The Crown
A world composed entirely of white, free of any imperfections, untouched by the corrupting greed of technology. Snowcapped mountains formed reefs of ranges across the surface, forming beautiful gorges and canyons in their wake. A gentle fall of flakes rained down onto the pure blanket of delicate ice that shrouded the solid ground below. A quiet whistling echoed through the wide open tundra and tightly packed snow drifts, revealing the presence of a soft wind that greeted every inch of the peaceful world.
On this day however, a foreign sight was present among the frost. There, shining through the shower of glittering icy crystals that fell to the hidden rocky floor, was a light. Not the sun, nor a reflection of its bright rays off of a slab of chilled glass. This light flickered; most unusual.
Looking closer, one sees that the source of the orange light came from between two benevolent peaks, each one bearing several hideous scars, having had their snowy tops blown away and now only displaying a rock face that was slowly being re-covered by the falling flakes, hoping to hide away the charred rock underneath.
At the base of the twin structures of nature was at last the source of the light, now exposed as the natural opposite of the graceful element that was imprinted onto the planet: fire. Massive collections of blazing ribbons were progressively eating away at the target of their wrath, which was in fact a small village built entirely of wood. Or at least, what used to be wood.
The crackling flames sat upon mounds of ash, completely charred and prepared to a fine powdery residue. Nothing but cinders stained the ground of the destroyed town, mixing in with the heavily tampered down snow to create an ugly shade of black. Although no sign of it was around, one could only sense death.
The wind suddenly shifted, changing direction before finally dropping dead. The fires that were silently finishing off their work died instantly, deprived of oxygen within seconds. At long last, peace was embraced into the land, leaving only the tragic scene of devastation that had befallen the small civilization.
Sadly, it did not hold forever. The soft sounds of crunching snow filled the air, barely detectable yet still an outsider to the feeble waste that lay on the surface. Within another moment, a lone figure appeared, making its way through the aftermath of fiery chaos. It stopped as the center of the village remains was unveiled.
The being wore nothing intricate; quite the opposite in fact. A tattered and badly worn out blue cloak covered its body, leaving only its feet exposed. Bizarrely enough, the appendages appeared to be made of solid ice. The chilling crystal material bent and stretched seamlessly as the figure took one more step forward and kneeled down next to an object half frozen in what was apparently a previously liquid puddle of water.
A crystalized hand extracted itself from the cloak, reaching down and gripping the small pendant that lay within the glassy pond. The ice instantly retracted itself, turning back into water to allow the being to take hold of the necklace. It raised the item up to its hooded face, keeping it there for a minute to gaze at the relic.
Interestingly enough, small shards of ice began falling from the hidden face beneath the hood, collecting in a scattered pile on the dirty ground. Finished with its moment of solace, the figure reached up its other frozen hand and pulled back the blue cloth covering its head. A cloud of chilled air particles emanated from the reaction with the being's silver-white hair, which seemed to run a significant amount of length down its back. Regardless of the long locks however, the figure was in fact, a man.
Empty white pupils emerged from under the previously shrouded face; the irises a chilling cobalt. His skin was a light blue, pale and featureless. Several tears were still falling from is eyes. As the drops of liquid ran lower down his cheeks however, they were constantly growing colder and colder, until by the time they lost hold on their owner's chin, they had solidified and went to join the other shards on the ground.
Taking an icy finger, the man wiped away the last remaining signs of pain and stood up, clutching the pendant in his hands. His whisper was as quiet as the frost that was being radiated from his follicles.
"My daughter…why must the universe be so cruel?"
Within the center of the small medallion lay a crimson gem, perfectly cut and fitted into the necklace's attachment. Years ago, that very jewel fell from the sky, crashing not far from the village. The man's beloved child had journeyed excitedly to retrieve it, finally mastering her power over ice and snow along the way after several obstacles blocked the girl's path. The pendant was the symbol of her achievement, a reward in unto itself.
In addition, the strange red gem itself seemed to give off a strange power, as if imbued with a mysterious energy. Whatever it was, it granted a further growth in elemental manipulation by its wearer. The frozen man gently slid the item over his own neck, letting it rest on his chest. Taking one last moment of silence, he turned to exit, leaving behind the destroyed village that had been his life's work and loving home.
As he continued toward the outskirts of the settlement, his emotional pathway suddenly shifted. His hopelessness and remorse vanished, replaced by fear and desperation. His eyes stared at the road ahead with an odd expression of doubt and anxiety.
They're gone. All of my people. Not just my flesh and blood, but the rest as well. My people, no, my children, who were but innocent victims. They fell because of me, because I wasn't strong enough to protect them. My frost, it was unable to keep them safe. Why? Why, why, why!
The icy being raised his hands and engulfed them with a chilling aura, examining his power. With a quick summoning of his inner cold, he turned and let loose an astounding blast of freezing energy, striking the heart of the leveled village. The ground immediately began to grow a layer of ice, which slowly built itself up, consuming everything in its surroundings. The man held his concentration, intent on encasing the entire ruin.
Finally, the colossal mass of frozen water lay motionless between the two mountains, preserving the terrible event for all time. The temperature of the planet would see to that. The man lowered his hands and gazed at his creation, deep in thought. Soon enough, a smile grew to his face.
"You're safe now my children, your remains have been embraced by the power of frost, never again will anyone be able to harm you. You shall live on through the currents of icy wind, speaking to me through the heavens."
A slow chuckle began to rise from his mouth, increasing until it was a small laugh, and finally built up into a full out cackle. The being threw up his arms and faced the sky above.
"They will live! My people shall thrive within my ice, growing back stronger every day. Soon, they will be mightier than me, able to protect those they love. All of the universe will learn to embrace the comforting reach of ice and snow!"
His laughing continued, unimpeded from the act due to the remote nature of the world he was upon. Remorsefully, his mind had not been strong enough to hold out against the shock of his entire species being whipped out. His sanity was depleted severely, unable to cope with the isolation that would now creep its way inside his brain.
Before the crystalized entity could rave any further, he sensed a mass of incoming heat nearby. Instinctively, he formed an ice barrier at his back, which blocked a stream of combustive ribbons from searing his back. The man turned around rather slowly, bringing his eyes around to gaze upon the attacker.
Behind the frozen being stood a pale skinned man, wearing a heavy thermal suit to protect himself against the blistering cold of the environment. In his hands was some sort of weapon, connected to a set of metal tanks on the intruder's back. His face appeared quite vile, especially with the malicious grin he had on.
Lowering the threatening equipment in his hands, the being took a step toward the icy entity, still smiling with wicked intent.
"Well, if it isn't the great wielder of ice himself. Enjoy the little gift I left behind, Gelum?"
The crystal being just gazed silently at the new arrival, his hollow eyes staring. Finally, the elemental manipulator took his own step forward, holding a hand up to the outsider. His tone was nervous and somewhat crazed.
"Quickly child, you are unprotected! Come closer, I shall grant you a barrier of comforting frost. Never again will the flames harm you or anyone else!"
The recently revealed man dropped his grin, now confused by the reaction from the chilling individual.
"What's the matter with you? Have you lost it or something?"
He took another step forward, prompting the crazed entity to hold out both his arms as if expecting the man to come into his embrace.
"Yes, that's right, come to me. I will keep you safe. Soon the unstoppable might of the frost shall be your guardian."
The coated antagonist responded to the words by raising his weapon and firing it again, unleashed a continuous stream of flames at his victim. Gelum simply summoned a icy wind to blow the fire aside, where it dissipated and hissed form the cold contact. Before the weapon could be shot again, the frosted being shot his own blast of energy at the object, instantly encasing it in ice and forcing the adversary to drop it to the snowy ground.
The intruder cursed as he cupped his hands over his mouth, attempting to warm them up as the now insane ice wielder came closer and closer. At this point, fear was in the villain's mind. He quickly made a move to run for it, unable to deal with the silver haired threat. Unfortunately, he found that his legs were now frozen to the ground.
Struggling against the hard crystal substance, he never noticed Gelum finally appear right next to him. The bluish being held out his hand and brought it to the helpless man's face, intent on encasing him in the near diamond hard hold of his ice. Panicking, the trapped villain desperately searched his coat for anything, anything at all, with which he could defend himself.
At the last moment, he felt his flare gun, tucked beneath his left side. As Gelum's hand grew closer, he swiped the object out of his heavy coat and aimed it at the frosted psycho. He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.
The resulting blast freed him of the ice around his limbs, but also threw both men back several feet. The intruder landed against a soft snow bank. The ice wielder was not as lucky, hitting his head on a nearby boulder hidden under a layer of fresh snow. The blow to his skull instantly dazed him, causing his crystalline form to sink to the ground and lose consciousness a moment later.
Recovering, Gelum's assailant pried his way out of the snow and got to his feet, breathing heavily. He cursed once more under his breath.
Damn. The king never said I'd be attacking the same village where this guy lived. I better get a decent bonus for having to deal with his psycho side.
Struggling a bit from the heavy amount of snow, the man made his way slowly over to Gelum's motionless form. With great effort, he bent down and ripped the pendant from the ice manipulator's neck. The chain broke from the action but it didn't matter. The crimson stone within was the real prize. The thief stared curiously at the jewel as he turned to leave.
Infused with great power huh? Doesn't look that special to me. Oh well, not my place to question the orders of the leader.
As he trudged back toward his hidden ship in the distance, he failed to notice Gelum waking up. The being gazed despairingly at the departing humanoid, his white pupils conveying pity and suffering.
No. Do not leave, this is the safe place. Without the snow you will perish! I must follow, I must protect everyone!
The delusional man began chanting a spell, slowly causing his body to glow with a blue aura. Gradually, his form began to turn translucent and light. His icy limbs and torso dissolved into an icy mist, hovering over the ground while the man's frozen body completed its transformation. Having succeeded in the chant, Gelum's ghostly mass followed the retreating intruder as he made his way past several snow mounts.
As the chilly fog caught up with him, the man shivered, unable to notice as Gelum's cold vapor swirled around the gem in his hand and began to allow itself to be absorbed in its surface. Eventually, every puff of the icy wind was encased within the mysterious jewel. Shaking off the chilling feeling, the assailant gripped his arms as he pressed on, growling at the unpleasant weather.
"I hate this planet."
The grand hall of the throne room laid empty save for the occupant within the seat of power. The looming man clacked his fingers impatiently against the armrest of his chair, having had enough of waiting around. He had already ordered several communications to his emissary, wanting to know if the mission had been successful. Unfortunately, the planet's weather prevented any off world transmissions from getting through. Refusing to take excuses, the king had ordered the execution of his technicians.
Before the man could make any more rash actions, the doors to the throne room were flung open. Inside stepped the very being who had journeyed to the frozen rock and retrieved the item his lord had so greedily wanted to acquire. Reaching the leader's feet, he got to his knees and bowed before him. The king glared down at his pawn, considering whether to punish him for his lack of speed.
Luckily, the ruler decided against it as the man presented the much desired red gem to his leader. A lustful smile grew to the vile king's face, eagerly taking the precious stone from his servile subject. The man held the jewel up to the light, examining its sheen and perfection.
"Ah! At long last! The enchanted gem is mine!"
The ruler looked down to the assailant and glared at the nervous man.
"What took you so long? You're lucky I don't deicide to have you vaporized."
The loyal emissary bowed once more.
"My deepest apologies our highness, I did not expect to run into the ice wielder Gelum. His interference caused a great deal of delay. I beseech your forgiveness."
The king sat back and scratched his chin, still pondering on whether to spare the fool. A minute later, he rose from his throne and stood directly above the frightened assailant. The ruler nonchalantly examined his new jewel as he delivered his verdict.
"Very well, but only because it has taken too long for this gem to be delivered to my hands and you're the first one to successfully find it; much less bring it to me."
The kneeling man bowed lower.
"Thank you my lord. It will be an honor to continue serving you."
The king waved off the eccentricity and walked back to his throne. After sitting down, the twisted ruler reached behind and drew out an object from his cape. It was a golden crown, studded on either side by two, small red gems, with a third slot carved into the middle. He smiled maliciously as he took the jewel and carefully set it into the crown. It glowed slightly as he did so.
Gelum's essence jumped out of the gem, replacing its energy within the cold confines of the soft metal crown.
The king gazed malevolently at his new sign of authority.
"Finally, I shall have a symbol of my power worthy to rest upon my head, imbued with the might of a magical and lustrous jewel that shall be the source of jealously of all the foolish lords who dare stand in my way!"
The ruler stood up and raised the crown over his head. His servant looked up to witness the event.
"With this emblem of strength and authority, I will conquer the entire universe!"
He planted the headwear of nobility upon his head. The second he did, his servant's body temperature instantly dropped to near zero. His eyes flashed open widely as his heart halted its beats. His entire body felt numb, his vision began to blur.
The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was his king, whose skin had turned a hideous blue hue, eyes drowned in white, and hair spreading out in a crazed fashion while a terrifying laugh escaped his mouth. The assailant blacked out.
The final sound to reach his ears was that of expanding ice.
(a later cycle, unknown planet)
Solara carefully made her way through several corridors, being careful to avoid the puddles of water her presence produced. It was quite difficult to avoid the icy walls of the palace, mainly because every single surface was covered with the substance. The ceiling in particular annoyed the precursor, dripping down drops of liquid that pecked her forehead before evaporating away from her intense heat.
Normally she would raise her temperature to such intense levels that the ice would evaporate, but Index had warned her that the ice she was dealing with was far stronger than any form of the chilling glass material usually found in the multiverse. This was why she was not having the slightest enjoyment walking through an abandoned castle, it was creeping her out.
What light that her body produced only gave her a range of about ten feet to see in, making her nervous as to what could be lurking in the silent hallways, waiting for an easy target. Not that the Ancestral Flame was an easy target but still, she'd prefer not to have to deal with a horrifying beast or stealth savvy creature hiding in the shadows.
Approaching what was believed to be the throne room, Solara threw a fire blast at the large doors to the chamber, which easy crumbled under the power of her white flames. After waiting for the crash and debris to fall silent, the angelic woman entered the room, instantly feeling the temperature drop even further.
Jeez. To think that I of all people would be feeling chilly.
As the precursor rubbed her arms by some strange instinct, she continued on her way to the throne at the back of the chamber. By this point, the outburst of ice was so large that to reach the seat of power and leadership she had to work on melting the obstacle out of her way.
The freezing glass was indeed unique as Index had proclaimed. It took actual effort to weaken the material rather than simply being in its presence. Gradually, Solara was able to burn her way to the central point of the bloom of ice, where she at last found what she was looking for among the ruins of the kingdom.
There, sitting in the throne, having perished from being overwhelmed by a great power, was the skeleton of the previous ruler of the land the precursor now walked upon. Upon his head rested a golden crown, decorated by three red jewels, one of which instantly caught the woman's attention.
Solara's eyes widened as she rushed up to the remains of the king and swiped the royal headpiece off of it. She momentarily winced from the vastly extensive cold that the chilled metal exuded. Bringing the crown closer to look carefully, her eyes began to tremble as she recognized the central jewel in the dangerous object.
"The lost Gem of Power…"
Index had told her that the crown contained a source of significant energy, but never could she have guessed that that source would be the long lost piece of the Enchiridion. The crimson gem shimmered from Solara's fire, which had grown slightly more reserved as the precursor was sucked into her memories.
Sojourn. The chronicle. Astrum. The attack. Death. Devastating loss.
The fiery woman felt several tears fill her eyes as she brought the crown to her chest and squeezed it tight. The cold caused a chill to run up her spine but she ignored it, taking a long needed moment of solace for the tragic events that surrounded the red jewel she now possessed.
After an undistinguishable amount of time, Solara managed to wipe away her remaining tears and placed the ominous crown in her cloak. With that, she turned around and left the throne room, leaving behind only the remains of the foolish ruler who had dared to put it on.
Index consistently worked his way on a holographic keyboard, performing various tasks of documenting and recording his most recent findings or archives. The spherical being was quite into his job, not even noticing when the Citadel signaled that there was a visitor. Normally, the keeper would simply allow Sentin to determine if the individual was worthy of entering, making him truly appreciate the security the guardian provided by staying at the temple. That along with the company and occasional assistance was what made the archivist greatly thankful for a friend like him.
Soft footsteps could be heard from down the main stairs, echoing off the walls of the fortress. A second later however, larger and louder steps where heard. These caught Index's attention. It was rare for Sentin to came along inside with someone; only when it was something important.
This forced the precursor to temporarily abandon his cataloging and face the peak of the stairway. A minute later, Solara and the guardian emerged from the lower floor of the Citadel. The archivist smiled, happy to see both his greatest friends. It was even more unusual to have the opportunity to see both of them at once, as the angelic Flame was always off on journeys to help fellow precursors and Sentin remained vigilantly by the entrance to protect the great temple.
All these reasons were why the spherical entity joyfully floated over and gently took Solara's hand in one of his, beaming at the two visitors.
"Solara, Sentin. It's such a pleasure to see both of you again. We never have enough of these meetings together."
The keeper's two friends smiled warmly, but the archivist instantly sensed that they were preoccupied by something. He frowned, looked with concern into the Ancestral Flame's golden eyes.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Solara's smile vanished and she reached into her cloak, moments later pulling out the dreaded artifact that she had been hunting down for the past five cycles. Index's eyes grew wide as he accepted the crown from her hands, carefully studying the object's features. It was only when he stared at the crimson gem in its center that he at last understood his friend's reaction to the golden headpiece.
Lowering the crown to look the angelic precursor in the eyes, the archivist's expressions showed only sadness.
"This is…the missing Gem of Power…isn't it?"
Solara slowly nodded, looking to the floor as Sentin place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Index did the same. Somehow, the two loyal companions ended up giving the woman a gentle embrace, holding their dear friend close to help her in the emotional struggle that had been within her for so many billions of years.
The fiery woman eventually found the strength to return the gesture, placing a hand on each of their backs. There they stood, using their unfathomably deep bond of friendship to help one another get past a tragic memory. A few tears were again in her eyes, but this time, not from anguish, but from happiness, overjoyed that she would never be alone so long as she remembered that two great companions would always be there for her at the ancient fortress.
Eventually, the three separated and Index motioned for them to follow him into a nearby corridor that had been opened by his telekinetic powers. Walking through, the precursors were met with the grand collection of artifacts and items that had been collected over the cycles, both dangerous and antiques objects that were deemed either too valuable, or too dangerous, to leave in the vast unknowns of the multiverse.
Index halted his hovering at a specific display capsule, behind which rested a well-remembered text from their past. The worn out and damage Enchiridion stared back at the three through thick glass, reminding them of the reason it was housed within the Citadel. The archivist held up the crown and once again looked at the red Gem of Power now imbedded within it. Solara went over to his side.
"Can we…fix it?"
The spherical being turned sadly to his friend and shook his head.
"I'm sorry Solara. The Enchiridion was heavily destabilized when Astrum activated it. I fear that if it is used one more time, the book will destroy itself."
He held up the crown.
"The jewel will have to remain within this. It is for the best on both sides. For who knows if the entity within this item will remain contained should the power source be removed."
The archivist looked back to the mystical manual.
"And it would be a great shame to lose such an incredible culmination of knowledge."
Solara's head dropped down, staring at the ground in thought.
"I understand Index."
The keeper floated down to meet his friend's gaze.
"I'm sorry, I wish there was a way, but without the Gem in its crest, there's no telling if the crown will unleash a cataclysmic freeze inside the Citadel. This place is too important to risk such a gamble."
Solara nodded. Index floated over to a nearby empty display case and gently placed the crown on its pedestal. Backing away, the precursor telekinetically controlled the case to bring down a layer of glass, isolating the cursed item from the rest of the multiverse.
He then joined his two friends still standing before the Enchiridion, wishing there had been some way to prevent the disaster that had befallen them so long ago. Behind them, the crown whispered quietly to itself, recalling all the foolish and greedy rulers who had stolen it from the grave of the previous owner.
They shall be safe for all time.
My ice will keep them from harm.
Come my children, use my power.
Cloak the land in my comforting frost.
May the flames never again torture your gentle souls.
I will be there to stand against the dangers.
Always and forever.
Awaiting the day to freeze the universe over and establish complete and utter peace.
I know you guys are general cool with me not being precise with the updates but it still bugs the crap out of me when there isn't enough time to post a new chapter or entry. Oh well, Ill get over it eventually. Ignore this ramble.
Hope you enjoyed and please review!
next entry:In the Wrong Hands