Dark Form_Book 1 of the Shadow War Trilogy

by M. A. Da Costa

  I grunt. You’d think she’d at least listen to me considering everything that we’ve been through. Women.

  “I asked if you think that our lives are different somehow. You know, altered maybe?”

  She contemplates this for a while; staring down at her bow before meeting my gaze. With a soft smile, she takes a deep breath.

  “I believe that everything is the way it is for a reason. I mean, do you really think I would actually need this bow if I could use my full strength. You wouldn’t need that glaive either.”

  I shake my head, “that’s not what I’m asking.”

  Sighing, she replies, “Yes and no. I’ve noticed the same things that you have. Something is off about Elvendora but I couldn’t tell you what. Yet, I still feel as though some events would have ended up the same way.”

  “Which ones?”

  “My parents’ deaths.”

  It takes me a moment to notice Crystalline’s distant demeanor; unlike her, I actually had a chance to get to know my parents. Well, as much as I can remember of them. Sadly, most of my memory is…foggy…

  “What can you remember from the past before we met?” I question.

  Her eyebrows furrow, “all of it. Especially the training since it’s all basically muscle memory now.”

  Both of us turn as we hear footsteps approach: Asvarp and Genu. Of course, they both look agitated. Sometimes I wonder what is going on between them. Then again, it wouldn’t really matter if I did now, they're both stubborn and aren't planning on changing anytime soon.

  Maybe Asvarp will know more about my memory loss and if the time paradox has anything to do with it. For someone as old as he is, it surprises me when he doesn’t have an answer.

  As I open my mouth, he expels a beam of light from his fingertips; it zooms past us and destroys one of my targets.

  “Have you finally gone mad?!” Crystalline is taken back, “that could have killed us!”

  “Nonsense. I am a perfect shot,” he chuckles. “Now, tell me Zarvick, why didn’t you stop my spell?”

  “Maybe because I didn’t know you were going to cast a spell.” What kind of question is that? I’m not some all-knowing being.

  “Fair enough.”

  With a raise of his hand, another beam flies forth knocking me to the ground. That was just cruel. I am never going to satisfy these people am I. Asvarp could’ve given me some kind of heads up, like, ‘hey, I am going to blast you with a spell’.

  “What was that for?” I angrily sit up.

  The mage appears to be contemplating a theory. His expression shows that he doesn’t like whatever the theory is suggesting.

  “Why didn’t you stop it that time?”

  “I didn’t think you were going to attack me!”

  “You’re so naive,” he sighs.

  With a flick of his hand, another beam sends me sliding into one of my stone targets. This isn’t fun, not even for a bit.

  “Do I even have to ask?” Asvarp asks.

  “I…couldn’t stop it,” I shout, “happy now.”

  “No.”

  As he lets loose another beam I actually try to slow it down, deflect it, or even extinguish it. Nothing. With fire or ice I can feel myself reaching out to control it as if it was like raising my own hand, however, with his beam of light there’s no connection whatsoever. It actually scares me somewhat.

  The beam strikes my shoulder burning a hole in my shirt and singing my skin. I can tell Asvarp is quite frustrated but, like usual, I don’t even understand what’s going on. As the light glows in his palm I raise my hands in self-defensive.

  “Before you cast another spell at me, can you at least tell me why you’re attacking me?”

  “I told Asvarp about our little training session and it has brought up some concerns to us,” Genu answers.

  “Such as?” I ask angrily.

  “We’ve only seen you manipulate six out of eight elements. Thus, I began to wonder whether or not you can control light and darkness. By the looks of it, you can’t.”

  Using the stone target as a crutch I stand. Until now I’ve never really thought about trying to use light or darkness. I mean, why would I need to? So, why not give it a try?

  “You know you could’ve just asked me to try and use light or darkness instead of attacking me!”

  Asvarp just shrugs. Clearly, he doesn’t care, he wants results. Fast.

  Thrusting my hands forward I expect a blinding light to shoot out of my palms but nothing happens. No light, no darkness. The more I try the less confident I become. It’s just one empty thrust after another.

  “This surely means something, right?” Crystalline is dumbfounded.

  “Yes, it means that we are woefully fucked,” Asvarp speaks blankly. “It’s time that you get your answers that you so annoyingly asked for Zarvick. Or at least as many as I can give to you at the moment.”

  With that, we enter the dimension door and exit into the meeting room. I look straight ahead at the banners around the room. This is just one more setback, one more restriction that prevents me from having the necessary strength to kill Reaper.

  To exact my revenge. Thinking of the word revenge makes my teeth clench and my knuckles pop from tightening my hands into fists.

  Upon entering the room, Asvarp slams the end of his staff into the ground and everything goes black. Images flash all around us until the ruvtag focuses on on a man and a woman holding a baby. There is no question as to whom the child is: it’s me. I’m a mass of all eight elements swirling together. My parents—who have clearly been the same age their whole lives—cradle me in some kind of cottage. I’m not sure whether it’s just me or not, however, most of the wooden room is completely blurry. Something’s not right.

  “What is this? How is this happening?” I’m confused on so many levels.

  “It amazes me Zarvick how you are never satisfied,” Asvarp speaks with distaste, “this is a glimpse into the past through the ruvtag. This is how it all began. Or at least the first time we ever encountered Reaper.”

  * * * * *

  “Edon, what should we name our newborn?” My mother lies in bed as she speaks.

  “Something outstanding to match his strength,” my father is proud of his descendant, “he’s destined for greatness.”

  “Why not call him Nelith?” Genu makes his way into the room, bearing his usual ivory clothing and black cane.

  My parents stare at him for a long while, contemplating the name; neither seemed to appealed by it but aren’t quick to reject it either. Edon just laughs at himself as he tries to think of something else but my mother glows like a flame.

  “We should call him Zarvick!”

  “Crafter of worlds? That doesn’t seem like a fitting name,” he objects.

  Delphine looks into my shining lavender eyes, “Zarvick it is then.”

  “A beautiful name indeed!” Genu genuinely smiles. He seems…happier.

  My father’s elven skin peels away, revealing the demonic form beneath, as he caresses me with his hand. Even now I can feel their love and I all I can think about is the pain that will come. Even more so when a spell whips around Edon and zaps me from Delphine’s grasp.

  A cloaked figure emerges from the shadows, it’s dark form wraps around me only for a moment before Genu’s sword slices through it as he grabs ahold of me. The figure rises above us from its smoke, runes glide across its cloak and circle around me.

  “Potaleum igo,” a whisper in the distance.

  A grey sphere envelops my infant body; gradually modeling its way through my elemental flesh. Cries of agony come from inside of the sphere, even now I can feel the magic working its way into me as I did all of those years ago. Without having to see it, I know exactly what happens next. The black magic releases me and shoots into the air, eight tiny lights sparkle inside it. Reaper mutters harsh words under its breath before shadowy hands race out from under its garment; just as the figure’s fingertips touch the sphere’s surface it
is dispersed and all eight lights scatter out of sight.

  Delphine quickly jumps to her feet, “no one hurts my son and gets away with it!”

  Smooth bronze feathered wings surface from her back. With outstretched arms, she expels a glittery barrage of missiles as Reaper fades into a lifeless void. They barely make it through the portal before it closes.

  Genu hands my infant self over to my mother before dashing through the door. Edon and Delphine gloomy stare at their fading baby. Neither of them moves until Asvarp appears into the room, his hand wavers over me as the image vanishes.

  Chapter 16

  (Crystalline)

  I am still failing to understand how Asvarp is projecting these clumped memories the way he is. But I do know that Reaper just ripped Zarvick’s soul apart like a leaf. Which means if we are going to have any chance of beating it, then all of these men need to get their heads out of their asses and start working together. As far as I can tell Reaper is stronger than all of us combined (for now anyway).

  “That was depressing, to say the least, but I don’t understand how it helps us,” Zarvick says on the verge of another emotional breakdown. What a girl.

  “Just keep watching. It’s not over yet,” Asvarp responds.

  The image now focuses on a dim cavern. Peering past the rocks I spot, who I believe to be, my parents holding a ghostly lavender baby.

  * * * * *

  My parents appear as happy as I expect any parent to look on the day their child is born. This is the first and last time I will ever lay my eyes on them and I try to absorb every detail. Like the way, my mother’s silky black hair drapes down her face as her red eyes stare at me. Or how my father’s pale skin glistens next to my transparent body. They are just how I imagined them…no, they are so much more.

  “She sparkles just like a crystal in sunlight,” my mother’s hardy voice brings a smile to my face.

  “I have the perfect name then,” my father’s soothing tone hums with excitement, “Crystalline!”

  The two nod in agreement before hugging me closer to their bodies; this little moment is soon ruined as Genu barges into the cave gripping his sword for dear life.

  “Genu come meet Crystalline, sh—”

  “There’s no time for niceties, her life is in danger,” my soon-to-be father shouts.

  My real father stands and before he could speak a shadowy hand plunges through his back and tears out his heart. His blue eyes are instantly drained of life as he collapses to the floor. Mother swiftly wraps me in a blanket and unwillingly tosses me to Genu. Who doesn’t even catch me in a gentle way! Might as well have let me fall to the ground instead of practically strangling me.

  “Protect her!”

  Quickly, she turns around and lets loose; her dark skin rapidly peels away as her demonic red scales come out. Large wings sprout from her back while her body bulks up; hooves break through her boots and horns spiral out to the sides of her head. My mother then spews poisonous gas from her mouth, however, Reaper springs into the air beforehand.

  Its arm gains a solid white form and a blue light glows within the left side of its hood. Now I realize something that I don’t want to admit: Reaper is my parents.

  The dark form lands behind my mother and thrusts its other shadowy hand through her chest, ripping out her heart as well; like my father, her lifeless body drops to the ground. Fallen in defeat before the battle ever began. How embarrassing.

  Reaper’s hand devours her heart til completing its present form. Genu holds me with one hand and his sword in the other. Never once does his demeanor falter under the figure’s gaze.

  He dashes forward at blinding speed, the dark form throws its new hands forward releasing a powerful blast of magic. My guardian zouvx protects us with his blade just before slashing through the spell and the monstrosity; nonetheless, the figure performs an old trick and becomes a cloud of grey smoke that solidifies behind Genu.

  Like usual, the unexpected happens. As Reaper charges him a purple light shines out. My dear ole guardian is then shielded while the monster’s hands disintegrate. As the light fades my ghostly form goes with it. The figure explodes into smoke, floating over to my dead parents like a fog. Sluggishly, its gaseous form absorbs them into its interior.

  “You sick bastard,” Genu mutters.

  As Reaper begins to fly away, he leaps into the air and swings at the cloud. At first, I wasn’t expecting the form to be wounded until I witness black sludge ooze off the sword and drip to the flow. He actually hurt Reaper! Genu wounded Reaper! Impossible!

  Despite this, the dark form escapes with my parents’ corpses, whilst I get tickled by a borderline psychotic zouvx. Asvarp pops into the room like before. With that, the image fades away.

  * * * * *

  This is a lot to process. It’s not every day you get to see your parents for the first time and then watch them die the very next minute. Yet, surprisingly, that’s in the back of my mind because I finally figured out how to beat Reaper. My power weakened that beast enough for Genu to hurt it. If I can recreate that outburst of energy, we can kill that grotesque monster once and for all.

  “Listen up gents, I kn—”

  The tower vigorously trembles, staggering us all. Genu races over to the window and straightens himself before turning back to us.

  “Reaper is here…” dramatic pause (that’s my thing), “with a mini shadow army.”

  “Quickly, everyone into the dimension door,” Asvarp shouts as he sprints for the door.

  “Damn old man, try not to leave us behind,” I say.

  All of us are transported into his armory. I can’t believe I am saying this but I feel myself tearing up looking around at all of the shiny weapons that I won’t be able to play with.

  The mage points at two spherical gradient containers for Zarvick and me to grab. Looking at its bulky shape, I was expecting it to be as heavy as a mammoth, yet it is as light as a feather. I have a love-hate relationship with magic.

  With a snap of his fingers, we are all transported outside on a scorched hill with a small crater on its side. Peculiar. Reaper’s shadow army is shredding through the treants like paper, as the dark form itself hurls magical blast at the tower’s force field.

  “I can’t believe I am about to lose another home,” Asvarp sighs, “I really enjoyed this swamp.”

  “How many have you had?” Zarvick questions.

  “This was my ninth.”

  Shaking my head, I release a little laughter. Wow, and I thought Genu was bad luck.

  “Why did you put so much effort into defending the tower if it was so easy to get past?” I ask, half-knowing the answer.

  “To buy time, of course,” he winks.

  Of course…?

  Magical runes and rings circle around his hand as he raises it into the air; Asvarp tightens his hand into a fist causing an explosion that beats out all other explosions. That’s including the time I blow up Genu’s doppelganger because it snuck up on me. Fun times. Honestly, don’t even remember how that creature ever got inside the castle in the first place. Or why he had a doppelganger.

  His tower shines like the sun before breaking over the horizon; a beam shoots into the sky and, moments later, a dome-shaped blast covers the entire swamp in a flash.

  “Reaper survived this…there’s no doubt in my mind,” Genu speaks after a while.

  “But it wouldn't have gotten away fast enough,” Asvarp smiles, “which will buy us some time to get started on our quest.”

  “I’m sorry,” I look over my shoulder, “did you just say quest?”

  Zarvick laughs and takes my hand.

  Chapter 17

  (Zarvick)

  We’ve been walking for hours and I still have no idea what our quest is exactly. After heading north for several miles we somehow ended up in a jungle, I didn’t even know Elvendora had jungles. There are so many animals everywhere that it’s a bit hard not to keep your guard up at all times, exhausting even. I have serious
ly thought about burning everything around me but Asvarp told me that he’ll trap me in another dimension if I did. Crystalline doesn’t even seem fazed by any of this. I would think that she hates giant insects buzzing all around her but she doesn’t seem to notice.

  She created a bar out of her spiritual energy so I could carry both of our spherical cases across my shoulders. Apparently, they all agreed that this will help me get stronger and is all a part of my training. Asvarp even increased the sphere’s weight, just because. I think it’s just their way of making me their pack mule since I annoy them so much. In all honesty, I don’t mind the extra training because I could use it but I am, however, curious about how Crystalline is moving along with her power.

  Out of the two of us, I’m the only one who’s truly accessed my power. I mean, she hasn’t progressed much; she mainly creates constructs with her powers. I, on the other hand, have learned to fly, summon a minor thunderstorm, create water, and I’ve even learned how to fight with a double-bladed glaive. She’s powerful but not creative.

  “Being a warrior isn’t what she’s meant for,” I think aloud.

  All of them look at me, Crystalline arches her eyebrow at me. I hesitate for a moment before I continue walking, evading her gaze. I should really watch what comes out of my mouth.

  “Wh-what are you talking about?” She asks.

  “…Asvarp, what is in these cases?”

  She gazes at me but Asvarp ignores the tension, “they are your armor.”

  “Armor?” I ponder with a smile.

  “Yes, I had them specifically designed for both of you so that it’ll help keep you alive,” Asvarp grins. “Trust me, they will work.”

  “I don’t deny it but wh—”

  Crystalline grabs my arm and pulls it behind my back, forcing me to drop the spheres.

  “Seriously, you really think you can move on with a different conversation to avoid answering me?!”