Note: Sorry this is coming out later than I stated yesterday. My router decided to have a heart attack or something today and the internet was being dumb. I really need to get a new router.
Chapter Twenty
Duality
Richard had barely slept. His mind, body, and heart were all filled with tension and dread as he replayed everything that had happened during the night in his mind over and over again. None of it made any sense, and yet in the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel like it all made perfect sense. It was maddening, and just trying to wrap his head around the total impossibility of everything was enough to keep him up almost the entire night alone.
By the time the sun had risen and he had decided to climb out of bed he had gotten a little under two hours of sleep in total. Daiya had done a little better than he had, but not by much. Every time he tossed and turned he woke her up from the shallow sleep she had managed to attain, and then for the next hour or so she would stay awake in the hopes of him being able to fall asleep. It just didn't work out that way though, and no matter how long she rubbed his back or held onto him he couldn't find any solace or comfort.
What was bothering him the most was that man he had seen; both in May's spell and in Roku's memory. Richard already knew who he was, but that knowledge counted for nothing. And why should it? He was a myth; a tale that had been told two thousand years ago. He should not and could not exist in this time; and that's where the real question came in: was the image of him in the fire the real him, or something that May had cooked up in her demented and fractured mind?
Not long after deciding to finally get out of bed there came a knock at the door, and after a few moments where he and Daiya could hear the lock being opened Aura entered the room and closed the door behind her. There were large black bags under her eyes and her hair, which was usually kept nice and neat, was sticking out at odd angles and gave her a slightly frazzled look. It was obvious that she hadn't gotten much sleep either.
“Finally. I was starting to think everyone forgot about us,” he said and quickly stood up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He was about to walk towards his mother and the door, but Aura held up her hand and shook her head softly from side to side, causing Richard to groan instead. “What? Am I still not allowed out of the room?”
“Just wait a moment, Richard,” she warned him softly, and she now slowly walked towards where he and Daiya were standing.
“What's going on?” Daiya asked as she too seemed to think something was up. She stood right next to him, the back of her hand touching his and her body a little tense from the lack of sleep she had received. “Has Monica not awoken yet?”
“She's been awake for a few hours now,” Aura explained, but the tone in her voice said that Richard wasn't going to like what he was going to hear next, “and she has been with the Elemental Masters since then as they questioned her.”
“What?! Why didn't someone come and get me if you've been questioning her for that long?” Richard demanded heatedly, staring the woman before him down like she was his enemy.
It took Daiya's hand smacking his own and Aura's fierce gaze to get him to back down a little and remember that Aura was not in fact an enemy; but still, he couldn't shake away his anger completely. He stepped back, took a deep breath, and then apologized the best he could manage to in that moment. Still, even though he knew he shouldn't get like that to her, he was still a little hurt that Aura hadn't come and gotten him earlier. If they were going to question May then he should be there.
“I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to get angry. It's just...” he said, letting his words trail off as his mind slowly tried to figure out what exactly it was he wanted to say in that moment.
“Richard, I know you are going through a lot right now. I also know that no one can ever truly understand what it is like for you; but you don't have to snap at me because of it. I care for you and will help you in any way I possibly can, and I will look out for you and protect you to the best of my ability. That is why you weren't told that May was being questioned; I, and the Elemental Masters, believed that having you two in the same room would only lead to bad things. She is the one who caused you to go out of control after all.”
Richard remained silent for a moment, taking in Aura's words. She was right about no one understanding what it was like to be him, but she was also right about him having no right for being angry with her. Though that didn't mean that he was over the whole not being told that May was awake and being questioned thing. If anyone had a right to be there for something like that, it was him. After what she did to him, starting from the moment he was born right up to the moment she tried to kill him just the night before, he had every right to face her and get the answers he was entitled.
“What did she tell you?” he finally asked after another long moment, deciding to just drop the whole thing and move on. For now at least.
“Nothing... yet...” his mother answered, and now Daiya decided it was a good time for her to enter the conversation.
“What do you mean nothing? Didn't you just say that you've been questioning her for hours? Has she told you nothing at all?” the younger woman asked, bringing up a very valid question that Richard had been just about to ask himself.
“That's actually the reason I am here,” Aura answered. “When May was first brought before the council she had just barely awoken and was still struggling to overcome whatever it was that had been done to her. She was barely aware of anyone else and simply sat there, mumbling to herself over and over again. I began to think that we were never going to be able to question her properly; that her mind was too far gone for her to ever be whole again. But, after some time, she began to calm down and it looked like we could finally proceed. She out right refused though. She wouldn't even give the council her name; either of them.”
“And so you've come to get Richard?” Daiya now asked slowly, causing Aura to nod her head sadly.
“Yes. She said she would only answer the questions if you were present, Richard.”
“What are we waiting for then? Let's go,” he said quickly and took a step towards the door, only to be waved off by Aura a second later.
“Please, just wait a minute,” she spoke, and now Richard groaned at having to wait even longer. “This decision wasn't made lightly. Both Master Lillin and myself were against this, and if the council wasn't desperate for answers on how May got into this castle then you wouldn't be brought before her. Sadly I am only a guest here, and Master Lillin was out voted. However, just because you are going to be there in the room with her does not mean you are going to be allowed to speak or even interact with her in any way.”
“You can't be serious...”
“I am very serious. I know you have a million different things to deal with when it comes to this woman, but it is just not something you can risk doing right now. You need to remain in control of your emotions at all times. Remember who else is going to be in that room; people you don't want to hurt. Do you think you can do that?”
“I don't really have a choice if I want to be there, do I?” he grumbled in response. “Fine, I agree. When I am going to get a chance to question her though?”
“Don't worry about that,” Aura now replied and motioned for both him and Daiya to follow her out of the room, “I'll make sure to ask her the questions you want answered. Tell me what they are on our way down to the main hall.”
Richard followed Aura through the slightly cool stone halls of the castle, hand in hand with Daiya who made sure to stay close to his side. He felt naked without a focus and all of his muscles were tensed under his skin as he gave a quick run down on all the questions that he wanted answered. He kept those questions quick and not really on the topic that he really wanted an explanation for. No, he couldn't bring himself to bring that up with Aura or even Daiya right now. He had to know for sure first.
He didn't know how he was going to do that if he wasn't allowed to speak to May, but he was pretty certain that rule wouldn't last for very long. If he didn't break it then she herself most certainly would.
A few moments later they came to the large and heavy closed doors that led to the main hall of the entire floating castle. Aura quickly pushed the doors open and led the way in, leaving Richard and Daiya to slowly follow after her and take everything in all at once. The three Masters and two Daughters sat at the long table, a tense silence between them as they turned their heads to see the three people enter. There were small bags under all of their eyes, even Maria's, and it was obvious that they had been up for most of the night.
For good reason too; someone had managed to break into a castle that was floating hundreds of feet in the sky.
Standing away from the table was a ragged and beat up looking May, small purple and brown bruises covering her pale skin and a haunted look in her distant eyes. Her hair was knotted and dirty and every breath she took looked like it took every muscle in her body. She was an absolute wreck, and even as Richard entered the room she didn't look up from the spot that she was staring at on the ground. She remained as still as a statue.
That was actually pretty strange he realized; because the closer he looked at her the more he realized that something was very wrong. May had been defeated and capture and was supposed to be their prisoner, yet there she stood restraint free. No handcuffs, no ball and chain, not even forced to sit in a chair with a guard standing right off to her side. Nope, she looked free and able to move around at her leisure; well, she might have been free to move around all she wanted if she wasn't currently teetering back and forth as if in some kind of demented daze.
His eyes still glued on the one person who had controlled and destroyed his entire life, Richard and Daiya moved off to the side of the room and stood up against the wall. Once they were in place and stopped moving the eldest of the Masters cleared her throat loudly and banged her open hand against the table before her, gathering everyone's attention. She was probably looking for May's attention, but sadly on that front all she got was a slight twitch of her eyes and nothing else.
“The presence you requested is here, so will you now answer our questions?” Master Rio asked, her young sounding voice straining a little over the words.
Now May's whole head twitched and lifted up slightly, her bloodshot eyes focusing on the old woman sitting at the table. She held her eyes on her, never even looking around to make sure that what she was being told was true.
“Very well,” she replied in a hoarse and tired sounding voice, and a small murmur of relief ran through the Masters and their students.
“Do you know where you are?” Master Regina now asked and Richard had to suppress a growl that was crawling up his throat. They were finally getting a chance to get some answers and this middle aged woman was asking May if she knew where she was!
“Islan...” May answered hoarsely, her eyes dropping back to the ground as if it had been a strain to hold them up for as long as she had.
“What is your name?”
“I've gone by many names; Ashley, Lisa, Monica, May... Call me whatever you want.”
“Just call her May,” he growled before he could stop himself, and now both Aura and Lillin flashed him a harsh warning glare that pushed him back against the wall. Daiya quickly squeezed his hand and he looked over at her, finding that she too had a slightly unpleasant grimace on her face.
“Moving on,” Master Rio sighed, turning everyone's attention back to the topic at hand. “How exactly did you come to and enter Islan? This castle is protected by the strongest spells that require intense training to learn how to get past them. So how did you manage to break in without anybody noticing?”
“I came in through the side door,” May chuckled as she answered, a small and wry smile cracking her pale and slightly bruised face. It was the first sign of actual life from her, but it did nothing to alleviate the tension in the room. In fact people began to grow wary of her and now Richard wished he hadn't agreed to come into this room without some kind of focus. Not having May tied up was a big mistake; it was just a matter of time until she proved that.
“Please take this seriously, May,” Lillin sighed, leaning back in her large chair and rubbing her red and slightly puffy eyes. “We gave in to your request and brought Richard down here; a request that you made in agreement for answering our questions. So please, do not make a joke of this and just answer the question.”
“You want me to take this seriously? How do you expect me to do that when this whole thing is a joke?!” May now yelled, raising her head and taking in the council of Masters in front of her with a smile on her face. “You claim my old home for yourselves and call me the intruder!”
“Your home? Miss, you've already said it yourself that you know you are at Castle Islan. This estate has been owned and used by the Council of Elemental Masters for thousands of years, so you can't honestly expect us to believe that you think you used to live here.”
“Oh crap...” Richard whispered under his breath and clenched both fists.
“What?” Daiya asked quietly, wrapping her own hand around his fist and nudging him so he would look at her. There was a concerned glint in her eyes, but Richard didn't think it had anything to do with what he had just realized. She hadn't gotten there yet.
“You don't know who I truly am, do you?” May asked before Richard could answer Daiya's question, beating him to the point. “Hmm, that's interesting. I honestly expected Richard to tell people about me when I told him back in Elothia; especially the Council.”
“Who are you?” Maria asked, appearing to be truly interested in the question. She propped herself up more in her chair and even rested her small elbows on the table that came up past her chest.
“I've already given you my first name, young one; or at least half of it. A very long time ago I was known as Monica Rysto, cousin to King Wales and a General of the Allied Army.”
Suddenly the large and cavernous room was full of derisive laughter from Zya as she slapped a hand on her knee and nearly bent in half in her chair as she laughed loudly. Even Maria and Master Regina chuckled softly to themselves as well, obviously taking what they had just heard as a joke; which was the only thing they could take that declaration as. Lillin however simply stared at May for a few long moments, her eyes moving over her as the cogs behind the scenes began to spin and whir into action. It wouldn't take her long to figure out the truth either; not with the information Aura had given her about Richard's own predicament.
Master Rio on the other hand remained silent and stoic, deciding that falling into laughter was in bad taste in that moment. She obviously didn't believe what she was hearing, but she seemed to take it more seriously than the other Master or their students.
“Well, for someone who is over two thousand years old you sure look good for your age,” Zya laughed loudly, beating her Master to speaking first.
“While my student is making a joke, she does have a point,” Master Rio grumbled and flashed a Zya a furious look. “You claim to be a woman who lived more than two thousand years ago, yet you appear to be no older than twenty five. You've already been warned once, but if you keep this up then we will take you back to your cell and leave you there alone until you are ready to take this seriously. Is that understood? Now tell us the truth.”
“I believe she is telling the truth,” Aura said for May, stepping away from the wall where she stood next to Richard and Daiya and coming closer to the table. “This falls in line with what I discussed with you, Master Lillin; regarding Richard.”
“I see,” the youngest of the Masters sighed and fixed her eyes once more on May, speaking directly to her when she opened her mouth next. “Do you have any proof of your claim?”
“I have plenty of proof. First of all the annoying girl is right, I do look far too young to be who I am claiming to be. This is not how I really look however. No, this is just how I prefer to look. I can show you my true form, should you wish.”
“What do you mean by that? You can change your appearance... using magic?”
May sighed and brought her hand up to her face, rubbing the bridge of her nose as her whole body heaved with the sigh. “I really worry for the state of this world. Yes, I can alter my appearance with arcane magic. That shouldn't be so hard to believe. I did publish a spell that does a similar thing with a small area, and I know you people still teach that spell even to this day. However the spell I am currently using is far more complex, as it does not simply create an illusion. I originally created it to cover a few scars I sustained in battle, but it quickly became one of my most important spells when the people around me began to age but I remained the same.”
“Then release your spell and show us what you really look like then,” Zya taunted, ignoring the even angrier glare from her master.
“I will need access to a focus.”
“Oh no, I don't think so,” Master Rio now jumped to her feet and pointed a finger at the young and beaten up woman before her. “While I may not believe everything I have been told about you, I am not about to give you your focus back!”
“She can use mine,” Lillin said now and stood up as well, pulling out the long metal rod that she used as her focus. She then moved around the table and slowly walked towards May, her arm slowly bringing up the focus and her knuckles white from holding onto it so tightly.
“What are you doing, Lillin?! Are you seriously about to give this woman a weapon? She broke into Islan and tried to kill your student!”
“I am not giving her a weapon; I am merely letting her use my focus for a moment to release this spell she claims is on her right now. I understand that what she claims may sound crazy, but with the information I have recently been made privy to I must confirm if her story is true or not. Besides, I will be holding onto my focus and she will only use a single finger to release her spell. If I so much as think that you are trying to trick us I will not hesitate to end the threat.”
“And I believe you,” May smiled softly, her eyes actually lighting up a little bit. “You're the Lightning and Wind Master, aren't you?”
“I am.”
“I fought alongside your progenitor, and if you received training in even a fraction of the spells he knew then I know you are a formidable opponent. Naive, but formidable,” the blonde woman who was setting Richard's hair on end replied and began to reach her hand out towards the metal focus that was only a foot from her now.
“Lillin...” Richard found himself hissing, but his Master ignored him and now May placed a single finger against the rune covered surface of the focus and began to chant a long and complicated spell.
Richard could feel a magical force begin to fill the room, gathering and strengthening around May as her hair was tossed about on her shoulders by a nonexistent wind. Her spell grew in power with each word she spoke and the complexity of the incantation was mind numbing; but this presented a problem that Richard's brain was quickly working on. When she had first shown him her ability to change the way she looked back in Elothia she hadn't said any words, and there had been no gathering of magical energy like there was now. No, she had been able to do it simply by thinking about it then, so why not now?
He wasn't the only one that noticed that something was wrong either. Aura now lifted her large ring towards May and opened her mouth to start chanting a spell, but by this time it was already far too late.
There was a massive flash of violent purple light that expanded from May's body and swept through the entire room, hitting every single person in it. It enveloped all of them and tossed them backwards, knocking over chairs and the tall candle holders that lit the room up during the night. Even the windows shattered from the blast and scattered small and sharp shards of glass all over the place, a stiff and cool wind rushing in all at once.
Richard was tossed up against the wall at his back, his head smashing into the stone brick surface brutally a moment before his knees buckled and he fell on his face painfully. His eyes rolled back slightly and the pain coursing through his body became the only thing he could focus on for a long moment; but once he subconsciously realized how much trouble he was in his senses came back to him like a tidal wave.
There was angry yelling, but as Richard slowly pulled himself to his knees he couldn't hear anything else that suggested a fight was going on. In fact once he lifted his head and looked out over the room he realized there hadn't even been a fight; no, just a single devastating attack that had incapacitated every person all at once. They were all laying on the floor, their bodies bound tightly by thick purple energy that wriggled and tightened every time one of them tried to break free. Even Lillin, who had been holding onto her focus at the time, was on her back in the middle of the room, the long rod she had held now firmly in May's hand.
Richard fought to his feet and shook the pain from his mind as he turned to face May. She stood above Lillin with the focus levelled at her, her face a completely blank mask. She didn't look happy, or angry, or even sad. Instead she seemed to be a little indifferent. That quickly changed though, and as if her brain was starting to turn itself on her face grew a little disappointed and she sighed as she looked down at one of the strongest mages in the world.
“See, you are naive,” she said softly and now bent down, running her free hand over Lillin's robes until she found what she was looking for, pulling out the dagger Star Shard along with two golden discs. “It was smart of you to try and use the spell that Master Rickens and I created to contain Roku, but you executed it poorly.”
“What are you talking about?” Lillin demanded angrily and fought against the spell holding her. Her struggle only made it worse though.
“The Caliginous spell you attempted when Richard lost control of his magic. Not only did you attempt it without having a fire component added to it, but you also overlooked the most important part of the spell; Richard's own magic. The Caliginous spell only works when everything comes together in harmony, held in place and strengthened by the magic you are trying to suppress. That's why the masters of your element were supposed to hand down Star Shard from generation to generation. It is appalling that so much information has been lost throughout the years.”
May now pulled the dagger from the sheath and held the blade up to the gleaming light streaming in from the shattered windows, examining every inch of the black blade. She still hadn't noticed Richard was up and moving around, not bound like everyone else, and he used this time to try and figure out a way to fight against her. He was the only one able to in that moment, but he didn't have a single way to do it. Not since Lillin had taken away his bracers; the same bracers that May now held in her hands.
Knowing that there wasn't much that he could do without a focus he turned back to Aura and Daiya, hoping to find some way of freeing them from the spell so they could maybe take May on. He didn't like their odds on actually defeating her, but maybe they could at least get him one of his focuses back and he could take care of her. However, if that didn't work he really didn't know what else to do.
The only times he had ever beaten May were when he lost control of his anger and his magic exploded from his body like a bomb; and that really wasn't something he wanted to happen again. All the death and destruction that he had caused the last time he had gone off the deep end haunted his every moment, and if he were to be responsible for even one more death he was afraid he was going to lose his sanity. He was so close now and it made him feel horrible.
“What are you doing over there, Richard?” May's voice suddenly cut through the air, startling him as he had been about to bend down and examine the magic holding his wife in place.
Turning away from the worried looking Dark Elf he found May standing over Lillin still, only now her eyes were on him and Lillin's focus was pointed directly at his chest. That was enough to make his heart nearly stop in fear, but for some reason he wasn't as afraid as he really should have been in that moment. He couldn't tell if it was just because he was sick of this whole song and dance already, or if it was because this time it felt different somehow. May's magic was still filling the room around them, pushing in on him like an oppressive wave, yet at the same time he almost got the feeling that there was no serious threat from it.
It was the strangest thing; but something that he didn't put much stock in. He had seen what this woman was capable of and he was not going to let her fool him yet again.
“If you are trying to free your wife, you're going to need one of these,” May now said, brandishing the thin golden discs she held in her left hand.
“Richard, take my ring!” Aura hissed now, drawing his attention back to the two most important women in his life. She was lying on her back, her hands pinned at her sides and an angry look in her eyes from the predicament.
“It won't work,” May added from behind him, sending a shiver down Richard's spine; it sounded like she had moved a little closer. He didn't trust himself to turn around in that moment though, so he fixed his eyes firmly on the glittering ring that Aura wore on her right hand. “Oh right, I forgot; you won't believe it until you try it yourself. Go on then, take her focus and do what you want. I won't stop you. Hell, I won't even try to block an attack if that is what you wish to do.”
She was goading him. He knew that. But it was working. His hatred for the person who had ruined his entire life was boiling in his stomach and he could feel the bile from it rising in his throat. If she was going to give him a free shot then he was sure as hell going to take it.
He now bent down and pulled the ring from Aura's finger, slipping it over his own pinky as he stood up and turned to face May. With an avenue for his magic to use and come out of Richard felt that heady sense of invincibility fill him to the brim and he had to suppress the smile that was clawing at the sides of his lips. Sure, May was strong; but twice now Richard had proven that she was nothing compared to him. If he really wanted he could end her life in the blink of an eye, and boy did he really want to do that.
“We don't have all day, Richard,” May now goaded further, shrugging her shoulders and gripping the focus in her hand tightly. “In fact we are short on time, so let's hurry this along.”
Richard quickly brought his hand up towards May and forced his magic out of his body and into the ring, aiming to unleash a devastating attack that would end this before it had gotten too far. Only nothing happened.
Well to say that nothing happened wasn't quite right; because something did happen. It just didn't happen to be a massive ball of light exploding from the ring on his finger. In fact no magic came from the focus at all. There was a loud crack that broke through the room and a second later the ring on his pinky exploded in a shower of white sparks so violent that they blinded Richard and burned his exposed skin slightly. Once his vision cleared Richard looked down at the ring on his finger and found a large crack right down the center of the colourful gem set into it.
“There, you see? You can't use any other focus to cast your light magic, Richard. It was the same way with Roku. It took him years to find and gather the right kind of material to create his bracers. I am afraid that without them you have no power,” May explained but Richard shook his head and took a deep breath, readying himself for what he was going to do next.
He hadn't been beaten yet.
“You're wrong,” he said and May cocked her head to the side slightly, fixing him with curious and dubious gaze. Next Richard began to chant a spell under his breath, working the words with just the right inflection and emotion behind them.
Now May's eyes began to widen as she heard his spell build around them and she pointed the metal focus in her hand right at him, shock filling her features as she seemed unable to make sense of what was happening. She wasn't the only one who was confused though; Richard was wondering just what was going on as well when he realized he didn't even know what spell he was trying to cast. None of the words made any sense to him and he had never felt a power like this before; at least not a power that was rooted in arcane magic. Light magic maybe, but not arcane.
In the end it didn't matter if he knew what spell he was casting or not though. His brain, which seemed to be doing all the work for him on this one, knew that the end of the incantation was coming and his body readied itself for the attack. A second later ten small orbs of purple energy burst into existence around him, hovering in the air and bouncing up and down slightly as the spell erupted from his body. Another second later and then the arcane orbs changed their shape, flattening and thinning out until they were nothing more than long needle like objects that could easily pierce through even the toughest armour with enough force.
Richard quickly realized that this wasn't a spell for capturing or knocking out your opponent, but rather one for injuring or killing them. It sure as hell wasn't something that would be taught by Aura at the school, so the mystery behind where he had learned it only deepened; but that concern quickly fell to the wayside as the long needles now shot forward and threatened to kill May before she could even react to what he had just done to her.
Then again this was May he was dealing with, and once more she proved how powerful and skillful she was.
She quickly drew Lillin's focus back and held the tip to the roof, her dry lips quickly moving over three words that resonated through the room and struck Richard down to the very core. It felt like she was attacking him from the inside and he almost fell to one knee as his grip on the spell he had just cast slipped from his grasp. In the next instant the ten long needles stopped mere inches from May's body and hovered there in the air, as if frozen in time and becoming completely harmless.
They didn't stay like that for long though. Without even saying another word May brought the focus around and pointed it directly at Richard again, and now the arcane power he had just tried to unleash on her came right back at him. However, unlike May, there was nothing he could do to stop them from shredding through him and killing him in a very painful way.
Less than a foot from him the spell changed though. The long thin spikes quickly morphed into large purple snakes that lashed out at him, wrapping around him with their slender and powerful bodies that coiled and tightened against him. Each of the snakes hit a different spot on his body, pinning his legs and arms at his sides and biting their own tails to complete the loop. As soon as their mouths made contact with their own bodies they quickly shifted into solid restraints that held him tightly in place.
May had just beaten him with his own spell, and she had done it in such a spectacular and skilled way that Richard was shocked into silence as he teetered on his feet and slowly began to fall backwards. Once more she pointed her focus at him and whispered a few words, catching him with a spell and preventing him from falling over and possibly cracking his head on the hard stone floor.
She now approached him, lowering the metal wand and fixing Richard with a scared, confused, and shaken look that sent a chill down his spine as she looked him directly in the eyes. “Where... where did you learn that spell?” she then asked in a soft voice. That softness quickly left her tone when she repeated her question though. “Where did you learn that spell?! Tell me!”
“Get away from him!” Daiya yelled loudly, the end of her sentence slipping into a groan of pain as she struggled against her restraints. “I swear to all the Gods that if you hurt him I will kill you myself!”
In a flash May's demeanour shifted and she took a step away from Richard, lowering her eyes and taking a deep breath. For a long time she remained silent, her shoulders heaving and her eyes locked on her feet like they were glued to them. However when she did finally look back up and speak she directed it towards Daiya, almost ignoring Richard entirely.
“Hurt him? No, I'm not going to hurt him. I'm actually going to save him and everyone else in Islan,” she said, and then suddenly her voice grew softer and she actually nodded towards Daiya when she spoke once more. “Thank you for reminding me of my true purpose here. Now is not the time to worry about Richard's ability to use arcane magic or where he learned a spell that I created a very long time ago and never taught to anyone. Right now I must activate Islan's defences and move her before we are found. He won't wait too much longer before he comes here himself.”
May now turned and stepped back to the middle of the room. She knelt down in the very center and pressed the tip of the focus she had stolen to the stone floor. For a moment nothing happened, and Richard wondered just how far gone her mind was. Another second passed and then suddenly the ground beneath his feet rumbled gently and a whole section of the floor began to rise from the location that May had pointed the focus. A long stone column appeared before them now, five metal rods identical to Lillin's focus sticking out parallel to the ground from the sides.
With one last shudder the column stopped moving, the top of it about four feet from where it had began. There was a soft humming coming from the pillar and the feel of powerful magic filled the room almost immediately. It was like the air itself had suddenly become electrified and the hair on Richard's arms stood on end, goosebumps sprouting into existence as if he had just stepped out into the cold.
“What is that?” Master Rio breathed, and now May looked towards her and shook her head sadly.
“This controls Islan,” she answered, now turning towards the area that the two older Masters and their students had been thrown to. “With this I can turn on the defences and move Islan to a more secure and secluded location. Sadly I can't do it alone though.”
“Ha!” Zya now laughed loudly, her voice getting on everyone's nerves in that moment. “Are you expecting us to help you? After what you've done to us?! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you're not getting anything from us!”
Strangely enough Richard found himself agreeing with that brash woman. Or at least he would have agreed with her if it wasn't for something else gnawing at the back of his mind like a rabid dog. The strange image of the man last night, and also the fact that May had said it herself that a man wasn't going to just wait around forever and would eventually come to Islan himself. It was all beginning to fall into place, and even though he couldn't believe that someone who was supposed to have died in a fight against Roku over two thousand years ago was still walking around, he knew what he had seen himself.
“It's really him... isn't it?” he found himself asking, and now May turned to him with watery eyes. “H... how?”
“What are you talking about, Richard?” Aura asked from behind him, but her question was lost in the gravity of the moment as the entire world came crashing down around him. The knowledge that the Demon King was still alive hit him at the very core of his soul and seemed to reverberate through time itself.
“I don't know how he survived; just that he did,” May replied, her voice trembling over each and every word that slipped past her trembling lips. “You... no, Roku lied to me. He lied to everyone. I remember it like it was just yesterday, and it was both the best and worst day of my very long life. The allied forces had fought back the slave army and stopped Elothia from falling, and Roku had gone off and found their leader and fought him on his own. The war was finally over; Master Rydo had been killed and we were victorious. But it had come at a price; we had lost Roku. I had lost Roku. The last thing he ever did on this world was write a note on the wall of the cave he had battled the Demon King in saying that he had kept his promise; that he had killed our Master. He lied though. Master Rydo did not die, and now he is walking the world again.”
“And last night... you were being controlled by him?” Daiya now asked, surprising both Richard and May at the same time.
She didn't seem to be struggling with this information at all, even though she shouldn't believe a single word of it. Richard had seen the man in May's fire spell in his dreams before, and May herself had been the one being controlled. They were the only ones who realized what was truly going on. Or so they should have been.
“Ye... yes. After Richard defeated me and took Roku's right focus I fled, going to the only place that still holds any meaning for me on this world; the mountain cave that Roku had disappeared in. Something wasn't right though. The strange crystal formation that was believed to have been a result of the battle between Roku and Master Rydo had receded further into the cave, revealing a whole section that we didn't previously know about. In... in that section there was an evil force that pulled me in, and when I unwillingly touched my hand to the surface of the crystal what magic I had in my at the time was sucked out. It was Master Rydo, trapped behind the crystal for all that time trying to gather enough power to free himself, and with my magic and the magic trapped in my body from the spell I had cast to grant me immortality he was able to finally break free.
“With no strength in my body and no focus to protect myself even if I did have some, I was completely at his mercy. He got inside my head and instantly knew everything I knew, and for two weeks he had me searching for you, Richard; the only person with Roku's magic, and the only person who might be able to stand against him. He sent me to kill you. But... at the last moment... I was finally able to break free from his control before I killed you last night.”
“The Demon King? Are you sure? That... that shouldn't be possible,” Aura asked, her own voice falling to a whisper as well.
“Isn't it? The Demon King came about when my old master, Master Rydo, used ancient and banned magic to attain immortality. I myself used variations of his and Roku's abandoned spells to give myself ever lasting life, and Roku himself did something that allowed him to transfer his power to another person in his bloodline.”
“Wait a moment,” Master Regina grunted, the sound of something sliding across the floor announcing that she was trying to move around. “Are you trying to say that Master Rydo, the former Grand Master of the Council who died in the explosion that destroyed the capital before the Slave War started was actually the Demon King? That is preposterous!”
“It's true,” Aura stated from behind him, “Master Rydo was the Demon King. King Wales was a former student of Master Rydo, along with General Roku and Lady Monica. In his journals that are kept in the palace vaults he wrote that his former teacher was the one responsible for the war and everything that happened. As a final test to see who was worthy to take Rydo's title as the strongest mage he had his students try to attain immortality through the use of magic; a task that he himself was working on at the same time.”
“And he succeeded,” May jumped in to help explain, obviously knowing more as she had been there during that horrible time. “The explosion that destroyed the old capital was actually caused when Master Rydo completed his spell, but it did not kill him. Instead it twisted and corrupted him, feeding on his hunger and greed for power and turning him into the Demon King you've read about in history books. He had always been a conniving and greedy old bastard, but the power he took for himself made it even worse. Power always does that, and even though I crafted a better spell for immortality I couldn't escape it's dark influence entirely.”
The shock Richard was in from the news that the Demon King was still alive suddenly snapped at the end of May's sentence, and now his whole being was focused on her last words. More anger welled up inside him and he flexed his muscles as if he was trying to break through the spell holding him with strength alone. It obviously didn't work, but he was so mad and so insulted by what that woman had just said that he couldn't take it anymore.
“Bullshit!” he growled and now May looked back towards him, a slightly shocked and frightened look on her face. “Don't you dare try to play off everything you did to me as a side effect from a spell you willingly cast on yourself! It wasn't the power of your spell that changed you!”
“Wasn't it the same for you? When you tapped into your more powerful magic did it not amplify your strongest negative emotion? What was it? Rage? Fear? Or maybe you are more like Roku than you claim to be and your jealousy took over you,” May snapped back heatedly, taking offence to Richard's accusation. Once more her mercurial emotions changed yet again though. “Look, we can debate this for ten years and get no where. What I did was horribly wrong and I admit that. I am not looking for redemption. There is nothing I can do to make up for what I did to you, your family, or your wife, and I realize that. Right now I am just here to save your lives.”
May waved her hand in front of Richard and one of the purple arcane bands around his chest shifted upwards and covered his mouth, stopping him from speaking completely. She then turned to Master's Regina and Rio and strode to them, looking down on the older women who lay on the floor. For a long moment she peered at them thoughtfully, but then her eyes slowly moved to the youngest mage in the room; Marie.
“What's your name?” she asked and knelt down to the young girl who looked absolutely terrified by the close proximity.
“M... Marie...” she answered in a squeaky voice that stabbed at Richard's heart like a knife. “Please don't hurt me!”
“Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Why don't you tell me where your focus is, Marie.”
“Tell her nothing!” her Master called out, but with another wave of her hand May shut her up in the same way she had with Richard.
“It's okay; just tell me what I want to know and I promise that nothing bad will happen to you,” May coaxed the small girl who now had tears falling from her large and terrified eyes.
“It's... it's on my right... arm...”
May reached out and lifted the long sleeve of Marie's robe and found the thin bracelet that she used as a focus. She then gently pulled it from her wrist and stuffed it into her pocket, then with a few words of power she released the spell holding Marie and took a step back, holding out her hand to help her up. Marie reluctantly took the offered hand and was slowly hauled to her feet, her tears still staining her cheeks and her lower lip trembling as she looked upon the face of a person who had defeated the Elemental Council with a single spell.
“See, you're alright,” May smiled softly and now led the girl towards the pillar of stone in the center of the room. “Now, Marie, I need your help. You're young, but I can feel your power flowing from your body and it is great. One day you will become a very powerful mage in your element, but for today I need you to help me save the lives of everyone in this castle. Can you do that? Can you help me protect everyone?”
“What... what do I need to do?” Marie now asked, her voice barely heard over the grunting and groaning coming from her Master as she tried to warn Marie through the magic covering her mouth.
“I just need you to hold onto the metal rod on this pillar and let your magic flow into it. It's as easy as that. But don't worry, you won't be doing it alone. For us to protect everyone we need more help; help from all of the elements combined. So tell me, what is your Element?”
“Earth...”
“Good, earth is a very good element to have. Now, can you tell me who the strongest water mage is? Is it that foul mouthed woman or one of the older Masters?”
“It's Master Regina; the middle aged one,” Lillin answered for the scared girl, and instantly the woman growled. Richard really couldn't tell if the woman was mad about Lillin answering the question so easily or the jab at her age.
“Very well. Zyd lin bohleia delphario,” May cast a spell and Master Regina was lifted into the air and brought towards her. Unlike with Marie, May didn't ask for or take away the woman's focus; she didn't even release her from the spell stopping her from moving. Instead she just positioned her next to the pillar and moved on. “So we have Marie for earth, Master Regina for Water, the young wind and lightning Master who is far too trusting can take her element, and I will take fire. That leaves arcane left open, and thankfully we have Lady Aura to fill in that spot.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. I did my research on you once I came back to this world and found out that you were the one in charge of looking after Richard. I know everything there is to know about you, including your affinity to arcane magic despite there not being a real master of that element on this planet since my time. You're not exactly on my level, but as far as I can tell you are the most attuned to the element besides me.”
May then once more repeated her spell and both Lillin and Aura floated gently through the air towards the pillar where the others had been gathered at. Next she reached into her pocket and pulled out the thin silver bracelet that she had taken from Marie and pushed it over three of her fingers, giving her access to a second focus. With that done she took the metal rod she had gotten from Lillin and placed it in the only open space left on the pillar, fitting it in with a click that reverberated through the mostly silent room.
“To activate the castle's defences all we need to do is feed our power to the magic engine that Roku and I created that is buried deep within the island that Islan floats on. Let the pillar do the work and don't cut your power off from flowing into it.”
“Why should we help you? How do we know that you aren't trying to destroy Islan?” Master Regina asked heatedly, her body straining against the strong spell on it.
“Well first of all you don't really have a choice. I can make it you do this even if you don't want to, but it would be painful for you. So it's really your choice. And secondly, this was my home and I would never destroy it. I worked nearly two years with the masters of my time to pull the castle from the ground and turn it into a floating base of operations in our fight against Master Rydo. It was designed to be able to move to any location we needed it to be at and has strong enough barriers and spells on it to withstand a prolonged attack from Master Rydo himself; and now that he is back this is the only safe place in the world. Now let's begin.”
One more wave from May's hand had the hands of the three bound women lifting and reaching out towards the metal rods they stood next to. Marie also lifted her hand and latched onto the rod that was a little higher up than her head all on her own, and once her skin made contact with it she yelped in surprise and her knees nearly buckled from the shock of what was going on. She wasn't the only one surprised though; the others yelped in the same way when they made contact with the machine as well.
Now that the other four seemed to be feeding their power into the castle May grabbed onto a rod herself, not even showing any indication that she was startled by the power being drained from her body like the others had been. In fact the longer they all held onto the poles and the more magic was sucked out the more tired they all began to look; save for May.
The tingling sensation of powerful magic hanging heavy in the air began to fill up the room and Richard could feel it seep into his body like it was trying to become a part of him on the molecular level. A soft hum also began to rumble through the entire castle and the ground beneath his feet shook slightly as whatever was happening was getting closer and closer to finishing.
Suddenly the humming grew to a crescendo and the ground began to feel like it was shifting, as if moving through the air it had been suspended in. It was the strangest feeling, but it really felt like being inside a car or bus back on Earth and looking out the window. You knew you were moving because you could see it, but at the same time your body didn't really notice it other than a few tremors here and there.
Next the magical humming that sang in the air grew in intensity and a powerful field of magic the likes of which Richard had ever seen before rose like a curtain around and through the entire castle. With one last pop the humming then stopped and the field that surrounded everything seemed to solidify, and everyone holding onto the metal rods let go with loud sighs and groans.
“There, that wasn't so hard was it?” May asked as she pulled her metal pole out of the pillar with a loud click. She turned to Lillin and held the makeshift focus out, letting her see it before putting it into the younger woman's cloak. “Do not lose that. Master Rickens always felt like these control rods focused his magic better than anything else he could find, but I didn't expect him to steal one like he did and not replace it.”
“Wha... what?” Lillin croaked, shaking her head as she tried to push the cobwebs out of her mind. “My... my Master told me that she had that focus created for me when I completed a master level spell for the first time.”
“Not likely. They were originally handcrafted by Roku, made specifically for the engine that powers Islan. Roku was a genius when it came to many things, but he really stood out when it came to magical artifacts and conductive materials. He had to be, what with his magic not following any of the rules that we knew about magic. That's also why only his bracers can focus his magic; because he designed them specifically for that purpose. Speaking of which...”
May fished the small gold discs from her pocket and then turned towards Richard. She stepped forward and looked like she was about to hand him back his bracers, but a moment later she raised her hand and brought Daiya forward. With one more wave the magic holding his wife in place disappeared and she dropped heavily to her feet, grunting in a small amount of discomfort as her body slowly realized it could move on its own again.
“You're letting me go?” Daiya asked, her voice dripping with disbelief.
“I am letting everyone go. Like I said, I was just saving everyone. The barrier protecting Islan is up and we are currently moving to a different location where Master Rydo won't be able to find us so easily. Now that I have accomplished that I am ready to surrender myself, and I choose to surrender myself to you.”
“To me?” Daiya asked, looking sideways at Richard with a shocked expression written all over her face.
“Yes, to you. I recently tried to kill you and I regret that. Learning that you had married Richard destroyed what little self control I had left and I lashed out, and there is nothing I can say to make it better. I hurt you, and by doing that I hurt Richard and sent him over the edge as well. But because it was your life that I nearly took I feel that I owe you the chance to be the one to deal with me in whatever way you wish. I have done a lot of bad to get to where I am today and I am honestly sick of it. So I leave it in your hands, Princess Daiya; I submit to Dula Tar.”
“Dula Tar...” Daiya repeated the strange words and May nodded gently.
“What is Dula Tar?” Marie asked the question that was probably on everyone's mind in that moment; especially Richard's. He had no idea what was going on anymore.
“It's an ancient practice of the Dark Elves,” May explained softly, now pushing the discs into Daiya's hands and taking a step back and falling to her knees before her. “Should a person be found guilty of a crime against another person they will be punished, but should they submit to Dula Tar then the punishment is carried out by the victim of the crime. It's to give closure to the victim.”
All the air in the room seemed to get sucked out and a profound silence fell among everyone gathered there, all but two still bound in magic that had yet to be released. You could hear a pin drop from three floors above it was so quiet, and as it dragged on the mood of the room dropped to an abysmal level as the tension of May's declaration weighed on everyone. She had given Daiya the bracers and freed her from the spell, and now she was on her knees waiting for the Dark Elf Princess to end her miserable and pathetic life. She and everyone else expected her to die.
Nothing happened though.
A few more long and tense moments of silence passed and Daiya made no move or any attempt to cast a spell and kill the woman who had tried to kill her. Her face was a blank canvas and even Richard, who had been making gains in understanding her expressions and what she was thinking at any given time couldn't read her at all. He didn't need to wait much longer to learn what his wife planned on doing though, and with a heavy sigh she finally spoke.
“You're right, you've hurt a lot of people. You've lied, cheated, manipulated, and even killed to try and get what you so desperately wanted. Through your actions you sentenced yourself to death, and I accept your Dula Tar. You have given me the right to be the one to carry out your punishment, and as the Crown Princess of Elothia I also have the right to the be the one to sentence you. You may not be of this time, nor are you a subject of Elothia, but you are Lady Monica Rysto and one of only four humans in the history of the world to ride a dragon and be granted the rank of an Elothian Dragoon.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Release your spell and then give Marie back her focus if you are truly serious,” Daiya ordered and May nodded slowly and did as she was asked before taking the bracelet from her fingers and tossing it to the Marie. “I now bound you by law and by Dula Tar, and you will be held in a secure room until I am ready to deal with you. I am sure you are hoping to get this over with now, but you have honestly given us all a lot to think and talk about. Master Lillin and Master Regina, would you please escort the prisoner to her accommodations?”
For a moment no one moved, even though they were all free from May's spell. Those that had been forced to feed their power to the castle teetered on their feet, their eyes slightly unfocused and a sheen of sweat covering their foreheads. They looked like they were struggling to keep their eyes open, and with everything that had just happened they didn't seem to understand anything anymore; something that Richard himself was dealing with in that very moment.
He had been filled with so much hatred and anger when he first saw May standing amongst everyone. He had wanted to see her hurt so badly that it was all he could think about. But then she changed everything. It was what she did, and she did it well. Confusion followed her like a wave and everything she touched grew more complicated. And now she had taken it up to a whole new level with the revelation she had brought with her, and Richard had no idea how to feel anything anymore.
He was numb.
“Alright, let's go,” Lillin finally said, her voice hoarse. She and Master Regina then lifted May to her feet and removed her from the room.
Now that someone had spoken and moved everyone seemed to wake up and become active. Master Rio picked herself up and dusted her long robes off while Zya kicked her chair back to the table in anger, and Marie put her focus back on her wrist and kept her eyes glued to Daiya. Even Aura watched her closely, a concerned look painting her face and a frown twitching at the sides of her lips. She obviously wanted to ask what in the world was going on, but before she could do it herself Daiya jumped right onto the topic on her own.
“Richard,” she said softly, turning towards him with his golden discs still in her hand, “do you trust me to do this? Do you trust me to be the one to judge her like she wants?”
“Wha...” he mumbled, still trying to feel something; trying to feel anything besides this numbness. “Yeah... I trust you.”
“Even if I decide to execute her for her crimes?”
“I...” he opened his mouth to answer but then stopped to reach deep down inside himself to see what was below the surface. Where was his fear or anger? Hell, right now he wouldn't even mind if what he felt was sadness about the prospect of May dying. Yet that numbness was still covering it all up and it was all consuming.
“So you do mean to kill her?” Aura asked when it became obvious that Richard couldn't speak.
“We'll get to that later, but for now there is a lot we need to sift through.”
“Then you can do that somewhere else!” Zya growled, and by the look on her face she seemed to be very close to actually throwing a temper tantrum. “That woman was here because of you and your damn husband, and she nearly killed everyone! You are not an Elemental Master, nor are you the student of one, so I think it's time you left!”
“Zya!” Master Rio barked in response so loudly that for a moment it sounded like a tidal wave was crashing down on their heads. “Remember your place! You have no right to bark out orders like that, especially to the Princess! You are a student, not the Master; and even if Princess Daiya has no official elemental title she is still your superior! Do you understand me?!”
“But Master...”
“Enough! You said it yourself, that woman could have killed us all if she wanted and it would have been easy for her! That on it's own warrants investigation! There were three Masters in the room when she attacked and we could do nothing to stop her, and her spells and use of those spells was above even our level. So we will do as the Princess is suggesting and keep this in house, so we can learn the truth of everything. I fear it won't be easy though; especially if what she claims is true. If she truly is Master Monica from two thousand years ago then her story about the Demon King still being alive must also be taken seriously, and I am afraid that is something that we may not be able to handle. It took an allied continent and some of the strongest Elemental Masters to ever live to defeat him once.”
“Then first we need to prove that she is who she says she is,” Marie jumped into the conversation now, speaking with more knowledge and competency than her age would normally give. “How do we do that?”
“There is a way for her to prove her identity, but it would require the consent of both Master Lillin and Master Regina.”
“Then we should wait for them to return,” Aura sighed. “Though I fear what we might learn will not bode well for anyone. We very well could be witnessing the start of a whole new war on a totally different front.”
Note: I really struggled with this chapter for some reason, and I am sorry for it taking so long. I really hoped to have it out sooner, considering this was the first new chapter in some time. I am not completely happy with it, but it gets across the points I wanted so I decided to just get over it. The ending of the chapter is really bad too, but after staring at it for almost two hours I couldn't come up with anything else, so I am sorry for that as well.