Pyrus

by Sean Watman

  A lump forms in my throat as I laugh at the recollection. I feel the tears streaming down my face. I had left my old life behind, was forced to grow up for what? Sure this was pretty cool, but this wasn't my life. All of my friends and family were back on Earth, so who could I share my adventure with? I was alone, my only friend a flaming talking lion. I don't even know what day it is; for all I know, I could be eighteen years old now.

  I continue walking and shut my eyes, willing my memories to leave me alone. I don't want to face these questions; I don't want to face myself. I see my first kiss with Lily, and when she told me that nothing would make her happier than to be with me. The tears continue flowing as I break into a sprint, covering my ears with my eyes shut tight. Then, the laughter of my parents and sister breaks through. I scream. I scream out of pain, fear, anger. I scream for the sake of screaming, just to keep myself sane. Nothing helps; the void that was created can never be filled. I stay trapped in that spot.

  The memory of Leo as my older self extends a hand toward me. His smile is so warm, so trusting. I clasp his hand and pull myself back up onto my feet. Everything vanishes, and the darkness disappears as light flows from the end of the tunnel. I walk forward, squinting as my eyes readjust to the light.

  The Magician's Core is a stone pillar located at the center of the record house. When I had first arrived, I thought it was an ordinary watch tower that Gron never used because it could crumble at any time. Even when I asked about it, Gron would never give me a straight answer, saying that it just never was used. Seven red bands surround the base, extending only to a wooden platform located in the center of the center.

  The platform creaked as I slowly walked upon it and I winced at every step. The platform runs into the pillar. As I walk in, it becomes shadier, but the red bands illuminate the room. A tiny bridge separates me from a circular platform with the words “Sealing Circle” written in Pyrian on the base. Normally, I didn't have a problem with heights, but as I look down, I notice that I can't see the bottom. If I fell, I certainly wouldn't be coming back up.

  “Well, I made it to the Magician's Core,” I call out to Leo. “What happens now? How do I break the seal?” It is hard to say, he replies. I have only been in this room once, and that time was about…a thousand years ago? Give or take a few decades of course. I am sorry, but you are on your own for this puzzle. Not the words I wanted to hear. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I psych myself up and prepare to walk across the bridge.

  Just to make sure that it was safe for me to cross, I tap the bridge with my foot. It doesn't sway and looks sturdy enough, so I put my full weight down on it. The moment it received my weight, it crumbled with a groan, falling into the bottomless pit. So much for walking across, I tell myself. Improvising time! I take three steps back and jump onto the circle, landing with perfect form as my knees brace the impact.

  The red bands pulse from what looks like eight different sections, each equidistant from the center, somewhat like the spokes of a wheel. Keeping this analogy in mind, I bend down and grab a red band, trying to examine it. I feel a strange sensation as I grab onto the band. I can't let go, and the band begins to increase in size. Using every muscle in my brain, I force my hand to release its grip. The band shrinks down and begins to reform itself in the circle. I look at my hand and notice the wrinkles of age. Somehow, this red strand absorbed my magii and pushed me past my natural limit in the fraction of a second.

  Resolving to plan B, I attempt to cut off a cord from the wheel of magii. I end up doing so rather easily, and the band flails as blue magii oozes. I smirk, thinking that this was a piece of cake … until the band started to reform itself.

  “You've got to be kidding me!” I shout out. I am extremely frustrated. I can't grab it, slashing at one does no good. But what if I try slashing at all of them at once? It was worth a try. Twisting my body, I grasp Leo's hilt and prepare myself for the spin. Slicing through all of the strings, the platform begins to sway. That was the brace for the platform! Leo yells into my head. You have to jump now before it crumbles! But it was too late. The platform crumbles from underneath, and I fall, my legs still stuck to the thing.

  The fear of falling overwhelms you for the first couple of minutes. Then, you eventually get bored of being afraid of falling. It didn't even look like I was falling anymore. I take a step off of the platform and notice that I have indeed reached the bottom, and it was not even a meter from the exit. It was rather clever of them to design the floor and walls to make it look like you were falling, when in all actuality, you just stay in one place.

  The new problem is what has formed after the platform, and me, dropped. I look up and notice that all of the bands have fused together now. Each one is pulsing at the same time, like the thumping of a heartbeat. I release Leo from his sword form and let him keep his physical manifestation.

  “Did we break the seal?” I ask him. He looks at the bands, examines it, and then shakes his head. “No, we did not. The bands are the seal. We need to find some way to destroy them.”

  “But they absorb magii from everything they touch!” I exclaim. “How can we destroy something that can't die?” Leo looks at me strangely, and I can feel my face grow hot. He knows something obvious that I am missing, but no ideas on how to get it across my mind.

  “They did not react to my attack. At least, I do not think they did. Stab me into the center, and we will see whether or not it will work.” The idea shows promise, but there's something that still has me worried.

  “Won't they absorb all of your magii?” I feel my face grow hot again as Leo gives me another one of his “are you kidding me?” stares.

  “Jack, my body is made up of pure magii,” he reminds me. “The chances are that they will not be able to absorb my being, and if they do, then I will just destroy them from the inside. There are no negative solutions!” I was about to contradict him and say “Uh, yeah there is a negative solution: you die!” but I stop myself. By the tone of his voice I can tell that nothing will change his mind, so I don't even bother. Flicking my wrist as he gives off a roar, Leo's body morphs into the flaming sword.

  I walk slowly, almost nervously, toward the giant blob. From up close, it resembles a human heart, thumping slowly in time to its own rhythm. It grosses me out, but also fascinates me. The blob begins to shake violently as I walk toward it, and a goopy hand mutates out of the blob and reaches for me.

  “It can adapt! This thing is alive!” I scream out to Leo as I bolt around the room. Somehow, it had managed to function with what seemed like a brain. Or maybe, I begin to wonder, maybe this was because I forced those rods to come together. Maybe it can function and evolve because it is the seal that binds the land together. It's just like one of those old adventure movies when the hero has to pass one final test before they can complete their quest. This freakish mutation is the final test in order to prove myself.

  I don't have time to develop on that theory, however. The hand is almost within grabbing distance when it freezes midair. It then begins to go back to the blob, the hand still facing me. I smile, realizing that this thing has a range. I can use this to my advantage. Already a plan is forming in my head.

  I wait for it to re-merge with the center. Once it does so, I walk slowly towards it again, ready to run at the slightest moment. Once the shaking begins, I race away from the blob, knowing that the hand is chasing me. I then change direction and run straight towards the blob, only to be greeted by another hand.

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” I scream, and I roll out of the way, dropping Leo on the ground as I cover my head with my hands. The hands clasp together, forming a rope of some kind before they return to the heart. Since Leo is in his weapon form, I can only hear his thoughts through grasping him. No doubt he would be screaming at me for not expecting this. The limit to how many hands could be formed was still unknown to me. Judging by the eight bands of the seal, I would have to assume that the maximum number of arms it can generate is eig
ht. All seem intent on protecting the center blob, which is why once I had outrun the first, the second one needed to intervene.

  One slice through the blob is all I need to end this nightmare, but there are two problems: I do not have a weapon to slice the blob, and the moment I try to get my weapon, the hands will attack me in defense. My breathing becomes frantic as I realize there is no possible way I can win, but I force myself to remain calm and assess the situation. I can't let them touch me, and I need to strike the center. No planning, no analyzing, just react upon the instinct that Gron created in me.

  Dashing straight forward, I roll, pick up Leo, and immediately let out a burst of magii while on one knee. The flames form a wall of defense as I stand up again. Two more arms extend and go around the flames, forcing me to jump. The fourth strikes at me once I get airborne, but I slash it out of my way. The fifth attempts to attack me from behind, but I duck and roll onto my back. I continue to roll as the sixth and seventh hands strike from the ground. The final hand attacks me from the air as I continue rolling, smashing the ground beside me. There is no sound aside from my frantic breathing.

  I get back onto my feet and glance around at the chamber. Each hand collided with another, forming an intricate web that would suck the remaining magii out of my body before I would even know what happened. Stepping over and around the threads, I manage to position myself under the blob. I shove my sword straight upwards, the blue liquid falling onto my body, and then merging with me. I can hear a shriek, but it dies out as more magii merges with Leo and with me. The threads shrivel and fall to the ground, their purpose fulfilled.

  Chapter 24: The Castle

  Not needing Leo in his transformed state anymore, I decide to let him remain as a physical being. I climb out of the chamber and follow the dimly lit path back outside to see what has changed. I exit the Core to see a new Pyrus. The emerald sky was now concealed by rings of smoke coming from the numerous volcanoes. The ground was now covered in soot and ash, with tiny cracks of lava every few steps or so. All of the forests and the record house have disappeared. I turn around and see that the pathway that I had just walked through was gone. I then remember that there is no need for it to still be here—Pyrus is back to the way it used to be.

  “You look surprised,” Leo observes. “Is this not what you had expected?”

  “Well I was expecting something a little less … hot,” I reply.

  “This is the land of fire,” he says with a laugh.

  I was expecting the landscape to still be similar to the forests I had become so attached to, but now I couldn't even recognize where we were.

  “What is next on our to-do list?” Leo asks. Remembering what Gron had said to me, I rerun the plan through my head to make sure it makes sense before I tell him.

  “King Sol is still alive, apparently, so our first goal should be to find him and break him out of the makeshift palace. Then, after that we need to locate the true palace of Pyrus and use that as our rally point to signify that Pyrus is no longer a neutral country. What happens after that, I haven't a clue.” It was a pretty simple plan; there were some minor complications such as breaking Sol out of what was probably a maximum security castle, but we would cross that bridge when we got to it.

  We start to walk away when Lyra blocks our path.

  “I don't have time for this right now,” I say with an impatient edge.

  “If you are going to attempt to rescue the grieving king, then I may as well help you,” she replies with a steely tone. Leo then questions her.

  “And why does Cyclos feel that it needs to intervene with matters outside of its border?” She looks at me directly when she speaks, her voice and eyes softer and the words less harsh.

  “I am not doing this for my country,” she states. “I am doing this for my friend.” Leo attempts to reply, but I silence him by raising my hand. He growls at me, but says nothing more. He shoves past me and leads the way to the royal palace while Lyra and I follow in silence. I take this opportunity to further observe the new landscape. The number of volcanoes in this area alone was over ten. Some were active, spewing out lava everywhere, while others remained in their silent slumber.

  I look towards the smoke-covered sky to try and tell what time it is, but the only reminder that the suns were there was the constant heat bath. It drains the energy out of me, making each step harder and harder. I bump into Leo, who had turned around and was glancing at me strangely.

  “I think … we had better find a place to rest for the day,” was all he said. Lyra gives me the same look as Leo did. Normally the heat has never bothered me like this, but I was feeling so sluggish. We manage to find a quarry of rocks that could shield us from the heat, and lie down almost immediately. The ground is hot and uncomfortable, but that doesn't stop me from falling asleep as soon as my head touches the ground.

  I awake inside my mental realm. It seems bigger than before. I call out to Leo, and he appears before me in a burst of blinding flame. He appears concerned as he glances around the space, almost like even he wasn't expecting this.

  “Would you care to explain what is going on? Because I am so confused right now,” I ask him. He continues staring and mumbling to himself. Annoyed at not getting an answer, I ask again. “Hello? I'm sure you are busy lost in thought, but I would like an explanation right now if you don't mind!” He finally looks at me, but speaks quickly.

  “The size of this space indicates the size and strength of your magii chambers.” He explains. “Somehow, your chambers are expanding so rapidly that the space is now almost endless. When the seal was broken in the Core, the magii that fell on you must have become absorbed and is now a part of you. Because you had so much magii pumped into you, your magii chambers had to increase in order to accommodate the sudden increase.” I'm listening to this and thinking this all sounds great! It means I'm getting stronger.

  “Once the magii runs out, however, you will be back to your normal power level, so I would suggest using your magii sparingly from now on,” he continues. Forget that; with this much power, we could storm the castle and abduct, I mean rescue, the king without any trouble! Leo picks up on this thought and shakes his head like a parent does to an ignorant child. He disappears in another flame, leaving me to my thoughts.

  I wake up earlier than everyone, but I still feel tired. My magii chambers probably still hadn't expanded enough to sustain the magii that I had gained, but I wake up Leo and Lyra so we can continue on. We walk for days, eating and resting only when necessary, but I still felt weak and exhausted. We reach the palace by the fifth day, but my eyes are too tired to stay open, let alone notice our destination. I fall asleep a few minutes after and force myself sleep for two days straight, waiting for my magii chambers to finish expanding.

  The smell of rumbleberry soup tickles my nose and compels me to find them. I struggle to move my body after not using it for a while and barely succeed. I walk over to the pile of rumbleberries Lyra had gathered and grab a few handfuls, munching away on the sugary goodness that is the rumbleberry. Lyra had fallen asleep on her hands, a few locks of hair fallen over her face. I walk over to her and brush the hair from her face. She doesn't stir, and I don't wake her.

  I walk out of the cage of dead trees that had become our camp, wanting to take a glimpse of what we were up against. I also wanted to see how grand the royal palace of Pyrus was; that way, I could compare it to the true palace later on. My eyes are still adjusting to the bright red landscape when the palace comes into view. If I had any berries left, I would have dropped them. This place is massive! The walls are made of what looks like jade and ruby, while the gates are made of I think Diamond. There were four towers on the corners plus two guard turrets that overlooked a moat of lava. Guards patrolled the tops of the walls and all around the perimeter of the castle. There is no way that we can break him out stealthily.

  I stumble back to the camp, completely awestruck. We were dead, and if not dead, then very close to it. Not even mag
ic could stop the hundreds of guards that were in the castle. I sit down on a burnt log and try to think of a way this could work without charging the castle head-on. I must have been there for a while, because Lyra stirs and walks over to me while I am lost in my thoughts.

  “What is wrong? You look as if you have seen a ghost.”

  “We are going to be ghosts if we attempt to attack that massive fortress,” I reply. Not necessarily, Leo counters. We just need a flawless plan. I have an idea, but I will need you to release me into my physical form. I do as he asks, and he immediately goes into the breakdown.

  “We need to do some scouting, locate the positions of guard shifts and when they occur. Once the opportunity arises, then you and her will take out the guards, replacing them. Once the next shift occurs, you will wander in and locate the king's chambers.” I had to admit it was a good plan. It was something I would have thought of, given more time.

  “There's one problem, though,” I comment. “How are we going to escape?”

  “That is the simple part,” Leo responds unemotionally. “You are going to use your secret weapon in order to blast your way out.” Lyra had been completely okay with the plan so far, but her brow creased once Leo mentioned our escape plan.

  “What is he talking about? What is this secret weapon?” Lyra asks me. I avoid her gaze for a couple of seconds. When she continues staring at me, I just smile and say, “If I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?” Yes, it was a rather childish way to respond to her, but what else could I have done? She didn't know what had happened to me while inside the Core, and it would take too long to explain the specifics.