Chapter 16
I ran down the corridor that I had found behind the door. My hammer was drawn, and I was ready to fight, yet I knew it was futile. I would fall again, but I wanted to inflict pain upon him, like he had done so to me. It was the second person he had killed now, and it had gone too far. Tonight, one of us was going to die. I had never hated something so much in my entire life. My insides felt like they where on fire. If only I could get hold of that Crossbow. I was willing to completely defy the laws of a White Mage to get my revenge upon my father.
Within seconds, I reached a platform in the middle of a room, and there stood a huge stand which stood magnificently over the room. It was gold in colour, with blue stripes running across it and odd symbols located in the centre. There had been a semi-circle cut out of it, about half way up and in the stand, some kind on energy ball hovered, radiating waves of magical energy, its multi coloured light was filling the room. My father stood before it
“The Astral Candescence; Al Zahbi’s greatest treasure, the Imperial Pride and joy” He whispered.
He wanted it, and for some reason he had wanted me to witness it. We both just stood, staring into its light, basking in its glow.
“I want to hear the Astral Wind, Curjos” He spoke, his voice low and mysterious. I didn’t have a clue what the Astral Wind was, but I just stood there, silent, my hands clenched into a tight fist.
“The Astral wind is allows us to manipulate our energy into such a power, that anything we want can come true” His words where quiet
“If you want it so bad, just fucking take it” I yelled through gritted teeth.
“Now, now Curjos. Don’t speak to your father like that” He laughed.
“YOU’RE NOT MY FATHER” I screamed, my face red and boiling. I stood there, breathing heavily as though I was out of breath.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He said manically.
“I’m nothing like you” I muttered angrily.
“As much as you hate to admit it, deep down you know we’re alike.”
I hadn’t anything I could reply to that. I didn’t want to speak to him, just looking at him made me sick.
“I hate you.” That is all I could say…
He burst out laughing “Well, whether you like it or not, you’re going to help me manipulate the Astral Wind.”
I didn’t reply; he obviously had some way of influencing, because he knew that I wasn’t going to cooperate.
“Never”
“Hahaha, you think you have a choice in the matter? There, Curjos, you are sadly mistaken.” He laughed “So? Could you tell me what it sounds like?”
“You can’t hear it?” I replied in surprise.
“No, it isn’t legible to the ears of a mortal”
My mind began whizzing. “What was he on about?” He had just implied I wasn’t mortal, but then what was I?
“I knew you where going to be a mage, after the kind of ‘gifts’ your mother had. And now, you’re going to allow me to harness them”
“You’re insane” I told him.
“Well, my son, you will soon grant an insane man ultimate power”
I shrugged, but before I could do anything else he pointed at me. He shot dark purple magic at me which seemed to ooze out of his fingers and surround me, picking me up and launching me into the Astral Candescence.
I opened my eyes, and I found myself floating in complete blackness. I could see nothing except my own body. I could see nothing except for darkness. Where was I? I yelled “HELP!” but nothing happened, I just lay there, floating in nothingness. I began thinking of what had happened to Verha. I closed my eyes; silent tears began leaking from them. I opened my eyes and wiped them away. Then, I noticed that small bright lights had appeared, like stars. I looked around, and they had surrounded me. I returned to thinking about Verha’s fate, and then the lights went berserk. They all shot in front of me, making a white ball which was glowing white. It then began expanding, growing bigger and bigger until it was at least 5 times as big as me. It carried on growing, before it exploded giving off a nova which turned everything it touched into white light, there was no more darkness left. I spun round in mid-air, and noticed chunks of the light began to break from the huge white cloak which had covered the darkness. Behind it, I saw an array of different colours and patterns, and once all of the light was gone, I was left standing in Al Zahbi, watching myself stand in front of my father. I saw myself close my eyes, and saw him shoot the cross bow. Verha dived in the way and I ran, to push her to safety. Just as I reached mid-air, and was about to move her, everything stopped, and she appeared in the scene surrounded by orbs of light which where orbiting her.
“Curjos” She called, her voice echoing throughout the area which was stuck on a stand-still. I ran over to her.
“Look, saving me will only stop what you are meant to do”
“I don’t care” I told her, my voice normal.
“I died for a reason. You have to understand that” She said softly, her words were some how soothing yet painful. I turned away from her, facing towards her past self before she was shot and died. I went to move her, and she grabbed my shoulder and said “please”, that is all she said, before fading, leaving only the white orbs of light which soon flew into the sky.
Time then began playing, and I saw the bolt fly right into her heart, and I saw her fall. I fell to the ground and wept. I screamed into the Al Zahbi, obviously nobody had heard me because time just kept playing as it had happened. I walked over to her body when I had left after my Father. I saw my book on the floor, and began thinking “what are you”. The scene then seemed to shatter, leaving me standing in a Gustaberg night, standing behind a Male and Female Hume, who where stood facing the sea and talking.
“Kari” the man said softly, holding her hand “I’ve been called away to Tavnazia to fight.”
I knew automatically who they where, they where my parents.
They both stood there staring out to the sea.
“I-” Kari began
“What?” My father asked her curiously.
“I’m pregnant” She told him.
I could see from the way my Dad was standing that he was shocked. He stood for a while before walking off towards Bastok, leaving my mother standing there crying softly, her tears blowing in the wind and into the ocean.
I walked up to her, and put my hand on her shoulder. Although she didn’t see me, she stopped crying immediately, and put her hand on her shoulder, touching my hand. She smiled softly, before turning around to leave towards Bastok. She passed through me, and I could feel her presence. I followed her into the city.
She soon reached her home, and I watched as she fell back into her seat. She pointed at the fire place and sparks of White Magic shot from her hands, shooting into the fireplace causing the timber in it to burst into flames. My father then burst into the scene and began tearing through the house screaming “WHERE THE HELL IS IT?”
My mother shot towards a book case, and picked up a book; my book. He walked over and magically stunned her before picking up the book. She then held her hands out and spoke words from a foreign language. He opened the first page which was blank, he had expected this. But when he began to turn the pages, he saw nothing.
“Only people of my own can read it now, Zadfon” She laughed.
My father walked up to her, and pushed her to the ground in a rage.
“Like that thing growing inside of you?” He retorted, viscously.
Without another word, he turned away from her and left the house. My mothers eyes began watering, the book lay on the floor. I went to pick it up and then the scene began melting again.
The next thing I new, I was in Windurst. My mother was sat looking slightly older, and she was sat next to a young version of Larroh Jakobah. They where sat on chairs, watching two toddlers running around playing with each other, Sephectja and I.
“What is it, Karrri?” Larroh Jakobah asked, her stern voice that I had known was now playful and soft.
“I’m worried, Larroh” She whispered so nobody but her could hear. She continued “Something bad is about to happen”
“Hm…? I think you’rrre just being parrra-” Larroh began, but Kari soon interrupted her
“Look, I want you to promise me; what ever happens to me, you will care for Curjos”
“But…?”
”Look, Larroh, I need you to do this for me. When the day comes when he leaves home, I want you to give him this.” She handed Larroh Jakobah the book.
“Why?”
She didn’t answer, she ran away into the distance. I went over to Larroh to try and grab the book; I wanted to know where I was. I grabbed it, and it exploded into darkness which began melting away into my next location with the rest of my surroundings. I now found myself at my home before I left. It was night, and Sephectja and I didn’t appear to be there. The book was lying on the table, Larroh Jakobah stood over it, look nervous. She turned the first page and read the inside note. She frowned as she turned the page again, her face screwing up in anger, it soon went red and she slammed the book shut. She slumped down in her chair. I hard ran her fingers through her White hair. There was knock at the door. She stood up and walked over towards the door. She slowly opened it. From where I was standing I couldn’t see who was at the door, but I did see a huge burst of fire erupting from the door way, causing Larroh Jakobah to be sent flying in the air. She drew her daggers and grabbed onto the light, swing across the room before doing some sort of acrobatic summersault, before landing on the ground. My father had entered the room, his scythe drawn. He shot another jet of fire, and she back-flipped out the way, before shooting towards him and slashing his face. He bought his hand across the wound on his face, blood began dripping from it. He smiled, maniacally. He ran at her and she jumped in the air, flipping over him before stabbing him in the back, well, attempting to, it was block by his amour. He shot a spike of ice which hit her, impaling her through her stomach. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her upwards.
“You gonna tell me where it is or am I going to have beat it out of you?”
“I’m affrrraid my good sirrr, that you’rrre going to have to beat it out of me” She replied, cockily. He raised his fist in there, and shot it towards her face. She pulled out the spear of ice and rammed it into his face. He screamed loudly, before tossing her to the floor. He began casting a spell, and suddenly the wound closed up, reappearing on her face. She clasped her cheek and screeched. She ran upstairs.
“Here little kitty” My father called callously up the stairs.
Once he had climbed them, he walked into each room, torching it, until there was one room left, her bedroom. He kicked down the door and looked around.
“You can’t hide from me” He called into the room with a mocking tone to his voice.
“I obviously can” She laughed.
I could see him looking left and right for her, and from outside the door I saw her fall on his head from the ceiling. He pushed her off, causing her to crash onto her bed, her face was still bleeding. He ran up to her and grabbed her dagger, pointing it at her leg; his other hand has pinning her down to the bed.
“Give me the book”
“No” she determinedly, and she then spat in his face. He drove the dagger into her leg causing her to scream.
“I’m goin…-” He began, but Larroh leaned up and head butted him. He then drove then lunged at her heart with the dagger, and again like last time I ran to stop it, and as I got close time stopped again.
“Currrjos, stop!”
I turned and Larroh was there, again in white robes and surrounded by the orbs. She walked up to me and put her hand on my cheek.
“I’m so prrroud of you” She purred happily.
“I need to stop this from happening” I told her, sternly
“You can’t. Everything you’ve become is because of this moment. You should know that now…”
I was beginning to understand, this is also what Verha had said.
“If you want answers, go back to the night where I received the book, and follow your mother.”
The entire world began to fade, and when it reappeared I was standing by mother in her Mog House, who was pulling on her Valour Artifact Armour. I followed her out of the Mog House, it was apparent that this was the night that Windurst was destroyed, I new this because Larroh had told me that this was the night she “found” me. There was nobody in the street, and it must have been the early evening, when Tarutaru could normally be seen enjoying themselves having summer parties and things. She left the gate to Sarutabaruta, and it was chaos. There where mages everywhere fighting Yagudo, who where flooding through the plains like water. My mother began fighting, but fighting through them, heading towards Tahrongi Canyon. The Yagudo barely put up a fight against her; I didn’t even know what she was casting on them. She kept throwing bolts of magic, which exploded like Holy upon contact. Once she reached the end, we both saw my father standing there, commanding the Yagudo. She jumped in the air, and began glowing with a bright light. She shot towards him through the air, flying at him with her sword drawn. She slashed across his chest causing his armour to tear in half, and his chest to open with blood pouring out, but her merely flinched. He closed his eyes and his blood turned thick and black and began covering his wound before closing up. I stood next to my mother, in awe, but this didn’t stop her. She charged at him again slicing another hole in his armour, and the same thing happened. He laughed callously. However hard she tried she could hurt him.
“What did you do…?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He laughed whilst flinging his scythe at her, my mother just threw a Banish IV spell at him, I had never seen it before, and I had to shield my eyes from the explosion it caused. He spat poison at her, but she shot into the night sky, her bright aura made her looked like a star, and soon my father shot into the sky surrounded by an aura of black. All I could see from where I was stood was streaks of light and darkness flying at each other. I stood and watched for about 10 minutes, and then the bolt of light shot towards the ground, causing an explosion as she hit it. She whimpered on the floor, and then my father shot down, he was now equipped with a Great Sword. As he shot downwards, he pointed the Great Sword at her throat, and again time stopped, just as he was millimetres away from her heart. I spun around, and my mother was there, glowing like everyone. She said nothing; she just walked up to me and held my arm, as time began moving again, she still stood there. The Great Sword landed in her chest, and she screamed loudly.
“Well, Kari, your time is up.” He panted
“He will stop you”.
Those where her last words, and with this, everything faded to black again as it had when it began.
“I made a promise, Curjos.” She began.
Another mass of light began to form next to her, which soon formed into Verha.
“Curjos, stop him, please.”
And again, more light appeared from the darkness, and Larroh Jakobah stood before me.
“We will always be with you”
They each took each others hands, and closed there eyes. There was a huge explosion of light, and they disappeared, leaving behind a magnificent sword, the handle was embedded with 3 crystals. I knew what those crystals where. I read a marking on the blade which read “Judgement”. I tossed my hammer, and I new I was forsaking my beliefs as a White Mage, but I wanted revenge. I held the sword in front of me, and the crystals began glowing. I slashed the darkness around me, and it tore leaving a rip. I tore a square out with my sword, and saw my father standing by the Astral Candescence, staring maniacally at it. I didn’t want to return, but I knew what I had to. I closed my eyes, and jumped through the square, and was reunited with him. He looked at my sword, and grinned hungrily. He ran up to me and I slashed it in his direction, causing his armour to split. I attacked him again, and on contact with his skin, huge lights exploded causing him to be sent backwards. His eyes began glowing red, and he screamed in pain. His armour began repairing itself, and he then burst into flames of darkness. Instead of giving off light, it drew all the light around him into it. The only one of his features I could see, where his cold red eyes.
“Curjos!” The young White Mage girl darted into the scene.
“NO!!!” I screamed, but she ran right at him. He turned around, creating a ball of darkness in his hand which he shot at her. It hit her in the chest, and she fell to the floor, face down I ran to her, and turned her over, and her face was drawing in light like he was. She was crying, and soon her entire body was irradiating with evil energy. She cried loudly, screaming which echoed throughout the room making the walls seem to shake. Her body began fading into nothing, she was still screaming. Within seconds she was gone. He had killed an innocent young girl, who had done nothing wrong, ever. My sword began shaking, and I drew it again. A new jewel had appeared in the sword, and it was now glowing with white energy. I didn’t even speak; I just ran at him and began viscously beating him around with the sword. With every slash, I left a huge gaping tear in his dark exterior which was emitting light. I mashed him. I took all of my rage out at this point, screaming and crying in pain, finally able to get my revenge. Soon, he buckled and fell to the floor, hissing like a wraith. The darkness faded, leaving behind his body which had been torn into ribbons. I ran towards him pointing my sword at his bleeding throat. For a second, he did nothing, just stared into my eyes, and I stared back. I had one; I was going to kill him. I raised my sword with both hands, and thrust it downwards, but couldn’t kill him. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. He was lying there in pain, pathetically weeping now. I left towards the door.
“W-what?” He stammered in shock.
“You’re too pathetic to murder, you’re going to die any ways, I’ll just let the rest of the world deal with you.”
I left, towards the entrance, and I heard him shoot his crossbow. Immediately, I turned around and slashed it in half with my sword, before running to him, leaping in the air and shooting down at his throat, stabbing him in the throat, and walking away, leaving his motionless body lying there, blood still dripping from my sword.