Void Wielder 2 Legacy of Chaos (15 page)

CHAPTER 22

“Like this?” asked Falcon as he dug his feet into the sand.

Demetrius cast another line into the crystal clear lake. He swung his wobbly fishing rod around, as if that would change his luck.

Falcon sighed in frustration. “Demetrius? Am I doing the technique right or not? I’m never going to learn how to teleport if you never teach me.”

“I am teaching you, youngling,” said Demetrius, not bothering to turn toward the young wielder. He reached into his bucket and pulled out another worm. Ever so carefully he set the worm in the hook and threw it into the lake again. “With this bait, I’m sure I’ll catch a delicious meal for us.”

“I don’t care about meals. I need to know how teleport if I’m going to bring in Lakirk for questioning. I’m sure he has been aided by Volcseck, and I’m going to capture him in and make him reveal his whereabouts.”

“Then you should stop talking and concentrate on the task at hand.”

“Yes, but I need more to go on than close your eyes and think.”

Demetrius walked to the basket he had set up by the water and took out a large pichion egg. He tossed at his pupil.

Falcon caught the egg and shrugged. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

After a minute of Demetrius holding his finger to his chin, he held his head up. “Aha. I got it. I want you to bring one leg up, so that you’re only standing on one leg.”

“Like this?” asked Falcon, lifting his right leg.

“Yes, that’s good. Now set the egg down in your knee and hold that pose as long as you can.”

“Er…okay.” Falcon carefully put the egg on his lifted knee. He took a deep breath, as he remained ramrod straight. He didn’t see the purpose of the exercise, but Demetrius was a master. He was certain he had a reason.

Demetrius looked on with admiration. “Not bad.” He poked Falcon’s stomach a few times, causing him to wobble slightly. “You have strong legs. But chaos requires more than physical power. I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on your family.”

“I don’t have any fami—”

“Shhh…. Don’t speak, simply concentrate.”

Falcon closed his eyes. He vaguely made out the sound of Demetrius casting his fishing rod into the water again. But in moments, every outside noise was drowned out by the sound of water splashing. He looked on as his mother stumbled toward him.

“Mother!” cried Falcon inside his head. He reached for her, but as he did a bloodied sword appeared through her stomach.

“Why didn’t you save me?” she asked. “You hid behind a bush as I died. How could you be so cowardly?”

A lump formed in his throat as he tried to say the right words, but nothing came.

“Weak coward, weak coward, weak coward.”

His mother disappeared, replaced by the sight of his father, Anson. He looked down on him with fierce eyes. “You could have saved her, but you didn’t. I’m ashamed to call you my son, you spineless worm.”

A spear appeared out of seemingly nowhere and pierced his father’s head. As the spear dug into the skull, the image of Anson dissolved into a black mist.

“Hello, brother,” said Albert.

Falcon staggered back. “A…a-albert?” He wore the same brown tunic he wore the last time Falcon had seen him.

“You don’t want to believe that I murdered the council. But the truth is that I did. I craved power. I wanted it so bad I could taste it. Unlimited power. There is nothing better.”

“No. This is not real.”

“I’m as real as you. And like you, I’m a monster too. No, what am I saying? You’re the real monster here. You are the chaos wielder, after all.”

“Shut up! Just shut—” Falcon closed his mouth as he took a step back.
No. I need to take control. I must not give in.

“Don’t shove me away,” said Albert. “I’m your brother, your own flesh and blood. Don’t you want to be like me?”

“You’re no brother of mine. You’re the chaos inside of me.” He envisioned a barrier in his mind. With great effort he brought his trembling hands together as a golden ring encircled his brother. The ring shrunk in size, squeezing the life out of Albert.

His brother held out his hand. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t do this.”

Falcon’s eyes snapped open. He wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt. His leg was still up, and the egg safely rested on his knee. “I did it!”

“Did what?” asked Demetrius, pulling his string of bait through the lake.

“I controlled the chaos. I thought you were crazy with your methods, but it actually worked.” In his excitement he forgot to set his foot down.

“No!” cried Demetrius as the egg rolled down Falcon’s leg and to the ground. It shattered loudly atop a rock. “I was going to eat that with my fish.”

Falcon scratched his chin. “Sorry.”

~~~

“Thank you,” said Faith as the lady handed her a loaf of bread. She took a whiff of the blueberry wheat and set it in her basket.

“I got the potato.” Iris held the vegetable over her head. “The man gave me a discount because he knows I’m with you.”

“That was nice of him. Did you say thank you?”

“Of course, Faith. I haven’t forgotten what you taught me.”

Faith took the girl’s hand and led her down the path into the forest. “That’s good.”

Iris smiled. “Do you think Falcon and the old geezer have made any progress in the training?”

“
Iris
!”

“Oh. Sorry. I meant to say Mr. Demetrius,
not
old geezer.”

“That’s better.” Faith took in the fresh breeze that coursed through the air. It reminded her of her home, Asturia. “And as for Falcon, I’m sure he’s doing fine. He’s very good.”

“But he gets angry quickly, doesn’t he?”

Faith glanced at Iris, admiring her awareness. “Yes, he has a hard time staying in control sometimes. But he does a good job at it, despite what he thinks. He…” She took a deep breath. “He doesn’t hate me after what I did to him.”

Iris’s eyes narrowed and her steps slowed. “What did you do?”

Faith felt an ache in her chest as she forced the words out of her mouth. “Falcon’s parents died because of me.”

“Really?”

“Shal-Volcseck attacked my village because he was looking for me. It was during this attack that both his parents were killed.” Faith took another breath, attempting to keep steady. “It’s all my fault; and yet, he has never been unkind to me. On the contrary, he’s been the total opposite of that. So you see? He is kind despite the chaos inside of him. He just has a hard time seeing it sometimes, that’s all.”

“Yes. I’m sure you’re right.”

“How about you, Iris? I told you a little about me, but I still don’t know much about you.”

Iris dragged her feet as a slight frown formed on her lips. “Not much to say. I was found as a baby at the doorsteps of the infirmary. The nurses looked after me until I was three. Then all of them left to the capital cities. Since then, I have been on my own.”

Faith felt a knot form in her stomach. “How did you survive?”

“People always throw away scraps of food, especially during the holidays. I also started offering my services as a guide of K’vitch. That got me a few coins to keep me fed once in a while. That is how I found you.”

“And I’m so glad you did,” said Faith. “I promise you that you’re never going to have to eat out of trashcans again. I’ll see to that.”

Iris squeezed Faith’s hand tighter. “Thank you. That means so much to me.”

“No!” A cry echoed in the air.

Iris’s head darted about. “What was that?”

“It sounded like it came from the lake,” said Faith. “C’mon, let’s go see if everything is fine.”

The girls hurried down the path. It led them around a large rock, beneath a wooden bridge, and out into the yellow sand.

Demetrius was on his knees. “No, my egg!”

“Don’t worry,” said Faith. She lifted the basket of eggs. “I got plenty here.”

Demetrius smiled. “Great job, youngling.” He stood and returned to his fishing rod. “All I need now is to catch a fish and I can have my sandwich.”

Falcon shrugged as he stared at Faith. “I actually managed to control some of the chaos, but he’s more excited about eggs.”

“That’s great, Falcon!” shrieked Faith. “That’s such a good step for you. I knew having someone who knows your element would help.”

“How did you do it?” asked Iris excitedly.

Falcon took an egg from the basket and raised his knee. Taking great care, he set the egg on his knee.

Faith wore a face of confusion. “Is that really necessary?”

“Yes, according to Demetrius. It’s a way to keep me focused physically and mentally.”

Demetrius snickered loudly to himself. “I’m afraid you’re overthinking things a bit, youngling.”

Falcon handed the egg back to Faith. “What do you mean?”

“The only reason I had you hold the egg like that was because thought it would be funny to see you struggling to keep your balance. I was getting bored and I needed some form of entertainment.”

Falcon’s jaw dropped. “So that was for nothing?”

“No, not for nothing. Weren’t you listening? It was to give me a good laugh.”

“Do it again, Falcon,” said Iris between giggles. “Do it again. I want to see you fall and break an egg.”

Falcon licked his teeth, unable to believe he had fallen for the old man’s trick. “You know, you’re not at all what I expected.”

“And what did you expect, youngling? You thought that because I was a chaos wielder I was going to be silent, brooding, and humorless?”

“Well, yes,
actually
.”

Demetrius grinned, exposing crooked dark teeth. “You would do well to not pass judgment on people simply the title they carry.”

Falcon’s thoughts drifted back to Aya and the day he’d met her. “A friend told me that once too.”

“I got one!” cried Demetrius as he pulled the rod back. A squirming gray fish landed on the sand. The old man rubbed his stomach. “Sandwich time!”

Falcon grinned. Yes, indeed this man was not what he had expected. But that didn’t necessarily seem like a bad thing anymore.

CHAPTER 23

Falcon took in the aroma of the sweet bread as he stuffed it in his mouth. The egg inside it melted on his tongue, causing him to sigh with satisfaction. At first he had thought this night picnic to be a bad idea, but now he wasn’t too sure.

“Falcon!” said Faith, looking absolutely aghast. “I had no idea you could eat like
that
.”

Iris too stood with mouth wide open. “I suppose he was very hungry.”

“A man with no patience with food is also a man with no food,” said Father Lucien. “And a man with no food can never watch the birds fly.”

“That’s very true,” said Shal-Demetrius. He leaned on the thick branch of the tree.

Falcon felt his cheeks redden as he forced the food down his throat. “I’m sorry, Faith.”

“
Sorry
?” asked Faith. “Don’t be. It’s fine. I was just a bit shocked to see you eat with such ferocity. That’s all.” She returned to braiding Iris’s long hair. “It’s actually kind of funny. I never have seen you act that way.”

Iris, who sat cross-legged in front of a kneeling Faith, caressed the ponytail that had been finished. “Wow. It’s
so
shiny.”

Faith ran more water through the girl’s hair. “It’s amazing what a little wash can do.”

Falcon nodded. He had to agree. Iris did look much better now that Faith had washed her in the lake.

All of a sudden, Iris clasped Faith’s hand. A silent tear dripped out from her eye as her gaze remained locked on Falcon’s. “You two have been so kind to me. No one has ever treated me this way. No one.” The girl’s voice was full of sadness and gratitude. “Th…thanks so much for saving me, for everything. I don’t deserve—”

Faith held the girl in her arms. “Don’t you say that. Of course you deserve it. You’re an amazing person.” She looked up at Falcon, her eyes demanding that he say something.

Falcon, not sure what to say, cleared his throat. “Um…that’s right. You deserve the best.”

The little girl remained sobbing quietly while Faith held her tight.

“Not that great with words, huh?” said Father Lucien. “Have you figured out my little riddle from back on our wagon ride?”

Falcon sighed, not sure why Faith had insisted on bringing the father along. “No, I can’t say that I have.”

“Perhaps if you spent less time thinking about your sword and wielding, and more about words and their meaning you would make some progress.”

“Can we get back to training?” asked Falcon.

“In your case this
is
training,” Demetrius said. “Learning to relax is a virtue you would do well to remember. Besides, the moon has just passed the middle of the sky. We should have gone to sleep hours ago.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

“Then meditate.”

“Meditation never helped me get any answers before. I doubt it will now.”

“Is that so?” asked the chaos wielder. He took a seat in front of Falcon.

“What are you doing,” asked Falcon as Demetrius took his hand.

“Shush and close your eyes.”

“But-”

“Do it!” Demetrius turned to Faith. “Could you join us as well?”

Faith appeared as confused as Falcon, but she remained silent as she put her hands over Falcon’s.

Falcon closed his eyes. At first he saw nothing. Felt nothing. But after a few seconds, the wrinkled hands of Demetrius grew warm. Then he saw it.

He now stood in front of a small cottage. The fields around it as well as the pine trees were covered in snow. A tall man with sharp features stood at the door, apparently unaware that Falcon was watching him.

“Be gone, boy,” ordered the man to a kid who couldn’t be more than eight years of age. “The winters in these mountains are harsh. My wife and I barely have enough for ourselves. We can’t share our morsels with any stray who comes calling.”

“Demetrius!” A beautiful, red haired woman called as he came out from inside the hut.

So the man is Demetrius. But why is he showing me something that happened so long ago?

“Yes, Lunet?”

The woman put her hand over a bloodied gash the boy had on his neck. The holy pearl on her hand brightened as the cut closed, leaving no sign of an injury. She took hold of the malnourished boy and led him into the cabin. “We always have room for those in need.”

Demetrius took in a deep breath and held it. “Of course, dear.”

“What is your name?” asked Lunet.

The boy looked up at the woman. He rubbed his bony cheeks. “Volcseck. My name is Volcseck.”

A tornado slammed into the scene, carrying the images away. A moment later Falcon stood by a lake. Before him Demetrius towered over a young man who couldn’t be a day past twenty seasons old.

“Come at me, Volcseck.”

Volcseck grinned as he unsheathed his sword. His cheeks looked much fuller now, and the dark bags under his eyes were non-existent. He rushed forward with a flurry of sword strikes.

Falcon nodded with admiration. Both warriors moved with precision. Every attack, every feint, every parry was perfect, with no visible openings.

“Good. Good,” said Demetrius, putting his sword away. Volcseck did the same. “You’ve done well these past few years. I believe you’re ready.”

“Yes!” cried Volcseck. He ran to Lunet and picked her up by her waist. “Did you hear that, mother? I’m finally going to learn the secrets of chaos.”

“Not exactly,” interrupted Demetrius. “I want you to go train with the monks of the mountain pass. There you will remain for five years, away from the worldly temptations. When you get back, then we’ll discuss your chaos training.”

Volcseck set Lunet down. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“Five years.” Volcseck’s voice remained monotone, with no hint of emotion despite his obvious disappointment. “That is a complete waste of time. You said I have the gift of chaos, like you.”

Demetrius frowned as he stared at his emblem. “Curse is more like it. This power is not to be taken lightly. It can consume you if left unchecked.”

“But you turned out fine.”

Demetrius took hold of Lunet’s hand. “That is only because I had my soul mate to guide me.”

“I can control it,” said Volcseck through clenched teeth.

“I’ve raised you as
my
son!” declared Demetrius, his voice rising. “You
will
obey my command.”

“This is complete rustada,” hissed Volcseck.

“Mind your mouth!” thundered Demetrius.

“I apologize for my foul language, mother.” He turned and headed into the forest, mumbling under his breath. “If you won’t teach me, then I’ll discover the power of chaos myself.”

“Get back here,” ordered Demetrius as he headed after his pupil.

Lunet took hold of her husband’s hand. “Give him some time to think.”

“No. If he doesn’t listen, I will—”

“Get in another shouting duel? That’s not what he needs now. Let him mull things over. He’ll come around.”

The scene dissolved. Seemingly from nowhere, stone pyramids emerged. Countless bald-headed, robe-wearing monks lay on the cold stone. Their eyes remained open, though the life inside them had been extinguished.

“What have you done?” Demetrius demanded. He now had a peppered mustache and beard decorating his face.

“Took matters into my own hands,” answered Volcseck. He wore a black cloak, obscuring his facial features.

“S…son,” stuttered Lunet. She gasped as she took in the sight before her. “When the monk’s scroll expressed concern over your actions, we thought they were exaggerating. Why did you do this?”

Volcseck laughed, a cruel cackle that echoed through the rainy night. “For the past five years I’ve been training. Honing my chaos. It speaks to me. Tells me what to do.”

“Fool!” Demetrius said. “You let the chaos consume you.”

“No. I became part of it. With this new power I will finally bring a new era unto this wicked world.”

“Son,” pleaded Lunet, clearly on the brink of tears. She reached for Volcseck’s hand.

“No more son. The chaos demands the holy emblem. So I will take it now.”

“Don’t you dare.” Demetrius stepped in front of Lunet.

“Oh, master.” The young wielder took a step forward. “You don’t even have your weapon.”

Demetrius’ head trembled with fury. “I don’t need steel to teach you the difference between a master and a pup.”

Thunder clashed as both chaos wielders moved against each other.

Demetrius dodged the first blade attack. The second attack found only air as the master teleported behind his pupil. He grabbed him in a chokehold.

A teleport later and Volcseck stood safely away from Demetrius’ hold.

Under the hood, Falcon made out a large-toothed grin as the bodies of the dead monks stood. Their lifeless heads hung down.

“You mastered
that
attack,” said Demetrius, shock in his voice. “Now I know that you truly are lost.”

Out of nowhere, a rainbow-colored shield encircled both chaos wielders.

“Both of you, stop this,” Lunet demanded. She moved toward the young man. “Son, why didn’t you come to me if you needed help?”

“Get back!” yelled Demetrius, breaking out of his shield and rushing toward his wife.

Volcseck broke free from his shield as well and drove his sword forward.

There was a spurt of blood as the long sword entered Lunet’s chest.

A second later Demetrius’ fist delivered a crushing blow to his pupil’s jaw, sending him flying uselessly through the air.

“Stop,” said Lunet, blood dripping from her mouth. Her emblem glowed brightly as she struggled to where her son lay.

“Yes, you still have enough energy to heal your injury,” said a hopeful Demetrius.

Falcon watched in shock as the red-haired holy wielder set her hand on Volcseck’s broken jaw, healing his wound.

“I forgive you, son.” With those last words her lifeless body crumpled into her husband’s arms.

“The holy emblem, I need it,” said Volcseck. The bravado and confidence was now gone, replaced by a slight tremble in his voice.

Could it be that he cared for her?

Demetrius caressed his dead wife’s short hair. “Why, my love? Why?”

“The emblem,” repeated Volcseck.

Demetrius looked up with heated rage in his eyes. “It will never be yours. Never, you hear? I’ll make sure of that.” The red cracks in the master’s emblem intensified as a shield surrounded him. At the same time his wife’s body, as well as her emblem, dissolved into nothingness. Seconds later the chaos wielder had been fully engulfed in a clear shield.

Falcon’s eyes snapped open. He was back at the picnic field.

Demetrius winked at him. “You see? Meditating can be the answer to many questions. If you give it a chance.”

“I see,” said Falcon, mouth wide open. Perhaps he was wrong about meditation after all.

“I felt a connection with her,” mumbled Faith. “Thank you for that. It was an honor to get to know a little about my holy sister.”

“She would have been glad to have you consider her a sister.”

“I don’t get it,” Iris suddenly burst out. “I see how you got in the shield and all, but how’d you get so old in there?”

“Iris!” said Faith.

Iris looked down. “I’m sorry. I kind of touched your hand while you were in that trance and saw what you saw.”

“It’s fine,” said Demetrius. “As for the answer to your question: Time crawls forward inside the shield. My plan was to encase my wife along with her shield. I did not anticipate the shield energy to dissolve the emblem the way it did.”

Iris put a stern face. “You used to be so
serious
.”

“That I was, youngling. But being trapped all that time gave me a lot of time to think.” The old man hopped to his feet. “And now I think it’s time we go to sleep. Here I come, cold hard cave.” He took off in a full sprint toward the cave at the top of the hill.

“There is a warm bed for you at the infirmary,” Father Lucien called out.

“No need,” yelled Demetrius, still running.

“I think he prefers the cold,” said Faith.

Father Lucien nodded. “Well, not me.” He took hold of Iris’s hand. “Let’s go. You played the day away and it’s hours past bedtime.”

The father and the girl said their goodbye and headed back to the town on the brick-paved path that led to the infirmary.

Falcon and Faith took the dirt path back to town. They would have to go through the woods, but the path would lead them directly to the inn.

“So did you ever figure out that riddle?” said Faith.

“No, but I don’t think it matters much.”

“I would disagree. I think figuring it out would be a good step toward your training.”

Falcon nodded. “Then I’ll try my best to figure it out, for you.” He grinned. “You are my sensei after all.”