Impenetrable- Sequel to Arcanum

Chapter 47: Colt

I kept falling..
I wanted to somehow break out of this loop but it seemed impossible. It was almost like I was doomed to fall forever.
When it felt like a millennium passed, I finally slammed into the ground and I jolted up as pain crashed down on me all at once. I winced and grabbed my chest, and looked ahead. I was in a clearing that seemed to be in some type of room for some reason. Because offside from the clearing, was just blackness.
"Colt?" I stopped, and tried to look around but my neck was hurting me badly.
Suddenly, my dad came into sight and my eyes widened.
"F-father?" I gasped and got to my shaky feet before I tried to walk over, but before I could reach out I fell to my knees and was forced to lay back down.
"Don't push yourself Colt. This is hard enough to connect with you as it is, and I can't have you waking up yet." He said to me and I looked up in confusion.
"What is this place?" I asked and he chuckled.
"It's your dream. You're unconscious in reality so I took the chance to talk to you by using a crystal."
I raise a brow and stare at him.
"Crystals can even do that?" I mused and he glared.
"Just shut up for a moment and let me talk to you!" He snapped, losing his patience so I clamped my jaw shut.
"Now then. I think I know what Cassidy is after. She is trying to turn each of the kingdoms against each other, and make us fight and start a war." He told me grimly and I stared in shock.
"What?! Why?" I shout and try to lift myself up but he simply rests his foot on my shoulder.
"Because if he did, then she could take over the kingdoms when we're weak and unable to fend off her attacks." He explained and I frowned.
"Why would you all start fighting though? Aren't we all chill with all the kingdoms?" I asked and he nodded.
"Yes but every kingdom's leader is missing their children. King Lucas attacked me today, demanding me to tell him where his daughters are." He explained and my jaw fell.
"That doesn't make any sense! Cassidy is the obvious threat! Everyone should be attacking her!" My voice grew sore so I quieted down a little.
"She disappeared. We can't find her, so everyone's next assumption is the person right next to you. In our case, the Catori Kingdoms."
"This is bull!" I exploded and my father sighed.
"Well I can understand their anger. They are worried about you all. I'm going to go talk to Spruce next if I can connect to him. If not, I need you to find him. Forget about getting to the kingdom first. I just want you to make sure Spruce is alright and you can come back together. Do you have any crystals on you?" He asked and I looked at myself.
"I.. I have my bow with the crystal arrows but I don't have unlimited. I also have a tiny pouch of healing crystals." I said as I thought about the morning before all of this happened.
"Alright. Good luck Colt and come back safely." He said and suddenly he faded from existence, and I already found myself missing his presence when I looked around and the shadows begun to grow onto the clearing and surround me.
When the shadows tickled at my feet, I felt it numb it and I winced at the strange feeling and tried to crawl away but the shadows grew far too quickly and swallowed me into it's black sea of nothingness.
---
I felt my life ease back into reality, and I slowly opened my eyes to see a guy curiously looking down at me.
I jumped and moved away, but found my arms hurt, and suddenly everything ignited like a fire. I shrieked at the sharp pain in my head, and I held it as I turned away from the stranger.
"Hold it buddy. I ain't gonna hurt ye. But ye sure don't look sharp pal." He said and had a weird accent. It seemed to be altering between two that I couldn't identify.
He reached over and helped me stand up. He led me to a small shack, and sat me down in a seat.
He disappeared for a second out the door, and when he reappeared, he had a bowl filled with water and a cloth.
He set it down on the table and started dabbing at my nearly infected cuts and dark bruises.
"Geez pal, ye sure took a helluva beating." He stated and I glared softly before I gripped at the seat again when he washed out the dirt from a cut over my eyelid.
"So what's ye name?" He asked as he looked at me in the eyes.
"Colt." I said in between gritted teeth and he took the bloody cloth away to grin at me.
"Mah name's Bernard. Nice to meet ye Colt!" He said cheerfully and shook my hand softly.
As I studied him, I realized he didn't really look normal at all.
His eyes were a bright purple, but everytime I looked back at them, they looked different.
There were small blue dots in them, and I soon realized that the blue dots were moving in his eyes.
Somehow, his eyes looked familiar. I'm not sure from where but I know I've seen those colors a lot before.
I finalky relaxed when he took the bowl away and he sat across from me and studied me.
"Ye aren't around from 'ere?" He asked as he gaze narrowed and I felt intimidated but interested at the same time from his eyes.
"No." I say simply and he raises an eyebrow.
"Good. Now then, let's reintroduce. My name's Birch." He smirked and suddenly the accent disappeared from his voice and I stared at him in confusion.
"But you just said your name is Bernard.." I frowned and he shrugged and leaned back in the chair lazily.
"Sorta hard to say your real name when every being around here is out for your magical blood." He said and I stopped and stared at him, getting more and more confused as time went on.
"I'm sorry... Can you explain yourself? Also, where am I even?" I asked. He sighed and looked at a book sitting on the table, before his eyes flashed purple and the book suddenly levitated and landed on my lap.
I shuddered and stopped as I slowly picked up the book and I came to a realization as I touched the surface.
The book had a familiar feeling to the magic power coming from crystals.
"Who are you?" I ask at last as I look up and he grinned weakly.
"The son of a madman." He stated and I groaned.
"Stop with the cryptic crap and just tell me." I demanded. My father used to do the same thing a lot when I was younger and it annoyed me to no extent.
"Alright. My name is Birch and my blood is infused with a levitation crystal. My father was always a genius and when I was born, he got raw magic power from the crystal and put it in my blood to turn me into some sort of weapon. What he didn't expect was the people of this area to turn against him and kill him. Now they're after me too because they're scared of me." He explained and my jaw fell open. That explains the eyes. His eyes are the same colors of the crystal. Then I thought about it and realized how dodgy this seems.
"Wouldn't the magic power kill you instantly as a baby?!" I exclaim and he shrugs.
"I guess it should've. My father told me I had different blood that was able to accept the power." He explained.
"So.. Can you make yourself or any living being float?" I asked, and a second later I felt a warm sensation on my skin as I felt my feet not touch the ground anymore.
I clumsily tried to reach for the ground again and then suddenly I saw Birch hop above me on no ground.
"I can make anything float except for me. For some reason I can only make myself stand on air for a second before I have to jump and make a new platform for myself." He said as he gracefully bounced on air. Everytime his foot would construct a platform, a small purple paper thin sheet would appear beneath his foot and support him before it disappeared and he had to make a new one.
He landed in front of me and I smiled.
"You're pretty cool." I admitted and he sheepishly smiled and turned away but I caught a small blush.
"Thanks.. You're the first person to appreciate my power." He said and I looked out the window to see the sun was coming up.
"I actually need to get going." I said reluctantly and he looked over.
"Why were you so beat up? And why do you need to leave?" He asked and I explain everything about myself and how I needed to find my brother and get home.
"I understand. Let me come with you!" He said and I stared in confusion and he grinned.
"I can help! Plus if I stay in this area for any longer, someone is eventually going to find me." He said and I stared before I nodded and saw my things in a corner and I grabbed them
He went to go grab his things and when he came back, he was wearing dark gray clothes and a black hat mostly covering his equally black hair.
I nodded and we walked out but as we went walking through the forest, we suddenly heard horse hooves behind us thundering against the ground and Birch cursed.
"We need to go! If they catch us we're both dead!" He exclaimed and we raced through the forest, stumbling and trying to stay together but we had no chance of out racing horses.
When they got close, I suddenly found myself forced into a tree, and I looked down at Birch to see his eyes glowing purple and he was smiling up at me and he put a finger to his lips before he looked away and towards the people that raced towards him.
"Halt cursed boy! You shall be purged for the safety of the residents!" One man shouted and I reached into my quiver and shrugged my bow off my shoulder and took aim at the men.
I put three arrows into the bow at once, and slowed my breathing and carefully targeted the men surrounding Birch.
I shot the arrows and three men fell and I smirked and quickly pulled out another arrow and shot the last man before he could see me.
Birch stared at them in shock before he saw me jump from the tree and walk over to him.
"Don't do that again." I say sternly and he chuckled.
"Sorry." He lied and we took the horses and got to a village in a day.
"You need a weapon, don't you?" I ask and he looks at the shop we past that's filled with weapons.
"I guess." He said and we walk in.
"What are you interested in?" I ask as I pick up a bow. It was lighter than my own and white.
"Well I'm not sure if I'd be any good at shooting a bow.. Hey can I try a sword?" He asked and we looked at swords until we bought a medium sized sword.
We went to a nearby training area in the woods, and he tried swinging the sword but it all seemed a little sloppy and weak.
Birch growled before the sword begun to glow purple and suddenly the sword flew from his hands and it swung straight into a tree and sliced straight through it, and the tree paused before it fell over straight towards me.
I jumped out of the way and stared in shock as Birch swung the sword around so quickly with his mind that the sword had a trail of purple.
"Whoa." I blinked and walked over when he calmed down and assessed the tree.
"Er did I do that?" He asked shyly and I laughed.
"Yeah dude, that was awesome! You should have dual swords and just swing them around like crazy! Nobody would come near you." I smiled and his gaze brightened in happiness.
We bought him a second sword and we continued to ride for the night.
As we were resting in a makeshift shelter, I stared up at the moon and wondered if Kaliska was alright.. If everyone was alright.
I sighed and laid back down and looked at Birch. The guy slept soundly and peacefully. I felt sorry for him though. He was disgraced his entire life for being special..
I smiled and patted his shoulder before I turned onto my side.
"Good night." I murmured before I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly.