Chapter Twenty-Four: Water

"You gonna tell me where we're going, yet?" Avis asked for the umpteenth time, taking care to avoid tripping on the vines that seemed to reach up from the ground to snag his ankles.

"Did I tell you the last six times you asked?" Jerrod sighed.

Avis hesitated. "No…" the boy finally admitted.

"Then what makes you think you will succeed by asking a seventh time? Please tell me; I'm curious to see what goes on in that little mind of yours."

Avis and Jerrod had been walking for several hours, heading towards an unknown destination. Well, Avis had no idea where Jerrod was going—the Cleric knew the route extremely well.

"I dunno…" the ten-year-old shrugged. "You don't talk a lot…and we've been walking a long time. I like to know where I'm going…"

"I would imagine," Jerrod agreed, pushing aside a curtain of vines to reveal another lake. It was smaller than Jerrod's home lake, though, and its surface was covered in a film of green scum and algae. Jerrod took a deep breath and spread his arms wide, still talking as a straight path of water solidified into ice. "Being a thief in Ullek would mean not only being fast, but knowing exactly where you are going, at all times…"

"Uh…yeah," Avis nodded quickly, seeing the way out of his predicament and throwing himself upon it with the vigor of a drowning man grasping a rope. "Yeah, that's exactly it. Ugh, I can't stand-"

Jerrod sighed, stepping onto his path of ice. As he moved forward, he continued to lengthen the ice path, walking across the breadth of the lake. Avis followed close behind. "You had it perfect, kid," the Cleric shook his head in amusement, freezing another swathe of lake water. "The tone of voice, the emotion, the pacing—you had it all perfect. Then you started embellishing and you lost it. People will be asking us questions in the days ahead…never reveal anything about yourself, and never answer anymore than what the question asks for."

"You want me to lie?" Avis frowned. "Aren't Saradominist monks supposed to be honor-bound to the truth?"

Jerrod snorted. "Who's been spoon-feeding you that bullshit, huh? And besides, I'm no monk. I'm a…I'm a…" the Cleric made a face, frowning as he tried to think of a suitable name to describe his position before realizing that there really was none. "Well, I really don't know what I am, exactly. I'm just a Cleric. But I'm no monk, that's for sure. For example, I could lie right now and tell you that you are doing an admirable job of training with your sword."

Avis pursed his lips indignantly. "You've trained and fought for years; I've barely had a month-" the ten-year-old broke off when he heard the Cleric's soft laughter, realizing that Jerrod had only been ribbing him.

"Humor, boy; that's something every man needs," Jerrod chuckled. "Unfortunately, it is not something that can be taught. More's the pity…what a place this world would be if only there was a little more humor and laughter in it…"

After another stretch of silence, Avis spoke up again once he and Jerrod reached the opposite shore. "You mentioned people questioning us in the future…" the boy frowned. "Who is going to be doing that? This swamp doesn't exactly have a thriving population."

"Sure it does," the Cleric countered, stepping onto the sand of the lake's miniature beach. Once Avis stepped off the ice path as well, the Cleric waved his hand and the ice path melted back into the water from which it had been made. "There are more insects, fish, and amphibians here than there are criminals on Karamja."

"Humans," Avis clarified. "There aren't any other people here."

"Well, you're quite correct, there," Jerrod conceded. "There will be no one questioning us here. But we will not be staying here forever."

"We're leaving the swamp?"

"In a year or two, yes," Jerrod nodded.

"But…but…but, there's no way I can master the elements in a year!" Avis protested. "That's like asking me to-"

"Oh, will you be quiet?" Jerrod interrupted the boy, pushing aside another loop of vines and forging on ahead into the swamp. "Of course you won't master the elements in a year! You'll only be mastering Water here. To master Earth and Fire, we will be traveling."

"Why can't we learn them here?"

"Because…" Jerrod started to say, but he quickly changed his mind and shrugged instead of answering. "Not that I don't enjoy seeing you squirm because you don't have all the answers…but you'll see after we're done Awakening you."

"Doing what to me?" Avis clasped his head. There were too many unknown factors, too many new complications…it all seemed to be crashing in on him all at once.

"Awakening you—you know what? No more questions," Jerrod declared. "You'll see for yourself very soon. We're getting close…"

Avis was about to say, 'Close to what?' but clamped down on the insides of his cheeks at the last second. No need to break Jerrod's 'request' right after he made it.

'Very soon' turned out to be two more hours of walking and bushwacking. The sun was beginning to sink into the west by the time Jerrod began to slow down. Avis was conscious of the fact that they had reached a small hill of sorts. It was hard to see the actual hill because of all the foliage and trees covering it…but there was a noticeable slope with several streams trickling down it.

"We are here," Jerrod announced once they finally reached the top of the hill. The Cleric pushed a cluster of vines aside and invited Avis to step ahead. The ten-year-old tentatively stepped forward, emerging into a clearing. The top of the hill offered Avis a good view of the surrounding swamp for miles. It was covered in grass and small flowers—contrasting sharply with the blues, greens, and browns of the surrounding swamp.

Right in the center of the whole place were ruins, putting it bluntly. They looked like they had been an altar of some sort at one point. Now, they were weathered and…well, ruined. Covered in green moss and lichen, they looked as if they had been that way for a long time. There had used to be four plinths surrounding a circular stone altar—only one of the plinths was still standing, and the other three had been broken down. They lay in pieces around the central altar. They were shaped like tongs almost; two straight stone slabs standing vertical, with a third slab capping them on top.

The central altar—a circular stone dolmen—looked as if it had been stomped upon by a giant foot. It was cracked into thirds, partially caved in. However, a soft, blue glow was pulsing up through the cracks…constantly moving, almost like the reflection of water. This was magic at work.

Avis wandered towards the ruins, his eyes lighting up with wonder at the strange light. He saw that the streams flowing down the hill all came from these ruins—the water simply flowed out from under the ruins, coming seemingly from of empty space. It was…inexplicable.

Avis took another step towards the ruins and fell to his knees suddenly, clasping his head in both hands. A woozy, almost nauseous sensation spread through his body and his skull seemed to throb with a headache.

The boy threw himself back away from the ruins, pulling himself back with his hands. "Ohh…" he groaned, shaking his head and clearing away the dizzy sensation.

"What was that all about?" Jerrod asked, making his way towards the boy.

"I…I don't know…" Avis stammered, climbing back to his feet. "I was just walking towards those ruins, then I just felt so dizzy all of a sudden…"

"Well, I'm not surprised," Jerrod shrugged. "You're a..." the Cleric stopped himself suddenly, not saying what he was about to say. He still wanted further confirmation on his suspicions before he started telling Avis about them. Instead, he said, "You're…uh…you're more sensitive to elemental magic than most other people are. That is why it affects you in this way."

Avis shrugged, knowing that the Cleric would not elaborate. "What's that?" he pointed at the shiny object that the older man held. It was a metal object, but it also seemed to glow with that same strange blue light that was coming from the ruined altar.

"It's a talisman…" the Cleric murmured. "I was going to give it to you, but I don't think you will be needing it anymore…the power inside you might act as a key…"

"Huh?"

"I want you to walk towards the ruins," the Cleric ordered. "And do not stop, even if you feel as if you're about to pass out."

"But-"

"If you do not continue forward here, then all that nice walking you've done today will have been for nothing," the Cleric reasoned giving a slight shrug. "No matter…we can always go back to the cottage and walk here again tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day, until you-"

"Alright, I'm going…" Avis muttered, bracing himself for the nausea once more and forcing himself to step towards the ruins. At first, knowing what to expect, he was fine…but as he got closer and closer to the mossy, glowing ruins, the dizziness slammed him hard, making him stagger.

Avis would not stop, though. He clasped his head and stomach and grimaced at the discomfort, but kept on putting one foot in front of the other. When he was within reach of the plinths, he was gagging and coughing, the headache in his skull feeling like a cannon was going off beside it.

Still, the boy kept on forcing his way forward. The exertion was too great, however. The moment Avis stepped past the threshold of the plinths, the dizziness overcame him and he collapsed, unconscious before he even hit the ground.

Avis was out only for a minute, or so. When he opened his eyes, he found, much to his surprise, that he was no longer on that hill in the Virid Swamp. The endless sprawl of wooded, jungle-like marshlands was gone…replaced with a beautiful expanse of sparkling, rainbow-colored water. There was no coast or mainland…there were only tiny islands stretching for as far as the eye could see. Fish leaped through the water and air, birds chirruped, and frogs croaked, leaping from lily pad to lily pad.

Avis was on an island himself. Basically, it was a hill rising out of the water. It was covered in soft blue-green grass and many different species of flowers. Bees and other insects buzzed around all these flowers, packing away pollen and nectar. At the top of the island's hill, towards the center of the small landmass…Avis spied four plinths up there, as well as that same mysterious blue glow.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Jerrod hummed.

Avis whirled around, looking at the Cleric, who had not been standing there a moment earlier. "Where am I? What is this place? What happened to-"

"Peace," Jerrod held up his hands, quelling the boy. "You'll collapse under the weight of your own questions, boy. Walk with me," the Cleric said, turning towards the hilltop up ahead. As Avis fell in step with him, the Cleric started to explain. "As you know, mages need runes to invoke the elements. This is because we do not have elemental energy inside of us, and therefore need a source of pure elemental energy on hand in order to cast a spell involving a certain element."

"Except for me," Avis reminded him.

"Yes, except for you…and certain others…" Jerrod murmured. "But for the rest of us mere mortals, this place is where runes are made. Specifically, water runes. Welcome to the Water Temple, one of the most beautiful places in…well, wherever it is."

"You make runestones here?"

"Mm-hm," Jerrod nodded. "Rune essence is a type of rock created by the Gods themselves…but it is worthless on its own. Mages, once they have acquired rune essence, must travel to one of the elemental temples to imbibe the stone with the power of that temple's element. This is the place mages come to imbibe their rune essence with the power of Water."

"And how do they do that?"

"That altar," Jerrod pointed to the altar, "is a divine repository of the elemental energy of Water. By infusing a runestone with some of your own Anima Mundi over the altar, you create an elemental rune—in this case, a water rune. This is known as runecrafting."

"Well, how does it apply to me?"

"I am going to try to…'awaken' you, for lack of a better way of describing it," Jerrod explained. "The ruins back in the swamp; they were just an illusion. To gain entry to this temple, you must have a water talisman," the Cleric held out the strange blue object he had held before. "You, however, proved that you were able to enter without the aid of such trinkets. Do you know why?"

Avis shrugged. "Uh…no?"

"It is because of your power. It is also the reason why you do not seem to need runestones to cast magic…" Jerrod said. "The powers of the elements are already inside of you. They are a part of you and you are a part of them…"

"Then why aren't I godlike with my powers, yet?" the boy complained. "Why can I only use Air?"

"You're seriously asking me that?" Jerrod cocked a quizzical eyebrow. "You can't use the other elements because you do not know how. All that raw, primal power is locked up inside of you…but you have no idea how to use it. It is dormant. But…exposing you to the energy of this altar, I think, will awaken the Water magic inside of you. Almost like lighting a torch with a spark."

"Okay…" Avis nodded hesitantly, barely understanding what his teacher was saying, but just deciding to go along with it. The Cleric hadn't been wrong yet, so why should he start now? "What…um…what do I do?"

"You can start by climbing up on top of the altar," Jerrod replied.

Avis did as he was told, cautiously approaching the glowing water altar. When he didn't feel any of that horrible sensation that had overcome him before, he walked normally, hauling himself up onto the top of the glowing blue dolmen.

The boy sat down in the center of the altar. He noticed that there was a large water drop carved into the surface of the altar—the symbol of Water.

"Now focus…" Jerrod instructed him. "Focus…feel the energy under you…inside of you…"

Avis could already feel the Water energy of the altar he was sitting on. It was so strong…such a pure source of elemental energy…it made the hair on the boy's neck stand up on end. Such a force under someone's control would surely make that person…invincible—no, Avis shook his head. That energy source was not to be trifled with. Used and manipulated, perhaps…but not bent to anyone's will.

"Feel the energy…" Jerrod repeated. "Do not shut it out…embrace it…"

Avis realized that he had subconsciously buffered himself from the raw power of the Water Altar, throwing up mental blocks to keep the humming energy out. Avis closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on and systematically lowering those instinctive mental blocks.

The boy cringed as the elemental power of the Water Altar touched his own…it felt as if his mind had been submerged in cold water, being directly exposed to such power.

The discomfort only lasted a moment, because it quickly turned to pain. The power of the Water Altar enveloped Avis's Anima Mundi and began to seep into it. Avis felt something ignite deep inside him…it started as a slight burning sensation, but quickly ballooned into a body-wide explosion of fire. Well, it wasn't really fire…but it felt as if an inferno was ripping through the inside of his body.

Avis knew that it must have been his inner elemental energy being unlocked…just as Jerrod said it would. It would have been nice if Jerrod had at least mentioned that it was going to be agony, though. That might have helped him prepare.

The Cleric watched as the boy started to shift and fidget, clearly in extreme discomfort. Truth be told, he knew he was taking a gamble by trying to Awaken the boy's elemental energies in this manner…but the only other way to get Avis's powers up to snuff was a decade or two of hard training…and Centralia didn't have that sort of time.

This was the only way…and Jerrod had no idea how it was going to turn out. He was essentially runecrafting a child; the mere thought of the deed didn't inspire much confidence.

Motes of blue energy started to shimmer over Avis's pale skin, gradually solidifying into ripples and waves of different shades of blue, almost as if a film water was flowing over the child. The Water energy gave off a soft blue glow.

Then things started to get a little more…extreme. The soft film of Water energy seemed to explode outward in a blinding flash of blue light. Avis let out an ear-splitting scream as the Water energy inside of him was violently unleashed, setting forth waves and waves of pure, untapped, raw elemental energy through the ten-year-old's body.

Jerrod staggered back a step, blinking the light from his eyes. He reflexively stepped back towards the writhing boy, intending to give him a hand, but quickly stopped himself. Interfering at this point would end up hurting Avis even more. The Cleric simply stood there, watching helplessly with nothing to do except wring his hands.

The boy had risen a few feet into the air, as if he had suddenly become weightless. He started to convulse, bright bursts of blue light flashing from his eyes, fingers, feet, and chest as he writhed in mid-air.

When Jerrod was finally able to look at the scene unfolding over the altar once more, he was horrified—well, perhaps surprised would have been a better adjective—to find that Avis had…changed.

As the boy continued to undergo the violent process of unlocking part of his inner power, his Human guise had finally slipped. Instead of the thin, pale-skinned, black-haired ten-year-old boy Jerrod was familiar with, struggling in the air was a translucent pale shape. Avis was still boy-shaped—possessing arms, legs, and a torso—but the boy's body had become…incorporeal, almost…as if it were only partially in this plane of existence. It looked like the boy's normal body, but it also looked like a skeleton at the same time…it was hard to explain without getting a headache.

The boy's face was also gone, his freckled, delicate features replaced by a skull. It was not a simple skull, though; Avis's eye sockets glowed red, and his skull was aflame with a cold, blue fire that gave off no heat. And while his skeleton-body was a translucent white shade…the flaming skull was as solid and opaque as Jerrod's own head.

This was Avis's true form. The ten-year-old boy was simply a guise…this creature was clearly a young child, but it was no Human; that much was for certain.

For Jerrod, everything fell into place. The boy's skin color, his immunity to sunburn despite living in the desert his whole life, his ability to cast magic without the aid of runestones, his mastery of Air while only a child, his eyes that Jerrod had once thought were an odd shade of lightish brown, but actually turned out to be crimson…everything now made sense. This was simply the final piece of the puzzle. Jerrod had already suspected this for a time, but now he needed no more confirmation.

The Cleric watched the Awakening calm and quiet down, watching as Avis's Lich form rested back down on top of the Water Altar, motes of blue energy still crackling up and down his body.

He looked at the boy's face—he could faintly see Avis's normal face over the skull, though it flickered in and out of visibility. The red glow in the eye sockets had gone dark with the boy's unconsciousness. In the ghostly, barely-visible image of Avis's human face over his Lich face, his eyes were also closed.

Jerrod stepped up to the altar, gazing down at his apprentice, and murmured one single word: "Mahjarrat…"

End of Book I