The Initials | Nanowrimo 2023

16| Conquering The Flame

Helel take the shiny item from Cloud after he offers it to him, spinning the lighter made from pure silver in his hands, grazing his fingers over Cloud's initials engraved on the bottom

"It's a pretty trinket." he decides, his gaze lingering on the item for some time before returning it.

Mr. Jefferson had bought the lighter for Cloud after teaching him about all the dangers of fire and how to be safe around it.

Cloud doesn't smoke at all but sometimes it would help with the headaches to have something for his hands to fiddle with.

"It's stupid, I know..." Cloud mutters, smiling to himself before hiding it in his pocket. "...but it's mine, so."

"There's no need to be embarrassed."

"If you tell anyone I'll deny it." Cloud only half jokes, going to see what his parents are up to, leaving Helel to freely search the house.

Cloud follows their voices, discovering the hidden vault behind a false wall, only catching the end of their conversation.

"Everything seems to be here." Amy declares, standing on her tiptoes to place the shotgun on one of the top shelves.

"Well we didn't spend all that money installing the thing for nothing."

Cloud peers around the room, his eyes landing on a skull with sharp fangs, a terrarium with odd glowing mushrooms, weapons of all kinds mounted on the wall, shelves of tattered leather books, some bound with stretched skin, and a bottle of Irish whiskey left unopened.

"So you guys really are demon slayers?" Cloud asks with his mouth left wide open.

"The Obsidian Order aren't slayers Cloud, we're protectors." Jonathan replies, rolling up his sleeves.

"Protectors of what?"

Mrs. Jefferson shares a look with her husband, intervening to fill the awkward silence but even in his marvel, Cloud still notices it.

"This was waiting for you." she informs him, producing a scroll of paper tied neatly together with black ribbon string.

"Is this where you try to recruit me into your super secret spy society?"

"We're not spies." Jonathan grumbles, knowing how much Cloud enjoys teasing him in particular.

Amy on the other hand gives a very different response. "I've been saying it for years. We're sort of spies."

"We're not spies."

"Whatever you say honey." Amy chirps, winking at Cloud knowing that Jonathan can't see her.

Cloud simply rolls his eyes, tugging at the ribbon until it falls off and shockingly evaporates like smoke.

"What is it?" he asks, jumping when Helel suddenly appears behind him.

"The Initials call it the Alencia, it's their oldest enchantment. They make all prospective acolytes perform it on the day of the opening ceremony."

Upon opening the scroll, words written in gold appear one at a time. Cloud decides to read it out loud for all to hear.

"Creation is made by a powerful force that only we can feel, our bones made by Celestium, in blood their magic sealed. And in the end, when all is won, and battle scars have been undone, may our souls rest in Creation."

When Cloud reads the final line of the Alencia, golden balls of light fly in the air and sprinkle golden dust around the room that evaporates once they come in contact with solid objects.

Cloud reaches out to one, letting the spark touch his fingertips before feeling a drop of blood drip from his nose.

His irises flash red before his eyes roll to the back of his head, falling into Helel's as the lights vanish.

Cloud can feel himself sinking deeper, unable to fight against the influence of the Snare as if his words activated a kill switch.

Once Helel catches him, the wooden ceiling transforms itself into a familiar red sky and an unknown woman draped in red stands over him.

The red sun behind her blocks Cloud from seeing her face and her presence is both distracting and calming to him.

She speaks in a partially forgotten language, the original language, every syllable shifting the magical essence around them.

She looks through him, repeating the same phrase over and over again. "It is almost time. Almost time. Almost...almost."

He hears the sound of a blaring horn shake the ground but what holds his attention is the deep sadness emanating from her that chills the air and sends shivers up his arm.

Her moans disperse tremors of grief that lap over him in waves that make his ache.

Cloud can't remember the last time he felt even slightly cold, it feels odd, something he doesn't enjoy experiencing at all.

"The sun has lost its star and the star has lost it all." she whispers, looking up at a comet barrelling towards the earth at breakneck speeds.

"He has fallen."