Kandrakar
Sunday 2 pm (Earth time)
"Are you positive, Oracle?"
Yan Lin stood facing the Lord of Kandrakar; usually his presence invoked peace and tranquility, but usually his latest news didn't involve the almost inevitable death of her granddaughter. Liquid crystal tears began to pool in the corner of her eyes even before the Oracle slowly nodded his head; Yan Lin's grief burst forth at that little motion. The ex-Guardian fell to her knees in front of the Oracle and began to sob, the tears leaving wet streaks down her wrinkled face. The Oracle kneeled down in turn and placed his hands on her shoulders; he smiled a sad smile at the newest member of Congregation of Kandrakar.
"Dry your eyes, my friend; if these are truly to be your granddaughter's final moments, wouldn't you agree that it would be good for her to be surrounded by happiness rather than grief?"
Yan Lin raised her eyes to those of the Oracle; she gently grabbed his wrists...and threw his hands off of her shoulders. An instant later, she was on her feet; although the Oracle physically towered over her, Yan Lin seemed to rise above him as she shouted, her voice echoing off the hallowed halls looming up around them.
"I'm not going to sit around grinning like an idiot while my granddaughter dies, Oracle!"
"Seeing you happy would ease her…"
"What of her friends? Do you intend to order them to watch Hay Lin die with smiles on their faces? Or did you forget about them?"
"Of course I cannot order…"
Yan Lin stifled a gasp with her hand. "But you did intend to ask them to, didn't you?"
The Oracle was silent; as Yan Lin watched, he casually nodded his head. The former Air Guardian mentally considered shouting at him again, but decided that it wouldn't do any good; instead she opted for a different approach.
"Will you not help her, Oracle? You have the power to save her."
The Oracle shook his head; when he spoke, his voice involuntarily broke, a detail that was not lost on Yan Lin.
"We both know that I am but an observer, Honorable One; thus, I cannot change the girl's fate."
"But she's not just some girl; she's Hay Lin! She's one of your Guardians; are you just going to let her die?"
"Stop it, Yan Lin!" shouted the Oracle, his eyes closed against his own inevitable tears. "Don't you…think this is…hard enough?"
"How dare you…you're asking me to watch my granddaughter die! All you have to do is save her and you won't even consider it?"
"I've considered it, Yan Lin…" snapped the Oracle, his voice slowly returning to normal "…believe me, I've considered it. I'm sorry, but my answer is still no."
"How can you just do nothing? She's risked her life for Kandrakar!"
"Yes; and, unfortunately, risk is something that any Guardian must face while serving the Fortress. I'm sorry for you granddaughter's death…"
'She's not dead yet.' thought Yan Lin.
"…I truly am, but I've made my decision. You should be happy; to die while serving the Center of Infinity is the highest honor a Guardian can hope to achieve."
"Honor? She's 14 years old, Oracle! There's nothing honorable about snatching a young life away."
"It pains me whenever a life is lost, especially a young one, but I can do nothing for her."
"Can do nothing for her or will do nothing for her?"
"That's enough, Yan Lin. I've already made my choice; now it's time to make yours."
"Is this how you justified Cassidy's murder to yourself?" Yan Lin asked the Oracle as he began to walk away. Her words caused him to pause; he clenched his fists for a split second before beginning to walk away again. Yan Lin continued to shout after him, each word failing to receive a response.
"You knew what Nerissa was becoming, Oracle! You knew that taking the Heart from her and giving it to Cassidy sealed the poor girl's fate and yet you did nothing to prevent her death."
The Oracle suddenly stopped in his tracks; because she was behind him, Yan Lin could not see the surprised look in his eyes nor the shocked expression on his face. What she did assume was that her words were finally reaching him; she began to advance on him, her voice drowning out the sound of her footsteps.
"How many, Oracle; how many more young Guardians must die before you decide to play a more active role in their lives?"
The Oracle held up a hand; despite herself, Yan Lin instantly fell silent. After a moment, the Oracle began to move again, his pace quicker and more frantic then before. Yan Lin continued to follow him, but the Oracle's voice halted her.
"The Guardians have arrived, Honorable One. See to them; I will join you when I am able."
The Oracle burst into the Hall of Aurameres; he practically ran straight past the alter that held the Hall's namesakes. As he drew away from it it, he slowed to a stop and walked back to gaze on the elemental orbs. The Auramere tied to the Air Guardian was pathetically small, as if it were reflecting the very deteriorating life of its mistress. The Fire Guardian's Auramere, he noted with a heavy heart, had also shrunk; though nowhere near as small as that of Air, it was visibly half the size of the others.
As he watched, the green Auramere of Earth suddenly spilt down the middle and separating into two chunks, which rotated around each other before joining into one solid mass again. He leaned in closer and was shocked to discover that the elemental symbol of Earth itself was torn, the center blot clearly cleaved in two by some unknown force. As they swirled around, the Water Auramere was next to cross close to him; pleased to see it relatively unharmed, the Oracle reached out a hand to stroke it. The Auramere shrank back as his fingers neared it, acting almost…fearful; it timidly continued its circular motion as a confused Oracle pulled his hand back.
And, finally, he observed the Auramere of Energy; the Oracle gasped as it drew close to him. The Auramere looked as if it had been shredded; the top of the glowing orb was ripped open and a number of small chasms ran from the gaping hole in the top down to the middle of the sphere. But the most peculiar thing about this Auramere was that it appeared to be…bleeding; drops of the very substance that made up the elemental orb were dripping onto the floor of the Hall, where they lay sparkling and unmoving.
"Something is not to your liking, Oracle?"
The Oracle did not have to turn around to identify the speaker behind him.
"The Aurameres are behaving…strangely."
Behind him, Luba smiled; she walked up to stand next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"And does this surprise you, Oracle? The Aurameres have been acting up for days now; surely you haven't been too busy to notice?"
The Oracle's only response was a slight shake of the head; if anything, Luba's grin widened by a couple of molars.
"This only proves what I had told you before, Oracle; the Guardians are too young and too fragile to serve the Infinite Realms of Kandrakar."
"Perhaps what you say is true, Keeper; but I came here to discuss another matter with you."
"Oh?" Luba asked, raising an eyebrow. The Oracle turned so that they were eye to eye.
"I believe that you know, as well as I do, who is behind this."
Luba cast her eyes downwards. When she spoke, her voice was hushed.
"I didn't…I don't want to believe it; it's almost laughable to even suggest that one survived the war, Oracle."
"I know, my friend, but we have been presented with the truth, whether we like it or not."
Luba raised her eyes and met those of the Oracle.
"What I don't understand is why we weren't able to sense him until now…"
"Do not blame yourself, Luba. This particular individual has managed to elude even myself since the formation of the Great Hunt."
"And so how can we be quite sure…?"
"Is it not obvious? Our Guardians have returned to us injured, two gravely; I believe that they…ran afoul of our survivor. Can you feel it, Luba?"
Luba shot a questioning glance at the Oracle.
"He's healing himself; we must move quickly."
The Guardians materialized in a flash of light; Will opened her eyes to see the familiar, and soothing, white washed walls of the Infinite Fortress. Her moment of thought was cut short, however, by the agonized cries of one of her friends. Will did not need to look to know that the sound was coming from Irma; and she didn't need to be a genius to guess what was causing it. Sure enough, Will turned to see Irma sitting on the ground, hugging the limp form of Hay Lin to her.
Will torn eyes from the sight, but what they fell on wasn't any better; Cornelia, blood still flowing from the gasp across her beautiful face (Will was amazed that she hadn't passed out yet), was also sitting on the ground, with Taranee's head resting in her lap. Will was barely able to meet the blonde's eyes before she had to turn away to hide her tears. Behind her, Irma continued to cry, clutching the body of her best friend.
"This is not how it ends, Hay Hay…do you hear me? This. Is. Not. How. It. Ends."
"I'm so sorry Irma, but that just might be what it is."
Irma raised her tear streaked face and met the eyes of the former Guardian of Air, a woman who had adopted Irma as a sort of quasi-grandchild. Yan Lin quietly closed the door behind her and strolled into the room. She stopped before the confused Water Guardian and extended her arms. Irma launched herself into the old woman's embrace instantly and squeezed her tightly. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart and Yan Lin walked over to Cornelia; she bent down and began to dab at the Earth Guardian's face with a corner of her robe, turning the white material deep red. Cornelia raised a hand and tried, weakly, to push her away. From behind her came Will's voice, which sounded slightly strangled due to her tears.
"And why would you say that, Yan Lin? Surely you don't want…"
"Of course I don't; do you think I wish to see my son bury his own child?" Yan Lin sighed, still pressing her robe to Cornelia's face to staunch the blood. "But I'm afraid my powers cannot help any of you save Cornelia."
"But what about the Oracle?"
"Ah yes…the Oracle; he's the problem."
Will and Irma gave Yan Lin questioning looks.
"The Oracle is refusing to help you."
"WHAT?"
Two Guardians and a former Guardian spun around to face the Earth Guardian; the blonde was still pressing the stained red fabric of Yan Lin's robe to her face. She slowly began to climb to her feet, keeping the robe compressed to her face; she gained her feet, swaying a bit, and turned to face Yan Lin.
"No; we've let Hippie Head get away with a lot of shit, but there's no way…"
"I'm sorry, Cornelia, but there is simply…"
"Excuse me, Yan Lin, but shouldn't the Oracle have the guts to tell us his decision himself? I mean, isn't it fair that he at least see the girl that he's condemning to death?"
"Hold one a second, Corny," interjected Irma "But what about Tara? I think we should be just as worried about her."
Cornelia turned her head away from Irma; everyone present heard her give a sniff and saw her raise her hand to her eyes.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Irma, but I don't think even the Oracle can save Hay Lin."
"The Oracle can do whatever he wants, Irma. It just takes time."
Irma fell silent; the brunette rolled her eyes before crouching down to cup the pale cheek of her best friend. Irma felt tears begin to well up in her eyes again; tears of hopelessness because she could do nothing to save her friend, and tears of rage because the Oracle was turning his back on his own Guardians.
Irma let out a gasp; she glanced upwards, searching for the source of the pressure that had suddenly appeared on her shoulder. What she saw made her eyes widen; there, in the flesh, stood the Oracle. He smiled down at the Guardian of Water, who, despite herself, smiled back.
"Dry you eyes, Irma Lair; by my wish, you friend shall live again."
Yan Lin could barely believe her ears.
"Oracle…does this mean…do you really intend…?"
"Yes, Honorable One, I will return you granddaughter to you."
"But…what you said in the hall…"
"That was before I could truly see…who has made these girls suffer…and it pains me to admit that it is my entire fault."
Confused glances were exchanged around the room. The Oracle gently clamped his hands onto Irma's upper arms and lifted her to her feet. He knelt down and placed on hand on the Asian girl's stomach and another on her forehead.
"I am afraid that I must ask all of you to leave. I will see to the Guardians of Air, Earth, and Fire."
"But my injuries…" Cornelia was cut off by the calm words of the Oracle.
"…are not as grievous as the ones sustained by your companions, but are still in need of healing. You will remain here, my child."
Irma and Yan Lin glanced at each other before turning, as one, to leave; ahead of the, the great door to the hall was already closing behind a solitary, red headed figure. Irma quickened her pace, hoping to catch up with her friend, but Yan Lin grabbed the girl's shoulder.
"Let her go, dear. I have seen inside her, and she suffers as much, if not more than your friends."
Irma nudged the old woman.
"You know, just because you live with him doesn't mean you have to start talking like him."
The Oracle watched as the three departed the Arrival Hall and turned to Cornelia.
"Come closer, Guardian of Earth."
Cornelia instantly obeyed.
"Kneel down and place your hands over mine. Together we shall beg Hay Lin to return from the darkness."
Cornelia nodded; she knelt down and placed her hands on top of the Oracle's own. She glanced up at the Oracle, who nodded and closed his eyes. He began to chant what sounded like a song, but was surely a spell, in a language that Cornelia didn't understand. Almost at once, however, she began to hear a strange voice in her head; she closed her eyes and focused on what seemed to be a translation of the Oracle's spell.
'O daughter of the Heart
'O sister of the Heart
she who commands the very sky
know that you have gone
and left behind your friends
who sit and wonder why
'O daughter of the Heart
'O sister of the Heart
now hear my voice compelling you
hurry back to us
from beyond the darkest night
now rise and live anew
Sheffield Gym
3:00 PM
Matt Olsen jumped off of his scooter and ran towards the gym, his guitar case beating a tattoo against his back. He slowed to a stop and stood, with his hand on the door, taking several deep breaths. He pulled out his cell phone, disregarded a new text message, saw that he was ten minutes late, cursed, and pulled open the door.
The music that he had heard coming, muffled, through the door now filled the air around him. Matt cast his eyes to the stage and almost let his guitar slide off his back in amazement; there was his band, The Cobalt Blue, set up on stage; instead of standing around and tuning their respective instruments or maybe rehearsing one of their songs, his band was playing a song he had never heard before. And what was worse, there was someone he had never seen before singing into the microphone and plugging away on the guitar. Although Matt was angry; after all, he had been ten minutes late and they had seen fit to replace him, he couldn't help but admire the singer's voice and obvious skill.
All insects sing tonight
The coldest sound
I'd send God's grace tonight
Could it be found?
Matt walked into the center of the gym, where he stood with his arms folded, with one foot involuntarily tapping along to the beat. The sound lasted another two minutes; Matt didn't want to admit it to himself, but he had enjoyed the song. The song ended with the singer hitting a ridiculous high note, one that Matt knew that he could never reach himself. And so, when it was over, Matt treated his band, and the mysterious stranger, to a brief round of applause. Laughing, Joel Wright jumped off the stage and jogged over to Matt.
"So? What do you think, Olsen?"
Matt raised a hand to stroke his surfacing beard and slowly nodded his head. Behind Joel, he noticed that the…new guitarist was walking towards them.
"It was good, but I don't remember writing that song…"
"That's because Ryan wrote it." Joel gestured over his shoulder at the boy. The boy…Ryan, shot Matt a half smile and held out his hand, which Matt took.
"Nice to meet you, Ryan. That's quite the voice you've got."
"Thanks. That means a lot coming from you."
Before Matt could ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue, Joel pulled him away from Ryan and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Listen Matt, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was bringing a friend to practice, but it was kinda a last minute decision. Ryan's in my homeroom; he's one of the new kids who transferred in this year. Don't look at me like that; if you checked your phone more often, you would have known that I was bringing him."
Matt groaned and smacked himself in the face. Joel continued.
"Anyway, he asked me if he could show me some of the songs he wrote for his band back in Sesamo. I took a look at them and they were pretty good; I'm telling you, Matt, if the rest of his songs sound like this one, I think he can help us make it big."
A.N. and there we go. I'm sorry, I've just been swamped with homework and studying and stuff. A few things; first, the song/spell the Oracle uses on Hay Lin was inspired by "The Bearer of the Ring, the Wearer of the Ring" a song from the animated Return of the King. Go to youtube and type in the bearer of the ring the wearer of the ring and watch the video. That's how I imagine the Oracle's voice to sound when he is using the spell. Second, please tell me if the last part with matt and them is a little weak, I wanted to add another OC. He isn't magical or anything like that, but I want to use him as part of a side story. I mean, the whole story can't be about the girls fighting their enemies as WITCH, right?
DayDreamer9 – glad you thought it was intense. The gang is indeed all together again. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please feel free to leave feedback.
MaJorReader619 – I'm sorry I took so long to update, but real life must come first. I hope this satisfies you, at least for a little while
XV-Dragon – Actually, I got the idea of A'k'sl's magic, at least his healing, from the Artemis Fowl books. If you haven't, find them and read them. In the story, one of the characters gets rather hurt, but is able to be healed with magic, and I was trying to hit on that. I'm touch more on this next chapter. And more stuff with the oracle and witch will follow, so don't worry if I didn't answer all your questions. Oh yeah, and sorry about the mistaken identity. Even if you're not Kayden, you still kick ass
NIkly – glad to know my update saved you from internet boredom. I hope this update helps you too. Glad to know you reacted that way when A'k'sl "died". It means that my OC is starting to grow on people. Hopefully you'll like my other OC. Hes not magic or involved in all that, but part if a side story I want to start writing in this.
babywhale512 – thank you for liking my action sequences. And hay lin did indeed recover. I hope you'll continue to enjoy it. I know I don't really have the right to tell you this, but update your story soon, because it rocks.
dawn2dark – no damage done my man. Sometimes im too lazy to write more in my story. Glad you liked how Irma dealt with her problems (at least to help out). Don't worry, more Oracle to come in the next chapter.
P.S. if anyone here wants to read the WITCH comics, all 91 issues, then hit me up via your next review or a PM and I'm send you a link. Thanks again for reading and please continue to leave long reviews about what you liked, what you may have not liked and what you thing will help out the story.
Oh, and who ever can tell me the name and artist of the song that Ryan is singing gets recognition in the next chapter. No googling the lyrics now.
