Chapter 11: Blessing of the curse
"I understand so much more, thank you Micaiah", I said looking up at her.
"I'm glad I could finally get you back. Things have been so hard here without you."
"How long has it been since I've been gone?" I asked puzzled by why it would be so long. I only remember about a week in the other time.
"It has to be a couple months. How could you just go out and leave me like that?" I could see her joy go to sadness and then go to frustration. She was such a strong person but within she had been hurt so many times.
"Well I'm back now."
"And now Stefan might be gone too", her frustration turned to anger and shouted looking down at the floor with fists clenched, "I feel so powerless. I can't do anything to protect those that I love."
"I know how hard it is. I saw friends and comrades die on a daily bases. We will get though it though", I said standing and placing my arm on her shoulder. Even so, she had a point. We had been through so much and there was no end in sight.
"I hope so", she said, "anyway today has been an eventful day, we should get some rest". I had to agree with her. For once, it seemed like I was safe. Hidden in the desert, no war to fight the next day. Nothing could come easy but I didn't feel as if I might die the next day.
I found a place to lie down so I took it. After all the battles, some sleep would be nice. I just hoped Stefan and Cheese would be all right. I know they could handle themselves in a fight but those tigers were so strong. Just before I was about to fall asleep I heard a voice talking to me.
"So you know who you are now?" I looked up to see Brandon sitting in the floor beside me.
"Yea, we have gotten into something much bigger then I could have imagined."
"So more fights like that last one?"
"Sadly they might be even worse. You still in a lot of pain?"
"Yea but I've been through worse. I can walk not since Micaiah healed me so it's getting better. Just don't ask me to fight another one of them anytime soon", he said trying to laugh but I could see his pain making it hard.
"I need some sleep and I'm sure you to do", I said to him.
"Yea, hopefully I'll feel better in the morning".
I once again tried to sleep. On the horizon of unconsciousness, I heard another sound. In the distance, I could hear the clashing of steel and the screams of pain. As much as I wanted to sleep, I decided to investigate. As I went to look outside, I saw Stefan running into our fort.
"What's going on?" I asked him. I noticed that his body was covered with slashes.
"They somehow found us. We have to eliminate them", he said going into the rest of the fort to wake the others. Finally, I fight where I know what I'm doing, I thought to myself.
Both sides of the battle were small. We numbered only about 20 and the enemy had only about 40 men. Stefan ran out and killed three enemy swordsmen while easily evading their attacks. Even in his injured state, they were no match for the skilled swordsman. Soren several enemies away with his wind magic the fire mage Tormad incinerated multiple enemies. Micaiah's light magic also killed them with ease. We also had several beast-men, laguz on are side. The tiger Muarim led them and they tour through the enemies.
I swiftly built up lighting in my hands and fired it at the enemies. The spheres of lighting took down multiple enemies. Then I heard arrows coming from behind me. I swiftly turned and fired at them incinerating the arrows. I then proceeded to call lightning from the sky to strike the two archers.
The enemy general was an armored knight in dark red armor. He carried a massive shield and axe. Stefan went after him but his blade couldn't penetrate the armor.
"Combine our magic", I shouted. Micaiah, Soren, Tormad, and I prepared for unison of our magic. First Micaiah hit him with a burst of light magic and then the three of us fired streams of fire lightning and wind at him and they combined into one. The attack went straight through his shield and armor and the life left him as the body fell to the ground.
Muarim came toward us and reverted to his human form. "I think a few of them escaped".
"It will be hard to track them in the dark." We then saw several bursts of light in the distance. I then saw a figure approaching us in the sky. It looked like a human but had grey wings. He landed in front of us.
"Don't worry I took care of those trying to escape. It's good to see you again Ash", he said looking at me. That face and voice, I recognized it, but it was buried deep in my memory. Then it came to me.
"Sephiran, good to see you again too. You didn't come just to help us fight though did you?" I asked him.
"No, I am here to finish the job that Micaiah started, and to awaken the power of the curse."
"Wait what curse?" at that question, light began to glow around him like the tigers before. From that light emerged a beautiful gray bird. His wingspan matched his previous height. Then he began chanting in a language far from the common tongue. As the galder began, light gathered in a circle around him. The light went off him and covered me. With that light, the clouds in my memory fled. There were still some scars in it but I could see what was being concealed. Within me lied a power that could change the world. Other memories also flowed back to me. I saw myself acting out events that occurred several months earlier.
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"In this forest the seid magic is most concentrated."
"So what does that have to do with me and bringing me here?"
"Seid magic is quite different from other magic like your lightning", I heard Sephiran explain to me, "It is perhaps the most powerful of any magic this world has seen but most of it was lost long ago. I have spent much of the last few years learning the secrets of it."
"What kind of power does it posses?" I asked.
"This forest was once merely burnt trees and dead plants. The galder of rebirth revived it into the wondrous forest you see today. And that was merely a fraction of its power."
"Amazing, is this the hope for us that you promised to show me?"
"In a way yes, Emperor Jonathan is a master of ancient dark magic and normal attacks won't defeat him. Seid magic might posses hope but I still don't know enough of it to defeat someone that strong", he told me.
"Then how will it work if it isn't strong enough?"
"By lifting a curse. The seid magic that could bring this forest to life also cast a great curse on this world. The curse made it forbidden for laguz and beroc to have children. The laguz parent would lose their powers and the child would be cursed with a mark. For centuries, this was thought to be the will of the goddess, but only recently, have I learned the truth. After the defeat of Ashera king Lorazieh awoke from his sleep and that, the curse was caused by heron seid from generations ago. Not only that but he found a way to remove this curse. The galder of awakening gave me back the powers of the herons but sadly cost him his life."
"So the laguz affected by this curse can have their powers restored now?" I asked.
"Not just said", he responded, "the branded can be restored to what they were meant to be. The best of both the laguz and the beroc. These powers of both laguz and beroc in one person, which was what the curse was supposed to prevent. That is the power that can save the world and the hope that I have been searching for. Are you ready Ash?"
"Yea, now we may finally be able to change something" as I said this Sephiran began singing a galder. I saw myself overcome by this magic. The mark on my arm began to glow. I could feel a power growing inside of me.
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"I understand what he was trying to hide", I said.
"One awakened branded was nearly able to defeat the emperor but soon there will be more," Sephiran said to me. He then motioned for Micaiah, Stefan and Soren to come over to us. "It has taken a while but I know have enough power to remove the curse from you three as well. Soon everything will fall into place for all people to be free."
"After all this time will it finally be over?" Micaiah asked hopeful.
"It finally might be", Soren, said but with doubt in his voice
"Either way it won't be long before a larger army finds us. If this new power allows us to end the war then lets get it", Stefan said.
"We leave in the morning then", Sephiran told them.
