Undying #Wattys2015

Chapter 21: The Accident

Her voice began in a soft whisper, rumbling like an earthquake in my mind. A voice of rain, a voice of darkness. I had asked her to tell me about Shiloh, but I did not realize I was being told of a darker tale. A tale of death. No tears dripped down her face, but I could hear the quiver in her speech. With my eyes closed, I listened to her story. In my mind, darkness, like ink, formed splotches on paper, morphing into buildings and trees. The setting was being written in my mind by the power of her words. Zooming through the street, my mind traveled through falling leaves. I was the wind.

Then my mental camera locked onto Claira, walking in the street. By her side, I saw the ghostly man in solid colors. His golden hair was well-combed and his Aetherial Warriors' navy blue jacket was zipped up. His eyes were a honey brown. In his hand, he gripped the handle of a sword, a golden fire sword. The blade shined an engraving, "Basilisk."

Claira had her Pieced Blade in hand; the pieces spiraled around excitedly. She was ready for battle. She also wore her jacket, which was unzipped, flowing in the wind. Her eyes were dark like sapphire gems, shining with the sun's light. Her mouth was curled in anger and her eyebrows were crossed. She announced in a deep, brazen voice, "They should be in Atlas Tower."

Shiloh cleared his throat and asked, "Should I signal the others?"

Claira nodded, "Yes." She quickened her path, jogging stealthily on the road, as the buildings behind her blurred.

Then I saw part of his soul jump from his shoulder, forming a golden soul swallow. It flew into the sky, twinkling in the light like a shooting star. With quick feet, they went down the street and turned a corner. A few moments later, Shiloh announced, "They are in position."

"Good," Claira replied, "Let's go!"

"Then we ran," Claira explained. She paused telling her story, forcing me back to reality. She admitted, "To be completely honest, most of it is a blur..." Her indigo eyes traced the back of her hand. Sighing deeply, she continued, "We were chasing them..."

I did not ask any questions. Instead, I closed my eyes and let her voice manipulate my thoughts. She spoke of a dark building, hidden from most of the town. Like a ghostly tower hidden between the trees. She told me Shiloh was there, and so were the other Aetherial Warriors. Like the voice of a hypnotist, her words took me to outside the forested tower of death. I saw several swift figures entering the building, with Claira and Shiloh following close behind. My mind followed them. Claira yelled, "Aiden!"

Once inside, Claira and Shiloh raised their swords. Like the outside, the inside's walls were built of bricks. The shadowed walls were crisscrossed and close together; they were traveling through a maze of darkness. The deeper they went, the harder it would be for them to escape. Suddenly, Claira noticed light, and they hurried out of the maze. Claira's narrator voice echoed in the darkness, "It was empty."

The end of the maze had led them to an empty, round room. It was lightened with candles, and it smelled of incense. There were 12 circles aligned on the edge of the room, each with an elemental symbol inside of it. In the center of the room, there was a circular light shadow, beckoning the two. Claira walked up to it and lifted her head to see the ceiling. At the top of the tower, she saw a circular window high up in the sky. She announced, "We are deep underground."

"Where are they?" Shiloh asked as he slashed the air with his sword's blade.

"Help me! I'm stuck!" yelled a familiar voice.

"The next thing I knew," Claira began, "I was flying in the air. With his Bright Golden Wings, he pulled me out through the window in the tower. We both collapsed on the ground when he brought me down." Her voice cracked, "When I looked at the tower, I saw the fire. The violent fire that ripped the tower to shreds." Her eyes became cloudy, and she continued, "I saw Bane standing in the trees like a dark shadow. He smiled wickedly and disappeared into the air. It was then that I realized Shiloh had sacrificed his life to save mine. He was lying by my side - burnt to a crisp."

I looked at Claira's dead eyes, seeing the countless tears that she had shed in the past. "He was my partner," she said with an empty voice, "And he died saving my life. He protected me with his Life charm, protecting my body with his ghostly golden wings. It's my fault he died. He wanted to fulfil my dreams; he wanted to help me save you."

With a dry voice, she explained, "After, I was told that Bane had detonated the tower to destroy any evidence. But some of them told me it was at a great price - some followers had perished in the flame. Bodies of roasted human beings were scattered around the building upon inspection." She paused, and then continued, "I thought you had perished with them..."