Revelation
X: A Spark of Kinship
Storm stood dumbfounded in front of Morgan. His knives dropped from his slackened grip as he whispered, "My sister?" Seamus and Serena let their guard down on Robin. Madeline walked up to Storm and held onto his shoulders. "Storm, are you okay?" The mongoose slowly went down until he was sitting on the ground. He looked into Morgan's amethyst eyes; the same eyes as the young girl at the funeral, and the same name that he was curious about when he heard it being called out in his dream. "My sister," Storm bowed his head and started to breathe in broken bursts. Madeline was next to him with her hand on his back. Morgan kneeled down to place a hand on the ground in front of them. "All of you, please, come and see what I have to share. This is important." Seamus, Robin, and Serena joined their friends by the tree where Morgan was. Her hand began to glow purple and a bubble formed around everyone.
Ten years earlier…
Storm and Morgan walked out into the forest that surrounded their home of Trojeim. "I'm glad that Uncle Carlisle let us go out today. With the events that have been taking place and being stuck inside." Storm said cheerfully. Morgan smiled, "I agree. It was way too boring being stuck in that castle." The two siblings stopped in a clearing that had an old blanket tied to a tree in a tent shape. "Here we are! Good thing the blanket is still here." The brownish-gray mongoose went inside and pulled out a tin box. "I wonder how long it will be before Carlisle sends guards to come and find us." Morgan said sullenly. Storm pulled out a piece of flint from the tin before putting it back. "Let's not worry about that right now sis. I'm going to go look for some wood, and we'll make a small fire. Don't go anywhere!" He ran off into the trees in search of some kindling for the fire. Morgan watched him disappear among the foliage before she stretched out in the grass and pulled off her shoes. She enjoyed the sun shining through her silver fur and light blue dress.
A dark shadow moved between the shadows of the trees as it watched the little mongoose lying in the grass. "Böromer wanted this one killed. I'm sure of it. They'll never be able to grow up and destroy our empire as the prophet predicted." The shadow silently crept to the silver girl as its arm formed into a sharp sickle. It pounced on the mongoose and covered Morgan's mouth before she could cry out. "Sweet dreams." The shadow shoved the spike through Morgan, and felt her go limp. "As you go into the next world, remember that it was Ragha who killed you. Maybe the spirits will be benevolent or something and seek revenge." Ragha let Morgan fall to the ground after pulling his arm out of her. Morgan saw her vision begin to blur, and felt the warm blood beginning to spread on her back and stomach. Then things went black.
Storm had both arms filled with twigs and branches as he returned to where he left Morgan. "I'm back Morgan and I found plenty of twigs." He set them down, and looked at Ragha standing over his sister. "Morgan?!" He rushed over to where she was and saw where the sil'lis had impaled her through her stomach. "Morgan, please wake up. Morgan." He shook her gently by her shoulder. Ragha looked back and forth from the new mongoose. "What is going on here?" Ragha stopped in shock when it remembered that the target was called Storm. "This isn't good. I better kill him quickly." The sil'lis turned his arm into a sickle and thrust it at the mongoose's back, but was stopped by an unseen force. "What is this?!" Ragha pushed harder, but there was no give in the shield. "Morgan…" A blue light started to form around Storm, and a weaving triangle appeared on his right hand. "Morgan…" The light grew brighter and markings began to appear on Storm's arm. A sign appeared on his forehead as he cried out, "MORGAAAAAAAN!" Ragha was sent backwards and broke through several tree trunks along the way. "This isn't good at all." Storm stared at the sil'lis and cried out again, but it wasn't his sister's name. It was just a yell, a yell filled with sorrow, anger, and power. Lightning shot out and across the ground. It broke trees, and lit the sky. Storm's eyes were glowing blue and the markings were the same color against his brownish-gray fur. Ragha turned to leave, but was stopped by somebody behind the shadow creature. "So it's you who has caused this problem." The figured grabbed Ragha's bloodied arm and sent a pulse of lightning out scarring it. Ragha screeched in pain and broke away from its assailant. "Do not mess with the members of my branch." The figure smacked the pitiful creature aside and ran to Storm. The mongoose was still screaming out to the world as the figure stepped into view. "Please calm down young one. My name is Godric. I can help your sister." Storm threw a lightning bolt at Godric, but he just absorbed the blow. "I guess I'll have to do this the hard way." Godric approached the rampaging mongoose and placed his hand on Storm's head. He summoned his trinity and quelled the power surge coming from Storm. The markings disappeared and the young mongoose collapsed to the ground looking at his sister. "Morgan…" He then blacked out.
The bubble faded away and Storm was crying after seeing the past. Morgan placed both of her hands on his face and made him look at her. "I didn't die then Storm. I'm alive now, but we couldn't risk your life, so we had to send you somewhere safe. Godric and the High Council picked out the Oaktree Monastery. They created a seal to prevent you from remembering what had happened, so you wouldn't endanger yourself. The night we dropped you off, was when I pretended to be you when Father Hubert answered the door. I told him about the dream Minara had as if I had it, and asked to stay there. When everyone was asleep, Godric brought you and met me by the room window. I placed you in the bed, and left for another place. That is why the Father and Madeline knew you when you woke up that morning." "So that's why his fur color changed overnight! You were actually posing as Storm, but you weren't him, since you needed to keep him somewhere safe!" Madeline said in surprise. Morgan nodded in response to Madeline's discovery, "Godric met with Father Hubert later on to tell him what was going on to be fair with the council's judgment. I'm glad to see that he kept you safe up until a few days ago." Storm wiped his face on his arm and brought Morgan in for a hug. His memories had returned after being clouded for ten years. "I'm so happy to see you again Morgan." He said quietly. Storm was still breathing irregularly from crying, but he had recovered enough to talk. "I'm glad to see you too Storm. It made me sad that I could think about you, but you had no recollection about me." Madeline smiled to see Storm reunited with a sister that he didn't remember at all. "It's so heartwarming." Seamus and Serena turned to look at Robin. "Please tell me you aren't some long lost aunt or something." Serena said. The chickadee shook her head back and forth. "I just met Morgan today and she let me tag along with her. I'm just a travelling black and white chickadee." "Good. As much as I would like to see how a chickadee would fit in with this, I'd rather not." Seamus said.
After the reunion was over everyone returned to their tents, while Morgan and Robin set up their own tents. Storm and Madeline were back in their tent and getting back under their blankets. "I'm happy you finally found out who Morgan was and on top of that you were reunited with family." Storm smiled back at her, "Thanks Madeline." He slid over again and wrapped his arm around her. Madeline scooted closer placed her hands on Storm's side and chest. The two of them quickly fell asleep in each other's arms to the distant babbling of the river.
Böromer walked across the bridge of his castle with thousands of sil'lis following behind him. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Others will just fail miserably." He muttered to himself. He planned to locate Storm, and deal with him if possible, but if he couldn't get the chance he'd plan for another time. "I don't want to find any slackers back there," Zetanus called out, "Anyone that thinks that he can walk slower than others is dead wrong and might as well die on the spot. I don't plan on wasting any time getting to our destination!" The dark horde continued to march across the open plain creating a dust cloud behind them.
The sun began to shine through the trees overhead and illuminate the fog winding in between the tree trunks. Storm was outside and stretching his back out from sleeping in a tent again. He reminisced in the happiness he felt last night when he found out he had a sister, and that Madeline had feelings for him in return. He was too busy thinking and didn't notice that Robin was awake as well. "Good morning!" She said cheerfully. Storm didn't respond right away, but when he realized she was there he snapped out of his day dream. "Morning." The chickadee smiled, "We weren't properly introduced last night. My name is Robin. Sorry about scaring you." "It's not a problem now. I'm Stormsurge, but you can call me Storm. Glad to have you travelling with us." "Thanks Storm. I'll try not to be a pain. If Morgan asks where I am, I'll be at the river." Robin walked off towards the sound of the river leaving Storm to his thoughts. He returned to his tent and laid down on his back. Madeline was still asleep when he got up to stretch. Every once in awhile her ear would twitch, but Storm was in a light doze again with a hand loosely around Madeline's right wrist.
Morgan was sitting in her tent and writing a letter to Godric about the events that had occurred the previous night. When the letter was finished she sealed it in an envelope and drew rune on the front. The letter disappeared in a small purplish glow to its destination. She sat back and looked out of her tent to look around the area that she ignored when she was after her brother. While doing so, she thought back to the day that she had to leave Storm, and when she nearly died. With that thought, she placed a hand on the spot Ragha and stabbed through her. She was managed to move any organs out of the way with her powers, so that they didn't become damaged. The pain had been excruciating even if nothing was seriously injured. A shiver went down her spine, and she shook the bad memories away. Morgan picked up a small bag and some fresh clothes before she headed to the river to clean up.
Robin was floating in the water with her arms on top of the riverbank. "This cold water feels good on my back. I don't know why I didn't do this a few days earlier." Robin pulled her headband off and set it on the bank next to the pile of her clothes. She slid down up to the top of her beak and floated calmly sat on the underwater outcrop. Footsteps crunching small twigs and leaves came from behind her, and Robin cautiously looked over the riverbank edge. She called out, "Who's there?" Morgan walked out from behind a tree and looked at the chickadee peaking over the edge. "Sorry. I didn't know you were here Robin. I would have said something about approaching." Robin moved up and propped herself on the bank. "You had me worried that it was some bandit. I'm glad it's not one, though." Morgan set her bag with her clean clothes next to Robin's and began to take off her dirty ones. "If someone other than Storm and his friends were around I'd notice their presence. Having psychic powers has its benefits every once in awhile." The silver mongoose slipped into the cool waters and went under to soak her hair. Morgan resurfaced to flip her hair out of her face. "It can be a major pain too. My powers have allowed me to practice magic spells that use psychic to work." "That sounds interesting." Robin said. The chickadee splashed some water on her face before hoisting herself out and onto the riverbank. Robin shook out the main water from her feathers before picking up her towel to finish drying off. "I'll meet you back at the camp when you're done cleaning up." Robin had her fresh clothes on and adjusted her headband as she left. Morgan was left in the slow moving waters with her own thoughts.
When Robin returned everyone was awake and taking down the campsite. Seamus had his tent rolled up and was attempting to put it back in his pack. "Come on… Just. Go. In!" He put his entire body weight on top of the rolled up fabric, but the bag shot out from under him and landed him on the ground. Serena held in laughter at how hard Seamus was trying to make the tent fit. He looked over his nose at the pack a few inches ahead of him. "So. It's going to be like this." Robin walked over to her tent and began pulling out her tent's stakes. By mid morning everyone was back in the camp and packed up for the continued trek to the next village or town. Storm adjusted the straps of his pack and satchel before turning around to face his travelling group. "It looks like we're all ready to head out. If anything were to happen and we get separated from each other, the nearest town is a few miles down this path. Just make sure to find the path and continue. Hopefully we'd meet up within a few days, but that shouldn't be a problem, since we've got plenty of time, and that I don't think anyone plans on attacking us any time soon. With that, let's go!" The group of travelers made their way back to the main path and began trekking again from yesterday.
Zetanus Böromer and his sil'lis horde were camped outside of a town in its farm field. He created a barrier around their encampment to keep anyone out and the sil'lis in. Böromer knew the sil'lis well didn't think about giving them any extra breathing room. He wanted to keep this group out of sight from the locals less he is discovered before he wants to be. Zetanus watched from his command post as the sil'lis found their own places to sleep. Disputes could be heard when one sil'lis had its chosen place taken or some other issue that had risen. Ragha appeared at the entrance of his tent with Mora behind. "What is it Ragha?" Zetanus asked flatly. "When do we plan to converge on the mongoose?" The dark mongoose played with a pebble before tossing it aside. "It depends on what my scout has to say. Ah, just in time." A black bug flew in through the opening and landed on Zetanus' outstretched arm. The creature glowed red and crumbled into Zetanus' hand. "It seems that we'll be able to locate young Stormsurge by tomorrow's setting light." His ears perked up when he heard a low growl emitted by Ragha. "I want to take him tonight!" Zetanus stood up and walked over to Ragha. A sword formed in Zetanus' palm and he raised it to point at Ragha. In a menacing tone Zetanus said, "You've had your chance four times now. Two were your own, one by Mora, and the other by your lost brother Tretch. When I say that we will find him by tomorrow, we will find him tomorrow. Do not challenge my judgment again Ragha or you will be dead before you can say another word." The sil'lis glared at the sword, but backed down and left with Mora staying behind. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about Zetanus?" The sword disappeared into Zetanus' hand, like the bug, and returned to his seat. "I know that Ragha was Seraphus' first sil'lis, but present events have made me doubtful. I'm not sure Ragha is able to command the sil'lis properly. I've received a message from Seraphus that he agrees, and I need to choose a new sil'lis to fill Ragha's place. That sil'lis is you, Mora." The sil'lis nodded, "I will uphold the legacy Seraphus has left for you and his sil'lis." Mora left the tent in order to catch up with where Ragha went. Zetanus waited for Mora to be out of sight before letting out low chuckles of laughter. "And so the seeds of doubt have been sown. Now all I need to do is wait it for the weed to take over the plant." Zetanus sat and watched the sun as it was beginning its downward descent to the horizon.
The group of six continued to make their way to the village, but along the way they passed small settlements and stopped to see if there were any elementalists. Surprisingly they found twin foxes that were part of the Fione Lumir branch. They left a note with them about elementalist information and carried on with the walk. They stopped in the next small village to find an inn that had rooms available and they agreed it would be good to reserve them for the coming night. A Gierdëlien courier appeared in the large room the six of them had reserved. "Pardon my intrusion, but I have packages for the elementalists present in Storm's group. The clothiers thought about the outfits originally given to you are not very natural with the fanciness and all that. I've brought their recreations with me for those that have a want for them. Hope you enjoy." The courier left the packages on a table and returned to Gierdëlien. Storm walked over to where the packages were left and began sorting them out. "There's one for everyone here. Even Robin." They all looked at the chickadee. "I didn't know what an elementalist was. I've been able to control the air, which is good for being a bird." Robin smiled and shrugged. Storm just smiled and handed her the package with her name. "That's completely alright." Serena took her package nervously. "You're an elementalist also Serena?" Seamus asked. The wolf nodded and created a flame on her finger. "I've been trying to hide it because it's made me do horrible things when I would get angry as a young girl. I guess I can't hide it now, but I'm not sure if I can control it in a battle." Seamus said, "Don't worry about it." They pulled out the new clothes they had received. Each of them reflected how they were. Storm's new outfit was a black hooded top with white trim that had sleeves to his elbows, a pair of charcoal pants that were trimmed with white, and a pair of white shoes that had black, gray, and blue. A pair of black gloves with a metal plate on the back of each was included too. Madeline's new clothes consisted of a light blue shirt with an indigo undershirt. There was also a multi-colored dress with two smaller pieces. The main body was a rich brown covered with a golden brown cover, which was then covered by a fuchsia cover that had a purple trim. Her shoes were a mix of cyan and light blue. Serena received a dark red jacket to replace her old one with a gold-tan shirt. She also got a pair of reddish-brown capris and dark brown shoes. Inside Seamus' box was a black robe similar to his current one. This one lacked the golden metal shoulder pieces, but was an actual robe. A light red shirt was included to wear underneath. A pair of black pants was included to match the robe, and a different style of red sash was also included. A pair of black and red shoes came in the box as well. Morgan's outfit was a dark purple t-shirt with shorter sleeves with a dark waistband. A beret, that matched her shirt, was included, and a skirt-capris combo was also in the box. The skirt had vertical stripes of two different purples, and her capris were a dark gray similar to Storm's. A pair of purple cotton gloves was in the box that didn't cover the fingers, but only the palm, and appeared to go to the mid-forearm. Instead of normal shoes, Morgan had a pair of boots that had four buckles on each boot. They reached up to just below the knees. Robin pulled out a light-green shirt that came with a pair of white pants that were tight. Supposedly they were that way for better aerodynamics when flying. She also had a pair of white tennis shoes to match the pants. "I must say," Robin began, "These clothes look great. The clothiers did a nice job in making them." Storm pulled out the robes that he was given originally and held them up. "They do have a point, though. With the sil'lis hunting the next generation, these would definitely make us stand out no matter how cool they are. I say we break our new clothes in tomorrow. I'm ready to sleep for awhile. I still have to catch up from when we were up late." "Sounds like a plan then. I'll see everybody tomorrow then." Madeline said. Everybody went to six separate bedrooms that were down the hall from the living room. Storm fell asleep into a restless dream. He was outside of a town, and there was some form of encampment that was blurred for some reason. His dream self flew to the area went through what was a form of shield. Underneath the misty veil was an entire camp of sil'lis. They were hissing and attacking each other for simple things. He continued to a center pavilion and looked inside to see Zetanus sitting at a table. The creature hybrid spoke to himself, "Soon my friend. We will meet very soon." With that, Storm woke up in the hotel room and sitting upright with a cold sweat. Seeing that many sil'lis in one place didn't make him feel safe. Ragha and Mora were strong from what he's seen, but if all of those sil'lis are the same strength, how would he ever survive. Storm returned to the pillow and closed his eyes hoping for a better dream to rid his mind of the previous one.