Pyrus (5 page)

“Aquas get over here now or I swear to god that things will be worse for you than they are for Jack right now!” I was dumbstruck that Kris would talk to her that way, and so was Aquas. She glared at him for a moment, bared her teeth, but then silently surrendered.

“Jack!” Kris said, turning his attention toward me, “Picture turning off the container! You need to let the magii go or you will die! Your body cannot handle that much compressed magii.” I tried picturing things that turn off until my mind settled on me turning the water off on a faucet. The headache gradually started to subside, but right before it died, it released a final wave of pain that caused me to scream. A red haze formed around my body, but it died almost immediately. I collapsed onto the floor, still awake, but unable to move.

“Now is our chance!” Kris yelled. He quickly chanted a healing spell, and I immediately felt better. I sat up and stared at Kris.

“What … just happened?” I asked him timidly. I had blindingly dived into matters that I didn't understand, and once again, nearly died because of it. After all of the warnings Kris had given me, I still wanted to push past my limits.
What's wrong with me?
I wondered.
I was never like this back home. What's happening to me?

Kris responded breathlessly, “That is the result of too much magii flowing into your chamber at once. The chamber was not big enough, so it needed someplace to go. With more magii flowing through, there was no way to go back, so the magii exited through your body by some other means. What I saw has never happened before. I completely underestimated the strength of your magii chambers!” Aquas skulked off, angry at both of us.

Training resumed the next day, but at a much slower pace because I didn't want another accidental incident and I was scared shitless. Who wouldn't be? I definitely didn't want to think about what would've happened if Kris hadn't been there. As for the training, I learned how to channel the magii into all the chambers. We developed a three-day routine. I would learn how to channel the magii into a certain chamber one day, and then I would spend the next two days channelling into that specific chamber, increasing the size and mastering how to turn it on and off without having to meditate. It was a long and tiring process, mostly because I had no Kreysor of my own, so I had to rely on my own energy. Whenever I had free time during the two days of practicing, I would spend it running around with the animals in the forest.

I had finished the chamber training by the sixth week, so Kris taught me my first spell as a little surprise.

“The main thing with spell casting is that you cannot let anything distract you or else you will lose the flow of magii or sometimes have the spell backfire.” I nodded in understanding. I wasn't going to try anything risky this time; I had learned my lesson.

“Your first spell will be a minor healing one,
Fuhrhealminok
. I will assist you if the compression gets too major, but otherwise, feel free to give it a try,” Kris said.

“Kris?” I asked him, “Before I begin, I need to know, do some spells require channelling to multiple chambers?”

“That is a very good question. “Kris said. “Unfortunately, I do not know the answer to it. I have never been taught a spell that requires multiple channelling—but you never know. I do not think I have to remind you that even if you do not cast the spell on your first try, the magii will still be consumed.” I nodded, knowing all too well the result. My dreams were haunted by my first encounter with magii compression.

I felt the relaxation, but my muscles tightened. I no longer had to close my eyes and think about it; that's how natural it became. I continued channelling into my palms until I felt confident that I had stored enough magii into the chambers. I took a deep breath and shouted in a clear voice, “Fuhrhealminok!” The first thing I felt was the usual exhaustion of channelling, but this time there was no ache due to magii compression. The magii was exiting through my palms and was forming a white aura around my hands. I was so fascinated by it that I lost my focus and the aura disappeared. The spells aftereffects came though as I was hit with a wave of exhaustion.

“Well done, Jack!” Kris praised. “On your first try too! It seems like you will be able to learn my tribe's spells after all.” That one sentence made up for the six weeks of struggling, and I felt truly happy to no longer be on the sidelines. We needed to leave our camp because we were almost out of berries, but for that night, we ate, drank, and celebrated.

Chapter 9: The Test

I awoke this morning rather early. It's been six weeks since I began my training with Kris, but it seemed like only yesterday that I came to Tereer. I've actually started to forget memories of my time on Earth. It's not that I'm not homesick, but I've been so busy and fascinated that I've never really thought about going home. I sat up and looked back on everything up until this point, and then I got up and woke Kris up. He groggily mumbled the waterfall opening phrase, which I
still
don't know, and I exited our cave. The water masked the entrance behind me as I left. I couldn't get back in until Kris woke up, so the only way to go was into the forest.

I reentered the forest, following a river that joined the waterfall, then I stopped. Something felt different today than in my previous visits. I didn't realize what it was until I felt a cool breeze on my face, blowing my hair away (I really needed to do something about it). At first I thought that winter was settling in, but I don't think that this country has a winter. I mean, it has another sun instead of a moon! How could it get cold?

Clouds obscured the sky and replaced it with lightning and rain.
These are no ordinary thunderclouds,
I thought.
I may be new to this place, but the weather does not change in a matter of minutes, at least I don't think so.
I knew I had to check out what was going on, but logic was telling me to get Kris. Unfortunately, my curiosity was overpowering my logic, so I ran to the river to get a quick drink before setting off, and I froze.

This was the first time I had seen my reflection in a while, and I looked … different. If I walked into my home on Earth, my family would call the cops for having a stranger break in. That basically describes how I looked. My hair had grown so long that it was almost down to my shoulders. I was growing a beard, and I looked physically fit. I definitely needed to do something about my hair though. I stared at myself for a long time, contemplating the best method to cut my hair, when I heard thunder. I had been so transfixed by how much I changed that I completely forgot about why I went to the river in the first place. I quickly started drinking as much water as I could.

I slowed my breathing into a rhythmic beat and started the channelling process. My thigh chambers were slowly filling with magii, and I was making sure that I was channelling as much as possible, because hey, it never pays to be prepared. When I felt a cramp in my thighs, I knew that I was ready to go. My magii chambers were full, so I set myself into a running stance, and since it is my first time doing an actual field test, I want to have a little fun with it.

“Three … Two … One … Go!” I yelled, and I am off like a speeding bullet. I was always amazed at the speed Kris could run, but truth be told, I think I was going faster. Five trees are passing me a second, animals are blurs as I speed by them, probably terrifying them, but the rush is just so amazing that I had to cry out in joy. My eyes are getting watery, but I'm going too fast to just stop. I've been running for a while now, the excitement dying down a little since I'm glancing at the same surroundings no matter where I look. Even though each tree is a different shade of green, it's still all green!

It's starting to get difficult to keep the steady pace. The nice little clearing that had few trees and a straight path is gone, and now I'm back into the major part of the forest. Trees are everywhere, so I sidestep, slide around, between, and under tree branches, still maintaining my speed. I glance up at the sky, and I notice that I'm getting closer to the thunder clouds; they're only a few kilometers away. I lost which direction I'm going and as soon as my eyes shift back:

“Oh crap!” A tree is right in front of me. “Brace for impact!” The collision is unavoidable now.
Thud!

I've been lying here for about ten minutes. I have no clue as to how far I am until I reach the abnormality in the sky, so I think that I should keep the rest of my magii until I really need it. Unfortunately, I can't effectively cut off the flow without closing my eyes just yet, so I hope that any potential threats don't decide to attack. I think I'm getting a little paranoid about enemy encounters, but in my first week here, I was attacked twice, so I think I deserve to be.

I finally get up, and I immediately fall back down. The strain of magii overuse is taking its toll on my body, and it feels awful!
Every advantage has to have a disadvantage!
My mind curses.
Why can't I just get the awesome stuff with no downside? Because that's the unfortunate thing about life!
I manage to get a glimpse of where I am, and it turns out that I'm right below a giant black thundercloud. I see that about halfway down the wall of black clouds, puffy white ones take over and rule the other half. It looks more like two armies facing each other when you look at it a second time.

The only cloud that seemed to compromise was a giant gray one. This cloud is bigger than the rest, and it is booming thunder, and flashes are occurring inside the cloud. I stare for a minute … or five … or maybe ten until I finally decide to move toward the grey battle cloud.

I'm climbing a hill, but I'm so tired it feels like a mountain. It's steep enough to be one. As I climb, approaching the battle cloud, reality dawns on me: I have no weapon! Smooth move, Jack!
Well, I have my fists, and I can channel my reserves to increase my strength.
But my feet just stayed put, immobilized by fear.
Obviously my brain isn't providing a good solution to my problem. Mental note: Ask Kris for a weapon!

My walking resumes, now out of sheer will power. I reach the top, and I think I just nearly fainted. I am looking at a wasteland. What I was standing on was black ash that may have once been grass. All the trees that may have populated this section are practically gone; the ones left are either black or frozen. Hopefully if there were any animals here, they got out safely before Armageddon struck. That was the better word to describe it, either Armageddon or a small version of an atomic bomb without the radiation.

Hovering right above the crater of desolation is the battle cloud. Believe me, when I say that this thing was big, it's an understatement. It was the size of the wasteland, if not a bit bigger, and lightning bolts frequently struck the ground. I had no hiding spot, so I just stood at the edge of the plain, observing. The bolts struck in an irregular pattern but always at the same spot. After listening to the thunder for a while, it began to sound different. It began to sound more and more like that familiar but mysterious sound and less like thunder.

The lightning continued, and after about ten minutes of pondering, I finally knew what the mystery sound was. I was right in one aspect: the sound was definitely not thunder; it was the sound of clashing steel. I had heard this sound during the epic battle between Kris and Lyra, and when the lightning struck the ground the next time, the flash was so bright inside the cloud that I actually saw the outline of two people for a second. One had something in its hand, and the other was on its knees. I had a feeling I knew this person. I
did
know one of them!

No way …
I thought.
It's just not possible!
But then again, I've already underestimated what this world could throw at me. I shook my head in disbelief, and my heart wouldn't accept what my mind was telling me. I was staring at the cloud, watching the lightning bolts occur with each collision of steel, until one very loud clash sent both of the warriors sailing out of the battle cloud, and my worst fear was realized. This was no clash between normal warriors; this was a Kreydur battle—and one of the contenders was Lyra!

I only figured it out minutes before, but I still couldn't believe it. Since her Kreysor was lightning, the lightning bolts on the ground gave it away. She probably didn't even remember me, but I was sure that she was here. Here, , not an inch away from me. She looked no different from when I encountered her six weeks ago, except that her armor was covered in blood, and her right arm seemed injured. Her beauty transfixed me, and for that one moment, I felt truly happy that I saw her again.

The moment was ruined when she finally noticed me practically gawking over her. Her beautiful eyes showed surprise, as if she remembered me but couldn't believe I was here—mostly I think she was shocked at the forest I call hair. Then her expression changed almost immediately to anger. I immediately felt like I should run. Like far, far away before I got killed.

“You … you should not be here!” she hissed.

“That's how you greet someone who you haven't seen in six weeks?” I retorted, smiling. She then walked over to me, her right arm hanging lamely at her side, and got right in my face.

“I can handle myself fine enough without your help.” she replied hotly. “You will probably only get in my way, and I will not be able to protect both you and myself.”

“What's the situation here?” I questioned, ignoring her insult. “Why's this dude out to get you? What's his Kreysor's element? And why does this place look like the grim reaper just visited?” She eyed me with both surprise and suspicion at my knowledge. She took a step back and spoke.

“We are battling for the same reason I attacked your Kreydur friend, because he is outside of his country's border,” she explained. “Cyclos does not want another country to invade this one due to its lack of a Kreydur. The enemy is from the country of Tundar, the land of ice, and the reason why the forest looks destroyed is that we have been battling for several days now, and the forest has suffered because of it.” It was a lot of information to take in at one time, but I listened and tried to get the gist of it.

I wasn't directly involved here, and I could've just left and tried to forget this encounter, but my heart wouldn't listen. I smiled at her, walked up to her, and placed my hands on her injured arm.

“Fuhrhealminok,” I muttered, making sure that she couldn't hear.

“Excuse me?” she shouted. “Get away from me right now!” By the time she had finished her sentence, the white aura had formed around my palms, and I was channeling the rest of my magii to mending her wounds.

By then I had completely tuned her out along with everything else in the world. It was like my consciousness was travelling with my magii, scouting and healing. There were no severe cuts that my spell couldn't tend to, except for a giant gash that almost made it to the bone. I could repair the damaged tissue, allowing her to move her arm again, but the cut would still remain and continue to bleed if she moved it too much. After pulling off one final scan, I stopped the magic. My eyes opened, and I blinked as they readjusted to being in my own body.

“I've done the best I can do.” My voice sounded so different now, and I imagined that I probably looked as healthy as Kris did when he used too much magii healing my arms.

“The main cut in your arm is less severe, but try not to strain it or the wound will reopen,” I said.

“Thank you,” she said rather softly. But then her mental armor was back on, and she stared at me.

“When did you learn how to use magic?” she demanded.

“There's time … for explanations … later.” I panted. It was getting really difficult to avoid passing out, but I needed to stay focused.

“I need to rest for a minute … I'm drained. Then I'll be able to help!” I piped up.

“You have done enough,” she said to me, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

“Well now! Do I get my injuries healed too? We are both extremely tired, and it does not seem fair for you to have an advantage.” A voice called out in the distance. I followed Lyra's gaze and saw the Kreydur of ice. His tone was bitter and icy, and he wore the same armor as Kris and Lyra. His skin was snow white, and his hair was a short mess of blonde curls. What truly made me afraid of this man, though, were his piercing ice blue eyes. Just looking at them, I could see he was not afraid to kill someone to achieve his own goals.

“Little magician,” he said to me almost casually, “I would appreciate your cooperation with my demands—I do not want to have to kill you.” I was frozen by fear, and I had the appearance and energy of an eighty-year-old man. Lyra was right: I really am only going to get in the way. The man was getting closer and closer toward me, but I couldn't even stand up. Lyra watched and said nothing as if she was contemplating what to do.
Well, I'm the one who helped you, damn it!
I thought. I was on the verge of another panic attack. My heart was beating so fast that my older body couldn't handle it, and I think it just stopped.

I clutched my heart and gasped for air. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. The world started spinning, and I was getting so dizzy I collapsed onto the ground. It then started turning different colors.

“Jack?” Lyra called out. “What's wrong? Jack!” She rushed to my side, but by then, I was almost dead. I tried to call out to her, but my mouth didn't seem to want to work. Then it all faded into black; the last glimpse of light being Lyra.

“Hey, you idiot!” A voice called out. “I told you not to die on me just yet!” And I don't know how it happened, but my heart let out a slow
thump.
It did this about five times, then it started to speed up. It finally resumed its normal pace, and I was able to open my eyes and sit up. Lyra instantly moved away, probably afraid of my instantaneous recovery. I thought I should ask her about that after the battle was over. My hair and skin started to return to their normal color as my magii chambers refreshed.

“Oh good, you seem to have recovered your magii,” the ice Kreydur said. He was now sitting on a frozen tree, examining his fingernails. When he noticed me start to stand, he jumped out of the tree and landed gracefully as a bird.

“Now, if you do not mind,” he said, walking toward me and pointing to his right shoulder, which had a gash about the size of my thumb. I immediately started breathing heavily again, and my knees wavered. Lyra instinctively caught me and sat me down.