SPRITES: Legacy of the Black Phoenix

Chapter 11 : Sprites

Vidaj slowly made his way toward the massive creature, whose back was turned to him. He tapped him on the waist, which was the highest point he could reach, and nervously said, "Thanks for what you did just now. We're all grateful."

LOX turned around. His blue eyes filled Vidaj's soul with such a sense of tranquility that he was embarrassed to show the others this feeling. Once again Vidaj tried to read the creature's emotions, but by now he was convinced that LOX's detached expression was forever engraved on his face.

"You're all here just as it was foretold," LOX opened cryptically.

Vidaj felt sadness momentarily in his words. He wanted to ask him about the feeling, but knew it wasn't the time. Instead he looked at his opening statement. "What do you mean, all of us? Just what—or who—are you?"

"It's been a while since I've been in contact with human sprite holders this young," LOX said. "I believe it's customary for humans to greet each other with their names. You all look a little startled, so I'll begin. I'm Light Omega X, the fox. However, my friends call me 'LOX the fox.' I'm what you humans would categorize as an anthropomorphic fox."

Vidaj cringed. "I think LOX is fine."

The fox looked at him and nodded. "Very well."

Vidaj gave LOX a heartfelt smile; he felt as though he'd finally made a connection with him.

LOX, on the other hand, still maintained his stolid look. "Why don't you introduce me to everyone?" he asked Vidaj.

"All right," Vidaj said. "I'll start with the girls. The little girl over there with the ponytail is Lana. She's an illusionist... well, according to everyone else. For some reason, none of her antics work on me. The tall girl with the long, straight black hair is Mallory. She can read minds, which I've got to admit can get pretty annoying at times. Then there's Jane. She can heal all sorts of injuries, but don't get her mad, because she can easily flip that healing in reverse and do some serious damage.

As for the boys, we've got the twins, Lance and Blake. Lance can manipulate the ground, and Blake can manipulate the air. And here's our big guy... well, he's an average-size guy compared to you. His name is Ian, and he can create a mean wildfire. The spiky-haired kid is Briggs; he can manipulate gravity. Then we have that big kid over there. That's Felix. He makes ice cubes for us during the summer. And finally, there's me. I'm Vidaj. I can create shadows, as you can see."

LOX nodded respectfully. Vidaj wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that LOX already knew who they were. He found it weird that he was able to look at the children right away when he called their names before he could finish pointing to them. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Vidaj felt as though it was safe for him to ask one of the many questions running through his head. "So what are these sprites you were talking about before?"

LOX eased himself into the conversation, lowering his voice into a soothing yet still raspy tone. "Sprites are the essence of your powers. I'm sure all of you are able to feel their presence."

The kids, smiling, exchanged glances; the thought of having a sprite inside them gave them a warm feeling. "It's an honor to have these powers, but don't be too flattered. You now have to deal with more of these corrupted sprite holders coming after you."

"Just who are these corrupted sprites and what do they want?" Briggs blurted out.

LOX rubbed his furry chin. "Well, the way a sprite works is that it chooses a host, based on the individual's innate traits. The person the sprite fuses with then becomes a sprite holder. As for corrupted sprites, that's a bit more complicated so I'll simplify it for you as best as I can. Corrupted sprites also select their hosts, but they feed off and intensify their mental instability. Once the host is corrupted, they completely lose themselves. These corrupted sprites are nasty and vengeful, much like the one you saw here today. They also like to torture victims they find entertaining with their words. Their main purpose is to destroy everything around them, but their secondary goal is to seek and destroy all of you. Natura Arbor might have seemed strong to you, but he's by far the weakest corrupted sprite. I guarantee you'll see much more of them in the future. They all have funny names because the sprites have taken on the Greek language from this world. I suggest learning a little of the language if you can. This one roughly translates to Natural Tree. It can help you identify their abilities right away. You'll find that they love to talk about themselves so use it to your advantage."