Shards: Intro- Part 1 (old)

Chapter Nine: Friendship Is Weakness

Somewhere over Sicily, Italian Republic

Paige
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There is only the next flap of my wings taking me to my destiny. Nothing else mattered. No thought was put into anything deviating from finding this "burn." I scarcely even put any effort into my only task at hand; flying. I knew which way I should fly just as much as I knew how to breathe. I just knew. My state of mind is anything but uncertain about anything that I see fit to be done. And what needed to be done wasn't up to me. It's up to the voice in my head. Why I see nothing wrong with that is a reason I can't explain. It doesn't feel wrong at all. What I've been doing for this formless voice felt right, but not in a familiar way. That was my only impropriety; a lack of familiarity to my duties.

Master, are you locked away somewhere?

In body; young one; I am. But you are already where you should be, and I won't be locked away for long.

Master?

Below you, dive now. Your destination is that mountaintop.

I tucked my large wings to my sides, twisted my body mass toward the ground, and let gravity do the rest. Below me was the mountain that my master was alluding to. Even with my wider range of peripheral vision, this mountain occupied the majority of my view of the ground. It reminded me of the snow capped mountains surrounding central Asha.

But I only saw them a long time ago, when I was-

-unenlightened, irrelevant....and a child. No more thinking about these days.

After a few seconds of consideration, I dared to talk back.

But, I can't stop these memories. They just come to me, and remind me of Paige. I have nothing else but your commands and promises of glory to think about. But I was someone. As of right now, I am no one but at your service. I don't know who you are. I don't know who I am. Forgive me Master, but I must know something.

You will. The answer is on top of this mountain. Descend and be silent.

I subtly huffed in frustration. I finished my dive at an angle so I could glide gently towards the cone shaped peak.

I don't sense that you have had a Veil around you. Have you been uncloaked this whole flight? You are probably being tracked right now.

Apologies.

I quickly summoned a Veil around me before landing on the ash ridden crater on the peak.

You have arrived, now only one thing remains. Morph back into your Magus form.

I obeyed without a moments thought.

Now, make a connection with your Shard.

Without trouble, I began the connection. My surroundings immediately changed. I had a form like a warped shadow. Surrounding me was an essence appearing as orange embers. Beyond the embers was pitch black, but not entirely. Among the darkness was the source of the voice inside my head, a large sharp-toothed grin, and above it: two crimson eyes, and a glow the same color on an invisible forehead. The same creature I saw on Excursion Day.