Fragments of Alchemy: The Code Keeper

Kundalini Syndrome

Something feathery tickled her temple. She stirred awake, blinking her eyes at a blur of colorful light above her. Something stirred at the base of her spine, and she gasped. That’s when she realized she was still breathing, and she sighed with relief.

“Don’t get up too quickly, now,” someone said.

Thea looked over to see the Guru sitting on the floor close by. She felt that soft feathery touch again, this time on her ear, and she turned her head toward the sensation.

C.C.’s owl eyes stared back at her from where she hid in Thea’s brown curly hair. Thea realized this meant her noctos had burst forth from her pocket in all the chaos, and now this Guru knew about her Chimaera.

“Please don’t worry,” the Guru said. “I spoke with the Keeper, and there will be no action taken regarding the illegal possession of your Chimaera. Actually, I believe she will be the key to your recovery. You are very lucky to have her.”

Thea groaned as her head pounded. And bits and pieces were coming back to her. She lay there on the tatami reed floor, completely helpless against this man who worked for the Code Breaker. She tried to get up, but a flash of fire and ice swirled at the base of her spine, holding her immobile.

“What did you do to me?” she asked.

“I successfully returned your Kundalini to your Root Chakra. I’m sorry for any discomfort this is causing you. I’m afraid I have placed you under bed rest for the remainder of the day. And you are not to perform any Conversions for the rest of the week, until lessons resume on Monday. This will allow for your Kundalini to properly coalesce with your Root Chakra. You are excused from all lessons, however, I expect to see you at one o’clock tomorrow to resume your meditation lessons.”

Thea tried to sit up and groaned again. Something fluttered up and down her spine with a white-hot pain and a freezing chill; the sensation held Thea immobile almost as if she was paralyzed.

“Are you feeling a rush of cold or heat traveling up and down your spine?” the Guru asked.

She nodded as she tried to hold her breath against the sensation, but she ended up gasping and crying out.

“You undoubtedly have developed Kundalini Syndrome; your Kundalini used to be free to float about your body, and now that it is in its proper resting place, it will no doubt feel confined and will rebel against you.”

Guru Ellhorn reached out and grabbed C.C. He immediately set the noctos in her hand. As soon as she touched her, something stirred deep inside her, filling her with a blissful sensation.

The strange power continued to travel up her body until it reached her head. Then it flowed up and out of her, like a warm gentle breeze, down her face and throat and along her arm to her hand, where it connected to C.C. with a rush of happiness.

Thea nearly passed out then. Just as her consciousness began to fade, the now pleasant breeze slowly retraced its path, returning to her body and traveling down each of her Chakras until it came to rest at her Root Chakra in a softly pulsing coil.

Her headache was all but gone, and so were the hot and cold sensations. Slowly, she sat up, and when she felt only a small twinge in her back, she sighed in relief.

Guru Ellhorn held his hands up at heart center. “Is that better?”

Thea nodded.

“When you feel the cold and heat of your Kundalini begin to rush up and down your spine, you must hold your Chimaera in your hand and allow your Kundalini to rise up through your Chakras and collect in your hand. Your noctos will naturally calm your Kundalini and after a moment, your Kundalini will return to your Root Chakra, and it will rest calmly for a while.”

Thea looked down at C.C. She ruffled her feathers at Thea and sent her a burst of love. Tears filled Thea’s eyes.

“Do you understand?” Ellhorn asked.

Thea nodded silently.

“Do you have any questions?”

“You said the Keeper was here?”

“No,” Guru Ellhorn said with a frown. “Our Chimaeras spoke to each other. It’s a skill Chimaeras have. I’m sure you will see for yourself soon enough.”

“So the Keeper knows? About what happened to me?”

The Guru nodded. “He gave me the order to return your Kundalini to your Root Chakra. It is very dangerous to have a deposed Kundalini. You are fortunate that I figured it out before anything could happen to you.”

What if this was something bad happening to her, Thea thought. She felt like she couldn’t trust anything this man was telling her. He probably lied about everything he said. She needed to get out of here now.

“I’ll walk you back to your dorm so you can get some rest,” Ellhorn said.

Thea made a blank face at him. Was this Shadow Alchemist really attempting to take her to her room? The last thing she wanted was for this man to know where her room was located. The thought made her heart thud. “No! I can find my own way,” she said with a shaky voice. C.C. nuzzled her thumb, and she caressed her feathery wings and then tucked her into her pocket.

“Are you sure you can make it there yourself?” Ellhorn asked.

“I can manage,” Thea insisted. She readied herself to stand up. She put her hands on the reed mat, turned her body so she was in a crawling position and took a deep breath. She pushed herself to her feet as steadily as she could, but she still almost fell. Guru Ellhorn caught her.

“Steady now.” He held her up for a moment and then slowly let her go. She stayed on her feet, though she was swaying dangerously. “Are you sure you won’t allow me to accompany you to your dorm room?”

“No, I’m fine,” Thea nearly snapped at him.

“I do apologize. I’ll see you out.” Ellhorn held his hand out for her to exit the small room.

She swayed unsteadily as she walked, but somehow she managed to keep herself on her feet. She left the room and the sound of the singing bowls and chanting filled her ears. Meditation was still in session. So she hadn’t been out for too long.

She stumbled up the steps rather clumsily, reached out for the railing, and turned to check that Ellhorn wasn’t following her. A few people looked up at her, and she hurried up the steps to exit the Crowning Chamber, feeling their watching eyes on the back of her neck.

She hurried down the deserted hallway toward her dorm room, looking over her shoulder to watch her back the whole way. Just because she couldn’t see anyone following her didn’t make her feel safe. In the Alchemical world, there were probably plenty of ways for people to trail someone or spy on someone. The Conversion Tajana had used to make them invisible, for example.

When she was about halfway back to her dorm, she realized that she hadn’t considered her options. It seemed obvious that she should just go to her dorm and try to get some rest. But her Mentor was missing, and a Shadow Alchemist had attacked her. She couldn’t just go to sleep right now. Tajana was the only one she felt like she could trust. She had to see her. She stopped and turned back toward the Crowning Chamber. Maybe she could still go see Tajana. But she highly doubted that she could walk across the Mezzanine in front of all those meditating people without being noticed. If only she knew the Component to turn herself invisible!

What she wouldn’t give to have someone she could talk to right now. She sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. She needed to think, so she picked up the pace back to her dorm where she could get behind closed doors and decide what to do.

She ended up jogging down the long hallway. By the time she reached her dorm, her heart was hammering in her chest. She unlocked the door and barreled into her room. Slamming the door shut behind her, she went straight to her gift from the Keeper to check the time.

It was 1:35. So if Tajana took the same amount of time as she did yesterday, she would be at the secret passage in about twenty-five minutes. She sat down on her bed and put her chin in her hand in thought. So she didn’t know how to turn herself invisible. Maybe there was another way to get past all the meditating people.

She knew how to shrink C.C. Maybe the same Component could be used to shrink herself. If she was as small as a bug, no one would notice her. Then she could Conjure a cloud and fly to the upper walkway of the Crowning Chamber.

She went to take out her notebook, but it wasn’t in its large pocket in the front of her vest. Then she remembered leaving it on the floor of the Guru’s private room. She let out a groan. She simply had to go back and get it. She stood and went for the door.

Before she could touch the doorknob, there came a knock on the door.

Thea froze. Who would be knocking on her door? Could it be that the Keeper had come to see her? Or maybe it was her parents. But it could be another Shadow Alchemist. She dreaded the thought of being alone with yet another Alchemist she couldn’t trust. Without another thought, she decided to pretend she wasn’t there. She slowly spun away from the door and got ready to tiptoe back to her alcove where she could hide.

“Oi? Al? Are you in there?”

Was that? “Chadwick?” she said, and then she slapped her hands over her mouth. So much for pretending to not be home.

“What’s wrong?” he asked through the door. “I saw you leave the Crowning Chamber. You were acting like a Shadow was following you.”

Shadow? Did Chadwick know about the Code Breaker’s Shadow Alchemists? Thea gulped down her apprehension and said, “I, uh…”

“Can I just come in? It’s awkward standing out in the hallway trying to talk to you through the door.”

Thea bit her lip and heaved a heavy sigh. Then she exhaled loudly and a smile slipped onto her face. She realized how happy she was that Chadwick was checking up on her, and it made her cheeks go hot. The truth was that she was smiling because she was starting to like him. Chadwick was funny and smart in his own quirky way. He was strikingly handsome and good at Alchemy too. He was a Spectrum Scholar for a reason, and she was too. It made sense for them to be friends. Maybe even more than friends.

Could she trust him? She wanted to believe that his research project about the Lost Insignias was only based on pure curiosity and not out of a desire to steal the Keeper’s secrets.

“Oi? Are you still in there?” he called through the door.

She groaned and spun around, flinging the door open and gesturing for him to hurry into her room.

Thea shut the door behind Chadwick with a snap. Then they stood staring at each other for a moment, while their Spectrum Scholar vests changed from green to blue. She was surprisingly excited to see the Spectrum Scholar.

“So, what were you doing skulking out of the Crowning Chamber?” he asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.

“Nothing,” she said with a lame shrug.

“Come off it. I know you’re lying. You left early for some reason. Something happened to you, didn’t it?”

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she looked away and tried to breathe, but her throat started to ache. She sobbed once and covered her mouth with both hands.

“Hey now, no need for the water works. Just breathe and talk to me, alright?” He held his hands out but seemed to think again before trying to hug her.

Thea wiped the tears from her eyes and breathed.

“So, what happened?” he asked after a quiet moment.

“Too much to explain it all,” she said honestly. She shrugged and averted her gaze.

“Well that’s rather cryptic.” He crossed his arms.

She crossed her arms too. Why had she decided to let him in if she wasn’t going to confide in him about everything that was happening? They were supposed to be friends, after all. But she didn’t want her new friend to know the sort of mess she had gotten herself into.

“Al?” he said, drawing out her nickname. “What happened to you?”

“I’m sorry Chadwick, but I’d really rather not say.” Thea felt her face go so hot, she covered her cheeks with her hands.

“Fair enough, I suppose.” He uncrossed his arms and roughed up his wild hair, looking around the room. “Well, we best get ready for our next lesson, eh?”

Thea bit her lip. “I can’t go.”

“You can’t go?” He raised his eyebrows. “Hang on a tic, you’ve been excused from your lessons, haven’t you? Something really must have happened to you.”

She shrugged and held out her hands. Then she felt the flutter of freezing cold Kundalini swirl at her spine. It turned into a burning fire that seemingly ate away at her Root Chakra, and she stumbled onto her bed and put her hand into her pocket to touch C.C. Her Kundalini immediately began to trace its way up her spine, making her hold her breath until it reached her Crown Chakra and burst out of her head with a rush of bliss. Her Spiritual Essence traveled down her arm with a tingle and gathered around C.C. in her pocket. After a long moment, it receded all the way up her arm, through her head and down her spine. It curled into a coil at her Root Chakra with a tingle.

Chadwick squinted at her. “What in the world happened to you? Will you finally tell me now?”

Thea stared up at the ceiling silently. Her mind went blank as she realized that if she explained her Kundalini Syndrome, she might have to explain why she developed the Syndrome in the first place. Which meant she would have to explain all the Shadow Alchemists that were marked on her schedule. She found herself trying to come up with a lie. Her mind raced, but she sat silently, unable to come up with even one false explanation that would convince him. She couldn’t keep the guilty look off her face.

He stood holding out his arms in exasperation. “Hello? You heard me, didn’t you?”

She sighed. “I heard you, but …”

“Let me guess. You’re sorry, but you’d rather not say.”

“I am sorry, but it’s really none of your business.”

“Hey now! I thought we were friends!”

She bit her lip. He wanted them to be friends just as much as she did. It brought a smile to her face. “Okay,” she said with a giddy rush of adrenaline. “I was excused from my lessons because … Well, because I have Kundalini Syndrome.”

“What?!” His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide in shock. “How are you up walking about?”

“It’s not that bad, Chadwick, trust me. I’m fine.”

He shook his head. “I suppose if you could walk out of the Crowning Chamber then you must be feeling well enough,” he said with a tiny smirk. “You know, to be fair, I’ve never met anyone with Kundalini Syndrome before. What’s it like?”

“When the attacks come, it’s like my spine is on fire one second and freezing the next,” she said, surprising herself with her honesty.

“Again, how are you walking about right now?” he asked.

She decided to keep C.C., her miracle cure, a secret just to be safe. Even though he wanted to be her friend, she just didn’t know if she could trust him to keep her Chimaera a secret. “If I concentrate, I can calm my Kundalini down.” She gestured to indicate what she’d been doing when she sat on her bed.

“Huh,” he sighed. “Well, if you’re taking a break from your studies, then you can have all afternoon to read that book, eh?” He winked at Thea, and that’s when she remembered his book was in the Guru’s private room along with her notebook.

“Oh, um, yeah, about that…” She wasn’t sure how to break it to the guy that she’d lost his book. “I, uh, left that book in the Crowning Chamber by accident…”

His whole body language changed when he heard the news. Suddenly instead of his typical nonchalance, he scrambled into a chair at the table and leaned forward in alarm. “No, you can’t be serious! You can’t leave a book like that lying around. We have to go look for it.” He scooted the chair closer to Thea, his hands together in a pleading gesture.

“What, right now?” Thea asked.

Chadwick shrugged and looked right into Thea’s eyes. “If someone finds out that we’re reading books like that, we could be in all sorts of trouble. Come on, let’s go.”

“Do we have to?” Thea asked, staring at him and knitting her eyebrows together.

“Of course. You owe me big time, here, since you lost it. Plus, you were gonna lie about your Kundalini Syndrome. You need to make it up to me.” He gave her a coy smile with his left eyebrow raised, and she felt her cheeks go hot. She rubbed her neck, thinking about her own notebook that had been left behind too. She desperately wanted her Compendium back.

“I promise I’ll forgive you for trying to hide your Kundalini Syndrome if you help me find my book,” he said in a sing-song voice. “This is a really good deal, just so you know. I usually never forgive anyone for anything.”

Thea breathed a long calm breath, thinking it through. If Chadwick came with her to the Crowning Chamber right now, then she could bring him to meet up with Tajana. They could try and figure out what happened to her Mentor together. She could take the time to get her notebook and his book back along the way, right? Surely she had time, didn’t she?

Finally she nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go then.”

“Good. We’d better scoot, before my next lesson starts.”

“Hang on!” she said before he went for the door. “Can you make me invisible first?”

He gave her an odd look. “Why?”

“I’m supposed to be in bed, remember?

“You said so yourself, it’s not so serious.”

She looked away and felt her ears go hot.

“What’s the real reason you want to be invisible?” He could see right through her, she realized.

“Because…” She let her voice trail off, her heart racing.

He cocked his head. “You owe me an explanation, doll,” he said as he stared hard at her. “Why do you want to hide from everyone?”

“Promise you’ll hear me out?”

Chadwick shrugged and said, “Sure.”

Finally, she held her hands up and said, “I don’t trust my Guru.”

He sat back down and leaned in with an intrigued look on his face. “Why not?”

“It’s hard to explain,” she said, staring down with a frown tugging on her lips.

“Give it a try then,” he said rather reasonably.

She blew a bit of brown curly hair out of her eyes. “I think he works for the Code Breaker.”

Chadwick scoffed. “That’s a good one, Al.”

But Thea shook her head hotly. “It’s not a joke!”

“Good,” he said, dropping his voice down and leaning in even closer, so she could still hear him. “You should never joke about anything to do with the Breaker,” he said under his breath.

Thea suddenly felt very uncomfortable to be talking about this with him. She realized she didn’t really know him at all, and she could very well be talking to a Shadow Chemist right now. She crossed her arms and sat back on her bed. “Forget it. You don’t believe me. I’d rather not talk about this anymore. You can go get your book back by yourself for all I care.”

“Hang on a tic,” Chadwick said, leaning back again. “Why do you think he works for the Breaker?”

“Because…” She realized she would have to explain her schedule now. But he seemed genuinely interested and willing to hear her out. She bit her lip and decided to just tell him. “One of my tutors marked all the Shadow Alchemists on my schedule. My Guru’s name was marked and … he gave me Kundalini Syndrome.” She felt her throat close up again and she coughed as she almost cried for the second time.

“Blimey!” His mouth fell open in shock. “Who else is marked on your schedule?”

“My uncle,” she said with a morose look on her face.

He waved his arms in disbelief. “Why would your own uncle be on the list?”

“Because he’s a Shadow obviously.” She held her arms out in exasperation.

“But did he do anything to make you suspicious?”

She nodded. “He stole my memories.”

“What? Why would he want to extract your memories?” Before she could answer, Chadwick said, “Wait. Back up. If he erased your memory, then how do you even remember?”

Thea realized she couldn’t explain that part, because C.C. had helped her remember. He stared at her, and she found herself staring down at her hands, feeling like an idiot.

“Didn’t think o’ that, did you?” he said. “If you’re going to tell porkies, you should really think it through better, so you don’t get caught in all your lies.”

“I’m not lying! I can’t explain how I know, but I know he erased my memory. He wanted me to forget that someone was following me,” Thea said.

“Someone was following you?” Chadwick asked, suddenly humoring her again.

“Well, I think someone was following me. Remember, I forgot?” Thea raised her eyebrows, and he smirked at her. “So do you believe me?”

“I suppose I do,” he said with a nod.

“Honestly?”

“Well, for now. You better believe we’re coming back to this whole memory Extraction business later.” He smiled at her.

She felt a rush of relief. To finally have someone on her side, it meant so much to her. She wanted to jump up and give him a hug, but she second-guessed herself. He was still only a brand-new friend after all.

“Well, shall we go then?” He raised his eyebrows.

She nodded, and they stood up.