Episode31- A visit from my past.
2105 Words
The sudden change in Mael's voice and attitude has everyone whispering and moving further away from him. His entire body is glowing, and he is hanging midair. Water begins to pour out from his entire body, fangs out of his teeth and eyes glowing red. The student and Professor Task move entirely away from him. The surrounding ice begins to crack wide open and firm into balls of ice floating midair, around where Mael is.
“To win this battle, all your mind must be purged of distraction. You must come to accept who you are and what you stand for. There is no going back once the journey has begun. It won't be easy. But….” His eyes dart and squint intensely at Grenada, who has hidden among other students. The atmosphere calms down, the ice balls drop and Mael sinks to the floor, all the cracked ice repaired without even a trace that it has been once broken.
There is more uproar. It takes several yellow firecrackers made from ice exploding from the end of Professor Task’s hand to bring silence.
“Prefects,” she rumbles, “lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!”
Duke is in his full command.
“Follow me! Stick together, first years in one line! The rest of the levels are in another line. No need to fear the incident if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm the prefect! Nothing to see here. Move! Move! Stop staring.”
“Ouch!” Mael said wobbling.
“He's a weirdo,” a kid with black hair wearing big spectacle whispers to another kid as they pass him.
“Look what he did.” Another one says.
“He almost killed us. Maybe the rumours are true. What a mess.” A sassy girl says.
On hearing what the students were saying, Mael bends his head and begins to shake it vigorously, almost in tears.
“Antigon, are you okay?” Professor Task asks. The arena is almost empty except for a few students who are huddling to find their way out of there. Harry and Melody are waiting to talk to Mael.
“Please, may I be executed? I don't feel so well.”
“I am afraid you've to go down to the holdings.”
“That is fine with me.”
Before Harry could reach him, he scrambles off, ignoring everyone calling after him. Not paying attention to whosoever that was calling or trying to talk to him. He passes everyone in a rush and, through Hunters, goes to the holdings.
Harry suddenly grabs Melody’s arm.
“I’ve just thought — let us give him time.”
“What if he needs us?”
“We might make things worse. He needs to be alone and have time to himself.”
Melody bits her lip, “oh, all right,” she snaps. “But we better talk to him as soon as he gets back. He needs us more than we know.”
Ducking down, they joined the rest of the class to go back to their dormitories.
********************
“I've done it this time,” mumbling to himself as he is pacing around the holdings. “I made a fool of myself in front of everyone. Out of where and time for my Ice power to show up, it had to be in front of everyone during class. This is what I was fighting so hard to avoid. Earning the weird title. But of course, I couldn't keep up with it any longer.” Punching the wall, “what am I going to do now? How am I supposed to handle everyone? Going out to face everyone isn't even an option. Mael Vandisia, you had to bring your ill-luck with you to this new environment that has been nothing but kind to you.” Reaching for his birthmark with his left hand, “why does this stupid birthmark keep burning?” He enters into a trance. The hidings are pitch black, all the candles are blown out.
“Amor. Amor. Wake up!” A vague boy is shaking a little girl awake. She moans. violent shaking accompanies the panicked whisper.
“Hmm, leave me alone.!”
“Amor. Get up, immediately!”
She moans and rubs her eyes. The boy stands over him, his clothes drenched in sweat. The boy continues to try to shake her awake.
They are in a barn. Hughes looking around, his eyes wide in fear.
“Wa's going on?” The girl grunts, sitting up confused.
“Come on. Get up. We have to go now!” The boy pulls her to her feet.
“What's going on?” She grabs a torn cloak hanging on a broken chair.
“Let's get out of here,” Hughes whispers, taking her hand and dragging her out of the barn with him.
The girl keeps looking around confused while barely keeping up with the boy's pace. As they keep running, Mael sees the entire village on fire, animals dead, bodies littered everywhere and faint screams could be heard from afar.
“What's going on?” The girl asks between heavy breaths, sweating despite the cool night air.
“The Queen and her soldiers have set the entire village on fire. I think she wants to draw us out. She killed anyone her hands and eyes could behold. All the animals too are gone.”
“That witch with her puppets keep getting evil day after day. We need help.” She says with teary eyes.
“Ah!” Mael screams. Doing that, all the glasses around shatters, the candles land on the floor and the room become bright once more.
Rushing in, “Omiri! I felt your energy.” Rabbi Humbledore.
“I just saw a vision. The first thing in a long time, that I can remember.”
“What did you see?”
“A city going up in flames. The Queen has murdered many people. Sparing no one at all. Everything in total ruin.”
“Yes, you saw right, Omiri.” Sitting on the edge of his bed, “that is what has become the five Kingdoms. Your aunty has left them in total ruin. The Kingdoms we once knew is up in nothing but ashes. That is why you need to become king. You are the only one who can save us all from our doom.”
“How am I supposed to do that when I can't even get through my classes without making a mess? The whole school thinks a stupid, dumb boy,” shedding tears.
“You are none of those. Focus, clear your mind, and you will connect with everyone.”
“I can't remember the recent events in my life.”
“Don't push yourself too hard. You will remember.” Stretching out his hand, “come, I want to show you.”
Mael follows him as they pass through Hunters to a dark tunnel, and they are in front of Ground of Peace.
“What are we doing here? I thought we were banned from coming here.”
“Others, yes. But, you, no.”
“Interesting. What are we doing here?”
“You already know about the sword of Peace. This is where you have the chance of reconnecting with your ancestors. I'll allow you to get to it then.”
“Wait, are you leaving me?”
Turning away from Mael, “you must take this journey alone. In other to find out who you truly are, the walk is for you alone. Down your path, there are no friends or family. Just you alone. Remember, clear your mind, focus and meditate. Calm as the waters, fierce as fire, strong like vampires, swift as air and mysterious like a witch.” He disappears, leaving Mael alone.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly sits on the floor, close to the Ice part near the oak tree. Looking at the tree once more, he closes his eyes. Clearing his thought, I don't know what I am supposed to do, but whatever it is, please find me.”
A thousand doves from nowhere flutter a thousand more swoops over Maels in low black clouds, making glittering lights fall from them. A flaming torch appears suddenly on a goblet. It is burning rapidly.
Mael is just trying to get used to what has happened around him all of a sudden when everything stalls. Mael has terror on his face and is staring when he slumps against the ice and gasps. “I see you — talk — scared little man.”
This man's head is of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet that of a man. He is colossal and towering over Mael.
Chuckling, “I am no man, Omiri. You are a reincarnation of me. I chose you to fulfil what I couldn't. Bring my children together.” His voice is thunderous.
“What you couldn't?” Mael's lips trembling.
“Yes. I want to show you something.”
Placing both hands on Mael's eyes, he removes it swiftly. A charming city appears before him. Trampling on the city, are five boys fighting among themselves. A woman dressed in a red long gown is standing by one of the boys, with another woman dressed in all black is standing beside the first woman. A man walks to where they are, trying to separate the fight. One of the boys stabs the man with a sword. They all see the man fade away, but doesn't attempt to save him.
“What is happening there?” Mael asks the massive man.
“That is what happened to me. The city you are seeing was my five kingdoms all in one. At that time, there was no separation or war. But Omisha, my first wife, got greedy and angry when she learned that I wanted to share power evenly among my children. I didn't want supremacy of any sort. Betrayed by her, she sorts the help of Nimshi who gave her my sword which in turn she gave her son, who stab me with it.”
“I thought you couldn't be killed.”
“Yes, I can't be killed, but my soul will be trapped. That is why when I noticed the plot, I confined in Rimalon to choose a pure descendant of mine for me to be born again through.”
“And of all the people, you chose me when you have more capable families. You saw my life and decided to make it more miserable. What am I supposed to do now?"
“The reason I am showing you this is for you to know what you are up against.”
“I can't ever be prepared for this. This is a fight against myself.”
“You need to save my people. When you are ready, the sword of Peace will show itself in due time.”
“I don't think I would ever be ready. I've made a mess of myself before everyone. Who would want a king like me? How am I even a king?”
“A king doesn't seek the approval of others. You are mostly alone because some decisions will make you stand on your own. The most important thing is for you to be just and fair. You've Harry and Melody. Don't overwork yourself. Everything will be fine.”
He starts walking to the oak tree, “you need to win the struggle because a lot is happening. I can't do anything because I am not here. But, you are.”
“Tell me how to fix, at least our Ground of Peace. How would make it right? This is our saving ground.”
“I can't do anything for you, but I can tell you something, the problem is here.” Omiri starts fading into crystals, “you are stronger than you know.” He fades out completely.
“Tell me something useful rather than this parable. I need something apart from all this, please.” Mael begs the fading figures. Rather than getting a response, he meets cool air whistling before his face.
“Great! Just so great. What am I to do. Stumbling block upon a stumbling block. No progress. None. What is with all these parables around here?”
Waving his hand casually, Sword of Peace, please reveal yourself,” he says sarcastically.
- Writer
