Chapter 12: Revelations

Elaine slowly pulled herself off the ground, thinking, this is new. She noticed fresh scorch marks around the clearing, evidence of the explosion caused by the zir'fex. She hadn't expected something no more significant than her thumbnail to create such a dramatic effect. "Well... I, um, yeah... don't do that again," she muttered to herself.

Xin-ta sat there, shaking her head at the actions of the foolish creature before her. If they had been able to understand one another, this situation could have been avoided. After all, a zir'fex was a zir'fex and needed to be handled with care; they were known to be powerful.

She sighed and moved towards the E'lain, helping her get up. "Xir-no sha'tek Zri’fex tha'loran. Xa'to sha'nai vek," she said, making an extravagant motion with her hands, starting with them together and then moving them outward rapidly. "Xa’no sha’vek, xa’to sha’dran. Xir-lor sha’tek fex’kai," Xin-ta explained further, cupping her hands together and rocking them gently.

"Xa... and Sha seems to be action or an action like a verb." Seraphion nodded as she listened to the creature speak more. "Keep it speaking... point to random things and ask for their names."

"You know I really don't understand anything you're saying, right?" Elaine motioned to the big rock then. "What is that?"

"Tor’vak? Xir-to tha’xa loran’kai-to." Xin-ta responded, gesturing at the big rock. "Zra’lor Tor’vak?" She looked at the rock and the surrounding patches of smoldering vegetation, wondering what the E'lain was motioning for.

Elaine pointed at a small tree, following Seraphion's directions on what to say. "Zor'zek?" she motioned to a small tree, then pointed at one of a medium size. "Zor'zan?" she asked, looking back at the other woman. Elaine approached the large rock and placed her hand on its surface. "Zra'lor?" she asked, feeling more confident in mimicking the sounds. She had observed that her vocal cords were similar to those of Xin-ta, allowing her to produce the same sounds. Fortunately for Elaine, the Xin-ta did not use guttural noises like croaks or grunts, which would have been much more difficult for her to learn or imitate.

The fur-covered woman approached the big rock and shook her head. "Tor'vak," then reached down and picked up a smaller rock, "tor'zek," then looked around the ground, not finding what she was looking for, so instead, she paced her hands slowly from one another. "Tor'zek." she said, pausing with her hands close together and then spreading them further apart, "Tor'zan." She spread them until her hands were fully outward, motioning for something big. "Tor'vak."

"Tor?" she said, pointing at the rock... She understood that tor must have meant for the object in question. So rocks are tor... we can at least do a direct translation with that word. That was when the other woman shook her head.

"Tor'vak," she said once again, holding her arms wide.

"It is a difference... vak is big, zan is mid-sized, and zek is for things that are small. Try asking her about a tree using vak." Sera mentioned holding in every word that the creature was using. She was starting to develop a dictionary.

Elaine knew this was important, so she did as she was told. She pointed to a nearby tree, "vak?"

Xin-ta smiled, understanding that the monster was trying to learn. "Ka, zor'vak," she replied with a nod. However, before she could point to another, the E'lain surprised her. Xin-ta smiled, understanding that the monster was trying to learn. "Ka, zor'vak," she responded with a nod, though before she could point to another, the E'lain surprised her.

Elaine pointed at a small tree, following Seraphion's directions on what to say. "Zor'zek?" she motioned to a small tree, then pointed at one between the two sizes. " Zor'zan?" she asked, looking back at the other woman.

This unexpected progress in their communication sparked hope in both Elaine and Xin-ta. The E'lain was beginning to understand the creature's language, evident from the surprise on her face. Xin-ta's eyes brightened as she started walking, clearly having a destination: into the woods. She pointed at various plants and vegetation, naming them and commenting on the flora. Meanwhile, Seraphion absorbed all the information like a dry sponge soaking up water.

After a while, Xin-ta ceased her search for what she had initially sought. Though she was attempting to teach the E'lain words from her clan, she had been looking for the one item that had been thrown at her. It couldn’t be overlooked; after all, it was breathtakingly beautiful. Her people had never been able to craft such an incredible object, yet the winged creature in white had managed to do so.

She reached down and pulled at the spear that had embedded itself into the hardwood of the tree. With minimal effort, it came out. She inspected the tip for damages and saw that none were to be found. She smiled and gave the spear a good look over.

"What is that?" Elaine said, moving up beside her. When she noticed the spear, she was amazed at the quality. Wow... mine can't even compare to that spear! Why would she leave it here so far away from where she was? Where is my spear? She thought as she tried to remember where... Oh yeah. Zeraphine had it last! She pondered for a moment... didn't she say she missed?

"Tor’vai’zen sha’tek xor’za, tha’no vek." Xin-ta responded, twirling it in her hand, feeling the perfectly balanced weapon. Something like this could earn a mighty place in their clan.

"She says: The white-winged one threw this, but not well." Seraphion said with much pride in her voice. "Their language is straightforward, emphasizing motion and properties of verbs and nouns."

Wait. You mean you can understand her now? Elaine thought, motioning to Xin-ta. She was amazed at how quickly the angel learned a new language. Do you think you can translate for me from now on so I don't have to fill my head with all this random information?

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"if you ask nicely, I would not mind," Sera stated smugly. Wanting to be praised for her hard work.

Please translate for me, oh great and mighty Seraphion. Elaine thought, adding much drama and over-emphasis on several of the words. She smiled outwardly at how cute this interaction was. It was like praising a new student for learning or doing something great.

"Why, yes, human. I will use my knowledge to help you understand the words of beasts," Sera said regally, understanding what Elaine was saying and matching the same energy. "So say this: Xa’to fex’ta ami, ami-lor sha’tek Tor’vai’zen."

Elaine breathed and sounded each word out as Seraphion said it slowly to her in her mind. "That is my spear, I let the white-winged one use it." She hoped she got it right.

The creature paused her musings over the spear at the words from the E'lain. "Now you can understand I?" she asked slowly, making sure she had heard right and it wasn't her imagination.

"Yes, I can," Elaine said.

Xin-ta paused again, the hand that held the spear going towards her side. "So, this is yours?" she asked one more time.

Elaine nodded, holding out her hand. She knew she would feel better if she had that magnificent spear with her. Apparently, Zee had done something to the spear that she had made and had made it better. When had she done that?

"Probably when you were busily relieving yourself," Sera suggested.

Xin-ta didn't want to give it to her. What if she tries to use it again? Was the E'lain better with it than the white-winged one? She hoped not, but if it was hers, then she couldn't refuse. Taking things that didn't belong to you in the clan was a grave sin.

With much reluctance, she extended the spear but first in the proper way. "Here is your wonderful spear. It was nice to hold it for a moment," she said, longing for something like it. "Do you think that you can make another?"

"I will ask the winged one if she can when she gets back," Elaine said with a shrug as she held the spear. This spear was perfect in every way. She noted that each part still contained portions of what she had used to craft the makeshift one. Yet, it was reformed and made better somehow.

"Oh, where is she?" Xin-ta asked, looking up and around.

Elaine didn't quite know how to answer that. She didn't know if this creature had the capacity for the idea of something being inside of themselves. After all, Sera and Zee were in her soul space. So, instead, she moved her shoulders in a shrug, "I do not know when she will be back. What was that creature called?" she asked.

The dark-skinned woman turned back towards where the woman was looking. "That is a Zri’nhaak, magic demon," she stated with a bit of fear in her eyes. "I watched as the black-winged one killed it with mana fire."

"Oh, how long have you been following me?" Elaine asked, looking at the woman beside her. She shifted the weapon from her right to her left hand. Her shoulder did not like the extra weight, yet the wounds on her left were still bothering her fiercely. She didn't quite know how long they had been walking, but she noted that the moon was in full view when she looked up. It was pretty, but it wasn't the moon she remembered. She knew now without a shadow of a doubt that she was no longer on Earth.

Xin-ta looked up at the moon with a smile. "Sister Moon should be up too," she said, pointing in another direction.

Elaine turned to look, and indeed, another moon was in the sky. Albeit a bit smaller than the first one, it was even a different shade of pearl. "Sister Moon... what is the first one called?" she asked, pointing back to the bigger one. She had forgotten the question that she had asked, amazed by the new revelation.

This E'lain was easy to distract, Xin-ta mused. Don't want her to know that this one had followed for almost a cycle. You were not hard to find when mana hearts are pulled towards the convergence.

"Oh, that is Mother Moon, and then there is Father Sun, " she said. "Our God gave Sister Moon to illuminate our nights from the darkness." admiration in her voice could be heard as she cupped her hands together in a small prayer.

"Wait... did she say their God? As in, there is another God? But ours is dead!" Sera exclaimed, pulling herself from a chair she had made in the soul space. Standing, she figured it out while examining the fluff that Zeraphine had made and discovered that it was just portions of Elains soul molded into something other than the whiteness in the soul space. "Ask her about her god! Maybe we can figure out who the Kul'tekca are! The ones that destroyed Our God and your world!" Seraphion was getting angry, her energy seeping out of the soul space and into Elaine's thoughts.

Calm down. I'll ask, she thought as she, too, wondered who the Kul'tecka were. This was the first time she had heard the name, though the way Sera mentioned it sounded like an organization, not just a single person. She could be wrong, though.

"Umm... Xin-ta. Kul'tekca? Have you---" Elaine asked hesitantly, worried that something was wrong. She had to take a deep breath, though. She was getting tired of all this walking and had wished to sleep in a bit more. She went to say more, though something caught her attention.

Elaine was surprised as the animal-looking woman's ears twitched. Her hands slid down to her sides, one in a fist, the other reaching behind her back. Elaine knew that was where Xin-ta kept her dagger. This happened rather fast, and before Elaine knew what had happened, the other woman pulled her dagger and flung herself at Elaine, pushing the unprepared woman to the ground.

How could I think that this monster... yes, monster... was safe! Xin-ta howled in her mind, her left hand pushing Elaine on her lousy shoulder to the ground as her right quickly came up with the knife to Elaine's throat. "You Kul Filth! I should not have waited... I should have killed you when you slept, when you appeared, when you---"

Xin-ta paused mid-sentence. The E'lain wasn't moving. Her eyes were shut, and her breathing was slow and shallow. Xin-ta pulled away from her. That's when she noticed the dark liquid slowly pooling behind the E'lain's head. She hadn't meant to harm the woman to that extent; her anger had filled her at the mere name of those bastards. Then she thought about it... when the E'lain had spoken, she almost sounded like she was asking... not saying anything.

"Vek’nok… ami-sha’dran," she muttered, leaning back down to the woman. That's when she noticed how damaged the woman indeed was. She put her ear to her chest, hearing the heartbeat, and then made sure that her life's blood was still moving. She nodded with satisfaction but then decided to check her for any other wounds. She was surprised by how many she had.

How had this monster kept moving after all these wounds, and they were still fresh? She glanced around the forested area they had entered, then looked up at Sister Moon and noted the time. They would only have another dozen hours or so before Father Sun came up.

Noting the time and that they were safe for the moment, the one known as Xin-ta went to work on the E'lain. She took clothing off of the E'lain and pulled out a medical kit the healer had given her for this journey. With deft hands, she quickly started to apply basic aid to the woman. She now knew it was a woman, seeing the physical features that would separate her from the males.

She truly hoped that she could correct this mistake. Something had caused her great anger, and she didn't know why. She usually was a calm and reasonable female of her species, not drawn to anger so quickly. This was odd... did the E'lain have some sort of mana energy that did this?