The Soul Keeper

Asher's eyes nearly popped as the soft, crimson light of the primal core of fire illuminated the spacious cave. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, like a beached fish. Only after a long, awkward silence did he leap on his feet and shout.

"Where did you get that? When? How? Why didn't I know about this?" He rushed to my side, his eyes shining with excitement and wonder.

I couldn't help as my grin widened. "Hey!" He glared at me. I chuckled, then extended my hand so he could properly see the primal core. He sat cross legged next to me and inspected the crystal in my palm. "It's… amazing." He very slowly and carefully reached towards it. "Can I touch it?"

I nodded. "Can you find the other one with this?" He glanced at me, then nodded. "I should be able to. I think." He slowly reached for it but hesitated right before his fingers touched the smooth surface. "It's hot."

I raised my eyebrows. Was it hot? I only faintly felt its warmth.

"How are you going to find the primal core of water?" Lucius chimed in. Asher didn't respond, instead, he touched the warm surface of the crystal.

"Damn…" His face turned pale. "Such raw power."

I shrugged. "It's not something anyone can easily control." I still remembered Vixia words clearly. "Can you find the other primal core?"

He sighed. "I told you, I should be able to. Where did you find this?" He pulled his hand away and started gathering his mana in his palms.

"Somewhere." I said with a faint smile. "Doesn't matter." From his darkened expression, I could see that he wasn't happy with my answer. Not like I cared much.

He glared at me for a moment, but quickly averted his gaze when out eyes met. I was surprised to see him quietly accept my answer – I had expected a show of power. But… glancing at the power I held in my palm, perhaps he didn't want to take any chances.

The sorcerer finally completed his spell. A bright blue pentagram appeared on my palm. I could feel his magic gathering in the pentagram. Silence covered the room as we held our breath in anticipation. Was this going to work? Was this going to help me contain the constant anxiousness and anger brewing within me?

"Interesting." Asher glanced at his hand as the purple pentagram faded into mist that gathered on his palm. He grinned. "I guess I wasn't wrong after all." He raised his head and glanced at us. "It's close by."

My eyes widened. Lucius leapt up and threw his fist in the air. "Yes!"

"Where?" I asked as the crystal melted back into my skin. Asher's eyes glimmered with what I believed was pride. "Near the peak. I could sense it very faintly, but it's there." We followed his gaze. He was looking outside, where the rain was still pouring down. As we watched, the sky rumbled, and lightning struck somewhere.

"Well, we still have to wait for the rain to let up." Lucius said with a sigh as he sat back on the ground. "Man, this place smells awful." He wasn't wrong. As if the damp air weren't enough, I could smell rot as well.

"Nothing that can be done about it." Asher stretched his arms and took his now dry cloak from the ground. "We should try to get some sleep. The rain will have probably let up tomorrow." He used his cloak like a blanket and was soon asleep.

"Good night, then." Lucius said with a sigh. Unlike Asher, he didn't immediately fall asleep. I could hear his shallow, sharp breaths. I lay on my side and turned away from the others.

It didn't take long for the darkness of sleep to embrace me. I didn't resist it, despite not feeling tired. As my consciousness drifted into a sea of dreams, I let go of my thoughts.

I opened my eyes to a faint voice. I could barely lift my heavy eyelids. I noticed a young man approaching. His hand was slightly extended. He kept saying something in a language I couldn't understand. Who was he? What was he doing here?

The bright sun blinded me. I couldn't see the man very clearly. He was now close enough that I could touch him. He gently reached forward and touched my head. His soothing voice calmed my nerves as I relaxed my stretched wings. My claws were ready to strike, still, but the man didn't seem like he meant any harm.

He smiled – I still couldn't see him properly, but his warm, almost fatherly smile was clear as day. He said something that I once again couldn't understand. A while passed as he spoke. Then, he pulled his hand away. I noticed a mark on his wrist. Intricate black lines were all I could spot before his cloak covered his arm.

He smiled, then slowly walked away. Far away, I could see a woman standing on a hill, watching us.

"Hey!" something shook me awake. I opened my eyes to see Asher and Lucius' pale faces. "Kai!"

They both breathed out in relief as I blinked a couple of times. "What's going on?" I mumbled, slowly pushing myself to a sitting position.

"You tell me!" Lucius shouted, eyes wide and breathing quickly. "You had this weird thing around you!"

I glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or weird. I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Asher for an explanation. He shook his head. "You were surrounded with magic that didn't belong to any of us."

I flinched. The first thing that came to mind was the man I saw in my dream. But… that was a memory that belonged to the wyvern. A memory couldn't hold such power, could it?

"Could it be the wyvern trying to take over?" Lucius asked after a short moment of silence. I shrugged. "Maybe."

"Then let's hurry." Asher rose to his feet and glanced outside. "The rain has stopped – mostly." I could see the few drops of water still coming down, but it was nothing compared to yesterday's rain.

"Let's go."