Chapter 1 - Perspectives
Claudia kicked a rock far along down the rough path which led from the cave, which had been their hiding place for the past month or so, which was beginning to feel more like a tomb. She was tired and frustrated. She had aged considerably more than her age should permit, a side effect of the resurrection spell she used to save her father's life.
A spell that was so powerful to return life and health where it has been taken required robbing another of their lifeforce and the willingness of the dark mage to give some of their own lifeforce to sustain the transfer. It is a spell so dark that even dark magic demands a personal sacrifice from the mage to perform it. Claudia's skin had faded, and her teeth had yellowed, and most obvious of all was her once lush voluminous black hair was now half flat and white. Above all, she just felt more tired and achy, something that she was seeking remedy for.
Just then, what she was looking for landed on a rock as if a gift of mercy, a small Xadian bird. Its feathers were a light blue that faded into a deep purple with a lovely crown of decorative feathers on its head. She took a moment to admire the bird but without much mercy snatched the bird and squeezed the breath from the sky fowl and tightened her grip while speaking a dark incantation which liquified the bird into an indigo-colored goop, half of which she caught in a glass vile to save for her father. She used the remainder for herself; her skin instantly became noticeably more colored and vibrant, her teeth whitened, and she felt her strength and energy return. Aside from her white hair, she returned to her youthful state, at least for a while.
She returned to where the cave was and spoke another incantation to reveal the cave entrance, hidden by an illusion she created. She walked deep into the cave where her father and the chrysalis, which Aaravos's proxy was growing into something unknown to either her or her father. Viren had informed Claudia how he connected with Aravous and everything he knew about the mysterious star touch elf, which admittedly still wasn't much.
When Claudia saw her father sleeping, she couldn't help but wince at the sight of his state. He was far frailer, and the bruises and cuts from his fall from the storm spire were becoming more evident again, and his bones were becoming brittle as the effects of the dark magic wore off. The dark magic she used to revive him can never truly bring someone back from the dead instead, it holds their lifeforce on this side of things, but part of their spirit remains in the spirit world. The dark magic acts as a tether holding the subject to their body in the living world while their body wills to die. As long as she kept performing healing spells on her father's body, he would remain alive.
Claudia let Viren continue to rest, slouched against the cave wall, and waited for him to wake. She didn't want to disturb what little peaceful sleep he was getting. Her father had been plagued by frequent nightmares or rather actual glimpses of the other side in the immortal world.
Suddenly her father began to shake, and he mumbled some words in his sleep. "You!...Filthy Elf!. Vieren continued to shake until his eyes shot open, and he sat-up too quickly. "Ahhh," Viren shouted in pain and grabbed his back.
"Dad! Be careful," Claudia demanded. Viren looked over to his daughter. "Are you okay?" Claudia's face was one of concern, but not a surprise as episodes like this had become quite common for Viren ever since she brought him back from death.
Catching his breath, Viren spoke, "I saw her."
"Okay, who is her?" Claudia said, inquiring for more details while pouring the indigo goop into Viren's hand. Viren spoke the same dark incantation, and instantly his bruises and broken bones again healed themselves, and he rose to his feet in strength. The spell's effects lasted a few weeks before they would begin to feel the effects of their ailments return.
Viren was not ignorant of his condition, and his lifetime study of dark magic had led him to conclude that he no longer had simple dreams when he slept. He instead had a glimpse into the spirit world. He knew that even when he felt well and strong, and his body appeared healthy, he wasn't entirely alive. He hadn't had a peaceful sleep since his fall. When he slept, he was haunted by ghosts of soldiers he led into battle, elves, and countless creatures he had killed in the name of dark magic. He couldn't escape their ghosts, but at the same time, they never could reach him, and he couldn't move when he was on the other side. When they would find him, he would just attempt to close his eyes and try not to hear the wails and screams of the spirits who sought to reach him. For the most part, he had learned how to drown them out and get some semblance of rest, but this apparition he saw this time was different.
"I saw that filthy little elf who caused my fall from the spire."
"Well, that's good, right...I mean, if you saw her there, then she is dead, right?" Viren had shared what he was seeing with his daughter, and she understood the nature of the connection.
"No, she was different than the others; she was very much alive."
"How is that possible" Claudia asked
"I'm not sure, but it's not impossible...one thing that this does change is that she knows that I am alive, and she knows we are here."
"Well, there goes our big surprise," Claudia said, throwing her arms on her hips. Viren looked at his daughter seriously, and with light frustration, she wasn't as concerned about this as he was. Claudia could sense that her father was not in the mood for a joke. "Dad relax; they aren't going to find us here. They sent a practical army to search for us, and they never even came close to discovering us."
"Yes, your illusions are highly effective, but when I am on the other side, it is like a mirror of this world. She knows where we are, and they will be coming to find us here."
Claudia honestly was excited to hear that her father wanted to finally leave the cave, but then her mind returned to why they hadn't left yet. "Well, you know that I am eager and ready to leave this wretched cave as soon as you are, but what are we going to do about..." Claudia gestured to Aaravos's cacoon.
Just then, as if on queue, the chrysalis began to glow brighter until the purple light that filled the cave was literally blinding. Both Viren and Claudia covered their eyes. Then a large sound of a cracking noise echoed through the cave, and the light ceased. The sudden darkness that followed the blinding light left both of the dark mage's eyes struggling to adjust. They heard light footsteps but could not see who they were from.
"See, this just keeps getting better...Now I can better serve you." a deep voice spoke in the darkness.
"Aaravos?" Viren questioned.
As Claudia's eyes began to adjust to the much more dim light emanating from the streaks of glowing blue crystal naturally found in the storm spire where the cave was located. When her eyes fully adjusted, she saw for the first time in person a star touch elf. His horns were longer than any elf she had ever seen before. She had read about star touch elves in books, but illustrations of the mysterious elven race were few and far between. His horns looked more like sleek antlers, and his skin was purple with star-like specks on his arms.
"Viren, I am pleased to see you well...no doubt because of the exceptional skill and sacrifice of your daughter" Aaravos turned to look at Claudia. "It's a pleasure to finally be able to formally introduce myself to you" Claudia didn't speak as Aaravos took Claudia's hand and gently bowed. "I am Aaravos. It is my humble pleasure to serve you."
Claudia didn't buy Aaravos's claim to humility but was intrigued by his prospect of serving them. "My father has told me much about you, but there remains much to be seen," Claudia responded with a lack of trust in her voice. "I see that you have your father's guard...untrusting of anything you do not know or can't fully understand. No matter, in time, I am confident I will be able to earn your trust when you see the great things I can teach you." Aaravos said while running his hand gently across her cheek.
Claudia was frozen and confused by Aaravos's gesture. She looked to her father, who did not seem concerned, which allowed her to relax a little, seeing that her father clearly trusted the elf.
Aaravos turned to Viren and asked. "What is the status of things."
"Well, we don't really know. We have been in hiding waiting for you to complete your...um...transformation."
"Your loyalty is flattering, Viren...how long has it been?"
"Six dreadful weeks." Claudia inserted
"Hmm, I see...well then we have some catching up to do with our friends, don't we?"
Aaravos searched the cave with his glance narrowing in on the Scepter of Radiance they had stolen from Lux Aurea. The once bright orb in the center of the golden staff was still tainted with darkness.
"The Sunfire Elves call this the Scepter of Radiance, although, given the circumstances, I don't think that is an appropriate name any longer," Aaravos said, taking the scepter in his grasp and taking a deep breath as he felt its power. "I think it's time for a new name...we will call it the Scepter of Darkness. Much more fitting, don't you think?" Both Viren and Claudia nodded in agreement.
Aaravos held the scepter upright in the center of the cave and gestured for the humans to come closer and place their hands on the Scepter of Darkness with him. Viren stepped forward without hesitation while Claudia remained skeptical. "Well, no need to be shy," Aaravos said to Claudia. "It's okay, Claudia, we can trust him." Viren encouraged. Claudia reluctantly stepped forward and added her grip to the scepter.
Aaravos spoke an incantation that was unknown to both of the humans "indu stella planum." The space around them suddenly began to disappear into a blur and felt as if it were spinning, but Claudia felt her feet remain firmly in place. The cave filled with the twinkling light of stars in the night sky. Then Claudia looked down and immediately jumped in fear as she was standing on thin air high above the world, yet she could still feel the cold hard floor of the cave under her feet. "Where are we? what is this place?" Claudia asked in astonishment
"Welcome to the Astral Plane, a cunning technique I discovered and never cared to share with anyone until now. When in the Astral Plane, we can watch and observe anyone with whom you have previously met or have a connection. The person will be completely unaware that we are watching, although you do have to know where they are," Aaravos Explained.
"It's the ultimate spy tool." Viren excitedly replied. Claudia remained speechless; she was amazed by what Aaravos had done but remained skeptical of this Elf.
"Claudia, why don't you do the honors" Aarvos waved his hand with a slight bow. "Go on, think of someone you want to see and where you think they might be, and we will be taken to that place."
Claudia scanned her mind for a brief moment before settling on an option. "I have someone."
"Good, keep your focus on that person and cite ut mihi and the person's name and where you want to search for them."
Claudia took a deep breath, unsure of what they would see, and spoke, "ut mihi Callum, Katolis Castle."
The world around them spun, and they began to hurtle towards the earth. It felt as if they were falling, but again their feet were firmly planted on the cave floor. Never-the-less the sensation made her legs tremble as her mind and body failed to cope with the disorientation. They
were speeding high above the surface, the earth zooming past familiar landmarks in a blur. Katolis castle and its uneven towers rapidly approached until the group landed as if they were standing in the castle's throne room.
The room was empty except Opeli and another council member discussing something while overlooking the strategy table map. "We will need to wait for Ezran to return from the Moon Nexus before we make a final decision, but I think he will approve," Opeli said
Overhearing this dialogue, Claudia thought to herself, wherever Ezran is, Callum will be too. She looked to Aaravos and her father, who understood that they needed to search elsewhere; both men nodded and prepared to jump to the next location.
While still gripping the scepter of darkness, Claudia repeated the incantation "ut mihi, Callum, Moon Nexus."
Again the world around them turned to a blur, and they began to appear to hurtle across the sky over the mountains and forests of Katolis and to the cursed caldera quickly approached on the horizon. Suddenly the trio found themselves on a worn path in the woods near the moon nexus.
Claudia's heart leaped when she saw Callum walking up the path. When she saw him, she and Viren looked around them as if they needed to hide before Callum saw them.
"Relax, he can't see you," Aaravos said in a deep calm voice.
Claudia relaxed and stepped closer to Callum as he approached. She curiously attempted to put her hand on Callum's shoulder, but her hand had no real substance went right through him. Callum was entirely oblivious to the interaction. Claudia's heart ached a little with the cold splash of reality that she couldn't talk with Callum and was swiftly reminded of the rift that had developed between them.
Claudia wasn't sure how to feel about seeing Callum. She had mixed emotions. Part of her was relieved he was okay and had survived the battle of the storm spire. But also conflicted as he was on the opposing side. He was working with or in her mind allowing himself to be manipulated by elves. She was just now realizing the depth of the turmoil in her heart and mind about this. Much of this turmoil faded to the back of her mind when she saw where Callum was going.
In her mind, she felt that Callum could still be reasoned with if they only had the opportunity to talk, and she could explain why she did what she did. She followed her old friend up a small hill with her father and the mysterious star touch elf following close behind her.
At the top of the path was the elf girl he had been traveling with when she and her brother first found them here in the Moon nexus two months ago. The elf that fooled her with illusions while she escaped with the princes. She also remembered that moment when Callum was flying away on the moon phoenix, the look of hurt in his eyes as he realized that she and her brother were willing to do to bring them back to Katolis. It was a look of broken trust and disappointment.
She never wanted to hurt Callum and never got the chance to explain to him why she did what she did. She again directed her anger to the elf girl that Callum sat down beside. This was also the elf girl that she assumed pushed her father from the storm spire before being rescued by a Skywing elf, according to Viren. This was confirmed by the look of rage when her father saw the elf girl sitting on the rock next to Callum.
"That's her; she is the elf who pushed me from the spire," Viren growled.
Aaravos silently nodded in agreement.
The trio came up to the rock where Callum had just sat down next to the elf girl. Claudia tried to rack her brain to remember the elf's name but couldn't immediately recall it.
"How are you doing," Callum asked the girl. The Moonshadow elf didn't respond immediately and let out a long sigh before speaking, "I don't know...I didn't find my parents. I didn't see Runaan...I still have no answers" The young elf looked down to a blue feather in her hand, which she gripped tightly and held to her chest and continued, "They're gone, Callum...I'm never going to be okay with that, but, I guess I have to face it".
The elf girl began to cry, and Callum reached and embraced her in a compassionate hug, which she accepted. The human and elf continued their embrace for a few moments while the elf let out a few sobs. As they broke their embrace, the elf leaned on Callum's shoulder and held his hand with his arm draped over her shoulder. "You know I'm always here for you right?" Callum asked the elf.
Claudia was confused and a little shocked by the depth of relationship that Callum appeared to have with this elf. When she had last spoken with Callum, she knew that he thought he could trust the Elf and even called her his friend but never expected to see him cuddling up close with her. Still, Claudia tried to give the benefit of the doubt that Callum was just close friends with the elf, nothing more.
After a few moments, Callum stretched his arms as he attempted to change the conversation. "Maybe we should have a real vacation with fewer ghosts. We can go back to Xadia, spend some time exploring together-" he was cut off by the elf who held up her hand and looked away. "Huh? Wait, does my scarf smell? I washed-" Again, he was cut off by the elf who spoke somberly, "Wha-No!... It's just there was something."
"Huh?" He said, looking over to the elf, concerned as she continued while holding her knees close to her chest, "I didn't find my parents or Runaan, but...I...did find Viren."
Claudia glanced back at her father who's interest had perked in the conversation. Aaravos took a similar increased interest in what the elf girl had to say.
"What?" Callum asked
"He was in some...weird cocoon. It wasn't like anything else I saw there. It looked wrong." The elf girl said, holding her finger to her eyes to push back more tears. Callum leaned over to the elf and asked, "But...this means he's gone, right? You saw his ghost!"
Viren scoffed at Callum's words and said, "you insolent, ungrateful boy." Claudia, also taken back by Callum's wish to hear that her father was dead, added to her feelings' complexity. Aaravos raised a hand in front of Viren, who was getting ready to approach Callum. "Calm yourself," Aaravos said and returned his attention to the elf girl.
"Right before you found me, he opened his eyes."
Viren recalled his "dream" the night before and reconciled that somehow this must have been the same interaction that the young Moonshadow elf was referring to.
"He may be caught between life and death somehow...but Viren is on this side of things. He's alive Callum". Callum folded his arms on his knees and looked ahead. "I don't know Rayla...I didn't understand half of what I saw in there." The elf looked away and simply replied, "he is alive." She paused for a moment before saying with a bit more serious tone, "And I need to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again."
Again Viren responded with a fierce glare and angry huff.
The two sat in silence for a short while before Callum took a deep breath and spoke, "I trust you. And you're right. We should go as soon as we can. If he's in the real world, we'll find him."
Viren walked in front of Callum and the elf looked directly at them and said, "When you do find me. It will be the last thing you do." This, of course, solicited no response from either the elf or Callum. Claudia could sense the rage that her father had for the elf, and she likewise shared anger for the elf but was uncomfortable at how easily her father wrapped Callum together with the elf.
"No! I'm going alone. The elf girl spoke as she stood up with a look of insistence. "Viren has taken away everyone I Love...Everyone...Except you." This again perked Claudia's interest in the depth of the elf's relationship with Callum. "I can't risk you coming with me."
Callum quickly reached and grabbed the elf's hand and said, "No, you're not doing this without me...I let you jump into the nexus alone, and I knew right away that I made the biggest mistake of my life". Callum's voice softened as he looked intently at the elf, which caused a feeling of both envy and betrayal to build within her. "I could have lost you. We do this together. Don't try changing my mind." The two stood there for a brief moment before the elf took Callum's hand with both of hers and looked him right in the eye. "Okay, Callum. We'll go...together."
Callum's face immediately lit up, and he smiled at the elf. "Good! We'll leave first thing tomorrow! Together. That's the most important thing...together" The two stepped closer face to face. "I never want to lose you either. I love you, Callum," The elf said and in a genuine heartfelt tone. Callum smiled and replied, "I love you too." The two pulled each other closer and kissed.
Claudia gasped and was suddenly hit by a wave of twisted feelings, not sure how to see her old friend kiss someone, especially an elf. The elf was responsible for her father's fall and the subsequent need to sacrifice her own health to save him. "Ugh, how disgusting," Viren interjected at the sight of seeing the prince kiss the elf.
Claudia turned away, which helped the sting to subside. How could he? Claudia tried to reason in her mind he must be under some sort of Moonshadow spell or something. Even though she knew that such a possibility was unlikely, but it did ease her feelings and helped her remain in denial.
"Ugh, seriously can someone gag me with a spoon" Viren interrupted. Right as the prince and elf ended their kiss, and started to walk away hand in hand. The group of dark mages began to follow, still listening and watching unbeknownst to Rayla and Callum.
"Hey, Callum...can we go for a flight?" the elf girl asked. Flight? Claudia thought, still jumping back and forth between feelings of heartbreak, disdain, and curiosity for the scene she was watching.
Callum just smiled, took off his jacket and held his arms out, and spoke, "Manis Pluma Volantis."
Claudia and Viren watched in awe as Callum's arms quickly grew large brown feathers. At the same time, Aaravos was more intrigued and was making a calculated decision as he realized the potential of what he was witnessing. A human using primal magic. "How interesting," Aaravos spoke simply and continued to watch.
Callum held out his majestic wings and wrapped his Moonshadow elf in his wings. The elf wrapped her arms around his neck and clung her legs around his waist. "Hang on tight," Callum said. The elf girl planted a light peck on the boy's cheek and said, "gladly." Then with one strong flap, the two took to the air.
The trio of observers listened to the elf's gleeful scream and the prince's laughter as they took off and disappeared over the treetops.
Claudia's mind was reeling with thoughts. Callum had changed so much. He seemed even more confident in himself and stronger. Something that she just couldn't reconcile was his relationship with the elf. She tried to block the image from her mind and focused on the fact that he just performed primal magic without a primal stone. A human. She kept replaying the moment in her head.
With Callum now out of sight, the astral plane began to fade around them, and the all too familiar surroundings of the cave returned.
"Well, this is interesting, a human with a connection to the Sky Arcanum," Aaravos spoke before his human companions.
"Impossible," Viren replied
"And yet we saw it with our own eyes," Aaravos replied, holding his purple hand at his chin in deep thought. "I take it you know this boy well," Aaravos asked Claudia.
"Yes, he is...was my friend growing up."
"Ah, I see...and what happened between then and now."
"Ha, long story...but it all started when that elf showed up; she ran off with the princes and that dragon egg." Claudia then proceeded to tell all she knew of how Callum came to be in Xadia from their first visit to the moon nexus and when she last saw him at the crash site of the red dragon that paralyzed her brother. She accomplished this long-winded story with one long, impressive breath.
Viren had his hand on the bridge of his nose, looking down, while Aaravos looked with some surprise at Claudia's ability to talk so rapidly. "Well, that is fascinating...so this boy has used Dark Magic as well?"
"Well, just once to my knowledge," Claudia answered.
"Once is all it takes," Aravos said with a mischievous smile.
"This boy could prove to be a strong asset in our cause to conquer Xadia," Aravos said.
"Hardly. The boy is about as useful as a doormat." Viren rebuffed.
Aaravos looked at Viren with a scowl. "And yet that boy just performed magic that you could only dream of." Viren was taken back by Aaravos's rebuke.
"My apologies I may have allowed my preconceptions to skew my judgment," Viren said while softly bowing his head.
Claudia was taken back by how quickly her father changed his mind and bowed to Aaravos' whim. He either had great respect or fear for this mysterious elf. From the look on her father's face, she concluded that it must be a mix of both fear and respect.
"What are you proposing?" Viren asked Aaravos.
"Well, as I see it, this opportunity presents a unique choice. We could destroy him..."
Claudia was taken back at the prospect of killing Callum, which made her even more skeptical of Aaravos until he continued.
"...but as you know Viren, I am anything but wasteful. Perhaps we should also invest in the boy ourselves," Aaravos said with a slightly mischievous smile.
"What do you mean?" Viren asked.
"We have an opportunity to add a great asset to our cause: a human with a connection to primal magic. If we want to enlighten the boy to the reality of our higher plane of understanding, first, we need to show him how ruthless the elves and dragons can be."
Claudia was relieved and cautiously excited at this prospect. "How do you propose that we do that?" Claudia inquired.
"Isn't it obvious...the young Moonshadow elf."
Claudia responded with a confused look.
"It's clear that the boy has a real interest in the Moonshadow elf. If something were to happen to her at the hands of elves or dragons...Love is a powerful thing; it can make or break people." Aaravos said plainly.
Claudia couldn't help but smile a little at the prospect of the Moonshadow elf's demise.
Aaravos continued, "Conveniently for us, It would appear that Xadia remains on the brink of chaos, and the wonderful thing about chaos is that it is much like gravity. All it needs is a little push."
"Well, this sounds interesting...what do we need to do?" Claudia asked. Viren smiled at his daughter's support of Aaravos's plan.
"I think it is time that we set out to find the elusive Silvergrove."
Author's Notes
I really hope you enjoyed this first chapter in what is currently planned to be a 20 chapter part in a three-part series (I anticipate about 50 chapters in total). I currently have 6 chapters entirely written that are being reviewed by my editor. This story will have both thrilling and tender moments that I am very excited to share. The story will be a canon-compliant post Through The Moon, and I hope will be an enjoyable tie-over until we get to season four and beyond. Please review and let me know your thoughts so far. Up next, we will see what happens after Rayla leaves the Moon Nexus in the cover of darkness.