Chapter 2
I could feel the woods calling to me, so I ran. I kept running and running. With every step and every leaf that crushed under my weight I felt the pressure around my heart ease. With each press of my foot into the ground I felt it resonate with the energy of the earth itself and I grew stronger and faster. Faster and faster until everything was a blur. I felt like nothing could catch me. The deeper into the woods I got the darker it became. I ran through the darkness knowing the light would guide me. How I knew this, I didn't know but I felt it with everything I was.
Eventually I came to the creek that ran through our property and I sat down on a large log covered in moss that seemed to be as old as the Earth itself. Just across the creek I could feel the energy of Ithic. It was an energy that I would never forget. There was a sense of malice that touched your soul. The energy came at me wave after wave. Pushing at my mind. Trying to get me to run as far as I could as fast as I could. If a normal soul would come this far or happen to stumble across this area this is where they would stop. They wouldn't know why, but they would be redirected away from the dread by a deep sense of self-preservation that would take over.
In that moment of knowing what most people would do, I heard it. It was a whisper on the wind. The wind I would normally hear sitting on the porch that slid through the chimes, but it was different from all the whispers before. “Damien, know who I am. Find the truth. Know who your family truly is.” Without thinking I knew the voice didn't come from Ithic. His voice was deep, dark, and menacing. This voice had an edge to it as well but there was a sense of love that tinged the edges. A simple voice that made me want to go further into the darkness. Deeper into the void to see if I could find that light again. The light that made me feel so warm and comfortable, so powerful. I needed it. With everything that has happened in just a few hours I needed comfort.
With every passing moment the urge grew stronger. I could feel Ithic trying to drive me away, but my resolve at this point made me stronger than him. With every ounce of my will that I could muster I yelled, “No! I will go where I please! If what my grandpa said was actually true, I am now the leader of whatever kind of clan or family this is. Stand down!” Suddenly the pressure from the waves stopped, but in the darkness on the far side of the creek I saw a figure move. It was low to the ground but even in the darkest shadows the figure was darker. It was Ithic himself. Prowling the edge of the creek like a sentinel, his blue eyes always scanning his surroundings. When he looked at me he bowed his head, tilting it to the side like he had in my father's office. I took a step toward the edge of the creek and he disappeared. I looked up and down the bank, but I saw no shadow in the dark.
Deeper into the forest was my goal. As I took a step forward I heard the crunching of leaves getting closer. I stopped to see if Ithic had returned. Just a few short minutes later my grandpa appeared on the other side of the creek. “Damien. Stop.” He stepped into the water and at his feet I noticed a quick flash of the reflection of a wolf but then once again it was my grandfather I saw on the water’s surface. As he waded closer to me he said, “I know you have questions. I know you're scared. But please don't go any further right now.” He climbed up out of the creek and stood in front of me, “come boy let’s sit.”
He walked us back over to the log, “Let me tell you our story. I need you to understand.” He walked over to the log placing both hands on its surface, a soft red glow shuddered across its surface and the area right around his hands gave way. A bench forming in the log itself. He slowly turned around and sat down, motioning for me to sit next to him.
If I hadn't been seeing what I have over the past few hours what just happened would probably have shook me more than it did. I walked over and sat down. I needed to know more and even though my family has been hiding something that has shaken my reality, he is still my grandpa and I would still trust him with my life. He smiled and as I sat next to him the soft red glow surrounded us both this time. It was warm and gentle, not the same as the powerful energy I felt before. “Now this sensation may be weird at first but you will be fine.” I was about to ask what he was talking about but just as I went to speak my vision went dark. Slowly a new image took its place.
I was in a large village. It looked like something you would see in movies about Camelot. There was a beautiful large white castle that towered over the surrounding village. Each of the four spires draped with the same wolf symbol that made up my medallion. From there, just like a spring, life flowed down from the castle walls. All sorts of people bustled about doing their day to day jobs. Everyone from knights on their steeds out on patrol down to the beggars on the streets just hoping for a meal. On the far edge of the village, the poorest area, there stood a small house. It was a one room building with a small kitchen with a window just over the cooking pit and a bed. Just outside the window there was a small garden where the owner of the home grew vegetables.
Usually there was a calm atmosphere that filled the air but today was different. Today there were people everywhere. Today a child would be born. In this realm children were few and far between. There was a plague long ago that severely diminished the population's ability to reproduce. It was devastating. For many years after the world was riddled with newborn deaths. They thought that they were at their end. Until one day a child survived. They began to see hope again. Finally there was a birth that they could celebrate. A new life they all could cherish. But then the births came less and less frequently. Fortunately they lived long lives. The average lifespan for their race was several centuries long. They were a hardy race. They drew their strength from the magic that made up every fiber of existence in their realm, yet no one aside from the High One, the ruler of the realm, could actually tap into it.
When word of the impending birth got out everyone from the surrounding area stopped to bring their support and hope. Presents in hand they stood waiting for the birth of the child. From outside you could hear the screams. But they were the screams of childbirth. It meant that the child was coming. A buzz of excitement passed through the crowd, but then the world went silent.
Inside, the child was in the hands of the midwife and she looked around to the others. No sound was heard. You would expect to hear the new cries of the child as it took the first breath of life. The child was stillborn. The mother knew something was wrong. “What's wrong? Give me my child!” Reluctantly the midwife handed her the child. Gently the mother took the child in her arms and then realized the truth. Her child would never take his first breath. His light extinguished before he could even live. In the deepest part of her soul she ached. It was as if her soul shredded. Tears flowed from her face in a silent cry. She looked up and saw a look of horror on everyone's face. As she went to wipe the tears away she realized they were abnormally warm. When she looked down at her hand she realized the tears were not made of water, instead she was crying tears of blood. It was as if her body was rejecting the thing that gave her life. She clung tightly to the boy's body as the tears continued to flow down her face. Without realizing it her tears contained her actual life force and they were dropping into the open mouth of the child. The life force from the tears bound itself to every fiber of the boy's being. Igniting the child’s soul. Suddenly the child took his first breath.
A wave of shock once again went through the room. What had just happened? What kind of sorcery was this? This was magic not granted permission by the High One. He was the only one who could perform miracles. This is wrong. Everyone in the room slowly backed out the door to join those who waited outside.
The mother brought her lips to his head and whispered just loud enough for him to hear. “You are my child, my life. I will always be here to protect you whatever may come our way. You are my light and strength in the darkness. My Iciry.” She stared into the golden eyes of her son knowing that one day he would be something great.
A dark mist began to form in the air at the foot of the bed. Slowly it solidified into a man. He was a tall, regal man. Medium build, but strong. His face seemed kind, but behind his deep blue eyes there was a predator waiting in the darkness. Worn by the stress of his day to day life his face showed his age. There was a long scar that ran from just below his right ear down to the center of his chest from where he almost met his end at the wrong end of a blade. He was dressed in fine cloth that wasn’t seen among the common folk, but that was because this was no ordinary man. This man exuded a sense of authority and power so great that most cowered in his presence. This man was the High One. Considered a god by most due to his unnatural ability to create and take life in ways never seen before. Being the sole wielder of magic this act of natural magic was a concern to him. Long ago a prophecy was foretold that said that one day a child would rise from death to challenge his rule. That this child would hold magic far superior to his own and his reign would fall.
As soon as the mother realized who was standing at the foot of her bed she didn't cower. Having realized why he was there she did not cower. Instead she held her baby tight and looked him straight in the eyes. “You will not touch my baby. I do not care who you are. I will give what life I have left so that he will live.”
This infuriated the High One so much that without a second thought he reached for the child, determined to take the life that should never have been. With his magic he reached deep into the depths of the child's mind. He found though, that he kept being rejected from the child’s mind. No matter how hard he tried. That had never happened before. He could not reach this one’s spark. He could always reach the spark, that was the essence of his magic. The ability to control a soul spark. The thing that kept the soul alive.
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He could not let the word of this failure get out, or they would begin to question if there were others that could stand against him. He had cared for these people for so long. He had been the one to provide stability in the realm. This life that shouldn’t have been, depending on how he was raised, could be the one that would spell disaster for this world. He had a choice to make. Would he let the child grow here, unrestrained, where he could one day grow to use his magic to rise up and destroy his reign, or would he take the boy as an adopted heir and keep him close so that one day the magic he may learn will have been under his personal guidance and so that the boy will grow to know him as his father. The mother was weak from having birthed a child then giving that child some of her life force. He could sense that her soul spark was weak. He had to make it look like she had died from the exhaustion of childbirth and not from her life being all of the sudden extinguished. They would sense that. A slow death is one that would be noticed but not questioned. He knew that the child would be strong enough to protect himself but not strong enough at this point to protect her as well. While she held the child tightly to her chest he reached into her mind. Past all the memories, the fears, the hopes and dreams. Deeper than the primal needs and wants. Past the true self that lies deep within guarding that thing that made her being whole. That is where the spark lies. Once he reached the spark, instead of just snuffing it out he would dim it slowly until there was nothing left. While he wasn’t normally an individual who would truly care about another’s suffering, he knew that this would be excruciating. A pain that he wouldn’t want his worst enemy to experience. He knew though that it had to be done. He couldn’t let her live to be able to raise the child.
He walked up to her spark and placed his hands around it, engulfing the light. Slowly he let his darkness seep in dimming the light little by little. He could do this as fast or as slow as he wished. It was a good way to gain information by going slowly but never fully putting out the light. Most souls would not be able to handle it for long and would give you any information you wanted. That was not his goal here though. He didn’t want to draw this out. He could feel her soul pulsing with pain. He wished he could just snuff out the light and be done with it. He kept it going. He kept the darkness slowly leaking in, taking over the light. Looking up he watched as her memories faded, her hope shattered, her dreams fell apart. He watched as her fears became her reality then in turn were snuffed out as well. Up to this point the pain that she felt was nothing compared to the pain that she would feel in just a moment. He watched as the last little sliver of light was consumed by his Darkness. At the exact moment that the light was extinguished he crushed the spark. And with that he heard the last shuddering breath as life left her body. He truly was sorry for what he just had to do, but sometimes he felt like self-preservation was more important than the preservation of another's life. Would he end up in some horrific sort of afterlife once he died? He wasn't sure. And honestly right at this moment he didn't care.
When he opened his eyes, his mind having been returned to his own body, he saw the lifeless body of the mother still clinging to the boy as if saying that even in death she would hold on to this boy. The High One walked over and took the boy from her grasp. He whispered, “ I will keep you close. I will watch you grow. I will stunt your magic anyway possible. You will never be who you were meant to be.” Young Iciry in all of his innocence reached out and gently touched the face of the man who he would grow to know as father.
With each passing second the crowd grew restless. What was happening? Slowly the door to the home opened and the High One stepped out. The crowd gasped at this unexpected turn of events and quickly dropped to one knee, tilting their head to the side, bearing their neck out of a sign of respect. Showing that they would give their lives to him if he asked it of them. While there was some reason to fear the High One they knew that he was the one who had protected them since the beginning, and would do anything within his power to maintain that safety. He was the king, their alpha.
His voice was loud and powerful. Loud enough that everyone could hear without straining. “My wonderful children. It is a great day that has come upon us. A child was given life. We all know the importance of a child being born. We have faced great adversity as time has ravaged us as a people. As I have no heir to my throne this child will be raised as my own. He is called Iciry.” He raised his free hand to his people and stepped up into the coach that had come while he was inside the home. While shadow travel was faster, the boy would not survive the magic at such a tender age. “Ithic, take us home.” As they entered the gates of the castle courtyard, Iciry looked up with his new eyes at what he would grow to know as home. The beauty of it registering in his mind even as a newborn. He looked all around, and was drawn to the tower. His small hand reached out toward the tower and the High One laughed. “Yes my boy, we will spend many days up there.” Iciry watched as a bird that had been sitting on the edge of the coach took off, spiraling through the air. The bird, large and as black as night was easily viewed against the bright blue sky. The wind picked up allowing the bird to reach new heights. Landing on the edge of the balcony, the bird turned its head to look inside, seeing the people bustle about in the room.
A tall man stood in what looked like a study speaking to Iciry, now no longer an infant but instead a young man, who was knee deep in books on the other end of the room. “My boy, come here.”
“Yes father?”
“I found it, my boy. I found what I was looking for.” He slowly pulled a chain out of a book that had been hollowed out on the inside. On the end of the chain was an amulet made of white crystal with the family crest, a wolf’s head, engraved into it. It shone brightly even in the dim light of the study. “Come here, let me put this on you,” said the High one as he held the chain out to Iciry.
“Father, it's beautiful, how can I accept such a thing,” Iciry whispered as he slowly made his way to his father staring in awe of the beauty held within the crystal. A seemingly unending source of power. Power he’s never felt from anything before. Because of how he was raised, magic was nothing new to him, he almost felt like magic was the one thing he always understood. It came so easily to him and he, from a young age, had been able to manipulate any force under his will. But that was something that he strayed from. He was a kind soul. A friend to every living thing. In his heart he knew he could never harm anything. To do so would be to betray everything he held within his heart. He had vowed to himself that he would protect all things good and evil no matter the cost. All life deserved a chance to live.
As he reached his father the High One placed the amulet around Iciry’s neck and as the amulet settled on his chest it began to glow an otherworldly blue. “Iciry,” said the High One, “You have been accepted by the order.” Iciry smiled and turned, opening the doors to the balcony that looked over the city. In the far distance he could see a storm brewing. He could feel the tension in the air as he saw lighting crackle in the dark clouds that billowed in the distance. After several strikes the clouds opened and rain poured down on him, blocking the view. As the rain became so thick to see through he stepped back inside and closed the doors. Outside, the storm raged on. Sheet after sheet of rain slapping the ground, bringing life to the earth. The rain soaked into the crops, small life giving streams filling throughout the city. Reaching the edge of the city the water flowed into impenetrable darkness, Damien’s view now obscured.
As the darkness began to thin he noticed they were once again high on a balcony overlooking the city. Iciry stood in the rain, drenched to his core. The thunder and lighting roared overhead. In Iciry’s eyes you could see the golden light flare as the reflection of his father came into view. Sword held high the High One said, “Iciry, I’m sorry, I tried to save you, but your magic cannot exist any longer. I must stop you! I’m sorry boy.” With a flash of light Iciry was at his father’s side, blade drawn. He plunged the sword deep into the side of the man he once called father. As the spark of the High One slowly died, so did the magic that had held this world together. With his death came the death of the realm. Flames engulfed the town below. Screams could be heard echoing through the realm. Feebly an old arm reached out, “Iciry, please, help me.” Those were the last words the High One muttered as his spark blinked out. With his death the total collapse began. Everything began to crumble. The tower gave way, along with the rest of the town and Iciry fell. Iciry fell further and further. The wind seeming to ease his fall as he called to it. He could feel everything. He could feel the realm dying. With each breath he felt a soul released into the ether. They were free.
A bright light pulsed from within the amulet that Iciry had never removed since the day it was given to him by his father. With a small smirk he grabbed hold of it, ripped it from his neck and crushed it. The light exploded around him. Sending tendrils of light from where the amulet had been crushed rushing around him, seeking to engulf him. As he let the light surround him Iciry looked, for the final time, at his beloved home, now ash, and smiled. With a chuckle, Iciry disappeared in a flash of light.
As his vision returned after the blinding flash of light, Damien reflexively reached down to the amulet that he wore every day. It was still there. He was so certain that it would be gone, because what he had just witnessed felt so real. He saw it explode into light. It was the same, he was sure of that. The material may be different, but the power he could now feel emanating from it was the same. Slowly he looked over to his grandpa who was now staring off into the distance. Damien looked the same way as his grandfather, noticing for the first time that the darkness in the woods now held a tangible presence. A single tear ran down his cheek as he stared into the darkness. Something about it felt different. He could feel all the despair and sadness that emanated from deep within.
In a sad, gruff voice his grandfather spoke, “Damien deep inside those woods is something that our family has been tasked with guarding for centuries. In time you will come to know what it is. I know u can feel the evil that resides at the heart of this forest, and I ask that until the time comes, you stay as far away from it as you can. Nothing good will come of you venturing into the woods before the appointed time.”
He looked over at Damien, a stern look now covering his face. “I mean it Damien, do not go past this creek.”
Snapping away from the emotions that were surrounding him, he looked back up at his grandfather, “I understand.”
“Good,” his grandfather laughed as he lightly tapped Damien on the back, his demeanor now back to the one that Damien had always known. “Let’s get back to your party. It is your birthday after all. Everything will be explained later tonight, but for now let's just get back home so that we can get over all the fuss of you having run off into the woods alone.” He winked and turned back in the direction of the house.
Damien, taking one final look at the direction of the woods, heard a whisper on the wind, the same one he had heard since he was small, “Know who you are.” Not sure that he had actually heard that, he shook his head and turned, heading home.