Chapter 28
Shiva woke up strapped to a bed. She struggled feebly to break the chains but they held her fast. She sighed and inspected the room around her. A single cramped windowless room with barely enough room for the table she was strapped to. The walls were intricate carved stone with strange dragon carvings. As she looked back at the chains she gasped. Her arm was short and tiny and the color of burnished bronze.
"Hello!" she called out in a voice she didn't recognize.
"Help!" she cried.
After a few minutes she heard the rattle of a key in the lock. The door opened to reveal a young man dressed in carmine robes with long red hair. His intense blue eyes regarded her quietly.
"Come now, calm down Ifrit," he said consolingly. "No need to make all this fuss."
"Ifrit! But I'm not-," she started to say.
He patted her arm. "It's common to lose memories during the process. Come on, its time to go."
She regarded him fearfully. "Where are we going?"
He undid the chains. "Poltergeist of course. She bestows a great gift and you have been chosen to receive it."
He led her down a hallway into a large round chamber. A dozen people were milling around fearfully. She turned to see a small girl huddled in the corner. She went over to her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
The girl glanced up and Shiva took a step back and it was all she could do to not scream. The little girl had spiky green hair and blue- green eyes that were looking slightly red. She stopped crying and stared at Shiva strangely.
"What's wrong?" asked Shiva.
The girl rubbed her arms. "I'm cold."
Shiva sat next to her. "What's your name?" she asked.
"I'm Shiva," said the little girl.
"I'm Shi- I mean Ifrit," said Shiva rubbing her head in confusion. Suddenly she hit her hand on the ground.
"What is it?" asked the girl.
"This must be his memory!" exclaimed Shiva. "I'm reliving his past, somehow."
The little girl hugged Shiva.
Shiva regarded her fondly. "It's okay. You'll be fine."
"Thank you," said the girl "I'll never forget you."
"But I will," mused Shiva sadly.
The man in red walked over to them. He knelt down.
"You have been given the seeds, now you only have to let them sprout. When you are touched by Poltergeist, you will receive your powers. Don't be afraid."
A large set of doors opened up and an old man ambled in. He calmly observed the crowd.
"Magus Balthazar, the preparations are complete," said the man in red.
Balthazar nodded to him. "Ramuh, I want you to stay with them,"
"Me?" asked Ramuh. "But-."
"Ramuh!" exclaimed Shiva, shocked.
The Magus waved a hand. "It is the will of Poltergeist. She has chosen you to receive her gift as well. You should be grateful for this honor."
Ramuh hung his head. "As you wish Magus."
Shiva ran over to him and grabbed his hand. "You're Ramuh! How can that be?"
Ramuh looked down at her. "Would you rather I be someone else Ifrit? I sure would. But I got what I deserve. The wages of the just." He curled his hand into a fist.
Shiva looked back at Balthazar fearfully. The Magus was touching his cane to a gemstone in a niche. A hatch in the ceiling began to slowly move. An eerie light began to fill the room.
Ramuh stared up. "It will only hurt for a little while," he said.
Shiva began to scream when she the glowing form of Poltergeist. She felt stabbing pain when the light hit her, then nothing.
She woke up some time later to the sound of yelling. She sat up and looked at herself. Still in the body of Ifrit. She was back in the cell, but not chained down this time. She turned around as another scream filled the silence. She gingerly stood on tiptoes to peer out through the barred window in the door. The corridor was outside was empty. Suddenly a man's face appeared in the window with one good eye, the other a bloody mess. She shrieked and fell over backwards. The door began to reverberate with the sound of metal striking wood. Within a few minutes the door splintered into pieces. A man stepped inside dressed in a dark tunic and carrying a strange curved blade covered with blood. He walked over to where she was cowering.
"I'm getting you out of here," he said, "Follow me."
He helped her up to her feet and led her into the corridor. There were several acolytes strewn about the place. Only one was standing. Ramuh hobbled over to them, clutching his wounded arm.
"How could you betray us Odin?" demanded Ramuh.
Odin wiped blood from his face. "This has gone too far! Using children is unconscionable!" He leveled his blade at Ramuh.
Ramuh grasped the tip of Odin's sword and grimaced. Sparks of electricity arced along the blade shocking Odin. He howled and pulled the blade free and swung it back at Ramuh, who blocked using his staff. The sword splintered the staff in two and sent Ramuh flying. He lay sprawled on the ground, panting.
Odin held the blade over Ramuh's throat. "If you had more time to develop your powers you might have beat me. But I was made long before you were."
Ramuh spit out some blood. "You win. Take the children and get out of here. There's a little girl named Shiva in the next cell down."
Odin nodded and took the key from Ramuh's belt and unlocked the cell door. Shiva knelt next to Ramuh and put a hand on his chest.
He opened his eyes. "I won't ask you to forgive me sonny," he said wearily. "Just get as far away from here as possible and never look back."
She began to cry. "It's can't be true," she said softly.
Odin emerged from the cell carrying the girl. He picked up Shiva. As he brought them outside, she looked back to see a large temple in the middle of an ancient forest. A ghostlike haze floated over the lake nearby. They became lost in the fog. Everything faded again.
{The world will burn}
"What?" asked Shiva.
A giant flaming bird materialized in front of her.
{All those who die in fire will be reborn in fire}
"Phoenix!" said Shiva. "What happened to Ifrit?"
{He was reborn but does not accept the memories that came with it}
"Is there some way to bring him back?" she asked.
Phoenix hovered there, pensive. Its blazing blue eyes seemed to burrow into her.
{Will you be reborn?}
Shiva looked taken aback for a moment but then frowned defiantly. "Yes, I will."
{Very well}
Shiva felt the heat of a thousand suns engulfing her. She tried to yell but no sound came out as her body cracked and shattered into a thousand pieces..
Shiva woke up strapped to a bed. She struggled feebly to break the chains but they held her fast. She sighed and inspected the room around her. A single cramped windowless room with barely enough room for the table she was strapped to. The walls were intricate carved stone with strange dragon carvings. As she looked back at the chains she gasped. Her arm was short and tiny and the color of burnished bronze.
"Hello!" she called out in a voice she didn't recognize.
"Help!" she cried.
After a few minutes she heard the rattle of a key in the lock. The door opened to reveal a young man dressed in carmine robes with long red hair. His intense blue eyes regarded her quietly.
"Come now, calm down Ifrit," he said consolingly. "No need to make all this fuss."
"Ifrit! But I'm not-," she started to say.
He patted her arm. "It's common to lose memories during the process. Come on, its time to go."
She regarded him fearfully. "Where are we going?"
He undid the chains. "Poltergeist of course. She bestows a great gift and you have been chosen to receive it."
He led her down a hallway into a large round chamber. A dozen people were milling around fearfully. She turned to see a small girl huddled in the corner. She went over to her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
The girl glanced up and Shiva took a step back and it was all she could do to not scream. The little girl had spiky green hair and blue- green eyes that were looking slightly red. She stopped crying and stared at Shiva strangely.
"What's wrong?" asked Shiva.
The girl rubbed her arms. "I'm cold."
Shiva sat next to her. "What's your name?" she asked.
"I'm Shiva," said the little girl.
"I'm Shi- I mean Ifrit," said Shiva rubbing her head in confusion. Suddenly she hit her hand on the ground.
"What is it?" asked the girl.
"This must be his memory!" exclaimed Shiva. "I'm reliving his past, somehow."
The little girl hugged Shiva.
Shiva regarded her fondly. "It's okay. You'll be fine."
"Thank you," said the girl "I'll never forget you."
"But I will," mused Shiva sadly.
The man in red walked over to them. He knelt down.
"You have been given the seeds, now you only have to let them sprout. When you are touched by Poltergeist, you will receive your powers. Don't be afraid."
A large set of doors opened up and an old man ambled in. He calmly observed the crowd.
"Magus Balthazar, the preparations are complete," said the man in red.
Balthazar nodded to him. "Ramuh, I want you to stay with them,"
"Me?" asked Ramuh. "But-."
"Ramuh!" exclaimed Shiva, shocked.
The Magus waved a hand. "It is the will of Poltergeist. She has chosen you to receive her gift as well. You should be grateful for this honor."
Ramuh hung his head. "As you wish Magus."
Shiva ran over to him and grabbed his hand. "You're Ramuh! How can that be?"
Ramuh looked down at her. "Would you rather I be someone else Ifrit? I sure would. But I got what I deserve. The wages of the just." He curled his hand into a fist.
Shiva looked back at Balthazar fearfully. The Magus was touching his cane to a gemstone in a niche. A hatch in the ceiling began to slowly move. An eerie light began to fill the room.
Ramuh stared up. "It will only hurt for a little while," he said.
Shiva began to scream when she the glowing form of Poltergeist. She felt stabbing pain when the light hit her, then nothing.
She woke up some time later to the sound of yelling. She sat up and looked at herself. Still in the body of Ifrit. She was back in the cell, but not chained down this time. She turned around as another scream filled the silence. She gingerly stood on tiptoes to peer out through the barred window in the door. The corridor was outside was empty. Suddenly a man's face appeared in the window with one good eye, the other a bloody mess. She shrieked and fell over backwards. The door began to reverberate with the sound of metal striking wood. Within a few minutes the door splintered into pieces. A man stepped inside dressed in a dark tunic and carrying a strange curved blade covered with blood. He walked over to where she was cowering.
"I'm getting you out of here," he said, "Follow me."
He helped her up to her feet and led her into the corridor. There were several acolytes strewn about the place. Only one was standing. Ramuh hobbled over to them, clutching his wounded arm.
"How could you betray us Odin?" demanded Ramuh.
Odin wiped blood from his face. "This has gone too far! Using children is unconscionable!" He leveled his blade at Ramuh.
Ramuh grasped the tip of Odin's sword and grimaced. Sparks of electricity arced along the blade shocking Odin. He howled and pulled the blade free and swung it back at Ramuh, who blocked using his staff. The sword splintered the staff in two and sent Ramuh flying. He lay sprawled on the ground, panting.
Odin held the blade over Ramuh's throat. "If you had more time to develop your powers you might have beat me. But I was made long before you were."
Ramuh spit out some blood. "You win. Take the children and get out of here. There's a little girl named Shiva in the next cell down."
Odin nodded and took the key from Ramuh's belt and unlocked the cell door. Shiva knelt next to Ramuh and put a hand on his chest.
He opened his eyes. "I won't ask you to forgive me sonny," he said wearily. "Just get as far away from here as possible and never look back."
She began to cry. "It's can't be true," she said softly.
Odin emerged from the cell carrying the girl. He picked up Shiva. As he brought them outside, she looked back to see a large temple in the middle of an ancient forest. A ghostlike haze floated over the lake nearby. They became lost in the fog. Everything faded again.
{The world will burn}
"What?" asked Shiva.
A giant flaming bird materialized in front of her.
{All those who die in fire will be reborn in fire}
"Phoenix!" said Shiva. "What happened to Ifrit?"
{He was reborn but does not accept the memories that came with it}
"Is there some way to bring him back?" she asked.
Phoenix hovered there, pensive. Its blazing blue eyes seemed to burrow into her.
{Will you be reborn?}
Shiva looked taken aback for a moment but then frowned defiantly. "Yes, I will."
{Very well}
Shiva felt the heat of a thousand suns engulfing her. She tried to yell but no sound came out as her body cracked and shattered into a thousand pieces..