Book of Trirealm. Master Of Elements [BL]

CHAPTER 9: Heir to the Master of Elements

Bald Mountain had one slope facing the sea and the other slopes facing the neighboring peaks. The mountain was so named for a reason: no blade of grass had ever grown here, there were no rivers at all, and a cap of snow covered the top. If any animals happened to wander here, they either perished or fled in fear.

At the foot of the mountain sat a small town called Entu. The locals were afraid to climb up. Whoever tried it never came back. And what was there to do up there? The road ran through the town, the river flowed through the town, the neighboring forests were full of all kinds of animals, and wild fruits, and berries, and the mountain just towered above Entu, blocking the dim light of the evening sun, which always hid behind clouds anyway.

But Bald Mountain had matched its name only until forty years ago, when a tall stranger had come into town with a long bundle in his hands. No one had noticed him except the pie seller, from whom the stranger had bought two meat pies, and the ready-made clothes seller. From him the stranger bought the most beautiful silver-embroidered ribbon for his long brown hair.

"What's there on that mountain?" he asked, looking pleased as he tied up his hair with the ribbon.

"Nothing, sir. Only stone and snow," replied the shopkeeper.

The traveler smiled simply and headed for the mountain.

"He'll perish up there." The shopkeeper shook his head and forgot about it.

Indeed, no one had seen that demon since. He never came back down.

After a while, the mountain began to change. Every month its name suited it less and less. Suddenly grayish grass began to grow on it, then flowers, then small bushes and young trees appeared. Animals no longer took flight, afraid of the unknown, and birds could now be heard singing on the slopes.

The townies marveled at the change, but soon got used to it. For some reason they still avoided the mountain. Even if one of the boys climbed up on a dare, he stopped halfway up, overwhelmed by an irresistible desire to go back.

The demon that had come to the town forty years ago called himself Arn, the Heir to the Master. Which Master, and why his heir had chosen such a strange place to dwell in, only he knew. Since the day he had bought two meat pies and a ribbon in Entu and had climbed the mountain, he had not spoken to nor met anyone. When Arn first had reached the snow-covered peak, he had found that it rose above the clouds and that he could see the sun from there. The demon rejoiced, sank down on the snow, laid down the long bundle, and ate his meat pies with great relish. After that, he smiled contentedly, closed his eyes, and sat still. For twelve years he sat there, developing his inner strength, talking to the earth and listening to the wind.

Then he stood up and walked around the mountain a few times where the snow ended and the rock began. With his hand he punched a hole in it, and from it rushed water that formed a mountain stream. The demon had cut a channel for it, to direct the stream around the mountain instead of down. He sat down on the bank of the stream and stroked the stone surface.

A few gentle words, and by the next morning the mountain was covered with a layer of soft silvery grass. He did almost nothing else. Just let nature grow whatever it wanted to grow.

This place suited Arn. He found everything he needed here: Earth, Wind, and Water, three of the five elements that he could control. Fire and General Energy remained to be tamed, but the demon felt he wasn't ready yet. He decided to live here, perfecting the skills he had already mastered.

Ever since Arn could remember, pain had accompanied him. He had forgotten his birth and the early years of his life. Death seemed to have erased those events from his memory. For him, it had all begun with a fall. He had been falling into the Ice Gorge, gray clouds swirling in the sky above him.