“Alyx, this creature is not him. It’s just a monster with his appearance and attributes.”
“No, this grin. It haunted me for years!” She increased her intensity again. There were nicks and breaks on the Skull King’s blade, but he seemed to be fine.
“Rindale himself admitted that it’s just a shadow, but an incredibly strong one. You need to fight smarter.” Certan shadowed her movements, trying to figure out how to get through to her. But he could see it now. She was in a blind rage. The Skull King’s reappearance had tapped into something else. He knew what he had to do.
Certan watched carefully, then he made his move. Alyx had a fantastic opening and she lurched forward with a massive overhead strike. Certan dashed in, one hand catching her blade, and another stopping the Skull King’s. He could feel both weapons surging ahead, trying to eat through his hands. But he steeled his will and held firm.
“Alyx, listen to me.” Certan could see her blindly pushing on. “Alyx, you can’t defeat him like this.” Alyx barely noticed him. She just pushed harder with her sword.
Nothing else to do then.
Certan let go of each sword but guided their path as soon as they jumped free. Both swords were thrust into the ground. Certan shoved them even further, to ensure they were hard to dislodge. As Alyx struggled to free her sword, Certan tapped into the minimal Soul Power left in his body. It felt so close to his own life force. He mixed the two and prepared a special technique. He turned and faced the giant tower of evil, the Skull King. It wasn’t even trying to reach its sword, it was reaching towards Certan. He ducked under its hands and moved in close. He placed both palms on the creature’s chest and let loose a blast of pure energy. He stumbled back with the effort, but the Skull King fared much worse.
A large hole was created in the creature’s chest, and it toppled to the ground. Instantly, the body started to flake away. Certan turned and regarded Alyx. The rage seemed to have subsided. She tugged at her sword and managed to free it. She looked up at Certan.
“I owe you my life. I’m sorry, I lost myself.”
“We all have, at one time or another. There’s no time for that now, let’s turn the tide of this fight.” Certan pointed to a large cluster of Blighters heading towards where he had left Celes and Rindale. Alyx nodded and they jogged along, carving a path through the mass of Blighters. Certan looked back to gauge the rest of the battle’s progress. It was hard to see, but he thought it was evenly matched.
Hopefully, we can change the momentum now.
“They’re after Rindale, there’s no time!” Celes shouted. Certan launched into a sprint. He noticed Alyx by his side.
“Follow my lead.” Certan didn’t even bother to look at Alyx’s response. He knew she would follow. Certan aimed at the middle of the pack. He wasn’t focused on killing them, he was more focused on knocking them down and keeping them occupied. After he had their attention, they changed their focus to try to swarm him. But then Alyx swooped in.
With large arcing slices she decimated them with ease. With their attention divided, they had no way of avoiding her blade. Any that tried to run, found Certan knocking them back into the path of Alyx’s blade. Within minutes, the group had been dispatched.
Certan drew in more deep breaths. His stamina was running out. He looked over and saw Celes questioning Rindale. She looked concerned. He rushed over as fast as he could.
“You look concerned. What happened?”
“That push happened because Rindale started to spill. I hope Lara found Alrion.”
“Why, what is it?”
“Not only did the real Darvin go to intercept him, but there’s another surprise lying in wait. Something dark and horrible.” Celes didn’t bother hiding the dismay on her face. Certan understood the feeling completely. He looked up at the battlefield.
“We need to trust in their strength, there’s too much to be done here.” Certan stood and started his return to the fighting.
Be safe, Alrion, and may wisdom guide your path.
49
Struggle
Alrion moved forward, one step at a time. He didn’t want to make a wrong move. There was something incredibly unsettling about the darkness beyond. He couldn’t make out any details, perhaps that is what made it worse.
Definitely in the right place.
He couldn’t see anything past the mass of black. It seemed like it sucked the light out of anywhere nearby, it was that dark. Quiet too. Completely silent, save for his footsteps. They echoed around on the rocky floor. He decided to create an orb of light and send it over to get a better look at what he was heading towards.
The orb floated over towards the darkness. The closer it moved, it seemed as though something was pulling the light from it. Alrion waited and watched. Soon enough the orb was dimmer.
That’s strange. I better investigate.
Alrion’s mind started imagining some crazy scenarios and dreamed up some ridiculous monsters. But he pushed that aside.
I’ve seen this before, it’s just a wall or gateway or something like that. I don’t need to build it up more than it needs.
As he approached, he cast another orb of light and floated it over near the first. The extra light helped a little, although it began to fare the same as the other one. But he did catch sight of something.
There was movement. That shouldn’t be happening. He took a few more cautious steps. He sensed movement again and turned sharply. Nothing was happening, but he knew there was something.
“Show yourself,” Alrion said, his voice stronger than expected. He didn’t hear any response or notice any motion. He stepped forward again. Suddenly there was movement. From multiple directions. Alrion sent out a wave of fire and watched it alight several things at once. But he couldn’t get a sense of what they were. He activated his Soul vision and gasped.
They were black sinewy tendrils of darkness, full of the Blight. They looked as though they were somehow made from the Blight itself. They snaked through the air, shrugging off the flames which soon died out.
I can’t believe it. This is what Ashra sent at me!
Alrion was stunned. His body went numb.
Don’t freeze up! Fight them!
He channelled his Spark into another fire attack. He knew it wouldn’t do much, but he needed to keep moving. The tendrils were accelerating now, and he couldn’t count how many there were.
Did I fight them the right way last time? Isn’t that a waste of Soul Power?
Alrion tried waves of force, trying to batter them around so they tangled one another. It did work a little, but the tendrils seemed to coordinate perfectly, never quite coming into contact with each other. He pulled at a rock jutting out of the wall, and wrenched it free with a force spell, throwing it towards the biggest mass of tendrils. One was knocked about a little, but the rest expertly dodged away.
They started to converge now and sped towards him in a tight clump.
Maybe I can get them with a more intense heat.
Alrion gathered his Spark and created a beam of condensed flame. It shot out at incredible speed and blazed across the space. The collection of tendrils fanned out, then came at him from different angles. Alrion knelt and worked the earth beneath him. It formed a protective barrier that they all smashed against. But they were strong, and the barrier wouldn’t hold for that long.
Maybe there’s no choice?
Alrion took a moment to compose himself. It was difficult with the vast number of creatures banging against his defensive wall. But he knew that he had a few moments.
Think through the spell and try it.
Even though he had succeeded in Ashra’s trial, it wasn’t a very targeted spell. It had been a lot safer to use, but he hadn’t exactly wielded it with precision. This situation, however, required more finesse. He didn’t want to bring the whole place down on him. Alrion started to gather his Spark and create the basis of a light bomb. But as before, he fed in Soul Power. This seemed to somehow contain
the energy a little. The two powers were in equilibrium in a glowing sphere. He pushed it out against his wall. The sphere passed through the wall, burning it away like it wasn’t there. It must have hit one of the tendrils because he heard a sizzling and wailing sound.
At least it works. Alrion sensed that the bomb was still intact, so he sent a pulse of Spark into it. This upset the balance and the light bomb exploded. After a flash of white Alrion opened his eyes. His defensive barrier was gone, and there was a small piece of floor removed. There seemed to be fewer tendrils than before, but still a lot. And they were completely spread out now.
Well, that worked. A little too well. Even that small size and the Soul Power didn’t make it that safe. Maybe I can use it as a tool, rather than an explosion.
The spell had taken out one of them by merely making contact. Alrion created another and dubbed it a Soul Bomb. It floated in the air before him. It shone so brightly, he could barely look at it. The tendrils of black seemed to avoid it as well. Just as he started to feel like he had a handle on the situation, he felt something wrapping around his right leg. He looked down and saw a tendril had snuck up on him. As he turned, it wrapped around tighter, causing him to drop to his knees. Alrion used a wave of force to tug at the Soul Bomb, bringing it around to his leg. With a quick adjustment of its trajectory, it burned through the black tendril, turning it to ash.
That’s better.
Only Alrion saw that his leg was quite damaged by the attack. It was quite weak and he almost stumbled when getting up.
They’re not trying to infect me, they’re trying to weaken me. And it’s apparently quite easy to do.
Alrion directed some Soul Power to the injured leg and lamented yet another drain on it. He didn’t have an unlimited amount. More tendrils had circled around and were going for his legs. Alrion drew his sword and took a swipe. They expertly dodged and came in close. Alrion pulled his Soul Bomb closer and managed to clip one before the other flew away.
I wonder if this would work.
Alrion used his hand to channel Soul Power into his sword again. This time he found a way to manipulate it so there was a bigger area of coverage. It extended beyond the blade’s edge. When the next three tendrils attacked, Alrion carefully aimed his sword to look like he was just missing. The tendrils did not dodge but were knocked down by the Soul Power attached to his blade. While they were incapacitated, he swung his Soul Bomb down, burning them away.
That was more effective.
Alrion took a few steps back, surveying the scene. There were still more enemies, but they were more cautious now that he had defeated quite a few. But it was taking a toll on him. He decided to end it quickly. He sheathed his sword and let the Soul Bomb dissipate. He closed his eyes and waited.
He could hear them howl as they flew in. They seemed to delight at the opportunity. He wanted to run, to defiantly fight back. But it would be too draining. This would be better. He drew all his Soul Power into a small spot, condensing it. He was thinking about the barrier that his grandmother had done. Only, he wasn’t going to overcharge it. This would be something else.
He felt them attacking now. First his legs, then his arms. Then his torso, and even his head. They had completely wrapped around him. A wave of panic ran through him. He was being smothered.
Control the situation.
Alrion pushed his Soul Power out as a barrier, just far enough to encompass all the tendrils of black attached to him. They shrieked in agony as it passed over them. But it did nothing more. However, he then used his Spark to build a light bomb. He mixed in a tiny bit of Soul Power, then triggered an explosion. A flash of white, a bang, then nothing.
Alrion pulled himself up off the ground. There was a ringing in his ears and he could barely see. His eyes had to readjust to the darkness. It took a long time. Or there was more darkness, which was just as likely. He couldn’t see or sense any more of those things. His body was battered and sore. He had some Spark left, and some Soul Power, but nowhere near as much as he would have liked.
Nothing ever works out as you’d like.
Alrion found his sword and sheathed it. The darkness beyond was still there, only it didn’t seem quite so dark.
Maybe those creatures had made it appear darker. He took a deep breath and pushed on. He created a tiny orb of light to help, but it did little to penetrate the darkness. Tentatively he kept walking. The geometry on the walls was here too, and there were some wild shapes that seemed impossible. But they weren’t why he was here. Soon enough he saw what he expected.
A wall of darkness, in slow but constant motion. At the same time, it looked like it was oozing yet also a void of nothing. He saw in his mind the image of his grandfather touching it. He could understand why. It defied logic. There was an irresistible urge to just take it in your hand and see if you could make sense of it. Alrion forced his hands to stay in his pockets. He didn’t want to be too rash.
Some of the elements of the spell came to the front of his mind. He would need to interact directly with the wall to enable the spell to work. As he considered the best way to do that, he noticed something odd. The wall itself was changing. Forming something. A head. No, more than that. An entire body stepped out of the wall, made of the same substance and connected to the wall by millions of tiny strands.
“Welcome, Alrion, we’ve been waiting for you.” The creature of black spoke to him.
“What are you?”
“I’m the Blight. The manifestation of consciousness behind all those connected to me. We have much in common.”
“I very much doubt that.” Alrion didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t expected this. Nothing mentioned this.
“We are both born of Granthion.” The thing smiled and Alrion shuddered.
“I don’t understand.”
“The great wizard Granthion caused all this, as you know. Our sentience is thanks to him. His power awakened the ability in us to act. And so we have. Developing our own people, our own ways. Strengthening our bond. And yet, here you are. Trying to take that all away from us.”
“You have no right to those gifts when you only have them by destroying human lives.”
“Destroying? No, we enhance them. Do you not believe that?”
“Of course not. I’ve experienced the terror myself.”
“You were just afraid and rejected the bond. In time, you would accept and find joy from it. Ours is just a different way.” The creature held out a hand. Alrion stepped back.
“What are you doing?”
“It doesn’t matter what you want to do, you need to interact with us anyway. Hold my hand, so that we may understand each other better.” The creature held out its hand. Alrion looked at it warily.
This doesn’t feel right. What do I do?
Alrion stepped back again and channelled his Soul Power into his hand as a precaution. The creature of the Blight did not move, perhaps it was restrained to the source. He debated in his mind on how to move forward. He doubted he could even interact with the source without touching the creature. Just as Alrion reached a decision he heard footsteps. He turned to see who was approaching.
50
The Missing Piece
Alrion saw a figure in the distance, approaching. It looked like a man in a hood. A wizard.
It’s him!
Alrion turned completely and ignored the creature of the Blight. He started walking away. The wizard kept approaching.
“Announce yourself. Who are you?” Alrion said.
“You know me as Aydan. We’ve been conversing for a while now.” The wizard kept approaching at a steady rate. His voice sounded strange, like it had been altered.
“So, you’re the one that’s been following me around everywhere. And sending me messages in that book. Finally, you show yourself.” Alrion was annoyed.
Now this wizard shows up, at the critical time. A time when I can’t use help from anyone else. A time when this wizard would just be a hindrance.
&nb
sp; “I came at the appropriate time. I apologise for all the subterfuge, I needed to keep my identity secret.”
“I could have used your help before. Now, it’s pointless. Even five minutes ago would have been helpful. What comes next is just for me, as you should know.”
“I am sorry, I was supposed to be here. I thought you had returned to the battle, but I made a mistake. That delayed me getting here.” The wizard had approached Alrion and was standing right before him. His face was still hidden by his hood.
“Now you’re here, you could at least show me who you are.”
“Yes, you should know.” The wizard spoke without the voice masking. Alrion gasped.
“No, it can’t be. That’s impossible.”
“It’s not impossible. You and everyone else just accepted a false truth.” Alrion stepped forward and thrust back the hood. He was staring into his father’s eyes.
“I still don’t believe it. Prove it.”
“As you wish. We are safe for a time.” Vincent held out his hand and a small flame appeared above it. Alrion shook his head, not impressed. The flame grew larger then morphed into three different-sized flame spheres, all rotating at different speeds.
“Must I go on?” Vincent said. He let the flames dissipate.
“I don’t understand. Why do all this? You’ve spent your entire life lying to me, lying to everyone.” Alrion’s voice sank. This was not the revelation he expected, or even wanted.
“It was my father’s idea. At first, he was scared of me being targeted by the Blight. And then he wanted me kept secret to keep his progress on a cure secret.”
“What do you mean cure? You?”
“You know I can use Soul Power. My father knew that too. He intended on us curing the Blight together, as father and son.”
“But he died saving you?”
“Yes, because I left him alone. Then I was captured by Rindale and infected. My father knew he would lose his chance at saving the world from the Blight, but he could save me instead. That was his gift to the world.” Vincent wore a sad smile. Alrion thought about it, he let the thought sink in.
Soul of Light (The Hidden Wizard Book 4) Page 36