Crystal Guardian

20

Being suspended upside down over the edge of a cliff wasn't something Aldric had anticipated. Yet there he was, dangling as if an invisible branch had hooked into the flesh of his ankles. He winced as his feet burned like the skin was being stretched off of them.

'Just a minor setback,' Raiden called down to him.

All Aldric could muster up in reply was a helpless groan as he felt himself falling upwards. This was Raiden's favourite game. He loved to mess around with the forces of gravity. Aldric's task was to learn how the gravity was meant to feel. How it scraped and struggled against manipulation and how it caused things to fall unnaturally: upwards, side wards, diagonally and spiralling out of control. Raiden was not meant to have sent him flying over the side of the cliff.

The power was lifted and Aldric toppled back onto the grassy ledge where a rather amused Raiden stood.

'Never again,' Aldric muttered, scrambling to his feet.

K's present lay lopsided in the grass a few paces away where it had tumbled from his pocket a while back.

"That was lucky," he said, stooping to pick it up. Aldric held it up to the sun and marvelled in its glistening patterns.

Raiden raised an eyebrow. 'You'll get the hang of it,' he said as he edged closer. 'Takes time you know. You're doing well considering.'

'Considering what?' Aldric asked as he opened the small wooden box to check that the necklace was still in there. It was. Raiden peered at it.

'That you weren't brought up on our world,' he said distantly. 'If you had been, you would have been taught at least the basics when you were younger. You were never supposed to have this much power.'

'Well I don't feel very powerful at the moment,' Aldric replied, brushing grass off his bottom. 'So what now?'

Raiden shrugged, his eyes fixed upon the box and necklace. His fists were clenched as if he wanted to punch something. Aldric backed away in case he turned out to be that thing. 'Are you alright?' he said. 'Did I say something or what?'

Raiden bowed his head.

'Don't ignore me,' said Aldric, folding his arms which quickly flew apart again when Raiden drew his sword.

'Don't take that stance with me.' Raiden jabbed Aldric in the chest with the handle but the blade cut into his hands.

'Ow! What're you doing?' Aldric bounced backwards and had to steady himself. 'Is this some kind of test? Look, you're bleeding.'

Raiden glared at Aldric before throwing down his sword. His eyes changed from being creased up in anger to a soft realisation. A flash of fear grazed across his face. He covered his face in shame, blood smearing onto him from his hands. The cuts were deep. Aldric crept closer to him.

'There's something inside my head,' Raiden whispered desperately.

'I should hope there is,' said Aldric. 'Your brain perhaps?'

'No,' shouted Raiden. He crouched. 'Something else, something...'

'Do you want me to get someone?'

'Like who?'

'I don't know,' Aldric hesitated.

'You're no good,' Raiden snarled under his breath. Aldric wasn't even sure that he was speaking to him anymore but a creature instead. He spoke as if he was speaking in inner-monologue. 'Who would you get? Incursio? Get him so I can run my sword through his green scaly body. Or you gonna run to my dear dad? He couldn't even save me, could he? I shouldn't even have lived.'