COBALT: The Red Phantom (Book One)

Chapter 11: The Impossible Request (Part 2/3)

          Phantom's voice was overwhelmed with disappointment as he watched Káel squish under the desk with his new tools. "What are you doing?"

          "Something."

          Káel spent around five minutes trying to scoop the spider up into the cup, letting off high pitched screeches when it touched his hand or started crawling towards him. When he finally caught it, he slammed the piece of paper atop the cup with unecessary force, and ran through the door with it like a bomb ten seconds from detonation, dropping it at the top of the staircase.

          When he got back down, Phantom had his arms folded across his chest, tapping his foot like an impatient mother.

          "Okay," Káel huffed, calmly clapping the webs off his hands, and fixing his posture to cast an illusion over his previous act. He strained to pull the heavy rock out of the hatch, and waddled over to the white circle Phantom had specified, dropping it with a heavy thud.

          "Careful with that! It has feelings!" Phantom snapped, waiting for Káel to pat the rock apologetically with a sarcastic smile. "Now use your Ceptrum to get the password from it."

          He grabbed his Ceptrum and looked at Phantom questionably.

          "Just focus on your Ceptrum, and hopefully it'll want to talk."

          Káel stared at the little white rock in his dirtied palm, focusing on the grooved black emblem for a minute without blinking. On the verge of giving up, a bored voice spoke up in his head, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

          You are not my master, who are you?

          Káel...? He thought to himself, the feeling of having something with a mind of its own in his head setting him on edge.

          If you are able to speak with me my master must be dead. It has been so long, I do not find it surprising he has done so. It said indifferently, ignoring Káel's thoughts as he struggled to pin the Ceptrum's rich voice to a tiny pebble. You are my master now small and feeble boy, what laborious task do you wish of me to fulfill?

          He paused trying to think of what he was doing, then stopped trying to think when he thought about the possibility of the weird stone he was holding seeing everything he was thinking about.

          You grow silent master, I do hope my statement has not flown over your delicate mind. There is another Ceptrum nearby, if you wish it, I can extract it's simple secrets.

          Káel furrowed his brow, he didn't like the way that stone said extract.

          Be at ease master, so long as it complies to your wishes fast enough, it shan't be permanently damaged. With your sealing words I shall commence, master.

          Okay. Káel thought.

          The Ceptrum gave off a glow that slowly strengthened to a blinding flash, until it went dark and spoke again. The deed is done master. It said eerily. I have extracted the necessary information. Speak Churro and your path shall be clear.

          Churro? Káel thought, that was an odd password.

          Such words of entrance were concocted by the mind of my old master, he used the names of those close to him, as words of power over his greatest secrets. One such being the devil that shadows you, as it did him.