The strange liquid feels like sludge as it slides down the back of my throat. I cough a little trying to settle it in my stomach so the toxic fumes that follow its entrance don’t find their way back up my throat. As soon as it starts to dissolve in my stomach acid I feel revitalized and my vision goes back to normal. I look around for the first time finally being able to appreciate the beautiful architecture around me. The room I am in, I am guessing the infirmary, is a castle columned room, unbelievably large and clearly from the 12th century, but has been beautifully restored with stain glass windows of Jesus and of Arthur and the knights of the round table. It is a weird contrast between the old and the state of the art medical equipment. Nurses and doctors move around the room healing wounded woman and children but primarily men. Becca, Curtis, the doctor and I all are in one corner of the room on a bed as I heal from the sudden transportation. I don’t know how but I am wearing different clothes than I arrived in yet I don’t remember changing. I find myself wearing a t-shirt with the words “Avalon High” on them and PE shorts from the same school. Becca is standing beside me just kinda keeping me company while Curtis talks to the doctor in a hushed tone. I only every once in awhile catch a word of their conversation like “chaos” and “Power”. After a little while they both head back over.
“Hiyah Chanel how are you feeling?” the doctor says, he is a skinny man, couldn’t be older than 40 or so but he looked as if he was in his 60’s. He had a nice smile on his face which felt genuine but hard in some ways, almost guilty.
“I’m alright,” I say looking past the man’s features, “how is Davis?” I ask still worried about him.
“He woke up a couple of hours ago and hasn’t stop talking since. He is a little angry as to be expected given he woke up in a dungeon surrounded by armed guards, but given the circumstances he has been co operative. We would like to interrogate him but we felt it would be better to ask you first, by Templar Cornell's order.” I look at Curtis and he smiles widely.
“I would like to be present for the interrogation if that isn’t a problem?” I ask.
“Not at all. It will probably start later tonight and You, Curtis and I have a meeting later to discuss something in some test we ran on your body and to figure out the memories you lost. Other than that I will leave Knight Lance to tend to helping you find your rooms and get settled beforehand.” The doctor gestures his hand behind us to a young man, no older than 20 years old, leaning against the wall. He is very skinny and exhausted looking with a very small stature and a cavalry sword twice his size on his back. At seeming the doctor gesture to him he freaks out and runs over to us looking a little too excited to interact with someone. “Oh by the way,” the doctor says, I turn looking at him as he extends a hand to me. “My name is Joseph if you need anything just let me know.”
-
Becca and I walk side by side behind Lance. Every once in awhile he looks back at us and gives us a very nervous smile. I would feel weirded out but the architecture we are walking through is absolutely astonishing. After leaving the Infirmary area we entered into a small courtyard that had an overlook to the British Sky above, Lance then walked over to three doors on the other side of the court yard that upon being opened lead to a large market, a giant training ground with hundreds of warriors training, a laboratory and manufacturing area with loud sounds of heavy machinery hard at work. The last door, the one we ended up going through lead to rows of dorms in a grand hallway. As we walked down the hallway I noticed that upon opening the doors to each room they lead into full sized housing units, one of the doors I open actually had a full family sitting down to eat a family dinner, it was a little awkward when they all stared at me and started yelling in french. “Hehe,” Lance laughs in the most unsettling way possible, “I wouldn’t just open doors people live he-ree.” He gets a little nervous and turns back around. We walk down the hallway for another mile or so before Becca finally ask the question pressing on my mind.
“How long is this hallway?” Lance stops and looks at the both of us twiddling his fingers.
“Well um,” he says trying to find the words, the next thing he does is basically just screams the words out which definitely frightens Becca and I. “THIS IS A POCKET DIMENSION SO WE MAKE IS AS BIG AS WE WANT, THE ONLY WAY TO ENTER THE POCKET DIMENSION IS THROUGH THE MAIN THREE DOORS. WIZARDS DID IT!” Becca and I both step back a little scared of this skinny dude. He opens the door next to us and runs off. Becca and I look at each other confused but walk inside. Our room is a penthouse apartment made of the same stone as the rest of the building but with a modern look and advanced appliances. There is a living room with a tv in a mahogany hutch with a nice rug on the ground with a glass table and those weird decorative ball things that parents use to decorate for some reason. The couch is a deep maroon that connects to a love seat on the side and a recliner in the corner. Looking to the left there are two or three steps leading up to a nice kitchen area with overhead lighting and a table with a booth making it look like a diner. In the back of the room there are sliding doors leading to an outside balcony. Off to the right leads a hallway that I am guessing bring us to our rooms. Becca and I walk inside and look around a little amazed, this is definitely the nicest place I have ever stayed but it makes me miss my little house back at Eyre. Becca and I look around searching each crevice of the apartment finding food and water, the essentials, in the fridge. Suddenly the tv switches on and the symbol of a round table with twelve swords on the screen then a voice.
“That's Cornell’s voice,” Becca says in the same annoyed tone I heard from her before hand when interacting with Curtis, “he is literally introducing a video of himself, with a voice over...of himself.” Suddenly Curtis burst onto the screen in an extremely cheesy explosion scene and for some reason he is wearing a clean white suit, yet he still has his sword.
“Hello residents, welcome to new Camelot. I am sure you are very confused as to where in the world Camelot is and how any of this is even possible, well after watching this quick 60 minute tutorial video I promise everything about NC will be made very clear. Now let's get started.” The scene changes and an obvious powerpoint transition comes across of the number one with the words Becca sighs.
“I’ll get the popcorn,” she walks back into the kitchen and I chill on the couch watching Curtis tell me info about N.C. in the cheesiest ways possible.
“The pocket dimension,” he says sitting like a news anchor at a large brown desk. He slams some papers down on the desk and really tries to look like he is about to deliver the news. “One of the greatest innovations of magic and science working together as one. While normal fortresses and citadels are easy to find and even easier to form a way strategy to attack them, however N.C. is not like the rest!” When he says this he pushes the papers off the desk and points straight at the screen with Gusto. I Get the popcorn and sit on the couch with Becca laughing the mannerisms Curtis chooses to use. Curtis turns his chair and a tiny screen slides in to draw our attention to what it has to say. “The Citadel of New Camelot resides in the natural world as many of you know, but the three doors leading from the main Citadel lead into the pocket dimension, which we call Avalon. If you look here,” he points to the tiny screen showing images and schematics before showing a animation of Curtis and tiny him starts to explain the Pocket universe.
“Your dad is a dork,” I say laughing at Becca, she smiles without looking at me, still focusing on the screen.
“Trust me I know.” She says, I turn my attention back to the screen as animated Curtis explains where in the world I am, or where not in the world.
“Once someone enters through one of the doors into Avalon that is the only way in and out of the Avalon, that is how we ensure everyone's safety.” In the animation a bunch of little soldiers come up to the gates of Avalon and try to get in but none can get through the door and then they all start to cry. “The only way through the gates is with one of these,” a gold, silver, and black key appears on the screen, “These are the keys to Avalon and only the highest ranking members of the round table have permission to use them, with these keys one can walk up to any door in Avalon and open a gate to another part of Avalon in which we have built N.C. What are the parts/sectors of Avalon? I am glad you asked.”
“We didn’t dumbass,” Becca screams at the screen. I laugh, feeling a little silly to laugh at something so stupid that she said but still find it funny, makes me feel like a normal teenager making fun of adults, it is the first time I have felt normal during this whole ordeal. The number one comes across the screen.
“The first sector of Avalon is New Camelot housing, that is where you are now. Each room has been made and constructed to fit the preferences of the person who is residing in it. That means if you prefer a A-frame house with that living on the ranch feel.” Curtis is all of the sudden wearing a farmer's outfit and a backdrop of a quiet ranch house resides behind him. “Or if you prefer the traditional style houses of the Japanese culture,” He changes to a Kimono and is standing in the rural areas of Japan. “We can do that for you,” he says smiling as he is back in normal clothes and back at the reporter's desk, “I, as the Templar of the KNRT and N.C., I am the only one with administrative access to Avalon and can change it as I see fit.” He laughs an obviously exaggerated laugh making him look like a poorly drawn anime character, “The only way anyone outside could affect Avalon is if they were a member of the magic classes.” He grows serious very quickly, “Which is impossible because all the members of the magic classes are accounted for have no bad will against us...” He looks at the screen for a long time making Becca and I uncomfortable before smiling again as the number two passes across the screen. “Sector 2 is New Camelot city,” images of the city pass across the screen, “this is where most of the commerce and culture comes into play. Anyone who has nowhere else to go or is running from their old life has a place here, in New Camelot with the full protection of the Knights of the New Round Table.” The symbol of the KNRT flies across the screen and possible the most unnecessary slide show ever created comes across the screen simultaneously switching from pictures of a bunch of ripped guys working out and taking basic pictures together to a bunch of dudes fighting in battle and killing other dudes which makes me wonder why is someone taking bloody pictures like this during a battle? It switches back to Curtis who is looking extremely proud with himself, his face is screaming “The last one is the training ground and laboratory,” Curtis says, “this is where we train the young men and women that will be protecting you day in and day out. It is also where we come up with new magical ways to make all of our lives better, through our scientist treating magic the same way as science and trying to explain it that way we have made tremendous breakthroughs in many incredible areas.” Images of the lab and training ground are laid out on the screen. The rest of the orientation video seems pretty cookie cutter, normal information about what it's like to live in Curtis’s paradise, although every once in awhile curtis does something weird and super cheesy that keeps Becca and I interested in the orientation. Near the end of the orientation video the entire mood of the video changed and Curtis looked straight into the camera projecting onto our screen the full intimidation of Curtis like I had never seen. “Listen,” he said in a deep tone, in the same cadence as a commander speaking to his troops. His words enticed me, pulling my attention to him as if what he would say next was the most only thing that truly matter in the world, little did I know, I was right. “Chaos is out there,” The air felt stale, “It surrounds us all and threatens order. We are the agents against chaos and nothing and no one will stop us from our mission.” For some reason I felt his words were aimed at me and I could feel my soul sinking into my chest. “If you have come to New Camelot as an agent of chaos,” his eyes start to glow golden, a piercing aura forms around his body causing the camera to malfunction a bit, his power radiates so bright I can feel it even here and now. “I promise you,” he says with unbreakable concentration, “I will personally escort you to the gates of hell.” He closed his eyes and his power subsides, he opens them once more looking into the blurry camera and this time I know that gaze is aimed at me. Not me Chanel, no, something inside of me, Curtis just told us of chaos personifying it as a person. However what if it wasn’t a personification...what if the chaos he speaks of is...
The door slams open with more force than necessary startling Becca and I. Popcorn kernels fly into the air and start to rain down on us in frozen clusters. I guess Becca got nervous and froze the popcorn. Curtis stands in the doorway with his bright smile acting ass if nothing is wrong. “Damn Cornell chill out!” Becca says trying to collect herself. She starts to pick up the frozen kernels and punches me in the arm telling me to help her out, I reach down to grab one but before I can Curtis walks towards me and puts a hand on my shoulder.
“I know you should be done for today with all that has happened but we have much to discuss.” He says. He looks at Becca and Becca rolls her eyes.
“I guess I’ll clean up this mess.” She says in the most well rehearsed annoyed voice I have heard from her yet. I walk with Curtis and we step outside the room and Curtis leads me down the long hallway towards the main gates leading out of Avalon.
“Where are we going?” I ask hoping for an answer to satisfy my aching curiosity.
“In the orientation video I talked about the three sectors of Avalon,” I nod, “well there is actually a fourth sector, that is where we are going now.”
“What’s in the fourth sector?” I ask. He looks at me with a gaze of a thousand words but doesn’t speak, he just keeps moving forward as if every step is hard for him. He doesn’t seem physically tired or exhausted in anyway yet the more he walks a growing agonizing feeling seems to grow inside him. We finally get to the gate and he reaches to his side and pulls out two keys, the first being the Avalon key I saw in the orientation video, the second is a solid crimson key I don’t recognize. He puts the Avalon key in first and says out loud.
“Avalon death ward, cell 4,” as soon as he says this the gate looks as if it is rejecting his words and refuses to follow what it has been told, however after a ghastly shudder in the gates structure a pulsing red keyhole appears next to the original. Curtis takes the crimson key and inserts it into a new slot which has formed next to the first key, when he does this both keys and the gate shudders and creaks more intensely than before opening to pure darkness. I stare at Curtis and he looks back at me, “they are all waiting inside” he says.
“Who is?” I ask.
“The commanders of the knights of the round table, the real new members of the round table.” He extends his hand forward with haste with the same pressure and drama of being show that my destiny is right in front of me. I should hesitate, I should turn back, but before I can react my soul pushes within me and I descend into the darkness.
-
Crimson fire hangs in lanterns on the walls. Before me is a circular room, attempting to drown out the darkness with the lanterns blaze, making the room have the same feeling as if it is still overcome by the void of black despite the fact I can pierce the veil. In the middle of the room sits a round stone table with many men in elegant knights armor sitting at it, twelve in all. The faces seem unfamiliar except for one of a skinny boy sitting on the other side of the table looking extremely bored, it is Lance from earlier. Curtis and I walk towards the center of the room and I notice for the first time the erieness of the room. The walls are old beige stone that are filled with holes, slash marks, scorch marks, claw marks and cuts I don’t recognize. The walls lead upward to a cathedral ceiling with the only painting in the entire room, in the center of the ceiling the Holy grail is painted on the stone but is only barely visible in the low light. As Curtis walks to the table all of the men stand up at Curtis’s presence and kneel crossing a fist across their heart and lowering their heads in respect to him. Curtis nods his head at them and a faint glow forms around his body growing a brighter illuminating the room in the Aura of his power till it dies down and Curtis is wearing brilliant knights armor made of complete silver with outlines of gold to accent the armor, on his right breastplate a red cross stands out against the other solitary colors on his armor. All of the men stand and draw their swords one by one placing the weapons of different shapes and sizes on the table. Even one of the knights is sporting the apparel of a samurai and places his Katana before him. All of the members seat themselves and I feel extremely awkward standing next to Curtis while everyone else is sitting. The room is silent for a minute before finally Curtis speaks.
“Could someone please make our guest a chair,” Curtis smiles trying to break the tension in the room just which sends a bit of ease to the minds of everyone in the room making everyone take a deep breath. A man with a large bottle of whiskey with a short sword in front of him sits up and looks at me, he is wearing leather armor clearly to help him in his role as a thief, he sweeps his disheveled brown hair to the side.
“I got you,” His eyes start to glow a sandy brown color, he reaches out his hand in front of him and sediment around the ground starts to form behind me until there is an chair made of sedimentary stone. I sit down and thank the man, the man doesn’t accept my thanks he just lies back in his chair and continues to drink. Curtis and the others stay intensely serious as they start the meeting.
“Down to business,” Curtis says with the prowess of a king, he is clearly the leader in the room but it is more than that. The men at the table respect him a great deal and viewed him with reverence, they all hung onto each word he said and were ready to follow him to the gates of Hell, all of this could be told simply by the manner in which they carried themselves. Even the knight drinking whiskey who appeared to be nonchalant had the sparkle of admiration in his glare. It was kind of impressive, to see a room full of actual knights and they all looked up to this man, Curtis, who I heard him tell his daughter he had recently taken up knitting in his free time. “We have many different points to hit, with the main issue dealing with our visitor here and the prisoner.” Prisoner, does he mean me? My heart starts to race thinking that I may not be surrounded by friendly company. A burly man with a broadsword in front of him speaks up.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Is that why we are meeting in the crimson cell instead of in the round chamber?” he ask a little annoyed.
“Indeed Galahad,” Curtis answers, “Chanel needs to know the truth. However we will get to that later first we need to...” I stopped paying attention after that. Instead my thoughts entranced me trying to figure out what exactly I needed to understand the truth about. There seems to be more that Curtis still hasn’t told me. I thought he was going to explain it all in the jungle, he told me about my mother, my father, he told me about the four blades and the different clans what else is he keeping from me? I am so tired of this, of feeling like an idiot, being treated like a child when I have trained my entire life as a warrior, I deserve the honor and title of a warrior and yet I am still apparently to childish to be told the truth. It was one thing in the Wuxing order to not need to know all the secrets of the clan but in this instance everything they are keeping from me applies directly to me and they still don’t feel it is worthwhile to tell me the truth about my own self! I am in a room full of people who are acting like my babysitter's, like I need to be cared for and watched over constantly, I’ll show them. Yeah, I’ll show them I can watch out for myself, no one can hold me back. No one can stop Ch...
My mind starts to clear my sense of reality starts to return. I can still feel it though, the rage and chaos in the back of my soul, I can feel it sitting there slowly corrupting me asking me if I am going to continue to live like a child. This is the price of my emotions, I was so close to giving in, to letting it take over just because I felt a little angry. Everyone I have met has told me the barriers in my head are meant to be a bad thing that keeps me from being aware of my powers and keeps me complacent but what if they are also holding back this. This Crimson inside me. This restless soul that just wants to cause trouble and is composed of pure rage. I hear a voice in the back of my head that sounds familiar, like a woman's voice. it says again pulling me into my consciousness, I desperately want to follow the voice, to run to it and feel safe as it has an enticing appeal. I know if I accept it I will be safe, I’ll be warm, I won’t be lied to again.
“Chanel,” the voice dissipates and the crimson tingle disappear. Curtis has his hand on my shoulder looking at me a little concerned. I look around the table and all the knights are staring at me, ready to grab their swords of the table. I look at Curtis.
“Did I do it again?” I ask ashamed. He nods his head and I feel my spirit crush and wither. Curtis keeps his hand on my shoulder but looks at the men around the round table.
“I understand after what you just saw you all understand the final order of business, I also understand that none of you are going to really want to take him under your wing as your squire but it is necessary that it happens. I honestly wish I could but I understand the rules and how they apply so I am asking you, as the Templar, please someone train him I know it's a risk however...”
“Yes its a risk!” I look up and see the samurai knight standing and looking at Curtis and I fiercely. “It is a huge rise, you are telling us you want us to apprentice the second half of the Dark blade. Imagine if he loses control? Imagine if he turns out like her? What if he becomes a full Chaos element?” At the words Chaos element the room explodes in Chatter, my body feels electrified. I have never heard this term before of a Chaos element but I know already that it is what I am. I try to contain my anxiety but everything inside of me wants to burst. I feel like I am about to faint trying to contain the crimson within. Another man with a handsome face and toned features speaks out.
“Are you telling us this is what the Wuxing has been planning all along? Why they have been more covert and secretive? We have known they have been manipulating Legends for years but trying to control the Chaos Element! That's too far even for them.” Everyone at the table despite the young man I met before and Curtis voice their agreement.
“Percival I know you...” Curtis says trying to calm the situation.
“No Cornell you don’t know!” he says back angrier than ever. “We must take action now. The Andors lay dormant to the problem, who knows what the hell the dark summoners would do, we are the only clan that has the means and power to take action against the Wuxing I propose we do it.” The room erupts with cheers of agreement. Curtis still remains calm, but I can see the cinder of the flame in his eyes.
“Well what exactly are you proposing here Percival?” says the young man, Lance I think they called him, “what is our first move?” He says clearly sarcastically but Percival bites at his words.
“First...” the room grows silent in attention, he extends a finger towards me, “...we kill the potential Chaos Element.” No one says a word, the room feels with inconceivable tension of who will cast the first stone. Them, me, or it, I feel the tingle running through me the crimson wants me to let it out. Maybe I should? Why not, I don’t want to die and as good a fighter as I am the crimson is much more powerful than I. I thought I controlled it before but now I know it was just allowing me to use it so it would gain my trust, what it really wants to be let go, to be free to use me as it sees fit. As of right now it seems, it is the only thing that can save me. I feel the rush inside me and get ready to give up the fight when the force of the man next to me brings my mind back.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Curtis slams his hand on the table and a crack spreads across it and the room shakes. The light coming from Curtis is too intense for me to be to close to, like standing inches from the sun. All of the men stand up and push back from the table, with faces begging for repentance. The mere presence of Curtis’s power makes the ground itself crack and crumble, it is almost holy in many ways, like he is using the wrath of God. “If one of you has the will to attack...MY GUEST...then you have the will to face me as well.” He pulls his sword from the table, “Percival if you truly with to contradict my command then I throw the gauntlet before you right now.” Percival looks legitimately terrified, he stutters a bit trying to find the words to say before Lance steps forward.
“While that does sound appealing and I would love to see the Templar in a one on one battle, there is no need for this,” a man walks forward I hadn’t noticed before hand, he is wearing a long robe and seems to be the only one not decked out in armor, his face is fully covered. “I’ll take him on as my squire.” Curtis’s power dies down and he dawns an extremely confused demeanor. Curtis tries to find words but seems to continue to fall short.
“Gwaine...” The man puts his hand up and it is heavily scarred from damage and almost seemed familiar. Gwaine turns looking at me and I can faintly see a smile under his cowl.
“However,” he continues, “Chanel.” Him saying my name scares me a little give I don’t remember saying my name. “I am going to need my machete back,” he pulls back his cowl and the beaten and old face of Chappa is staring at me, he is smiling but I am frozen as if Becca is in the room right now. His presence turns my entire world upside down and I am left contemplating my entire life even more. This man, my friend, I have known my entire life has been a...a spy! He has been watching me my entire life not because he cares but because I guess I was his assignment. I should feel the presence of the crimson, I should feel angry but i just feel numb and cold. I almost feel hurt and I don’t know why. Now I am the one dumbfounded and lost for words. Chappa stares at me trying to enter and understand my thoughts but I am at a complete loss trying to comprehend the events that just played out. “We can talk about this later, we have more to discuss don’t we Curtis.” He moves past the shock and awe, behaving like a true soldier, I realize to that this isn’t the time nor the place to get into an argument with my old friend, but there will be a lot to talk about later on. I nod my head, showing that I accept being his squire, Curtis puts his sword down and sighs but not in an annoyed way more of a relieved way. I have seen Curtis doesn’t necessarily love hurting people especially his comrades.
“Alright, Chanel will be Gwaine’s squire from here on out, Gwaine is responsible for your training and well being as long as you are here in New Camelot. I know you may be unsure of being a member of our clan so soon, however given the rules of the clan and the round table we cannot allow you to go on missions without being a member of the clan. Do you understand.” I nod familiar with the procedures. Organizations do this for the individual and protection of the organization itself, if I were to go on a mission and mess up and not be a member of the clan, they would have no right to punish me or do anything against me as it might cause problems with an established nation or organization. Also if I am a member and I mess up on a mission the clan can protect me from any foreign elements that try to move against me for my failure. While I am on edge about moving from one clan to the next in about a week or so, I need to find out who I am...and how to kill Commander King. If I have to join this clan to do so, then so be it.
“I accept under one condition...you explain to me what a Chaos element is,” I say, all the knights look around and at each other unsure of what to do next when Curtis puts his fist over his heart and stares at the other knights. Gwaine soon does the same, then Lance, then the rest of the knights one by one do the same the last of which being Percival.
“Very well Curtis says,” He looks to Chappa/Gwaine, “Gwaine if you wouldn’t mind.” He nods and lowers his eyes for a moment putting on his cowl. All the other knights sit back down at the round table but the tension is still there of them wanting to kill me. When Chappa looks back up his eyes are glowing like starry night sky and all the lanterns in the room go out. Through the darkness I hear Curtis’s voice next to me. “Through research and intervention we have learned there are two sources legends get their abilities from, we call these Holy and Chaos.” As soon as he says that the every person in the room starts to glow around the table. All of them with the same color but different brilliances of of light with Curtis’s being by far the brightest and Lance being a close second. They all glow in a golden energy form that is flowing throughout their bodies. “Each of the men here is a Holy legend, abilities gained from interaction with holy objects or the energy has been passed down from parent to child.”Everyone seems to be staring at me more intensely now and I realize I am glowing as well, faintly, but I am glowing but instead of the presence of one color, there is two. “Gwaine’s legend ability allows him to see the energy of legends and make them glow, basically he is a power meter.” He points at me and I look down at my body. “As you can see you have Holy energy inside you inherited from your father but there is an overwhelming presence of the Chaos energy trying to consume the Holy which what is separating and swirling within your body. That energy comes from your mother and while the ability given to you by your father is extremely powerful, it is in a losing battle against the other whelming power your mother had when you inherited parts of the dark blade.” Curtis looks at Chappa who extends his hand towards me and I feel a strange sense in my body as the energy in my body flows out into the middle of the room. “When the Chaos completely destroys the Holy energy,” Curtis continues. As he says that the Chaos energy in the middle of the room consumes the Holy energy. “The only thing left will be the dark blade and it’s will will try to control you and destroy you making you an agent of chaos, this is called a Chaos element, when the Chaos takes complete control over the body...there is no hope to bring them back.” My stomach tightens causing a sick feeling to run through my body. The thought that I could be torn apart from the inside by a present from my dead mother I didn’t ask for turns my insides upside down. What If I lose my mind? What if I become like all the remnants I have heard about that lost their mind? I can feel the two wills within me, one telling me to fight on and never give up. The other telling me fighting is pointless and to give in, and as time turns on both seem enticing.
“How do we fix me?” I ask trying to remain calm and let the cadence of my voice stay stiff.
“We have two solutions,” Curtis says, “first is to use an extraction method before the chaos overtakes you.” Over the table the the Holy energy reappears again the Chaos energy reluctantly is pulled away and disappears. “The only problems are that are soon as it is take out it will form back into the pieces of the dark blade and seek out a new host. Also, the procedure is extremely dangerous, if the power fights to much it will try and fight as it comes out possibly paralyzing you, or even killing you.”
“And the second solution?” I ask.
“The Andors have found a way of stabilizing the two energies within a body,” the energies above the table start to swirl with each other complimenting each other and flowing freely. “If the process is successful it can make the power even more powerful, however whenever they have done this procedure the chaos power hasn’t been nearly as strong as yours.” He says, “Also the Andors aren’t on the best terms with us right now. That is partly why Becca hates us so much. Joseph wants to meet with the both of us later and discuss which procedure you are going to go with.”
“I have just one question,” I ask. “How much time do I have before I become a completely become a Chaos element?”
“By rough estimate and past experience,” Curtis says thinking hard, “I would say from now about 3 weeks. The emergence of your powers caused both energies to activate and accelerate the process.” Three weeks...three weeks left before I descend into actual chaos. Only now have I realized there is so much I haven’t done, so much I could do. I am only 19 and while I have lived a life like no other there is so much more I want. I want to discover myself, grow old, find my true passion, I want the chance to truly protect people and learn what it means to love. I mean I just got emotions I don’t want to lose them in three weeks. What legacy will I live? What will happen to my friends? What If I never discover the truth? I feel so dizzy I could collapse if I weren’t already sitting down through the confusion in my brain all I can muster to say is one word.
“Ok,” it was such a simple word but completely encapsulated everything I was thinking.
“That is why we need to do whatever we need to do as soon as possible,” Curtis says, I partly hear what he is saying, nodding to show acknowledgement but still being consumed by the thought of Chaos swirl through my body at this very moment. “Chanel there is one last thing we need to show you,” Curtis tells me. The energy disappears, the lanterns relight, and Chappa’s eyes go back to normal. “This is the main order of business of the meeting tonight, Knights take your positions around the cell.” With those words all the knights take their swords and move to different walls around the room, as soon as they get to a certain area they seemed to have been assigned to they stay completely still and silent preparing for what happens next. I look to Curtis hoping to gain answers but Curtis has moved to the back wall as well. Curtis raises his sword in the air with the tip of the blade pointing at the ground, with the discipline of synchronized swimmers each of them drove the point of their swords into the ground and activated their auras. The pressure in the room increased, and I swear I could feel the air get thinner. I coughed a couple of times but the knights stayed in their position even as it got worse. The middle of the floor where the round table was disappeared to a deep blackness below. I stared into it hoping to see a bottom or a light but found nothing until it subtley started to move. I moved my body away from the hole and quickly as possible just before the blackness erupted forming a large back cylinder. No light came from it, no light reflected from it, it was just the perfect object to describe black. Curtis breaks his position and walks over to me keeping his Aura active.
“Curtis what is this,” I ask through staggered coughs trying to breath in the tight air around me.
“This is the most sacred object to the KNRT, the crimson cell, inside is one of the most dangerous people in the world...” he stops for second trying to choose his words delicately. “The prisoner inside is the most powerful chaos element we have encountered, the only other person to hold pieces of the dark blade within them.” I look at curtis with astonishment hoping to gain an explanation but he is purely focused on the darkness before us. He raises his sword to it and turns the blade 180 degrees in his hand. As he does so the cylinder liquifies becoming completely fluid and expanding throughout the room until tendrils erect from its form and stab into the walls in different places. I step back as one tendril lands where my feet were and I get prepared for a fight, but in the middle of the darkness I see a the face of a girl a little older than I with closed eyes and the presence of this face causes my body to stop and in a weird way relax. The tendrils form into chains and suspend the girl within the air. She is still unconscious and yet I can feel her power with a more intense heat then I have ever felt come from one person, even Curtis. I am stuck in awe staring at her and want so badly to run to her and hug her but can’t figure out why. I feel myself reaching out to her and slowly stepping towards her, being drawn to her presence, when a deep laugh comes from her body. I stop dead in my tracks and look at Curtis who has a single tear dripping down his cheek. I look back at her and she opens her eyes which don’t resemble eyes, just two crimson spheres staring at me, making my soul boil.
“Well, well, well...” she says giving a dark smile towards me, “Cornell you sure have brought me a present today haven’t you.” She laughs a little more and the movement of her head makes her see crazy and Chaotic. Her body is completely restrained to where she can only move her head but even if she wasn’t shackled I’m not sure if her legs would support her. Her Body is weak and shriveled with a clear presence of her ribs showing through her skin. Her brown skin is bruised and tearing at certain parts on her body and her hair is nearly falling out. Despite her appearance she appears to be fine and happy with her present state, almost like a supervillain in a comic book. Curtis remains silent, clearly holding something in, I am entranced by this girl and what she could have done to deserve this. “Oh Cornell,” she says with a pouty face, “you haven’t told him have you...tsk,tsk,tsk same on you for not letting my own...”
“That's enough witch,” he finally says, “I am only hear because I owe Chanel this not for you, as far as I am concerned you can rot down here. I have lost hope of trying to save you.” That all sounded harsh to me but the girl just laughs.
“I am glad you finally learned I am beyond your help, I am glad I was able to destroy even the memory of the little girl you once held so dear,” she says with a sadistic tone. “Actually,” she says in a worried tone, “I think I can feel her still in here, she wants to say something to you would you like to talk to her?” Curtis remains silent, She closes her eyes and her head drops when her head pops back up she is panting wildly and looking around frantically like a completely different person. “Dad...Dad...Dad where are you?” Her voice has completely changed and sounds like a innocent girl. “Please dad, please, I need you to save me, you can still save me.” She continues and I start to get worried feeling my soul get charged. Curtis refuses to make eye contact with the girl trying to plead to him for help, he just stands there weeping looking like a defeated man. The laugh comes from the girl again and she goes back to normal, “aww was that too much for you Cornell, to see your precious Chamilch...”
“Who the hell are you?!” I say finally speaking up. She turns towards me and her gaze of madness infects me.
“Aren’t you a feisty one, I never knew my little brother had such a fire with in him.” She says. My mind goes blank, the only thing I hear is those words over and over again in my head. the words repeat over and over again but don’t fully register with my brain. I open my mouth but no words come out, they feel stuck within my throat with an encroaching fear I can’t control. The next person to speak is Curtis.
“That’s enough,” he says softly but clearly, “Close the cell.”
“I guess that's my cue,” she says smiling as darkly as ever, “thanks for the family reunion Cornell, I will be seeing you two again soon.” With one more laugh the knights all bring their swords from the ground and the Cylinder reforms around the girl. It sinks into the floor and the round table reconstructs. I fall to the ground, breathing still heavily despite the pressure being gone.
“Who was.s.s...s,” I stutter through the bombardment of my thoughts, “she.” Curtis doesn’t meet my eyes he just continues to let the tears fall and then he speaks.
“That was Chamilcha Aguilas,” he says lightly, “the other holder of the dark blade...and your big sister.”
