Condemnation

[Amber Eyes]

“I want to tell you the whole story. I feel that I’ll go down in history as an evil doer, thought I’ve tried time upon time to do the right thing. I was born into chaos, and raised by greed. No matter how good my intent, lives fall in my presence. I just hope that maybe…maybe if you understand my story, you can overlook the things I’ve done. And with some help from a Thayne full of mercy, perhaps even find it in your heart to forgive and help me. I know what you all think of me, and I don’t blame you. I just ask, please, before you condemn me; hear me.”


I sat on the edge of my bed, pondering my next move. Anita had finally given up on getting me to snap out of my bad mood, and I honestly couldn’t be happier about it. I don’t want to cheer up. In the last month I’ve lost my boyfriend, my father, and my pride. I know Sei has my best interests in mind but that doesn’t make it any easier to look around me. Sei has filled the tomb with some of the most powerful people in our world, and it doesn’t do much for my ego to train with people who can destroy me in one hit.

Take last night for instance; training with Jensen, Anita, William, and a few other members of the nine.

I guess I should first explain who all these people are. The nine is an amazing group of nine warriors who Sei is putting together to save the world from a dark prophecy that Anita uncovered.

Sei is just about the most amazing mystic you could imagine. He’s powerful, yet incredibly humble, and he’d do just about anything for anyone who asked. He’s my uncle, and he has given me more than anyone could ask for. He drives me crazy sometimes but I would be no where without him.

Anita is my cousin, though we typically call each other sisters. She’s really a genius, but please don’t let that get out. She’s hard enough to deal with now, that news would make her impossible. She’s the day to my night, and keeps me grounded when I try to fly off the handle. Basically, she’s my best friend.

Jensen is an immortal who I used to be pretty obsessed with, the boyfriend I mentioned earlier. He’s a great guy but a bit immature, and he has a hard time realizing just how good he has it. His friends, who are all Knights of the Apocalypse, are awesome and keep him in line.

William is one of the nine that I’ve become pretty close to; he’s almost like another uncle. He and the rest of the Ixxian Knights, which is the name for the army led by the nine, are a crazy mix of people. We have people and mystics who can do all sorts of awesome things, from murderers to religious zealots. Sei truly takes in all kinds. I guess that’s how I ended up here.

[Amber Eyes]

Anyway, back to last night. I’m training next to Jensen, Anita, and William. We’re all standing around, giving Jensen a hard time about the noodle incident, don’t ask, and all of the sudden Anita yells “Sneak attack!” and begins throwing huge balls of light towards Jensen. Jensen immediately reacted, performing a Shoryuken attack on William. The three began to fight, each one showing off as much as they could without actually doling out serious damage. I stood and watched, knowing full well why they weren’t after me too. It was kind of fun to watch them, until William accidentally hit my arm.

The sound of glass shattering caused everyone to look at me in horror. I don’t know what they thought I could do. Mystic protection is a birth-rite spell. Every mystic has it, and every mystic can control it. That is, every mystic but me. My mystic protection causes a glass ceiling to form over my general area, and then shatter covering everyone in its range with glass shards. Yes, I said everyone, including me. Not much of a protection spell huh? Hours later, after several jokes about the dangers of me being near the training grounds, and Aislinn tirelessly removing shards from each of us, I excused myself to my room.

[Amber Eyes]

I’ve been here for hours, and I still am not sure what my next step should be. Truth be told, I’m afraid. I know I need to leave home to grow, there are too many distractions. My biggest fear is that for one reason or another I won’t make it home. Trouble is coming; we mystics can feel it in our blood. I only pray that we’ll all make it though. Time passes slowly as I stare out my window, fighting each decision I begin to make. Eventually I reach the decision I always knew I would. I once again will leave home. Sei knows better than to argue at this point and I make it out of the cave with no real explanation. ‘I’m just going on a trip’ I say hurriedly as Sei knowingly hides the pain behind his eyes.

I spent days traveling, stopping at the seediest looking bars and inns. Good people don’t talk about power the same way those who break the law do. After nearly a week with no idea of where to go, I was eavesdropping on a couple of elves. They were speaking of a man name Jaydon, who apparently was a master magician. His skills, according to the elves, were legend. The conversation interested me slightly, until I heard the smaller of the two elves finish a sentence. ‘…master of both shadow and light magic.” The phrase made me shiver, could it be true? Sei had told me no other had knowledge of how to wield both magics. I was the foolish first, who ran in without a thought. Light and dark were never meant to co-exist, and to be both was to submit yourself to insanity and possibly death. Uncle Steppenwolf had given me a bracelet to keep the magics at bay, but what if there was another way? If both magics could be unlocked, my power would be unstoppable. I must meet this man.

[Amber Eyes]

The elves began to walk away and I chose to follow the larger of the two. I chased him around the corner of the building and hid behind a dumpster until he reached a comfortable distance. I then began to follow slowly, keeping my head held low. We walked for a short time, maybe covering fifteen or so blocks, before he cut off of the road and up a walk-way. He stopped in front of the door and adjusted his cloak before knocking six times in quick succession. The door opened and a large, intimidating man stood before the elf. The elf gave a graceful bow before muttering something and stepping beside the larger man into the house.

I waited outside for the large elf to leave, and during the time I saw four other people come to the door. Each person stepped up to the door and knocked six times before the same man answered. Each whispered what I assume was a password and entered the door. After waiting for a long time, I decided I needed in. I approached to door, taking each step with slow deliberation. I sat my bag in the bushes near the door, not wanting to have it taken from me if this didn’t go as planned. I raised my hand to knock on the door, and closed my eyes. As I forced my fist forward I felt soft flesh where hard wood should have been. I opened my eyes just in time to see the large man begin to laugh.

“Well if it isn’t Kyla freakin’ Orlouge!” He said gleefully, pushing me lightly into the house. “I knew you boys could do it!” The large man gestured towards both of the elves from the inn, who smiled sheepishly as they took in their recognition. “It may have taken a while, little lady but it sure is good to see you.”

I took a step backwards, my back touching the now closed door. “You wanted me to come?” I said as I racked my brain for meaning, “Why?”

[Amber Eyes]

“Let’s sit down, so we can talk.” The gruff-looking man pointed to a chair in the corner of the room.

I walked slowly towards the char, taking in my surroundings. The two elves sat on a small couch on one side of the room, a third stood near a fireplace in the opposing corner. The walls were a burgundy color with ornate gold lion sconces every few feet. The fireplace was surrounded by a beautiful gold trim, which with the reflection from the fire illuminated the entire room. It was really a beautiful home, and that set me at ease somehow. I sat in the large chair, and looked at the man.

“What exactly did you need me for…Mr….? I’m sorry I don’t think I know your name.”

“Oh, how terribly rude of me! I’m just so excited is all, names Jaydon, Jaydon Leonte. It’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Orlouge.” The large man sat in a chair directly to my left and looked at me as though I were a steak. The excitement at my presence worried me, yet thrilled me at the same time. I’d never been someone important before.

[Amber Eyes]

“I know you believe you are the first of your kind. I have to tell you though, you are mistaken. I had an older brother, his name was Jamel. Jamel had a dream of being the first mystic to control two planes of magic. He was told it was impossible, but he never gave up on his dream. He studied for years, and became an outcast from our community. Perhaps if someone had tried to help…” The man’s eyes began to fill with tears as he cut himself off. He hastily wiped his face with his cuff before continuing with a newfound urgency. “He died. The power was too much for his body to take and he was killed within hours by his own magic.”

My mind raced. True enough, Sei had told me death was a possibility when you held both magics, but I assumed it was all speculation. After all, if no one had ever done it before, there was no way of knowing what would come of the mixture. Had Sei downplayed his knowledge or did he truly not know about this?

I sat for a moment, considering my uncle’s loyalty before I asked the obvious question. “I appreciate the warning, but surely you didn’t bring me here for that. What is it you want from me?”

“I knew you would be a smart one, Kylana they call you, right?” The man placed his hand on my shoulder in a way that insinuated way too much closeness.

I pulled his hand away, “My family does, yes. I’d prefer you stick to my given name though.”

“Of course, I’ve just waited so long to meet you, you must understand. I feel like I’ve known you for a very long time. You are everything my brother wished to be and yet you do not use your power. You should be dead, not walking around. I know you’ve completed both trials yet you have no extraordinary skill. I have looked at Jamel’s research, you should either be godly or dead, yet you are neither. Why Kyla?”

[Amber Eyes]

I wasn’t sure how much of my story I should share with this man, but the pleading in his eyes made me want to help him. “I took the shadow trials by accident. I lucked through them. No one else realizes that.” I spoke deliberately, willing myself to show no emotion. “The light trials I completed with my sister. I was wearing a ring that negates magic, that is why I am alive. My uncle then crafted an anklet with the same powers. It keeps me alive, and unfortunately keeps me weak as well. I have a basic grasp of both magics, but neither can be full force so long as the anklet guards me from their power. It’s death or weakness.”

“But you can still access both magics to some extent, correct?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point.” I was beginning to get frustrated, and my voice wavered a bit, “Whatever you need some all-powerful mystic for, I can’t help you. It’s not me your looking for!”

“Oh but it is Ms. Kyla. You are exactly what I need. My brother had a goal, a spell he created. His life goal was to enact that spell. I owe him his final wish, and you are the only one who can help me.” The man’s voice was pleading at this point, and I could see tears welling in his eyes again. “Please say you’ll help me.”

My blood felt as though it were boiling, my mind raced with all the possibilities, yet I couldn’t find the strength to break the man’s heart. “I’ll do my best.”

[Amber Eyes]

I asked for a moment to get some fresh air and walked out the front door of the house. The smell of mold was now covered up by the smell of rain coming in from the countryside and it made me miss the days I would spend laying in a field somewhere watching clouds with my best friend Xavior. I have been with Sei and his group for months at that point. I had spent some of the happiest days of my life with them, but sometimes I missed the simplicity of the life of a wonderer. Nothing was simple anymore. I sat on the front steps after retrieving my backpack and stared into the street. I sat in silence thinking about everything Jaydon had said, until I was interrupted by the large man coming outside and taking a seat next to me. I repositioned myself on the cold concrete and tried not to look at him.

“I of course don’t expect you to help me for free Ms. Orlouge.” He said after an awkward moment of silence. “In return for this favor I will hand over years of research on the embodiment of both light and shadow magic. My brother spent his life trying to acquire this one thing, and if you make it happen I will give you his life’s work. I am sure you will be able to use it to help you overcome having to use that anklet. I am sure you can use it to become very powerful one day.”

I looked him in the eye for the first time since he joined me on the porch and noticed how tired he looked in the moonlight. “This is really important to you, isn’t it?” I stared at him hard, looking for signs of malice in his face. I found none as he replied, “This is everything to me.”

“Then I guess we better get started. Where am I staying?” I hopped up, hoping my own energy would bring some life into this poor man.

He showed me to my room, promising we would begin working tomorrow. I slept half-heartedly that night, and woke early to a mountain of papers on the kitchen table.

[Amber Eyes]

For the next three weeks we spent each day going through the research. I began to build camaraderie with Jaydon and the elves that lived with him. I learned they’d been trying to contact me for months, but were a bit put off by a few of my ‘roommates’.

I practiced simple spells that Jamel had written. I learned to levitate small items by using my shadow magic to lift and my light magic to push things across the room. True enough, I broke a lot of teacups, but Jaydon clapped like a gleeful child each time nonetheless.

The fourth week we realized that in order to do anything difficult, I would have to take my anklet off. The thought of being without it for even one second terrified me to by core. This anklet was my lifeline, and I felt as though someone were asking me to go without oxygen.

I sat on a char in the living room, surrounded by my newfound friends. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” The smallest of the elves whispered in my ear, “We could wait a bit longer if you’d like.”

I held in the vomit slowly flowing up my throat as I replied, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

They removed the anklet and a horrible pain filled every muscle in my body. My blood boiled in my veins, and I couldn’t think straight. My toes involuntarily curled under and it took all the strength I had, but I was able to move the couch across the room with my magic. Jaydon screamed with joy and went to slap me on the shoulder, and then there was nothing but the sound of shattering glass. I awoke hours later, and looked down, knowing that I would find myself with cuts all over my body.

[Amber Eyes]

To my surprise my body was still intact, though my veins stuck out in a way that I’d never seen. It looked as though red lines covered my entire body, like a child drew on me in my sleep. My throat ached for water, and I looked around me. I was back in my room, which I had fallen in love with earlier. The pictures on the walls were of flowers; all different kinds and colors. They shone brightly against the green walls, and the large windows filled the room with light. Yes, earlier this had been the perfect room for me, but now it made me hurt. My head throbbed and the bright light reflecting off of each flower made me wish I were dead. It was a miserable twenty or so minutes before I gained the strength to yell for help.

Jaydon and two of the elves immediately entered, the elves holding food and drinks. I sipped the water greedily as I begged for something to help with the pain. Jaydon handed me a plate that contained some pills, as well as a large piece of bread. I swallowed the pills and then forced myself to eat the bread. Jaydon quickly ushered the elves out of the room, and I tried to find the strength to ask what had happened to me.

It was then that I noticed the cuts all over his face as well as the burns on his arms, I opened my mouth to speak and he gently placed his finger over it. “There will be plenty of time to talk later, rest now Kyla. Hush.”

I wanted to argue but I didn’t have the strength, so instead I lay back down and rested.

The second time I awoke, my body still ached but overall I felt much better. I made my way out of bed and changed my clothes in an attempt to hide the fact that I smelled awful. I entered the large living area, and Jaydon jumped to his feet.

“Feeling better?” His attempt to hide the worry in his voices failed him.

“Much, thank you. I don’t even know where to start, what happened?”

“You were doing wonderfully, you moved the couch a full seven feet. Your power is strong Kyla, without the anklet there’s very little you couldn’t accomplish.”

“But what happened next? I remember the couch…but didn’t my mystic protection go off? I’m trying to remember, but it’s all so fuzzy….”

“I made the mistake of slapping your back to say ‘good job’. I tell you what, you have one hell of a mystic protection. I’ve never seen anything like it. Flaming glass is what it was, burned like hell. If the elves weren’t so good with medicine we would all have been in trouble. The glass slowed us down though, and we didn’t get your anklet back on as quickly as we should have. We’ll have to be more careful when we do this again.”

[Amber Eyes]

My mind raced. Again? He actually expected me to try this again? No way, No freaking way! I couldn’t go through that pain again, it would kill me. I wanted to scream at him, tell him what he could do with his research. I wanted to storm out of there and never look back, until I looked at him.

“I understand if you want to give up now, but I promise that will never happen again. You looked exactly like Jamel did when we found him. If you had…If you….”

“I didn’t though,” I grabbed his arm, trying to provide some comfort. “And I’m still here. Let me get something to eat and we’ll begin work again.”

The decision was foolish, and I knew it even then. I was risking my life in an attempt to make this man feel as though his brother had died for a purpose. It was nothing short of stupidity and while I wish I could claim ignorance, it wasn’t so. I knew I was risking my life for a trivial task, and I did so gladly.

Another week went by before Jaydon was willing to let me try Jamel’s spell. He and the elves stood behind a wall to ensure they would be able to get back to me if something should go wrong. After all, we knew nothing about this spell, or even that it would work. It was just another experiment. The clasp to my anklet was undone, and it was attached to a string. One pull and I would be at the mercy of the magic. I prepared myself and chanted in my head. The countdown was drowned out by my own thoughts, and I wasn’t expecting the pain when it came. I thought knowing what I was getting into would help me deal with the pain, but there was no reason to it. The same excruciating boiling burned in my veins, and I could not catch my breath. I screamed out the words I had memorized, and then all faded to black.

[Amber Eyes]

I awoke to Jaydon sitting on the foot of my bed. My entire body ached even worse than before. He again handed me the water, pills and bread and I devoured them. I looked at his face and couldn’t help but notice the lines of worry that covered it.

“Didn’t it work Jaydon? I’m so sorry, but we’ll try again. I promise.”

“No, Kyla. I am the one who is sorry.” With that he handed me a newspaper and left the room. I thought about what he could mean before glancing at the large print. The headline on the first page will never leave my mind.

“Mystic race nearly decimated.”

I scanned the article. The figures began adding up in my head, and my stomach was lurching.
“One Third Lost Powers.”
“Over Thirty Babies Lost—Spontaneous Miscarriages.”
“Possible End of the Mystic Race.” And finally,

“Kyla Orlouge Claims Responsibility.”

[Zerith]

Condemnation.

Let's get right to the point here, I'll put my personal comments up in the Workshop.



STORY – 14


CHARACTER – 14


WRITING STYLE – 16


WILD CARD - 6


FINAL SCORE - 50!



Rewards:

Amber Eyes receives 1312 EXP and 120 GP!

[Silence Sei]

exp-GP added.

[Taskmienster]

Exp and GP was added via the workshop. Being moved now.