Chapter 3: The Twins
1694 Words
Tyler was still in shock.
Questions filled his head, and it would want to blow up. Even though everything seemed real, he still hoped that he was dreaming.
"Are you sure you want to hear this?" Helmina asked.
Tyler snickered. "D-Do I have a choice? I mean, I'm confused, and I want answers, so yeah."
His mum led them to their dining room and then plugged her electric kettle. She headed to the nearest bags of teas besides the jar full of unopened boxes of cereals. They all sat together in the dining room, tucked themselves, and waited for his mum to begin her story. He silently waited for her to start. Some parts of him were yelling inside to let it go, ditch them and sleep instead, but some of him was also seeking for answers. "It happened thousands of years ago—" she stopped and took a deep breath "— it was long before new races were created and thrived on the new earth. The mortals had faced a great tribulation and had the taste of great wrath from the Olympians. An era where everyone was sentenced to death and suffering. The Gods of Olympus permitted themselves to give any form of help to any of the mortals, even Zeus swore to the river Styx. That is when after Pandora opened her box, everything went horrendous to the humans."
"What? I mean, yeah I know what has happened to Pandora, but what is the connection of Pandora's story to Amber being a demo... wizard?"
"Can you just let your mum finish?" Amber suggested furiously.
Amber pinched him.
"Okay! Okay. No need for that."
"If anyone of them breaks their oath—" she continued "—that god must lose his or her powers and vanish like he had never existed." Helmina stood up and brewed another cup of tea. "But not everyone stayed quiet and did not care. There was this goddess who had renounced her own oath. She knew that the oath was contradictory to what she has in her heart, so she swallowed her fear and betrayed her own thoughts. She went down from her lair and made a decision that changed the fate of both humans and sorcery."
"So, did she die?" Tyler blurted.
"Ugh, man really?" Amber brought out his wand. "Sorry, Tyler. Silento." Tyler's mouth immediately went numb, and his tongue curled. He struggled, but no one took pity on him. His mum smiled then sipped her tea. "Better. Do you like more milk?" She asked Amber.
"Yes, please." he answered "You talk too much, Tyler. Aunt Mina, please continue." Tyler tried to complain, but he wasn't making any sound.
"She was called Hecate, the goddess of veil, magic, witchcraft, and sorcery. Her unconditional love towards her dying mortal lover drove her to do things unacceptable to gods and her fate, but Hecate did not mind at all that she even risked her own life." Helmina sipped her tea. "Hecate was pregnant with twin boys, and she was so desperate. Her strong affection and care towards Arthur, his mortal lover, was remarkable that even Hera blessed her twins twice. The legend said that before she vanished, she bestowed all of her remaining strength, magic, and power to let her twins and husband live, and so she won't also be forgotten like never existed. She gave all her remaining powers and abilities to her two sons. She presented her husband a book and 2 gems wrapped in a black and white cloth tied with golden linen yarn. Hecate warned Arthur only to give them each of those wrapped gifts not until they are fifteen." Helmina paused. Her attention was caught because of the news about the arrival of Queen Elizabeth to mainland China. She wanted to hear the story, but she turned it off and continued.
"The two boys grew up with Arthur. His sons had a lot of differences even when they were still a baby. He called the firstborn Naflamuss because of his intense golden eyes like Hecate and the second, Dwergloud because of his reserved and indrawn aura radiating across the room. The two boys grew up exposed to magic and sorcery. Naflamuss acquired the mischievous and adventurous characteristics of his mother; he'd always drag his younger brother and leave him in so much trouble. Unlike Dwergloud, who was the complete opposite of him, always liked to play the flute, read books about Greek herbs, and sleep in the warm fresh breeze of summer under the huge laurel tree. He always wanted to learn alone, but Naflamuss would always interrupt that they ended up always learning things together. Naflamuss was strong, and his skills were remarkable that he often defeated Artemis and Apollo in shoot the apple right exactly in the middle contest. They would place it literally miles away from their sight. Like they would stand from London, and the apple was at the top of Statue of Liberty." She mused.
Amber slipped his wand back to his pocket and winked at Tyler.
Tyler rolled his eyes.
"Their father gave them a book of spells. Hecate herself wrote every unique magic she had developed since the day she was created through the faith of the earliest magicians. That book was one of the greatest possessions of their mother. They both shared learnings about herbs, sorcery, necromancy, and magic. At a very young age, they both achieved to manipulate the 4 basic elemental forces, talk to wild nymphs, heal their father when injured, or even talk to animals. They had no problem doing those. The two boys were also overlooked by the gods of Olympus, especially Hera. She became their personal protector and second mother. She treated them like her own sons and did everything to return back all the favours Hecate did when she needed her assistance when Zeus was missing flirting with other mortals. On their 15th birthday, their father gave each of them the wrapped treasure. The white one to Naflamuss and the black one to Dwergloud." Helmina was interrupted by the knock on the door. The McDonalds they ordered came in time.
"I'll get it. Just continue Aunt Mina." Amber suggested. Helmina gave Amber the payment and continued.
"Where was I again?"
"Hugmm Hughmm mmm mmmgh..." Tyler said with his mouth still sealed with magic.
"Right... Naflamuss and Dwergloud both unsealed their gifts. Silence swelled in their room, and their father also had no idea what were those. But the brief moment of reticence was cut right after the stones gleamed faint black and white lights. They wafted and shimmered together. The lights mirrored pleasure, affliction, victory, and loss the twins had endured throughout their 15 years of existence. A strong smell of rose and lavender balm filled their room, and their father began to recognise. A vague shape of a beautiful woman traced across the shimmering light and the twins tried to decipher who she was. The figure was their mother, Hecate. She began to talk to Arthur. He could not contain his longing feelings for her voice and the smell that he forgot to speak back to her. Arthur tried to embrace her, but he couldn't because she was like a hollow projected body from a holographic container. Hecate told them that before she helped him during the great tribulation, she knew that she'd jeopardise her life for them. So she got a mystical stone from the chambers of Iris and put some of her powers so she could speak to them one last time. She talked to her sons and told them everything and how they can change the troubled world of mortals into something more desirable. How their powers work and how to use them not to harm, but to help the people in need. Before she disappeared into a swirl of purple gleam, she handed her sons their tokens and treasures. A wand crafted by Circe herself and blessed by the coven of moon elves and magic. Hecate stared at his husband and twins once again. She held back her bulging tears and spoke Be strong. Help everyone. Be the best Wizards. She told her sons then a bright light swallowed her."
Amber went inside carrying their McDonalds and sat beside Helmina. He tapped Tyler's mouth, and the spell vanished.
"Thank goodness! You cruel demon!" Tyler insulted.
"Blah blah," Amber replied before taking a massive bite on his big mac.
"They both exercised their powers to assemble their own guild like what their mother instructed them. A guild for Greek demigods, witches, and wizards." Helmina continued "They called it the Strifwick Guild. Their alliance with the Olympians made the earth a safer place for all races to live in. Mortals, demigods, witches, wizards, everyone. In Strifwick, everyone was taught to handle the certain elemental force for protection, as a useful weapon, and powerful defence during war. I don't know how Dwergloud became wicked. But all I knew was that he wanted to become immortal like his brother. So he raised his own army of wizards, other gods, the exiled Titans with their ultimate mission of overthrowing the Olympians, wipe all the inhabitants of Strifwick guild, mortals, and rule the world."
"How come the Naf guy is immortal and Mr Dwergloud not?" Tyler asked.
"That is something I didn't know," Helmina admitted.
"How about this egg?"
"Egg what?" Amber asked.
Tyler bolted to his room and took the scarlet egg. As soon as Amber saw it, he knew what it was.
"This egg." Tyler placed the egg on the table. "So last night, I had this nightmare. A fire lady told me that my Uhm... Dad stole that for me." He said, locking with his mother's eyes.
"Tyler..." Amber put his burger down. Eyes wide. "I'm afraid that's Gryphon's egg."
"A what?"
"Those symbols, it's Greek. It says 'Gryphon'."
"Could it be?" Helmina gave Amber a nervous look.
The telephone rang in their kitchen. Helmina stood and went carrying her cuppa. Tyler smirked and stared at the egg with astonishment, imagining how it will look like after it hatched.
He had seen tons of eggs throughout his life and even tasted crocodile egg ice cream. But, this once was different.
"That egg belonged to a goddess," Amber told him, and panic formed in Tyler's throat. "Want to hear the story?"
Tyler did not respond, but he knew Amber will drop another bomb. So he nodded and readied himself.
- Writer
