Dark One

The raven let out a sharp caw as it watched the two keepers drift farther and farther away from the island. It watched them until their figures could no longer be seen on the horizon. Then, it spread its wings. Inky feathers reflected the moon's light as it jumped off the branch it was perched on. It flapped them, strong and hard until it was soaring in the night sky, unseen and unheard.

Away from Lomi, over seas and over forests it flew. Until it reached the barren lands of Lyeth.

Jagged caves of bedrock sprouted from infertile sands. The ever shifting ground caused the rocks to weather quickly and constantly, turning the soil into an explosion of colours, like rainbows in the sky. The heat it generated however, made it impossible for anything of value to grow. It contrasted greatly with the beauty of the land. The resulting smoke also was too toxic and so, even birds kept away from the region.

The ominous creature, bird of death, flew on, unbothered by the thick fumes. It neither slowed nor faltered. Straight for the opening of the largest cave it headed, its blood red eyes flashing in the darkness of the cave. The raven cawed alerting its master of its return. It cawed again as it perched onto his shoulder.

Torches were alight in an instant. The cave, no longer dark, was quite spacious. In the far end lay an assortment of tools one could not begin to know how to use. Unless, one was to dabble in the dark arts. A long staff as black as the inky feathers of the raven was kept leaning on the cave wall. Patterns from an ancient and forgotten language adorned it. Beside it was a large goblet-like bowl filled with a dark red liquud. The rest of the wall was adorned with a collection of body parts both of animal and man.

The frail looking old man, on whose shoulder the bird sat walked past the wall in a manner that suggested he was very used to the sight. His dark and ragged cloak dragged along the floor with every step.

"Gorak, you have returned, so soon" he addressed the black bird, his gravelly voice bounced back as it echoed off the cave walls. A pale, wrinkled hand appeared from inside the cloak he wore. He placed a finger onto the bird's head and uttered a single word.

"Yêř" reveal, he said.

The bird's consciousness transferred into his own. He could see what it saw, hear what it heard. Slowly, he pieced together its scattered memories until he found what he was looking for. The link was broken when he removed his finger from the bird's head.

"So, the keepers are assembling" he remarked chuckling, his frail shoulders shaking from the small action.

"Go, little one, keep them in your sight. When the time has come, I will make my presence known".

The bird responded with a sharp caw. It spread its inky black feathers and jumped off his shoulder, disappearing into the dark night.

*****

Alayni fell to ground for the seventh time that morning. She groaned as she rolled onto her back. Her frizzy chestnut hair formed a halo around her head, blades of grass sticking out of it from her earlier falls. She sat up, shooting a glare at the infuriating creature standing across from her. The childish grin on his face was all it took for her to know he was enjoying himself.

Eirik, windbearer, keeper of the skies was not as she had imagined. At first glance he seemed gruff and closed off, which considering their first real meeting, he was, a little. After the first week though, she found him more annoying than anything else. As she remained seated on the grass, she imagined all the ways she could cause him pain, not that it was actually possible but, it never hurt her to dream.

"Up, girl. I don't have all day" the mocking grin on his face did not fall even a little. In fact, she could swear that it'd gotten bigger.

"You have nothing else to do here, literally!" Alayni hissed but stood nonetheless. She had given up on reminding him of her name as he conveniently always forgot.

She positioned herself in the stance he'd shown her. Knees bent, hands at the ready, one foot slightly in front of the other. Over the past few days since they'd started the training or he'd decided she was a "pathetic little thing" that needed more muscle on her body, she'd grown used to the uncomfortable stance. Maintaining the stance was one thing, fighting while maintaining it was another thing entirely. One she had not yet got a hang of.

Eirik scrutinized her silently. She was not actually bad. For someone who'd never sparred before, she was doing quite well. A little bit of polishing and she'd be on her way to becoming an excellent warrior.

"Again!" he ordered.

Eirik stood still, watching as she approached him, hair flying behind her, feet thundering on the ground. Her form was good, hands and knees bent just right but, in her bid to maintain it she'd thrown balance away. Her back was too stiff and her limbs were too tense.

Alayni feigned a left before shooting out her right hand. Eirik dodged easily. The grin plastered on his face irked her, it filled her with hot rage. With a swiftness she never knew she possessed, Alayni dodged out of his path and came barrelling back. She leapt into the air, her foot aimed at his head. Eirik quickly rolled out of the way.

Alayni came at him again, throwing a barrage of hits his way. Left and right, fists and feet, she was unrelenting. He dodged some and blocked others. The strength behind her hits had increased too. He felt it as her fists connected with his hands. Finally, he caught her hands in his. With his left foot, he kicked out her knee, causing her to lose balance. Then to teach her a lesson, flipped her over his head and dropped her onto her back with a thud.

Alayni let out an oomph as the air was knocked right out of her. Her back burned with pain and she knew it would bruise. Exhausted, she simply lay there staring at the bright sky. Large white and puffy cumulus clouds adorned the sky. Their brightness was almost blinding. From the looks, she knew they'd become rain clouds by night.

A light breeze was blowing, playing with the tall grass. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees surrounding. Birds of different feathers flittered from branch to branch. Squirrels, chipmunks and the likes scurried up and down, digging holes to hide their nuts as though they were the most precious of treasures. And to them, they were.

She was struck by the beauty of it all. It was nature at its finest, perfection. Alayni was so distracted by the beauty around her, she did not notice Eirik had taken a seat beside her. He watched, fascinated by the purity of her power. She was oblivious to it.

Unbeknownst to her, she'd absorbed energy from the essence of the life around her. The little cuts on her face had healed. Her skin that was adorned with a few bruises and grime from her falls glowed. He no longer saw a child, the being before him was ethereal.

"Magnificent" he whispered.

Eirik did not know he'd uttered the word out loud until she turned to face him. The specks in her hazel eyes glowed a bright green. As he stared, he saw that her eyes were not hazel at all, they were a bizarre shade of green. It was like staring into the soul of the forest itself. Even Citali had not had this depth in her essence and she had surpassed her predecessors.

Alayni was confused. She was motionless as she stared at the keeper before her. The look in his eyes rendered her unable to speak. It was as though he was staring at an angelic being. Was this the same Eirik who'd thrown her around like a rag?

The spell was broken when he turned away. Two very distinct energy sources were making their way through the dense forest toward them. Their essence, she could tell, were that of a keeper. They dominated over the radiants around them. The strength of their essence washed over her. Even from that distance, she felt it, the dominance, the age, the depth.

Alayni jumped up from her position on the ground. Facing the direction of the newcomers, she held her breath in anticipation. Her heart sang a tune of delight, beat by beat, in its cage. Not only would she see wavecaller, keeper of the sea again. She was about to meet the harbinger's chosen, earthbreaker, Calida the immortal one.