Kelverirn shivered in the damp cave, heart beating loud in his chest while his head swam with the reality of what he was about to do. The trail of acolytes wound along the path, sloping up into the dark reaches of the cave.
The pallor of his fellow acolytes assured him he wasn’t alone in his fears. Even giant Ethurdan seemed subdued as he paced slowly behind Elestar. Kelverirn liked the man, the only Dimursveldian among the group. He had a slow and patient way about him and, despite his people’s fierce reputation, never used this to his advantage. Penigar was currently at war with Dimursveld but Elestar maintained it was not his choice who he trained. If a student could reach the isle of Helisan, then he would receive initiation.
Kelverirn nodded at the big man as he drew alongside him. The sound of laughter echoed with the pounding of water in the darkness.
“What d’you think that was?” Kelverirn cocked his head at the darkness above them. The large Dimursveldian merely shrugged, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow. They slowed their pace in unison, but Elestar seemed not to notice. He walked tall with a measured gait as if he was strolling through the gardens of Helisan on a summer’s day. The glare of the torches flickered menacingly off his balding head and the flow of his deep green robe merged with the swirling water. He led us up to the wall at the back of the cave, where a smaller second waterfall sprouted from the wall.
Kelverirn thought he caught a movement up and to his left. He glanced up at a slick, dull stalactite. Two golden eyes stared down, and the laughter rang out again as the creature moved its head back and forth to get the best view. It was green, slimy, and curiously lizard-like. Its scaly body suddenly faded into a white misty form that wrapped itself around the stalactite.
“What Demon is this?” Devlin stuttered. The small man was backing away as he spoke, his rich fur cloak tangling around his knees. A ghost-like naked woman caressed the stalactite, but before Kelverirn could study it further, it shifted back into a lizard, its tongue flickering questioningly. Devlin fell backward into the water with a splash, his cloak now fully tangled about his legs.
Elestar chuckled as his arm snapped out to grasp the flailing Devlin. “You forget your lessons, master Devlin. This is no Demon but a Shrimin that is here to feed. With such an abundance of prey, I suppose I should have expected it.”
He clapped his hands, snapping us all out of our separate reveries. “Remember, it feeds off your unconscious desires. You must ignore it. It will sap your strength, which you need for the trials ahead.”
Elistar stepped up to the rushing water and, as he plunged his hands in, let out a low guttural croak. There were words in that sound, but Kelverirn couldn’t distinguish them. The old sorcerer turned, his hands pulsing with a clear light that illuminated the cave. The Shrimin dived from its stalactite perch into the cascading water, its tail finally wiggling from view.
The acolytes stood like stone, all gripped with the same indecision. Kelverirn felt something well up in him. It was like a force was gripping him, willing him forwards. It felt like he was falling. He staggered forwards and realised he had not been breathing. He drank in deep breaths before he bent his head to Elestar’s cupped hands.
The water glowed a fierce golden hue as Kelverirn lent in and took a tentative mouthful. It choked him painfully as he swallowed, before receding into heavy warmth, which spread slowly throughout his body.
His chest glowed through his shirt and the material itched immensely. He stripped off as the others stepped forward to take mouthfuls of the pure sun water. They turned to regard his glowing chest in wonder and shock.
Kelverirn looked down at himself, fear mounting in him like a fever, as his body faded into a misty outline. He felt like he was losing himself. His identity was being siphoned away with his corporeal form. His head pounded until he thought he couldn’t stand it. He stared at his comrades. Some vomited as they faded, their arms or legs becoming fleshy once again, as they expelled the sun water from their bodies.
Elistar said nothing, just kept feeding them from his cupped hands until the retching stopped.
Kelverirn concentrated on keeping his stomach steady and slowly the panic faded. He regained a measure of control. He felt he had some idea of himself again.
Elestar led them quickly back to the mouth of the cave and the thunder of the main waterfall. He was insubstantial now, although he kept his clothes or a shadow of his clothes. He beckoned them to follow as he walked into the falls. Kelverirn walked forwards fearless now, this was what they’d trained years for, the journey into magic.
The water passed straight through him, a world of golden motes that pierced the background swirl of colour. They ranged from deep, regal purple to kelp green. After a time, he felt the sensation of heat again. He was on fire but there was no pain. The motes of light flashed faster now, and he glimpsed some meaning in the pattern, yet it remained elusive, like a dream upon waking. He saw Elestar pass by him and followed tentatively through the gateway into Elintarn.
Golden light faded into a pulse that expanded. He stared ahead as the pulse became a current of soft water carrying him along. In the distance, he could see Elestar beckoning him with a dark and wrinkled finger. The crystal torrent suddenly dumped him in the clearest pool of water Kelverirn had ever seen.
A pale blue sky that looked like someone had painted it onto an indistinguishable background stretched to a horizon of green forest boughs. Kelverirn spotted Elestar on the bank a short distance away, staring off into the distance. All colours in this place were sharp as the essence of dreams. Emerald forests towered to the distant black sky, the spirit of trees grown in the dawn of time. Suddenly the black clouds shifted, and an azure blue broke through. It made Kelverirn’s heart soar as the foul murk of the skies cleared. The crystal lake he stood in stretched to the edge of the forest, mirroring the vivid colours that seemed to pierce Kelverirn like a dagger.
Kelverirn stepped forwards through the clear water, the world rippling in unison with his measured steps. He looked up from the reflective surface of the pool and saw that the trees were swaying, as the sky swirled with each step into the dark water. He stopped as his stomach lurched struck dumb, mesmerised by the receding sway of trees and swirl of sky. This tranquillity settled through his body calming his upset stomach. He knew he had found his place. This perfect moment of stillness caught between water and sky.
Elestar gestured at Kelverirn frantically motioning him out of the pool. He blinked his eyes, watching his eyebrows combing lines into the sky that crested into waves that washed across that blue expanse.
A watery form rose out of the pool. It was roughly his size and shape, with no discernible features on its flat liquid face. It drifted closer, raising its hand and Kelverirn watched helplessly as his arm moved upwards, shifting and shimmering as it changed. His eyes widened in horror as his arm collapsed into a splash of water, hitting him full in the face, before running down his quaking body.
He glanced to the side at Elestar who was pounding his chest, his whole torso shining golden through his ghost clothes. Kelverirn tried to move his remaining right arm, but it was dead. Instinctively, he tried with his left, despite the obvious futility of the action. As tears rimmed his eyes, he noticed a feeling of tingling warmth in his chest. Instinctively, he moved his non-existent arm to his chest again and watched the strong golden warmth burst through his skin. It brought him strength and a measure of calm in this otherworldly place.
Kelverirn almost faltered as he considered what he was doing logically. He could feel his left arm, but there was nothing to see. He looked at his adversary and stepped forwards. His watery doppelgänger winced each time his chest pulsed and slowly, from the shoulder downwards, it drew water up Kelverirns body from the crystal pool. As this aqueous arm formed, the doppelganger’s left arm grew flesh and bone. The creature grimaced in disgust at its new appendage.
Suddenly, everything became clear to Kelverirn, he acted on pure instinct, reaching into his chest with his watery arm withdrawing his heart clenched tight in a pulsing golden fist. He rushed forwards stomping through the water; the world wrenching back and forth with his furious dash. He hit the creature and a geyser of orange golden sun water erupted around and through him. The world around him slowed its frantic swaying ripple.
Kelverirn stared down into the water at a forlorn object floating a few feet away. His arm bobbed in the lapping water and burned into his wrist was a black rune.
“Pick up your arm” Elestar’s brow furrowed as he spoke to the young man gently.
“It’s not as bad as it looks. Many of the ills Of Elintarn can be healed with time and patience. Remember, magic is a dream. We practitioners simply enter the realm of dreams and win our runes from the creations of all human consciousness.”
He shrugged as if the last hour had been nothing more than a wander through the streets of Penigar to buy a pastry from the local bakery.
“You were lucky to encounter the spirit of the lake, the dream of drowning.” Elestar’s wrinkled face broke into a wide smile; the first time Kelverirn had ever seen the old sorcerer’s face change from its dour countenance.
“And to defeat it while still in the lake, impressive young acolyte.” The old sorcerer placed his hand gently on Kelverirn’s shoulder, guiding him to the shore and out of the dark water. “These creatures are simply a thousand iterations of the one soul dreaming itself anew endlessly. We build them from all our desires, dreams, and consciousness. You did well and fought almost a perfect battle“
“You won your rune well. Now comes the hard work. Discovering its power and how to control it.”
The End.
Thanks for reading ☘️
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