Convulsion

☆ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɴɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴ ☆

[Hi everyone! Warning: blood, graphic injuries]

Steven

A sharp yelp fills the air, ringing in my ears. Once that fades, faint sounds of rocks being scattered and someone yelling filters through the metal doors, echoing throughout the cavern. What's going on? Who's yelling? I feel something familiar about this strange wind, but I can't tell what it is. There's something, no, someone. Someone coming closer. Someone flying right through the metal doors and right at us.

The girl is moving crazily, her limbs flailing as she flies through the air. I can't tell who it is because of how far away she is and how quickly she's moving, but it doesn't exactly seem like she's in control of herself. As she moves across the bridge she'll go from flying five feet into the air to rolling across the ground to walking in a very clumsy fashion. This is what Ghostclaw wanted us to see?

"Help me!" she yells. I recognize who she is the second I hear her voice. She gets thrown into the air once again, flying maybe ten feet forward before making it to us and landing at the bottom of the throne, not moving anymore. At first I don't move towards the body curled up in front of us, but my senses come back in a flash.

"Lily?" I exclaim. I jump forward, kneeling down at her side at the bottom of Ghostclaw's steps, even though Ghostclaw is standing above us. She rolls over onto her back, groaning and clutching her sides with her eyes closed. My heart drops. Her skin is too pale. Her skin is covered in scratches, all over her arms and legs. Some are bleeding. I press a hand to her forehead, but immediately pull away. It's cold. Too cold. There's something else I notice as the other Guardians join me around Lily, Ghostclaw's lieutenants studying her as well around us. Even though she doesn't have the Terra Firma Gem with her, there's still something around her neck. I reach for it.

"I wouldn't touch that, if I were you." I stop, looking up at Ghostclaw. Since I'm at the bottom of the large rock steps that lead up to his throne, I have to look up at him. It feels as if he's much taller and larger than me. I glance at the swirling gray and white stone, hanging from a golden chain on Lily's neck. Why doesn't he want me to touch it? When I look back up Ghostclaw sighs and shakes his head, as if I'm a youngling and he's trying to explain to us something we should already know.

"Ever heard of the Cursed Necklace of Valon?" I stare up at Ghostclaw but he doesn't say anything else so I wince, scooting back from Lily and away from the necklace as I stand up.

"That's only a legend," Amaryllis says.

"I see. Then why did you all back away?" His deep voice carries a tinge of amusement in it and I scowl, looking down at Lily. Legend has it that Valon, one of the first Representatives of the Council, or in other words an Ancient, was in the midst of a battle fighting against the Storm, one of the first rebellion groups, when one of his own friends betrayed him. His "friend" jumped right in front of him, thrusting his knife, built using Shadowshards, straight through Valon's necklace and into his heart.

It's said that a part of Valon's soul dwells in the necklace, forever cursing whoever wears it. His necklace was once used to bring about good and healing, but the betrayal seemed to reverse the effects. Way back then people did terrible things with Shadowshards, and they made things that still exist today. The tale goes that there will forever be Shadowshards left inside of the necklace, leaking slowly into the heart of whoever wears the necklace. I always thought it was all a silly myth until I became a Guardian and saw how many things, real things, are seen as fake because of their level of danger.

"That thing is real?" Brayden asks, glaring at the necklace hanging from Lily's chest.

"Yes, but if you don't believe me, you can see for yourself," Ghostclaw replies. Brayden doesn't move. I scan the faces of the people standing by Ghostclaw. Ethan, Brittany, and Miranda all look shocked. They look like they don't believe him, like they doubt the Cursed Necklace of Valon is what's really around Lily's neck. Gwen, on the other hand, doesn't look doubtful at all.