Glitch's Short Stories

Saving Crystals

News flashed to the Eternals---people who keep the five elements in balance---that two of them had been assassinated in separate places.

The water Eternal Naomi was deemed dead by a single shot of void magic within just seconds. No one knows how she was killed, or how the assassin got void magic. Void magic is illegal; it's banned everywhere due to its potential to destroy the world that not even the kings, queens, and aristocrats were permitted to use it. The worse thing is that even up to this hour, even the most powerful of wizards in the Kingdom of Nalim couldn't figure out who killed her, and how, and why.

But that didn't stop there.

Later that same, fateful day, this time in the Republic of Aarhus, in the city that bore the same name, with speeds that are comparable to how fast the word of Naomi's assassination was, word about the fire Eternal, who went by Glitch, was also assassinated, almost in the same manner as how Naomi died. And like with Naomi, the powerful wizards of Aarhus couldn't figure out how he was killed.

But to the wizards of Aarhus, both assassinations was certainly not a good sign. But the Eternals knew better.

Miles away from both the Republic of Aarhus and the Kingdom of Nalim, on a land overgrown with colorful tulips, with towering windmills swivelling along the starry sky, Leo's brown cloak touched the green grass that slapped his feet as the wind blew. As much as he would've loved to stop by and let the smell of earth enter his nostrils, he couldn't. He had to find the bones of. . . he forgot the name, but it has been said to do magical things, and he was told that it was here on the Land of Tulips--- Golland.

But where the heck is that bone? He doesn't know. In fact, almost no one knows. Although a couple references acknowledge its existence, no one knows exactly where it was, as it was forgotten, generation by generation. All that Leo knew was that it was in Golland, near the border of Schwarzy.

And they have to find it first. Or else, the world will spiral out of balance.

"Magical bones, where are you. . ." His eyes darted around, his gut telling him that it was around here somewhere.

He raised his hand, as if he was making something appear out of the ground.

Fissures appeared on the ground as bits of mud levitated. Then came rocks, and fragments of the ground, bringing with them the tulips, floating. However, more earth greeted him except a particular area.

This area that I'm talking about was a cave, with stalactites and stalagmites dominating both the ceiling and floor. As Leo came closer, purple light glowed inside the cave.

"This must be it. . ." he said, referring to almost no one but the cave itself. Leo entered the cave, took his cloak off a piercing stalagmite. The purple light grew even brighter. And brighter as he got even closer to the end of the tunnel. But at the end of the tunnel laid a pile of bones, surrounded by shiny, star-shaped, purple particles.

He had found it. The Bones of--- whatever, he still forgot. He got it, anyway.

But out of nowhere---at least that's what he thought, dark waves struck the cave walls. Leo turned around. A mysterious man, concealed by his long, black cloak with a hood on top, only revealing his white gloves.

"Give me the bones or die."

"No." He extended his arm towards him, the floating pieces of earth hurled towards him. However, the man blocked it, summoning a sphere of void that circled around him.

"Then die." Although motionless, the mysterious man threw (without his arms moving) small spheres of darkness towards Leo. Leo successfully cast a wall of rocks just before the magic hit him.