Infernal Power - TU's Fanfic

[SNL_Ali]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo~!!!! Yes! Thank you! *happy dance*

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Okay, finally, here's Chapter 5!
----------------------------
Chapter 5 – Guidance

After walking for nearly a week, Sarah and Michael found that they had run out of food, and were nearly out of water.

“We have to find a town or something soon, so we can stock up on food and water. We won’t last long otherwise.”<br>
Sarah wasn’t paying much attention to this, for she was looking at the Sword. She had only seen the hilt and the scabbard when she first looked at it, but now, with the Sword unsheathed, she could take in its full beauty. The blade was long and very sharp. It was shiny silver, and in the gray light of the dusk the edges seemed to be illuminated blue. If she concentrated, Sarah could cause the blue glow to become almost flowing, as if it had a life of its own. When she held it in her hand it was strangely light, almost as if it had no weight at all. It seemed to fill the air around it with a strange, almost palpable force.

They sat for a while, bathed in the Sword’s blue glow, which grew stronger the darker it got. This gave Sarah time to mull things over in her mind.

Okay. So, I’m a thief. I stole a valuable sword from some of the most feared people on Geran’tara. They’re probably looking for me, and if they find me, they’ll probably kill me. I’ve joined up with someone who is most likely a liar. I have nowhere to go and no one to trust. Our food is gone, our water will be, too, and There’s probably no town around for miles. I was a fool to leave.

So now you get my point, Kaither thought to her, in that sneering way of his.

What am I to do? We’re as good as dead.

He doesn’t think so.

Kaither was right; Michael wasn’t worried at all.

Well, Sarah thought, as bad as things are here, it would be even worse back there.

They slept that night rather unsteadily. They woke up every so often with a strange sensation that they were being watched. After looking around, though, they would find nothing and return to sleep.

After wandering about all throughout the next day, they once again stopped to rest for the night. Things were progressing as they had for the past couple of nights, but this night, however, they were approached by a figure in the darkness. All that could be seen was a heavy cloak, and a long beard.

Instinctively, Sarah knew that there was something strange about this man. She drew the Sword, and the world was bathed in blue light.

“You’ve no need for that weapon; I mean you know harm.”<br>
Sarah, who did not return the Sword to its sheath, replied, “Who are you?”<br>
“I am a prophet.”<br>
“Why are you here?”<br>
“You need a purpose. I shall give you one.”<br>
Sarah and Michael searched the words for deception, and, neither finding any, listened carefully to his next words.

“That blade there, do you know what it is?”<br>
Sarah replied, “Yes; it’s the Silver-Crystal Sword.”<br>
“Not its name; its identity. Its being. Its purpose.”<br>
Identity? Being? Purpose? What does he mean?

“I shall tell it to you. It is as you say it is. It is the Silver-Crystal Sword. But, however, it is much more than that. It was intended for a single purpose only. It was intended to be wielded by the one who could unlock its power. Have you not noticed the way the air around the blade shimmers? That is because the Energy around the sword itself is drawn to the Energy trapped within. By focusing one’s mind, one can channel this Energy in order to strengthen the power of the blade. Young Sarah, I want you to now try this.”<br>
How does he know my name?

She took the blade in her hands, and did as she was instructed.

Almost upon the instant that she focused her mind, the glow began to flow slightly, barely noticeable.

“Good! Now, not only focus, but tell the blade to channel the Energy. Tell it to use the Energy.”<br>
This time, after willing it to happen, the glow burst forth into a flowing blue fire, dancing across the edges of the blade.

“Yes! Now, hold it. Now,” he pointed to the biggest and widest tree he could see, “cut it.”<br>
She swung the blade, feeling a strange pleasure from doing so.

The tree fell.

The blade did get wedged in the tree trunk, as she had expected, but sliced through it with no resistance at all. Sarah was about to try again when her strength ran out. The blade’s fire diminished to nothing, and Sarah collapsed. After some moment’s rest, and with persistent urges from Michael, Sarah finally got up. She was dazed and bewildered.

“What happened?”<br>
“The magic of the blade allows it to cut through almost anything as it is, but with the power of others, it could do more. The Sword has one drawback, however. It leeches away your strength for as long as you use the fire of the blade.”<br>
“What about the purpose?”<br>
“Ah, yes. I said I have come to give you a purpose, and this is it: Find the nine magical Artifacts. You already have one, so there are only eight more left.”<br>
“How can we find them?”<br>
“Young Michael here can show you.”<br>
“But how?”<br>
“He has the keys.”<br>
“Keys?”<br>
“Yes, the keys. They were made to find and unlock the power of the Artifacts.”<br>
“The Artifacts… how will we know them when we see them?”<br>
“The keys will tell you.”<br>
“But what are they? And what do they do?”<br>
“That I cannot tell you.”<br>
“What do I do once I have them?”<br>
“You will know.”<br>
At this time, the two were beginning to become drowsy. The feeling was unable to be pushed back, and it overwhelmed them.

“Sleep now, and in the morning, your true adventure shall begin.”<br>
Before she fell asleep, Sarah could hear the prophet say, “Find an opening. The Dark-Crystal shall be on the other side.”<br>
When the two were asleep, the old prophet walked back into the shadows.

The two have so little knowledge of what is to come. I wish I could help them further.

He looked over to the leopard lying asleep in the darkness.

At least the Arch-Mystic won’t know about me. The less he knows, the better.

After contemplating this final thought, the prophet disappeared into the trees.
--------------------------------------------
I had an alternate ending to this chapter, but I discarded it for this one. Well, what do you think?

[cock of teh walk]

copyright TU , i bet.

[rave & phair]

Good, as always. I'd like to hear the alternate ending--for fun.

[Tyrannus et Callida]

The alternate ending reveals too much, which is why I didn't use it. You can figure it out, though, through subtle information revealed in chapter 6.

[rave & phair]

Okay. I'll fine-tooth-comb the next one.

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Well, I finally finished it, along with the next chapter, so It'll be a bit easier on me.
-----------------------------------------
Chapter 6 – The Gateway

In the gray dawn light, Michael showed Sarah the Crystal Keys. Each one was square shaped, flat, and with a piece of a different gem embedded in each one. The color of each Key corresponded to the gem.

There were nine altogether. One had a ruby shard, on sapphire, one emerald, one pearl, one diamond. Three others had a golden shard, lustrous and beautiful, a pure white shard, which gave the words ‘purest white’ new meaning, and a deep black shard, so dark that it seemed to absorb all light around it. The final Key, with the silver shard, was glowing intensely.

“He said these would lead us to the other Artifacts. But, why is this one glowing?” Michael said, indicating the Silver Key.

“Maybe it’s because that one’s for the sword?” Sarah returned, some sense of sureness in her voice.

To test this theory, she unsheathed the sword. Sure enough, the Key glowed even brighter.

Michael broke the ensuing silence. “Will the other Keys glow when they’re near the other Artifacts?”<br>
“Maybe. If so, then we’re a long way from any others.” She paused before continuing, “I don’t know if you heard or not, but I thought I heard him say something like ‘find an opening’. What does that mean?”<br>
Michael didn’t have an answer, but his dæmon did. She said, “What about the myth? The myth says, ‘And thus, the Great Prophet Sanar took the eight remaining Artifacts away from Geran’tara’ using the magical Gateway to enter another world.’”

Michael replied, “Yes, but afterwards it was closed by the angels.”<br>
Kaither then decided to give his opinion. He said, “Couldn’t it be opened again?”<br>
Michael stood up.

“But how? We wouldn’t even know where to look! Even if we somehow managed to open it, it would probably close again and we’d be stranded! But then again, how could we even find where it was? There’s probably no trace left of it, if it’s been closed for thousands of years! We’d never even manage to—”

Sarah cut him off, “Then stay here if you like. Either way, we’re leaving. Come on, Kai. Leave him to his doubts.”<br>
Not long after Sarah and Kaither walked off, Michael and Mistréa ran off after them, annoyance mirrored in Michael’s eyes.

* * * *

Farther away, in a clearing in a deeper part of the woods, the prophet stood at the spot where, five thousand years ago, the Gateway had been created to take the Great Prophet Sanar to another world.

He began the spell.

He took his staff, and with it he began to draw arcane symbols in the dirt while he began to chant the words of the spell.

Mihi, potestas, venî! Mihi, potestas, venî! In mundum in quô potestas negrî habitat frange! Mihi, potestas, venî! Trans rem frange! Mihi, potestas, venî! Trans rem frange! Mihi, potestas, venî!

As he completed the arcane circle, the area around it became dark, and soundless purple lightning crashed down. The spell was almost complete. He held the staff up into the air.

Mihi, potestas, venî! Mihi viam in mundum in quô potestas negrî habitat dâ! Mihi, potestas, venî! Trans rem viam dâ! Laborum, potestas, age me tibi dâre!

The immense energy called forth then began to warp reality, creating a large vortex, both dark and at the same time light. It was about six feet high, four feet across. The air began to return to normal, and the prophet stood at the newly opened Gateway and analyzed the situation.

This Gateway shall lead them to the world containing the Dark-Crystal Pendant, but because it was not created by the powers of Light and Dark, this Gateway isn’t permanent. They shall find it in time, but shall not be able to return. I wish I could help them further, but I cannot offer too much guidance without disturbing the delicate balance that is Fate. I can only lead them to the power of Light, and then I must return to my proper place.

With this, he stepped through the Gateway.

* * * *

“I knew you’d follow me.”<br>
“Well, I only did ‘cause I don’t want you to get lost. You can’t do anything without the Keys, remember? Besides,” he paused for a second, “you don’t even know what you’re doing. You need me.”<br>
She normally would have responded fiercely to this, but he was right. She was dependent on him, whether she wanted to be or not. Instead, she turned the subject to the matter at hand.

“How will we know how to get the portal open? And how will we know what it is when we do open it? Do you know what it’s supposed to look like?”<br>
“Well,” Michael responded, “in the myth, the Great Prophet Sanar passed through the Gateway, a portal of sorts. It was described as ‘a swirling vortex of deepest black, and at the same time purest white.’”

At this, Sarah’s gaze shifted to the bag containing the Keys. She was thinking of the colors of the Light-Crystal and Dark-Crystal Keys. Well, they could be described as ‘deepest black’ and ‘purest white’. The glow was seeping from the bag’s small opening.

It was at this point that she noticed the difference in the glow. It was much darker.

“Michael, look!”<br>
He followed her gaze to the bag, at which point he swiftly opened it and dumped out its contents.

The Dark-Crystal Key was glowing.

“But… how?” Michael said, not willing to believe it. “It wasn’t glowing before.”<br>
“Maybe it’s responding because now we can reach it?”<br>
“But how is that possible? I thought we had to pass through the Gateway to get to it?”<br>
“Maybe someone just opened it.”<br>
Michael took the Dark-Crystal Key in his hand and returned the others to the bag.

“If that’s so, then I bet we can use the Key to find the Gateway, since we have to pass through in order to get the Dark-Crystal Artifact.”<br>
“Then let’s hurry up and go!”<br>
“I don’t think it’s that simple. If someone, or possibly something, opened that Gateway, then they want us to go through. What if they’re not on our side? What if it’s some kind of trap?”<br>
“But what if it’s not? And what if they are on our side? We can’t pass up this chance.”<br>
Before he could respond, she snatched the Key from his hand and ran off into the forest.

Michael was infuriated.

“Who does she think she is? I wish I could just leave her here! Let her go running into something she knows could be dangerous.”<br>
His dæmon could do no more but say, “But then he’d find out, and he’d kill us. When his dæmon attacked me… I was so afraid. I thought he’d really kill us right there. I was so afraid. We have to follow her. We have to or else he’ll… he’ll…” She couldn’t finish, and didn’t need to. Michael was well aware of what would happen. He’d track them down and kill them.

Michael and his blue fox dæmon ran after her, all the while being followed by the leopard dæmon.

* * * *

Eventually, they found their way to the Gateway. It was as Michael earlier described. Sarah and her dæmon were waiting for them.

“So, what took you so long?”<br>
Michael didn’t even bother to answer.

“Well, fine then, don’t answer me. You can follow me if you like, but this is the last time I’m waiting for you.”<br>
Then, she walked into the Gateway and disappeared. Michael wordlessly followed, annoyance showing in his eyes.

The leopard dæmon held back and waited. Nearly ten minutes passed before an angel landed before her.

“Celentius, you’re late. Inform my human that they have crossed into the first of the other worlds. They’re after the Dark-Crystal Pendant.”<br>
The angel Celentius responded, “Yes, my lady.”<br>
“Before you go, you also need to tell him this: there’s more afoot than we first thought. Someone opened this Gateway for them, and I intend to find out who it was. Look, on the ground. These are arcane symbols used in spells that require massive amounts of Energy. Someone who has the knowledge of tenth-level spells did this. You possess the ability to cross between worlds, yes? Are you a high enough rank for that?”<br>
“Yes, my lady. I am able to cross between the worlds.”<br>
“Good. Return to me in a few days. I should be able to find out more by then.”<br>
“Yes, my lady.”<br>
With this, Celentius took to flight and the leopard dæmon entered the Gateway.

* * * *
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Aargh! The full chapter is over 10,000 characters long, so I have to split it.

EDIT: Damn 'æ'. It came out as an upside-down question mark after I copied and paster it from Word. From now on, I'll use 'ae'.

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Continuing.
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Almost instantaneously, Michael stepped out onto the grass. The first thing he noticed was that it was warm. The second thing was that he was no longer in the forest. In fact, he was in the middle of a city. No one was around, since it was still close to dawn, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He swiftly took off after Sarah, who was not too far ahead of him.

When he caught up to her, he decided to try to talk some sense into her.

“Okay, so we’re in another world. What now? Even if we find the Artifact, how do we get it? It’s not like they’re just going to give it to us.”<br>
“I’ll decide when we get there.”<br>
“You’re not even thinking about this! You think it’ll be easy! Well, what happens when someone finds out that we’re not from here? What if these people are all just regular people, without dæmons? Then we’ll attract attention! What’ll we do then? They wouldn’t even talk to us! Let alone give us something so sacred and precious as the Artifact!”<br>
She didn’t answer him this time, but instead carefully watched the glow of the Dark Key. It had been getting stronger all this time, and now it was glowing as brightly as the Silver Key.

“Look!”<br>
She instantly looked up. They were passing by some sort of curiosity shop, and hanging in the window, next to a sign that said, ‘Mystical Pendant – Wards off troubled spirits – Sale! 15% off!’ was exactly what the sign said, a mystical pendant. But the most noticeable thing about it was the gem embedded in its center. It was completely black, and seemed to absorb all the light around it.

“Sarah, that’s it! That’s it! And look, it’s being sold…” his voice had a hint of disgust in its tone.

Sarah then said, “Well, at least it’ll be easier to get.”<br>
“How is it easier? We have no money! We can’t just go in there with no money and hope he just gives it to us for free!”<br>
She interrupted, “For free was exactly what I had in mind. I think that Mr. Shopkeeper would be very pleased to give it to us when he meets us. You have one of those cloaks that all the Mystics wear, right?”<br>
“Yeah. So?”<br>
“Do you have an extra one?”<br>
Michael then realized what she was intending. She’s going to scare him into giving it to us. And she wants us to help.

“But he’s just an innocent shopkeeper!”<br>
She laughed. “Nobody that runs one of these shops is innocent. He buys these things from thieves and bandits, and in turn they don’t steal from him. That Pendant was probably kept somewhere locked up in a safe until someone stole it and sold it to him.”<br>
He took out two Mystic’s cloaks from his carrying bag, one for each of them, and then said, “Well, fine, but I still don’t like it. And it might not work. If he is in league with thieves and bandits, then he won’t be easily frightened.”<br>
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”<br>
“Yeah, and what’s that?”<br>
“I’ll tell you once we find somewhere to stay for today. We need to come back at night.”<br>
* * * *

They put on the cloaks and found an inn, the owner of which had allowed them to stay for the bargain that they be out by morning and that they wouldn’t hurt him or his family.

In the room they were given, Sarah told Michael her plan. He wasn’t pleased at all.

“That’s no plan! That’s just stealing.”<br>
“It’s not stealing. We’re just going to buy it for a very good price. Just let me handle it.”<br>
Sometime after nightfall they returned to the curiosity shop, which was open, and they walked inside. They were greeted by a short, fat man. He had a sinister look about him. Sarah was right; he constantly dealt with outlaws and the dregs of society. He came up to them as soon as they entered.

“Ah, you come to sell me things? What you got?” He paused for a second to consider their look. He seemed to think that they were some of his suppliers, but he was reconsidering this. “You don’t look like thieves. You’re too small. Who are you, then? If you’re not thieves, then you must be customers. What you want to buy?”<br>
Sarah was about to speak, but Michael began first. “That Pendant in the window, the one that’s on sale. But I think you should revise that sale price.”<br>
The man responded in a harsh tone, “Who do you think you are, telling me what I should do? I think you’d better get out of here now.”<br>
Michael thought to his dæmon, We can’t do it. We don’t have an edge! He’s not scared of us.

That’s because there’s nothing you can do to him! He’s much bigger than you! At this point, an interesting thought occurred to her. What would the Arch-Mystic do?

He’d threaten him with the most powerful weapon we have. Tell her.

Mistréa quickly whispered to Kaither, “The Sword.”<br>
Kaither relayed this to his human, and she drew the sword.

Michael continued, “I think it should be 100% off. Do you have any trouble with this? You do, don’t you? Well, talk it over with my friend here. I think you’ll agree with us.”<br>
The man’s gaze caught the silvery glint of the sword, but in the light of the shop, he couldn’t see the glow.

“You think you can steal from me?”<br>
“No, we think we can buy it at 100% off. It’s not stealing, because we’re buying it. We know it’s been stolen in the first place, and it’s valuable. If you’re caught with it, you won’t be selling anything for a long time. We’re doing you a favor. Now if someone comes asking about it, you can say that it was never here.”<br>
The man seemed to consider this, and reluctantly waddled over to the window. But instead of taking the Pendant, the man grabbed a large broadsword.

“I don’t take kindly to people who try to steal my merchandise! Now I’ll have to kill you.”<br>
He then charged, with surprising speed and agility, at Michael. He was hoping to catch them off guard, but Sarah was expecting something like this. The Sword’s fire flared to life, and she brought the blade down, cutting the broadsword at the hilt. The man suddenly stepped back, realizing how close he came to not having a hand.

With incredible fear in his voice, he whispered, “Magic…” He ran past them out the door, and shouted, “Take it! Take it all!”<br>
Sarah let the Sword’s fire diminish, and she came back to herself. Once again, the Sword drained her. She was extremely tired, and nearly collapsed right there. She could only remember pieces of what happened next. Michael grabbed the Pendant, Kaither jumped into her arms, she was led out the door. Behind, people began to form a crowd. They were in a building, went up the stairs, she was led into a room, laid down on a bed, and immediately she fell asleep.

* * * *

“Celentius, is what you say true?”<br>
“Yes, my lord. She showed me the marks left in the dirt.”<br>
“You may leave. Send for Anne.”<br>
“Yes, my lord.”<br>
A few minutes later, Anne and her jackal dæmon entered the room.

“You wanted to see me, Arch-Mystic?”<br>
“Yes, it concerns your job. You track the traces of Spectral Energy, yes?”<br>
“Yes, Arch-Mystic.”<br>
“There have been a few strange outbursts lately, yes?”<br>
“How did you know?”<br>
“My dear, I have ways of knowing these things. The outbursts you have been seeing are extremely important. Someone out there is casting high-level spells, and I intend to find out who it is. This person is a rogue. But before I explain more, answer me this: can you track them if they originate from another world?”<br>
“Another world, Arch-Mystic?”<br>
“Yes. You surely know about these other worlds, do you not?”<br>
“I have heard stories, and read the myths that speak of them, but I thought they were just stories, Arch-Mystic.”<br>
“They are more than stories, my dear, they are true. How long before you are able to track through the other worlds?”<br>
“It will be a simple matter, Arch-Mystic. It shouldn’t take very long.”<br>
“Good. Then quickly get to work. And you shall report these outbursts only to me, and as promptly as you can.”<br>
“Yes, Arch-Mystic.”<br>
With this, she quickly left.
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The words to the spell are actually Latin. The angel's name is also derived from Latin.
Celentius -> Celer Nuntius -> swift messenger

[rave & phair]

Wonderful. The Latin is well done, though I don't know enough to translate it perfectly.

[Tyrannus et Callida]

It's roughly translated to this:

"Power, come to me! Power, come to me! Break into the world in which the power of the darkness lies! Power, come to me! Break across space! Power, come to me! Break across space! Power, come to me!

"Power, come to me! Give me a way into the world in which the power of darkness lies! Power, come to me! Give me a way across space! Power, do the work that I have given to you!"

Heh, I'm already done with the next chapter, plus it's short, so I guess I can post it now.
--------------------------------------------
Chapter 7 – Purpose

When she was roused from her sleep, it was still dark.

“Sarah, wake up. It’s time to go.”<br>
She felt drained. She felt as if her strength was completely gone.

“Come on! Get up! We need to go. Now.”<br>
After a few minutes of struggling, she was finally able to get to her feet.

“What happened?”<br>
“You probably don’t remember. You nearly collapsed from exhaustion. You saved my life. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead.”<br>
Sarah smirked. “I told you to let me handle it.”<br>
Michael smiled. “That’s my girl. Come on, we’ve gotta go. Pretty soon that man’ll get someone to do something about us.”<br>
They gathered their things and left through the back of the inn. It took about an hour and a half’s walk, but eventually they reached the edge of town.

“Where do we go now?” Sarah asked.

“I’m not sure,” Michael replied, “This is why I didn’t want to go in without a lifeline. Now we’re stuck, and we’re on the bad end of things.”<br>
He quickly surveyed the landscape ahead of them. Beyond the town was an open field. To their left, the ground led to water, probably a large lake. To their right was a set of cliffs too steep to even hope to be able to climb.

They went back into the town, eventually found a park, and sat down beneath some trees, which blocked view of them from the outside. Michael took the Pendant from around his neck, where he had put it the night before, and stared into its utter blackness.

“What do you think it does?” Michael asked nobody in particular. “How does it work?”<br>
Sarah snatched it from his hand. “Maybe it works the same way as the Sword.”<br>
She concentrated in the same manner as she did with the Sword, but to no avail.

“It’s no use. I can’t make it do anything.”<br>
Then, a familiar voice intoned from the shadows, “That is because it is not yours to wield.”<br>
The prophet slipped from the darkness and appeared before them.

“Not mine to wield? What does that mean?”<br>
“It means,” He said, “that this particular Artifact belongs to young Michael.”<br>
At this, Michael, who had not been paying close attention, and who had been laying on the grass, immediately sat upright.

“What? It… belongs to me?”<br>
“That is correct. Place it about your neck.”<br>
He did so.

“Now, call upon its power! Reach within and will it to come forth! It is not much power, but when used wisely, it can mean all the difference. This particular Artifact, known as the Dark-Crystal Pendant, can control the darkness. It can bring forth the darkness in one’s being. It can control any creature of pure darkness. But, this Artifact’s most useful power comes when combined with the power of its opposite. Now, call forth the power! When you do, you will feel the darkness. Do not let yourself become overwhelmed! In order to fully use this artifact, you must be able to call forth the darkness within yourself! Do it, now!”<br>
He closed his eyes. He began to focus his mind. He felt the power being released from the Pendant, but it got no further. He felt the power retreat back into the Pendant. He opened his eyes.

“It won’t work.”<br>
“It will. You are not opening yourself to its power! In order to use the power, it must first flow through you. You are shutting out your darkest actions. You must acknowledge your inner darkness. No one is all light; we all have some darkness. You must continue to try, but before you do, I must tell you of the task that must be done. You know the story of The Sundering, do you not?”<br>
“Yes, everyone does.”<br>
“Did you know, then, that this was not the only time it had happened?”<br>
Silence.

“Yes, it has happened before, and it shall happen again. Do you know why this is? I’ll tell you. History repeats itself. If you track the previous course of History, you will notice that it is made up of the same cycle of repeating events. The story of The Sundering shall be different wherever you go. If you ask those whom you meet about the events that happened five thousand years ago, you shall surely gain some valuable insight. But, in order to leave this world you must find a place that contains residual light.

“Now, young Sarah, I shall not be able to help any further, so know this: The next Artifact you must find is the one with the power of light. It works the same way as this one, but instead it draws out the light within a person. It also allows you to see deep within, for the power strips away deceit and lies as if they were nothing. This one shall be yours to command.

“You two must find the place of light and use the power of this Pendant to give yourself passage from this world. Now, go! I shall no longer be able to help. But remember, you must always be wary. Trust no one. One false move could mean the doom of us all.”<br>
He stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.
------------------------------------
Ha, not bad, if I do say so myself.

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Um... comments?

I've been soooooooo lazy. I'll be done with chapter 8 soon, I promise. To make up for it, I have a very good device that I'll put in a later chapter. It came to me when pondering the state of dæmons in different worlds.

I also have this kickass scene in the next chapter where you see how Anne tracks the usage of the Spectral Energy. But, I do need to fine-tune it a bit...

Comments on chapter 7? I'd feel better knowing people saw it.

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Hello all! Done with chapter 8!
--------------------------------------
Chapter 8 – It Begins

Not long afterward, Sarah and Michael began to discuss what had been told to them.

Sarah said, “He said that the next Artifact we have to find is the Light one. He said that we need to find a place with ‘residual light energy’ and cross from there. But where could that be?”<br>
They were still in the shelter of the trees. It was beginning to become light out, and people would likely be already looking for them.

Michael responded, “What will we do now? The Pendant’s useless. I don’t think I can use it. I don’t think I can make it work. And without it, we’re stuck.”<br>
“Wait, what about using magic? You can cast spells, can’t you?”<br>
Michael thought, It’s not such a bad idea. I could cast a releasing spell. It would force the Pendant to release some of its trapped Energy. It’s worth a shot.

“First, we’ll have to find that place. The problem is, the only clue we have doesn’t mean anything to us.”<br>
Sarah was about to respond when a voice interrupted them. It was a little way off, but they could still make out what it said.

“Calm down, man! Say that again.”<br>
“Two kids,” they recognized the shopkeeper’s voice, “they came and robbed me! They attacked me when I told them to get out! There were two animals, too! They were following them! They were wearing dark cloaks—”

“The animals?” the other man interrupted.

“No, you idiot, the kids were! They’re sorcerers, I tell you, sorcerers! They nearly killed me! They had a flaming sword! Look at what it did!”<br>
There was a pause, then a gasp, and the man said, “What happened to it? It’s cut down to the hilt! And there’s not a jagged piece to it! It was cut clean through!”<br>
“See? What did I tell you? They’re sorcerers! We have to find them! We have to find them and kill them!”<br>
“I… I’ve got to show this to the chief. He’ll get his best men on this as soon as he can. Come with me. With any luck, we’ll have a search group out before midday.”<br>
Sarah and Michael waited no longer, and immediately set off in the opposite direction of the voices.

* * * *

A knock rang throughout the chamber.

“Enter.”<br>
Anne swiftly entered and closed the door.

“Is it done?”<br>
“Yes, Arch-Mystic, it is done.”<br>
“Good. Any activity?”<br>
“There is some small usage, but nothing worth any real concern.”<br>
“Get back to work then. Report anything you think is of even minor importance.”<br>
“Yes, Arch-Mystic.”<br>
She breathed a sigh of relief once she exited the chamber. As she began to head back through the corridors to the Resonating Chamber, her dæmon quickly asked her, “Did you notice it?”<br>
Anne was puzzled.

“Notice what, Ther?”<br>
“She wasn’t there.I noticed it before, but I thought I was wrong, because it doesn’t make sense. But now I’m sure. She wasn’t there.”<br>
Anne understood. The Arch-Mystic’s dæmon hadn’t been there.

“I did notice,” was all she could say.

After a while, they reached the Resonating Chamber. The room itself was small, with a single door, and no windows. In the center of it was a huge machine called the Resonator. Its only purpose was to record the exact location and magnitude of any and every outburst of Spectral Energy. Nobody knew exactly how it worked.

Anne closed the door, shutting out all light except for the eerie golden glow given off by the machine itself. She sat down in front of the Resonator’s large screen and slipped on a black glove with wires attached to the fingertips, connecting the instrument that would read her hand’s movement to the mass of machinery. She turned it on.

Instantly, the screen flared to life, showing a seemingly infinite number of grids linked together in a way that defies the third dimension. Scattered all throughout them were splashes of many different colors, fluctuating constantly. Trying to distinguish one grid from another, let alone trying to distinguish the colors within them, would have to take incredible skill.

Anne studied the screen, every once in a while making certain hand movements that would cause the screen to center on this area, enlarge that area, each and every time making the grids and colors more definite, until, finally, she stopped. On the screen, there was only part of a single grid, with a fading spot of bright red.

Anne instantly sprang up, skin an unearthly pale, barely remembering to pull off the glove before running out the door and through the corridor, heading back toward the Arch-Mystic’s chamber.

* * * *

After walking for over an hour, Sarah and Michael decided to stop. They went into a dark alley and began to contemplate their next move.

Sarah began, “We need to find that place, the one he said had ‘residual light.’ What’s that supposed to mean?”<br>
“Don’t know. But, he did say that once we did, we’d find the Light-Cryst—” He stopped. He quickly shot his hand out for the bag at his waist, and pulled out the Key for the Light-Crystal Artifact.

“Residual light…” he murmured. “That’s it! The Artifacts, they all leave traces of their Energy!”<br>
Sarah looked doubtful. She asked, “What are you thinking of?”<br>
“All Energy is strongest at its source. What if it was so strong that it leaked across, from that world to the others?”<br>
Sarah blinked in confusion.

“The Artifact, it’s called the Light-Crystal Artifact. It contains light Energy!

Sarah began to understand.

“So… you’re saying that we can use the Energy it gives off to cross?”<br>
“Yes, and when we do, we’ll be right where the Artifact is. All we have to do is find it using the Light-Crystal Key.”<br>
After a brief pause, Sarah said, “I guess that’s easier said than done. There’s no way we’ll be able to look, with people looking for us.”<br>
“Well, we’d better be very lucky, then,” he returned, before saying, “Come on, we’d better start looking.”<br>
Then, as they checked the street to make sure nobody was there, Michael caught a glimpse of what he thought was something yellowish, but when he looked again, there was nothing there.

Sarah saw him look back and said, “Is something wrong?”<br>
Michael thought for a second about what he could have seen, but then decided that he was just seeing things.

“No, nothing…” he said to her as they hurried off.

* * * *

The leopard dæmon held back as the two headed off, and not a minute later Celentius landed in front of her.

“Celentius, what I have to say must be delivered fast. My human, tell him that the Prophet has returned. He is the one who helped them, and he is trying to have them gain wisdom. Tell him also that they have the Dark Artifact and are now trying to find the Light, which will not take them long. Now, go! You can waste no time! It is imperative that this message be delivered fast.”<br>
“Yes, my Lady, I shall go right away.”<br>
He took to the sky and disappeared from view.

The Arch-Mystic’s leopard dæmon waited only a moment before once again resuming her task.

* * * *

“Arch-Mystic, there is an enormous amount of Energy that was used not long ago. The amount… it’s much more than even the most advanced spells require.”<br>
“Ah, yes. The time is drawing close. We must be ready. Go. You still must watch the Energy traces carefully. I need time to think of what I shall do. Go.”<br>
Anne left the room without hesitation.
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How was it?

[Cat]

I heart it.

Keep writing. ^^

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Well, new chapter today. It's a little disappointing, though. Well, the next chapter will be better, I promise.
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Chapter 9 – Darkness and Light

The Arch-Mystic stood in the darkness of his chamber, listening to the fading sound of Anne’s footsteps.

“So, Celentius, what were you saying?”<br>
The angel continued his report, “She told me to tell you, my Lord, that not only did the Prophet help them before, but he also tries to manipulate their view. They now have the Dark Artifact, and they try to find the Light.”<br>
The Arch-Mystic smiled.

“Good. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the pleasure of meeting him once again, after all these long years. Go. I shall await your next message.”<br>
“Yes, my Lord.”<br>
* * * *

“Quick, go now!”<br>
Immediately on Kaither’s words, they all darted into the shadows of the next building.

Michael was getting impatient. He shouted in an incensed tone, “This is getting us nowhere!”<br>
“Quiet!” Sarah reprimanded him, “or we’ll be caught.”<br>
“Come on,” Mistréa interrupted, “We’ve got to keep moving. There’s people everywhere now. We can’t go anywhere without being seen. If we keep moving, at least we’re not gonna get caught.”<br>
Abandoning the shadows, they ran through the crowd of bustling people now beginning to form on the street. A few of the people, upon seeing them and their dæmons, turned and said something to the person next to them. It appeared that the word was out already.

The town, which had been surprisingly vacant the day before, was now thronged with people doing many different tasks.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from somewhere behind them.

“Hey, there they are! Stop them!”<br>
Five figures dressed in silver armor were now pushing their way through the crown after them. Sarah and Michael began to run even faster.

“What do we do now?” Sarah exclaimed.

“Quick, this way!”<br>
Michael grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.

This is all happening too quickly! Michael thought, If only I could stop them, and get us some time to rest!

He ran, pulling Sarah behind him, making as many turns as possible.

Then he turned a corner and realized that they were alone; all the people were gone.

They both breathed a sigh of relief.

Then they both saw, at the same time, that the Light Key was giving off a faint glow.

It was Sarah that spoke first.

“Well, let’s not do that again anytime soon. So, are we ready to leave?”<br>
“I think so. I’ll need a few minutes to prepare the spell, though.”<br>
From his carrying bag, he took a rather large book and some chalk.

“What’s that for?”<br>
“It’s a spellbook. I’m going to copy a symbol from this book onto the ground.”<br>
He flipped through the book until he found a page he seemed satisfied with. He began to fervently work, sketching a strange symbol. Every so often he would look at the book, then return to the symbol.

Finally, he completed it.

“Okay. Now, we begin.”<br>
He took the Pendant from around his neck.

“But what—”

“Quiet. Just watch.”<br>
He began to recite words clearly memorized, with not one audible pause.

“Evenî, negra potestas! Evenî, et face quid mandem. Face quid facere possim! Evenî, negra potestas! Tê capiam, et tibi persuadeam ut audias. Evenî! Evenî!”

As he pronounced the final words, he felt the power of the Pendant surge forth. He felt the Dark-Crystal’s Energy combine with the Light. He watched as the Gateway materialized. He grabbed Sarah’s hand, and jumped through.

* * * *

Once on the other side, Sarah immediately saw what they knew they would find; the Light-Crystal Artifact.

This one was also a Pendant of the same size and shape. The only difference was, this one’s crystal shard was of such a pure white that it defied any possible description. It was inside of a glass case.

She looked around.

The Gateway had closed, and they were inside of a building. There was no one else in sight.

Sarah drew the Sword and used it to cut through the glass case. She swept the Sword through it, and the glass remained in place, until she lifted the top half off.

Through all this, Michael remained quiet. Once Sarah had the Light Pendant in hand, they silently moved toward the way that they hoped would lead to an exit.

After moving through the hallways of the deserted building for some time, they found the exit.

Once they stepped out, they were met with the bright sunlight.

They were now on a street with only a few people, but they noticed a single thing the people all had in common with each other, and with them as well.

They had dæmons.

Sarah and Michael both glanced over at each other, and then, seeing what looked like an inn not far down the street, they set off toward it, grateful that they would finally be able to rest.
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Well, at least I have the rest of the story mapped out. It will be 24 chapters if all goes as I plan. I'll see you during the next installment!

[Tyrannus et Callida]

Y'know what? People, if you want me to continue, say so. And those who read it, make sure at least one of you posts after each chapter so that I know it's being read. I don't write for my health. I write to be read. So please, don't make me think I'm unappreciated.