(Not mine. Really.)
Just an odd thought that wouldn't leave me alone. By all means, tell me what you think. Enjoy.
Inferno
By Thestral's Wish
-
Quite frankly, the first time Efreet saw the boy named Mithos, he was far from impressed.
Short, blonde, and delicate, Mithos resembled a girl in most aspects of his appearance. There was a short sword settled at his hip, but Efreet was doubtful that those scrawny arms could exert enough force on the blade to pierce human skin, let alone his own fire-toughened hide.
Still, Efreet could feel the right of the pact in the boy, burning like a flame inside his chest. The willowy, green-haired woman standing behind him had it also, to a lesser degree, but it was the boy that had called.
And a Summoner was a Summoner, no matter how weak they were. "You who possess the right of the pact, I am the spirit of fire, Efreet. Why have you come before me?"
There. In an instant, Efreet saw it, the fire of determination in the boy's eyes. "I am Mithos!" the boy declared proudly, voice echoing through the temple, empty of all save him and his three companions. "I have come seeking a pact with the ruler of flames, Efreet."
"Then I shall test your strength." Gathering his power about him like a cloak of fire, Efreet descended, floating off the altar and coming to a halt about three feet in front of the boy. "Are you prepared?"
Behind Mithos, his companions were unsheathing weapons and readying themselves to fight, but the boy extended a hand behind him. "I will do this alone," he said simply, and there was silence for a moment. The rasp of steel broke it, and the tallest of Mithos' companions, a young man with auburn hair, clad in deep purple, stepped back as he sheathed his sword. "As you wish, then."
"Kratos!" the woman said sharply, sounding more shocked than annoyed.
The last of the four, a short, slender man whose vibrant blue hair fell across his face, shrugged. "It's his choice, Martel."
"I... suppose," she sighed, releasing her grip on her staff and turning away.
When his companions were far enough away, Mithos settled his full attention on Efreet and drew his sword. "I'm ready," he said calmly.
Efreet needed no further urging, and swung one fist almost carelessly toward the boy, fire crackling around his wrist. Only, Mithos wasn't there any longer—the boy had flipped nimbly out of the way, completely unharmed.
The spirit's respect for his opponent rose substantially. He would definitely have to concentrate on this one. Raising his hands into the air, Efreet called flames into existence, hurling the spheres of fire one after the other at the would-be Summoner.
Just as the last time, Mithos was not there when Efreet's attack landed. The spirit whirled, searching for the boy, but saw no trace of him.
Then he had the thought to look down.
Sure enough, about six inches away from him and nearly low enough to scoot under him, was Mithos. His sword was thrust into the ground, his hands clasped around the hilt, and his eyes closed as though in prayer. A circle of pale blue mana spun around him, shaped in intricate glyphs, and he was whispering rapidly under his breath.
All of this spelled trouble for one fiery spirit.
Almost as soon as Efreet spotted Mithos, the boy looked up and grinned dangerously, practically sparking with power. "Surrender to the merciless embrace of frost," he commanded. "Absolute!"
And there in the heart of the domain of fire, an icy prison formed. Nimbly, Mithos rose and skipped backward, eyes fixed on the forbidding crystals surrounding Efreet. There was silence for one second... then two... and then the ice collapsed in on itself, leaving a smoking Efreet in its wake.
Mithos tensed, ready to continue the fight, but the spirit shook his head. "That is enough," he said evenly. "You are indeed worthy of my power."
An elated smile spread across the boy's face at Efreet's words, but he managed to contain his excitement.
"So then. Upon what vow will you base our pact?" Efreet questioned.
Mithos paused only for a second before making his promise. "I vow to do all I can to end discrimination against half-elves, so that we may all live in this world equally."
Both of them felt the power snap into place, binding boy to spirit as surely as a chain. Efreet nodded to himself. "See that you hold to your vow. I will be with you until your death... or until you break it."
"I won't," Mithos promised boldly.
And the spirit believed him.
Years passed. Mithos rarely called upon Efreet any longer, and time passed oddly within the dimension that the spirit called his home; so what if Mithos seemed to be a little longer-lived than most of the Summoners before him? Efreet trusted that the boy who had thoroughly defeated him would keep to the vow.
Time wore on, and the bond began to wear thin; but Efreet, clinging to his trust in his Summoner, told himself it was merely time and age, that Mithos was coming to his end.
So came the day that Mithos Yggdrasill, no longer the boy he had been, closed his heart and abandoned his vow for good.
The tenuous bond between them snapped, and the spirit knew that the one he trusted above all others had betrayed him.
There was nothing for the briefest of moments, the breath between the spark and the flame.
And then there was rage.
-
The rest is history- how the first Triet was destroyed, and the present-day Triet Ruins created. Really don't think I need to go into detail. Thanks for taking the time to read.
---TW