Legend of Elvin Rizah

Chapter Ten

Elvin woke up with a loud gasp, panting heavily as sweat streamed down his badly tortured body. What happened? What is this place?, the question scrambled through his mind in a rush. He knew he was supposed to be dead.

He swallowed very hard, noticing the bruises on his skin and his torn and tattered cloth of thick linen which looked damp and heavy on him. Slowly, as the memories of the Lageu night flashed through his head, his sight stumbled upon his chest. His muscles were too weak to react to the sudden grip of fear as he realized that there is neither a cut or stitch on his chest. His eyes danced around for clues but he noticed nothing except for the sawdust smell that permeated the quite dim and shadowy room and the chilly wind from the open window that dissipates it.

His head fell back, now stirring directly at the thick, heavy chain that held his wrist to an iron hook at the center of the ceiling. He narrowed his eyes at the locked metal and sighed helplessly. He struggled and also put more weight against the chain to break loose but he had to pause immediately on hearing an approaching footstep which sounds more like the mild walk of a lady.

A lady walked in, her large brown eyes were so serious and desperate. She snapped her thick braided leather-whip with lightening speed enough to send fear into her prisoner's mind. She stopped in front of the window, seizing the sun from shedding it light into the room. She spread her leg at a fair distance to maintain a firm stand, with her luxurious, straight neck-length hair in the color of a fresh blood worn in a practical and severe style. She has a doomed forehead, a hooked nose and her fitted blue leather suit revealed her short and slender build body.

"Who are you and what are you doing to me? Elvin demanded in a weak voice.

"Who I am is not our business boy". She paused with a smile, playing with her whip. "What I need from you is the greatest thing I could ever achieve in life". She snapped the whip once more and wrapped it around her neck. "That priceless power in you is all I seek", she moved towards him majestically.

What is going on? He became cold, ignoring every pain that cut him deep at the moment as he tried searching the answers to the strange series of question whirling in him. With so much hate, he studied the lady carefully and said, "I'm sorry you got the wrong person, I'm just an earth flyr, and a guardian. Get me down this chain."

The lady chuckled at his ignorance "I don't waste my time chasing the wrong prey; I worked for months before I could locate the presence of what I seek. That earth power you possess is just temporary" she stated, looking more serious as she folded her arm into each other.

"The world thinks that some magic had gone into oblivion, also fire. But only me, yes me alone has found out it had only been taken away from people to be given to one soul at necessity", she explained with so much pride and less gestures. "And that soul is that ignorant bastard in front of me. I have the only fire flyr in the world in chains, see how fortunate I am." she said with a killing smile on her face.

Elvin looked at the lady for a while before letting out a light chuckle. Though a part of him felt she is telling the truth but he still doesnt feel like accepting it. "You must be crazy lady, I am an earth flyr" he insisted.

"Well, that's yours to believe. Let's end the talk, I need to get you exhausted before I start," She held her whip again and her smiling face switched into anger. "It is time to scream boy! she yelled, sending the whip forward.

Elvin screamed out bitterly as the thick, leather whip landed on his back.

Noticing Elvin has suffered enough to make him weak, she left him to somewhere else in the castle.

Noticing her absence, Elvin focused his half-shut eyes on his shackled wrist, turned his body so as to make the chain twist before dropping his weight against it. Fortunately for him, the hook that held the chain broke from the ceiling. The chain poured down like rain as Elvin fell heavily on the stony floor.

He noticed that the room has eight dark passage-ways but suspected that none leads to the outside of the building. He stood his weak body straight to study the reddish-brown room carefully. He finally made his mind up to try one passage out but froze as he felt that something sharp is securely pressed at his back.

"How easy do you think I will let go what I suffered to get, uhn?" the lady grinned, putting more pressure to her sword. "Keep still if you care for your head" she warned.

Slowly, Elvin's sight fell upon a piece of metal on a table quite far from where he stood and quickly, he recognized it to be his sword. Seeing he had nothing to defend himself with, he had to use what he felt he should not use; magic. He always felt that magic should fight magic and metal to fight metal, he believed in that fairness. But since he had no other option, he tried to summon his earth flyring ability but it never came.

"I can feel that magic, elements don't work on python vinx dear" the lady blurted.

Python vinx are warriors born to fight element users, they usually prefer a lonely life and spend all their days seeking for powers and immortality.

Elvin stood still. He realized he had been sold by the treasure keeper who had perfectly faked his extinction in the presence of the academy. Trust lives no more as the man who holds and secure the treasure of the world has taken the path of evil, he thought.

Elvin spun, his fist launched for a killing blow but the lady blocked it with her elbow like she expected the attack. As soon as he discovered that he was free from her blade, he tightened his fist and calculated her next move. Holding his ground, he saw her aiming a strike at his chest but he was lucky to take a quick duck under the blade and rolled to the table to achieve his sword.

On holding it, he turned to see the lady approaching with cautious and slow steps. "You see, I had big problems with the chains but next time you should get a better hook" he teased. He followed the lady's movement, flexing his fingers around the hilt, "but there would be no next time, I promise you that." He said firmly.

In spite of his attitude, Elvin was aware of the pain in his arm, the heat and sweat his body emits, the lady's strength, and his FEAR.

She moved forward, amazingly fast. Elvin let her come, pivoted as she angled off to his left, creating a movement that lead him off his feet. He stood up fast as he could, then he transferred the blade to his left palm with a motion too quick to follow and aimed at her wrist but she threw herself backward to avoid it. She smashed severally at his sword and finally broke through as her boot found its way to Elvin's jaw, making him crumple upon the stony floor. She walked up to him and kicked him hard on his stomach.

"I think it will be quicker to get what I want if you are dead", she raised her sword high, sending it down for murder.

Elvin rolled fast, hearing the blade crush a stone beside him, he kicked her right shoulder and watched her scream in return.

She groaned wildly, pressing and swinging her blade at Elvin who had being held by the wall behind him.

After so many defenses, Elvin cried out as he felt a kick on his ribs, a killing blow on his chin and a sharp blade coming directly to the center of his forehead. He lowered his body and with rapid motion, he ran his sword into her stomach. His head luckily escaped the descending blade while he took another chance of slitting her throat.

She staggered free, her blood streamed down her thick leather suit and spread all over the floor. Falling heavily on her knees, she began choking till life was finally drained from her small body. Her eyes went gray and half-shut, her body became cold and slowly sagged sideways to the stones.

Elvin backed, sucking breath into his frail body and forcing himself to keep his balance. He began walking towards an anciently built wardrobe. As he got close to it, he tried to figure out what it was meant for. But before he could start guessing, the magic from the wardrobe sucked him in and he faded into it darkness.

He dropped like a comet from nowhere and landed heavily on the floor. "Arghh," he groaned, trying to fight his blurred vision. Hearing faint whispers around, he realized he is in the academy and probably been lying on the floor for some minutes.

"Good for him... he is still breathing, Just hang on." He heard someone say that. Though he still could see nothing but he recognized the voice to be Amnel's.