Chapter 5

In a dark corner of a small cave a man stared at the sky above. The lights from the stars having become an all familiar presence to him. Each star told a story. Each story had its own people, its own history. Among those stars he saw an area as black as the darkness that surrounded him. That is where his realm should be. Once there stood a great realm, forgotten now to time, in that space. The reality he knew and this one were connected. As the realm closed the rift that brought them together closed. Though he knew it wasn’t his home, this realm was really not that different from the one that he knew. He could feel the different races, living as one. The animals and the humans. The spark of these people had grown over the eons. Fading in and out. Great civilizations had risen and fell. He could feel the beat of each heart through the earth that had become his cell. No longer chained, the shadow long ago giving way, Iciry paced. He knew that the time was drawing near. He felt his heart grow outside this tiny little hole in the ground. It was the heart of a young boy, much the same age he had been when he learned to harness the light.

Sitting on the ground he stared at the ever present puddle that had formed centuries ago, a steady drip from the edge of the hole dripping throughout time, though the puddle never grew larger. He once tried to figure out where the water went, feeling the light that the water contained, but in this state he wasn’t strong enough to follow the water far. He knew there was only one way he would be able to leave, he had to find his heart. Over time his light had steadily returned to him, the scant light that he received from the sun was enough to keep it burning, but he knew that one day that wouldn’t be enough. He had only gained enough strength for one message. He knew that the time had come to reach out. He could feel the influence of the High One once again reaching out from the depths of the shadows.

With all of his concentration he focused. He dove deep within himself, searching. Finding the dim light he grabbed hold. Slowly the light took shape in his hand. A copy of his sword now sitting before him. He fed his consciousness into the light and pushed it out. The light, now a small ball on the tip of the broken blade, shot up into the night sky. A star of its own accord glistening over the water’s surface. Iciry smiled as he felt the presence of the light far in the distance and the small orb shot off across the water. Faster and faster it flew, honing in on the light source it had detected. Iciry watched as in his view he saw trees and mountains fly past. The glories and insecurities of humanity became flickers in his mind.

The orb slowed over a home made of brick. Old in the eyes of the humans, but to him, ever so young. The people inside are even younger, well, some of them anyway. He watched as the orb slowly made its way across the lawn finding a young boy sitting in front of a tree, exhaustion clear on his face. The orb raced toward the boy slamming into his chest. The light had been found.

Iciry instantly connected with the light inside the boy. He could sense the boy’s fears. The boy’s accomplishments. The boy’s joy and love. There was nothing in this world that this child could not love. Iciry could see that in his heart. He was the embodiment of everything Iciry believed in and he knew that his light had chosen correctly. Iciry whispered to the boy’s unconscious mind as he was now asleep. “My child, how you have grown. Never would I have wished this upon anyone. This was my burden to bear and I am so sorry that you have to face this threat as I had once upon a time. I will guide you, my beautiful child. Take the crystal of my light and rejoin it with the sword. It will be your greatest ally in the fight ahead. Your future is one of uncertainty and hardship, but there is no other to take up this sword. You must stop the on coming force. I will help as I can. You must seek me out. Watch the darkness, the shadows. In them you will see the faces of the ones who seek to harm. In those moments find your light. Our light. Use it to break free. You are growing young one. Find me.”

Damien sat up with a start. Not realizing he had fallen asleep. It had grown warmer as he slept, his shirt now sticky with sweat. Looking around he saw the light of the sun glinting off the pond in the distance. His family was gone now, nowhere to be seen. They must have gone inside. Damien stood making his way back up to the house. Had all that happened? The creature in the woods, the darkness. The darkness. A thought dawned on him. The crystal. He felt like he needed to put the crystal with the sword. He didn’t know why. He just knew that one belonged to the other. Stopping in front of the table that held his gifts his hand hovered above the box that contained the crystal.

Did he want to risk it? Was it a dream? If it was it sure had felt real. He didn’t remember sitting down by the tree. The last thing he remembered was placing the crystal back in the box. Slowly he reached out and opened the lid, expecting blue light to explode out of the box. Instead, he was greeted by a soft blue crystal that sat on the padding inside the box. No light, no explosions. Damien whispered to himself, “It had to have been a dream.”

He took the crystal from the box and opened the container that held the sword. Noticing for the first time that the tip of the sword was broken. Gently he placed the crystal at the tip of the blade. Nothing happened, at first. Slowly the air about him began to shimmer, the grass taking on a golden hue again. This was what happened last time, right before the darkness took hold of him. Maybe it hadn’t been a dream after all. Focused on the sword, he watched as the shimmer in the air coalesced into a small orb that hovered above the blade. He felt the heat radiate from it. It wasn’t a heat that would burn him, but instead it gave off a sense of comfort. Like he had come home after a long trip away. Without realizing it he reached out and placed his hand gently on top of the light, pushing it down toward the blade. As the light connected with the blade it slowly wove through the crystal until the whole blade shined with the light of the noon day sun. Damien didn’t look away this time, as this light didn’t seem to hurt his eyes. He watched as the blade melded together, the two pieces reaching out to one another with tendrils of light. The crystal grew out of the light, making the two pieces one. The light flared once more and then diminished leaving a soft golden glow pulsing along the blade.

He picked up the sword, holding it in front of him. The handle seemed to mold to fit his grip. He had never held a sword before but the light in the blade called out to him, giving him strength. He felt strong, like he could jump canyons and demolish mountains. As the power coursed through him his senses heightened. He could feel the rush of the nearby creek as if it was crawling across his skin. He could feel each beat of wind as the birds soared through the sky. He could hear far off cities.

He listened close, the voices inside the house becoming clear. “Uthur, this was not supposed to happen this fast. The boy has already faced Themesca and lived,” Lily stated as the worry in her voice matched the sound of her footsteps pacing.

“I know Lily. None of this has gone as it should. The boy should’ve become a force of the shadow the day he was born. That was what the High One declared.” He too paced.

He heard his mother speak, as he felt the sadness grow in her heart, "He must die tonight. He is expecting something to happen tonight, but he does not know what. We must give him to the shadow."

Damien closed his eyes willing the sounds to disappear. Had that really been his mother? She was so certain. So willing to end his life without a second thought. Sure, he had felt a pang of sadness within her, but her resolve and belief overpowered it.

What was he supposed to do? If he stayed he would die, that much he was certain of. If he ran, where would he go? He knew no one outside of the people plotting his death. He had no money. He knew there was a world out there waiting for him, a world where he would be on the run from his whole family. Would this darkness that had seeped into his life follow him? Or are those people inside controlling it? With uncertainty he paced along the table, his family inside deep in conversation.

"Find me", a gentle quiet voice whispered in the wind. Damien looked around having felt the words more than heard them. He looked down at the sword in his hand, light still pulsing through the crystal that made up the blade. The pulsing took on a rhythm. The gentle beat of two hearts. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. The sound became the only thing he heard as he watched the light. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Gradually, the sound became louder. The two hearts beat as one at an almost defaning level now. He didn't know if he could bear it. Without warning the heartbeat stopped and Damien looked up, shock being the only emotion that registered. He was no longer at the house.

Instead, he stood in an open area, large golden hued trees all around the perimeter. In the distance he could see several large buildings. The thing that stood out the most was the large white stone castle that loomed overhead. It was stunning. Light gathered in the stone as the light of the red sun reflected off the smooth surface. The sky was no longer blue, but instead a gentle orange. Which caused the golden hue of the grass to stand out. The scent of flowers lingered in the air, giving the impression that there was a garden nearby. He knew some of the smells as they were the same ones that came from his mother’s garden. His mother. The thought of her and her words ripped at his heart. A tear fell from his eye as he considered he may never look at her the same again. The one who had raised him. Always been there for every scrape and nightmare. Everytime he was sick. She had cared for him all his life. Her love was what got him through so many nightmare filled nights. Now he wondered if that love had ever existed at all. Was it all just a mission to them for this High One? Even his grandfather had been in on it. Everything Damien loved about his grandfather didn’t hold a flame to the betrayal he now felt.

With each ripple of pain that tore through his heart Damien felt like the world was falling apart. That's when he heard laughter filling the air as he noticed small children running about playing. Pulse after pulse of blackness rippled through the air as people came and went. Seeming to appear and disappear right in front of him. A young boy, approximately 10 years old, pure white hair and pale skin, stopped when he noticed Damien staring in awe at the sight before him. "Are you ok?"

Damien, startled by the boy's question, replied, "Yes, sorry. Where am I?"

The boy laughed, "Is this a test? Teacher said there may be a test." He turned his head to look back at what Damien assumed were classmates as they were all wearing what he believed to be the uniform of this boy's school.

Damien, knowing to the boy he looked older, maybe old enough to pass as a senior student he smiled, "Yes, of course," he lowered his voice to a whisper and bent closer to the boy, "but don't tell anyone I told you, it's supposed to be a surprise."

The boy nodded, a small smirk flitting across his face for a moment before he stood up straight. "Go on then, ask your questions."

Damien nodded, "Alright then, revisiting the question I had asked before you ruined my fun," he winked in a playful manner at the boy, "where are we?"

"Well sir," said the boy, standing now in an almost militaristic pose, "we are currently on the grounds of the Academy of Shadow. The only place in all the realm where one is allowed to study the High Magicks."

"What are the High Magicks?," Damien asked as he stared, confused.

"The high Magicks of shadow and light. Though the primary focus is always shadow. I am the only one who has been able to use light, but teacher tells me that's because I'm behind. I see her speaking with my father quite often."

Damien felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the boy. He too had been an outcast his whole life, so he felt for the boy. "Ok, question two." Damien pretended to think long and hard, tapping a finger against his lips. "All these people appearing and disappearing, how are they doing that?"

The boy smiled, a golden light flashing through his eyes. "Sir, you are giving me very easy questions. I'm going to ace this. That is called shadow travel, or in my case light travel. It's a basic lesson that is taught in the first year here at the academy. One reaches inside themselves, finds their shadow, or light in my case, grabs hold and thinks about where they want to go or who they want to go to. You let the shadow, or light, take over, sending you to the desired location, sir."

Damien, interested, said, "Can you show me?"

"Oh, no sir. I am still an apprentice. I can only perform that under guidance of a teacher or a master, but seeing your blade there, it appears you are master level already."

Damien glanced down to his hand, having forgotten he was still holding the blade. "Well, um, yes. Yes I am. And in being so am I not guiding you?"

The boy, a look of defiance in his eyes, said, "Yes sir, you sure are. Now, I close my eyes and reach deep within to my spark, letting it ignite." The boy closed his eyes and a small glow formed under his shirt in the area where his heart should be. "Then you think of where you want to go, and let the light go." He went silent for a second and then there was a flash of light.

Suddenly Damien felt a soft tap on his back. "Back here sir."

Damien whirled around, the boy now standing in front of him once again. Knowing he had to keep up appearances Damien held in his shock. "Very good. One final question, then you are free to go. What is your name?"

The young boy looked at the ground, a sense of shame clear in his eyes. "My name is Iciry. No last name, just Iciry."

Damien's heart broke at the sadness that filled the boy's words. He could feel the loneliness within the boy as if it were his own.

"Iciry…" Realization dawned on Damien at saying the name aloud. No, this can't be the same being who tore apart the world in the vision his grandfather had shown him? This child was innocent, pure. What happened to him between now and the destruction of this realm?

Iciry, looking impatient now, said, "yes?," he quickly added, "sir."

Damien, realizing he must have gotten lost in his thoughts and had been just staring at the boy, said "You passed. Congratulations. You may rejoin your class."

With a big smile on his face Iciry said, "Oh thank you sir! I can't wait for my father to hear that I actually passed a test!" Quickly he turned to face his classmates, throwing his hands in the air as he ran to them, "I passed!" As he reached his teacher Damien noticed his smile diminished quickly as the teacher looked as though she was scolding him. He looked back to Damien, a questioning look in his eye, before the children were escorted away.

He watched as the teacher talked with an older man, pointing at Damien. The older man looked at him, quickly nodding at the teacher and quickly strode toward Damien. Knowing that he would be questioned, and did not have an idea as to the proper answers to the questions that may come, Damien figured that now was as good as ever to try that thing that Iciry had done. I mean why not, it fits in line with the rest of today so far.

Quickly Damien closed his eyes. He reached inside past all his fears, uncertainty, doubt, hope, and love. Past his sense of self that he had buried long ago. There he found, in the darkness that swirled, a small spark. As he stared at it the light grew, intensifying every moment. He reached out with his sword, as even in his mind he was still holding it, and placed the tip of the crystal blade against it. The light flared to life, exploding outward, shredding apart the shadow. Damien grabbed hold of the blazing light, thought of the only place he really knew, home, and let the light take over. With a blinding flash he disappeared. The man, standing in shock staring at the place the strange young man had just been, whispered, “Light magick? I must inform the High One of this immediately.” He turned and ran as fast as his legs would carry him toward the tower that stood in the distance.