Aelius Kumar
Many, if not all of my village, knows my name, the saviour that I am. A boy who won't hesitate to heal a stab wound to the heart.
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"You incompetent boy!" My father yells. "What do you mean you burnt down the bakery?" He slams his staff on the table when I don't respond and I flinch, afraid I'll be hit next.
"It was an accident. I tried to do a baking enchantment, but it ended up in flames." My father pinches the space between his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment.
"First, it's sneaking off to the capital, now, it's burning down a building in your own village!"
"It was a mistake!"
"You were a mistake!" My father shouts. "Go to bed Aelius. I'll deal with you in the morning."
Dragging my feet, I head to my room, the dim moonlight illuminating the dark. Lighting I candle in the corner, I flip open my book, finding the page I last read.
Guilt gnaws at me, the memory of the flames engulfing the building still haunting my mind. It truly was an accident. I'd never purposefully burn down the bakery. Then there's my father who doesn't help the situation at all, scolding me any second he gets. My mother passed away giving birth to me, and now he blames me for her death. I do too, if I hadn't been born, she'd still be alive.
Ironic how I killed my mother, yet my talent is healing enchantments.
Enchanters, humans who posses the power to use the magic inside them. Everyone has it, but only few know how to master it. For most humans, their magic stays in a deep slumber inside their soul, but for others, it bursts out of them like fireworks.
Willowhaven is the home of the enchanters, protected and hidden by the Silvergrove Woods, a forest filled with magic.
People of Luenia avoid these woods, saying it's cursed. Well, they aren't too far off.
Enchanters and demons both can use magic, but demons use dark magic, reaching to hell to activate their powers. Enchanters reach inside their soul to bring out their magic, it's entirely pure.
Unfortunately, no one in Luenia is willing to listen and understand. They choose to live in fear rather than acceptance, blaming magic for the reason of the curse.
Malakar's curse, the devil of demon's who escaped years ago. Nearly everyone has given up on trying to free the world of this curse, but not me.
My friend, Livia, who's been blessed with the talent of foresight, has been working with me to find a way to save Luenia.
Though, it's easier said than done. Seer's magic is unpredictable and hard to tame. No enchanter can willfully see into the future, but we're hoping Livia can be the first.
Then there's me, the last healer in Willowhaven. It's as easy as breathing and rather useful, but I want more of a challenge.
Enchanters have their set talents, but they can do basic tricks outside their field of expertise. I suppose trying to bake a pie with magic is beyond my capabilities.
There's a tap on the window. Blowing my candle out, I rush over, slipping out of it and into the cover of darkness. I find Livia crouching in the bushes, twigs tangled in her red hair. Her freckles are barely noticeable in the dark, though her green eyes still shimmer.
"I found a fountain, Aelius," Livia whispers. "It's in the forest. I think this might help us!" I nod, letting her lead the way out of the village.
Littered on the ground, there's a faint trail of glowing rocks, Livia's doing. We follow her path into the woods, ducking under branches and through leaves.
Finally, a fountain reveals itself, basking in the moonlight.
A stone pathway encircles the base of it, a golden pump in the middle, water pouring out from it. Leaves and shrubs cover the thing, and Livia gets to cleaning it. I help too, using my hands to rip off the vines.
"You never told me why you snuck off to the capital," Livia sighs, picking leaves from the fountain. "You know the people of Ambercrest hate us the most. You could have been hanged!" She exclaims, water splashing around her.
"Yes, I know." My reflection ripples in the fountain, a distorted version of myself staring back. I fix my black curls sitting atop my head. "There's said to be a new king, Prince Caspian. I believe he's already been crowned by now."
Livia gives me a disgusted look, throwing twigs in my direction. "Have you gone mad? Those royals mean nothing to us! They want us dead, Aelius. Going there not only puts your life at risk but everyone in Willowhaven."
"You sound like my father," I mutter, ripping off another vine from the pump.
"Well, he isn't wrong," she frowns. "This is good enough. Give me you hand." Kneeling in front of the fountain, Livia grabs my wrist, dipping in my index finger. With her free hand, she stirs the water, chanting words, channeling her magic, eyes glowing green while she does so.
When she stops, my heart sinks, another failure.
"Look!" I turn my head to the fountain, leaning in, squinting at the ripples. There's a girl there, holding twin daggers. She's fighting off five men at once, her long black hair with white streaks whipping around her.
The image shifts to me. I'm healing a young boy's leg. I wince, realizing Livia will be furious. I healed that boy's leg in the capital. It was a risk, but he was crying so much, I couldn't sit there and watch!
The image in the water fades away, clouds covering the light from the moon.
"Light up the dark and brighten the day, the sun and moon, a gift bestowed to two intertwined by fate," Livia recites, looking as if she's in a trance. "Across four rose they must collect, to seal the gates of fiery depth." My friend gasps for air, drained from using her powers.
"I'm confused." Livia casts me a withering look, gathering her strength.
"The first part is easy. The two intertwined by fate is you and that girl." I nod, waiting for her to continue. "I think you two have been blessed by the sun and moon."
"What makes you say that?" I raise a brow, confused at how she's deciphering it so quickly. She rolls her eyes, rubbing her temples to calm herself.
"The book of prophecies, there was one that said two people, a girl, and a boy, have been blessed by the sun and moon. I skimmed past that because I didn't know it had anything to do with the curse."
I chew my lip, the second part of the prophecy still a mystery. "Sealing the gates of fiery depth is pointing to the gates of hell, but four rose...what does that mean?" Livia looks just as puzzled as me, then her eyes widen and she rushes to grab a book from her back, flipping to a marked page.
"I knew this meant something." She shows me a page, the map of Luenia, for symbols marked on it, one south, another north, one far east, and the other west. "Rose, as in compass rose. Across four means in the four compass directions! And these symbols, they're the four elements."
"So, me and this girl, we have to go to these marked places, retrieve something, and bring them to the gates of hell to seal it and save the world?"
"Yes! Yes, that's it! You're going to save the world, Aelius!" We laugh, jumping for joy at our success, but I stop our celebration.
"How do I find her?" Livia slumps down, unsure of how to answer the question, but it seems she doesn't need to.
The clouds clear away from the fountain, another image appearing in the water.
The girl is holding her dagger to my throat, and before more can play out, the image fades away, leaving us with that as our only clue.
"I guess you wait," Livia shrugs. I laugh nervously, scratching the back of my neck.
"She looked like she wanted to kill me."
"You'll be fine."
"No, I won't! I can't fight!"
"You have magic. Use it. I'm going to bed, you miscreant. See you in the morning." Livia yawns and walks away, leaving me alone in the dark, wondering how I can outsmart this fierce warrior.
Heading back home, I slip through the window, running my finger along the spines of the books on the shelf. I find my copy of the book of prophecies, opening it on my desk.
I spend the night flipping through pages, trying to find the one Livia spoke of. It takes nearly the whole night when I find the prophecies I'm looking for.
Two people are illustrated on the page, a girl and boy, one with streaks of white in their hair, the other with red eyes.
Words are written below in thick cursive it's nearly impossible to read.
A girl blessed by the moon, with streaks of white. Deadly as poison, a killer at night. A boy blessed by the sun, with fire for eyes. Kind as can be, thousands of wounds he ties.
The prophecy tells me nothing I don't already know. I've been blessed by the sun; she has a gift from the moon. I have the power to heal, she's a seasonal warrior.
Complete opposites really, and we're supposed to find four items in the marked locations in order to close the gates of hell. Sounds like a real picnic.
