Three years before the awakening of James Island
Trees and shrubbery streamed by as Tallas Radagan rushed through the dense foliage. His heart raced and his entire body burned with fatigue, but he needed to keep running. He didn’t think his dangers senses had ever been this high before, and knew he could get seriously hurt at any moment if he didn’t focus.
Keep moving, he thought to himself. Get to higher ground.
Sweat dripped from his bare torso as he leapt over logs and swung from branches. The ripped and muddied trousers that were once used for his professional work now felt as though they belonged to someone else – as unrecognisable as he once was.
Launching himself from a rock and kicking off a tree, Tallas soared up to swing from a branch, flipped in the air and landed on a thick branch high up near the jungle roof. He settled there and caught his breath, trying to be as quiet as possible, as he watched and listened out for any incoming attacks. The Red Monk was out there, somewhere, and if Tallas didn’t stay on his guard, he’d be killed instantly.
Where are you, you dung eater? I know you’re out there, somewhere.
His pulse thundered in his ears while he surveyed the jungle, which was alive with buzzing flies and insects croaking all around. A leaf and branch wavered on a far-off tree, notable against the static background, which sent his nerves into overdrive. His trained ears picked out a twig snapping from somewhere nearby, but didn’t think it was from anything large.
The still air charged with a thrum of energy. Several branches snapped in quick succession. Tallas’s alert eyes caught the white orb smashing through the trees, heading for him. He leapt from the branch as the white light exploded the tree, throwing out bark and leaves all around him. The force was enough to throw him off his trajectory and he ended up flailing backwards.
Another charge of energy heated the air.
Tallas summoned a disc of light under his feet to halt his momentum in the air, then removed the light to allow himself to fall to a thick branch below, which he pushed off as another fierce orb shot towards him. The white blast burned through trees and shrubs before it exploded into the tree by Tallas and knocked down more trees, crumbling tall rocks and burning the vegetation with white flames. The power from the detonation shook Tallas’s bones, but he’d grown familiar with the sensation of Spirit Magic and ignored it as he made his way higher into the trees.
Kicking off another branch, Tallas launched himself hard and fast and broke through the ceiling of the jungle, coming out into the open air over the tops of the trees. The hot sun beat down on his tanned skin, the soft breeze cooling him for a moment as he lingered in the air. He’d come to learn that the apex of a big jump felt as though time had stilled, before the force of the jump faded and gravity eventually took over. High above the trees, Tallas had a good look at the island he’d spent the past year exploring, from the rocky cliffs creeping over the trees in the east, to the jagged mountainous region in the north-west.
A figure cleared the trees around a hundred feet ahead. Tallas summoned a Spirit Disc almost the same moment as the monk, which caused them both to stop in the air. They stood there for a long, tense moment. The robes of the monk wavered in the air.
Tallas was glad the woman couldn’t see his grimace of doubt from that distance. So far in his training, Tallas had yet been able to successfully jump off from a Spirit Disc, and he knew the monk would seek to put him in a position where he would need to do that. Tallas could stand on a disc with little effort at this point—his record for holding it was over an hour—and had even sat on a disc once, which was a strange redistribution of his focus. Jumping from a disc was one of the final things Tallas needed to master.
The air shifted with a burning energy a moment before a white light gathered in the monk’s hands. From this distance, the light almost blocked her dark shape from view. She had widened her stance, a disc of light under each foot, and was now gathering her hands together over the building ball of energy.
Tallas quickly charged his hands and summoned a sphere of light between them, rearing his hands back and preparing to throw it. The longer they spent charging, the greater their power would grow, and the more devastating their attack.
The question was: who would throw first?
Sweat poured from Tallas’s baking head as he concentrated on his orb, which splashed and wavered with white light. He inched his hands outward to allow the energy to grow further, waiting for the monk to make the first move. If Tallas threw first, it would give her a moment to charge even further, and her attack would likely burn through his. When Tallas’s ball of white light expanded to a circumference of two feet and began to shudder with restrained tension, he knew he needed to release it soon. He’d been so focused on building the strongest attack, he hadn’t thought about sustaining it. Cursing himself, Tallas realised this was what she had planned.
In a flash of motion, the monk released her sphere of light and sent it spiralling towards Tallas. Tensing and crying out, he threw out his counter attack. The fiery balls of light streamed through the air before they struck each other and detonated, throwing out a giant blast wave that flattened dozens of trees and burned the air. Tallas was struck by the wave of power and flew back through the air, spiralling uncontrollably within the chaotic storm that jarred his senses and almost caused him to pass out.
Stabbing pain stuck him when his body thudded and crumpled as he crashed through the jungle. He hit the ground hard, rolling and tumbling before sliding to a stop in the mud. Regaining his senses, he looked up with blurry eyes to see the trail of broken trees and branches he’d cleared in his descent. He took the time to catch his breath, growing concerned at how weakened his body was and how much he wanted to just close his eyes and rest.
Surely this must be the end of their training. They’d just destroyed a large section of the jungle and had probably even jolted the ocean enough to send tall waves towards the mainland.
After some time of laying there without any sight of the monk, Tallas decided it was safe to call the training over. The woman—who he’d come to learn was named Lir’hilkrai, which had soon become Lirri for short at Tallas’s request—had wanted them to have a serious fight without holding back. She’d said that Tallas needed to know what it was like to face an enemy who wanted to kill him. After the last hour of running, attacking, hiding, and tearing through the jungle, Tallas was pretty sure the monk would have killed him if she were able to.
Relief washed the tension from his shoulders when he returned to their camp to see Lirri sitting there, cross-legged and eyes closed in meditation. Someone would never guess she’d just been exerting herself in any way, from her calm and quiet composure.
Tallas had learned that the meditation was the monk’s way of healing her body and her mind. She was used to meditating either fully nude or topless, as she said that gave her a greater connection to the air, which she drew her Spirit Magic from. The Red Monks were apparently not big on undergarments. Thankfully, much to Tallas’s comfort to ease his awkwardness, Lirri had agreed not to meditate naked around him. He’d tried meditating alongside her several times, but it hadn’t been something that he could get a strong grasp of.
As much as Tallas had learned to control the Spirit Magic coursing through his body and gained a greater understanding of the incredible feats he was capable of, he was still a long way from mastering control of his body and mind the way Lirri could. It still amazed him at the things he could do now; and do so easily. He had to accept there was something incredibly powerful inside him which allowed him to accomplish some mind-blowing feats. It had taken him a long time to accept the consequences of having been struck with the energy beam during the failed experiment. He and Lirri had discussed the matter many times, but Tallas was no closer to understanding how any of it was possible.
He sat with a grunt and rested against a tree, trying to ignore the flashing memories of having just flown through the air or the lingering sense of Spirit Magic ebbing through him. Tallas felt as though he’d only scratched the surface of what the monk could teach him.
A smile crossed his face when he compared himself to the man who had first awoken in the jungle, who wanted nothing more than to find answers and get back to his life. Now… now Tallas was far beyond anything he ever thought he could be. Something he still didn’t fully understand.
“I sense something greatly disturbing,” Lirri said, bringing Tallas from his thoughts. The monk’s dual voice—the deep, harsh one and the light, mechanical one—was something that still disturbed Tallas, although he had mostly gotten used to it and sometimes didn’t even notice.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Disturbing?” Tallas looked around with growing alarm, knowing how the monk was able to tap into a greater sense of awareness during her meditations.
Lirri cracked one eye open. “Yes. My belly is empty. It needs filling.”
Tallas’s shoulders dropped as he sighed. “Fine,” he said with a smile. “I’ll go shopping.” He stood and collected a loose netting of vines tied to two branches for handholds.
Lirri also stood, now done with her mediation. “I will accompany.”
It was then that Tallas noticed the dark stain on the monk’s side, seeped into her robe. His heart jolted when realised Lirri’s motions were strained and a faint grimace was on her ancient face.
“You’re hurt.” Tallas felt stunned.
“It’s not serious. A bad fall. It happens.”
Tallas’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at Lirri. In all his time with the monk, he’d never seen her get hurt; hadn’t even known she could be hurt. But of course, a Red Monk wasn’t invincible, nor immortal. Tallas had often wondered how Lirri still lived after so many centuries, but just like why Lirri spoke with two distinct voices at once, the monk had been frustratingly vague on the subject.
They strolled through the jungle and made their way to one of the many ‘gardens’ in the nearby area. Lirri had apparently been living on the island for many years and cultivated several vegetables and fruits in her time. Combined with the large birds which could feed them for days, as well as the local fish and sea life along the rocky shores, they had enough food and sustenance to keep fuelled; although Tallas would be happy to never eat seaweed and clams again.
“You know,” Tallas said as they picked from a tomato plant, “there’s nothing stopping us from going to the mainland and doing some real shopping. My chip card should still work.”
Lirri appeared distant and troubled for a moment, the deep lines on her hard features increasing with tension. It was a hard expression to notice, as her face mostly looked the same, but Tallas could see the subtle shift. Then the monk nodded and seemed to relax. “We could purchase some games to pass the time.”
Tallas smiled as he filled their vine-bag. Lirri’s odd humour was still something he had to get used to. The Red Monks were ancient warrior-monks who had become extinct centuries ago. They were considered some of the most powerful beings in all the galaxy. But Tallas had never expected the possibly-last monk in existence to be so humorous. He hadn’t even expected a monk to be a woman.
“Or maybe we could just go and take a look around?” Tallas watched Lirri’s reaction, but there was none.
“Perhaps.”
Tallas left it at that. It was clear that Lirri had no intention of ever leaving the island again, as far as he could tell. But then with everything Tallas still needed to know about his new powers, he was in no rush to leave, either. He just hoped they didn’t need medical attention if Lirri’s injury proved severe.
With a bag full of vegetables, they made their way back to camp. Coming across a snake hanging from a tree—one of the safe-to-eat green and yellow ones—Tallas struck it with a flick of Spirit and snatched it up.
The sky had dimmed to a deep-blue by the time their stew of vegetables and snake meat was ready. Their arduous battle earlier had given them both a great appetite.
“You have done remarkably well,” Lirri said while they ate. The coming evening was cool enough not to need the cooking fire, so they put it out and allowed the coming darkness to slowly fall over them. On a clear night like this, they wouldn’t need to sleep in one of their many shelters on the island. “For such a short time. It’s truly impressive.”
Tallas eyed her. “Impressive. And scary. What I can do.”
Lirri swallowed a spoonful of stew and slowly nodded. “You still have many questions. The gods have chosen you for this power, which means you are burdened with a great purpose. You must discover what that is.”
“But you said that the Red Monks… the ones from old; not even they could do some of the things I could. Like how far I can jump.” Once, Tallas had jumped from one end of the island and almost reached the centre; a distance he’d guessed to be around five-hundred-feet. Not even the Red Monks could leap anywhere close to that.
Lirri turned to face Tallas. “Tell me, what would happen if we did not know this snake meat was harmless to consume?”
That made Tallas frown with confusion. “I suppose, we’d have a chance of growing ill, or dying, from eating it.”
“Right. And what made us choose this snake today?”
“We knew it was safe. Knew from experience. Well, actually, because you’d told me it was safe to eat.”
Lirri slowly nodded again. “Right. Knew from experience. Because knowing our past is what helps us with our present.”
Tallas’s eyes instinctively narrowed. “I feel like there’s a lesson here you’re reaching for.”
“You do not speak of your past.”
“Ah. There it is.” Tallas shrugged and concentrated on his stew. “There isn’t much to say. I’m not that person anymore. The only past that matters is the last year on this island.”
“And who were you, before… that no longer matters?”
Tallas searched the monk’s steely grey eyes. He didn’t know where to begin with explaining the man he used to be. He could start with his research into godly artefacts, and tell her of his passion—his infatuation—with the Gynen Crystals. He could tell her about his life on Banneria growing up, and his time at the Galamastra University; but that would lead him to Hannah, and Tallas wasn’t ready to talk about her.
“There isn’t much to say. It’s all very academic and boring. Back on Calthos, I studied at the College of Advanced Medical Applications.” Tallas left out that he joined the college shortly after his father died, around the time his brother Marcin had moved away and broke contact with his family. “My mother is half Daan Dolian.”
“Which accounts for your complexion and frame.”
Tallas nodded and shrugged. He was aware that his Daan Dolian side had given him strong, smooth features and the athletic build they were known for, and also gave him a very strong immune system, but had never thought much of it. Sometimes, from the way Lirri watched him, he’d wondered if there was some attraction simmering between them – she was certainly a very striking woman, for someone so ancient – but he’d never given that much thought.
After a silence, Tallas asked. “You know of the Gynen Crystals?”
“Dangerous things. Not meant for this realm.”
“I agree. For a long time I was fascinated with them. Still am, really. Fourteen artefacts created by the gods themselves, once used to gain an offensive advantage over other gods. If their origin is true, that proves the wars in heaven that some have theorised. The implications are extraordinary.”
While Tallas’s heart began to race as an old flame rekindled within him at having spoken of the Gynen Crystals, Lirri’s stoic expression remained frustratingly impassive.
“Anyway,” Tallas went on, “after I graduated, I devoted my professional studies to the Gynen Crystals and any godly artefacts known to us, either speculatively or confirmed. My parents were highly religious when I was growing up, but it was never something that became ingrained within me. It’s only now that I can begin to understand the implications of godly beings and their effect on our lives.”
Lirri ate a spoonful of stew, her actions slow and controlled. Tallas wondered if the monk was even paying attention to him, but when those cool grey eyes met him through the growing darkness, they held him with a surprising focus.
“And your investigations led to your experiment,” Lirri said, both voices low and thoughtful.
“I’d been with a team of scientific excavators, going where we needed across the Three Sectors. Over the years, we’d had some funding from Sacre for their specific investigations.”
“Dangerous people.”
Tallas had to agree; but the largest technological organisation in the galaxy had the greatest reach and resources to aid his excavations, even if some considered Sacre criminals and terrorists. His team could discover things they could never have dreamed of. “Well, when I got word of the experiment they were planning, I knew I needed to be in the room. A chance to examine the Restoration Gynen Crystal? An actual Gynen Crystal? There was no way I couldn’t be there.”
“It was doomed from the start.”
That clenched Tallas’s chest. “So why were you there?”
Something dark passed over Lirri’s eyes, making her appear troubled and distant. “I too was curious. I would not let it go ahead without my presence. I knew I could contain the energy if it became unstable. But I… I was wrong. Once the machine failed, I knew we were all doomed.” Fireflies danced around them, highlighting Lirri’s ancient features and casting animated shadows over her. “I had not expected anyone to survive being struck with the power of a Gynen Crystal.”
An uneasy feeling settled in Tallas’s stomach. Hannah had said similar things to him before one experiment during their studies. She was sure they’d be doomed to fail if anything went wrong. Grimacing, Tallas forced himself to shove Hannah from his mind. You didn’t lose the flowers, you lost me.
“You have a god’s touch,” Lirri went on. “There is no doubt in that. Just like I have no doubt that this is one of the best stews I have ever made.” She slurped the last of her stew and reached to refill her rock bowl.
“What do you think they were going to do with it?” Tallas asked. “The remains of that Vaegan?” Their task was to use the power of the Restoration Gynen Crystal to reanimate the cells of an ancient beast known as a Vaegan—something so ancient it was considered more myth than reality—although the purposes of such an experiment were classified. Everyone was in the room because they wanted to see what would happen, and trusted that they’d be safe.
“My theory is that everything is related,” Lirri said. “The crystal. The bone fragments. Yourself, and myself. Everything played a part that led to us both being in this very moment.”
“You’re right. It’s as if the unstable energy has turned me into a Red Monk. Made me like you.”
“Not like me. You are something else. Something… beyond me.”
That caused a chill to run through Tallas. He had to work moisture into his throat before saying, “What do you mean?”
Lirri ate her stew, becoming silent with that distant, thoughtful look in her eyes. It was certainly easy for her to keep things to herself.
Tallas decided he would get no answer. “Anyway. I want to learn as much as I can from you. About what I can do. About what this all means.” He kept to himself his biggest desire: to discover what Sacre’s plans were with the Gynen Crystal. Once he was away from this island and this planet, he would devote his time to learning everything he could about Sacre’s most top-secret goals.
They passed the rest of the meal in silence. Lirri stood and announced she would go for her evening walk. She walked ten miles every day, without fail. Five miles in the morning and five in the evening. Tallas thought it was a form of mediation for her.
“There is one thing I do know,” Lirri said, “I am glad to know you, Tallas Radagan.”
She regarded Tallas in that thoughtful, hesitant way that made him wonder if there was something growing between them. It was the kind of look that young women would make in passing, except that Lirri stood bold and confident without pretence. Or maybe there was something else in her look which eluded him. He was so stunned by her words that he remained speechless.
It wasn’t until after Lirri left and Tallas was alone at their camp that he sensed the presence of something in the jungle. Something moving. Several things moving. His skin prickled with alarm as he listened intently, trying to determine what he was sensing.
He knew one thing without a doubt.
They were in danger.