Chapter 11 part II
Note: Bold=🐺 speaking out loud.
Italics bold= 🐺 thoughts 💭
Italics= POV thoughts
I could feel an impending sense of dread and unease when he said that to me.
To kill him? Why?
I wanted to ask him more but he didn't give me the opportunity to as he swiftly disappeared.
Comming back to senses, I needed to do this first before I could back to what Azul had said.
I had borrowed one of the robes from the Azul's grandfather. It came to my attention that I couldn't just walk in there, especially since I don't have the power to conjure fire.
I learned from Elder Aodh that each elder from Fire Elementa had a distinctive robe. All had a way of telling if their owner was wearing it or not. Also, they have a way of casting spells on the robe, like location spells. So, it wasn't a good idea for me to wear just anyone else's. Since Elder Aodh knew about our plans he gave me his.
Thankful for his great memory of knowing the library from the back of his hands. He placed a spell where the robe would direct me to the exact location.
The darkness felt heavy, oppressive, and almost supernatural to my liking. I followed the floating flame that came from the robe. It swiftly turned to each corner, directing me and giving me no time but to keep up with its agility.
The library is truly what it was rumoured to be. A dangerous labyrinth, if not careful will never be able to come out. It was designed only for fire elementas who were skillful enough to remember their way back. Even I, who is capable of capturing everything in fine detail, am not able to remember the confusing pathway the fire led me in.
The floating flames stopped briefly and for a distance, I was able to see the large dome. As I got in closer the creeping cold, and darkness followed while the flames slowly began to dim. The shelves and walls started to move in closer to one another as if it sensed an intruder. My body chilled long before the air or ground became so cold. This temperature didn’t faze me at all, my body was capable of adapting to freezing below temperature.
I chuckled to myself, “idiots.” I guess they never thought that it would be possible for someone from the air or water elementa to come this deep in. I began to alter my body, becoming one with my surroundings. I combine my water and air energy, making my body fluid and flexible enough to move through tight spaces.
A fire elementa would’ve been impatient and used fire and destroyed the place making it obvious that someone was there. While a land elementa would've split everything into smaller pieces.
Makes me wonder if Cináed created this library based on this idea. It would only make sense because both air and water can move with their objects without breaking a thing.
By the time I had finally reached the dome, the floating fire had completely died out. Inside seemed like any other greenhouse but I know all too well that wasn’t the case here. Beautiful flowers were planted inside, flowers that could live through Cináed’s burning powers. His essence must've been calm right now.
I shifted to my wolf, my wings outstretched and began to move them back and forward motion. Strong gusts of wind formed by my will, along with water intertwined together creating a massive tsunami wave that now headed towards the dome chattering all the glasses.
This would be enough to wake up and irritate his essence.
The shattered glasses slowly turned into fire and began to collide together as if rebuilding itself back to its original shape. Instead, blazing blue flames abrupted enormously. The white wisps rise from the bottom to the top. Angered by its awakening, the blue flames went up higher and higher.
All that had been dormant has finally been released.
Without warning the ground under-boot shakes and the air is rent with a noise that could leave a regular being feeling like their ears have just exploded.
I was not fazed by this.
His essence is fighting to free itself from the chains of the sins. I flew higher to watch the blue flames dance in bursts of energy. Watching the wildest side of his power being freed.
This was a good sign; his spiritual wolf was truly inside the dome along with him.
High above I notice a suspicious movement. I breathed in heavily, scenting every object around me. I may not be able to see everything here, but I know that scent within an instant.
SINS
I widened my jaw and began to shoot out icicles at lightning speed. Every direction it moved I was there. It wasn't able to go too far in fear of the flames.
Finally capturing it and freezing him into a cube. The cube dropped in the middle of Cináed flames. The sins may have thought placing itself in the middle of the flames would melt the ice but that wasn’t the case. The cube of divinity cannot be melted down.
The blue and orange flames started to shape itself into an uncontrollably flaming werewolf. He lifts up his muzzle to emit a thunderous howl. With that howl, out came a massive release wall of blue fire. The streak of fire looked like day. I could see everything from above, and below.
This fire was like the poetry of the phoenix in confident gold flames, igniting. I must admit that I am in awe, of the energy Cináed left behind with his essence. A risky move if the sins have captured it in time before I sense its movement. His power is dangerous, and I would understand why they wanted it so badly. Cináed is the guardian of destroyer, and chaos but also the bright of life, like the Sun.
Once the flames subsided, I could only assume that his spiritual wolf had finally connected with his physical body. Still, in his wolf form, he glared at me, “Are you who I believe to be? Sora? The golden guardian of all elementas?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I am fire, I burn the old so that you can thrive. I come back to bring light and heat to the hearts of my people. I am flame and the spark, I am Cináed Kia-Zul thee guardian of fire elementa."
After he finished announcing himself, he bowed his head down in submission.
I landed softly on the ground once all of the fires were downed. “Shift” I demanded.
He followed my command and shifted back.
He grinned mischievously, “You couldn’t bring me some clothes at least?”
I rolled my eyes and walked past him, heading to where my divinity ice cube had landed.
“So, this is how they look without a body to possess into,” Cináed said.
I didn’t utter a word but continued to observe the sins that were frozen inside the cube. The dark figure cast of nothingness, something that was startlingly similar to someone. The sins blackened eyes opened and moved, eyeing both I and Cináed.
Or at least I assumed that it could see. Its eyes rolled simultaneously all around. These eyes that I stared into were the exact shadow eyes of Azul’s when he was using his shadow form. They were cold-eyes, unnaturally distant. I remember seeing this in Azul’s shadow, but I didn’t take too much thought into it till now.
Could it be?
He holds darkness in the palsm of his hands and Sins are all nothing but darkness.
Is this the reason why he had altered the sins to look like me so quickly that I wouldn’t notice the peculiar resemblance between his shadow and the sins true form? Both his shadow and the sins have the ability to possess someone.
Could it be?
Cináed snapped his fingers in front of me. Putting me back to reality and away from my thoughts. I looked around and noticed that Cináed took the time to fix all the damages that were done to the place.
The dome greenhouse was back to its manifest, and delightful fragrance gently drifted through the open air, The smell of honeysuckle's heavy, overpowering fragrance conquered all the Torah scents in the garden. Except of course the old-fashioned mock orange whose citrus notes compete and at times, overpower or combine so well with the honeysuckle that it becomes hard to tell which is which.
This man in front of me, with powers that can easily destroy this entire place. Ends up being obsessed with gardening.
Strange.
He bent down where a key lay on the ground inches away from him, I saw him stretch out his hand and call out for the key to come to him. It shakes uncontrollably for a bit before flying directly to its owner’s neck.
“Thank you, Sora.”
“Don’t thank me, thank Elder Aodh.”
He smiled, “It was the only thing that my spirit wolf can transport its essences in. I was too weak to tell you. This key can travel anywhere in the fire elementa. When you got out the key sensed your aura and therefore activated it to look for Elder Aodh. I needed someone to see my fire inside, only Azul could. I also needed someone who wouldn't destroy my temple and that was you."
So, he did create this place for the calm elementa. Most of earth, fire, and lightning are too stubborn and impatient.”
“Just out of curiosity why didn’t you try Azul?”
“Azul didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“Sora, are you sure you remember everything?” He asked curiously.
“What do you mean?”
Cináed signed, “Azul is the guardian of lightning. Though he may be part fire he is an entirely different elementa than I and any other guardians. Including you.”
“Yes, I know that he is space, and I am time.”
“Hmm, yes but did he also tell you that he is part sins too? Only he knows whether that part of him is sentient.”
"Who else knows?"
"He is not aware, nor were we. At least I hope he isn't."
"Then from what source did you get this information," I said with chaotic tidal wind, rushing to him.
"Relax. It all comes down to history. Being stuck in here for over five million years now I believe. I had more time to read what I had stored. Unknowingly storing more knowledge than expected. I read books. These books were written by the Gods and Goddess about you and Cosmos. I am sure at some point in time you had looked into Azul's eyes and seen a split soul."
oh, my Gods!
"From the look of your face, I'm assuming you have. Well, that spilt soul is a huge part of who Cosmos is. Azul is taming Cosmos, just understand how powerful you have to be, to tame half or even more of a Godlike source of power.
Now just imagine how long he has been doing this for. At some point, he must've broken a seal without knowing of course. That tiny part of the spilt soul must be one pissed-off essence.
Did you ever wonder who could possibly be controlling these sins? Who is known to be the most hated person in the entire elementa world and why the elders are sooo pressed of Azul existence?
Do you think that Azul was born with Cosmos as his spirit wolf? Or.... hear me out... or maybe he had inherited it. Since a dark spirit like sins needs a vessel.
To ask if the sins have a preference as to which vessel they need, I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is that Cosmos would and could only be in a vessel that can physically handle such power."
Sins tend to go for a stronger elementa because they can live lon-......
"No one knows about Cosmos in Azul," I said defensively.
He couldn't. He wouldn't.
"Yes, I am fully aware of that. However, we guardians know. What we don't know is how he became Cosmos and when. We know about your story. Did you even know that he is the true Vons guardian? I didn't, no one ever knew who was Vons guardian. Did you even know that his biological father is actually the first and only sins that ever lived without needing a vessel!! Guess what and who he lived as that sins? Just guess!"
I gasped in realization. His father.
"Yes. Cosmos Von was his true human form. Fell in love with Elder Aodh's daughter Azar Kia-Zul. Gave birth to Azul Kia-Von the only heir of King Kia-Zul's bloodline after Elder Aodh of course. As well as the only heir to Cosmos' bloodline. See some elders know that Azul is to be named King but they've taken down the royal lineage tradition and are the only elementa that have done so. Clearly, they did this without my knowledge, and I wasn't around to stop it from happening. With what I know about him now, I don't think I'll ever allow him to be King of the fire elementa."
"Why because you want to be?"
"With all due respect, lets cut the bullshit Sora. You know just as much as I do that all guardians aren't born in a royal family. You and Azul seem to always be the expectation of the law of order. It's not pure to hold all that power in one family. Matter of fact it's too easy. Anyone can just decide to kill the entire lineage or its main. They did that to the Vons family and left Azul knowing he could never come forward. At least not after what happened."
I had to admit, everything he said made so much sense. I knew so little of Azul and how hard he worked to be insignificant.
After a moment of pause, Cináed spoke again.
"I don't know how much of Azul you've gotten to know since you have been back but, I assure you he isn't Azul that you know from your memories. That I can prove myself. "
"That I can prove myself." echoed in my mind.
"What? How?" My voice was now in a whisper, afraid to hear what was to come out of his mouth next.
"You won't like the end result but this is the only way to save all guardian and put them out of their misery. Are you willing to take that step forward?"
I swallowed hard. A part of me knew what I had to do and another part of me felt cold. Like concrete drying in my chest. The devastation was absolute-fighting a mixture of competing emotions, each of them vying for dominance. This part wanted to change everything from the beginning of time only I can not use time and space to my advantage. Not on this. Not when the divinities created me for this sole purpose.