Eclipse: the Beginning

“What troubles you, young master?”

Seraph glanced up from his thoughts. Dressed in a new robe and wrap pants, the young Wind relaxed in his native, male clothing. His dilated eyes blinked in the morning light of the gardens. Raphael had stopped to gaze at his pupil and master, noticing his distracted attention. Seraph smiled sheepishly. The other knew him so well.

“Raphael … my father,” he stared at his hands a moment. The older noticed the gesture and tilted his head patiently. “Was he … was he a god?”

Raphael’s face paled from its usual tan complexion. Seraph noticed, regretting his question. The servant snapped out of his shock, seeing Seraph recoil that way. Seraph’s hurt expression was not one Raphael wished to see. Raphael took the younger’s upper arm in his hand gently, smiling. He motioned toward the center tower with a nod.

“Come, Seraph. We should speak in private.”

As they made their way to the center of the mansion, Seraph wondered why his mentor had reacted the way he had. It was strange. Raphael had always been a grounded individual. Nothing made him panic. Even when his mother had died, Raphael held the house together. Why had the question caught him off guard?

Celestial was in the gardens when Samuel noticed her among the flower bushes. Dressed in a light colored wrap robe that fell to her ankles, the Light appeared to be thinking as she admired the foliage. After assuring Yamin he would be all right, they parted, and he approached the soldier, wearing a bright smile on his face.

“Good morning, Celestial,” he said in a cheerful tone. “Did you sleep well?”

“By well, I will say I slept.” She did not spare him a glance. He sensed no solid emotions. Perhaps she felt lost. “Soldiers hardly sleep as others do. We don’t have that luxury.”

“Celes …” he paused. It made her look at him. Her eyes widened, but the stun wore away when she realized he was not looking at her. “Is that Seraph?”

“Where?” She turned to look. Sure enough, Raphael was taking their companion toward the two-story tower in the center of the gardens. Something told her to follow.

“Let’s go,” she gaped back at Samuel’s words. “We’ll lose them if we don’t hurry. Come on!”

He winked a silver eye at her. She followed him as they snuck toward the tower, if only to satisfy her own curiosity.

“Do you remember when you and your mother lived within these walls?” Raphael’s placid face conveyed his nostalgia. Seraph thought he heard sadness in his tone.

“Yes,” he replied. “Mother’s room was across from mine with the spare rooms along the walls.” The memory of his mother brought back a familiar sting to his chest. His hands moved to cover his chest. He was still ashamed, even after Samuel had accepted him.

“That is correct,” the elder said as he pushed the tower door open. “I know those memories still ache, Seraph, but I have something to show you in her room.”

“Her room …?”

“It is clean now, young master. It has been for some time. One would never even know what happened.”

“All right then.”

Raphael wrapped his arm around Seraph as they walked into the tower. The door was a subtle crack in the tower wall, implying the level of privacy desired.

Celestial and Samuel were kneeling, listening to the Winds’ discussion. The soldier motioned for Samuel to go in after them.

“I’m not so sure about this anymore,” Samuel whispered.

“You should have thought that through before you sparked my interest. Go on. No turning back.” There was no room to debate. They ascended some spiraling stairs after the others.

Once upstairs, Raphael opened a pair of large doors, walking into a dim room. He took a deep breath before blowing out softly into the room. The two windows of the room blew open from a gentle wind, carrying out the layers of accumulated dust. The room lit up from the sunlight, revealing a large bed surrounded by chests, dressers and wardrobes. Seraph lingered in the doorway a moment longer. He feared the space. Raphael turned to extend a hand to the younger Wind.

“Come now, Seraph. It is over. There is nothing to fear anymore.”

Seraph reached for the hand he had held so many times. He knew he could trust Raphael. The older Wind pulled him toward a chest at the foot of the massive bed.

“I used to dream of your twentieth birthday, imagining a grand celebration, but time escaped me in your absence. Three years flew past us so quickly, Seraph. I can imagine how frightened you were when the Sun rose.”

“Then he was a god!” Seraph cried, gaping at his mentor beside him. “Why didn’t you tell me? Raphael, I begged you to tell me everything! Why would you keep that from me?”

“It was Miriam’s … it was your mother’s wish to wait until now. She believed you would be old enough to grasp the circumstances. I am sorry I misled you, young master. Forgive me.” Raphael did not meet Seraph’s eyes, looking downward sadly.

Samuel and Celestial listened from the hallway, hiding against the wall outside the room. Samuel felt frustration, fear, and confusion in his chest. Underneath those, as if they were separate, there was a deep pain. Tears formed in his eyes. Which person around him was carrying such pain?

Celestial watched as Samuel gaped ahead of him. He was weeping. Was he in pain or something? She would have troubled him to ask, but they had come too far to blow their cover now.

“Raphael, I could never hold this against you. You’re the only father I have ever known …!” Seraph spoke in a cracked voice. He embraced the older Wind, clinging. “You promised my father you’d to take care of everyone! Only you knew I was different all along, and you never rejected me!”

“There is nothing to reject, Seraph. You are family in my eyes, as a nephew or a brother. I accept you as you are, for if I did not, how could I claim to be your family?” He gripped one of the trembling arms, gingerly. “I wish that outside our sanctuary was not so cold a world.”

“Raphael …” Seraph sniffled. Raphael was wonderful. He wished he possessed a fraction of his strength. It occurred to him why Samuel was so dear to him. The youth was so like his mentor, encouraging and patient. Wiping away his tears, he released the other. “You said you wanted to show me something?”

“I did,” the elder smiled at the red cheeks. Seraph embarrassed so easily. At least, he had learned to keep his words together, unlike in his childhood. His attention turned back to the chest. He kneeled to open it. It was ancient and hardly seemed touched. After the hinges creaked open, Raphael reached inside to pull out a covered box. Unwrapping the surrounding cloth, Seraph saw a polished wooden case.

“This was your mother’s jewelry box. Within, she treasured her most precious items. There is one inside she wanted you to have on your twentieth birthday.”

“From Mother?” Seraph gasped in surprise. What had she been saving for him? Why this year? Was it something to do with his birthright?

“It was all she had left of your father,” Raphael sighed with pride as he opened the box. “She wanted you to have it.”

“Father?” His heart skipped a beat as he looked inside the box. What could it be?

“Your father was a good and a great man, just as she told you. It was an honor to serve him.” The older Wind looked Seraph in the eye as he spoke. “Before you were born, soldiers from Heaven arrested him for following Lord Zion. He gave me one of his earrings for your mother before they took him away.”

Celestial and Samuel hung their heads. Seraph’s father had paid the price for doing what he believed was right. Seraph had never known him because he stood by his convictions. As Samuel wiped the tears from his cheeks that he continued to shed, he remembered what Seraph had told him on their journey: Remember their goal. This was why they were fighting. No more broken spirits. He wanted them to be healers.

The soldier stared at her feet. Again, Heaven had caused grief somewhere in Aurora. She had always believed Heaven was the great protector of their magnificent land. Once she traveled without her troops, she saw how little protection they gave. The tone of the older Wind sounded flat and calm, but she could hear in his words how much anger he held toward Heaven and her king. If only she could save King Zemnas’ name, their quest would not weigh so heavily on her mind.

“This earring belonged to my father?” Seraph gazed at the piece Raphael had just placed in his open palm. It reminded him of a wind chime. Three crystalline shards dangled from a silver ear cuff on an elegantly thin-linked chain. “What are these, Raphael? They must be more than crystal. The shine is too brilliant in the light … it’s as if every color reflects from their surface.”

“These are Sky Crystals, young master,” the older Wind replied with a smile. “The rarest gem in the world.”

“And my Father had a pair?!” Seraph gaped back in shock. His father must have been of high status or influence to own such gems.

“This one’s twin was on his ear when they took him away. I pray it still is with him now.”

“Why is that?”

“This may be a clue you need to find him, Seraph. Discover the truth. If he perished, clear his name. If he is still among us, find and bring him home. I know you are destined to find him.” Raphael put the box inside the chest before grasping his pupil’s shoulders. “I believe your mother shared that belief. I will help you all I can, but the quest remains on your shoulders.”

“Raphael,” Seraph hung his head as he paused, “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Another quest has been given to me. I was hoping to seek your guidance on it. You must recall the Restoration Prophecy given by the Wingies twenty years ago. It’s happening … now.”

Raphael froze, eyes gaping back at the young god. Samuel knew that the joyous spark in his chest, among the other swirling emotions, was the older Wind’s, but why was he trying to hide it? His face did not match his feelings. What could that mean?

“I suppose your two companions at the door are a part of this quest, then.”

The two eavesdroppers flinched. This guy was sharp.

“You may enter, Light and Nomad. I had an inkling you shared Seraph’s concern about his heritage.”

“How long have you known?” Celestial stepped into the doorway, staring at Raphael’s equally harsh gaze. Samuel peeked around the edge to see how the battle of wills would fair, but Seraph wished he was not held in the middle of the clash.

“It is an honor to stand before a general of Lord Zion.” The soldier smirked. “You must be an immortal from that familiar glimpse of battle in your eyes.”

“Is that true, Raphael?” Seraph cried out in surprise. “Why are you serving in the house with your status? Mother said you were a part of this household long before Lord Zion vanished!”

“After the Great War, I lost everything. My family, my home, even most of my memory was taken by Shadows. Your father and I were generals and comrades in arms under the Wind guardian. Your father tried to help me piece together what he knew of my past, and he took me as his own family. I swore to protect his own with my dying breath. I only wish I could have saved him and your mother.”

“Mother’s death was my fault! It wasn’t anyone’s but mine!”

“Young master … you still believe that?” Raphael’s eyes softened.

Samuel felt the pain intensifying. What had happened to Seraph’s mother, and how was Seraph to blame?

“She would never wish you to carry such a burden.”

“It was my fault for not being her son.”

The stern tone sent silence through the room. Seraph walked out of the room. Celestial moved out of the way, but Samuel remained where he was, clinging to the wall in the entryway. The Wind brushed against him, pausing to consider his words.

“What have you done with my son?! Where is he?!”

Samuel gasped as a woman’s voice screamed in his ears. Where had it come from? The tears trickling from his eyes turned to torrents as the cries bellowed. Fear gripped his chest, but why was he so terrified? He could not breathe. What was happening to him?

The older Wind narrowed his eyes in the young man’s direction before gasping.

“Seraph, move away from him!”

When Seraph turned to question, Samuel fell to his knees, gasping for air. Raphael walked up to inspect his condition.

“He was experiencing your emotions as his own, undoubtedly sharing your pain. I presume you did not know.”

“How in the name of Aurora do you know that?” Celestial growled. She was back to her normal spirits.

“If I am correct, he is a Spirit Sage. They are a lost race from the Great War. With my limited memories, they are only tales of legend a mother tells her children. Still, they were able to connect with other’s emotions, especially strong ones.” He picked up the shaken young man, who was barely holding onto consciousness. As he walked into the circular hall, he turned toward the Wind and Light.

“We should let him rest for now. Your bedroom should serve the purpose well, Seraph.”

“I suppose.” The Wind looked as traumatized as Samuel. Raphael frowned with concern. The haunting expression looked familiar.

“Seraph,” their eyes met with the name said, “open the door to your room.” Tears threatened to fall from the dark eyes. The elder tried to calm him with a soothing voice. “Seraph, this was not your fault. You had no way of knowing-”

“No!” A gust of wind spiraled outward from Seraph’s feet. Celestial and Raphael stumbled as the wind struck them. “I did it again! I hurt someone again!”

Celestial gaped, remembering the incident before the Sun god. Instead of lashing out though, Seraph ran for the stairwell, dragging the wind with him. The two onlookers stared in silence. What could they do?

“Which door?”

“What …?” Raphael blinked back at the Light soldier as the shock faded.

“The boy needs to rest, you said,” she replied in a solemn tone. “Which door were you speaking of earlier?”