Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 8

 The following week was a busy one for Eli. Every day, he would train with Ilkama and study his previous notes. While the papers proved useful in relearning powerful glyphs and tactics, the real experience came from training on the castle's roof. Atop the castle was an arena capable of withstanding Eli's glyphs. Ilkama reassured Eli on multiple occasions that an enchantment prevented the attacks from escaping or damaging the arena, especially when Eli showed concern for collateral damage. In the latter half of the week, Eli found the use for the glyph, Repeiletus, which he discovered at the temple; plunging it in the ground would form sharp stalagmites in a region surrounding him. He believed it would be useful in defending against strong foes or dealing a lot of damage to those around him.

Eli awoke one day, inspired by a dream, and headed to his desk; he wanted to make good progress. Intrigued by some intricate designs in the lower half of the pile, he hastily reached for them. The first revealed a detailed drawing of two teenage boys standing, their arms around each other's shoulders. Eli sat back in his seat, analyzing the photo. Dirt covered both boys from head to toe while giant grins rolled across their faces. The one on the left looked slightly taller than the one on the right. Glancing up at the mirror in front of him, Eli realized the boy was a younger version of himself, from the way his hair combed across his head to the shape of his nose to the uniform's color. His younger counterpart held a fang in his hand. While many details had changed since then, Eli quickly recognized the other as Ilkama, who held what looked like a snake's tail.

Eli grew anxious, impatiently tapping his foot; he wished for his memory to return and knew he was powerless to retrieve it. Even so, he could not help to smile, knowing that his younger self had been happy. The drawing confirmed they had indeed been close friends, and suddenly the idea of them growing together did not seem so farfetched. The swordsman sighed, propping the artwork against the mirror. As he continued sifting through the papers, he occasionally looked up at the picture, pleading to whatever deity may have been listening to give him back his memories. The swordsman audibly gasped when he found a paper titled "Memory," swiftly picking it up and reading the page.

"I have discovered a new glyph, the first of its kind," began Eli. "Unlike the other glyphs we discovered, this glyph is only useful outside of combat. Memories, no matter how significant, do not fade. The deepest parts of one's mind will always remember the truth," Eli's excitement grew at the thought of bringing out those deepest memories. "The glyph shown below will reveal one's memories when the enchanted sword is placed against an object. The sword connects the wielder to anything it touches and will play a memory the two share once the glyph is used. This glyph can be used on both objects and people, but the wielder cannot use it on him or herself," he continued. The page had more information, but Eli's eyes jumped to the bottom of the page to analyze the glyph. When he finished looking at it, his eyes bounced back to continue reading. Eli's eyes lit up as the paper revealed the enchantment did not require any form of perforation; simply placing the blade's blunt part against an object would suffice.

Eli hurriedly picked up his sword from beside the desk and unsheathed it. He glanced between the paper and the hilt, carefully drawing the glyph, watching as the blade glowed a bright yellow color. He placed the sword's blade carefully against the picture, closing his eyes as a memory returned to him.

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Eli looked down at his hands, seeing how young they looked. He realized he was viewing the world from a more youthful perspective. He looked at the thick forest around him, waiting for something to happen. The forest was full of life; unique sounds and smells filled the air. Eli and the young Ilkama stood back-to-back, their copper swords raised high.