Chapter Seventeen
Return
May stumbled up the side of an old and massive mountain. Her dragon refused to get anywhere near this ominous place and had dumped her off fifteen minutes away by foot. She hated that overgrown lizard for that. She was in no condition to be walking anywhere right now. One of her arms was dislocated and hung limply at her side, she had multiple broken ribs, she kept spitting up blood, her left leg was twisted badly, and she was covered in the blood of other people. In her entire existence she had never been so badly hurt or scared before.
She slowly climbed the side of the mountain and headed towards the small cave entrance near the middle. She had narrowly escaped dying earlier and had been lucky when her dragon had managed to get away from his fight against Roku's black dragon and came to save her. If she had been left in the crater that had been created from a single spell she probably would have been captured or killed. As soon as Roku had turned his back on her she fled, not willing to stay there any longer and face the monster her beloved had become. He was the single most terrifying thing she had ever seen up close and personal.
She finally reached her goal and limped through the cave tunnels, her breathing rattling off the solid rock walls and spreading out through the area. It had been nearly a full two thousand years since she had last set foot in this place, and she had avoided coming back for a reason. But now that reason was gone. The real Roku had probably died here during his battle, and the man that had come back was nothing like him. May wanted to feel close to the man she loved more than life itself and this was the only place in the world where she could do that. Even now, two thousand years later she could still feel his magic in the walls; and his presence was powerful.
May exited through a long narrow tunnel and came to stand in the entrance of a massive cave with a vaulted ceiling. This is the exact spot the real Roku had stood before disappearing, a small note scribbled onto the wall in charcoal. She could still vividly remember the day everything had ended, like it had only been yesterday. She had been weary from combat, her magic power drained and some nasty wounds on her body that bled profusely. She had been excited to hear that the Demon King had been defeated and she couldn't wait to see Roku; to hug and kiss him and show all those emotions she had been keeping inside herself for so many years. When she arrived at the cave she only found her older cousin, Prince Wales. Roku had already disappeared and left her behind.
The cave had sure changed since that day. It felt darker, and weaker. The power that had been radiating through the walls was beginning to feel dull and May was saddened by that. She had been hoping to feel Roku's magic flowing through her body once more. Just once more before she gave up and let what was meant to happen, happen. But something was wrong here. She quickly noticed that the mirror like surface that had covered an entire wall had shrunk back, revealing another hidden passageway that hadn't been there before. The glass like surface had been a byproduct from Roku's fight with their enemy, and not even hers or her cousins strongest spells could put a dent into it. So the fact that it had shrunk back was surprising.
May limped towards the new tunnel and slowly made her way down it, a strange sensation washing over her. All sound ceased to exist the further in she walked, and even the sound of her own breathing was snuffed out. Even the pale brown and grey colour of the cave and tunnel walls were being leached out of the rock and it was like May was stepping into a vacuum that sucked everything out of the area. Whatever was at the end of this tunnel was powerful and May began to shake slightly in fear, a sensation she was not used to. For more than two thousand years she had never been afraid of anything powerful, and why should she? She was second only to Roku in strength and power. But without a focus she was as weak as a kitten now.
She tentatively stepped though the entrance to another cave, this one smaller than the one she had come from. What she saw stunned her completely. The thick glass that had covered up this entire area had receded back to a single small area of this tiny cave, it's mirror like surface reflecting everything around it. What she saw in the heart of that glass is what truly shocked her. The tall form of a man could be seen and the mirror like surface pulsed with powerful magic, almost like a heart pulsed with blood.
“Come... closer...” a haggard and tired voice reached deep into May's mind as she stood there and gazed upon the strange sight. Against her will she found her feet moving on their own and she slowly crossed the small room, her right hand reaching out to touch the strange object that held someone deep within it.
“Wh... what's happening?” she groaned and struggled to control her own body. No matter how much strength or willpower she used it was no use, and she continued to move closer until her hand was now mere inches away from pressing against the glass bubble. She knew in the back of her mind that she was in an extremely dangerous situation, but she could do nothing to stop what was about to happen.
Her palm pressed against the cold and pulsing surface and she felt her entire body seize up as a shock wave of pain stretched through her entire being. Whatever had reached out and grabbed hold of her was quickly draining the magic from her body and she could feel her legs starting to buckle as she lost her strength. The pain was unbearable, but she was unable to cry out in agony as her magic was forcefully torn from her wounded and bruised body. The more of her power that was sucked into the mirror made it pulse even stronger and a warmth began to spread across the surface. In the very next instant a massive crack broke over the mirror and it shattered entirely as a savage and warm wind blew out from it, toppling May as she was tossed back against the wall of the cave and hit her head.
With bleary and tear filled eyes, May looked out over the scene before her and gasped loudly as her heart seized up and fear gripped at her mind. Standing before her was a tall and fairly well built old man, his long white beard tucked into his belt around his waist and a hungry look in his pale blue eyes. His face was covered in wrinkles and pure undiluted power rippled off him in waves as he flexed his muscles and stared at May with a happy glint in his eyes.
“M... Master?” May whispered in disbelief and the old man smiled at her, showing off a row of sharp looking teeth. “N... no... you're dead...”
“No, not dead, my dear student. Just sleeping!”
