TSW: Chapter 84 – Freedom

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Chapter Eighty-Four – Freedom

As Eldrian remained backed up against the wall upon his mattress, he had to do something, but if he was seen casting a spell, it would yet again be broken. He thought quickly and started to create a magical symbol on the wall with a single hand, and in the meantime, he stalled by speaking. It was slow at first, but the man didn’t notice. Then, he took one final move and blinded him temporarily. That was why he spat. It granted him just enough time to finish, and fortunately, he was none the wiser.

Next all he needed to do was wait for the perfect moment. The spell infused into the wall directly behind his back was similar to his Push spell, but he could activate it remotely. Escape was soon approaching. Just a little farther, and…

The spell went off perfectly, sending Eldrian up and towards the man looming over him. His head crushed the man’s nose and dazed him. He flew over the man laying upon the ground, already preparing another spell, this however was not to be aimed at him.

TSW: Chapter 77 – Seek and Destroy

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Chapter Seventy-Seven – Seek and Destroy

Deena’s hands clapped together, and around them swirled a dark violet energy that manifested quickly—a chaotic but skillfully contained power. She thrust them forwards, and from the tips of her fingers came a piercing, black arrow, that soared through the air and directly through the chest of the stone-like beast. The area around the point of contact cracked and crumbled but it otherwise unperturbed. Death Arrow!

She had read much about demons, and it was true that they were unpredictable, but having no inner organs was a bother. None of her curses would work, nor would a stab through the chest. They would have to knock it to pieces.

“Hey!” Deena called.

Renatta, unsure if it was to her, glanced down from the rooftop. “Me?”

“I’m afraid there’s no strategy for now. We just need to break it apart, so throw what you can. Just remember that it isn’t organic.”

TSW: Chapter 73 – Runnin’ with the Devil

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Chapter Seventy-Three – Runnin’ with the Devil

Everybody gathered, again at Deena’s house. Perhaps she was getting used to it, or perhaps she was biding her time to one day kill them all for intruding on her home for the hundredth time. Either way, Eldrian explained all he knew—about Rend, about Kali.

“But no leads,” Deena immediately said.

“No, but I figure with all of us, we can start looking into it tomorrow. We’ll probably discover something. But also, everybody be as careful as possible. Any of those guys could be after us. Watch your backs. Stay in public, where they wouldn’t dare out themselves.”

“Roger!” Renatta said. “I will not be hypnotized into trying to kill you again.”

“That’s good to know.”

TSW: Chapter 65 – Skin and Bones

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Chapter Sixty-Five – Skin and Bones

Once again, the crew sat around Deena’s home in an eager interim but it was one of leisure, as many of the stresses that plagued them had faded compared to the previous days. Eldrian had explained to them to the best of his ability what occurred that day. He said that his focus simply clicked, and he used the intense powers of the Ley Point to send Tyreth back from whence he came, but much of it was a blur.

Not only did he see the man and woman rise from the dead, but his vision was torn beyond comprehension of his own reality. He saw the front of his head before his own eyes, like a shadow casting forward, and he decided that maybe his memories of the event were skewed do to himself simply being unable to understand.

Arlandria finally approached them with her hands crossed politely in front of her waist. While they expected to see her garbed once more in her elven attire, she was wearing Earthen clothes instead.

TSW: Chapter 60 – Rat Race

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Chapter Sixty – Rat Race

“An elf?” shouted one of the men at the table as he slammed his fist down upon it. “You were almost killed by an elf, even though you had the Blade of Shadows in your possession? Not only that, but you lost it. Do you have any idea how priceless that weapon is?”

Two figures sat, while the blonde-haired wizard stood with an expressionless face. His shimmering beauty was always present, yet he didn’t sparkle to the same degree as he usually did. He was defeated, and it showed.

“Again. I apologize,” Noah mumbled.

“You failed your country, Mr. Jackson. This mysterious elf clearly has an agenda. What if he’s working for Russia? Japan? He could be here to take us down from the inside, and one of our top wizards lost just like that.”

“I let my guard down. Give me another chance, and I’ll cut the smug grin right off his face.”

The other man spoke up. “Not only that, but your report says there’s multiple wizards living in Edmonton, yet you returned with only one.”

TSW: Chapter 59 – The Two

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Chapter Fifty-Nine – The Two

Never before had she seen such a view. Her homeland was a gorgeous paradise of whites and golds, blanketed by a sky of violet, yet it was all relative to her. It was the norm. Here, when she cast her elven eyes off the cliff face, she saw seemingly endless mountains of nothing but green—a comforting loneliness, despite her not being alone.

Around her were the ruins of a civilization that once stood proud atop the mountain peaks, but now there were only ruined walls of stone. She could see it. Children, mothers, and fathers, walking up and down the emerald grass betwixt the homes high above the world. Arlandria stood for some time to embrace the feeling of the cool wind through her hair.

“I just got off the phone with Deena,” said Eldrian from behind as he stepped up behind her. “They’re all doing well. I might have left out the part about me losing an arm for awhile. I thought it’d be better that way, or Deena might just stop letting me go places.”

The elf hummed a soft chuckle. “I understand. Your friends care a lot about you. And you them. But why did you take me here again? I’m afraid I also forget how to speak the name of it.”

TSW: Chapter 58 – To Hell With That

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Chapter Fifty-Eight – To Hell With That

Arlandria’s father was resting down on a chair—his daughter overlooking him in silence. He struggled to find words. His voice shook when he eventually spoke, and with desperate, teary eyes, he gazed up upon the girl and shook his head. The words that came from his mouth were of their own tongue.

“I can’t believe it, but I always wanted to. When the accident occurred, I was told you disappeared. We assumed the worst. Everything came to an end that day, Arlandria. I’ve hardly left my home.”

She lowered her head, and locked her fingers together before her lap. “I didn’t mean to worry you, father.”

Yaelos stood up, and without words, he wrapped his arms tightly around her body for a warm embrace she hadn’t felt in what felt like ages. It was the kind of hug one could only expect from a parent. She wanted to be strong, but she didn’t need to be, so tears came rolling down her cheeks to be dried by her father’s welcoming hand.

“I didn’t want to lose you,” he muttered. “Not like her.”

TSW: Chapter 57 – Heaven is Gone

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Chapter Fifty-Seven – Heaven is Gone

“Watch me jump!” the little boy shouted only a moment before he leapt from the stones to plunge twenty feet down into deep water.

He surfaced from the lake, and swam with a bright smile and chuckle over towards land. He pulled himself up, and water dripped down from his short black hair, and his pointed ears. Garbed in a pair of black trunks, the little elf stood triumphantly at his accomplishment of bravery.

The Silver Stars were out and bright, filling the violet sky with beautiful light, which also caused the water to glitter like magic.

Another boy of similar age sat nearby—trunks green, hair blonde and short. He laughed as well as his friend boasted.

“That was scary, Tyreth. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Tyreth waved his had dismissively. “I checked the depth first. You worry too much, Yaelos. I’ve done a ton of dives, and I’ve never hurt myself.”

“Hey. Do you think Earth has lakes like this one?

TSW: Chapter 56 – Gone to Heaven

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Chapter Fifty-Six – Gone to Heaven

The sheer weight behind the creature’s blow was enough to crack straight through the tree trunk, sending the entire thing crashing to the ground. The creature stood at only seven feet tall, but its body was round with bulging muscles, and the unnatural strength of a demon made it that much more dangerous.

Renatta flipped backwards away from the strike and landed beside her friends. Daveon, who was directly beside her, had hung up his phone just a moment before.

“Who called you?” asked Deena, who was standing on his opposite side.

“It was Eldrian,” he replied. “They were going to go do something with Tyreth.”

“You told him not to come here, yeah?”

“That’s right. We can handle this creature. This might be his only chance to deal with that elf.”

TSW: Chapter 55 – Happy New Year?

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Chapter Fifty-Five – Happy New Year?

The final night of the year eventually approached, and along with it came an uneasy stillness. Kevin had gone home to his parents to spend the holiday with them, while the rest of the crew enjoyed the peace and quiet, not quite knowing when it would pass. Tyreth and Noah would hopefully keep themselves busy for a long enough time to allow all of them to take a breather.

Knocking drummed against Eldrian’s door as he lay on the couch on his own. He arose, and made his way over to answer it, and on the other side was an immediately recognized face—Arlandria the elf.

As usual, there was an alien aura to her like none other he’d experienced before their first meeting. It was like seeing Lucy or other demons, but there was a bright, unnatural beauty, like an angel of mythology. She had a smooth grace to her movements and her words.

This time, however, there was no smile on her face. She was troubled.

“Greetings, Eldrian,” she said. “I wish to speak with you about something. May I come inside?”