Afaris focused in order to make out the view using his perception, as his eyes were not of great help. He noticed that in the centre of the mountain there was a peaceful lake, of enormous dimensions. It seemed to stretch on half of the mountain area. Around it there were various rock formations. They may have been the mirrors his father mentioned, but without the light, they seemed regular rocks. Above the lake was the volcano crater. Maybe, if his heart had not been pounding like that, he could have watched that stunning scenery with different eyes.
Afaris taped Saraf on the shoulder and his father looked at him. Afaris pointed two fingers to his temple, suggesting him to talk telepathically. Saraf nodded approval.
‘What are they doing?’ Afaris asked.
‘Praying. They will not leave very soon.’
‘Let’s wait here to see what they do. I really don’t want to make a scene here.’
‘We will not engage them, we will not have to. Let us try to reason with them, and if our words fall on deaf ears, quickly generate two energy swords and take a menacing face. They may have attended the battle, they know what we are capable of and that they stand no chance.’
Saraf went out of his hideout and Afaris followed. Treading firmly, they headed towards the Nymphs. One of them, hearing their steps cried sharply, alarming the others.
They all turned around and starting waving their wings threateningly, shouting at them. Saraf raised his hand showing them he was unarmed, then lowered them.
‘No need for violence, we come in peace.’
‘Peace!’ one of the Nymphs shouted. ‘Peace?! We saw what you are capable of in front of your town. You are wrong to be here.’
‘I know, but we had no choice. Fate summoned us.’
‘Fate summoned you to death’ another Nymph shouted and walked towards them in a menacing manner.
‘This is a sacred place, you do not belong here!’ another Nymph yelled.
‘Well, that is all for diplomacy’ Saraf whispered to Afaris.
They both opened their palms at the same time, forming two shinning energy swords. Seeing this, the Nymphs stopped, surprised. One unfolded his wings and took off, followed by the others.
‘See, I told you they would be frightened’ Saraf told Afaris, satisfied.
‘I wouldn’t be so sure …’
The Nymphs flew towards them and then started circling them. One detached himself from the group and dived towards them.
‘Watch out! Saraf screamed, fending off the attack.
Afaris rolled to the other side and whispered a curse:
‘Damn it …’
He rotated the swords in his palm, then grabbed them heftily.
‘Shall we kill them?’ he asked.
‘No. Show strength!’ Saraf shouted. ‘If that does not work either, slit their throat.’
Saraf pointed one sword to one of the Nymphs hovering above him. An invisible hand seemed to grab the Nymph and smash it to the ground. The Nymph yelled, then stood up and jumped at him.
A strange sound drew Afaris’s attention to the lake. Bubbles were emerging its surface, then waves formed.
Too concerned with his Nymph, Saraf failed to notice the strange event. He generated a field force in front of him and he pushed it to the Nymph. The shield stroke the beast and threw him on his back. He then glanced at the other Nymphs who, to his joy, were going away in the direction of the lake. Then, he noticed the strange event.
The water was bubbling stronger and stronger, then two pairs of humongous wings emerged, followed by a gigantic Nymph head with a beak matching its size. The Nymph exited the water and his strong wings were generating an unstoppable air current.
Saraf and Afaris covered their eyes with their sleeves, protecting themselves from the dust flying around. Then, the gigantic Nymph landed next to the lake.
Afaris was contemplating it. It was huge, much bigger than Akdarosif. His heart was pounding out of his chest. He saw the other Nymphs run away through the volcano crater. Maybe for them it was safer not to continue the fight because of the extremely powerful air currents the Nymph had generated. Anyway, a couple of puny Nymphs could not help the giant in front of them.
Saraf turned his swords into dust and went to the Nymph in a relaxed manner.
‘What are you doing? Have you gone insane!?’ Afaris shouted at him.
The huge Nymph continued to study the two, then went towards Saraf with heavy steps which shook the mountain.
Afaris was agitated behind Saraf, not knowing what his intentions were. Did he want to talk to him? He looked behind, at the small tunnel through which they had come out. It was a relief to know that the Nymph could not squeeze in there to follow them in case things went bad.
‘This must be Afaris, if I am not mistaken’ the Nymph spoke.
‘Yes, my youngest son. How do you know this?’
‘Pandora has told me about him. She also told me you were coming. I hope my younger brothers gave you no hassle.’
‘You appeared in the nick of time, a couple of seconds later we would have had to use our swords.’
Afaris was staring at them, puzzled. He then lowered his swords, relieved, understanding that the Nymph was not their enemy.
Saraf waved at him to join them.
‘Come on, it is alright, Galus is an old friend, he will do you no harm.’
Afaris approached them. He could barely see the height of the Nymph’s claw.
‘These days are turmoil, Saraf. You did good to come here.’
Afaris was studying the Nymph, shocked by his outstanding size. Awesome as he seemed, he had a face which read calm and wisdom. Above him, the sun rays started to enter the volcano crater, illuminating the hollow space gradually.
‘Indeed. I tried to prevent these times, but to no result’ Saraf sighed.
‘It was meant to be. A passage, in which our friendship is put to test, as well as our trust and strength. One thing is certain, after the war, the survivors will be much stronger than their ancestors.’
‘That is right. Let us hope now they will be as numerous as possible, on both sides.’
When Afaris reached his father, the latter embraced him.
‘You were slightly scared’
‘Of course I was …’
‘No need to fear. I am not part of this war. My goal has been and will be to guard Pandora.’
Afaris nodded:
‘That’s a relief.’
He turned to Saraf:
‘We are the only ones who know about Pandora, you liar.’
Saraf smiled ironically, and told him:
‘Good, let us get going, there is no time to waste.’
Saraf invited Afaris to follow him, going in the direction of the Lake of Mirrors. All around it, the light started reflecting in the rock formations, giving the impression they were glowing on their own.
‘I will wait here to make sure nobody disturbs you’ Galus said and sat down behind them with such a heavy thud that the mountain itself moaned.
Saraf and Afaris reached the lake and Afaris had no clue about what followed. Saraf smiled and said:
‘Hold your breath and follow me!’
He jumped into the water; afraid not to lose him, Afaris jumped, too, swimming to the bottom of the lake.
His cloak was soaked in water and made his movements difficult and he was forced to use more force to advance than anticipated. Saraf was swimming ahead guided by a shiny energo-spirit which opened the way. Without it they could see nothing, as light penetrated just a couple of meters.
Afaris formed his own energo-spirit under the form of a dwarf Nymph which was swimming below him. When they reached the lake bottom, what was lying there gave Afaris the shivers. He was so apprehensive he nearly swallowed a mouthful of water.
The lake bottom was covered by piles of Nymph skeletons. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, considering the entire area of the lake bottom. Did every Nymph mark the end of an era? If so, Afaris understood how old their
species actually was.
Looking at his father he noticed that before them there was what seemed a transparent dome placed on the lake bottom. Getting close to it he also noticed it was not surrounded by Nymph bones. Inside the semi-sphere there were several lights flickering, but he could not make out very well what was inside.
Saraf stopped swimming and fixed his feet on the lake bottom, some steps from the dome then starting walking towards it slowly. Afaris stopped behind him, continuing to swim and watching him attentively step inside the transparent construction.
From the inside, Saraf waved him to follow and Afaris swam in his direction. On passing through the semi-sphere wall, he understood too late it held no water and not having what to swim in, he fell to the ground, much to Saraf’s amusement.
He stood up, clothes soaking, while his father continued to laugh at him. Looking down, he focused his energy on his clothes, then to his hair and dried them.
‘This has been the most unpleasant experience so far. You saw how many skeletons …’
His words froze as he noticed their whereabouts. The dome was filled with numerous semi-transparent trees, as if made up of pure energy, their branches hanging like thick threads adorned by shiny flowers, resembling the crystals in the tower library.
Afaris was gazing around amazed. The ground was covered in grass, similar to the trees: transparent and made of energy.
‘This is beautiful, is it not?’ Saraf asked, seeing his son’s dazed expression.
‘It is. It’s unbelievable.’
Afaris realized that lately he had seen many breath-taking views making him wonder how many such magnificent places there were on Aora.
‘What is this place?’
‘A portal to Pandora, to planet Pandora. What you see here, even though we are still on Aora is a view from Pandora. A linking spot between the two worlds.’
‘This is incredible … much more beautiful than in your description.’
‘Indeed, words cannot do justice to the true beauty of our mother’ Saraf said.
The two strolled to the centre of the forest, enjoying the spectacular view. Afaris caressed the branches. He was expecting his hand to pass through them, but to his surprise they hit his hand just like solid branches. They left the impression they could not be touched, that the hand would pass through them, but they were actually as real as any other tree on Aora.
Among the trees, Afaris saw an interesting stone building. He then made out a statue. Around it there were no trees on a ten-meter radius. Moving past the tree line he noticed the statue was that of an Aorian woman. It was several times bigger than them. One hand was pressed to her chest, fingers grouped and the other one stretched forward, palm upwards holding a crystal. It seemed the same type of crystal like that growing in the trees, but bigger.
‘Is this where you get your crystals?’ Afaris asked, making the connection.
‘Some of them, yes.’
Saraf stopped in front of the statue contemplating it. Afaris stopped too watching the stone woman.
‘This is Pandora’ Saraf said. ‘Or at least her counterpart on Aora.’
‘How do you plan to talk to her? This is a mere statue, will you pray and she will answer via thoughts?’
‘Or you can talk directly, my dear child.’
Afaris froze. The statue had just spoken. He gazed at it, and the statue smiled glaring at him. It then blinked and its eyelids opened, the eye globes turned from stone into a dark matter, as Afaris had never seen. Looking closer he realized that inside them there were small white spots. They were not two dark spheres, they were a miniature replica of the sky, of the universe.
Saraf kneeled down in front of the statue and Afaris followed hastily.
‘Mother, I am glad to see you’ Saraf said and stood up.
‘Likewise, my child. What troubled thoughts bring you here?’
‘I have come to seek your guidance. These are very difficult times we are living. Fear is grinding us, fuelled by the uncertainty of the future, caused by the war we have just entered.’
‘And you intend to put an end to the war with the Nymphs, do you not?’
‘Yes. How can we do this?’
‘Your war will die alone when you find a reason to live together and help each another.’
‘Peace does not seem a strong reason for them. They wish bloodshed. And my son, Lint, is the reason beyond their thirst.’
‘I regret to tell you, Saraf, but Lint is no longer your son. His body is controlled by something else now.’
Saraf bit his lip and bowed his head:
‘By whom?’
‘By your true enemy.’
‘That energy.’
‘The energy drowning your minds and which you fear so much is nothing but his breath. Your true enemy is still lurking in the dark.’
‘Our true enemy. Who is that?’
‘Difficult times are in store for the Aorians and Nymphs. Only when you fight it, will you come to know true friendship. True peace.’
Afaris was puzzled, failing to understand what Pandora meant.
‘But who is that enemy?’
‘You are asking as if you were not facing it every day. Feel its energy, look beyond its mask and you will see its face.’
‘This does not help me at all …’
‘I am not here to help you, but guide you in one direction. The challenges which follow are yours. I gave you life, wisdom, strength. The future of Aora is in your hands. In time you will understand what I mean.’
Saraf nodded, but his face read his deep disappointment. He had expected another answer, a more concrete one.
‘I see’ he said.
‘Remember one thing, no matter what happens your priority is Afaris.’
Afaris gazed in surprise.
‘Your son has unimaginable powers, a special gift. His fast progress during the last few days is due to his talent. Soon, he will outclass you, Saraf. And we both know what this means.’
‘Is Afaris a Prophet?’ Saraf asked stunned. ‘I thought the gene cannot be inherited.’
‘Your son is a Prophet to be, not a born one. He has the skill to seize all the energy around him, copy it and even consume it. Thus, what you are he will be, and more.’
Saraf looked at Afaris, then at Pandora:
‘What shall I do?’
‘Protect him, teach him, and guide him.’
‘I see.’
‘When he is ready he will decide Aora’s fate.’
Saraf nodded pensive. He grabbed Afaris by the shoulders affectionately.
‘Thank you, Pandora.’
The two took a bow and left for the energy forest.
‘One more thing, Saraf.’
Saraf turned to the statue.
‘Soon, you will come to the pastures in my world.’
Chapter 24
The new king of the Nymphs
Afaris and Saraf emerged the lake. On the shore, in front of them, Galus was lying on the ground, fast asleep. Afaris covered his eyes, blinded by the light. When their eyes became accustomed, they realized the sun was entering the volcano crater directly and reflected in the crystals around the lake. The light was very intense and the temperature much higher than when they had entered the water.
They dried their clothes and hair rapidly and Galus raised his head and asked:
‘Did you find the answers you were seeking?’
‘To some extent, yes’ Saraf replied.
‘Her words always convey more information than you grasp the first time you hear them. Take your time and analyse each thing she told you.’
Galus stood up and flew past them, entering the lake.
‘And put an end to this nonsense war. I am tired of seeing my akin on the lake bottom.’
His body submersed, then his head, several bubbles surfacing in his stead.
‘How come he doesn’t drown?’ Afaris asked.
‘He is an amphibian. In time he has evolved more than the other
Nymphs. Thus, he has become the strongest and wiser of them all, I would say.’
Afaris had an idea:
‘What if we persuade him to fight Crifius? Take leadership over the Nymphs. We could thus end the war.’
‘He will not. He belongs here, amid the remains of his kind, alongside Pandora.’
‘Are you sure you cannot persuade him?’
‘Yes. I do not even remember when he last left the mountain. Let us go back.’
Saraf left through the tunnel through which they had entered, but Afaris stayed put. Looking back at his son, Saraf asked:
‘What is wrong?’
Afaris swallowed, then with a low voice, asked his father:
‘Pandora said that you would soon return to her. What does it mean?’
Saraf lowered his look and sighed, sadness printed on his face.
‘That means my time in this world is reaching an end.’
‘But … how can you die? You’re immortal, you’re the strongest of us all! You cannot leave us now!’
'If Pandora wills it … she gave us life and she can take it, too.’
Saraf came next to Afaris and embraced him, but his son had his arms crossed on his chest, annoyed and teary eyes.
‘Look, I am going to talk to her again, to see exactly what her intentions are, but my death does not mean what you think. As you have said, I am too strong to die. She will probably send me to another civilization where they need me more than you do. And when she does, I promise you will find out where I am.’
***
Several days passed since their encounter with Pandora. Reaching Saraf-Menom, they resumed their daily activities: training and coaching. Saraf even taught him how to use a new weapon, one of the many he had stashed in his memories: the bow and arrows. Unlike swords, daggers and the other weapons, it proved the most effective energy weapon. For the arrow to have a devastating impact, it was supposed to bear much energy, but that energy would shatter a wood bow. It took a great deal of energy to control an energy bow, but the result was spectacular. An arrow could split a tree into two, depending on its charge. A Nymph attack would be useless. Finally, Aorians were no longer afraid. They knew that if they wished, they could win the war overnight, but as Saraf had told them, genocide was no victory at all.
Afaris: Shadows on Aora Page 22