The Aielind Chronicles: Journey

Chapter Four: Pyk

Pyk stared into the darkness of the empty room. "Where am I?" He said aloud to himself. He heard nothing, not even an echo. The silence, was deafening. Pyk started to think he was beginning to go mad. That was until he began to see a faint pillar of light no more that a hundred feet away. Cautiously, he made his way towards it. As he strolled over to the light he noticed that he barely even make out the sound of his own footsteps
"Curious" he thought to himself.

The closer he got, the clearer Pyk could see. There, in the light, stood something. It was tall and seemed to gently reflect the luminescence. As Pyk approached the light, he realized it was a mirror. Curious about the random item, he looked into its reflective surface. What he saw puzzled him. The reflection, wasn't his own. It was someone from the Moon Clan. The Elf in the mirror was tall. His hair was braided and stretched half-way down his back. The hair was so  white, that it was hard to even look at. It looks more brilliant and radiant that freah fallen snow. Constellations seem to be embedded into his already midnight blue skin. The thing that was most intriguing to Pyk were the Elf's eyes. They were as black as a starless night.

Pyk leaned in closer, noticing that every movement he made, it was copied by the Elf in the mirror. Pyk reached out and lightly touched the mirror, instantly the looking-glass began to quickly shuffle from clan to clan. Pyk retracted his hand from the glass. And there in front of him was a the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her skin had a soft olive complection. Her hair was dark, like onyx, yet it seemed smooth. It was as if her hair was made from the darkest and most lustrous silk. Pyk noticed the wings accompanying her specimen. They were feathered, similar to the wings of a bird. But much larger. They were interlaced with shades of gold, and hues of purple and green. Everytime she beat them, the colors seemed to change ever so slightly, causing a ripple effect amongst the feathers.

Pyk looked deeply into her violet eyes. She was a member of the Avarial Clan. He reached out, desperately wanting to make contact with the woman. As soon as his fingertips grazed the glass, her image faded.

Instantly, Pyk retracted his hand. The next image that stood in front of him, frightened him to his very core. It was himself. But, at the same time, it wasn't. The reflection looked exactly like himself in every way. Same height and hair. The exact same gray skin and red markings. There were only two minor differences. The first, was his expression. It was cold and stern. The kind of look that silenced rooms and commanded armies. The second difference, were the eyes. Pyk's were, and had always been a captivating ice blue. His reflections however, was a glowing gold.

Evil seemed to be emanating from his counterpart. Pyk could see the hatred. malice, and cruelty behind the eyes. A smile grew across the face of Pyk's doppelganger. Fire began to ignite from his hands. His mirror-self began to laugh. One so maniacal it sent Pyk's blood pounding in his ears. "WHY! Why are you doing this!" He screamed."

"Simple." The mirror responded. "It is your destiny."

***

"Get up! Get up!" A familiar voice said. Seemingly coming from nowhere yet everywhere all at once. It seemed to belong to a woman. "Get up! Get up!" The voice shouted again.

Pyk awoke to Dias violently shaking him. Bells rang in the distance.

"What? What's going on?" Pyk yelled.

"The Elwyn's have returned. You leave immediately. Your companion will meet you at the castle gates."

Pyk quickly got dressed and grabbed his supplies. Dias handed Pyk a staff. The hilt seemed to be made of obsidian. The ends were a deep shade of cobalt. Along the entire shaft there were intricate markings and drawings. "This is an Orichulam rod. It's the only one of its kind. It's as light as a feather and stronger than anything known to Elf-kind. It's practically indestructible. " She then takes a small ring from her pocket. "This is the crest of the High Clan. If you run into any trouble along the way, show them this. It may help you at some point." Dias grabbed Pyk's hand and slipped the ring on to his middle finger.