The Umbra's Origins

As he hopped down from the Puka, his trusty stead, Baldwin went up to Mavislin. A silent exchange hung in the air as the Valkyrie allowed the Shadow to look at her limp wing. Mavislin refused to look at the Angry Man's eyes since she knew she had gone too far again.

"She's injured, and my guess is 'cause of you two," admonished the Angry Man, holding up the sword to the Time Mage's throat.

"We had a little brawl..." said Raiyen shyly.

"A little?! Look at her wing!" asked the Angry Man in disbelief.

Even the Puka was hostile towards the two as it took a protective stance in front of Mavislin.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. He won the duel, fair and square. So stop glaring daggers at him," instructed Mavislin, standing up.

She gently stroked the Puka's back as the Angry Man composed himself. Raiyen still looked upset as he went up to Mavislin's side.

"Back to the problem at hand, what else do you know about the Umbras?" asked Mavislin, straightening herself up.

"Well, I know your assumption of just being consumed by greed is wrong," explained Baldwin, sitting beside the Valkyrie.

"How so?"

"The power of the Shadow Beings is the Element of Mimicking. The name describes itself. We are not masters of the Darkness. We are masters of Copying others. In simpler terms, we do not have a main Element," explained Baldwin.

"Doesn't that break the laws of Magecraft?" asked the two human girls.

"I wouldn't say it would break it. There are far more superior beings, more dangerous Elements, and crazier types of powers. Compared to them, this power is considered mundane," explained Raiyen, looking at Mavislin.

"Ah, says the boy who has all of Time within his palms," replied the Valkyrie, picking on her wing.

"If I wanted to, I could absorb Mavislin's Element and gain the power of Light. But I would have to stay with that Element until I get another. One at a time."

"So why did you not change your Element then?" asked Raiyen.

By far, during this period, the worse Element to hold was Darkness. Thus, it didn't make sense for Baldwin to stay in that Element.

"The default Element we use is the Dark Element, but I chose it because changing an Element is a huge problem. Pain in the butt."

"How so?"

"Think about it, Raiyen. If I asked you to use the Element of Water for a day, you'd be burning me at stake. It's the same as cutting off your limbs and replacing them with someone else's."

"You guys depend on Magecraft that much?" asked Jeannette.

A wave of silence hung above the group. It was difficult to answer that question. Magecraft was a relatively new feature on the list of impossible for humans. The only way a human could have those powers is by having parents that were born with powers.

In other words, one would have to be a Mage from another world while the other is human. Thus, it is safe to say that practicing Magecraft for humans is a luxury. But to the Mages from different worlds, it's their entire life.

"We are born with it and raised with it. What else could we have done?" asked Baldwin softly.

"Perhaps you could try living without powers?" asked Jeannette.

"Why is there a need to? We would lose our originality in that sense," replied Raiyen.

"We aren't humans, don't force us to be you. Never forget that we are never and would never wish to be another kind," warned Mavislin, glaring at the two humans.

"Besides, you depend on your 'God's Revelation.' It's nothing more than an Element of Clairvoyance on a small scale. "

"So, how does this change the assumptions of the Umbras?" asked Raiyen, trying to relieve the tension in the air.

"Well, the only reason why they would go haywire is simple. They ate the wrong food. Once they get 'food poisoned,' their minds go blank."

"So what food did they eat?"

"The Umbras are a tribe of Shadows who've eaten the ultimate Element. The Element of Existence. When they get you, they erase you from history itself. Us Shadows are not supposed to consume certain types of Elements. If we do, we risk going mad or imploding," explained Baldwin.

"Do the Lost Elements count?" asked Raiyen.

"Yep, a Valkyrie's Light and your control of Time. These would be a problem to absorb."

Suddenly, Mavislin's eyes lit up as she grabbed a stick to write something on the ground.

"The Umbras that were chasing after us wrote this message. I haven't got a clue about what it says. Ring any bells?" asked Mavislin, finishing the words.

It was the first time that Mavislin and Raiyen had seen the Angry Man's face of shock.