𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 ⸻ 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 [ on hiatus ! ]

ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀɪɴꜰᴜʟ

       The snake’s head drew away from Nari’s hands and appeared to be glaring at her. The forest spirit responded in a language that wasn’t familiar to Eris. In response, she merely arched an eyebrow that left the other being unfazed. “Humans know my friends as terra firma serpentine. They come from the Eternal Forest, my home.”

       The snake continued to focus its gaze onto Eris and she glared back at it, not wanting to be intimidated by a rocky beast, and certainly not one made of the spirit’s magic. Even remaining as a champion for the order, Eris knew she was the weakest one. Victoria Taverna, a sweet girl whose words and magic stung like a snake bite was the first champion to join. Victoria was the only kind champion to Eris when she first arrived from the realm between the afterlife and the mortal plane, but she was rarely ever seen again after Morgana took her to the castle within Camelot and positioned her as a handmaiden. All the girl understood from one of Victoria’s last letters was that she infiltrated the room of one of Merlin’s apprentices and placed a pixie within their ear, giving them a terrible nightmare.

       The girl remembered seeing her friend at her weakest, and that was when the handmaiden told her about how she became the Order’s champion. Betrayed by her own sister, Victoria was taken to a cliff near her village and was chained to a post in the ground. She had remained there for at least three days, her magic sustaining her life force until a stranger finally slayed her. The handmaiden had shown the youngest champion a scar resting on her collarbone where the deed was carried out, and it was enough to give her nightmares for weeks.

       Arius was the second champion to be taken in by the Order. He didn’t possess the gift of spellcasting, he made up for it in deadly strength. He was a widower, but there was no word in the world to describe a man who had lost both his wife and his daughter in the same sunset. Tragic, really. The elf wasn’t one to be trifled with—she learned that the hard way. There were times when Eris would find the elf sitting at the edge of the cavern where the view presented the sky meeting an endless sea with two pendants in his hands. They were traced with elvish runes that the girl had yet to translate, but she had a feeling they represented something about his dead family.

       Cassian was the last champion to join before Eris did, but she quickly found that he was difficult to work with. Always aggressive, yet observant and quick to answer. He had arrogance that ticked her off almost every time he spoke, even though he was nothing compared to the magic and mystery owned by Victoria and Arius. He was just a human caught in the web of chaos, but even he dared to pick a fight whenever the elf champion was in a bad mood. Watching the two fight it out was rather entertaining, in the girl’s opinion.

       A cold breeze traveled through the cavern, brushing past Eris as little snowflakes flowed by. There was a powerful aura entering the area, followed by the roar of a creature. When Eris stood up and retreated to where Nari still remained, she watched as giant wings formed out of icicle shards flew through the air and a trail of ice and snow carved into the ground. Three giant dragon heads were craned close together as the beast landed on the ground, its claws digging into the rock and forming more icicles. The scales of the beast were white as snow, giving it a contrast to the dark and gloomy atmosphere within the cave. A haunting hum began, and the girl looked up to see Skrael descending from their companion.

       “What is that beast?” The voice of Arius demanded, causing the youngest champion to turn her head and witness the elf perched on a stone fragment extending from the upper part of the walls. His scythe was in his hands, an object running against the blade and causing sparks to fly out. Within a split moment, Skrael disappeared and reappeared next to the elf, a playful smile on their face.

       “My companion from the lower lands of the Earth, where storms and ice reign, champion. After all...it is my domain. Humanity knows it as the glacies draco.” The Spirit of the North Wind answered, setting a hand on the elf’s shoulder and making him grimace. Eris only grinned at the action. She knew that out of all the Arcane Order members, Skrael was the one who terrified the elf the most. Ah, it felt great knowing one of the weaknesses of Arius.