Seed of Life

by D.E.P.

The dwarf easily opened the door, only reaching the door handle and whispering a word unheard by the others. Not a knock was heard from the small hand, yet it was not his castle to dominate. The doors creaked open, only needing a small push to sway inward by themselves. The hall of the castle was quite magnificent in itself, having long white pillars floating on the path leading to the sovereign’s chair. At the entrance, the pillars bordered a large half-moon shaped room until providing a straight path. The ground, marked with a dark blue shimmering tile, moved like the waves upon the ocean floor.

  The king did not take the time to admire such small adornments. Instead, he walked at a quick pace towards the Ape that sat rather uncomfortably on his throne. His eyes had been slightly closed until they opened to see the king walk in front of the rest. Fortis’s racing figure, still behind the dwarf, stopped as he noticed the Ape’s odd complexion. Sapientem did not smile nor did he widen his eyes at the sight of the king. His lips tightened instead as his eyes shown an impression that was not so. Even his white complexion shown to have a slight grey tone that was beyond what he was remembered by.

  “You should not have come,” Sapientem stated as the king kneeled down before him.

  “Why do you say such things?” questioned the king. He looked around the room. There was no one else in it but himself, the Ape, the dwarf, and the others he had befriended. He looked up at the tall ceiling barely seen at such a far distance. It seemed like glass that made up such vast tower. But then he saw it. As small as it could be, he saw a shining element that was not meant to be. It was a sword, he knew. A spade floated above with its tip directed down below. Fortis frowned slightly, not knowing whether Sapientem meant to kill the one before him. But then the king realized that the sword was meant for Sapientem himself since it was pointed right above his throne. The king did not speak, however, for he saw the Ape’s eyes slightly widen as if warning him not to speak of what he already knew.

  “Strike him! For it is a trap!” Sapientem whispered with sudden rage.

  The king looked at the dwarf. No longer was he as short as he once was. His face began to throb, twitching to be another. His feet began to switch to be shorter than anticipated. And finally, his body began to be much taller than it was before. The king did not have time to comprehend the matter as he watched Sicarius raise her blades to strike the stranger at her side. But the man did not stand there to be watched to his death, for he was there to watch the death of the others.

  He evaded the blades as they caused the long hair dropped across his forehead to be lifted by the quick movement. He snapped once, opening his mouth to whisper a silent incantation. Shadows began to appear in the room, shadows much like phantoms that churned through the air with a profound black pigment. The black pigment soon began to fade until bestowing men of metal in back of those that had been tricked.

  “Stop! Did you truly believe you would warn the others in time? You are not as wise as it once seemed. Now here you have a blade that threatens all that you once had. It is nothing but your strength that enables the sword to not end your life at this time. But we will soon see a dead Sapientem as well. That I am sure of,” stated the stranger as he bestowed his cloak.

  “Magic?” questioned Cecidit beneath her breath as she frowned by the contact of chilliness. A metal hand grabbed her, its skinny sharp fingers wrapping around the soft flesh.

  The stranger before the others shook his head as he spoke, “You still fail to see that while magic can be used as defense, it can also be used to be ridden of. Objects of magic.” With that, he produced a small rod. It was a simple fixture of silver metal that reflected the evil in his piercing eyes. “This will be the time when wands will resurface.”

  “Impossible! Only a small number of staffs roam through the land, let alone a wand. Their use diminished in the ancient times,” stated Invicta as he looked upon the ground.

  “But yet there is a new use for such masterpieces,” smiled the stranger as faced the others. While all knew who the man was before he revealed himself, each peered at the deathly hood as it bore the face of no other than Furtim himself.

  “Brother why do you do this?” questioned the king with a bold face as he struggled to push the metal enemy behind him.

  “It is not to your concern. You will be diminished in times pass. But yet, I still need a use for you. As for the others, it is not so. The magic that was once prevented in this part of the kingdom now lies at my fingertips,” stated Malum as he swiveled the wand between his fingers.

  Suddenly there was push of the door, causing a noise to resurface the eerie quiet castle. It shook the people who were inside, for it seemed as if a giant were amidst. While the giants lived not too far, this was not so. The door opened for the moment, but what one expected to be a head taller, was in fact a head shorter. The barbegazi stormed through the room. Their faces no longer shown the same innocence as before; their eyes narrowed in anger and their foreheads wrinkled with revenge. Furtim had killed their one true ruler, his blood now spilled across the white snow they called home.

  The barbegazi had the element of water, but it was such that was turned to ice. They knew that magic thrived in the air at their enemy’s hands, but they also had a trick up their small sleeves. They each spread their clenched fists until the ice they contained drifted off before their small bodies. The splotches of an orange magic that left Furtim’s hands clashed against the icicles that now floated in midair. The barbegazi rolled onto the floor, causing chaos to drift apart from an evil peace.

  “Sicarius, you must leave with the others!” stated the king as he hit the metal body behind him. The thin metal pieces composing the warrior clashed against the king’s armory with little effort. Still, the king was released from the grasp as one of the dwarves froze the hands of the enemy.

  “There is no escaping here!” yelled Furtim as he eyed the king with a benign anger.

  Fortis paid no attention to the yell as he turned to Sapientem. The ape looked weak as he began to close his eyes and open his mouth ever so slightly. The weapon above him vibrated in its position as it began to slowly come down. The king narrowed his eyes with frustration as he grabbed the ape by his neck and thrashed him across the floor to be saved by his power. The sword steadied in its position as if striking the new power below.

  Sapientem widened his eyes as his body slid across the slippery floor. He gasped, steadying his eyes as he looked upon the reflections across the floor. He peered to what was in front, seeing as Invicta and Magni thrust their swords at the enemies made of shiny black metal scraps. He closed his eyes as a whisper left his lips at last. The castle glowed, causing a steady flow of wind to seep through the gaps. The snow leveled outside to be pushed across the land and into the edges of the water that encircled the castle. “Magic once more thrives across my land,” stated Sapientem to himself as he peered behind him at the weak king.

  Sicarius retrieved her weapons of destruction as she kicked the metal warrior behind her. Walking only two steps to the front, she swiveled behind to dig the dagger deep into the throat composed of thin shiny metal strips. The body of dark magic did not die all at once. As a hole was made, a small stream of black smoke filled the room to leave the body dwindling behind. The metal pieces clashed against the floor once again to be unsettling as the calm waters below.

  Glacies smiled as she once again slid an arrow into her bow while aiming at the enemy with the source of power. But her grin was slightly changed when she saw that the man before her also grinned as the arrow left her fingertips. The steady hand of Furtim grasped the arrow as it aimed for his heart. He shook his head as he snapped the piece in half to be dropped across the floor.

  “Join me and I will grant what you wish,” stated Furtim as he glared at those who were captured once again by his black magic.

  “I attempted to kill you once, and I will again!” yelled Sicarius through her course breathing.

  “That you will not, for there is one of you who destines to be wi
thin my hands. You have a traitor within,” stated Furtim as he moved his eyes to scan each one, “But who it is, is a question in itself.”

  The serpent cradled along the shoulder of the hooded man. Its heads curled on each side of Furtim’s neck as they moved their stealthy snouts to both ears. Their tongues slithered within the cold air as they tickled deep within the hood. Furtim smiled as the serpent spoke, nodding with deep understanding.

  “Release Invicta from his grasp!” Furtim ordered abruptly as his eyebrows narrowed. The serpent hissed as both heads stared into the emerald eyes of the man before it. Invicta was released from his grasp as his body fell upon the damaged ground.

  “Rise up!” demanded Furtim as he looked upon the man with irritation. Invicta slowly rose to stare into the beating eyes of what was his enemy.

  “Join me Invicta. I feel your heart beating with anger,” whispered Furtim as he neared Invicta’s ear. Invicta’s head slowly looked up looking rather weak with blood trickling down his face.

  “I know what you seek and I can give it to you. That I am sure you already know,” stated Furtim.

  Invicta looked to what was behind him. Sicarius glared at Invicta as she exposed her fangs with deep distress. A small amount of blood smeared along the sides of her hair as she shook her head in deep anger. Glacies bit her lower lip as she strummed her bow with deep thought. Magni was only a blurred image as he struggled out of the hands of his beholder. He yelled through the castle walls with desperation, for he knew his older brother would defy him.

  “Is there really much to see? You are among beasts!” Furtim spat with deep loathing.

  Sapientem knew the battle could not be rid of. The metal pieces would be summoned once again to do Furtim’s bidding. A strong power was needed, but time was scarce. He slowly looked at the weak king behind them as he lifted his body to the scene. His lips opened as the magic left his finger tips to grasp the small isolated frozen staff that had once pertained to the ruler of the clan of dwarfs. He clenched the staff within his hand, knowing that Furtim had thought him to be near death. But Furtim’s eyes glared at him far too soon, his eyes piercing as can be.

  “Do not defy me once again, Ape!” yelled Furtim as his wand pointed at Sapientem with deep wrath bestowed at the tip. The tip of the wooden rod turned a dark blue as an invisible force pushed the ape backwards against the wall where the throne stood. Sapientem smiled in midair as his eyes reflected the evil before him. He knew that Furtim was far too powerful to allow a spell to work its mechanics on himself. Putting a spell on the others would be more of ease. He pointed at the man he did not trust to decide; Invicta was the name.

  At first nothing was felt. Invicta continued to stare at Furtim’s deathly stare. They were penetrating, those eyes. In fact they were quite hypnotizing as well. But this did not freeze the magic released; instead, they stood captivating as the man before them froze in his position. Slowly Invicta’s body began to encase in an icy coffin. Thin spikes of ice filled the outskirts of his armory until he was nothing more than a body that was frozen in its emotionless stare. Look upon the body, and one could have thought it to be nothing more than an ice sculpture commonly found throughout the land during the winter. But this was not so, for it was a frozen body in time.

  Sicarius did not waste time to take the scene to mind. She felt a slight release from her wrists and it was all she needed to fully withdrawal herself from the grasp of another. She momentarily closed her eyes to speak some words herself. Her eyes gleamed like fire as she began to be covered by the several flames gleaming from her daggers. Her hair was the last to be left aflame as they menacingly touched those that were too close. Magic strived within the air once again. While it was made to be prevented, it now thrived to prevent magic from corrupting.

  “Sicarius! Within the mouth of a cave, you shall find life! Leave what is seen,” croaked Sapientem as his eyes began to close.

  Sicarius looked around her. The metal warriors neared her at all sides while their ruler laughed from afar. Sicarius did not think much of the cold laughter. She began to spin her daggers once again, awaiting the first body she was to strike. And there it was; an arm grabbed a hold of her as she spun around to dig the dagger deep into throat of her holder. It was no other than Magni who had stumbled into the closing circle.

  “Next time it will sink deep within your skin!” warned Sicarius as she once again faced what was before her. “Any suggestions?”

  Magni lifted his blade as one of the warriors began racing towards him. He slashed as metal clashed with metal, forming into a mixture of silver. The enemy began to petrify into the silvery encase it was destined to become. “You heard Sapientem, did you not?” questioned Magni. He was saddened by the view of his brother, but knew what needed to be done. He had seen his brother’s uncertain face, yet he wished that it was not what Furtim had stated him to be.

  “On the count of three,” whispered Sicarius as she faced the demons of the dark. “One…two…”

  But Magni had already begun to slay one of the warriors to his side. The enemy was not as weak as thought to be. The thin metals making up the odd face of the figure began to swivel around the exposed blade. A passage was formed where the blade was to stab the enemy; therefore, it only stabbed the air that thrived within the room. But then a glow was seen from afar as it raced to sink itself behind the head of the enemy in front. The arrow glowed profoundly as its tip dug into the skull of the warrior of metal.

  Glacies was only a blurred image in the darkest corner of the castle. She would spread her hands along the arrows she bestowed until there was a flicker of light that wrapped itself along the deathly weapons. With one pull of her string, the arrow flew towards the enemies the barbegazi entangled with thin blue whips. She smiled to herself, knowing it was time to leave. But Furtim was all too powerful to be put aside. He swerved his arms in front until a movement of an emerald green smoke streamed through the air. “You are meaningless to be! While I cannot kill you with a spell in mind I will not fail to have death creep upon you!” he croaked with deep anger. While magic thrived within the land, using a death spell upon an individual was done quite delicately and caused a curse upon the user itself. Already, Furtim showed slight signs of aging, for he had already killed several in the land.

  “Isn’t that ironic? I’ve met Death himself!” snickered Glacies as she pulled the string of her bow one last time. But the arrow did not release itself to sink within the cloud of green. Instead, it pierced a thin encasing of solid ice that divided her companions from the menacing creatures made of black shimmering metal. Sicarius touched the ice that divided her from the few in front of her. Only Invicta, the king, Sapientem, and Furtim lay behind. Sicarius grabbed hold of the arrow until it flickered from existence. The king’s face frowned with more ambition as if forcing the others to leave at once. Sicarius shook her head as she gently touched the ice barrier before her. “I…we cannot,” she said slowly to herself as she was slowly touched by the fingers of Cecidit.

  “It is the only way,” Cecidit spoke silently as she brushed her eyes with her other hand. She looked behind her at the tunnel to her side. The crashing of water could be heard as only small peculiar drops found themselves within the room.

  “But the kings and my brother,” stated Magni as he saw the others behind the warriors of metal. Furtim’s eyes soon came into view as they looked upon a hand filled with a bright blue light. Furtim did not smile this time as he neared the invisible barrier. He threw the element formulated until hitting the icy barrier that had only momentarily protected them.

  “Sicarius! If we stay here we are all to be doomed. If we leave, we also leave hope for the others!” Glacies yelled as she saw the ice begin to crack and fill the small space with a seeping cloud of fog. Sicarius turned around only to see that the others had already begun to leave towards the dark tunnel from which the waters sprang from. Only the barbegazis’ footsteps were heard from within the tunnel as they disappeared down below.
Sicarius covered her eyes as she walked towards the direction. She had heard the ice shatter to its last remains as footsteps trudged upon the shiny floor. Yet she was near the tunnel, already touching the walls as she passed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispered more to herself than to Glacies who awaited her turn to jump down the long skinny waterfall that fell towards the endless bottom.

  Glacies turned around. “Duck!” she yelled as she exposed her bow to unleash only one other arrow to pierce the skull of one of the metal creatures. The arrow seeped through the skinny metal pieces composing such menacing creatures until causing them to shatter across the floor.

  Sicarius rolled her eyes as she saved her head for only seconds. “You really have to stop doing that,” she stated as she grabbed hold of Glacies. “And the others?”

  “They are down below I am sure,” stated Glacies as she saw Furtim appear from the corner of her gleaming eye.

  “Let’s hope they survived,” whispered Sicarius as they both leapt from the end of the tunnel and into the waters that engulfed them all the way down. Their images disappeared as did Magni’s, Cecidit’s, and the barbegazis’.

  Furtim screamed with deep anger. If he had only been one step ahead he would have had them between his fingers to be tightened by his sharp finger nails. But they were gone. They disappeared into the mist of what was before him. He only hoped they would fail to survive, but knew it to be quite contrary. He had the king after all, and what to do with him was a question in itself. It would not be difficult to use the power he bestowed and with time he would slice the head that had overruled him for far too long.

  “Let them go. It is not worth searching for their bodies Dimittere eos. Nulla est corporis quaerere,” stated Callidus, the two headed serpent, as both its necks tightened along the man’s neck. It spat its venom as it looked down below to the nothingness left behind.

  And so it was. The trees continued to let down their several leaves to be dried upon the paths of the land. The fruit of the many trees continued to lay their rotting gifts upon their roots. Where the water shimmered with the beating of the light, shadows lurked to be forever engulfed by the darkness a flow. The castle, which was once a star from afar, now lay in ruins within the dark night that engulfed such a wonder. Where a land once seemed to be tranquil, and with little ruin at its roots, now laid entirely transformed into the evil that forcefully seeped through.

  Perhaps if the king’s brother was not born, the land would still flourish as it once had. But where there is good, there shall also be evil. Malum was the first fruit the land bore to be that of rot. Yet, there were seeds to be poured across the meadows where birds chirped and draconisflies fluttered about. It was not something meant to happen, but coincidently all forms of its happening came together.

  The twins of legend closed their eyes as they began to sleep during the night that would forever stay pitch black, for there was great evil creeping to sink deep within their young hearts. As legends were told, a twin would be a traitor of the land while the other would bring hope. It seemed that hope was forever lost, but where there is a flicker of light, hope is always close by. The castle walls lay hidden within the castle to be ever forgotten of the meaning they once portrayed.

  Let us not forget the Vines of Fatum that forever holds the destiny of those that seek it. The thin vines slithered about even in the dark atmosphere that began to approach. Was it not the vines that had caused such grief? But whatever evil was caused could easily be taken away, for the vines were like Death himself, never to choose sides of evil or good. It was a symbol of hope, those vines. Their coldness never gave a shine, but the many gifts they bestowed gave a sudden wonder to those that longed for it. It was destiny that portrayed itself through the little forms of curiosity. The vines wrapped around each other, tightening until the little juice along the edges discharged to fall upon the motionless ground; a new destiny was already beginning to form.