Who Am I? (Book 1)

Chapter 20

"The main elements, earth, water, fire and air. That's not new knowledge for anyone, I suppose. The lake is sacred and the home to the Spirit of Water, this mountain for Mother Earth, the Sun Cavern for the Spirit of Fire and the Ice Cave for the Spirit of Air. The Sun Cavern is inside the mountain, on the lower floor,  the entire cavern shines as if made of gold and when the sun is at its peak you also have the chance to be bestowed with fire-related powers. But only if the Spirit of Fire finds you worthy. The Ice Cave is always very cold, water immediately freezes upon entering the cave. The cave itself is covered with white, ice-blue and silver gems. And if the Spirit of Air finds you worthy she may bestow powers to you. Since these lands belong to three of the spirits no powers are allowed, to ensure the safety of their homes. Only a few, that the spirits choose, may use their powers within the sacred lands". That sounded ... complicated, and then I remembered even more questions (yay, me). "So ... a bite from those beasts should burn for all eternity, right?" Tash nodded and looked at me. "Well ... I was bitten by one of them, I think. But it's not burning.  Her expression was ... unreadable for a little but then she gave me a little smile. "I suppose there's more mystery about you than I essentially thought. I'm sure we'll figure it out along the way. The altar will reveal the most important memories".

The fog had gotten denser while we were underground and by the time we drew close to the passage, I could barely see 2 meters in front of me. "Take my hand, it would be a disaster if we lost each other". I took Tash's hand, it was warm and hard. We pushed on forward, it was dangerous since we couldn't see anything. But after a lot of fumbling (and feeling paranoid) a giant cave stood before us. I could catch a glimpse of some kind of barrier, a magic field that blocked out the darkness. "Once we pass through we're safe". Tash sped up and walked through it, disappearing. I followed after her ... and felt some sort of stinging pain ... but why? Why did every damn holy or sacred thing hate me? Yes, I had a mark but it's gone by now. My mind went blank once I emerged on the other side, however. It was breathtakingly beautiful. it was a green and lush valley, it looked kinda exotic. A green mangrove forest surrounding the river delta, the water being crystal clear and the air free from pollution. We followed an obsidian path to the middle of the delta. An altar waiting in front of us. 

We walked hand in hand to get a better look at the small fountain resting beside it. It had been carved from a smooth stone type. There was no inscription on it, but the creator of this place had rather carved pictures on both the fountain and the altar. "They depict the history of how this place came to be and how to use the fountain". Tash looked transfixed on the fountain's content. At first, the water seemed normal, but then it took on a silvery appearance. An ancient dagger was seated in the middle of the fountain, I could see it right under the surface of the silvery water. I carefully reached out for it, the grip was ... radiating a warm aura and the blade radiating a cold aura. The grip was engraved with the element's spirits as well as their sacred area, their insignia of power. The blade was elegant, and something was written on it. "You must pay with your blood to unlock its secrets". Tash translated the ancient language quite easily. I looked down at the dagger, not happy that I had to slice myself with it. "Don't you think ... the blade is filthy after all these years?" Getting a major infection was not on my to-do list, so I had to ask. "No, the wards around us protect this place ... no one can die here, because this is the realm of the spirits". I hesitated a little before stabbing my own hand, then I gave the dagger to Tash who did the same. "Ready?" I nodded and gave her a quick kiss before we let the blood drip down, touching the silvery water.