Tales of a Shifter (P5) The White Mountain

Chapter 30 - Introduction

Chapter 30 - Introduction

Slowly, fighting not to acknowledge the greedy cutting pain crawling across his gut Brandon climbed to his trembling feet, took a deep breath...then another. And he waited to see what other terrible things his father was going to do to him.

Surprisingly Hovel put out an open hand...and in seconds black lights and odd symbols were dancing and swirling around his fingers and arms. Instantly Brandon stiffened, but to his surprise Hovel just stared at his hand. Then he glance at Brandon's and snapped. "Brandon pay attention." And Brandon forced his eyes to stay focused as Hovel as he slowly closed his hand into a glowing black fists. A sharp flash of hot burn metals filled the air, then the light receded.

Pay attention to what?

Brandon asked himself. Waiting. And Waiting. IT only took a few seconds, but in those seconds the harsh throbbing spots on his face and body stopped aching, but the hunger in his breast only got more intense.

And then he wasn't thinking anything about the hunger, because Hovel opened his hand and sitting inside of it was a giant smooth diamond. The Gem was the size of Hovels thumb and glittered in the pale cold lights in the chamber.

"Hey I've seen this before..." Brandon couldn't help, but whisper as the beautiful face of his care taker flashed in his head. Her long hair and small face smiling at him in the Garden. "Nora made Gloves for me. I never understood it. You made that Diamond from the air too? How?"

"It was air. Now it is a rock. Keep watching..." Hovel simply replied, as he closed his hand around the glittering stone.

And as Brandon watched Black Alchemic light engulfed Hovels hand, dancing, around the fist. Hovel then opened his hand and in the palm of his hand there sat a small black bubble. The bubble was the exact same size as the rock that seemed to have disappeared. And inside of the bubble, the liquid dance of water could be seen. Held in side of the Alchemic light.

Staring at the water dancing in the center of his palm, suspended in the air. Hovel softly spoke. "Air to rock...Rock to water. The applications of Alchemy are many, but the fundamental process is change." Hovel lifted his dark blue eyes to Brandon's and asked. "What do you think allows Alchemists like us to do the things we do? Create Portals. Change air into water."

Us?

Brandon thought with some guile.

I'm not a fucking Alchemist. I don't care what you say.

But perhaps at this point Brandon knew he was only fighting the truth.

He had used Alchemy to hurt Jacob. No matter if he didn't know how he did it.

And he had created an Aurora, no matter if he didn't understand how to use it.

Understandably unhappy Brandon didn't want to answer Hovels question. He felt sullen, hungry and helplessly beaten, but rather then indulge, Brandon shook his head and half-heartedly replied. "Long ago Nora said something to me. That you use energy. The energy around you. Somehow?"

"Hm." Hovel seemed to pause as if surprised. Then the Grand Master shrugged. "Close. Very close. That energy you spoke of? Well it has a name. Mana." Hovel explained.

Brandon felt a trill down his spine at the words and didn't know why. But he still found himself listening. He geared his ears up and listened intently to the man.

"This energy is the basis of the things that exists all around us." Hovel lifted his hand with the water in it. "Alchemy is performed by taking the Mana around items, manipulating it, and changing it." Hovel slapped his hands together suddenly, and a sharp flash of black light flashed in Hovels fists...and when Hovel cracked his hands back open the water he had created was gone. Possibly turned back into air. "Breaking our environment to our Will. Making it what we desire it to be."