Dedicated to Axeman. Thank you so much for the little comments you always leave, they never fail to make me smile. <3

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Chapter 20 - Understanding

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“What?”

Kiarae’s words hung heavy in the air. Skye felt herself pulled towards the ground as she struggled to stop her arms from collapsing beneath her. It wasn’t possible. She refused to accept it. There was no way that monster was related to the woman before her now.

Skye dragged her gaze to the silver-haired figure before her. Kiarae knelt, fingers wrapped tightly around her staff. She stared at the floor with a blank face, as if barely comprehending her surroundings. Reaching for her shoulder, Skye shivered as her fingers ran over the deformed skin. The person who’d given it to her was of the same flesh and blood as her teacher. Her mentor. Her protector.

How was that possible?

“Your... brother is the Master? The shadow Sentinel that holds you prisoner? The one that... that marked me,” Skye said, barely suppressing the bile rising in her throat. She swore she could feel the corruption running through her body, poisoning her thoughts. She knew it was there, but how bad was it? Was her resistance enough to overcome it? What if she couldn’t-

Catching herself mid thought, she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. Kiarae would help her. The celestial had no reason to lie. The more she thought about it, the more control she gained over her thoughts. She had to make sure. For all she knew, Kiarae was talking about a different person. That would be a logical explanation. She dug her fingers into the carpet, waiting for a response.

The celestial stared into a distant corner of the room. A long moment passed. Eventually, Kiarae inclined her head slowly. “He is my brother. My twin, to be precise, whom I still care for,” she said quietly.

 Skye slammed her fists into the ground. “How? He’s evil! He’s completely and utterly--“

“No!” Kiarae’s head whipped around and she glared at Skye with an unrecognisable anger. She gripped Skye’s shoulders with her hands roughly, causing her to wince. “No. He is not evil. He is infected. There is a difference.”

Not understanding, Skye searched her teacher’s face for answers. “Kia, you’ve seen what he does. He murders innocents, he turns them into demons! He hurts you, how can you...” She trailed off, feeling betrayed. Did Kiarae’s loyalties truly lie with the monster she called her brother?

Kiarae took her hands off, placing them on her knees.

“He... he has never done the worst he could. To me, at least,” she said. “As for his crimes... that is not him. The corruption has a hold on him, Skye. It is no ordinary magic. It is alive in a way ether is not. It has the power to infect a soul, to bend and shape their personality, to shatter it completely. Once the corruption has taken hold, you will not recognise someone as the person you once knew.” She drew in a shaky breath. “There are times... times when he is lucid. Free of its hold. But they never last long... it always returns, and stronger than before.”

“It’s building strength?”

“It appears so. Its hold on this land is stronger than it has ever been.”

“How do I stand a chance of beating him... it then?”

Skye attempted to cover her mistake, hoping her teacher would ignore it. It was hard, watching Kiarae’s face line with sadness, but she needed to know. She needed to understand how she fit into this game of good and evil. Ignorance would only get her killed.

Kiarae licked her lips. “I understand. To beat the corruption, you must first defeat my brother. The Master. I just wish...” She sighed and shook her head. “I need to stop thinking of him as the person I knew. It was so hard, watching him fall into the hollowed void he has become...” She pressed her hands to the side of her head for a moment, then let them fall. “But you must know. The only way to save him is through death, where his soul may heal in the Nether once again.”

Skye understood the emotional conflict Kiarae faced. Age mattered little. It never became easier to deal with. The emotions were still raw, still painful to acknowledge. Years locked away in the darkness would not make a difference. When a person you were supposed to love, to protect, left you at the mercy of the world, you were left with invisible scars that only you could feel. It hurt, and new ones only made the existing scars bigger and more noticeable. The ache didn’t go away.

Kiarae stood, smoothing her robes and collecting her thoughts once more.

“While the corruption makes him strong, it has also disrupted his connection to the shadow element,” said Kiarae. The transparent surface behind her lit up once more, figures and pictures dancing across it. “His magic is no longer pure. It is stronger, but tainted. Therefore, you possess certain abilities he can no longer harness to their full capabilities. I believe this shall give you the advantage. Coupled to the fact that he believes there is no one left to train you, you may yet have a chance of defeating him. You shall take him by surprise.”

Kiarae turned her back to Skye, waving her hand and creating lines and figures on the shimmering surface. The sombre mood still hung in the air. Her revelation weighed on Skye, but the elf pushed it aside. Brother or not, he was essentially the heart of the problem. He had to be stopped. If his own sister could disown him, it should have been easy for her. So why was there a guilt still leaning against her resolve?

Her teacher turned to face her again. “As you know, Sentinels are ageless. While a mortal’s soul will fade, the contact to the ether keeps our soul intact, replenishing it with every use. However, this does not work in our favour. Time is not on our side. If we are to strike against the corruption, our best chance is in the near future. Now,” said Kiarae. “I recall a flicker through the Linaye several times during your flight to Alguarde, but I was often too preoccupied with my own situation to notice. Did you use magic, other than healing?”

“Several times.”

“I want details of every time you believe magic may have been involved.”

Skye nodded, and began speaking. She included every action, thought and occurrence since Jesse’s healing she could remember. Twice, she paused to answer a question from Kiarae, but she was otherwise uninterrupted. When she finished, Kiarae’s brow was creased in thought and she paced across the room, muttering incoherent words into her staff.

“Never. Never before has this been heard of, except in the beginning. Even masters of their element did not develop powers as you have.”

“The beginning?” asked Skye, confused. Did I do something wrong? Is this because of my mark? Her worry increased as Kiarae dragged out the silence again.

“When the Sentinels first arose as the guardians of mortals against the corruption’s demon plague, none had a grasp on how to wield it. It requires great discipline to master. It is said the deities themselves guided their magic until they learned to control it.”

“Why is that a problem?”

Kiarae met her eyes steadily, holding Skye’s gaze. “Several disasters occurred during the time of peace the Sentinels wrought to the land. All were due to a Sentinel or initiate lacking the knowledge to master their magic. The results were severe. A fire Sentinel burnt a large section of forest in an outburst. A water one once caused a flood, killing hundreds of people. The worst part, however, is that the Sentinel in question never survived. The magic killed them,” she said meaningfully.

“So.... you’re saying I can cause more damage than good if I continue to use it without proper guidance?” said Skye.

“No. Forgive me for saying this, but what worries me most is not the hundreds, if not thousands of lives you would take. It is that you would kill yourself in the process.”

Skye stared at Kiarae, unable to believe her words for the second time that night. “How could you even say that? I would rather die myself if it meant I could save them! There’s no excuse for that line of reasoning!”

Despite Skye’s outburst, Kiarae remained calm. “You must understand. You are quite possibly the last hope to stop the corruption. A hundred lives, compared to yours is nothing. They would die anyway, lost to the corruption after you sacrificed yourself to save them.”

“The last hope?" Skye snorted. "I won’t be the last Sentinel to ever grace this land, you know.” She expected the words to sting, but Kiarae merely raised an eyebrow.

“You need to learn to think. When you have been alive for a century you may begin to see without assistance, however you have not and that it why I am here to guide you. Think of it like this. Tomorrow, the farmers of Alguarde are attacked by a group of demons that managed to bypass the wards. You save a family, but in the process are gravely wounded and you die,” said Kiarae. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s possible. Magic or not, you’re not invincible.”

Skye rolled her eyes, but Kiarae continued.

“Now, the city will grieve. More than if the family were killed instead. Their hope has been crushed. Their one chance against the corruption is dead, lying still with a talon through her chest. They will ask themselves - what chance do we have if a Sentinel cannot stand against the darkness? And they will have their answer: none. Word will spread, the darkness will gather around the wards. The Silverborn do little more than hold back the darkness, and they barely manage that. More mortals will turn to the corruption, believing it their fate. The corruption plague will grow in strength. Demons numbers will grow. The Silverborn, Tayne, the wards, all will eventually be overwhelmed. They will die.”

Skye wanted to interrupt, but she found she couldn’t. The room around her shifted into a scene of darkness and chaos as Kiarae spoke. She was standing in the streets of Alguarde, but it wasn’t as she knew it to be. Fires burned through the city as tainted pursued their targets in the streets.

A mother ran past, clutching a child to her chest as she desperately attempted to shield the infant from a tainted. Skye reached out to help. She drew her sword and stepped into the tainted’s path. It slipped through her as if she were not there, continuing its rampage towards the pair.

She could only watch on in horror as the figures collapsed, exhausted.

The woman muttered words to her child, trying to quell the rising wail with comforting words. The infant looked on with a terrified innocence, barely comprehending what was going on. His mother stroked his head and repositioned her body to cover him. She curled around his figure, still whispering words into his ear. Her body jerked violently as a talon pierced her back.

Skye ran forward again, launching herself at the tainted. She called on the magic, preparing to heal the woman. The familiar tingle didn’t materialise. The tainted withdrew its claw, cocking its head and examining its victim. Skye tried again, pounding at the tainted’s hide, desperate to do something, anything. She could see he was noticing the second wriggling form.

In the end, she could do no more than stare at the scene. Unable to intervene. Unable to save these innocent lives. In this reality, she was dead. She had no presence. This was the world without her. This was the result of her actions.

The mother’s body shuddered until finally, mercifully, she fell still. The infant ceased his silence and cried, the eerie sound echoing among the destruction. His mother’s weight pressed down on him. Hurting him, smothering him under her flesh. The tainted leant forward, a twisted glee lighting its face as he realised--

“Stop!” Knees buckling, Skye fell to the ground as her legs failed her. She held her hands to her head, trying to rid herself of the image. “Stop. Just stop. Please, I can’t watch this. I just can’t... stop...”

The scene transformed back to the previous room. Skye was vaguely away of Kiarae standing before her. The images kept flashing through her mind. The woman, the child. The tainted roaming the streets, looking for victims to ravage...

“That is what will occur without you,” said Kiarae quietly.

“How... why would you show me that... that thing? Why!”

“Because, you need to understand. Without you, that is the only future mortality has.” The image of the tainted, intent on the child’s cry came unbidden to Skye’s mind. “Even if another Sentinel were to rise up, there would be no one to train them. A Linaye is restricted. A Sentinel can only have one student every fifty years or so. If one of the pair dies before the Linaye weakens, the bond remains unless the soul is destroyed. I would be unable to teach them. Even if we found a way around, I doubt they would have your resistance or your ability.”

Taking Skye’s hesitation as a form of acceptance, Kiarae continued softly.

“I do not take pleasure in it, but there are greater forces at work here than we dare imagine. You must trust me,” she said, pulling Skye into a tight hug. “It is not fair. I know. I really do. But the deities have chosen you. The nature deity guides you.”

Sniffing, Skye rested her head on Kiarae’s shoulder. “It does?” She felt Kiarae nod.

“It is the only explanation. The forest is its way of reaching you. Tyra often spoke of it, once she mastered her element. Deities rarely, if ever directly speak into a mind. The mental disruption alone is enough to shatter a soul. Only the strongest Sentinels ever learned the true names of their deities and how to call upon their direct energy.”

“What?” said Skye, lost. She pulled out of the embrace, searching her teacher’s face. Kiarae’s staff lay on the ground, forgotten by Kiarae. The jewel in its crest glowed feebly as if struggling against something. “I don’t...”

“Understand? Neither do I. The deities expect too much of us sometimes. They don’t understand how we see things.”

“You seem like you know... Has your deity ever spoken to you?” asked Skye as she wiped the moisture off her face.

Kiarae nodded. “Twice. Although, I believe the Celestial whispers to me in my solitude.”

When Kiarae spoke next, she had an odd note in her voice. “I must warn you, Skye. While this fate awaits the world if you die, it will be equally as devastating if you are captured. He holds a power in his hand, his ultimate goal, if you like. However it cannot be awakened without the willing assistance of a nature and celestial Sentinel. It is part of the reason why he or the corruption will not kill me, at least until he finds another capable of performing the enchantment.”

“But if he captures me, I won’t be able to hold out against him,” said Skye. Apparently surprised at her answer, Kiarae tilted her head. Skye shrugged, too tired to ignore the facts. “I felt his power, Kia. There is little I could do against it as I am now.” She attempted a smile, but it fell off her face after a moment.

“Perhaps you will learn faster than I had hoped,” Kiarae said slowly. “Now, I think this has gone on long enough. I shall leave you to your dreams.” She glanced around. When her eyes fell on her staff, they widened and she lunged for it.

The room flickered, shadows creeping in from the walls.

For what she guessed were seconds, Skye was plunged into a world of darkness and demons. A man stood nearly twenty metres from her, a figure chained to his wrist with shadows. He lifted his hand, where a spherical object rested and flickered with power. Malice emanated from him.

She couldn’t help feeling as if she were trapped. She had a choice, but she didn’t want to make it. Making the right decision meant hurting Tyra, and it was something she couldn’t do. Thoughts whirled around inside her head, ones that didn’t make sense. They all came back to one point: This wasn’t her decision to make. It had already been chosen for her. She had to follow the path the deity marked for her. She didn’t have a damned choice!

Kiarae’s fingers made contact with the staff, and a burst of light swiped across the room. The scene disappeared entirely. Skye blinked, the thoughts suddenly gone. Kiarae looked relieved. Even sprawled across the floor as she was, she managed to look graceful. Never taking her eyes from the staff, she came back to her knees.

“We are done for tonight. I shall visit you again when I am able. Please, remember what I have said. Keep it in consideration. Do not do anything... rash.”

And with that, the room disappeared.

Skye was plunged back into her dreams, albeit darker than before.

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