Chapter 16
Remembrance Day
Balsilide
"The creature lies!"
Balken crossed his arms, in case his statement had not been enough to tell the Guardians how he felt about the situation. Will gritted her teeth, trying to remember why she couldn't just punch Balken all the way back to Weldrick Palace. Fortunately for all involved, especially Balken, she restrained herself.
"Yes, yes, we heard you the first seven times you said that." Cornelia said to Balken with a sigh.
"The story of the Umbrons is one I want to hear." Will said. "And as for lying, well, we've got that covered."
Balken raised a doubtful eyebrow.
"Irma's got these powers of… persuasion." Taranee said. "Like mind control, but on a very small scale."
"And?" Balken asked, not seeing the point.
"Well, I've figured out how to use it to make sure people, or in this case, Shadow Walkers, tell the truth." Irma said.
Balken was dubious of this claim, but had little power to do anything about it. A quick glance at Matt reminded him of how little that power was.
"Okay, tell us what you know." Will said as Irma focused.
"Very well then. Listen, and learn." The Shadow Walker said, closing his eyes.
Balsilide
500 Years Ago
The city of Corona was unlike any other that had ever been built. Houses were long and interconnected, like a web spun over the countryside. The Umbrons had no need for doors, so none existed. Fields flourished with crops, and the people, though they numbered few, greeted each other cheerfully as the passed each other by. It was a small, simple, but happy city.
For hundreds of years the city had grown from humble beginnings and flourished. Umbrons, like their city, were quite unique. They ate less, lived longer, and reproduced slowly, about one new child in the city a year. Everyone knew each other, and each new child was raised by the community, and taught the ways of the Umbron with love and guidance.
So it had been for hundreds of years, and so, thought the people, the city would remain for hundreds more. Until one day a young Umbron, only 70 years old, was exploring some of the cliffs around the city when he gazed out across the ocean, and for the first time in the history of the Umbrons, the boy saw a ship approaching from the East.
Balsilide
Present Day
"So you were the first people of Balsilide?" Taranee asked. "And the ship, that was the ancestors of Balken's people?"
"Only partly correct." the Shadow Walker replied. "There is no reason to believe we were 'first'. The Umbrons merely settled the West continent while Balken's people were in the East."
"This much is true." Balken said grumpily. "My people, the true Balsilidians, were born in the East, but that continent was barren and unforgiving. As soon as we could, our people set off in search of a new home. We found it in the West."
"True Balsilidians?" the Shadow Walker shouted at Balken. "How dare you…"
"You are no Balsilidian, monster!" Balken shouted back.
"Enough!" Will interrupted. "Let the Shadow Walker continue, then you two can go back to yelling at each other."
Balsilide
499 Years Ago
The City of Corona was unlike any other that had ever been built, but it was no longer alone. Over the year since the Easterners had arrived, they had been quick and efficient in building a city of their own. The Umbrons had never encountered anything like these new creatures. They walked like the animals of the forest and lacked several of the abilities that the Umbrons did. They were beings of flesh, not magic. Still, the people of Corona were not about to stand by and watch while a weaker species struggled to survive. They loaned and gave whatever items the Easterners needed, which were received with gratitude.
The differences in language made it hard for the two groups to communicate, but through time, enough was picked up for the two leaders to understand each other. Yet the Umbrons would have been very surprised to hear the words spoken by Lord Tenir as he sat around the head cabin with his lieutenant.
"They are on their way?" Lord Tenir asked.
"As many as can come." The lieutenant replied.
"Excellent." Tenir replied, quite pleased with himself.
"And what of the Umbrons? What should we tell our ships about them?" the Lieutenant asked.
"Why the truth of course." Tenir answered. "That they are a bloodthirsty race, who would kill us and eat us if they got the chance. Fortunately, the brave efforts of our men have secured the land for us."
The Lieutenant looked up from is writing with surprise.
"Sir? The Umbrons have been nothing but helpful." He said.
Tenir sighed and stood up, as if explaining something to a small child.
"This land is lush and fertile." Tenir said. "It would make a fine place to start a civilization, but it is finite. I don't plan to share it. And it's better for the settlers to view us as champion over a powerful foe then conquering a peaceful race."
The Lieutenant opened his mouth, and then stopped himself. He knew his place, and for the good of his family on the ship miles to the East, he held his tongue.
"How do you plan to rid this land of the Umbrons?" he asked. "They are significantly more powerful then us. They can walk through walls, they can extend their limbs like smoke, and their leader is 900 years old and yet he is still faster then I am! I doubt we could even touch them."
Lord Tenir just smiled.
"There are things that hurt more then steel." he answered.
Balsilide
498 Years Ago
The Umbrons were not a very scientific society. They were a rural community, and they knew what they needed to grow crops, survive the winter, and not much else. So while even the brightest scientific minds of Earth today would have been hard pressed to figure out how the Umbrons became intangible like they did, and it was far outside the understanding of the Umbrons themselves. Which left them even more confused when it stopped working.
The sickness, known as the Phasing, stuck quickly and brutally. It started with one of the elders, and within weeks had infected over 30% of the Umbrons population. Once infected, the body of an Umbron began turning intangible against that persons will. Eventually, the affected Umbron simply drifted apart.
The Phasing had begun only a year after the Easterners had arrived, a coincidence that did not escape the attention of the Umbrons. Accusations arose from the Umbron camp, and the Easterners did little to deny them. After all, they didn't need to. There was no cure, and no escape from the disease.
A year later, the Umbrons were gone. Ships of people were brought from the east to settle their new home. The Umbrons drifted from story, to legend, to myth, and the Easterners went about building the world that is today known as Balsilide.
However, unbeknownst to the Easterners, one Umbron had survived. One young Umbron had been immune to the Phasing, and on the advice of his community, had fled the city. It was feared that if the Easterners found they had failed in exterminating the Umbrons, they might try to finish the job. And so the young boy had to return once more to the cliffs where he had first seen the invaders, and look down at what was left of his city.
Balsilide
20 Years Ago
The Umbron got off the ground, and lunged with all the speed his tired form could muster, but it was no use. He watched with dismay as the energy dome closed in around him. He felt the heat radiating off of the walls as he pounded against them. The man on the other side of the dome, the Umbron's opponent for the past day, wiped the sweat off of his brow and smiled.
"I'm getting to old for this." Ezerial said, tossing the Heart of Balsilide in his hands.
The Umbron felt the gravity of the situation slowly dawn on him. For almost 500 years, he had waited and planned. Watched as the Easterners created a great city. He knew that he alone could not bring the city down, but as the years went by, he grew desperate. He had almost given up hope when he first saw what he believed to be the object of his salvation. One day, a man, the very man standing in front of him, had rescued two people from a fire. The man had lifted burning timbers as if they were nothing. Invulnerability, strength, true flight! Whatever gave this man his powers could surely help the Umbron take the city! With eager eyes, he had seen the small jewel around the mans neck, and began to plan.
He lured the man out of the city, far into the mountains where no one ever ventured, and there he attacked. For a full day, the two battled, the man never even quite sure what or who he was fighting. But as day turned to night and back to day, the Umbron slipped. Where once he pressed his advantage, he fell back. The man was an experienced fighter, and used his experience and cunning to trap the Umbron inside his energy prison.
"No!" the Umbron shouted, fear rising in his voice. "You can't! My people must be avenged!"
"You attacked me, tried to kill me, and tried to steal the Heart." Ezerial said. "If your people, if I can even call you a person, were anything like you, I'm glad their gone."
The Umbron collapsed as Ezerial walked away. At first, he felt like giving up, the weight of his burden crushing him once more. But as the hours turned to days, and the days turned to months, his determination outweighed his fear. Using the techniques taught to him by his ancestors, he grew what food he needed in the dome, and dug for his water. His Umbron physiology allowed him to survive on what little was available. When he had been trapped, it had been as a young, naïve Umbron. When the Heart, which supported the dome, lost it's powers Eight years later, out of the dust walked not a child, but a Shadow Walker.
Balsilide
Present Day
The girls exchanged glances as the Shadow Walker finished his story. As none of them knew quite what to do in the wake of this new information, all eyes ended up on Will, as they normally did.
"The creature lies." Balken repeated, but there was less conviction in his voice.
"If you could just stop saying that for just like, five minutes, that would be great." Will said, glaring at the R.E.G leader.
"Irma had her powers locked on him the whole time." Taranee added. "He wasn't lying."
Balken grunted unhappily but said nothing, allowing Will to continue.
"Everything he said seems to fit." Will said. "Fighting Ezerial, his hatred of Balsilide. It works."
"So what do we do about it?" Cornelia asked. "I mean, yeah, he's a villain, but he's the last of his kind. We can't just kill him."
"No, definitely not." Will agreed.
The girls paused as a voice spoke up from behind them.
"What? You will not take this from me!"
The girls recognized Selna's voice, even though they didn't see her. But there was something different in her voice. It seemed to echo, as though filled with power. They turned to find that the girl had changed dramatically. She stood taller, looked older, and in her hand was the glowing Heart of Balsilide.
"Aw nuts." Irma said.
"This… this thing has taken too much from me to be allowed to live." Selna said with hate that disguised her age. "It has been hunted down, it has been captured, and now it must die. You are already partially responsible for his crimes as it is, so if you try to get in my way…"
Selna raised the glowing Heart and aimed it at Will.
"Then I will take you down too."
The Girls grouped together, backs against the energy wall holding the Shadow Walker. A young orphan girl in front of them, and they were defending the creature who murdered her parents. A creature, however, who was fighting for it's own family, and was the last of its kind. Will sighed, and raised her own Heart, ready for a battle she had no desire to fight.