Chapter 3: Lesson

   “So, why have ye brought me here?”
   Ewa stood slouched, her arms crossed, in the middle of the dark room; the same room she was nearly burnt to ashes in.
   “I wish to teach you how to control the power you hold,” the man explained.
   “D’ya need to stand in the shadows so I can’t even see ye?” Ewa complained, annoyed.
   The man in the cloak emerged from the darkness and removed the hood from his face.
   “Hey,” Ewa said with a smirk. “Ye ain’t as old as I thought ye would be.”
   He had rich blue eyes and a thin, youthful brow; his hair was pure white and hung in very evenly trimmed bangs.
   “Ye look even stranger than I thought, too!” Ewa snickered. “Ye got white hair, and ye could be Markie's age!”
   The boy held back his annoyance with a cool look.
   “You’re the one telling me about odd appearances?” he said. Ewa stopped laughing and pulled back, touching her pointed ears.
   “I can't help what I look like!” she defended herself.
   “Then maybe you shouldn't criticize others if you can’t deal with it, yourself.”
   Ewa blushed intensely, which was easy to see against her porcelain skin. She let out a hmph and turned away, crossing her arms again.
   “So, what’s yer name, anyways?” Ewa asked, tucking her hair behind her large ears.
   “Oh, I nearly forgot,” the boy said, bowing respectively, a hand folded in the flap of his cloak. “My name is Sucauror Ralemes. Oh, but you don’t speak Yulamin, do you?”
   “Actually, it’s my native language,” Ewa pointed out. “I happen to be an Elf.”
   “Oh,” the boy muttered, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
   “What you said means yer name is Realms. Ye have the position of the king’s highest ranking sorcerer,” Ewa explained. “I’m also guessing from yer dialect, ye descended from the Leveyon Province. Specifically, yer parents were farmers, which gave ye that... Interesting accent of yers.”
   “Magnificent!” Realms exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with pleasure. “You’re more knowledgeable than I expected, Ewa.”
   “Well, there’s more to a person than meets the eye, eh? So, what are we gonna do first?” Ewa asked, building up her stored energy. “Ye gonna show me how to win a fight, or somethin’?”
   “First, I’ll tell you the story about how you came about being a Bender. I’ve learned quite more about you than you know, Ewa,” said Realms. “Come and sit next to me.”
   Ewa walked over to Realms and sat by him in a wooden chair.
   “So,” Realms said, throwing her a loaf of bread that looked and smelled very fresh. “Have you ever seen another Bender?”
   Ewa tore hungrily into the bread; she hadn’t eaten anything but stale leftovers or whatever the hoods could scrape up ever since she got home.
   “Dunno what they look like. So, I wouldn't know,” Ewa mumbled behind the bread.
   “Sometimes they bear tattoos on their foreheads when they’re born. Have you ever witnessed a birth, Ewa?”
   Ewa thought for a while, and recalled being with her mother years ago while she was helping her close friend deliver a child.
   “Yeah, I think,” Ewa said, slouching back in her chair and putting her bare feet up on the table. “She was real strange fer a baby girl. She had purple steaks runnin’ down her nose and across her forehead and light purple hair - real funny lookin’. It was real long, which was weird ’cause every other baby I’ve seen was bald!”
   Realms stayed silent for a moment, his eyes flashing like a million things were running through his mind.
   “I see. Anything else strange about her?” he said, trying to hide his disgust when Ewa placed her bare, dirty feet on his table.
   “Oh, yeah. When she was first born, her eyes were wide open and she didn’t cry one bit! She was just smilin’ and lookin’ around.”
   “Definitely a Bender,” Realms concluded. “Now, as promised, I’ll teach you how the Benders came to be, and just what amount of power they hold.”
   He cleared his throat and blinked at Ewa impatiently; she snickered and took her feet off of the table.
   “One hundred years ago, the Six Spirits of Odanes sensed a great evil that was to be casted upon the world that they watched over. As the protectors of this world, it was their duty to spread onto the mortal life of the land their own godly powers. They gathered together to discuss the matters in their holy court, in the Spring of Ulainah-”
   “Eh, that’s where I was born!” Ewa cut in, grinning.
   “Exactly. The Spirits decided that they would bestow their powers unto a select group of the population; they chose a woman who was just about to bear a healthy child. The Spirits called this human to the Spring and blessed the child as it was born, painting the child’s face with the violet ink that was used to inscript the Royal Laws of Odanes in the beginning of time. She was given the title of a ‘Bender,’ for her newly bestowed abilities to bend the laws of nature and magic. After that child went out into the world and began realizing it’s own power, the Six Spirits chose a different woman about to bear a child for each new generation of the select group. But now, the chosen women are being killed off by the king’s men and slowly fading from the Spirits’ grasp.”
   “So, why are us Benders any more important than the rest of the people?” Ewa said, trying to hide her fascination of the tale.
   “I’ve already told you. They hold the power of the Six Spirits combined in the palms of their hands, and that’s why they're being killed off. Imagine how powerful all six of the living Benders would be!” Realms exclaimed, slamming his palms on the table. “Do you know why the folks around here say that King Odu is corrupt?”
   “No, but-” Ewa tried to start.
   “It’s because he’s a servant of the Darkest One,” Realms spat scornfully, his hands balling into fists.
   “The Darkest One?” Ewa snickered. “I just thought that was an old hood’s fable to scare the city kids away.”
   “No, the Darkest One is very real. He exists among us humans, hidden, and he seeks to destroy every last Bender and every follower of the Spirits. In the end, every Spirit would lose their power and perish. If that happened, the world will be left to suffer in the clutches of the Darkness. So, Ewa,” Realms stood up. “That’s why you have to find the Darkest One.”
   “Me?” Ewa demanded, pulling back. “How would you know that I’m the one to do this?”
   “Because I can see past your appearance, into your heart, Ewa. I’m a descendant of the Sixth Spirit.”

Reviews

[Alexis]

This... Is... GREAT! (Gotta bring SpongeBob into this somehow. XD Just kidding.) Anyhow, another good chapter! You are a very good writer. Your description of what's going on is great. There's a picture painted in my head from your words. On to the next chapter!

[Wicahpi]

Yeah, why was he? lol

[Darruesh Eetraydes]

Oh snap so he's a descendant. My question is why was he frying people earlier?