W.I.T.C.H
Chapter 15
Action
Balsilide
8 Years Ago
Endarno scribbles a few sentences on a sheet of paper, and then scratches them out. He curses and pulls at his hair.
It has been seven years since he had last seen his ex-partner, Walson, and seven years since he has started his own law firm. The only name on his door now was Endarno's, and that was the way he liked it.
Lately, however, he has not liked the direction Balsilide has been headed. The politicians of the world have fallen prey to corruption and it was showing. Poverty rates were higher then they had been in years, and unemployment was on the rise. Endarno knew he could do better, if he only had the chance. And so it was he found himself writing a campaign speech. He was running for mayor in the fall. As an independent candidate, the odds were against him, which was exactly the way he liked it. In his mind, Endarno was already in office. Perhaps the only thing standing in his way is this speech. He's used to trying to convince large groups of people to think the same way he did, he does it everyday as a lawyer, but today he was having trouble thinking.
Deciding that the writer's block has got the best of him, he throws his latest attempt into the garbage bin. He is on his way to the kitchen to get a drink when he hears a knock on the door. Unaccustomed to visitors, he answers it.
He opens the door and is startled when an older gentleman falls into his arms, struggling to breathe.
"Endarno, you must listen!" The man says weakly.
Endarno rushes him to a chair and gets him a glass of water, which he drinks readily. While the man drinks, Endarno takes the opportunity to get a better look at him. This strange man is older then anyone Endarno has ever seen, but it is not just from age. His face is weathered and beaten, a witness to countless struggles. The man's shirt is tattered and ripped, revealing scars running down the length of his chest. Despite his obvious weakness, it is clear that this was once a man of strength, and one to be feared. Now however, only a shadow remains of who he once was.
"Who are you? What must you tell me?" Endarno askes, kneeling beside the man.
"My name is Ezerial," the man says. He pulls out a small, glowing jewel.
"And this is the Heart of Balsilide."
Meridian
Walli surveys the nearby scene. Members of the Honor Guard and the R.E.G. fight all around him. Grath had just driven Vathek through a wall. Tynar and Drake are in a mad fight with Hoth and Troth.
Walli calmly pulls out an arrow and begins to inspect the metal tip. To anyone else, it would seem as if he was checking for defects. Instead, he is looking at himself in the reflection, or more accurately what's behind him. He sees the figure of a man pull back his arm, and…
Walli ducks, and an arrow sails through the air above him, just barely missing his head. Walli notches the arrow he had used for a mirror and spins to find Slyn, the R.E.G's loud, blonde archer behind him, bow in hand.
"Come on, bowman, show me what you've got!" Slyn yelled from atop a half broken wall.
Slyn aimed and fired several arrows at Walli. Walli ducked behind a tree just as the arrows hit the earth. He fired a couple arrows back at Slyn, which flew high, but did manage to get Slyn down from his perch. Slyn landed deftly on his feet and strafed right while launching another volley of arrows. Walli was forced to abandon his position behind his tree, and dove for cover behind a broken wall. He peaked out to find that Slyn had also taken cover.
"Man, they'll let anyone in the Honor Guard won't they?" Slyn said, firing another arrow. "The two ex-criminals are bad enough, but you? You're even worse! I mean, who are you?"
Walli said nothing and continued to return fire. He leaped over the wall behind him. Slyn gave chase.
"I'm not just good looks, I've got brains too, and I did my research." Slyn said, ducking behind a wall. "You're a nobody. You didn't even fight in the rebellion. You just hid in your village. So how far down the list did they have to go before they got to you? You're out of your league, boy!"
Walli slid behind a wall and fired another arrow. They were getting into what was once the middle of town. The spaces between walls were getting narrower and narrower, providing lots of cover for the two archers. Walli couldn't see Slyn, but he could hear him.
"What's the matter, chuckles?" Slyn said, peeking around a corner. "How come you're so quiet? You do talk, don't you?"
Slyn caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He spun, but found nothing in the dark alley.
"I think I know why you're so quiet." Slyn continued. "You figure if you don't say anything, and if you stay out of everyone's way, they won't notice that you don't belong, and you won't be kicked out of the one place where you can feel you're actually important. Is that it? Are you sacred you're going to be sent back? Are you scared you're going to go back to being a nobody?"
"Slyn,"
Slyn spun when he heard Walli's voice behind him. He was too late.
"Shut up."
Walli leapt from the shadows and fired two arrows at Slyn. Slyn had no time to react and the arrows hit their mark. Both arrows pierced Slyn coat and pinned him to the wall behind him. Slyn struggled, but was unable to move.
Walli hit the defenseless Slyn with a powerful right hook, knocking him unconscious, but still supported by the two arrows.
Walli took the arrows from Slyn's quiver and added them to his own. Then he headed off, back into battle.
Balsilide
Will eyed the map suspiciously. Bradam's instructions had led them to a small old house in the Balsilidian slums. Will looked at Taranee, who only shrugged. Will sighed, and knocked on the door.
No answer.
"Maybe he's not home?" Hay Lin said.
"Not home? He has to be home!" Will said. "I haven't blown off my mom's party just so this moron can not be home!"
"Maybe he's gone shopping." Cornelia said. "Or he's visiting his parents. Or he's on a date."
"Or maybe he's running away from us as fast as he can." Irma said, pointing down the street at a fleeing figure.
"Yeah, that too."
Jovi's incredible knowledge of the area was no match when compared to Hay Lin's speed in the skies. Within minutes, Jovi had been apprehended by the air Guardian, and returned to the rest of the team.
"What do you want, Guardians?" Jovi said with disdain.
"Aw, he's heard of us. Isn't that sweet?" Irma said as Cornelia created a stone cage around him.
"Are you Jovi?" Will asked.
"Maybe."
"Irma?"
Irma concentrated and Jovi entered a dream like trance.
"Now, let's try this again. Is your name Jovi?" Will asked.
"Yes." Jovi answered.
"Did you buy these two weapons?" Taranee asked, holding up the dagger and the dagger shooter.
"Yes."
"And did you use these weapons to murder a Balsilidian diplomat?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Cornelia asked.
"Because I was hired to." Jovi replied.
"Who hired you?"
"The Hurlex Company."
"Hurlex? Never heard of them." Irma said.
"Or course not. They're probably Balsilidian." Taranee replied.
"I don't care if they're Martian." Will said. "He admitted to the murder, and that's good enough for me. Let him go Irma."
Irma released her hold on Jovi's mind. Jovi stumbled backwards and shook his head.
"Hey, you made me say that!" He said, after he had recovered. "That's illegal."
"Yeah, we've never been much on legalness." Irma said.
"Legality."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Alright." Will said. "Let's get back to Meridian. I know some people who are going to be very happy to meet this guy."
With Jovi in custody, Will opened a fold and headed back to Meridian.
Meridian
Julian dove for cover. He had been separated from the rest of the fight, and now was trying to avoid being deep-fried by Grimm.
Grimm was the only member in the fight with magical abilities. He was an older gentleman, Julian's elder by at least ten years, and his greying hair showed it. He wore a long, black and red robe, with ancient symbols inscribed down the back. On his wrists were two, glowing gauntlets. He aimed, and a white blast of energy hit beside Julian, forcing him to abandon his cover.
Although he had not been told the source of Grimm's powers, Julian could tell that it was funneled through his gauntlets.
"Don't suppose we can talk this out." Grimm said.
"Are you scared?" Julian replied.
"Of you? Don't be ridiculous." Grimm said. "But if I had the choice, I'd prefer not to beat you senseless. Personally, I find this whole fighting nonsense barbaric."
"Sorry, never been good with words."
Julian leapt out at Grimm, sword in hand. Grimm was ready for it, and sent Julian flying backwards with a single blast. Julian managed to scramble back to safety before the second blast hit.
"Very well, it always does seem to come to this in the end." Grimm said, firing another blast into the ground beside Julian. Julian could tell by the size of the crater beside him that he wasn't going to win this fight head on. But if he could just get those gauntlets…
Julian ran from behind cover and headed for an old building. He managed to dodge all of Grimm's attempted blasts, and made it to safety. It was one of the most stable buildings in Mora, and due to the trees that had grown around it, also one of the darkest.
Grimm followed behind Julian into the dark room. Grimm could neither see nor hear Julian, but he knew he was there. He used his gauntlets to create a light, but it was two late. Julian leapt from behind and grabbed Grimm's gauntlets.
At Julian's touch, the gauntlets produced a strong electric charge that shot through Julian, sending the ex-rebel to the ground.
"Did you really expect my greatest weapon to be without defenses?" Grimm said.
It was the last thing Julian heard before he let go of consciousness.
Balsilide
8 Years Ago
Endarno sits across from Ezerial and stares at the jewel he holds up. Ezerial smiles.
"Pretty neat, huh?" He says, his strength returning. "I've had it for 50 years and I still catch myself staring at it."
Enadrno quickly looks away from the crystal and stares back at the man.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." He says. "What is the Heart of Balsilide?"
"Figures." Ezerial says with a sigh. "In Meridian, having a Heart means you're royalty. Here? Nothing."
"I'm sorry, Meridian? Is that another city?" Endarno asks.
Ezerial laughs.
"You've got a lot to learn, kid. But I don't have a lot of time to teach, so listen up."
Endarno frowns at the older man's demanding tone.
"The Heart of Balsilide is one of many Hearts across the universe. Most of these Hearts are the magical representation of their worlds. Some represent even more then that, but lets not worry about that for now." Ezerial continues.
"This is all fascinating, but what does it have to do with me?" Endarno asks.
"Now, most people think of these Hearts as nothing more then a pretty jewel. A weapon, or at best, an instrument." Ezerial says, ignoring Endarno's question. "But they're wrong. The Heart is alive! It's sentinent! And yesterday, she did something she had never did before."
"What?"
"It screamed."
The impact of this statement is lost on Endarno.
"Why did it do that?"
"Because it saw something." Ezerial says. "Something that's going to happen. The future."
"What? What did it see? What's going to happen?" Endarno askes.
"Picture the worst thing you can possibly imagine."
"O.K."
"It's ten times worse then that."
Endarno thought about this for second.
"How do you know this?" he asks
"Because when the Heart screams, I listen." Ezerial says. "And I saw every excruciating detail. I saw the end of the universe pass before my eyes. And while it was doing this, one word was being repeated over and over again."
"What was the word?" Endarno askes.
"Endarno. She kept saying Endarno."
"Me? It said me? Why? I barely even understand what you're talking about!"
"I don't know. But I trust her, so here I am." Ezerial says.
"Can you show me what you saw?" Endarno askes.
"Yes, but…"
"But what?"
"No magic is free." Ezerial says. "There is a price you must pay, and it is this. This must be your burden. Only you may know what it shows you. If you tell any one what you see, while you live, then then the knowledge will be lost forever, and any chance of saving everything will be lost along with it. Are you willing to pay the price?"
"I am." Endarno said, without hesitation.
"Good boy. Buckle up."
Ezerial drops the Heart into Endarno's hand.
"What do I OH!"
A flood of images race through Endarno's mind. His mind is filled with death and pain. He barely manages to focus enough to understand the horrible future he is being shown. He feels only one emotion. Determination. He must stop this from happening, and only he can do it. Throughout the entire experience, one word is repeated. It's a word he's never heard before. The images fade and he is left with only a memory of what will be.
"What, what was that?" Endarno says, once he regains his bearings.
Ezerial cannot answer. He is lying on the floor, struggling to breathe.
"Ezerial! What happened to you?" Endarno says, dropping to the floor behind him.
"All magic has a price. Yours is silence, this is mine." Ezerial says slowly. "I'm not as young as I used to be. Showing you those images took the last of my energies. Did you understand what was being said?"
"I believe so." Endarno said. "But there was a word being repeated, one that I didn't understand."
"That's your first move, kiddo. Don't worry, you'll figure out what it means eventually. It's up to you now. Good luck. See you on the other side."
Those are the last words Ezerial will ever say. As he watches Ezerial die, Endarno notices the Heart of Balsilide being enveloped in a blinding light. When the light disappears, the Heart is gone.
Endarno stands up, confused. He does not know what to do. He doesn't know where to start. He doesn't know how to prevent the horrible future from coming to pass. All he knows is that he will. No matter what it takes, he will not let that future happen. He repeats to himself the one word he heard over and over again. That is his first step. If only he knew what it meant. He says it one more time out loud, just to hear what it sounds like when he says it.
"Kandrakar."
That is his first move.