Dark Form_Book 1 of the Shadow War Trilogy

by M. A. Da Costa

“…Zarvick is right. You are looking a little—”

  “Disgusting,” Asvarp smirks.

  “Yes,” I respond.

  After Genu is done glaring at me he takes a seat next to me. The old man wears an eerie grin, then a light shimmers over his body; he immediately gains his old appearance back and takes a seat across from Genu. A moment of silence goes by before Asvarp waves his hands in front of him above the table; a few plates with lots of food pop into reality.

  “Wow. I haven’t seen this much food in a very long time,” I am thrilled.

  He gestures for us to dig in but the vampiric-kaine waves away the notion. I, on the other hand, grab the biggest plate and rip off a large duck leg. Now, this is something that I can enjoy.

  “Where’s Crystalline? We can’t start this meeting without her,” Genu speaks over the sound of our murderous chewing.

  The mage stops mid-chew and his eyebrows furrow, some odd seconds later and Crystalline appears in the chair across from me. She sits in the chair with her head hanging and clearly looks out of it; then—probably because of the food—she jumps up and looks around.

  “Woah…I almost forgot where I was…how did I—” she cuts herself short as she looks down at the table; Crystalline’s eyes lit up in awe. “So…much…food!”

  The three of us find ourselves tearing through the feast while the Genu is probably contemplating on whether he should kill us or not.

  “Could we please begin?!” He roars.

  All of us stop, look at him, and slowly put the food back down after taking another bite. With a wave of Asvarp’s hands, the food disappears. We really needed that.

  He catches us up on everything that he told Genu the days prior; strangely Crystalline nor myself seem affected by any of this information. It’s almost as if we already knew it, however, it was what came next that shocked us all.

  “Now there is something that I just learned and it’s beginning to make me question Elvendora’s monarchy.”

  “What?” We harmonize.

  “Yesterday, when Zarvick and Crystalline so kindly intervened by killing the shadows I was studying; I learned something very interesting: Levouay, like the other royal council members, are all working for Reaper. It’s using her necromantic powers to, somehow, weaken the essences of both the living and of the dead, so the shadows can grow in power. The banshee is helping Reaper to raise an army.”

  All of us let it sink in, not sure what to say. Yet, we all know that this is only the start.

  Chapter 13

  (Crystalline)

  Asvarp just told us some very shocking information and all I can think about is the resentment I have developed for Levouay. Her and Reaper are the cause of death for countless innocent lives. Including, Zarvick’s friends and family. We must stop this madness.

  “What are we supposed to do?” I ask.

  “We diverge a plan to cut off all of Reaper’s resources at their core,” Asvarp breathes, “which means that we will have to kill every single royal member on Elvendora.”

  “How are we going to execute such a plan, Asvarp?” Genu sighs.

  He sits and thinks for a moment before speaking, “Zarvick and Crystalline will have to kill the kings and queens. It’ll help prepare them for their future battles with the dark one. We just have to find a way to enter their castles…”

  I glance at Zarvick and see his eyebrows are furrowed with frustration; his eyes never leave his lap but his arms’ muscles continue to tense. He seems lost in some type of experiment. I send a little shockwave from my foot to his and he jumps. A horrendous blast blows the table right over me as I fall back in my chair.

  A chuckle shutters down his spine as his eyes widen with surprise. I can see a smile urging at the edge of his lips as I struggle to get up; invisible hands put the table, and me, back in place.

  “I think we should first talk about how we are going to deal with training the two of you,” Genu says.

  “That’s easy. We will use the simulation room, you should remember it Genu,” Asvarp grins. “I will take care of Crystalline’s training and you can take care of Zarvick’s. Agreed?”

  “No!” Zarvick and Genu reject in unison.

  Men are such children. “I like that idea Asvarp.” Or liked it until those two gave me rather nasty looks.

  Zarvick sinks in his chair and Genu takes a deep breath; neither wanting to admit that they hate the other. The old man, on the other hand, pushes his chair back and stands.

  “As much as I would like to continue this conversation, I believe that we should begin training now. Despite the both of you needing to rest; time is of the uttermost importance.”

  He heads towards the doors and I follow; the other two unwilling stand and lag behind me. Each of us is sucked through the dimensional portal into a large, seemingly comfortable, room. The floor looks like you could just take the best nap of your life on it. This is the only room in the entire tower without any windows and is completely white. I love it!

  Asvarp takes us to the center of the room where he stands in complete silence, absorbing the ambiance. That’s when I notice my bow is missing.

  “Where are our weapons?” I ask.

  “You must learn to use the power within you without relying on your tools before you can ever use your weapons again,” Genu finally speaks.

  The mage nods and a sparkling ray sheds an alluring spell from his hand, blurring the room around us. It’s transforming…?!

  * * * * *

  I find myself in an open forest on top of a big hill. It’s beautiful but I immediately realize that it’s not real. Guess this is what Asvarp meant by simulation.

  “I have warped the reality around you in the white room so that you are somewhere else even though you are still in the room. Powerful stuff,” he’s gloating.

  I nod. He used some hocus pocus to make this entirely fake reality seem real to us. Simple enough.

  The old man pulls a white furball from his cloak. Cute, little, black eyes flutter open as tiny paws emerge from beneath the fur. Long antennae stretch above its body. This bizarre creature is the most adorable thing I have ever laid my eyes on.

  “These beast are known as nexny, they are among Elvendora’s deadliest predators,” he says, “I named him Fluffy.”

  After he places it on the floor I instantly kneel down to pet it. It’s so cute! At first, I begin to feel a purring sensation vibrate from its body which only excites me, yet the little furball begins to morph. Not into anything pretty, sadly.

  His tiny paws lash out into masculine four-digit hands with large talons, attached to giant muscular arms; its legs take on a similar appearance to its arms with the exception of a back claw sticking out from behind his heel. As the arms and legs stretch out, the body contorts and enlarges to a monstrous size as its muscles set it. Finally, his face swiftly breaks through, forming a large muzzle as eight black eyes pop out of the fur with spiny antennae above them.

  Little Fluffy’s mouth opens into the shape of an ‘X’, fangs align along each side of its gums; his roar would be terrifying if his breath didn’t smell so awful.

  “This is what I get for trying to be nice,” I reply as green saliva drips from his whip-like tongue.

  Asvarp fades away, “have fun.”

  Fluffy raises its hand and quickly brings it down upon my head; I cartwheel to my right and take off into the trees. Believing I had a head start was a beginner’s mistake; the beast lunges from tree to tree, practically flying, catching up to me in no time.

  I spin and put my arms vertically before me, creating a burgundy shield; Fluffy jumps at me right in time for its jaws to sink into my shield. Before it breaks I thrust my hands forward and blast the beast backwards. He lands with a loud crash, I spin back around and sprint away.

  This has got to be the most heart attack inducing training I’ve ever done, nevertheless, I must fight to impress. Halfway through my sprinting terrible pounding shakes the earth. I don’t look back. I remain
as calm as possible and I keep on running

  I just run and run, trees fly by as my feet glide along the forest floor. Adrenaline rushes through me; it causes a fluctuation in my powers and I feel it energizing my body. A sudden pulse courses through my nervous system and it’s exhilarating. My body accelerates and I am breaking the wind; within moments, I am dashing by the trees. As I glance at my arms, I see past images of their movement, a transparent burgundy glimmer is acting as an extension of my power.

  Swiftly, I sense these images being one with my new found speed, so, why not make the most of it? I bounce off my right foot to the left. Landing with my left foot on a tree trunk, I kick off to the right; catching my foot on another tree I spring to the left. That’s when I leap off the last trunk before gripping onto a branch and swing in a circular motion. As I am upside down, I see three past images of myself kicking off each tree following my movements to a tee; as I come back around I lunge forward and somersault myself onto the edge of a cliff. The speed I’ve gathered throws me high enough to land on my feet; as I do, I slide forward and twirl into a crouching posting.

  My images swing on the branch and slide/twirl into my body, one right after the other. Asvarp appears at my side with a smile on his face. I just want to punch him right in the jaw.

  “A word of warning, one of the deadliest features of the nexny is their vast intelligence,” Asvarp speaks in a wise tone of voice.

  “Your point,” I growl.

  “They catch on rather quickly,” he chuckles before disappearing again!

  Looking down, I see Fluffy rampaging through the tree, clawing at them as he begins to ascend up the cliffside. Why don’t these monsters ever quit?! I turn around and dash forward. Minutes later, unsurprisingly, Fluffy is right on top of me.

  Its claws rake my feet right out from underneath me, causing my body to skid along the ground. Coming to a stop I—in a split second—put my hands by the sides of my head, lift my lower body and spring upwards onto my feet. The nexny angrily rushes for me, I swiftly leap back, forcing a burst of energy out from my feet keeping me just out of his reach.

  That doesn’t stop him from throwing himself forward; his mouth opens and I thrust my hands forth. A barbed shield construct rams into Fluffy’s chest blowing him back. Oh, I’m good! Planting my feet on the ground, I clasp my hands together before my chest, shifting them in a one-eighty motion and sliding them apart; my burgundy bar forms between my palms.

  He charges in, I strike him across the face with a large hammerhead. I use the other end of my staff to create another war-hammer. The nexny definitely did not like that idea (he’s still so cute!); his jaws seize the hammerhead and shatter it. I try to rebound by swinging the other end, however, he claws through my pole and backhands me through a tree.

  The tree collapses between as I slowly get to my feet letting my bones pop and my muscles relax. Cute or not, Fluffy is going to die! I charge him, my hands extended out to my sides; spiritual energy forms within my palms before becoming sword constructs. The nexny and I go into an all-out brawl; he swings I parry, then I thrust with my other sword but he blocks it with his talons. I propel my left blade at his face, he counters with his powerful fangs; once that sword is broken, I swipe my right sword at his arm but he tears through it with a single swing.

  Rapidly, I dance around him; forming two dagger constructs. I begin my onslaught. Slashing behind his right calf brings him to a knee, then I stab his left thigh; forming another dagger, I jump onto his back and plunge it through his right shoulder. As he tries to grab me, I transform my remaining dagger into a sword and thrust it into his hand.

  I backflip off of him before he whirls around; his tongue lashes out at me. I put up a shield but Fluffy’s acid saliva melts through it. Deciding that’s not enough, I leap back with my super speed. Once I gain my footing, I shove my hands forward the moment he charges me.

  The two daggers and the sword constructs burst, sending a shock through Fluffy’s soul; he quickly collapses, landing at my feet. I’m not going to trust this. Raising my hands I summon a great sword and pierce it through his skull.

  Asvarp appears as Fluffy disappears, “that wasn’t as impressive as I had hoped but there's no doubt that you can fight.”

  “I don’t understand,” I shake my head.

  “You manifest your powers more like a warrior, instead of like a pneuma.”

  “But I’m not a pneuma.”

  “No, you’re mu—.”

  The sound of thunder booming through a darkened sky interrupts Asvarp. Lightning flashes through the clouds descending past the mountaintops further into the forest. That can’t be good.

  Chapter 14

  (Zarvick)

  It’s like slipping through reality and falling into an illusion. Of course, Asvarp had to choose a forest to put us in. It’s always a forest. Trees stretch out as far as my eyes can see. I turn around to find Genu sitting on top of a boulder. His legs are crossed, hands entwined in his lap, with an annoyed expression lurking on his face. The feeling is mutual.

  “I suppose we should get started then,” I say.

  Mockingly, he replies, “I suppose.”

  My feet leave the ground as my body unwilling soars above the trees. Hurriedly, I am dragged back down to the forest floor. The wind is knocked out of me as I dig my fingers into the soil. Genu laughs as I struggle to my feet; he’s clearly not going to make this a fair fight.

  “Just using your telekinesis doesn’t prove that you’re stronger than me,” I murmur.

  He collects a genuinely serious expression as he slides off the boulder. I let the vampiric-kaine take a few steps towards me before I force the boulder to propel into him. As it closes the gap between us I project an abundance of electricity out from my fingertips. The boulder explodes from the impact, shoving him backwards. Let the games begin!

  Charging forward, I summon the wind beneath my feet, allowing me to practically run on air. It’s actually really entertaining. I launch myself up above him and ball my right-hand into a fist, forcing all the muscles in my arm to tense. I pounce on Genu. Earlier than my fist can strike his face he rolls over, compelling me to punch the ground. The earth roars as it mildly caves in under my strength. Honestly, I am impressed by how much I’ve grown. Always knew that I was stronger than other elves in my village but never to this extent.

  The zouvx has sprung to his feet and tackles me into a tree. This is a bit unexpected for him. I clasp my hands above my head then slam them onto his spine; his knees buckle only for a moment before he uppercuts me with the back of his head. Genu grips the front of my armor and flings me further into the forest. After bouncing off of a few trees, I briskly get to my feet.

  “You’re going to have to be faster, stronger. You have a decent sense of how to control your powers but not enough to defeat something at the level Reaper is on.”

  If he wants me to be stronger. I’ll be stronger. Wrapping arms around the tree next to me, I rip it from the earth with more effort than I was expecting; utilizing it like a sword, I swing the tree and Genu evades the attack at the last possible second. I shift the earth beneath a few trees in my path to move them out-of-the-way. Next, I gather as much strength as I can muster and throw my weapon at him; as it takes off through the air I hop onto the trunk and race across its surface.

  He claps his hands together, demolishing the tree with an outstanding telekinetic blast. What an asshole. Beforehand, I push off the trunk and, using the element of surprise (basically the ninth element of life), come down on him hard; my foot slides across his cheek, sending him tumbling to the floor.

  Getting up, his clothes change to the first time we fought: white vest, white pants, and white buckled shoes. Golden eyes glimmer in the sunlight and his pupils narrow; a wave emits from his body, rippling my way. I have no idea what comes over me but I sense the very vibrations in the earth as Elvendora moves; it’s power surges from my bones forcing this sensation to flow through me. Driving my arms forwa
rd, vibration waves broadcast out from my hands. They collide with Genu’s psychokinetic powers, producing an outburst of force that shakes the surrounding area.

  Now’s my chance! Taking advantage of this event, I sprint forward; gathering a zephyr around me I propel myself forth. A swift right hook across his jaw puts him off balance, then a knee to his gut brings him into a crouching position, finally I wrap my arms around his torso and spin around with his body; I do elevate this process by shifting the earth beneath my feet and increasing the wind’s vortex surrounding me. After a few solid spins I chuck Genu. It’s amusing watching his limp body fly straight into a tree, cracking the trunk.

  “Not bad,” Genu coughs as he stands. His claws dig into the tree’s trunk as he regains his balance.

  “I guess I have more control of my power than you thought,” my smug tone brings a smile to his face.

  “I could have easily done what you just did. You need to become the elements not just manipulate them.”

  Flame engulfs my arms prior to me launching several fireballs his way. He simply raises his hand out in front of him and stops the fireballs in mid-air; with a little twitch of his fingers, they reverse on me. I assemble water on the edge of my fingertips and, as I clap my hands, the water clashes together forming a large bubble that extinguishes the flames. I gather the last drops floating through the air and morph them into ice shards.

  Clenching my fingers, the ice shoots forth; Genu discharges a psychic thought that melts the shards. At sonic speed, he rams into me, sending the both of us careening off the sudden cliff behind me. As we are freefalling, I throw my arm to the wind as an icy blade descends from my elbow down past my fingertips; at which I twist and contort my body until I have the perfect angle and ram my blade into Genu’s rib cage.

  Branches snap beneath us as we continually struggle to break apart from one another. Annoyingly, he has stuck his claws into my shoulder, making it harder to get away from him. This squabble is starting to get on my last nerves. With all my focus, I conjure a powerful cyclone between us until it enlarges beyond my control; gusts push away all the neighboring trees, I continue to fall to now open ground. The zouvx flies above me watching me fall to a rather painful landing. Nevertheless, I am determined to win this fight and prove him wrong.