In which Pyralis is in the dark

A Chapter by Hannah Estar

Chapter 22 of the Time-Teller

Chapter 22
In which Pyralis is in the dark

“Megan! Wake up,” Megan lifted her head at Tempus’ deep voice. “Or should I call you ‘Dilana.’”

“Call me ‘Megan.’ I’m confused enough as it is!” Megan held back a groan. Her head ached from the impact with the floor. Slowly, she stood up and rubbed her aching limbs.

“If I’m not really myself, and I’m only my spirit, then why am I in so much pain?”

“Your body is still transmitting some of its pain to you, although the distance weakens it greatly.”

“Ok,” Megan sighed. “How do I get back to Pyralis… dad… no. That sounds awful; Pyralis. I mean, isn’t he in danger.”

“I told you, silly girl, we are suspended in time. Now, before you go back, I have one other truth to reveal to you.”

“Truth?” Megan asked confused.

“Well… It’s more of a skill… an essence of being, if you will.” Megan rubbed her forehead. Her mind seemed more fuzzy and numb than it had been when she first landed in the middle of the swampy forest with no idea that the concept of magic and sorcery had any factual basis.

“Megan, you were born with a gift. Your birth, in itself, was an experiment on your parents’ part. They did not know whether you would come out with claws and fangs or perhaps not even be capable of human speech.”

“Is it so odd for a wizard to marry a human?” Megan blinked several times, not understanding the meaning of his words.

“Of course not! Wizards are basically human… ‘Basically’ because of course the magical aptitude is genetic and that requires non-human deoxyribonucleic acid.”

“Then… I don’t understand. Why… Ugh!” A huge burning sensation filled Megan’s chest. At first, it felt as though a small fire had sprung up in her chest. Then, it became more of a soothing warmth than a pain.

“We must hurry,” Tempus spoke swiftly. “Your heart is not used to the boundaries of the flow of time.” Megan placed her numb hand gently on her chest and took a slow breath. Then, she sighed and laughed softly at herself for having hated Pyralis so much, for not listening, for being stubborn, and for simply being childish. How one grows spiritually, magically, and emotionally is still a mystery to mankind, but Megan held a piece of that mystery in her mind and understood.
Slowly, Megan looked up into Tempus’ mysterious crinkled eyes, wondering vaguely if he had ever been a child.

“Now then, Megan,” Tempus smiled. “Your mother had certain… talents, which have come to be despised in this era. People associate beings like your mother with trickery, lies, cruelty, and jealousy.”

“What do you mean?” Megan inquired.

“I mean what I say. Your mother, Megan, was a shape-shifter.”

“A shape-shifter?” Megan ran her fingers through her greasy brown hair.

“Yes, Megan.”

“If wizards aren’t hated, then why are shape-shifters? Aren’t they both like… magical things?” Megan’s face scrunched in confusion.

“No… Shape-shifters are despised by all things outside of the learned dragons. They are despised by creatures and humans alike. Creatures despise them because they take the form of the hunter above all hunters, who hunts not only for food but also for luxury. The humans hate them because they take the forms of the ‘lowly’ creatures. Thus, shape-shifters have no place among people and tend to live solitary lives.”

“If they live solitary lives, then how are there more shape-shifters?” Megan said half in jest half from genuine curiosity.

“Shape-shifters are not born. They are remnants of fallen stars. When a star falls on this planet, often an animal will eat its remnants. When that occurs, the star deteriorates into pure energy and takes hold of the animal. The animal, then becomes a baby with no memory of its time as an animal outside of an occasional scent or a certain frightening image… Which is why, Megan, you are such an intriguing girl. There is no other like you, no other mage shape-shifter, or shape-shifter anything combination for that matter.”

“So, everyone hated my mother for no reason?” Megan gaped.

“No, obviously, there were a few who found her to be a wonderful and inspiring young lady, as your father did. He loved her with such passion that when she was lost his soul nearly died.”

“Well, I’m glad it didn’t!” Megan half-laughed, then clutched her throbbing chest.

“I believe, you have the power that your mother had, use it Megan. I cannot tell you how, for that is something you must figure out on your own. Now, you must go to Pyralis, for time is slowly beginning to seep back into our midst.” Tempus snapped his fingers and spoke in a swift and unintelligable manner. Then, a fog fell about Megan until utter darkness consumed her vision. She felt a burning sensation, then the soft tingling of being healed by magic, and Tempus drew back into his large leather armchair, closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep.

Megan’s eyes shot open to a scene of mighty chaos. Pyralis stood panting against one wall, a ball of glowing mist clutched in his hand. Gethin, or Lucifer, crouched on a raised platform fingering a bleeding lip and aiming a dancing lightning bolt at the blind Pyralis. Megan opened her mouth to scream, but swiftly closed it. Gethin had his back to her, and Pyralis could not see. Thus, she went unnoticed in the midst of a magical duel.

Megan swallowed silently and breathed as softly as she deemed possible. Then, she concentrated on what she must do help her father, to truly meet her father and to make an outcome in which Gethin would never again torment Pyralis and his loved ones.

“Lucifer!” Pyralis shouted through deep breaths. “You will never again see the light of day! You will never again harm a living soul! You are doomed to end here, Lucifer! You… are… over!” With that, Pyralis raised the shimmering misty energy above his head and began swinging it in a circular motion.

“Smile, Pyralis, I killed your wife and daughter! And, now you will join them in the hereafter!” Megan covered her mouth to hold back a choke. Tears began to well in her eyes, and she bit her lip. Her hands trembled with anger and her face became contorted with rage at this evil aberration in front of her.

“That was ten years ago, Gethin!” Pyralis grinned menacingly in the general direction of the murderer. “I will no longer be affected by your cruelty! You will meet the fate you have deserved since Tempus first took pity on you, you murderous scum!”

“Ah! Perhaps, I killed those abominations of nature ten years ago, but it seems as though that child you picked up had taken the place of your lost loved ones in your wounded heart, and I took the liberty of tearing her from your pathetic heart, brother!”

“You are no brother to me, and you never were.” Pyralis murmured. Then, he hurled a flash of energy at Gethin, Gethin made a shield of spelled air and avoided the majority of Pyralis’ attack.

“There is no chance for you without your vision.” Megan could feel the sinister grin in Gethin’s words and her rage consumed all her thoughts. She needed to help Pyralis, and she concentrated on recalling anything that might be of help to her in this dire situation. Slowly the image of the king of the serpent creatures came into her mind. She recalled placing her hands on the great beast, the feeling as she had floated out of her body into the great beast and cured him with all of her power. Her mind sparked with sudden comprehension. She closed her eyes and meditated upon the feeling of the magic within her, and she felt her energy begin to leave her form. Too slowly, she floated toward Gethin. He turned in astonishment.

“What is that?” he breathed. “I don’t see it, but there’s something there, and it isn’t you, Pyralis!” Pyralis’ eyes grew wide in comprehension, and he stood straight in wonder at Megan’s return.
Megan felt herself slowly enter Gethin’s body. She felt his heart beat, his movements, the tension in his mind as Megan’s energy invaded his form.

“What is this?” Megan felt the muscle movements of his mouth. She began to stiffen his muscles with what remaining energy she had. She could feel his heart-rate become swifter and swifter until it was a whirring in her ears. Gethin began to shake and quiver under her stealthy and unexpected attack. His mind whirred with images of memories, of death, of despair, of sorrow, of a life of loss, of things which Megan would never have wished to see had she lived to be the age of Tempus. Megan tried harder to concentrate on her task. Gethin couldn’t survive to hurt Pyralis. Gethin wouldn’t survive to hurt her father. Megan attacked his body with all of her energy. She felt him falling to the floor. Then, a memory filled his mind and Megan saw a small girl with wavy brown hair swinging on a squeaky yellow swingset, and a whispered voice in Gethin’s mind, ‘Why did you keep the memory of her alive, the memory of your feelings for her, her child, Pyralis’ child?” Megan lost concentration, her energy broke from Gethin’s body and began to drift awkwardly in all directions. Megan panicked. She knew that she would never make it back to her body. She knew that it was impossible to reach her form at this rate. Then, she felt Pyralis’ strong magic envelope her and guide her to her unconscious figure. Megan tried to stand, but she could not even lift a finger. Her eyes were glued shut, and noises of footsteps and crashes filled her ears.

“Fine then,” Gethin’s voice invaded her mind. “Pyralis, you are blind, but you can still sense me. I can change that. Good bye, Pyralis! And say good bye to this scrawny helper of yours!” Megan felt a rush of evil sorcery consume her body. Then, a burst of wind burned her face, and she knew she was far far away from where Pyralis, her father and her good friend stood in confusion and dismay, not knowing that his daughter had survived the fire ten years previous, not

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