Two Worlds: Clash of the Guardians (Completed)

IV - The Weapon Cellar -- Part I.5

Elli

October 2, in the year of 8845, Reminis Calendar (RC)

The quartet ran until they reached a dilapidated temple built by the town people in recognition of the Lucifers' sacrifice in imprisoning the Vampists a year ago. Elli wondered why the temple would look so worn-out if the Lucifers held such a high position in the people's heart. But without a second thought, the sorcerers clambered into the doorless shelter. They'd had enough for the day and they prayed that the only standing statue in the main hall could protect them. 

The male statue was slanted; the bronze sprayed on its body had peeled off. The tip of its sword was broken, but the blade still glimmered under the pale moonbeam. At its feet, dried flowers littered the altar and dust coated the broken plates.

A spider web wrapped Elli's face as she explored the place. Cursing, she wiped it away. The temple had two levels, where the upper level used to be a dining area for visitors. Without much talking, the group plopped down on the straw-filled floor and devoured their food. Elli shuddered as Roxy glared at her; a smirk billowed up Roxy's cheeks. Sensing the rising argument, Marko offered to take the first watch with Elli.

When they arrived at the entrance, Marko cast an angelic rune to shroud the temple. Twirling his fingers around his wand, he said, "We had run for thirty minutes until we reach here. So, we need to walk three miles northwards in the morning to reach the prophecy house."

"Is prophecy seeking a must? Why do we need it? Those fancy talking are all lies."

"They are a blessing. In Reminis, every sorcerer, before travelling, must at least get their fate read. Those who ignore the telling will often fail the quest."

"Right. Let's hear what they will say about how horrible Vadiraj will die. Speaking of him, don't you feel the guards in Spearwood Sorcery Academy are suspicious? Our escape had been easy."

In order to clear her confusion, Elli brought out her jukebox. Dorris complained, being roused from her sleep. Ignoring Dorris, Elli pressed the button with a shimmering five and whispered the funny password. A tut-tut sound came from the device. Feeling unsure, she whispered the password, and Sam's face appeared on the screen. He told them that he had escaped from any detentions, which he himself couldn't believe. 

Elli and Marko thanked him before putting the jukebox back into the bag. 

The twosome eyed each other; no conclusion had been reached.

"Marko, what do you mean by the great door, when you told Sam that you were even?"

"He trespassed into the Squatters once and let's just say things would have ended badly for him, if I wasn't there. Uhm, what about you? If you don't mind me asking what happened back there with the rats? You seemed extremely jumpy when you saw them. They are just rats, you know."

"Just rats! I'm not trying to be biased, but they are the most evil animal in this world."

"Evil? It's really weird to describe an animal as evil."

"You didn't know. Uhm, when I was seven, I sneaked out with my best friend for a little adventure. We went into a run-down hut to find some treasure. Silly us. That night, the storm was fierce. We couldn't get home, so we hid in the hut. But we were thirsty. Jenny found an opened can and drank it. The storm continued through the next morning, and Jenny, she... she didn't wake up. And the rats... They were all over her body and were feasting on her flesh."

"Life is fragile." Marko sighed and affixed his eyes to the silvery half-moon.

Elli hugged her shuddering legs to her body, trying to confront the trauma. It was at the darkest time of the night when the mind lay vulnerable to its deepest fear. The valve of topic was shut off, with each of them immersing in their thoughts, thinking of the fate revolving around them. 

"I miss them," Elli said suddenly. She didn't know why she wanted to talk about this, she just wanted to. "When mother died, I felt that the world was being unfair to me. Why her? I asked the stars. They never gave me any answers. Father forbade me to raise any questions about mother's death. He even burned all of her belongings, leaving only those fairy tale books and some pictures in my possession."

"Did he say why he asked you to keep those things?"

"He kept reading me those stories, over and over again. He said the knowledge is going to be useful someday, but he had never explained further. I dream of dragons, witches, and mermaids every time I close my eyes. I even dream of fallen angels. They try to talk to me, but I can't hear their voices." As Elli placed her chin above her knees, she stared starry-eyed at Marko, struggling to curb her tears. "Who can I ask now for answer?"

"I-- I don't know, Elli." Marko couldn't find any suitable words to comfort her. 

He could only pat her back and stroked her hair, giving her as much moral support as he could. There was silence. Silence seemed to be the best remedy now. A good fifteen minutes slipped by when Marko stood up. He swiped the dust off his cloak and whispered an incantation. 

His wand changed to a sword and he said, "We can't keep living in the shadows of our past. Memories are meant to make us stronger, not to hinder us from the goals of our future. Uhm, shall we practice with our weapons?"

The idea of a match slowly brightened Elli's mood. Standing up from the floor, she withdrew her sword and charged towards Marko. They fought for several rounds until Marko made a stop sign.

"You need to be quicker in your strikes, Elli. Your balance is weak. I bet you can't even count how many times you fell just now." Marko touched Elli's feet with the back of his sword. "Stand with your feet and shoulders wide. Keep your body balanced so you can parry without falling." 

Elli grumbled in irritation but still, she followed his instructions. 

Marko continued, "Balancing is one of the keys to win a sword fight. Also, when you parry, keep the blade close to you, so it's easier to block your opponent. Come, let's try again."

Elli's grip became more firm under Marko's coaching. Eager to win the fight, she swung her sword in fiercer strikes. With a swift flick of her wrist, she hit Marko's hand with the pommel of her sword and disarmed him. She was surprised that if she really wanted to, she could channel her strength to her sword hand, and it would move as her wish. They had fun training until Lukas and Roxy awoke. Roxy threw her a dirty glance, before sitting next to Lukas at the entrance. Elli ignored her and went upstairs with Marko. She found a female Lucifer sculpture and crawled next to it. It was smaller than the one at the main hall, but she felt close to it. 

She imagined its wings enshrouding her, and a sense of familiarization engulfed her.

Her eyelids soon fell and her mind drifted farther into a dreamland. She was back into her house with her mother when she was just a kid. Her little fingers curled around her mother's golden hair, while her mouth munched busily. Her mother fed her with spoonfuls of cake and sang to her in a melodious voice. Suddenly, fear flashed across her mother's eyes. Her ears pricked up and without any words of precaution, she pushed Elli into a secret chamber.

"Elli, no matter what you hear, don't come out. Halford will come save you. I love you." She whispered in some ancient language and wood blocks piled up in front of the chamber.

"Mama, mama!" Elli's small fists hammered on the wood blocks. They didn't budge. 

Outside, the roaring of thunder made her heart pound with fear, and there were those quick footsteps of the residents running into their own houses, like wild horses galloping on a cobblestone ground. The sound of door latches shooting brought tears to her eyes.

Wiping the tears away from her eyes, Elli peeped through a gap as the front door was being kicked open. Evil laughter reverberated around the living room, slashing the last buds of her hope. Dins of breaking porcelains attacked her ears and all of a sudden, a blinding flash shot out. Her mother's body fell to the floor; her limbs bent like deformed metal bars. A hooded figure sniffed the air and with a screech, he thumped down on the wooden blocks.