The Exiled King

Chapter 12 - Friend

At that broken whisper, Naghren's eyes faded back to their usual cool tones and his grip on her throat loosened.

"Lirya..." He said softly, a tremor in his voice, "I'm sorry."

She tried to rub her throat, but once again her hand slipped through herself.

"I-It's fine," She said shortly, "I'm glad you're up."

Jemery was right... about Naghren being dangerous, She thought, If he hadn't stopped, I would have... Can I die again? As a ghost, you'd think you could only die once, but that feeling as he gripped me felt so real! Jemery wouldn't warn me for no reason... it could be that Naghren does have the power to end the lives of ghosts... forever...

"Tell me this honestly, Naghren," She cried, "Could you have killed me? Would you have killed me... if I hadn't stopped you?!"

He lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes.

In a barely audible whisper, he muttered, "Yes..."

A cold, and numbing feeling spread through her, like ice in her veins. In little time at all, she had come to trust Naghren... but in trusting him, she had nearly gotten herself killed. How had she been so naive? She berated herself internally.

But... What should I do now? He is still my only hope of returning to Dargon, She thought, I want to go home...

"Can I really go home? Don't lie to me... I want to trust you, but you're not making it easy for me!" She sighed, looking right in his eyes.

His hesitation was visible in his eyes as he muttered, "You can leave. You're an etherborn. I'm sorry I didn't tell you yesterday... I just... wanted you to stay, even for a little while longer. I understand if you no longer want to remain here. I can send you back today, if you wish."

His eyes were downcast and he did not hide his crestfallen expression. He hid his face in his hands and his hair slid down from his shoulders and hung, like a curtain, around his face.

"It's your choice," He said at last, "I will respect anything you choose."

Lirya pondered silently, then replied, "I will stay here one more day. Then you send me back. I need some time to organise my thoughts. Also, you must tell me everything you know about what happens when I go back. What happens to my body?"

Naghren lay back, his arm still covering his eyes.

His lips moved slowly as he answered her question, "I've never witnessed it myself, but there is a poem that tells us what to expect."

Naghren recited, " 'Phoenix born; Ascendant of a new dawn. Rise upon those ashes... oh ye Etherborn, bringer of a new morn.'"

"I believe that you will attain a new mortal body upon reaching Dargon," He concluded, "A body stronger and more resilient than that of a human."

He told her of all the knowledge he'd accumulated from the library and everything about the phenomenon of being etherborn and about the guardians.

The guardians were gifted powers by the archangel Seven serving Cassiel the First. Since then, the powers have been passed down the family—although it was not only the direct heir that could inherit, and distant cousins sometimes found themselves the heir to the gift. The gift decided who was worthy, and no bloodlines or fine breeding would change that.

Granted tremendous power in order to protect both the mortals on Dargon and the Key that was kept in their possession, the guardians quickly became renown heroes throughout the land. Each kingdom housed a crystal that served as the main source of a guardian's power, and it was hidden well. With the destruction of Anhua, the guardian crystal vanished, but it was not destroyed.