The Sacred World

Chapter 17: One More Step

Chezray stepped through the darkness, his eyes flashing into the red glow they gave off. His vision piercing through the darkness. He examined the walls. They were filled with symbols.
"Triskeles," he said as he took a step over a hole in the floor, "Watch your step."
He instructed the first years who followed him. He was assigned to taking them through a cave as their excursion suggested. He had to be there as a Disciplinary Committee to ensure that nothing bad would happen to the students. He was their only and greatest defense, but that meant that he was also the one to take responsibility if any student was hurt or injured. He hated those type of tasks, but he had no choice. Each and every other member of the Disciplinary Committee had been assigned a class as well, so he couldn't complain that he was receiving extra duties that he had to attend to.

He looked over the vast ends of the cave, his heightened senses gave him a 360° view of everything around him, and to a range that was at least 50m away from him. He wasn't gonna let anything go down a bad path. "Follow me!" he said as he continued walking around.

He heard the hurried shuffling off feet behind him and Chezray had to keep his cool if he wanted the kids to be calm as well. The more composed he was even in the face of adversity, the more relaxed and composed the kids would be to have him there.

"Someone give us light," he said.

A girl, a witch, clicked her fingers as a spark flared and a fireball erupted and hovered above her palm.

"Good job, what's ya name?" asked Chezray pointing towards her.

"I'm Lilinette, sir!" she said.
She was adorable. She had dark brown hair that twisted into short and thick dreadlocks. Brown shimmering eyes, dark skin and rounded ears. She was a petite girl.

"I'll do well to remember that. Keep that fire to a dim extent, we don't want to attract much attention to us. Wraiths are more commonly found in this layer of the cave. Everyone, stick close to Lilinette!" he said waving his hand over, "Those who are vampires, werewolves or can augment their bodies be on the far end of the circle. Those who aren't good at protecting themselves, get closer to Lilinette!"

"Uhm, sir?" a male voice of a ginger haired boy with bushy eyebrows and an athletic body type raised his hand.

"Yes, question? Your name and go ahead."

"Curtis, sir! You said that there were wraiths down here, aren't they dangerous?"

"Wraiths attack in groups and that fact alone states something. Small fry predators will always attack in groups, they are quite easy to kill," said Chezray as he noticed a breeze passing over.

It was coming from the darkness. He squinted his eyes, allowing his vision to cut deeper into the dark edges of the cave. He saw movement, smoke. Something was there, but it was far away. He couldn't have been worried about it, he could easily take care of it.
"The triskeles are weird though, I've never seen them before. Not even when I traveled to this cave when I was a first-year student. I gotta try get these kids something to experience though, an excursion can't be this boring," he thought his eye moving side to side.

A wall beside him burst, as the kids screamed. Dust blinded everyone as a wraith shot out, baring it's fangs and claws at him, it's gnarly mouth wide open. It's blackened eyes like lightning as it cast a streak as it moved. It's skinny and bony, grey body retorting it's very movement.

The kids looked forward as the dust and debris settled. Their eyes flickered in awe as they saw Chezray standing calmly, his hand strangling the wraith as it wriggled and screeched in his grip. It clawed at his hand, trying to get him to let go of it.

"Listen kids, wraiths aren't to be feared or hated. They were once human as well and were denounced by the witches. These led them to being cursed and demonic. They have lost all sense of reason and logic and only live to eat to survive. Killing them isn't really killing them as you are releasing their souls of the curse and they can ascend," he said.
His claws jaggered out, piercing right through the wraith's neck.
It released a another screech as its body lit up in a deep blue colour and it's flesh disintegrated.