Elementals

Just a short story from the novel VassD and I are co-writing, Cerulean Blaze. If you are reading it, beware this story contains SPOILERS!

Six Elements, six stones, each glowing a vibrant color.  Wind, a tangible oxymoron, ever changing, never the same.  Water, a rippling reality, liquid one moment and hard as iron the next.  Fire, a jagged, erratic spire, flickering in the light.  Earth, an uncut gem, growing slowly, its center pulsing like a beating heart.  Virtue and Bane, polar opposites, yet exactly the same, light and shadow gathered into a solid mass.  Virtue comforted, instilling thought of happiness on contact.  Bane, however, sucked all the life from a room, filling the void with hopelessness and despair.  Each stone had a designated purpose, but that purpose was forgotten, clouded by technology and science.

The group walked through the lab, bombarded by the emotions floating around the room, constantly searching for a host.  The majority of them couldn’t decide whether to be completely aloof, bursting with unbridled passion, burning with aggression, serene and caring, bubbling with joy, or breaking down in absolute sadness and agony.  The few unaffected members continued walking, leaving the weak behind.  Among this group were two students from the nearby academy, Mykayl Greene and Jason Quyll, who couldn’t help but be curious about the stones heaped in piles against the walls.  Mykayl, whose dangerously inquisitive nature could not be tempered by anything, walked purposefully toward the ones on the tables.  They were different from those on the floor; they still seemed to have an aura about them which made them appear to glow in the dimly lit room.  Mykayl reached out and passed his hand over a few, pausing briefly at each one.  Finally he grabbed one, a perfect sphere, with facets that seemed to move in the air.  He could sense its essence, his hair moving in wind that didn’t exist.

Suddenly flashes of memories that didn’t belong to him crashed into his mind, a cabin by a waterfall, a temple floating in the air, a spacious citadel, a battle, and a woman’s face smiling contentedly, arms outstretched.  He drew back, as if burned, and then an evil sinister glint passed over his face and Mykayl’s hand shot out for a second stone, this one a deep blue, like ocean water.  Again memories ran through his mind, a flaming building, a playful fight, a kiss in the rain, a pair of beautiful golden eyes, strikingly familiar.

 The third stone he chose very carefully, considering each one, before he chose the one that had been pulling his gaze the entire time, a terrifyingly empty black stone, so dark it looked like it had been made in the heart of the Bane herself.  This time the memories were stronger, solidifying as if Mykayl was actually there.  They began farther back, with childhood, the birth of a baby sister.  A woman, more beautiful than any he had ever seen, materialized out of the shadow behind a small boy with hair black as pitch.  An argument broke out and the woman pulled a knife out of the darkness, jagged and dangerous.  Another woman screamed as it cut through the air, and the boy collapsed to the ground in a heap.  The woman cried out again and the baby in her arms also went limp, the two lives connected.  A man dressed in white robes came forward and took the two in his arms saying simply “It is time for them to leave”.  The memory fast forwarded, Mykayl getting snatches of emotion and a brief glimpse of two figures on a cliffside at dawn. It finally came to a stop at the battle he saw before, and then quickly skipped to a sort of reunion much later on the same battle field. 

Mykayl couldn’t help but feel like he knew them, but he had never seen them before.  Once again the woman stepped from the dark, bringing the shadow with her as she stalked forward seductively.  She seemed, if possible, even more beautiful than before, but this time dangerously so.  The boy, not quite a man, spun around, and his already pale face losing what little color it had, going white in stark contrast to his dark clothes.  He brought his hands together, a bow forming between them, solidifying from darkness the same way the knife had. Standing protectively between the woman and the rest of the group, the man’s midnight black eyes narrowed in an easily perceived threat.  He had a horrible white scar from the wound this woman had already given him.  They spoke for a few moments before the woman smiled in a way that sent shivers down Mykayl’s spine, and a girl behind the black haired boy, stepped forward involuntarily.  He had never seen such lifeless sad eyes.  It was like she was dying from the inside out.  The woman went up to her, seeming to float across the ground, and cupped the girl’s cheek in her palm.  The boy ran, too late, for the two of them, trying to stop something inevitable.  The dark woman evaporated, and the girl crumpled into the boy’s arms, completely unconscious, a brand fading on her face.  The boy looked up, and Mykayl jumped when the terrible black eyes locked with his.  Tears streamed down his face and he whispered three words almost to quiet to hear.

‘Light help us,’

Mykayl felt a hand on his shoulder, and the stone fell from his fingers, crashing to the floor.  Mykayl looked down and saw it had shattered into pieces, the new surfaces gleaming like obsidian.  In them he could see the remnants of memories shifting helplessly in his reflection.

“I’m impressed” the voice attached to the hand said, “Not many people can withstand the emotions, let alone touch a raw, uncut stone.  What is your name boy?”

Mykayl turned around to see a scientist in a long lab coat, with and evil glint in his eye.  The man appeared to share Mykayl’s insane lust for power, and yet some of the lingering emotions from the extended exposure to someone else’s mind told him he was the enemy.  He enjoyed being associated with someone’s enemy, especially if it got him closer to his goal.

“Mykayl Greene, sir, eighth-year student at the academy.”

“Well, Mykayl Greene, you are ambitious, I like that in a subject,” Subject? What was that supposed to mean?  “That coupled with your obvious affinity for absorbing power should make you the prime choice for my prototype.” All Mykayl heard was “power” and he was on board.              

Jason followed behind, noting the lack of praise toward the others who were not rendered useless by the effects of the stones.  It was easy to see that this man only had eyes for his beloved “prime prototype”.  Jason had never been blinded by the offer of power, which had made him a much better fighter and an immensely more reasonable person.  When the scientist singled out Mykayl it didn’t irritate Jason as it might the others, it told him something about the man’s personality.  He stored this information away, where it would be safe until there was need for it. 

Eventually everyone made their way into a large empty room and the scientist moved in to the front.

“Hello students, I’m sure you are all wondering why you are here, but before I can answer that question I must first answer the more obvious and slightly more important question of ‘Who am I?’.  I am from this point on, your employer, your master, and your creator.  My name is Dr. Alvrick Raiygn and I and a scientist studying the effects of the Phanthyan Stones on living things, such as humans.  You all have quite a bit of contact with these stones, as their power has been harnessed to create light in our homes and school, as well as supplying the emergency power reserves.  I have achieved the ability to do more than just harness their power; I can harvest their essence into a liquid form and inject it into a host.  You, my children, are the hosts.”

Jason thought it was an impressive speech, especially from the stunned silence that was the reply.  He could practically hear what they were thinking, ‘hosts?’, ‘injections?’, ‘creator?!’  There was no way anyone was coming near him with a hypodermic needle filled with Phanthyan juices.  He was content being a normal non-allpowerful person.  Of course they didn’t need to know how uncooperative he was until it was absolutely necessary.

While his mind wandered to more important things, he listen, only half paying attention, to Raiygn attempt to console the other students on how harmless the experiments were.  Then he got them all worked up about the limitless power they could achieve and how they could become immortal gods with the abilities stored inside them.  With every single word the students became more and more desperate for the injections, and more and more dangerous as well.  The effect it had on Mykayl was staggering, because he seemed to be changing before their eyes.  He went from the calm, composed, almost suave person he was at school to some kind of animal.  All Jason could think was that this whole thing did nothing but prove his point about lusting for power as he leaned, unaffected, against the wall.  Like a rock in a raging sea, Jason was the single voice of reason against Raiygn’s words.

Raiygn led the group into a second laboratory, this one filled with hard operation tables, each one covered in tubes that led away into another room, presumably the one they had passed through earlier with the stones.  He had each one of the hosts lie down on a table, except for Mykayl and, strangely enough, Jason.  They were taken out of the room into a more personal operation room.  This one didn’t have a table, but more of a chair with straps for arms and legs and one to go across the forehead.  There was a tray covered in tools like needles and syringes.  Jason thought now would be a good time to express his disposition toward the so called “experiment”.

“Hey Doctor, I rather not be pumped up on whatever it is you’re injecting into these people, and I could care less about becoming an ‘immortal god’ as you put it, nor do I want limitless power, so unless you have something else for me to do, I’m leaving.”  The scientist didn’t seem surprised by this and it almost looked like he had expected it.

“Mr. Quyll, I did not call you here for the experiment.  No, you are much more valuable to me for other purposes.  You see, I conducted deep investigations and background checks on every person at that school.  Each of there students slight lust for power and extreme need to excel, but you show neither of those traits.  However you have shown that you little purpose in life, no reason fro living, save when you fight.  When you are in combat you act as if you have something to prove to another person, and because of this conviction there is only one other at that academy whose ability exceeds that of you own.  Mr. Quyll you are here for one purpose and one alone, and that is to protect my prototype.”

Up to this point Mykayl’s face was absolutely appalled by the fact that Jason seemed to have no sense of upward advancement, but now he was pleased.  He had seen Jason fight, and knew there was no one better suited to this task.  Then his mind went to the fact that he had a bodyguard.  He was valuable, and needed protection.  He grinned at this prospect, and it grew when Raiygn started the mass injections for the rest of the students, but it faltered when the screaming began.

“Power is painful Greene, as is the path to reach it,” Raiygn said at the look on his face, “Anyone who says anything else obviously does not have an inkling of what true power is.” Mykayl grinned again with sadistic pleasure, reveling in the pain that was to come.  The needle came out, glinting in the white light.  Jason turned away, knowing what was about to happen, and that it was not something he wanted to see.  Fortunately, his friend was strapped down so his thrashings were restrained.  Jason had never heard screams so tormented, so distorted in agony.  It was odd, though, because about halfway through, Jason began to hear crazed, mad laughter, and then he realized how truly insane his new charge was.

Once the process was finally over, Mykayl lay there breathing heavily, shuddering in the unseen pain that still racked his body.  Raiygn waited patiently, a worried expression on his face.  “Its different this time,” he whispered, “The others only have the essence of the earth stones, but Greene has them all, not to mention a much higher dosage.  He had more than just a small lust for power; he was dying to gain everything, to rule the world just for the sake of ruling it.  He was the only one who had a chance at surviving this high a level.”

Jason stared at the prototype, waiting for a reaction.  He didn’t like Mykayl all that much, but he was his friend… Suddenly Mykayl breathed sharply, as if what he was about to do took an extreme amount of effort.  Only then did Jason notice the faint sparks running up and down the boy’s body.  He waited for the eyes to open, but when they did, they were not the green-brown he had expected.

The room exploded as lightning flared out.  Bright blue arcs shot out of his eyes, as if the entirety of all the storms that ever had or ever would exist had been concentrated into this one person.  Over the deafening roar of the lightning, Jason could hear Mykayl’s screams once more filling the room, adding to the cacophony of noise.  This time they were pure, unbridled torture, both to hear and surely to experience.  The torrent calmed just long enough for Jason to see past the blinding light to a pair of deadly, piercing, electric blue eyes, before the chaos began again.  If he survived, there was no doubt that he would be the most powerful human in existence. If he survived this torment, he would get his wish. 

Author's Note

This is only the first draft, and I plan on editing it and making it awesome over time. Any and all comments are welcome.

Just for clarification because some people have a problem with this Mykayl is pronounced Michael and Raiygn is pronounced Rain.

Reviews

[هل ك&..]

It was startling. I was wrapped up in the experiments. The only problem I had was you called wind a tangible oxymoron and felt that that was never explained very well.