Path Of The Broken

1 Wild Fire A cacophony of noise hummed throughout the jungle, from insects, birds, animals small and large that called it home. The uninitiated could be forgiven for thinking the wilderness would be quiet, believing it was mostly uninhabited. Human settlements close to the tree line contented themselves with foraging on the edges. There were many legends involving the great forest and most, being superstitious, avoided venturing too far inside. Outsiders, explorers and merchants at various times had set off to exploit the riches contained among the trees. There were no roads or trails beyond the edge, so any who wanted to venture beyond the boundary were forced to use hunting knives to hack at bushes and vines to get farther. They either returned frustrated and empty-handed, or were simply never seen alive again. Only experienced huntsmen survived, with a series of basic huts scattered in the depths of the wilds only they knew how to navigate. Alex had no notion how long he lay there stripped down to undergarments on the hard wooden cot in the hunter’s cottage in his weakened state. His dark brown hair was plastered to his forehead as sweat beaded on his skin. Uncontrollable tremors wracked his lean, well-muscled body as he expended energy he was fast running out of in the effort of maintaining his mental barriers. He was drifting in and out of consciousness no matter how much he tried to prevent himself from doing so. It was too dangerous for him to slip into the darkness, yet that knowledge didn't keep it from happening. Another wave of sickness crashed over him, and moaning in despair he lost control of the barrier he’d been sustaining; it flickered, then collapsed. As the power he’d been holding at bay hit him, Alex’s eyes flared open, glowing. His body arched off the bed as thick bolts from the veil crossed the curtain between the worlds appeared in the air all around him, repeatedly hammered into his flesh—energy hungry to get to him after being denied. Like a series of lightning strikes the power channelled through his body and mind. Every muscle in his body contracted, fire sang and raced through him. Incredible pain lanced with it as if his body and mind were being reforged in the fire. His mouth opened to scream yet no sound came out to disturb anyone, not even the animals. There were advantages to occupying an abandoned hunter’s hut. Even if he’d screamed out loud, there was no one near enough to hear him. If he lost control, there was no one else to hurt. Those with abilities to perceive the world around them in other ways were not so lucky. Alex’s mental cry rang out, reverberating through the rank and file of the Tainted—Sundered, Kin and Elder. The veil churned though him at levels he couldn’t contain. Between one breath and the next it stopped, as if someone had turned the power off at its source. A groan escaped his lips as he rolled over onto his side, curling into the foetal position and relaxed. As if that was the cue the energy had been waiting for, the surrounding air crackled with multiple bolts launching into him. The whole cottage seemed alive, the power writhing across the roof, down the wooden walls, filling the hut top to bottom. Alex stiffened and screamed in pain, and fire erupted from him; he saw everything around him disintegrate as his world exploded. Where once a hunter’s hut had stood, there was a circular, blackened, dead patch of forest. In the unnatural silence, the only sound was a crackling noise from small flames dancing and flickering in the air around Alex’s naked, unconscious form on the ground. Alex stirred, his groans muffled among the trees. The cheery flames flicking in and out continued their dance above him. Alex twitched, then jerked upright. He landed on his feet, looking around wildly, and the flames, seeming to recognise his fright, leapt higher. He looked at them, wide-eyed. Then the flames went out as if they'd never been except for the mute testimony of the blackened forest. Alex looked down at himself. His memory told him he should be gravely injured with bad burns, yet his skin was flawless, even if he was naked, which suggested that perhaps his fragmented memory was correct. He’d been trying to stop himself from reaching the veil. Obviously that hadn’t worked so well. His powers had exploded out of his control, burning the hut to the ground along with the surrounding forest. Alex sank to his knees, hysterical laughter erupting from his lips. Despite what the healers had always recommended his whole life, he was rapidly coming to the conclusion that trying to cut himself off from the power of the veil wasn’t a good idea. Just as he settled, the current, almost lucid state he seemed to have achieved fled from him once more, and he lost control again. The veil surged into him from all around. His control faltered, filled to bursting point with energy that had to escape somewhere. The building power seemed to throb and burn as it raced through him. Feeling his mind scatter like dust in the wind, he threw his head back and screamed in pain. Flame rose around him, roaring up into the sky, yet contained to the already burnt patch he’d been standing in. The wildfire ceased, and Alex collapsed onto his knees, tension draining from his body. Power glowed from him as he looked up, eyes blank, and then he disappeared into the veil.