Chapter Thirty-One:

The Catalyst

Odysseus

The wind whipped my body violently as I trekked through the dense snow towards my camp. I hid my face in my jacket, puffing cold breaths as I struck the ground with a ski stick I was using to keep myself steady in the storm. It had been violently snowing for over three days, and had I not been an Elemental, I would have frozen to death hours after it had begun. Luckily, I had set up a small shop on a hilltop, where I was equipped with everything I needed to survive the harsh conditions. I wedged open the flimsy wooden door to my shack before slamming it shut behind me, clapping my hands and blowing on them twice. With a snap of my fingers, a spark of light energy brought a fire to blaze in the old iron stove, illuminating and heating the space as I fell onto my cot with a sigh. I looked to the calendar, which had a circle around tomorrow’s date indicating I could finally go home. It was a day I was praying would come for the past month.

I had spent my entire time in Siberia completely and utterly alone. The ‘nomads’ I had been ‘tracking’ were all just a sham for the real reason I had dragged myself to this deserted landscape. The real reason lay on the makeshift desk I had on the opposite wall, bound together by a golden bind that shimmered against the flames of the fire. I slid my snowy ensemble off before sitting at the station and running my fingers over the cover of the book, sighing deeply to myself. The power emanating from the tome was immense, and made my fingers tingle from being so close to it.

Victorine Deorum; The Victory of the Gods. It was the book that would answer the question my friends and I had been asking from the day we became part of Valyce Academy; what was our destiny, as the children of the Gods? The book contained chapters upon chapters of knowledge that the Gods of the present and past had collected, and used its pages to store. It told of the rituals and steps needed to be accomplished to become a God, what were considered the blessed weapons, the origins of each set of Gods to ever walk the world, and much more.

I knew damn well I was forbidden to ever come into contact with this treasure, but if I wanted answers, the only way I was going to get them was to find this relic. I had first learned about the tome from a folder my father kept hidden in his bedroom underneath a false floorboard. With he being at work so much, it was more than easy to find time to slip in and snatch the documents. He and the present Gods had hid the book in Kazakhstan, a place they thought no one would ever think to look for it. As soon as I discovered its location, I told my father I wanted my next mission to be in Siberia. Since Siberia was so large and close enough to Kazakhstan, I would have a perfect alibi to search for the book.

As the wind howled numbly outside the windows of my cabin, I slowly fingered the cover of the book open, laying it carefully on its back. The first page held the title, and the next held what was comparable to a sign-in sheet. All of the Gods of the past and present had scrawled their signatures upon this page, adding to the value and sanctity of this piece of literature. Some signatures were only initials, so I knew I would have to dig deeper to read them all correctly. I ran my fingers over my father’s name, smiling a soft yet guilty smile. I was ashamed that I was blatantly disobeying the man who had kept me safe my entire childhood, but at the same time, he was sheltering me from the truth.

The following page held the table of contents, which had over fifty chapters. It was written purely in Latin, as I expected, and I thanked the Gods that I had studied the language to a perfection throughout my childhood. I made a small list of chapters that I wanted to go back and discover, and the translation of their names so I wouldn’t lose my place.

1. Originem Hominis Est (The Origin of Man)

2. Secundo Adventu (The Second Coming)

3. Ignis Dei (The God of Fire)

4. Deus Aquam (The God of Water)

5. Ventum Est Ad Deum (The God of Wind)

6. In Electricity A Deo (The God of Electricity)

7. Est Deus In Terris (The God of Earth)

8. Et Deus Vitae (The God of Life)

9. Deus Autem Mortis (The God of Death)

I paused at the ninth chapter, which made my heart skip a beat. The God of Death. I book marked the page urgently, caught my bearings, then went to the ninth chapter. This was the chapter I had been searching for. As much as I was interested in my own element, and everyone else’s, I was here to learn the fate of the most powerful Elemental of us all; Nicodemus Crawford, the boy born with four Shadow Walkers. Regardless of our romantic relationship, there was no denying that the kid was special, so much so that Galaxy would spill the biggest secret in the world to him over his own children. So much so that Pandora would do everything in her power to abuse his gifts, and when things didn’t go as plan, try and remove him for this world. He was going to be the key factor in this entire mess, and I had to learn what I could, fast.

I fished out a pen and began scrolling down the contents of the long chapter on the God of Death. I wasn’t really absorbing what I was writing, but key words within my translation notes made my heart skip a beat. It took me three hours to successfully fish out the most important details, and when I began to read the finished product, I felt time stand still.

Chapter Nine: the God of Death. Part one synopsis: The first God.

Since the beginning of time, there have been three God’s of Death. The first was Endymion, the creator of the Shadow Realm. The second was filled by Seraphine, and the last and present is obviously Atlas. Though both Atlas and Seraphine bare incredible powers, the first God of Death had a plethora of extremely different abilities then the two Gods to follow him.

Endymion was the only Death Elemental that could ever contract additional Shadow Walkers, and added Shadow Walkers to his ranks only when he felt it necessary. He could contract and uncontract them at will, but never held personal ones at all times. Not sure if this was because he wasn’t powerful enough to do so or not, but for some reason, he didn’t feel a need to keep personal Shadows I guess.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Part two synopsis: Qualifications for the God of Death.

The Original Gods wrote that a set of trials would be conducted in order for the next Gods to be chosen. The next in line for the God of Death would have to do all of the following: resurrect the soul of another Elemental being, master the element of each of their personal Shadow Walkers, become an official Bladedancer, and take the form of the Grim Reaper. Once all of these qualifications had been met, then the battle between Gods’ could commence.

Part three synopsis: Rarities in the Shadow World.

In the chapter labeled, ‘The Second Coming’, the Original Gods wrote that when the time was right, and all of the circumstances aligned correctly, that their Successors would be born. They had chosen a set of individuals whom they thought would be perfect specimens to take their position as the almighty creators of the universe. The Originals would come out of their deep slumber and bless these children with their own powers before finally passing on their status. These children would not be aware of this union-ship, but signs of the pact would become obvious as they grew older. Endymion left breadcrumbs for his ‘next in line’ to help make it obvious who the person was. For example, he/she would be able to contract more Shadows then the original amount they were given, something no other Death Elemental would able to do. They would be able to perform Bladedances with no repercussions. They could take the form of the Reaper while not actually becoming a God. Endymion went as far as to pick out and assign specific Shadow Walkers for the child. None of these Elementals would be born for thousands of years, but he and the original Gods did everything in their power to prepare for their births.

As I went to read the next set of notes, the air in my cabin began to grow very cold. Granted, it was cold to begin with, but the temperature outside didn’t affect my skin as much as the cold that had entered the room presently was. I slid my arms around myself and puffed a breath, which took the form of an icy mist before dissipating. I glanced to the wood burning stove, which still had a fire flickering brightly in the corner, before turning to the windows.

The glass was frozen completely solid from the storm, with at least an inch thick barrier between it and the outside world. I quickly conjured a small ‘carrying case’ that Elementals used to hide personal belongings in, where I stuffed the book and all of my fathers’ documents before making the case dissipate again. I then changed to my Elemental form as footsteps echoed outside of the cabin. With my sword drawn I pressed my palm to the ground, where I closed my eyes and focused on the energies surrounding me.

Being a Life Elemental, I could sense and identify numerous types of being’s energies, including any Elementals who were presently trying to hunt me. Sure enough, a steady, rhythmic beat began to bounce through my fingertips, which made me raise an eyebrow. After focusing harder, I found I could feel two steady pulses of Elemental beings. The first was a female, who’s vibration was comparable to a hummingbird’s heartbeat. Because of this, I recognized that she was a Wind Elemental. The other was male, who’s energy felt comparable to being shocked from a light socket. He was definitely an Electricity Elemental, but an extremely strong one. Of the two he would be the bigger problem, enough so that I knew I would need some backup. The nearest portal to Valyce was over a kilometer into the snow, and even in my Elemental form I would have a difficult time finding it without these two causing me trouble.

I stood and went to the door, which after touching it, realized would draw too much attention. I swore to myself, then tapped my finger on my cheek as I began to think. I could pretty easily blast through the ice on the windows, but who was to say they weren’t standing right outside that door waiting for me? I could try to escape from the roof, but that, too, would make an incredible amount of noise. On top of it, I would still be presented with the dilemma of finding Valyce’s portal. One thing came to mind, but it was something I knew could go very well, or very poor. My father had begun teaching me another Life Elemental ability, which was called ‘Peregrinatione Trabem’ or simply put, a travel beam. It was a bitch of a move, especially when traveling from one dimension to the next, and something I had barely begun to master. But it also seemed to be my only chance at the moment.

I slowly and quietly slid my belongings into the same carrying case the book was in before moving to the middle of the cabin, where I clicked my heels together and pressed both palms to one another. I closed my eyes and whispered, “Peregrinatione Trabem...” in a steady and confident tone, hoping it would fuel the spell better. A moment later, my hair began to brush away from my face and up towards the ceiling. My body began to morph into a ray of light, and as it did, I could feel every single second of the transition. The pull of energy felt like I was dragging a mountain on my back, but I focused through it as much as possible. I began to picture Valyce as the destination in which I wanted to be transported, but as I was close to transporting, the cabin door flung open.

A violent whip of energy filled the space, making me snap from the form and slam into the desk with a deafening thud. I gasped as the breath was knocked out of me, and struggled to catch my bearings as a figure appeared in the doorway. It was the male Elemental, who was twirling a chain around his fingers with a wicked smile. “Thought you’d get away so easily, Odysseus?” He snickered, electricity bubbling around his eyes, “What a pity you weren’t fast enough. I was looking forward to a good chase.”

Behind him the female Elemental entered the room, her purple eyes glowing with evil intent. I gasped in horror when I realized who they were; Lillian smiled to me with a wag of her fingers. “Long time no see!” She giggled.

“You lying whore...” I hissed.

“Takes one to know one. There’s so much you’ve been keeping secret, Odysseus, and it’s time you spilled the beans!” She laughed.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I growled.

“I’m sure the Gods would love to know why your mommy isn’t around?” She snickered in a mocking tone, which made me gasp softly.

“I’ll kill you!” I screamed, ripping my sword up and darting towards them.

Delias whispered something in Latin, so brief and small that I couldn’t make out what it was. A horrific, pain-filled gasp escaped my lips before my body froze midflight, and I hit the ground. My nerves were tingling like live wires, and I felt as if all of my energy had been siphoned by a tube within seconds. Lillian walked forward and stomped down on my back, which made a stiff groan bubble from my throat. “Huh, it worked. That spell was only supposed to immobilize Gods, wasn’t it?” She asked Delias.

“Well, when your destiny is to become a God yourself, then it surely would work on you too.” He crouched down beside me and brushed my hair aside, leaning in, “Isn’t that right, Erasmus?” He breathed in my ear. I hiccupped in horror as he stood and conjured a portal, which looked to lead back to a decrepit building. “Come along, Lillian. Mother is waiting for us.” He chimed, snapping his fingers as he walked through the gateway. Lillian conjured a wind current that swept my body up, which made her smile to herself before she motioned her hand forward. The current guided us through the portal, and as soon as the grueling cold air of the Realm hit my skin, I felt a piece of my soul break and shatter into a thousand pieces on the grass beneath us.