Chapter 14
"What are you going to do beast?" A small voice said in the fowl creatures head.
"Save your breath, human, your taunts will not work on me," the beast replied.
"Really I wonder what I have done to you to make you hate me so," Tal pouted.
The beast laughed haughtily and started to climb a tree. Digging its claws into the bark, it climbed with expert ease, moving swiftly but silently so he wouldn't alert the threat that approached him. The beast settled on a branch and waited for the predators to arrive watching its meal sleeping helplessly.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing, Tal of the Chosen," the beast said steely.
"Then why do you hate me so!" Tal raged frustrated "is it because you think I take you for granted?"
"That's part of it," the beast said simply.
"Then tell me so we can be friends," Tal said in full honesty letting his anger subside a little.
"Friendship," the beast growled at the word as if it were a curse.
Tal felt a wave of anger and bitterness rise up from the beast and decided to move further into the back of his mind. Tal squatted in his usual corner worn out. The beast as Tal called it was a gift from the Icearls of long ago. Tal had learnt long ago when he first wielded the violet keystone that something lay dormant inside it. In the seven years apart from Milla he committed two full years to studying the sunstone and its mysteries after reading an interesting book that Ebbitt had found in the hall of nightmares.
The book was about sunstones and mastery of them. Ebbitt had no need to read it as he felt that he had already rose to the peak of mastering his sunstone. So the book fell to Tal and at first Tal read it out of boredom but then as he read further into the book he felt addicted to it until he turned the last page a few months after he received it. The book had told Tal of many things that were plain obvious to the impossible. This was where Tal's problems started. Tal read a chapter on finding a sunstone's true potential and followed the instructions to the dot and found something that he felt, at the time, was the most important find of the century. Tal had stumbled across the beast lying dormant within the keystone he wore. Tal grimaced as he remembered the fateful day he had set free a demon.
It was a horrible day to say the least. Tal in his ignorance played around with his new knowledge of sunstones feeling confident he could take on everything and anything. He had found a room that was large enough to accommodate a duel. Tal was also cocky enough to challenge his father to a duel and felt that with his new knowledge could defeat his father. Tal's father, Rerem, was the best light fighter there ever was and Tal just itched to show him up. So on that day they dueled. Ebbitt of course had heard of the duel and begged to watch it so somehow he ended up being the umpire for the match.
Tal and Rerem fiercely dueled throwing light so well that Ebbitt was impressed, (it was always hard to impress Ebbitt). Tal was beaten of course and in his defeat decided to unleash a devastating attack at his father that would knock him senseless to the ground or so he thought. Rerem knew his son well and reflected the attack easily when Tal launched it at him. The blast was forbidden magic so it had quite an impact on those who didn't know how to defend against it. Rerem had but sadly Tal didn't. Tal was knocked back a few long stretches as the blast was reflected back at him. Tal was knocked unconscious. Rerem and Ebbitt rushed to his side but stopped halfway as the saw Tal rise. The look on Ebbitt and Rerem's faces clearly showed shock as Tal rose and looked at his father with a look of malice and hatred. Tal had grinned and laughed loudly then and he must have sounded like a maniac.
Rerem saw the look on his son's face and knew straight away that it wasn't him. Ebbitt concurred and decided to stand with Rerem to drive the evil from Tal. The result was a very injured Ebbitt and Rerem.
Tal closed his eyes and shoved the thought of his mangled relative's bodies on the floor. Then he heard manic laughter.
"Think of old times are we Tal?" taunted the beast.
"Leave me be." Tal said dismissively then with a cool and sullen voice "you know for a fact that you only have half and hour left before you go back to being dormant again so don't waste your precious freedom by taunting me."
The beast seemed unfazed by Tal's comment and just spoke in the same calm tone as Tal much to his annoyance.
"You're right about that but it has been fun to feel your fear and I also know for a fact that you can't always shut me out, sooner or later you will let your guard down. I am always there ready to pounce on an opportunity. I am there when you sleep I am there when you eat and I am there when you close to someone you love, Tal," the beast said coldly as if to frighten Tal.
"I don't fear you," Tal said defiantly but didn't feel reassured.
"Yes you do and you know it too, you're afraid that I'll hurt the ones you hold dear," the beast said feeling for more of Tal's fear.
"I'll stop you before that ever happens again," Tal said flatly trying to mask his fear.
The beast laughed a cold and haughty laugh. It sent shivers through Tal and he felt a stab of fear in his heart knowing that he couldn't hide from the beast.
"I think actions speak louder than words Tal," the beast said with a hint of mystery.
"What are you going to do?" Tal asked frightened at the fact that the beast was being serious and that was never a good sign.
"I'll start with your beloved here after I claim her as my own from these other poachers of the night." The beast said and laughed coldly.
Then as Tal looked at Milla's defenseless body through the beasts eyes a phrase from the book popped into his head.
"The true potential of a sunstone is determined by the strength of its user. If the user is strong then the potential is strong. It is really a good idea to harness this fact and treasure it because it will be a great gift to you."
"More like a curse," thought Tal.
"What are you going to do beast?" A small voice said in the fowl creatures head.
"Save your breath, human, your taunts will not work on me," the beast replied.
"Really I wonder what I have done to you to make you hate me so," Tal pouted.
The beast laughed haughtily and started to climb a tree. Digging its claws into the bark, it climbed with expert ease, moving swiftly but silently so he wouldn't alert the threat that approached him. The beast settled on a branch and waited for the predators to arrive watching its meal sleeping helplessly.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing, Tal of the Chosen," the beast said steely.
"Then why do you hate me so!" Tal raged frustrated "is it because you think I take you for granted?"
"That's part of it," the beast said simply.
"Then tell me so we can be friends," Tal said in full honesty letting his anger subside a little.
"Friendship," the beast growled at the word as if it were a curse.
Tal felt a wave of anger and bitterness rise up from the beast and decided to move further into the back of his mind. Tal squatted in his usual corner worn out. The beast as Tal called it was a gift from the Icearls of long ago. Tal had learnt long ago when he first wielded the violet keystone that something lay dormant inside it. In the seven years apart from Milla he committed two full years to studying the sunstone and its mysteries after reading an interesting book that Ebbitt had found in the hall of nightmares.
The book was about sunstones and mastery of them. Ebbitt had no need to read it as he felt that he had already rose to the peak of mastering his sunstone. So the book fell to Tal and at first Tal read it out of boredom but then as he read further into the book he felt addicted to it until he turned the last page a few months after he received it. The book had told Tal of many things that were plain obvious to the impossible. This was where Tal's problems started. Tal read a chapter on finding a sunstone's true potential and followed the instructions to the dot and found something that he felt, at the time, was the most important find of the century. Tal had stumbled across the beast lying dormant within the keystone he wore. Tal grimaced as he remembered the fateful day he had set free a demon.
It was a horrible day to say the least. Tal in his ignorance played around with his new knowledge of sunstones feeling confident he could take on everything and anything. He had found a room that was large enough to accommodate a duel. Tal was also cocky enough to challenge his father to a duel and felt that with his new knowledge could defeat his father. Tal's father, Rerem, was the best light fighter there ever was and Tal just itched to show him up. So on that day they dueled. Ebbitt of course had heard of the duel and begged to watch it so somehow he ended up being the umpire for the match.
Tal and Rerem fiercely dueled throwing light so well that Ebbitt was impressed, (it was always hard to impress Ebbitt). Tal was beaten of course and in his defeat decided to unleash a devastating attack at his father that would knock him senseless to the ground or so he thought. Rerem knew his son well and reflected the attack easily when Tal launched it at him. The blast was forbidden magic so it had quite an impact on those who didn't know how to defend against it. Rerem had but sadly Tal didn't. Tal was knocked back a few long stretches as the blast was reflected back at him. Tal was knocked unconscious. Rerem and Ebbitt rushed to his side but stopped halfway as the saw Tal rise. The look on Ebbitt and Rerem's faces clearly showed shock as Tal rose and looked at his father with a look of malice and hatred. Tal had grinned and laughed loudly then and he must have sounded like a maniac.
Rerem saw the look on his son's face and knew straight away that it wasn't him. Ebbitt concurred and decided to stand with Rerem to drive the evil from Tal. The result was a very injured Ebbitt and Rerem.
Tal closed his eyes and shoved the thought of his mangled relative's bodies on the floor. Then he heard manic laughter.
"Think of old times are we Tal?" taunted the beast.
"Leave me be." Tal said dismissively then with a cool and sullen voice "you know for a fact that you only have half and hour left before you go back to being dormant again so don't waste your precious freedom by taunting me."
The beast seemed unfazed by Tal's comment and just spoke in the same calm tone as Tal much to his annoyance.
"You're right about that but it has been fun to feel your fear and I also know for a fact that you can't always shut me out, sooner or later you will let your guard down. I am always there ready to pounce on an opportunity. I am there when you sleep I am there when you eat and I am there when you close to someone you love, Tal," the beast said coldly as if to frighten Tal.
"I don't fear you," Tal said defiantly but didn't feel reassured.
"Yes you do and you know it too, you're afraid that I'll hurt the ones you hold dear," the beast said feeling for more of Tal's fear.
"I'll stop you before that ever happens again," Tal said flatly trying to mask his fear.
The beast laughed a cold and haughty laugh. It sent shivers through Tal and he felt a stab of fear in his heart knowing that he couldn't hide from the beast.
"I think actions speak louder than words Tal," the beast said with a hint of mystery.
"What are you going to do?" Tal asked frightened at the fact that the beast was being serious and that was never a good sign.
"I'll start with your beloved here after I claim her as my own from these other poachers of the night." The beast said and laughed coldly.
Then as Tal looked at Milla's defenseless body through the beasts eyes a phrase from the book popped into his head.
"The true potential of a sunstone is determined by the strength of its user. If the user is strong then the potential is strong. It is really a good idea to harness this fact and treasure it because it will be a great gift to you."
"More like a curse," thought Tal.