While at the shack, Sorn had taken a moment to check his appearance in a makeshift ice mirror. The reflection was blurry, but he could just make out curly tufts of black hair making their way onto his forehead. Most interesting though was a large scar over his left eye. He was somewhat relieved that he at least appeared somewhat presentable, though with the low quality reflection, he wasn’t entirely sure.
The duo were now standing outside a cave at the edge of the island. He had stopped to peer down at the edge, and as far as the eye could reach was a pure blanket of pure white clouds. He had mused what would happen if he jumped off. Maybe there was something underneath the clouds that would prevent a premature demise. He wasn’t daring enough to try out. The cave was eerie, as it was simply a hole in the ground with steps leading downwards, disguised with a boulder overhead. Beyond that, it was at the very edge of the island, and was underneath a cliff that required a simple jump down to lead to a small patch of land covered with a deep layer of snow. It was up to his knees here. He had watched Crystal materialize ice to clear the snow off the island’s edge before using a makeshift level to move the giant boulder.
Sorn: “And you’re really the only one who knows about this place?”
This was the third time he had asked this question, and Crystal gave him about the same answer.
Crystal: “Yup, me and my two brothers found this when I was around ten and we were playing and stumbled across this place. The boulder wasn’t here before, we were the ones who put it here before.”
Sorn: “You have two brothers? What are they doing now?”
Crystal: “I have three actually. You’ve met Keilan already, he’s turning twenty in a week. He was born a few months before me. My other two brothers are both older than him and committed one of the greatest taboos of deserting our nation. That’s why Keilan avoids the hut. I never knew my oldest brother, he left before I was born. But our other brother, Dragan, made that hut with his friends, and the three of us siblings used it often to have brief moments away from the chaos within the fortress. He was far closer to me than he was to Keilan, but Keilan still hated him for leaving for multiple reasons, as did I.”
They had gone down the stairs and were now walking through an eerie hallway, where not a lot was visible.
Crystal: “I should mention we are children of the Emperor-”
Sorn: “Woah wait, so that would make you a really important person!”
This caused Crystal to chuckle slightly.
Crystal: “Our history states that once every century, one of the direct male children of the noble bloodline must be sacrificed after they turn twenty to uphold the island, otherwise it would fall into the clouds below. And the next century will occur in three weeks, and the council doesn’t intend to delay this. That at least was the deal made with the first elementals and Seraph-”
Sorn: “Wait who’s Seraph?”
Crystal momentarily stopped walking and turned towards him. Sorn couldn’t see her expression well, but he assumed immediately she was giving him the blankest of stares.
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Crystal: “Even if you lost most of your memories, I still can’t believe you don’t know who the Seraph is. Even the babies of our race utter his name. He was the most benevolent of all beings. In our founder’s records he was described to be the most beautiful creature alive, and as the ruler of the world he was a true paragon. However, his victory with the Devil Lord finally caused him to be sealed, and the Founders of the Elementals argued over who the new ruler would be. The servants of Seraph suggested a competition. Seraph’s power is needed to keep the islands afloat, and the game was decided to be a race. This is the promised day I told you about before. In ten years time, when the bridges lower, all the Elementals will race to where he’s sealed, and whoever reaches that point will be given that power. This sacrifice method is a temporary spell that ensures the islands can exist without Seraph’s participation.”
Sorn: “So your brothers deserted the nation to save themselves, leaving Keilan to be the victim?”
Crystal: “Yes, that’s what most believe but I personally think otherwise.”
They had now entered a well lit room, illuminated by glowing crystals spread across the circular room like lanterns. On the walls of this room were murals depicting strange creatures fighting what seemed like grotesque winged humanoid monsters. The creatures were broad but odd looking, with muscular physiques but they had strange flaps protruding from various parts of their body. Most of them appeared to be holding a giant fork-like weapon to battle. Now being able to see her face, he noticed Crystal had a nostalgic look in her eyes, as though being in this room brought back many comforting memories.
Crystal walked through the middle of the room where there was a circular table. She reached under it, taking out a book that was attached to the underside with ice. She held the cover for him to see.
Crystal: “I was given to this two weeks after Dragan left. I was twelve at the time, but even I could tell that he was acting extremely strange a week before his departure. He was generally calm and collected, always telling us how our other brother was a coward, and that he would do what he couldn’t for Keilan’s sake. The council denied this at first, as Dragan was one of the most powerful children our nation has ever seen, but he insisted, telling them if they wouldn’t listen to his request, he’d kill himself and they’d be down two loyal powerful soldiers rather than one. They didn’t have much of a choice and accepted his proposal. That’s why him leaving shook our country, and why Keilan feels so betrayed by him.”
Sorn couldn’t help but feel somewhat overwhelmed by all this information. Angels, Elementals, a sacrifice. These were all new to him, but he had a general idea of the overall concept of what was being explained. Crystal made a signal for him to stand next to her at the table, and she laid the book flat upon it, opening the book and showing him the interior.
Crystal: “This book was given to me by a stranger I never saw again. He was weird and said hardly anything, only handing me this book when I was crying alone in this very cave, where I could process Dragan leaving in solitude for the first time. He had some strange symbols etched on his face, they kind of looked like this.”
She made an outline with ice in the sky, spelling “VIII”, though neither of the two had any clue what that could mean.
Sorn: “So, why do you believe this guy?”
Crystal: “The only words he said were ‘Dragan sent me’. This, alongside me never seeing him ever before led me to my conclusion. He’s an ice elemental I’ve never seen before, and I know every face in our nation. So he couldn’t have known about Dragan leaving, and had to have met him on the outside.”
Sorn nodded in agreement. The logic seemed to add up, and he watched as she flipped across the pages.
Crystal: “Most of the pages are empty, or meaningless. It seems whoever made this liked to draw, which is quite stupid if they could just make things out of ice.”
Sorn: “So your brother didn’t write this?”
Crystal shook her head.
Crystal: “Not all of it, I’d recognize his handwriting too. But more importantly look at this. The first words are, ‘the council is lying about the sacrifice’. And after that, all the next few pages are ripped out. I think Dragan did this because after that, it’s his writing. He talks about leaving and how he met some strange humans further south. We’re on the northernmost region of the island, so that was the only way anyone could go.”
She closed the book, and proceeded to stare at Sorn.
Crystal: “I believe you’re one of those people Sorn. Keilan dislikes you because you’re a threat. I think that’s true. With three weeks before the final son’s execution, a random outsider arriving from the sky is too convenient. That’s why he was rude to you, so don’t take that too personally. But I care about my brother, and I don’t want him to die. And if the council is lying, I plan to uncover the truth regarding who’s lying and why. Sorn, will you help me out?”
She stretched out her arm, offering her hand to Sorn. Despite this being a lot of information to take in, he was ready to reciprocate the trust he had been given. He was curious about himself, and the idea that he was someone chosen to accomplish a goal filled his empty soul with purpose. He took Crystal’s hands, his black eyes staring into her endless blue ones.
“I’ll do it.”
End.