Pyrus (17 page)

“How do I access the Core?” I ask, completely stunned. He gives a laugh before I finish, obviously having expected this to occur.

“The entrance to the Core is located at the entrance to this house. I need you to say ‘I, ambassador of Pyrus, accept the responsibilities of the Kreydurs, and will remain honor bound to defend my country, family, and friends. This I swear.' Everything will be straightforward afterwards.” His image smiles and pauses before he continues again.

“You have grown well into the job, Jack. I know you will make our country proud to bear your name.” Those are the last words I hear before I exit the memory, before Gron exits my life, forever.

Chapter 23: The Job

A shake from Lyra brings me back from the vision at the viewer's table. The runes and the stone table itself maintain their green glow; I guess there was no need for it to recharge. I knew that Gron was expecting this to happen, which is why he used some of his magii to keep the message alive until I found it. Like Centurion, I believe that there could have been some other way, and had I been faster or less impulsive, he may still be alive. That guilt will live with me for the rest of my life.

“I know what I need to do,” I say, and I march outside, not looking to see if she was following. Whatever questions she asks, I have to ignore. I need to focus on what I have to say, and I repeat it to myself constantly in my mind, committing it to memory.
I am with you every step of the way,
Leo reminds me.
But, first, I would like to know what it is you are going to do.

Patience, Leo, is a virtue neither you nor I possess. I just need you to go with me on faith here. Trust me, Gron told me what needs to be done, and I plan on doing it.
I wasn't just bragging or saying it and never get around to it. This was Gron's dying wish, and I intended to see it through to the end.

I glance at the dirt all around me as I gaze at the charred debris that used to be the entrance doors. Their once majestic frames were now shattered. I listen to the wind and try to picture the building as it was when I first arrived, and I remember its pulsing glow of magii. I open my eyes only when Lyra exasperatedly cries, “Now what are you up to?” I still don't reply and that ticks her off even more.

“Leo, it's time. Kreysire!” I call out. Immediately the blade forms, and I carve a circle around myself. I take a deep breath, go down onto one knee, and shout out my new code of honor:

“I, Jack, ambassador of Pyrus, accept the responsibilities of the Kreydurs and remain honor-bound to defend my country, family, and friends. This I vow upon my sword.” As I finish, I stab Leo into the ground, unlocking the key to the Magician's Core. At least … I think I had unlocked it. I waited patiently for a few minutes until Lyra asks me.

“What was that all about?”

“It was supposed to be the password to unlocking the Magician's Core. I don't know what I did wrong,” I reply. I take one step outside of the circle, and my foot begins to tremble. I look at my hands and feet and notice that they are all shaking violently as well. My teeth begin to chatter as the earthquake reaches its peak in power. The circle begins to give off a bright blue light, completely identical to the viewer's table's. I try to pull Leo out of the ground, but he is glued to the spot, as am I.

The ground collapses in front of my feet, snaking all the way to the remains of the record house. The trembling stops almost immediately after the line makes contact with it. The circle's light begins to dim and fade away. I try once more to pull Leo out of his entrapment, this time succeeding and stumbling backwards from how easy it was. I almost laugh at how cool this is. Lyra and I exchange glances of excitement and fear as we gaze at the pathway now before us that leads directly to the record house.

I motion with my hand for Lyra to follow, and we begin to walk on the path. Right before we descend into the pit, Lyra gives off a scream. I whip around and notice that she's fallen down. A flaming barrier surrounds the entrance, blocking her from view.
The journey ahead must be made by you and you alone, Jack.
Leo's voice rings in my head.
She is not bound to her word as you are to yours. You must continue on.

The underground tunnels are lit by glowing green lights. As I walk by, I see memories of my life, from the most recent to the ones that were from my time on Earth. They walk alongside me, but it's like I'm hardly there. My tenth birthday party was one of the fondest memories I had. One of my closest friends stole one of my presents and tried to run outside, but the screen door was invisible and he collided head on with it, thinking he could escape outside.

A lump forms in my throat as I laugh at the recollection. I feel the tears streaming down my face. I had left my old life behind, was forced to grow up for what? Sure this was pretty cool, but this wasn't my life. All of my friends and family were back on Earth, so who could I share my adventure with? I was alone, my only friend a flaming talking lion. I don't even know what day it is; for all I know, I could be eighteen years old now.

I continue walking and shut my eyes, willing my memories to leave me alone. I don't want to face these questions; I don't want to face myself. I see my first kiss with Lily, and when she told me that nothing would make her happier than to be with me. The tears continue flowing as I break into a sprint, covering my ears with my eyes shut tight. Then, the laughter of my parents and sister breaks through. I scream. I scream out of pain, fear, anger. I scream for the sake of screaming, just to keep myself sane. Nothing helps; the void that was created can never be filled. I stay trapped in that spot.

The memory of Leo as my older self extends a hand toward me. His smile is so warm, so trusting. I clasp his hand and pull myself back up onto my feet. Everything vanishes, and the darkness disappears as light flows from the end of the tunnel. I walk forward, squinting as my eyes readjust to the light.

The Magician's Core is a stone pillar located at the center of the record house. When I had first arrived, I thought it was an ordinary watch tower that Gron never used because it could crumble at any time. Even when I asked about it, Gron would never give me a straight answer, saying that it just never was used. Seven red bands surround the base, extending only to a wooden platform located in the center of the center.

The platform creaked as I slowly walked upon it and I winced at every step. The platform runs into the pillar. As I walk in, it becomes shadier, but the red bands illuminate the room. A tiny bridge separates me from a circular platform with the words “Sealing Circle” written in Pyrian on the base. Normally, I didn't have a problem with heights, but as I look down, I notice that I can't see the bottom. If I fell, I certainly wouldn't be coming back up.

“Well, I made it to the Magician's Core,” I call out to Leo. “What happens now? How do I break the seal?”
It is hard to say,
he replies.
I have only been in this room once, and that time was about…a thousand years ago? Give or take a few decades of course. I am sorry, but you are on your own for this puzzle.
Not the words I wanted to hear. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I psych myself up and prepare to walk across the bridge.

Just to make sure that it was safe for me to cross, I tap the bridge with my foot. It doesn't sway and looks sturdy enough, so I put my full weight down on it. The moment it received my weight, it crumbled with a groan, falling into the bottomless pit.
So much for walking across,
I tell myself. Improvising time! I take three steps back and jump onto the circle, landing with perfect form as my knees brace the impact.

The red bands pulse from what looks like eight different sections, each equidistant from the center, somewhat like the spokes of a wheel. Keeping this analogy in mind, I bend down and grab a red band, trying to examine it. I feel a strange sensation as I grab onto the band. I can't let go, and the band begins to increase in size. Using every muscle in my brain, I force my hand to release its grip. The band shrinks down and begins to reform itself in the circle. I look at my hand and notice the wrinkles of age. Somehow, this red strand absorbed my magii and pushed me past my natural limit in the fraction of a second.

Resolving to plan B, I attempt to cut off a cord from the wheel of magii. I end up doing so rather easily, and the band flails as blue magii oozes. I smirk, thinking that this was a piece of cake … until the band started to reform itself.

“You've got to be kidding me!” I shout out. I am extremely frustrated. I can't grab it, slashing at one does no good. But what if I try slashing at all of them at once? It was worth a try. Twisting my body, I grasp Leo's hilt and prepare myself for the spin. Slicing through all of the strings, the platform begins to sway.
That was the brace for the platform!
Leo yells into my head.
You have to jump now before it crumbles!
But it was too late. The platform crumbles from underneath, and I fall, my legs still stuck to the thing.

The fear of falling overwhelms you for the first couple of minutes. Then, you eventually get bored of being afraid of falling. It didn't even look like I was falling anymore. I take a step off of the platform and notice that I have indeed reached the bottom, and it was not even a meter from the exit. It was rather clever of them to design the floor and walls to make it look like you were falling, when in all actuality, you just stay in one place.

The new problem is what has formed after the platform, and me, dropped. I look up and notice that all of the bands have fused together now. Each one is pulsing at the same time, like the thumping of a heartbeat. I release Leo from his sword form and let him keep his physical manifestation.

“Did we break the seal?” I ask him. He looks at the bands, examines it, and then shakes his head. “No, we did not. The bands
are
the seal. We need to find some way to destroy them.”

“But they absorb magii from everything they touch!” I exclaim. “How can we destroy something that can't die?” Leo looks at me strangely, and I can feel my face grow hot. He knows something obvious that I am missing, but no ideas on how to get it across my mind.

“They did not react to my attack. At least, I do not think they did. Stab me into the center, and we will see whether or not it will work.” The idea shows promise, but there's something that still has me worried.

“Won't they absorb all of your magii?” I feel my face grow hot again as Leo gives me another one of his “are you kidding me?” stares.

“Jack, my body is made up of pure magii,” he reminds me. “The chances are that they will not be able to absorb my being, and if they do, then I will just destroy them from the inside. There are no negative solutions!” I was about to contradict him and say “Uh, yeah there is a negative solution: you die!” but I stop myself. By the tone of his voice I can tell that nothing will change his mind, so I don't even bother. Flicking my wrist as he gives off a roar, Leo's body morphs into the flaming sword.

I walk slowly, almost nervously, toward the giant blob. From up close, it resembles a human heart, thumping slowly in time to its own rhythm. It grosses me out, but also fascinates me. The blob begins to shake violently as I walk toward it, and a goopy hand mutates out of the blob and reaches for me.

“It can adapt! This thing is alive!” I scream out to Leo as I bolt around the room. Somehow, it had managed to function with what seemed like a brain.
Or maybe
, I begin to wonder,
maybe this was because I forced those rods to come together. Maybe it can function and evolve because it is the seal that binds the land together. It's just like one of those old adventure movies when the hero has to pass one final test before they can complete their quest. This freakish mutation is the final test in order to prove myself.

I don't have time to develop on that theory, however. The hand is almost within grabbing distance when it freezes midair. It then begins to go back to the blob, the hand still facing me. I smile, realizing that this thing has a range. I can use this to my advantage. Already a plan is forming in my head.

I wait for it to re-merge with the center. Once it does so, I walk slowly towards it again, ready to run at the slightest moment. Once the shaking begins, I race away from the blob, knowing that the hand is chasing me. I then change direction and run straight towards the blob, only to be greeted by another hand.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” I scream, and I roll out of the way, dropping Leo on the ground as I cover my head with my hands. The hands clasp together, forming a rope of some kind before they return to the heart. Since Leo is in his weapon form, I can only hear his thoughts through grasping him. No doubt he would be screaming at me for not expecting this. The limit to how many hands could be formed was still unknown to me. Judging by the eight bands of the seal, I would have to assume that the maximum number of arms it can generate is eight. All seem intent on protecting the center blob, which is why once I had outrun the first, the second one needed to intervene.

One slice through the blob is all I need to end this nightmare, but there are two problems: I do not have a weapon to slice the blob, and the moment I try to get my weapon, the hands will attack me in defense. My breathing becomes frantic as I realize there is no possible way I can win, but I force myself to remain calm and assess the situation. I can't let them touch me, and I need to strike the center. No planning, no analyzing, just react upon the instinct that Gron created in me.

Dashing straight forward, I roll, pick up Leo, and immediately let out a burst of magii while on one knee. The flames form a wall of defense as I stand up again. Two more arms extend and go around the flames, forcing me to jump. The fourth strikes at me once I get airborne, but I slash it out of my way. The fifth attempts to attack me from behind, but I duck and roll onto my back. I continue to roll as the sixth and seventh hands strike from the ground. The final hand attacks me from the air as I continue rolling, smashing the ground beside me. There is no sound aside from my frantic breathing.

I get back onto my feet and glance around at the chamber. Each hand collided with another, forming an intricate web that would suck the remaining magii out of my body before I would even know what happened. Stepping over and around the threads, I manage to position myself under the blob. I shove my sword straight upwards, the blue liquid falling onto my body, and then merging with me. I can hear a shriek, but it dies out as more magii merges with Leo and with me. The threads shrivel and fall to the ground, their purpose fulfilled.