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Chapter 40 - To shatter a soul

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Jesse placed his boot on the elder Silverborn’s back, his face contorting with frustration.

“He wasn’t supposed to come! He only wanted you and Tayne, Skye!” said Jesse. “It didn’t need to happen!”

He shoved forward with his foot and wrenched the blade out, watching with that same expression as Wrain slid down its length with a strangled cry.

He didn’t flinch when Wrain clutched at his chest, trying to stop the blood. Instead, he looked back at Skye and shook his head, his features clouded with anger.

“I didn’t want to do it, he made m--“

Skye was on Jesse before Wrain’s body hit the ground. With both her weapons drawn and raised, she slammed into Jesse and forced him back three steps, away from where Wrain lay gasping on the ground. He was still alive, but she needed to act fast. 

She kept moving forward, forcing Jesse to retreat. Locked in a strange embrace centimetres from Jesse’s face, she reversed her grip on the dagger and caught its hilt on Jesse’s bloodied blade. The two weapons locked. She pushed down on her dagger, dragging his sword with it and smashed the flowered pommel of her sword down on the Silverborn’s hand.

Jesse’s sword clattered to the ground at her feet, leaving him gaping. Skye kicked his blade away, flicking her own up to place its tip at the centre of his chest.

“Jess, I don’t know what’s got into you, but you need to stay back so I can heal Wrain.” The Silverborn behind her was slipping away fast. She met Jesse’s eyes. “Do you understand?”

His blank look scared her more than Wrain’s laboured breathing, but his next words froze her blood. “I... can’t, Skye. He made me.”

He.

There was no doubt who Jesse was talking about. Skye backed up, keeping her sword pointed at Jesse. How hadn’t she noticed? All the way through the wasteland and in the Citadel the signs had been there, signs that something was wrong.

Ebony must have done something to him when she brought us here.

Jesse remained stationary. His hands curled into fists and when she reached Wrain, he dropped his head into his hands and pressed them against the sides of his temples.

 Build up of magic. He’s fighting it. How was I so blind?

She dropped to her knees beside Wrain, still facing Jesse. She placed her hands over Wrain’s punctured chest and felt the tingle of magic light her fingers. The blade had gone straight through a lung, and from what she could tell had missed his heart.

Skye glanced up. Jesse was visibly shaking now, clutching his head with such force that his arms trembled. She brought her attention back to Wrain, laying her dagger beside his body but maintaining an awkward grip on the sword.

Carefully, she placed the tips of her fingers inside the wound on his chest. She didn’t dare roll him, unsure of what further damage could occur, so it was the best she could do. Get deeper inside the wound. Heal him from the inside out.

She pushed the magic out the tips of her fingers, willing it to repair the damage but unsure of how far it would go. The injury was recent, but it was far, far worse than anything she’d healed before.

It has to work.

“Skye-- he, he’s--“

Jesse’s strained warning came just as a sphere of purple energy collided with her chest and sent her sprawling across the floor.

“I must ask that you refrain from reviving unwanted guests, Skye. I’ve already had Jesse take him out once, and that was hard enough for him. I don’t want the poor boy completely broken yet. A soul can only handle so much.”

Skye pushed herself up from the ground, the Naclictite lightening under her touch. The Master raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes trained on her hands.

“I didn’t quite believe it when I saw it, but no matter. You’ll be explaining it to me yourself soon enough,” said the Master.

“No.”

“No?” He paused, considering the word. “I recall you saying something similar in Darni when you were being held captive by an incompetent tainted and his lackeys like some mongrel dog.” He smiled as she tensed. “Ah yes, you as well. Do you remember then, what I did for merely entertaining the idea of defying me, Skye?”

His hand lit purple. The skin on her shoulder -- the burnt, disfigured skin that refused to heal crawled under her armour. She gripped the hilt of her sword tighter, finding strength in its solidarity. If the Master was here, it meant Tayne was safe.

“You couldn’t break Kiarae. You won’t break me. And when I’m done with you, I’ll tear this Citadel down and bring the corruption to its knees.”

The Master seemed unperturbed by her declaration. “And then what will happen to our young Silverborn here? Jesse?”

Jesse looked up at his name but remained silent. The sword covered in Wrain’s blood was back in his hand.  

“Attack the nature Sentinel.”

The conflict of wills was evident on Jesse’s face. “Skye? But--“

“Now.”

 Jesse’s face tightened as something warred in his features. A violet aura flickered to life around his being. “Uh... okay, Master.”

Skye took off, but not towards Jesse. She ran towards the Master with everything she had. He had the same glow, the same visible aura that encased Jesse. She didn’t know what he was doing to her friend, but it was going to stop now.

Without taking his eyes off Jesse, the Master threw out a hand. A pillar of shadows erupted from the ground in front of her that she leapt to avoid, rolling on her shoulder to recover. A rush of air was the only warning to bring her blade around just in time to block Jesse’s powerful downward stroke.

He stood over her, glaring down at her crouched form.

“The corruption makes you strong, Jesse. Accept it; allow it into your soul and you will be unstoppable.” The Master’s voice floated around the pair, twisting their way into her skull.

“Jess, don’t listen to him,” whispered Skye. “Fight him. You can win.”

“Look at her. See how she lies.”

Jesse grit his teeth, shaking his head. “I’ve been fighting him for months. Months!” He pushed down on his blade. “And no one noticed. You all left me to fight him myself.”

The weight was uncomfortable. She slid his blade off to the side. “Months?” she asked. “What do you mean months? We didn’t even know Ebony existed until a few hours ago!”

Jesse gave a hollow laugh. “How could you not notice! You were there! You, of all people should have realised that something was wrong!” He lashed out with a wild side-stroke aimed at her stomach which she narrowly avoided. “All those times he took control, all those times that he forced me to do something! I kept telling myself, she’ll notice -- she has to.”

The Master’s voice echoed around them. “But she didn’t, did she? She failed you. Embrace that anger, Jesse. Embrace the hatred, the betrayal. They abandoned you.”

“We didn’t abandon anyone!” Skye cried. “If you fought him, then he didn’t take control, did he?” She held Jesse’s gaze, challenging him. “And you’re still fighting him now. You still haven’t given in.”

“That’s what I thought at first,” he said. “At first, when it was just hiding Nathaniel’s sword, then again when it was getting you to use magic near the ward. I didn’t think it was anything serious, just a voice, whispering... always whispering... suggesting things I should do, things I should say... I didn’t realise until the pain started. And I wanted to see it. I wanted to see your magic.”

His blade was by his side, eyes downcast. Skye knelt up, still wary. “When did he get to you Jess?”

Jesse’s eyes bored into her. Accusing her. “When Tayne healed the darkness out of you in the forest. When you wouldn’t wake up, caught in the realm of suffocating nightmares. Nightmares that he made me replicate after when you were in Alguarde -- the place where we were supposed to be safe!”

The sword was raised again. The anger was back. “How could you not see? How could anyone not notice? Tayne was always saying he’d never let you face him,” said Jesse, gesturing at the Master, “alone, and yet the whole time... the whole time I was by myself when the shadows grabbed me and pulled me deeper. The whole time!”

Skye sidestepped and brought her blade vertical to intercept Jesse’s arc. He tried again, battering her defense while she gave ground, slowly working her way towards the Master.  Jesse hammered away at the blade but never got close to landing a hit.

He can do better than this. He’s not trying, she thought.

The fury of his attacks spoke otherwise. “Tayne even caught me one night, coming out from your room and he still didn’t realise.” Overhead, thrust.

Skye changed her tactic. Instead of evading the blows, she met his blade with her own but never attempted an offense. Let him work it out.

“But that was okay, because I knew that you’d realise eventually. I mean, you resisted the Master’s mark, the one that was supposed to put you in my place when it spread! You stopped the corruption, but you--“

The revelation sent a chill down her spine but she persisted. “What did you expect me to do? I’m not a damned mystic. You didn’t tell me! You didn’t tell anyone!”

This could be me, she thought. It could have been me that was affected.

“I tried!” yelled Jesse. “I tried to tell you, and then when he stopped me, I tried to tell Tayne, and he stopped me again!” Another angry blow jarred her arm. Jesse’s eyes glistened. “But you should have noticed, you’re a Sentinel! You’re meant to be fighting the corruption! It’s the whole reason the deities granted you magic to begin with!”

“I’ve been a Sentinel for an hour longer than he’s been in your head, Jess. I’ve never known you without the corruption afflicting your actions, but you know what?” she said. “It doesn’t matter, because I know you’re better than this.”

Jesse gave another half-hearted attack before stopping. He tilted his head to the side.

“You think so?” he asked.

Skye nodded. “Without a doubt. I trust you with my life.”

To prove her point, she lowered her blade, leaving herself open to attack. It was dangerous and stupid, there was no guarantee that she couldn’t leap out of the way in time if he took the chance, but it seemed to work.

Jesse’s face softened and he took a step towards her. “You think--“

“Enough of this.”

At the Master’s voice, Jesse gasped and bent over double. Skye started towards him, hands outstretched but Jesse jerked upright, a faint purple shimmer outlining his body. Skye met an invisible wall that prevented her from touching him.

“Jess? Jess, can you hear me? Fight it!”

Jesse remained unresponsive, cradling his head in his hands.

 “The corruption will not be denied so easily, boy,” said the Master.

He advanced on them. Skye brought her blade down upon the Master before he reached Jesse. It bounced off thin air, met by violet sparks and did nothing to halt the Master. He placed his hand on the boy’s forehead.

“This process will be painful. Remember that you brought it upon yourself because you listened to her. Accept the shadow, or you will perish.”

Violet energy swirled around the room, all finding its way to Jesse’s hunched body. She redoubled her efforts, determined to get through the barrier.

“Sssssskyyyyye--“

Jesse’s tortured pronunciation of her name dropped her stomach. She lit her palm and tried to slam through the barrier as she had with the Naclictite, but to no use.

The Master’s face was strained. The shield had to be weakening. His face was twisted in pain, there was no way--

“Break,” snarled the Master. His fingers tightened, visibly digging into Jesse’s skin. His words picked up speed. “Eradicate the celestial element from this boy’s soul and fill the void with your power, O deity, heed my words and respond.”

The aura expanded, encasing both Silverborn and Sentinel in the one halo of light. It was brighter than before and flecked with darkness, darkness that appeared out of the Master’s body and clung to his victim. It thickened the violet light like fog until it seeped completely into Jesse’s skin.

“Accept the corruption now, and this will not hurt.”

An agonised wail tore from Jesse’s lips. He tried to fall to his knees but seemed unable. His hands wrapped around the Master’s wrist, feebly trying to pry it away, but the Master’s grip on his head was iron. The remaining violet mist swirled around them, pushing Skye away and blinding her view. A horrid keening noise rose above the howling vortex.

This was wrong. So, so wrong.

Skye glanced behind her at Wrain, who still hadn’t moved. She couldn’t see if he was breathing anymore.

Run.

The voice was as insistent as it was clear in her mind, but she revolted against the idea. How could she possibly run, leaving the two Silverborn here to be played with as the Master wished?

Run, now.

Skye steadied her stance, preparing her sword. Shut up, she thought back. I’m not running anywhere. It just makes my back a target.

“Shatter, break, bend. Give... in...”

Run, or you will regret it.

The mist vanished. The aura was gone and Jesse unharmed, physically at least.

I won’t run. He needs me.

The Master straightened, removing his hand from Jesse’s forehead.

“Attack the nature Sentinel who dares defy the corruption.”

There was no hesitation. Jesse’s gaze locked onto Skye and he strode towards her.

“Yes, Master.”

Jesse ran the last few steps towards her with cold recognition. There was no reasoning with him now, she knew. Whatever the Master had done was serious.

His blade came arcing around, intending to smash into her upper torso. Skye didn’t give him the chance.

She struck out, catching her foot behind his knees. Jesse stumbled and lurched forward. His blade swung around in a predictable curve as he tried to catch himself. Skye rolled past his legs, coming quickly to her feet and bringing her sword around to deflect his next blow.

“She lies!” yelled the Master. “Trust you? Bah! She can’t stay her blade for a minute!”

Their blades clashed once, twice, three times before she pushed his to the ground. He was trying now. The swings had purpose behind them. With her right foot, she kicked the flat of his blade, trying to force it from his hand but he refused to let go. Jesse’s arm shot out, grabbing her own sword arm that pinned his blade. In reply, she thrust her elbow upward hard, catching him just under the chin.

Jesse staggered backwards, the tip of his sword trailing along the ground. “You hit me. You’ll pay for that,” he growled.

Regret twinged her heart. “I’ll do it again if it’s going to knock sense into you! Blade up, Silverborn!” She retreated backwards, luring Jesse closer to the Master and away from Wrain while keeping herself between them. She didn’t know if Wrain was still alive, but the minimal magic she’d managed to get into him before would have to be enough and to have him hit by a stray attack would be disastrous for his ability to live.

“Funny how a soul can be altered, isn’t it Skye? How quickly the corruption can sway a person’s loyalties?” said the Master.

Her right palm tingled where she grasped the hilt. She ignored it, focusing instead on the blonde haired boy coming towards her, fury written in his features. Skye deflected the unfocussed blows easily, but her worry was growing. The longer Jesse stayed like this, the harder it would become to break him from it. He wasn’t her target.

She couldn’t kill him. But she could disable him and apologise later.

Skye aimed for his right forearm and scored a shallow slash. It wasn’t enough to make him drop his blade. As his blade rushed towards her, she ducked under the bloodied metal and stepped towards him. In a heartbeat, she had his wrist and went to put his arm out of action.

Then the pain started.

Her shoulder felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out. She dropped Jesse’s wrist and clutched the skin that felt like it was on fire. It writhed and crawled underneath her armour, trying to sear its way separate from the bone. The heat it generated scorched her face. She couldn’t get away from it.

The rest of her arm went numb and she lost feeling in her fingers gripping her sword.

Skye switched hands, barely parrying Jesse’s attack. She backed up a few steps, giving herself room to adjust and caught a glimpse of the Master.

His hand was closed into a fist, engulfed in flames. It resonated with the mark on her shoulder. She deflected the next hit, Jesse’s sword barely more than a fuzzy silver line. She blinked furiously, trying to see past the images blurred by pain. Kiarae’s lesson came to mind.

He’s using the mark as an anchor point... deities how do I defend against that?

 The pressure continued to build in her head. She raised her sword just in time, the impact jarring her arm.

“Embrace the corruption, Jesse! You cannot hope to compete with her if you don’t!” said the Master. “Even crippled, she bests you!”

Jesse growled in response and swung again, harder this time.

“Jess, you don’t have to. I don’t want to fight you--“

The pressure was building at an alarming rate, more than anything she’d ever experienced. Her thoughts were spiralling out of control. Was the Master breaking into her mind? The thought scared her. She’d never been able to block Kiarae for long, but the Master hadn’t been able to penetrate her soul before, so--

Sentinel, I am not what you should fear.

It was the same voice as before, the same on that’d told her to run. Jesse hammered away at her blade now, his strokes swift and increasingly powerful. There was something in his face, something twisted and dark that hadn’t been there before. Skye lashed out with a quick side cut followed by a blow aimed for his shoulder, driving him back a few paces.

Accept me; it will make the transition easier for you. Now.

The voice was louder this time, more urgent. It didn’t feel like him, but she refused to trust anything that could break into her head so easily.

Feel me. Know me. It is not who you fear.

Skye parried another blow from Jesse. She deflected the next and blocked the one after that, but a rapid succession of overhead hammering blows from him saw the blade fall from her hand.

She stumbled backwards, desperate to remain upright. Her head couldn’t take this. She was literally going to explode if it continued. Her shoulder flared with torturous agony and there was light blooming on her arm.

Driven by the voice, she ran her fingers up her arm and away from her head, finding her Sentinel mark. It was warm, not burning like her shoulder but a soft, inviting kind of warmth.

Jesse advanced on her, the Master not far behind. His hand was still clenched and raised, ignited with purple fire.

“Well done, apprentice. Your first task has been completed...”

His voice drifted away, replaced by another.

We are out of time. You must live. Open your soul to me.

Skye had no intention of doing such thing, but the voice would not be denied. It drifted through her defences like there were none, but it was not what she expected it to be. The warmth engulfed her and she caved into her soul. She could still see through her eyes, but it was blurred, and what she could see was outlined in a thick, luminescent emerald glow.

The voice was strong here; she could feel its presence. It was everywhere. There was no escaping it.

Sentinel, you are in a situation I do not like but one that is outside of your control. I blame myself in part.

Who are you? thought Skye. Why are you in my head?

The Master was closer now, his hand on Jesse’s shoulder. His lips moved, but silence was all that came from them. She had to get out; she had to do something--

You know who I am, Sentinel. I am the one from where your power originates in the Nether realm.

An impossible thought crossed Skye’s mind. You’re... a deity?

The voice didn’t answer her question, rather continuing on. You are not skilled enough yet and there is something interfering with your ability to tap into your true strength... It slipped around her soul for a moment before appearing content. Ah, I see.

Can you fix it? asked Skye. What’s wrong with it?

It paused for a moment, and she could feel it searching her soul although it didn’t seem to want to answer her question. In the physical world, the Master reached for her, movements sluggish like he was slowed.

 Skye blocked the deity’s access. It wouldn’t deter it if it were determined but it got its attention. Help now, look later, running short of time.

The voice, the presence in her mind drew together into a cohesive thought. I cannot lose you to the shadow, Sentinel; else I forfeit my strongest link to the mortal realm. That is something that cannot happen.  

And so, I will grant you a gift. Invoke my name. My true name, the name of power over all nature energy that flows between worlds. But be warned, to those who know it, the name makes me vulnerable. Guard it with your life else it will be theirs.

The pressure lifted from her head, leaving only a word in its place.

Skye raised her right hand and looked the Master in the eye. He hesitated, his own hand centimetres from her skin. She drew in a deep breath, and put all the force she could gather into her voice.

Invoke my name.

“Ash’lianai!”

Pure, green light of varying shades burst from her palm and sent the Master and Jesse flying against the opposite wall. Jesse’s skull hit the wall with a sharp crack, and she winced. The light responded to her subconscious, wrapping itself around Jesse’s slumped form. She felt it as it sent tendrils into his body, healing his physical imperfections.

The Master recovered fast, his face alight with greed. “At last. The name of the deity,” he muttered, almost beyond her hearing.

“Ash’lia--“

Skye sent a bolt of energy at him, hitting him square in the chest and cutting off the word. She hurled another of which he dodged. As it had in Naisha, her eagle, her spirit animal appeared around her, its wings encasing her arms in ethereal white-grey feathers that shimmered and hummed with energy. It resonated with her, perfectly with her own rhythms. She just wished she had any idea what to do with it. 

The deity interrupted her thoughts. Do not let him speak the word. My true name has never been uttered by any but my strongest disciples before and I do not know what the consequences might be.

He erected another invisible barrier before him that she discovered when her bolt dissipated before it reached him. She half ran, half flew towards him, but was unable to reach him before he spoke.

“Ash’lianai!”

Skye felt the deity freeze, along with her heart.

She prepared to fight a mental war, unsure if she was able to win at all... but nothing happened. She was still in full control of her movement and magic, from what she could tell.

It didn’t do anything, thought Skye, pressuring the Master into the defensive role. His shield wasn’t invulnerable, ethereal cracks appeared on its surface. Was it supposed to?

There are other ways to invoke a deities name. There was a sense of dread attached to the words, as if it already knew what could, or would happen. Do not let him leave.

The barrier protecting him shattered in a few more hits, though she wasn’t sure if it was her own doing or the Master’s will. He backed away from her, summoning his own missiles. Skye condensed the nature magic around her, absorbing them with a simple shield.

Magic hung in the air, filling the room entirely. It seemed unlimited, and with no cost. When the Naclictite leeched it from the air, more simply appeared in its place. It didn’t lighten the stone like it did when she had before, which confused her. Was that another kind of magic, something else the nature deity didn’t control hidden within her? Or was direct contact with the Naclictite that caused the change?

It still doesn’t explain why he can hold Kiarae.

Her eagle fluttered behind her. It filled her with vitality, replacing her lost energy in a flood of exhilaration as she fired off another six bolts.

The Master’s heel hit the wall, and he snarled. “Girl, you’ll regret this when I’m through with you. Give up now and I might just pretend this never happened.”

“Do I have to tell you every time?” said Skye. The emerald light pressed closer to the shadow Sentinel, cornering him further. “My answer is no! Even with my deity’s name, you can’t win!”

She drew a deep breath, mentally communicating her wish before the Master could retaliate. The light seemed to hold him at bay.

Hold them against the wall. Knock the Master out but leave Jesse awake, and--

“Arrghhh!”

An explosion from the Master vibrated through the ground. Encased in an orb of purple light, he pointed an accusing finger at Skye. “Such arrogance. Your deity may have come to your aid, but you are not the only one with such power at their command.”

He raised his hands, arms trembling as if supporting a great weight. Skye tensed, preparing to swirl the green light and counter his attack. A dark fog, black if not for the hint of purple in its depths encased the Master’s half of the room, hiding him from view. Skye drew her magic back, condensing it into a shield around herself and an unmoving Wrain, although her probe couldn’t detect Jesse.

A minute passed when the Master did not appear. Skye, her blade retrieved and magic at the ready, drifted through the fog to where Jesse had been cocooned safely to the wall.

He was gone.

Skye covered her face with her hands and forced a deep breath, thinking.

She had to get him back. The thought of leaving the bread-loving Jesse alone with the Master was out of the question. She’d failed him when she let the Master steal his mind, but he wasn’t completely gone yet. Jesse was there, and he’d fight.

The familiar presence drifted back into her mind.

He knows my name, it said quietly. You are open to any of his attacks or wishes.

I didn’t mean--

There was no other way, Sentinel, but now the fate of the nature element falls to your actions. Do not fail me, child. I risked everything to save you.

It fell silent, leaving Skye with a profound sense of guilt.

She glanced at Wrain. He was alive, but barely. Her initial healing, interrupted by the Master had been effective, but something about the Naclictite refused to let him heal further despite the unlimited energy lingering around his form.

She knelt down, placing her hands on the Naclictite. The colour lightened slower under her touch than it had before, but it was gradually changing. If she rolled Wrain on to it then healed him...

You do not have time. Pursue the shadow Sentinel.

Skye bit her lip. I can’t leave him--

Then take him with you but do not linger.

I just need a minute-- She cut off the thought as pressure built inside her skull for the second time. This time, the deity made its presence known from the start, lurking at the edges. Skye curled her fingers into fists.

Now.

If he dies, you’re accountable.

The pressure lifted and the deity slipped away in silence once more.

Skye wrapped Wrain in a blanket of energy, lifting him off the ground to follow behind her. She wasn’t entirely sure how she did it, but didn’t question it either. It would sustain him and prevent him from worsening, but she knew truthfully that if she didn’t survive, his future didn’t look good.

“Tayne, you’d better keep your promise. You’d better be there,” she muttered to no one in particular.

The Naclictite walls glinted back at her, taunting her with their secrets as she shifted her weight forward and took off into the corridor, the eagle close beside her. 

*+*+*+*

A/N - To the people who yelled at me about Jesse stabbing Wrain... I'm sorry. Please don't slap me with a subway cookie.