Author's Note: I do not own W.I.T.C.H., etc.
Chapter Ten – My Life
The guards stood in attention inside the throne room as they were prepared for anything to happen. Though they were sure, they didn't see this coming. The room glowed with an intense bright light and blinded the guards. They blocked the light with their forearms as they waited for it to dim. When it did, they saw the Guardians, Caleb, Elyon and Haritus standing there.
The moment their eyes met Elyon, they stood straight and in attention. Caleb walked from the group and faced the guards.
"Bring word to Commander Alborn that the search for Haritus is over and have everyone return to the palace immediately."
"Yes, sir." They said and left the throne room in a hurried pace.
Caleb closed the doors to ensure this would be kept private. With this done, he turned back to everyone standing in the center of the room.
"Haritus…if it wasn't for Elyon, I would like to see you in a dungeon cell."
Elyon interjected, "You wouldn't get so far, Caleb. Remember what I said in the war room, no punishment nor harm was to be given without my authority. Once Haritus has aided the Guardians in their mission, he is pardoned and all crimes expunged from his character."
He sighed in disapproval, but nodded, "Yes, Elyon."
Will stepped forward, "The Oracle would like him to be brought to Kandrakar, but it is better if we ask our questions now, so we are better prepared. Exactly who are you?"
"I am Haritus, Paladin of Initiate Rank, inducted into the Order of Holy Light as of the fourteenth of the month of Amethyst, 1787 3E. I never knew my parents nor my lineage."
"1787 3E?" Irma said trying to count with her fingers.
"The 1787th year of the third era."
"Oh, I get it now."
Will bit her lip as she thought, "And I thought my parents' divorce was tough, but he never knew his parents from the start…to feel so sad."
"If you had no parents, who raised you?"
"The Order raised me since as far back as I can remember. My birth parents left me at the Golden Halls of Altessa when I was a baby. The Instructors became my real parents and my fellow peers as siblings."
"But if you were so trusted and wise amongst them, then why didn't they believe you?"
"Well…since we are the Order of Holy Light, we believe light to be good and darkness to be evil, a common misconception amongst people. When they heard I pacted with a Shade, a creature of darkness, they assumed I was possessed by him and become evil because of it."
Taranee asked, "Yeah, when we were in that weird mental realm, what did he mean by pact partner and one-thousandth of a true shadow? What is being pacted all about?"
"First, one-thousandth of a true shadow has to do with how my world got the light. Since Veluria was a world of darkness, shadows ruled the land. Beings known as "Shad'rumar" roamed the world and fought each other. When only one Shad'rumar remained to rule all, the Goddess appeared and challenged him to a duel."
Caleb said, "So she waited until there was only one and he was weak from battle."
"Yes, but it was not a cowardly thing. She didn't wait, but arrived at the precise moment. They fought and the Shad'rumar fell to the earth. Since he absorbed the power of the defeated Shad'rumar, he became a giant of shadow. Before he could die, he split himself into a thousand different Shades, all of whom were hunted down into extinction or so…my Order thought."
"Then you met him?"
"Actually…we fought at first."
"But you two became friends? How?"
"It is best if I showed you how we came to pact. Elyon, can you cast the spell that tapped into my dreams again? But this time make it visible to everyone."
"Sure, I can."
He knelt down as her hand glowed with again. She held her other hand upward and the second she tapped his temple, the thoughts began to play.
Haritus ran through the forest at night. His muscles tired and his wounds were painful. Though he had just left the Golden Halls, he wasn't afraid to fight the opponent he had been fighting for hours. Using his spear as a crutch, he hoped to gain some speed from his opponent.
"Damn, no matter what I do, he simply can't be hurt." He thought between breathes.
His feet felt the lip of the cliff before he could fall. After regaining his balance, he looked down and then behind him as he heard the shuffling of leaves. Without another moment spent, he slowly made his way down the steep hill.
His mind raced with images of all he had experienced and found himself disbelieving that this could be the end. Claws shot passed him as he nearly avoided them. Once his feet met solid ground, Haritus continued to run for he knew his opponent wasn't far behind.
However his body was giving in and he couldn't keep moving at such a hurried pace. He turned around to fight, knowing this would probably be the end of his life. Clutching the spear in both hands, he pointed it toward the Shade.
"Tell me, can you show me that light spear again?"
"What? You can talk?"
"The speech you heard before was my native tongue. I can choose to let you understand me, but it is my choice."
"I don't know how I summoned that light energy. If I could do it again, then I would."
"That's unfortunate. It has been such a long time since I saw that spell thrown at me. Mind you, it wasn't the strongest I have seen, but you are the youngest Paladin that has used it."
Haritus's eyes began to dip, "Yet it seems you are out of energy, young Paladin. I think it would be best to end it."
He charged forward using whatever strength he could muster to attack the Shade. The many claws shot out of his gelatinous body and raked across the Paladin's torso.
Haritus screamed in agony as he was tossed backward through the air. He crashed down in the grass and felt his life coming to an end. His silver spear flew with him and clattered a few feet away. He planted a hand firmly on the grass as he strained to lift himself from the ground. Then the weight of the shade's many hands pressed down upon him and blood shot out of his mouth as he collapsed on the grass once more.
"You are impressive, young paladin. You are perhaps the best for one your age that I have fought. Not even Paladins greater than you had lasted this long."
The Paladin didn't speak as he was trying to cling to what little life he had.
"Rest now, your suffering will soon end and you will be with your precious goddess."
The Shade raised his claws and was anticipating the kill. Then what seemed to be a miracle, the sun rose over the horizon and the Shade began to smoke as his body was slowing burning away. The shade let loose a horrible scream as its claws started to stroke his body as globs of dead gelatinous flesh fell to the ground.
The Paladin smiled, "What's the matter, demon? Afraid of the light."
The Shade collapsed on its side and tried to pull itself toward the darkness. So caught up in the battle, the Shade didn't notice the time nor where the battle had taken them. They both laid in the center of a large clearing of the forest. The darkness the forest could provide would save the Shade if it wasn't so far. The ancient creature knew this was his final day.
"I may die here, monster. But from the looks of things, you will too."
The Shade stopped crawling and laid melting on the grass.
"Maybe...just maybe neither of us will have to."
"What do you mean?"
"The only way...for us...to live is to...pact."
The Paladin felt disgusted, "Pact? With a Demon?"
"I am no demon! I am a Shade and yes, if you want to see another sunrise, then you have little choice. We can pact, but only if you are willing."
The Paladin's vision blurred in and out of focus. The red of his blood stained the green of the grass as it kept flowing. He now was faced with a crucial dilemma.
On one hand, he could die like an honorable Paladin and be whole…or pact with a Shade and live to see another day.
"Choose!" the Shade spoke as more of itself bled out on the surrounding plains.
Haritus's eyes felt heavier and then, a female voice whispered, "Accept…"
The Paladin was losing consciousness and had only a few seconds of life left when he heard her speak. He closed his eyes and made his choice.
"Don't lose yourself…Haritus."
The memory faded and Haritus opened his eyes, finding himself back in the throne room.
"So, you both survived because of that?" Irma scratched her head, becoming confused.
"Yes, you see…Pacting was the only way for our lives to be saved. This process is not unheard of on my world, many people throughout history have pacted with various creatures. Some with dragons, others with the fey, but no one has ever heard of pacting with a Shade."
Taranee asked, "But how could it save your lives?"
Haritus rubbed his chin for a second, "How can I think of an example? Life energy in the body can be thought of as a ball inside you. It glows and grows as you continue living, but dims and fades away when you die. However, Pacting can connect two 'balls' together by an unbreakable thread. Following me so far?"
Everyone nodded, "Good, when we Pacted, our life energies mingled together and formed this thread. By doing so, it healed our wounds and it even mended my clothing and armor. However, Pacting does have certain side-effects."
Cornelia asked, "Like what?"
Haritus grabbed several strains of his hair and pointed to his skin, "Pacting requires a mortal partner and a magical partner. So two humans can't pact nor can two fairies, but a human can pact with a fairy. As such the mortal partner gains some of the cosmetic attributes of the magical partner. For a fairy, the mortal can glow or perhaps even fly. For a dragon, the mortal can gain scales, a protruded mouth, clawed nails, or perhaps wings. But…for a Shade…"
Cornelia nodded, getting the idea, "I used to have hair like your's, Cornelia. A vivid blonde color that shimmered with the sun. But after I pacted, my skin grayed and my blonde hair turned pale. These were the cosmetic effects I gained from the Pact. However serious or lightly they are, they do not compare to the mutual benefits we both gain."
Elyon asked, "Like what?"
"The main reason that two of the same beings can't pact is because there is no benefit to gain from each other. But seeing as I, a human, and the Shade pacted we gain benefits that one has, but not the other. Shade, are you strong enough to come out?"
The Shade slithered out from under the cloak and stood in his true form, "I am."
"Shades, as you saw from my memory, can't normally stand being in sunlight. However, one of the benefits he gained is the immunity from sunlight. The second benefit is his own powers are augmented because he is now connected to a being who has a soul instead of a spirit, me."
He paused for a brief second before continuing, "The benefits I gain from our Pact is access to shadow magic. The second benefit is immortality in the sense that I can never age."
Taranee shook her head, "Really? You remain this way forever?"
He nodded, "I had the same reaction you did. Then the Shade retorted my question with another one, 'Tell me, do shadows age?' A shadow never grows any older, neither does a Shade. The only downside of a Pact is if one of us dies, the other dies as well."
"When you said access to shadow magic, I remembered how many spells you cast, but where does that power come from?"
"Ah, good question. Like you all know, magic has to be drawn from a source. From what Elyon and the Shade has told me, your magic is drawn from Kandrakar to be instilled into the next team of Guardians. The shadow magic we both use is drawn from the Shade's life force and since he is immortal, we can cast nearly infinite spells at any one time."
"Okay, but what about light magic? It seemed to hurt you."
"Though we are Pacted, our life energies are still separate from one another and didn't merge as one. Light magic is drawn from the power of the Goddess using the inner light everyone carries as a conduit. However since this world isn't blessed by the Goddess, I have to substitute using my own life force as the source, which puts a heavy strain on myself because my life force is still mortal in nature. Anything else?"
Hay Lin began writing on her palm, "Pact partner, one-thousandth of true shadow, shadow magic, light magic."
"You wrote that all on your palm?" Irma asked, nearly shouting.
"Well sort of." She showed that she abbreviated it all for space.
Will cleared her throat, "How about the journal? The strange glyphs? Levanos?"
Elyon added, "Ravenwall?"
"Well, Levanos was one of my Instructors at the Golden Halls. He taught me how to wield the spear." He paused as a wonderful memory came to him and laughed a little, "Sorry, his journal was one of the books I read frequently. All his adventures inspired me to become just like him, he gave me my own journal to record my adventures for future generations. The strange glyphs and symbols are, in fact, my native language."
Caleb took his journal and opened it, "That explains it."
"Take the book from my backpack and open it to any page."
Elyon did as he said and opened the book, "They are the same language."
"Another Paladin from my world came here many centuries ago, he tried to spread my religion here and created that temple. It was only about a hundred years after Escanor saved this world, the religion was deemed blasphemy against the Light of Meridian. The Paladin was found guilty and imprisoned for life, never to see Veluria again. His journal was kept in the Royal Library for many years since."
Elyon shook her head, "I didn't know that happened. All family history was lost when Phobos usurped the throne."
"Don't blame yourself or your family, it was an unfortunate circumstance. Like me and Ravenwall…"
"About that, what makes Ravenwall a High Paladin?"
"In my Order, all Paladins gave up their last name when they are inducted. Since I didn't have a last name, it was no loss for me. Only the five High Paladins have last names based on their greatest achievement. 'Ravenwall' was given to that High Paladin because he stood in a single spot and slew an entire army of birdmen that the Order deemed heretical. What you didn't see in that nightmare, your majesty, was the minutes I spent trying to reason with him."
He took another deep breath, "That man was blinded by greed, he saw only his own glory on the battlefield. However he got to be High Paladin, only the Goddess knows."
"You said five High Paladins, that is only one."
"Well…if you must get into it, each High Paladin is given command over a division of the Order. Though one of the High Paladins acts as the Leader of the Order giving commands to the other four, this High Paladin always has the name of Divinewhisper."
"Divinewhisper?"
"The High Paladin by that name is given a vision by the Goddess after the last High Paladin Divinewhisper dies. I was happy that day when Levanos told me of the vision he saw."
"Wait, your favorite teacher…"
"became the Leader of the Order, yes…I, as I said, was happy."
Will looked at his friends, "That's pretty much all we got to ask, so…"
Hay Lin shot up, "Wait…I got a question for the Shade."
"Yes?" The Shade turned toward her.
"Just wondering why are you negative all the time? You should know that everything can be cured with a smile."
"Spend your whole existence scurrying in dark corners while being hunted by an entire world and then talk to me about being positive. It was only when I pacted with Haritus did I gain a small semblance of happiness."
"Well, we are ready to go to Kandrakar." Will said abruptly.
She held the Heart in front of her, then bathed the room in white light. But something hasn't happened before when she used it, the white light turned red and the energy dispersed.
"What happened?" Will asked.
Just then, the doors slammed open and a galhot warrior entered the throne room. He was wounded and could barely keep himself up, "Your majest…y…"
He said and collapsed, they rushed to his aid. Haritus realizing that even the Heart had failed to get him off Meridian caused him to wonder.
The galhot awoke minutes later as both Cornelia and Haritus had healed his wounds, "Your majesty, it is wonderful to see you have returned."
"It is good to see you awake. Tell me, what did you rush in here for?"
"An army is coming here. It is not only galhots, but creatures I never seen before…large bats came down as my men stayed behind to give me a head start back here."
Haritus's ears perked up at the words 'large bats', "Wait…did these bats have red eyes and a tuft of black fur on the tops of their heads?"
"Yes. I looked through a glass at other creatures as well."
"Shade, take the form of what I am thinking about right now."
"Got it." He said and transformed his shape into that a human-sized creature with four long spikes for arms and two long spikes for legs. It's one large eye protruded from its chest and there was no head to be seen.
"Was these one of the creatures you saw?"
"Y…yes."
Haritus looked left and right as he shook his head, "No…no, no…it can't be…Shade, did he fall in with us when we closed the Door?"
"I thought we closed it before he had the chance, but if he fell in with us, then…"
"Yes…this is really bad."
"What is?" Will asked, hoping for some answers.
"The creature he saw is…a…a…char demon."
"Demons?"
"The battle in Sakcamar has come back to haunt us. The Dark Horn Cult…why didn't I see it earlier?"
"See what earlier?"
"The Dark Horn Cult, the people's fear, their suffering…it is…all my fault. I am the one that brought him here to Meridian with me."
Next Chapter, Haritus explains why as the Guardians need to return home. Haritus and Caleb devise a defense as a vision of the future bombards Haritus.