"Doesn't look too exciting," Neko said, her arm wrapped around Ihen's. Insei sighed, wishing Neko would be quiet for once. But maybe that would be too hard for the insane elf. Neko had not shut up for once over the past week, pushing Insei to the limits of self-restraint. Insei put Neko out of her mind, and averted her eyes to the tower once again.
The tower walls were bright and shining, reflecting the sun that rested high above. Ivy trailed up the white stone walls, breaking up the white with scattered green. The Tower of Ether stood tall, and she wondered why they had not seen it before, soaring up the reaching trees as they had made their way here. No windows could be seen in wall's surface, but one solitary door could be seen contrasting the brightness.
"Well, come, standing here won't help us any," Rinn said as he grabbed the reins to his dark stallion. The other three quickly imitated the action, and they walked together towards the Tower of Ether.
Soon they found themselves standing at the base of the Tower, looking into the dark opening. This was the only entrance into the interior of the unknown, and yet it would suffice. Insei did not hesitate, but walked through the opening and into the beginning of a narrow hallway that stretched into cold darkness beyond.
Insei turned around, wondering why none had followed her first few steps into the Tower. Ihen was running his hands over an invisible wall, one that spanned the doorway through which Insei had gone through. All three of her companions wore masks of confusion, still standing outside in the warm sunlight.
Insei, more than slightly confused, stood before the invisible. Holding up her hand, palm towards the invisible barrier, she closed her eyes and searched with her mind. Within in her mind, she saw a sea of gray and black. But directly before her was a small wall of shining white and blue. She quickly recognized the magic and the spell itself, and opened her eyes to see her friends once again.
"The invisible barrier in front of you is a spell to keep those without the Ether mark out," she said as she one by one met the eyes of her friends. "I can only bring one of you in here with me." She extended her hand through the barrier, waiting for someone to make the choice to come with her.
Before the other two could react, Ihen had Insei's hand in a firm grasp. Insei pulled him through the magic wall, letting him into the cold tower. Neko and Rinn both blinked on the other side, unsure of what to think.
"WAIT! You can't have Ihen all to yourself," Neko was screaming, while Rinn shook his head.
"Probably for the best," Rinn was saying, "I can keep an eye out here." Rinn took the screaming Neko by the arm and led her to where the horses had been picketed on a lone tree. Insei laughed silently, watching as the elf plopped herself on the ground, her lips pouted in a petulant frown.
"Come, let's go," Insei said as she turned her back on the elven girl and the hardened warrior. Ihen nodded his head, and keeping his steps even with her. Soon the darkness threatened to blind them through their passage. Insei opened her hand once again, palm up, and drew upon what little Ether she had total control over. A ball of flaring white light floated above her hand, illuminating the current surroundings and a couple feet ahead and behind them. They now had a world of light within a world of darkness.
"This is the first time I've seen your magic," Ihen said as his eyes watched the ball of light danced fitfully.
"And this will most likely be all you will see," she replied as she picked up her forgotten steps.
"Why is that?"
"The Ether is extremely hard to control. Spells that take more magic than this ball of light make are hard to control. The Ether magic sometimes has a will of it's own, and if you can't control the magic, the magic will soon control you."
"Doesn't that scare you at times?"
"Yes," she said as Ihen's eyes met hers. "That's why I try to not use my power." Insei's eyes became distant with dark memories. Her eyes floated across the once white walls, now thick with dust and grime, the only mark from the distant ages. But her eyes barely watched as the walls passed them, barely watched as the floor began to slowly slope downwards, and remembering distant cries of those lost in the eternal darkness.
They walked further into the darkness, the small ball of light leading the two companions on their way.
***
"Remember that question you posed before the steps of the shop?" Ihen was asked, as they rested on a small stone bench they had found on the side of the long corridor. They had been walking down the same corridor for the past few hours, and they were both ready to give in for the day. They knew not the hour, but could only guess by the way their tired feet stumbled on the smooth ground.
Insei's eyes, for the first time in the past few hours, came and rested on his. "Why your father was in Talorn, right?" He nodded to her words, glad that she was finally meeting his gaze once again. He had not wanted to bring the subject of their talks to this subject, but he could no longer watch the dead, horrid look within his friend's eyes. So, he would take the fall for now, hoping that in his pain, she would forget her own.
"When I was little, I used to live in the elven kingdom with my father," Ihen began, pulling his bent legs tight to his chest. "We were happy there, living in the beauty that permeated everything that touched our lives in some ways. Our days will filled with happiness, laughter reaching the very sky on out-stretched fingers." His eyes became bright with happy memories, ones that only he could see. He looked up, looking at Insei's eyes. Her eyes were filled with concern, but deep down inside, he could still see the threat of pain filled eyes.
"Back then," he resumed with a withered smile. "My Mother was alive. She made the lives of my father and mine all the more wonderful. I can still remember chasing her through the house on cold, rainy days, her silver hair streaming like a banner in the wind.
"But she soon grew ill, slowly began to wither away into the anathema of darkness. I watched her fade away into nothingness, watched her once rosy cheeks fade to a pale gray. My Mother died when I had aged nine years, leaving me and my grieving father alone." His eyes turned inwards, unfocused, and he no longer saw the dirty walls, the dirty floors, but the pain and sadness of the days that belonged forever to the winds of time.
"The city we lived in no longer seemed alive and vibrant. The city was a grave of once happy days, and we could stay no longer. We picked up our lives, and came to the human town of Talorn. There we were able to forget about everything, start a new life, and forget about the sadness we left behind," Ihen trailed off, his eyes unfocused as tears began to surface.
He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and looked up into Insei's warm eyes. They were filled with sympathy and melancholy sadness, but the horrible look had vanished from her eyes. He smiled to himself, glad that he had helped his friend in this one way that he could.
Insei's arms encircled him, and Ihen found himself burying his head into her shoulder.
***
The corridor still stretched out before them, leading off into darkness that held so many secrets. Insei and Ihen were engaging in idle conversation, trying to pass the time. But their thoughts were not on the words, but on the heavy silence that seemed to bleed from the crumbling walls.
Insei stopped, and placed her finger on a section of wall that was surprisingly not falling apart. Upon it were etched characters of some forgotten language, and she traced the deep grooves with the tip of her hand.
�Can you read them?� Ihen was looking over her shoulder, curiosity vibrant in his eyes.
�Some of the characters,� her eyes squinted before continuing. �But none of them make sense.� She continued to trace her fingers through the groove, concentrating upon the lost language until she noticed that something was missing in her other hand. Looking quickly at her other hand, she realized that the ball of light was no longer there. Ihen pointed a little ways off, and Insei barely held back an angered scream.
�This can�t be happening!� Before them the ball of light was changing it shape, becoming something else in the darkness of the corridor. It soon took on a shape of a small animal, roughly looking like that of a cat. It seemed to cock its head at them, before turning and walking further down the corridor.
�What just happened?� Ihen was asking as Insei�s mouth hung open and her eyes were in a disbelieving stare.
�The Ether has taken its own will, and thus its own shape. It is another entity now. Come on,� Insei cried, �We have to catch the little bugger!� She then ran after the cat like being, pulling Ihen roughly behind her.
They ran around a curve in the corridor and found the ether cat looking at them with ears laid back. But before they could get any closer, the cat ran off, at an amazing speed. They soon continued to run after it, but they could gain no more ground upon the newborn creature. It stayed the same distance ahead of them, not letting them rest nor come closer. The ether cat turned about a wide curve, and thus disappeared from their view. Ihen stopped Insei, and a heavy curse fell from her lips.
�Wait, can�t you hear it,� Ihen asked as he walked slowly down the corridor. Insei listened, and then she understood why Ihen had stopped her. She could hear wind howling ahead of them, but she could not fathom a reason as to why. She slowly walked after Ihen, eager to see what the wind was coming from. Coming around the curve, she bumped into Ihen�s rigid back.
�Sorry,� she said as she took a step back.
�Look,� he said as he took a step back and to the side. Before them was a wide gap in the corridor�s floor. It ran for a couple of yards, too long for either of them to jump. And the walls and ceiling were missing there, too, so they could not climb across in anyway. The whole area seemed to be replaced by a thick darkness that told of unknown depths. The ether cat sat on the opposite side, watching them with sightless eyes.
�We have to get across�� Ihen whispered as he calculated their choices.
�I�ve got it, don�t worry. Just hold onto me,� Insei began as a feeble white light surrounded her. Ihen twined his hand around hers, holding it tightly. The light then surrounded him also, encasing them both in it. The light began to grow, growing brighter along with size. Soon Ihen felt himself lifting from the ground, and he looked over to Insei, whose eyes were determined. Soon the two were floating, and with incredible speed, floated to the other side. Once over the stable ground, the light disappeared, and they dropped to the ground. But their victory was short lived, because darkness so vast dropped onto them.
***
A small breeze blew through the open window, curling the thin curtains around the edge of the simply decorated window frame. The wind blew gently through her hair, and she gently brushed it behind her ears and away from her face. Sunlight spilled down in gentle rays, softly warming her face that was held high.
�Insei,� her Mother was calling from the back room. Her Mother soon came into the warm living room. In her hands was held a small envelope, bound in red and white threads. Upon the thick envelopes anterior their old family name, Jinmirai, was written in curved letters.
�The letter from the Four Towers finally came. I�m so happy that the Magister has responded.� Her Mother sat down beside her on the window seat, a loving smile upon her face. �Your Father will be down in a minute, after he finishes up his paper work. Then we shall open it and find your future.� Insei smiled as her Mother lovingly caressed her face.
�Mother, when will I be able to play with the other children again?� Insei�s eyes looked into her Mother�s, whose suddenly seemed a sea of sadness.
�Don�t worry, my Little One. Let me go get your Father,� her Mother said as she kissed her forehead and placed the envelope in her daughter�s lap. Insei watched as her Mother slowly climbed the stairs, disappearing from her view. Insei looked outside once more, into the world of sunlight and happiness, watching the other children play happily in the street.
One of the children noticed her watching, noticed her eyes witnessing their happiness. The child pointed, bringing the others attention to her small window. Voices then floated towards her open window, her open ears.
�I wish she would stop doing that,� one voice said.
�I know. I wish that Freak was gone.�
�She�s not wanted here��
�Let�s go!�
Insei cringed as more words and more phrases were forced through the window. She felt lonely and left out, all part of a deeper sadness that seemed to bog down her thoughts. Not too long ago she had played with those same children. She stood up from her seat at the window, the envelope falling heavily to the floor unnoticed. A white light started to glow about her small form, bringing with it the alien force. Her Mother had called it a gift, others a curse, but she knew it only as some strange being inside of her.
She began to slowly fall into darkness, no longer able to control her body. The light was now doing that, and all she could do was watch and feel as the alien presence began to glow even more. Soon the light seemed to rival that of the sun, but it did not hurt her eyes. She briefly saw her Mother and Father in a tight embrace at the top of the old stairs before the light engulfed them too. Soon the light had expanded to cover the entire house in a destroying light, somehow without a sound. The light began to spill into the streets, where the children screamed without sound. Tears began to well up, falling silently to the floor beneath her feet.
�Insei! Wake up!�
***
Her body slowly awakened, coming out of its dream state. Ihen was crouched over her, shaking her shoulders, and screaming her name in a frightened voice. She slowly opened her eyes, and found Ihen�s opened in relief. She slowly brought herself to a sitting position, and found herself in Ihen�s arms. She held to him tightly, not wanting to let go of the warmth that he gave off.
�Insei� You have yet to let your past go�� Insei looked over Ihen�s shoulder, and found the ether cat standing not too far off. As she watched, the shape slowly became transparent, and it soon disappeared all together.
�Insei, what was that? I,� he voice failed him, but he quickly recovered. �I watched my Mother die all over again�� Insei looked into Ihen�s eyes, watched the sadness that left horrid marks upon his eyes.
�In the past, all our questions are answered,� she said quietly as she let her head fall onto Ihen�s shoulder. His hand held her closer, holding her in a tight embrace.
�What did you see?� Insei stiffened at his words, but knew that before she could move on, the truth had to be known. She had to tell him before she could once again brave the corridors of the Tower of Ether once again. The will of the Ether wanted her to get over this dark spot upon her path, wanted her to be able to fully move on. In her past was the key to her future, and the Ether was testing her to take the chosen path out.
�I was a child again. I was too little to fully understand the power of the Ether, too young to fully understand what it truly was. I let my emotions take over my thoughts, letting the Ether take over. Because I didn�t understand, didn�t want to understand my parent�s were killed. I let them die�� Her voice trailed off, and she was surprised that no tears were falling. Ihen held her in a comforting embrace, no words coming from his closed lips. She silently thanked him for that as her mind relived the horrible memories that she had locked up so long ago.
�Come on, let�s go. We need to keep moving,� Insei finally said. They both stood, and looked further down the corridor.
�Will you be okay?� Ihen�s eyes were etched with concern, and Insei found the strength within her to smile back.
�I will be.� Ihen�s hand found hers and together they continued their journey.
Our bishel dragon has come from Bishen Realm, no stealy!
Images for this dragon home were made by me,
do not use unless you ask.
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