The Elementalist Book 1 (Void Master Series)

Chapter 9: Flames of Judgement

Part 3

Zeryl believing himself to be safe even if for a moment sad down and rested for a bit. After a few minutes, the fire insignia started glowing on his hand and producing a kind of heat that felt like his hand was on fire and burning from the inside despite his hand being intact.

It was at this moment that he heard the ominous voice again say, “Your trial is not yet over young one. Though you have earned the insignia of blaze, you must learn how to harness its power. Only then will you be able to wield the weapon of fire. Fail and be swallowed up forever by its flames of judgement!” At this moment, Zeryl looked around the room and noticed something disturbing. He was still inside the volcano, and below him was a pool of quickly rising magma. Seeing this Zeryl tried to activate his weapon once more to protect him.

However, it would not respond, and his left hand started to burn even more. Realizing what could possibly happen, Zeryl started to panic. Immediately, he reaches for the hot walls and attempts to climb. Despite the heat of the walls, he continues to climb making it about halfway up. When the walls start rumbling violently, rocks are now falling down in complete disorder towards him. He attempted to dodge these rocks. Ultimately, he fails as a random rock hits him from behind another one and knocks him back to the ledge from whence he started.

As Zeryl rises, to try once more the pain in his arm from the fire emblem grew ever stronger and more unbearable. At this moment, the voice speaks once more except, revealing itself to be the volcano saying, “Is that all the resolve you can muster young one? Canst thou withstand a little pain? Art thou not worthy to inherent the heat that burns with the flames of judgement? The flames of judgement await to purge thee! Feel it’s ever burning wrath and fall into the pit of fire and die! For thou mayest not be worthy! Thou are full of contradiction and your deceit shall not go unpunished.”

The lava started to reach the top of the ledge where Zeryl was laying in pain. As Zeryl laid there in pain, he started considering what the volcano has said. It was at this time he remembered the words of the Great Worm from the desert. “Whilst I see no evil in thee there lie within the void of your soul a darkness that will eventually attempt to overtake thee. Be thou careful as thy journey continues and earn the light of fire for darkness and death seeks your soul”

Believing that the deceit that volcano spoke of to be the darkness in his soul it was at this point Zeryl was about to give up. Then he remembered that, “Only those who are courageous, trustworthy, and respectful of the power of the elements and also obey and heed their commands will find retribution,” told to him by his own mother. “You must trust in the elements themselves and they will protect you and guide you; but betray their trust and you will perish. To do this you must believe in yourself first Zeryl.”

While this may be extreme to tell a five-year-old child, it reassured Zeryl as he relaxes a bit then sits up on the ledge. After five minutes the volcano erupts.………………………… Meanwhile, outside the volcano, the people of the tribe and the chief watched as the time for the trial was finally nearing completion. Everyone who watched the young boy walk into the active volcano grew worrisome of the boy’s life. Just then, the volcano erupts violently. Everyone whom had hopes that Zeryl would finally be the first to make it assumes the worst and goes about his or her day. The chief sadly then declares Zeryl to be dead on the spot and that the second trial had been failed again. For it had been too long since they had a champion of fire as well as a new guardian of the flame elemental; however, the chief retained hope as a month had passed and the guardian worm had not yet returned.