way out with ease—as well as his way back in. Simply by discovering the truth. And knowing the truth will set you free.”

  “What truth?!” Erendar shouted. “I already know the truth!”

  “I am going to leave you here. And in a way, I am sparing your life. Removing your corrupting influence on your people and on the world.” Lenthean turned and quickly paced down the endless hallway.

  Erendar condescendingly chuckled at the boy’s words. “Sparing me,” he spat. “This will be a mistake, Shadow Elementalist. I can assure you of that.”

  Lenthean smiled. “We will see. I’d rather risk this and save your life than to take it and not give you a chance. I consider every life valuable. Every last life on this earth is valuable in my eyes. You can call it weak if you’d like.”

  “Then I shall—you are weak. If you truly cared about everyone’s life as you so claim, you would’ve purged the world with me of its sinful greed. We could have saved the world together, because the gods have given us the power to do so. But instead, you turned your back on their gift. You let the world fail, just like the Shadow God intended. I was a fool, you see? I tried the gods, and they inevitably beat me at their game of balance. I cannot change their will or their ways; your actions are the prime example of that very notion. So . . . since you are all-mighty and powerful now, are you going to tell me how I can free myself from this world of emptiness?”

  “Oh, this world is anything but empty, Erendar. I have learned much in my very, very short time being here. I hope the same experience for you. Once you know the truth and believe it in your heart, then—and only then—you will be set free. You will thank me for this someday, I promise,” Lenthean concluded.

  “I’m sure I’ll be thanking you. Only. . . for reasons you may not be thinking.” Erendar grinned.

  Lenthean shook his head and turned. He spoke from over his shoulder. “I cannot believe who you have become, Erendar. Inside is a good person with a well-intentioned soul. It is corrupted only by the dismay of your own life. I can only hope that one day you see the same thing that I saw in you in those memories.”

  The boy walked forward out of the world without looking back. The boy knew that here, Erendar could learn what he himself had learned in this place with the help of his father. He had learned the truth for what it was—for what it would be. Lenthean knew in his heart that he had done a tremendous service for Erendar, despite all that Erendar had done against the world. He also knew this: for now, this conflict was over.

  38: A Farewell All Too Soon

  “Mother.” Lenthean placed his hand under her head and held her there. “Mother. It’s me, it’s your son.”

  Her eyelids flickered. She could barely move and barely speak. “Le—” is all she could choke out.

  “Momma, it’s done.” Tears welled up and began to pour from his eyes. He sobbed. “I stopped him,” he muttered. “And I didn’t take his life, either.”

  She smiled lightly with her eyes still closed. Her hand trembled as she caressed his cheek. Her hand felt cold and dusty on the boy’s battered cheek. “That’s my son. You have made Fredrickstown proud.” A tear trickled from her eye. “You have made me proud,” she said. Lenthean pulled her in for a hug. Their embrace was warm and invigorating, for their love was immense.

  “Will you be all right if I lay you here while I tend to the others?”

  “Yes, I am fine for now. Check on the prince. He is over there.”

  Lenthean saw the prince’s crippled body still and unmoving. So he gently rested his mother’s head on the ground, ran to the prince, and pulled him up. “Gael—Gael, look at me. Are you there? Hello?” The prince gave only gurgling, muffled responses. “Prince Gael,” Lenthean tried once more.

  “I—I dare not open my eyes,” Prince Gael muttered.

  “You can open them. It’s all right now,” Lenthean told him.

  “I am terrified. Even with this nightmare over, I am still terrified.”

  Lenthean’s tears continued to fall.

  “I could see everything, Lenthean. He—he made me do unimaginable things. I came to save you . . . And when I arrived, I was captured. He—he forced my soul to submit to his will. I could see everything that was happening, but was powerless to do anything against him. He commanded my every word, my every breath. I was trapped inside the shell of my own body.”

  Lenthean held onto the prince firmly. “It’s over now, Gael. You are free. Erendar controls you no more.”

  Gael’s eyelids fluttered as he opened them with hesitation.

  He let out a breath. “I—I am free.” He smiled at the lad. Lenthean did not smile back, but only acknowledged Gael. “Lenthean, you have freed all of these people. An entire nation. The world owes you its weight in gold.”

  Lenthean closed his eyes and muttered, “And I seek none of it. Let the world be free from this corruption.” Gael lifted a gloved hand for Lenthean to grab. Lenthean hoisted Gael up to his feet.

  “Well done, Shadow Elementalist.” The prince shook hands with the boy. The prince turned and limped away to aid Lenthean’s mother and a few wounded Der’ Tanellians nearby.

  Lenthean stood alone amid the aftermath of the conflict. It was quiet, with much dust still in the air. Not even a breeze stirred. Only a select few footsteps were sparsely spaced across the environment. The boy lifted his gloved palms and analyzed them. They were still stained with blood as a result of the sacrificial circle he had knelt in before. He couldn’t believe he had almost taken part in such a thing.

  With that he wondered where Zuthar and Valdorath were. He felt fear in his heart, for he knew they were deceased. But he had to find their bodies. As much as it pained him, he had to find them. He had to.

  The boy walked to the church tower from which Zuthar had fallen. The roof was now nonexistent thanks to Lenthean’s collision with Valdorath. The space felt so empty. It was a large gap with no one there. Haunting.

  The boy approached the foundation of the crumbled building and cautiously sifted through the razed structure. He lifted logs, stone, and much more. He kept working for quite some time when he unfortunately discovered the sight he d
id not want to see, but had to: a gnarled hand stemming from the rubble. The large and hairy fingers were obviously that of his fallen uncle, Zuthar.

  The boy fell to his knees watching the lifeless hand. Waiting and wishing for it to move once more. But it would not. He wept profusely at the sight of it. The boy whispered, “I’m so sorry, Uncle.” He sobbed and wiped tears away. “I was a fool. I was so blind . . . So blind that you had to resort to this . . . To have a chance at saving the world . . . I was too foolish. A fool who thought he could make a difference in the world. A fool who wanted to change just one person’s life for the better. And here you are, Uncle. Fallen, because of me. I—I never meant to lose you in all of this. If I could do it all over again, I would make sure you wouldn’t die for me. Fredrickstown lost its most proud butcher.”