“Yii gonozuu?” Volam’s keen left eye refocused on Waremasu. “Makahn lith ato tozii. Dojato na zaht baccin, ia foyanna. Yeto na dojato mettitak?”
“A ghost? . . . distrust coats your secrecy. We are not allies, it appears. Then are we enemies?”
Volam shifted into a defensive stance.
Waremasu hesitated as he witnessed a quick burst of flame rolling down Volam’s left blade from the hilt to the ends of the tri-teeth. He looked back at Zauvek.
“Time flows against us, old friend. A fleeting memory knocks on the door,” Zauvek whispered.
Waremasu’s heart dropped in his chest as his eyes lowered to the dirt underfoot. Though the thought was unwanted, the wise angel knew what was to come. His piercing eyes slowly shifted to the dark blade of his sword.
“Must it be,” Waremasu’s many voices whispered beneath an escaping breath.
Zauvek stepped forward as a sudden realization came to him. “A wing of black and a wing of white. Yet his power has not returned. Another has contacted him. Perhaps that is why he seems bewildered by his senses. They are not his own.”
Waremasu lifted his head in disbelief. “If that power merges with his own . . . we will not be able to stop him. The gifted power is serving as a catalyst and may cause a cascade of memories.”
“Go! It is too late for words to save us this day!” Zauvek shouted at Waremasu. “Create openings, and I will aid where I am able.”
Waremasu hesitated no longer. The stakes were too great to be cautious. The angel instantly crossed the distance with a powerful strike, though the attack did not land. Volam parried the brash maneuver with only his left blade, not with speed, but with foreknowledge.
The defender’s senses were keen, and his mind witnessed time passing before it occurred. In Volam’s eyes, time unfolded in echoing images; the future echoed into the present, and he witnessed both simultaneously. Any mortal’s mind would collapse under such intertwining stimuli.
With his parrying left blade, Volam pushed against Waremasu’s obscuring sword. The angel shifted his weight as he spun around Volam, delivering a string of attacks, and Volam parried each strike with the slightest effort.
Volam’s mind acutely tracked the divided stream of time, though what his mind could not see was a spiritual attack from his second adversary.
His ribs bowed from Zauvek’s unexpected strike, and he was swept off his feet by the overwhelming impact. He flew back a short distance and collided with the cold stone road. The bewildered defender corrected his rotation and rolled to his feet, resuming his defensive stance.
As Volam’s right side ached, he parried the unrelenting assault from Waremasu. The two warriors locked weapons for a moment, and Volam could see the unwavering intensity in Waremasu’s eyes.
They broke away from their locked weapons, and Waremasu quickly reengaged Volam with another string of calculated attacks. Waremasu’s fifth strike landed against Volam’s parry with a clanking of swords, and a weakness appeared in the guardian’s defense.
Zauvek did not waste the chance, striking Volam in the same location with his extended spirit, and Volam sacrificed ground as his right ribs cracked.
Volam flew back, sliding without control. His swords slipped from his grasp and bounced past him down the path. The unwanted momentum ceased, and he recomposed himself as he stood up.
The few seconds of foresight predicted Waremasu’s impending assault, and without a sword to parry, Volam instantly focused his mind, and with a single hand, grabbed Waremasu’s blade as it swung for the kill.
The desperate defense halted the strike and consumed Waremasu in bewilderment at his opponent’s ability.
Volam interrupted Waremasu’s sudden wonder with a swift roundhouse kick to the angel’s left side. The power behind Volam’s kick was deceiving, appearing weak but launching the angel with immeasurable speed down the road.
Waremasu’s arcing flight took him through the castle wall’s gates, all the way to the castle keep’s doors, out of sight. His body tumbled uncontrollably through the air as it slammed into the top of the castle keep’s doorway. The stones at the top of the castle’s entrance exploded on Waremasu’s impact, and stone debris rained down from the open doorway arch. Waremasu disappeared into the keep’s main hall and the dark night’s shadows.
With a chill in the air, Volam picked up his swords and turned toward Zauvek. Volam’s keen mind calculated his next move as he walked toward his second adversary.
Zauvek saw the cold stare in Volam’s eyes and shuddered. The old angel launched his fist forward and projected his spirit. The attack struck Volam square in the chest, causing him to stagger back from the impact.
He gripped his chest but pushed through the pain, racing forward.
Zauvek swung his fist again and struck Volam across his right jaw. Volam’s head jerked to the left from the heavy impact. He lost his footing and tripped onto one knee before shaking his head in reaction to the searing pain. Volam wobbled back up onto his feet and transitioned back into a run.
The distance between them closed. Zauvek launched one last attack, striking Volam’s right shoulder, but Volam was able to absorb the blow, barely reeling back from the pain. Volam lifted his left sword and readied his attack.
Volam’s sword descended toward Zauvek, but a sudden force stopped him. His head experienced whiplash from the instantaneous stop, and after his body recovered, he looked over his right shoulder in the direction of the vindictive force.
His eyes came to rest on Waremasu’s fierce presence and bloodied face. Volam’s eyes traced Waremasu’s left arm all the way down to where it firmly held on to the top of his right wing near the wing’s base. He was surprised by Waremasu’s sudden presence, and his eyes widened in shock.
Abruptly, Waremasu spun clockwise while holding firmly to his adversary’s wing. Volam’s body trailed on the outside circumference, absorbing the rotational momentum, then Waremasu released.
Volam was sent flying through a building’s front wall and exited through its back wall. The sounds of impact could be heard repeatedly as Volam plowed through building after building. Each front wall imploded as each back wall exploded. Each building collapsed from the sheer force in Volam’s wake. His body finally came to rest, and the last building collapsed as clouds of dust and debris billowed and obscured Volam’s form.
Stillness trickled into Lesley, and a silence fell around its ruins.
Waremasu peered intently through the billowing dirt clouds, watching and waiting as his shoulders relaxed slightly.
Zauvek joined as he peered through the dirt dissipating and settling in their adversary’s wake. Desperately, he tried to sift through the haze, and after a few moments, a curse rang loudly from Zauvek’s quivering lips. The pained old man took a staggered step backward.
“Nigh, old friend, comes the end . . .” Zauvek said.
What they witnessed would cause any mortal to plead mercy as they wept.
The vision before them now was beautiful yet petrifying. Several hundred yards from their position, Volam hovered just off the ground. His head was lifted toward the sky. Volam’s eyes appeared as they had before, yet now they appeared to be rolled up into their sockets with a translucent fog before them. An immense sense of gravity enveloped Volam’s newfound form. His wings were spread high and to their full width. His white left wing radiated with a holy brilliance. The atmosphere around that wing appeared to expand and glow as the white wing tried to right the wrongs of the world. Luscious green grass, flowers, and vines grew out of the ground. The crumbled homes to Volam’s left began to reconstruct themselves.
On Volam’s right side, his black wing appeared as a void darker than a cave devoid of light. The atmosphere around his right wing distorted and compressed; it seemed to bend and twist as it was being drawn into the dark void. The rubble piles to Volam’s right began to char and grow hot. Dust and dirt caught fire and turned to ash. The landscape nearest the black wing began to burn, and
fire erratically erupted over the landscape.
An anomalous atmospheric distortion was taking place between the wings. Reality and time distorted between the radiating white wing’s atmospheric expansion and the void wing’s atmospheric collapse.
Volam’s soul had called to his swords, and they had appeared in his hands before the dirt had thinned. His swords were swallowed by holy fire. The fire encased the swords’ entirety in a rigid form of controlled chaos.
Zauvek understood all too well the power they now witnessed. The power that was coursing through Volam’s body was a very small fraction of what was to come. The end was growing near.
Waremasu readied his sword and firmly gripped its hilt.
Zauvek’s face expressed absolute fear and concern. “No, Waremasu!”
Waremasu’s seven voices echoed, “Volam’s mind is besieged by memories. His glazed eyes confirm it. He must be struck down now, while the link between memories and power remains incomplete. The link can be broken!”
Zauvek quickly tried to refute again. “Warem—”
Waremasu blinked out of sight. The eager angel traversed 90 percent of the distance between their position and Volam’s in a mere instant. At that point, Waremasu was met with an impenetrable, translucent spiritual wall of force.
The determined angel struggled to take another step forward through the overwhelming pressure pushing him backward. A long moment passed as Waremasu fought for his next step. The muscles in his legs burned as they dared not give ground. A roar of frustration erupted from his lips as his many voices echoed in eerie combination.
The angel looked as if he was a mere man fighting with the sheer winds of a violent hurricane. His intense eyes looked over Volam’s floating form.
A step forward was achieved.
Waremasu gripped the hilt of his dark sword with both hands as he wrestled with the high-pressure atmosphere to keep it facing his target. The burning in his legs continued to intensify.
Another step forward was achieved.
Both his arms began to ache as the beleaguered angel roared in chaotic echoes once more.
A third step forward was achieved.
The sharp tip of Waremasu’s blade hovered inches away from Volam’s chest.
A tear rolled down Waremasu’s cheek as he gazed into Volam’s vacant eyes. “Forgive me . . .”
All Waremasu’s remaining energy exploded into one last push forward. The long dark blade pierced through Volam, below his right clavicle. The dark blade did not halt until eight feet slid through Volam’s chest.
A shock wave exploded from Volam, and Waremasu was thrown back from the volatile energy. His body hit the ground rolling as the shock wave carried his tumbling form.
Volam dropped from his hovering position. His legs buckled, and he landed hard on his knees. His limp form tilted forward and was propped up by the hilt of Waremasu’s sword as it dug into the ground before him.
The sword held Volam’s body in a slight forward-bowing fold. The intense power faded from Volam’s radiating wings. The bright light dimmed, and the dark void dulled.
The individual feathers on his wings could be seen once more. The buildings stopped rebuilding, the vegetation stopped growing, and the ground stopped burning.
Volam’s swords slid from their master’s hands and bounced to a stop on the ground with a harsh clanking. The sharp point of Waremasu’s sword was posed high in the air, protruding from Volam’s back, blood lacing its length.
Waremasu regained his footing and began a slow and aching trek toward Volam.
An eerie silence persisted.
A disgruntled moan slipped from Volam’s parted lips, and a bout of coughing followed.
Waremasu halted.
Volam sat up and lifted the heavy dark sword with his torso’s strength alone. His head rolled back loosely as his eyes came to rest on Waremasu. His eyes slowly shifted to the massive sword piercing his chest’s right side.
The tired warrior began to laugh. The laughter was slight at first because the pain was great, but soon the laughter rose enough so it could carry to Waremasu’s ears. The twisted heavenly soldier looked at the clouded skies as he searched for something. A presence.
Waremasu silently watched.
Volam’s eyes rolled back down and glanced at Waremasu again. He lifted his left arm and gripped the dark sword. The weary guardian slowly began to slide the sword out of his chest, a few inches at a time.
As the sword slipped from his body, he gave a painful moan.
“What is your name?” Zauvek asked in a shout.
The angel’s contrasting eyes rolled toward the old man. “I . . . m-my name . . . so many names . . . who am I? I . . . hear the names echoing within . . . the voices . . .”
Volam closed his eyes as if he hoped to silence the chaos inside. The chatter within was crippling.
Waremasu remained quiet as Zauvek approached.
“What are these memories . . .?” Volam’s left arm pulled on the sword. His eyes opened as a deep breath filled his lungs. “Where am I? What is this place?”
Waremasu and Zauvek both felt their hearts drop at the sight before them now.
“Who are you?” Volam let go of the dark sword and tightly gripped his forehead. “Did you make me this way?”
Zauvek placed his hand on Waremasu’s shoulder and whispered, “We should end his misery.”
Volam’s heavy fist hammered the ground before him. The world around them shook violently as a voice of rage echoed, “Toshanaa! Ati tan isa yit doja!”
“Shadow! You did this to me!”
Volam shifted his grip on the dark sword in his chest and made a swift movement, ripping the dark sword’s remaining length out of his chest as a rolling roar of pain erupted from his lips. He threw the dark blade at Waremasu. The sword hummed through the air.
Waremasu dodged the sharp blade and caught the sword by the hilt as it passed.
“Ati nath vali yit ato stionatras!” Volam roared with a deep, resounding bellow.
“You shall suffer for your transgressions!”
Waremasu quickly raised his sword to a defensive position, almost too slowly, and his actions were nearly too late. The force with which Volam rammed Waremasu was cataclysmic as dirt took flight in all directions from the sudden impact’s shock wave.
Waremasu’s footing was solid yet he was forced to yield his ground, and his feet slid backward like snakes on sand. Volam’s crossed swords pressured Waremasu’s defense without relent. Their locked swords held as Volam pressed Waremasu back across Lesley’s main road.
Waremasu’s back slammed into a building’s front wall on the main road’s opposite side. The front wall held under the strain, though not due to expert masonry.
Waremasu held none of his strength in reserve as he pressed back against Volam’s crossed swords, though Volam was still able to easily press Waremasu’s defense. The intensity in the lost one’s eyes unnerved Waremasu. Volam’s eye of the fallen pierced Waremasu’s and peered deep into his soul. Waremasu could hear a harsh grinding as the tri-teeth of Volam’s right sword slid into the wall over his shoulder. Waremasu’s dark blade drew close, and it was about to slice his own face.
Volam’s fallen eye grew colder as Waremasu gazed into it. He looked back and forth between the fallen eye and the white magic eye.
“Please, friend, calm yourself,” Waremasu said.
The twisted angel’s calculating eyes narrowed. Volam relinquished his left sword from the struggle yet maintained the unbelievable force placed on Waremasu’s defense with only his right sword. Volam maneuvered his left blade back and readied it for a piercing strike to Waremasu’s abdomen.
A formidable grip took hold of Volam’s left wrist as it reeled back, and the chaotic angel looked back at the opposing force, seeing Zauvek come to intervene.
With his free right hand, Zauvek punched Volam in the jaw three times. Volam’s world spun. His two swords slipped from his hands, and the strength in him
wavered. Zauvek slid another attack into Volam’s left side. Volam’s senses became rattled as another attack impacted Volam’s chest. His world turned wrong way up, and Volam found himself staring at the sky.
Zauvek lifted him up and spun him in a complete rotation before releasing him.
Volam’s body flew through the castle wall’s gateway and toward the castle entrance. Both his arms and wings attempted to slow his flight, though it was no use. Volam’s form disappeared into the sheltered darkness of the castle’s main hall. A heavy impact could be heard from the dark beyond the wall.
“Quickly, Waremasu!” Zauvek said as he sprinted after the chaotic being.
Waremasu slid out from underneath the sword that was buried in the wall and matched pace with Zauvek, shoulder to shoulder. They crossed the distance, passing under the castle wall’s gateway and running to the main hall’s doors.
They hesitated at the threshold.
The faintest bit of moonlight radiated into the hall through the tall doorway. Their eyes raked the darkness for any sign of their opponent.
A grating moan came from the far end of the main hall.
They both locked onto a fearsome sight as a pair of eyes bathed in holy fire were revealed from the dark veil of shadows. The eyes appeared first near the ground and then rose to head level as Volam stood. The holy fire consuming the chaotic being’s eyes was vibrant yet not accompanied by smoke. The fire was pure, controlled, and intense.
Volam’s silhouette appeared to them as their eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room.
“Together,” Zauvek said.
Waremasu nodded.
Zauvek sprinted toward Volam.
Waremasu waited until Zauvek had just about reached physical striking distance, then he raced the distance in an instant and passed Zauvek. His black blade blended with the darkness as he struck out at Volam with a piercing strike. The blade missed and slid past Volam’s twisting torso with audible friction as the blade ripped loose fabric.
Volam’s foresight and heightened senses had intensified. He first grabbed Waremasu’s sword hand and then Waremasu’s neck as he approached. Volam lifted his attacker and used his momentum against him, spinning Waremasu 180 degrees around him and slamming Waremasu into the first flight of steps.
The First Seal Page 31