The Memoirs of Light

Chapter 12- Explanations

(AN: "Naiida" is pronounced Ny-EE-da, "Addam" is Ah-DAHM, "Maka" is MAh-kah, and "Avir" is AE-Veer. Trust me, it's important)

Chapter 12

Explanations

“Many many ages ago, when time itself began, the Maker formed the Earth,” Addam explained, “The Great One knew that this creation could not operate for long before the forces that governed it began to tear it apart. So in order to preserve this world, the Maker formed seven beings as guardians. Each controlled a specific force, and they became known as the Elementals.”

Jaylin nodded. This at least was familiar to her.

“These seven are myself for earth, my wife Maka for nature, Avir for wind, Aedan for fire, and Naiida for water. Rama, the Dark One, was created to oversee darkness, night, quiet, and rest. You are the guardian of Light, joy, and activity. Each of us has all the qualities of the element he or she controls. We are dependent on each other as our elements are. For instance, Avir and Aedan share a bond because fire needs air to survive.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Avir muttered to Aedan and elbowed him in the ribs.

“We reigned in glory and harmony for long ages,” said a voice out of the darkness. Jaylin started and stared warily toward a dark, damp corner of the cave. In the shadows she could just make out a slender figure with dark hair crouched among dripping stalactites. Deep blue eyes pierced through the darkness and fixed on her. Jaylin shivered as though a cold wind had just brushed across her shoulders; she perceived that this must be Naiida, the guardian of water.

“Then Rama, perhaps corrupted by his dark nature, began to show signs of ambition. He said that we were not embracing the power the Maker had blessed us with. He wanted to use the control we had over this world to bring order, or so he said. Addam and Maka refused several times. At last, Father Earth was stern with him and threatened him with punishment. In the face of this admonishment, Rama seemed to give up his plans and return to the normal balance. Relieved that he had come to his senses, we did not look into the matter any further.”

Then Avir took up the tale, “Years later we discovered the real reason for his compliance. He had been steadily gaining control over a number of small towns and villages, first by persuasion and then by force. He had enslaved a small population of social outcasts by the time we uncovered his plot.”

“Luckily, we got to him in time to stop it,” Aedan spoke up, “Because of his disturbing actions, we banished him to a cold and rocky mountain. In our hearts he was still our brother. We hoped that he would repent of his deeds and return to us. We should have buried him in the core of the earth.”

“We did what we thought best at the time,” Addam admonished him, “Showing mercy and compassion should never be regretted. We cared for him and were unwilling to see how corrupt he had become. He converted his prison into a fortress and, through fear and intimidation, amassed a large army. He also developed an extremely…repulsive talent.”

“What kind of talent?” she asked, even though part of her sensed that she didn’t want to know about anything Rama might find enjoyable.

“He has acquired a taste for the human soul,” Avir answered, his normal empirical curiosity tempered by a grimace of revulsion, “He has discovered a way to…consume a person’s life-force and make it his own. I’m not sure exactly how it is accomplished, but it involves integrating himself into the bloodstream through an open wound, and it appears to give him strength beyond that which he normally possesses.”

“We of course decided that this must be stopped,” Addam said as he gave Avir and his morbid curiosity a disapproving look, “Make, Avir, Aedan, Naiida, and I could not destroy Rama because our elements are dependent on his.” Jaylin looked quizzically at him, but didn’t know how to frame her question. Addam clarified for her, “For example, I rule over earth, which is full of dark caves like this one.”