Burned

Chapter 27

"What is this room?" I asked Knox without taking my eyes off the room.

It seems endless as I move a little deeper inside. Pure crystal structures are scattered throughout the room and allow weapons to rest on their smooth surfaces.

A play of light allows it to pass through the crystals, which results in the formation of several luminous rainbows throughout the room. The creation of such splendour amazes me. It feels like we're in the middle of Ali Baba's cave.

"This is an addition we made a few years ago now, he tells me as I look around me. This room is enchanted, and only lets in a pure-hearted person, as you may have noticed earlier. If you look more closely, you can see that we have placed our weapons by category."

I approach a section and see that they're only daggers. Daggers of all shapes and sizes. Some seem older than others. Some have ancient writings engraved on their surface while others are set with precious stones. I head to another section of the room to see what it contains: swords.

"Here you can find all the weapons that have ever existed on Earth, but also in the celestial world. Each weapon has its own use and power," He continues, following me, keeping his distance so I can explore at my own pace.

"Wow! It's absolutely wonderful. I'm trying to rack my brain, but I have no memory of this room. However, almost all my memories came back to me," I said, immediately regretting my words.

I turn to Knox, and I see his face tense slightly. I know he has a hard time believing that my memories of him are stuck behind some kind of barrier. This only allows a few memories to filter through, nothing more.

I'm trying to break this mental barrier, but I can't do it at the moment. Every time I concentrate on this task, a searing pain arises in my head. I don't want to hurt him, either, in case I don't feel the irrefutable bond that's supposed to form between us. For now, I'm trying to resume my training to help the Light Clan against the demons.

"In facts, it's a piece that I added about thirty years ago. I redesigned every corner of this room to highlight each of these weapons. More than a thousand of them go from a dagger to spear, to the sword, to sabre, to hammer, to bow, and so on," He told me with a hint of pride in his voice.

I focus back on Knox as he informs me of the changes that have occurred over the past few decades, including this room that doesn't exist in my memories.

My awakening phase doesn't go like the other times either. I don't have access to all parts of my brain and that worries me. I don't want to talk about it because I'm afraid they won't let me fight alongside them.

I can control some of my gifts, such as fire and healing, but I feel that something is wrong. It's like something is keeping me away from this part of me. I don't feel whole. I try to suppress these thoughts and focus on finding myself a weapon.

"Maybe this will allow me to access the part that I can't access at the moment," I thought.

"I have to choose one from all the ones here, I guess."

"Sort of, he begins, approaching me. It's the weapon, which will react to your simple contact. Every weapon is connected to us in some way. It allows its owner to amplify their existing gifts or to provide additional gifts."

"So I only have to touch them?" I summarized, moving away from him.

Knox nods at me as I walk toward the bow section. It would be wonderful if I had the gift of shooting flaming arrows. I approach a weapon and touch its surface, but nothing happens. I start again several times, but nothing happens.

"Am I doing this the right way?" I asked Knox, suddenly worried.

"Yes, this is the right way. You can close your eyes and let yourself be guided. You should feel attracted to the weapon you should connect with."

"Why, don't you tell me what weapon I usually use, I said to him. This would save us a lot of time."

"I can't help you on this one, because each time, the weapon is different. The one who comes to you will help you complete your quest in this life."

Disheartened, I close my eyes like Knox told me to do. I calm my thoughts and take two deep breaths before I start to feel something.

At first, it's just a slight tickle that settles inside me, then a new feeling emerges. I feel drawn to a part of the room. Without opening my eyes, I let myself be led step by step towards this source of energy which amplifies more and more as I move in its direction.

"It really works," I thought as the euphoria, joy and determination to find this weapon came alive in my body.

After a while, I feel this trickle of energy transform into a pulsing aura that radiates onto my skin. I slowly open my eyes to see that I'm at the very end of the room.

I'm facing a long dagger. It seems ordinary at first glance, but when I get closer, I decipher ancient engravings and unknown symbols on the surface of the handle. An alloy of several metals was fused during its design, giving it a greenish colour. The hilt of the dagger is none other than a huge sphere of shiny crystal. Finally, its guard represents an interweaving of lines and shapes.

As I contemplate it, I can't help but touch it delicately with my fingertips. Upon my touch, the dagger lights up entirely with an orange colour, leaving a trail of fire where my fingers touched it.

The fire seems to transfer from my fingers to the centre of the weapon. Taken by surprise, I withdraw my fingers and the dagger immediately stops glowing. Knox then comes up to me.

"It's this weapon that's meant for you," he whispers in my ear, which makes me shiver.

Without taking my eyes off this object that seems to want me to take it in my hands, I respond:

"I believe you're right. It looks like it wants me to touch her again."

"Most of the time, when a weapon manifests for its recipient, it emits waves that challenge us. You must take it to complete the fusion with it. It should then reveal your main gifts, he told me gently."

I hesitate for a moment then I delicately take it in my hand as if it were the most precious thing I have ever held. A feeling of security envelops me entirely and when I raise it to eye level, it ignites, glowing like hot embers.

The light it emits dazzles me so much that I have to turn my head away to avoid burning my retinas. An intense heat passes from the weapon throughout my body and a feeling of power takes hold of me. I have the impression that the weapon is an extension of my arm and that it becomes one with me.

After a few seconds, the intensity decreases until total darkness sets in, and then everything returns to normal. I'm captivated by what has just happened and Knox seems to be as captivated as I am.

"Tell me this is all normal," I tell him as I lower my arm and turn to him.

"It's really one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, he told me. Be aware that the fusion between the owner and the weapon varies from person to person."

"I think my gift is fired, but who doesn't know that, right? " I said, laughing to play down the situation.

"Hum! indeed, but it seems that you also have the gift of light and shadow," he said to me thoughtfully, scrutinizing me with the depth of his immense blue eyes.

"I don't remember ever possessing these gifts," I suddenly replied, worrying that I didn't have access to all my memories and that Knox was hiding something behind his expressionless face.

"No, you never possessed these gifts. But you know that, if the dagger presented them to you, it's because they're buried within you and that they will be useful to you in this war." He reassures me by delicately caressing my arms with his warm hands.

We remain silent and absorbed in our thoughts for several minutes. I don't understand why I would need so many donations. Fire has always been my main power. I have never needed any other donations for as long as I can remember.

So why now? Why these powers? Having no answer, I turn to Knox. He's as thoughtful as I am. I leave him to his thoughts, then, after a while, Knox snaps out of his thoughts and breaks the silence.

"Come! Let's get out of here and go eat. I'm starving."

I nod to him and follow him to the exit. I don't know what worries me more in this whole story: Whether I have the gifts of darkness and light or seeing Knox worried and speechless.