Bab 20: Everything just bubbled in bouncy lights and boomed. I'm in another world.
MAGNUS
The darkened clouds covered the valley, striking lightning to the trees that burst in flames. I gulped.
"Umm, Your Grace aren't we supposed to do something about that?" I asked, pointing to the five big olive trees caught in fire. He gave his hand a dismissive wave.
"Leave it, this place won't burst in flames anyway. Just give it some time and it will turn back to normal. Have a seat."
I relented. Thoteka leads me to the very mahogany table where the Deities enjoyed their teas earlier. Now all of them are nowhere on site. I don't know where they disappeared to. They just vanished. Like poof. Thotheka flick his wrist and the air seems to fold at the table center, then a shape of teacups formed, materialized and slid in front of the two of us. With fresh mint tea liquid on the cup.
"Drink it. We have matters to discuss Seeker." I nod. I take a careful sip and expected it will taste magnificent. Far greater than the teas served in royal parties and nobles gathering I'm forced to participate to. If you're asking, I wasn't invited as guest by the way, just a bodyguard and probably acts as waiter when they hand me their empty champagne glass.
I let the liquid stay longer in my tongue before I gulped it down. I wish I didn't. My stomach reacts and I almost gagged on the spot. It tastes like horse sh*t. Believe me, I was a stable boy for three years to not recognize this sickening flavor.
I'm not proud of it but I have my moments when I'm forced to inhale sometimes lick - out of accident! - the horse pail of excess.
"Are you alright? You look pale." Thotheka asked. I forced a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine Your Grace." He crouched down and took something at his feet. I take that split second as a chance to empty the teacup in the lake.
"Hmm," he straighten up and gaze at the bracelet the purple eyed lady gave me. "Tell me Seeker, what do you think about this situation? Your whole quest of finding the Eklektos."
I hesitated. Trying to pick the right words to say to the patron Deity who's ten times more handsome than me with his trimmed beard. I attempted to pull off the sexy with a beard look once, and my comrades laugh at me because I look like a big donkey with a goatee.
"I'm actually surprised. I mean, I know your an all knowing Your Grace. You must have an idea of my origin. A half Faery and a half mortal. That alone should have forfeited me the right to live."
He chuckled. "No Seeker, you are the most perfect mortal to be appointed with finding the Eklektos assignment. Don't you see that you're the only being ever existed with mixed blood from two races that are mortal enemies?"
"All the more reason to kill me." I murmured. Thoteka put down his tea and cross his fingers under his chin, resting his elbows on the table.
"I'm sure you're aware that the human realm is the hob of Faeries - where they gather slaves and steal souls to maximize their mana. That is the sole reason why they can exercise their powers to a realm which is supposed to zero out any forms of magical energy in the atmosphere."
Magical energy is the very foundation of both mana and blessing.
"You mean both blessing and mana are zapped out in the nonmagic zone of the human realm?"
"Yes."
I laughed nervously. "Then how am I gonna stand a chance at these Faeries? They have their souls as mana booster while I -"
"Didn't I tell you? You're a half breed. Whilst you are mortal, you have the Faery blood faring in your veins. You can fight the Faeries on equal footing, using your fighting skills exercised by experience on your way to a Ranker and the Koha technique your parents passed on you. Rank Elders and Rank Ruler can't stand a chance against them. Their blessings - which is restricted only in the magical realm will disappear in the human realm - but yours..."
This is definitely my imagination. Or a trick of the light, but I swear I saw his steel grey eyes glint proudly while he looked at me.
"But I still don't have any kind of booster. You said it Your Grace, the nonmagic air of the human realm will eliminate the magical energy both blessing and mana, and Koha technique is no exception."
His eyes slid under the table. As if he's seeing something beneath the hard wood.
"That's where the Deity Stone comes in Seeker. Can you take it out from your pocket please?"
I did. It's in the stash pouch I knot on my waistband. When I held it out for him, he gestured for my hand with the bracelets and somehow, magically shrink the Deity Stone to fit in the only free chunk part of the bracelet. Adding one of the gemstones embedded, from twelve to thirteen.
"Umm, why did you -"
"This bracelet - combines our essence together as Deities. It will serve as your protection from the nonmagic atmosphere of the human realm, provides magical energy to your body which can enhance your Koha technique. And also be used as navigator to locate the scattered Eklektos. Each one of the gems will light up, indicating one of them is nearby. The thirteenth gem I added will give you the holographic map of the human realm if you pressed it. Try pressing another gem and it will show you the location where the Eklektos are at any part of the world."
"Woah," Due to my surprise, I suddenly yanked my wrist from Thothekas's grasp just to admire how useful and powerful the bracelet is in my journey.
"Uhh - I'm so sorry Your Grace I was just umm - I can't help but - I don't know how to thank you enough -"
He smiled gently. "Your welcome. This is the only thing we can give you as help. The rest...you're on your own."
"So umm what will happen after I found the Eklektos? I have to bring them to the magical realm right? Battle with the Faeries?"
Thotheka looked down and slowly shakes his head.
"Unfortunately, they aren't here."
"Who?"
"The main force of the Faeries. They have moved to the human realm. We suspected the Demons have tipped them about the Eklektos scattered in the human realm so they have begun their hunt full force, while sending the Beasts and the Dark Elf prince to held the Seeker back."
"Wa- wait, what do you mean me? Why would they do that?"
"Because the moment you have come to our realm and received the Eklektos bracelet in your wrist, all blessings that has been asleep inside the bodies of the Eklektos will awaken. Faeries can't let that happen. While you think its advantageous for us, this could pose problems, possibly bring disaster to the Eklektos' lives and to the people around them. So you must seek them out first. Protect them when the blessing is still developing. Teach them control just like how your father teach you your 'Koha technique'. But be wise enough to train them how to become a warrior. Plunge them into fights - while ensuring you got the area covered and their safety. Understand?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
"The Faeries will stop at nothing in trying to tear you apart with doubt and mistrust. They're cunning. And will use the important people around the Eklektos to kill them. Swear on your own life Seeker, that you must not let this happen. Whatever things that come in your way, you must not let ONE of them DIE."
His eyes grew stern and colder while he said these words. He's dead serious. And I as well. I stood on my seat and kneeled in front of him. At the patron Deity who embraced the half breed monster ME to his Rank.
Who look at me with proud eyes even though I have many failures and mischiefs in my life. He's the Deity. The highest being. And he showed me affection a servant like me seeks from his Master. Rank Elders, in all the years I've spent with them, has never seen me as valuable as the way Thotheka looks at me right now.
"I swear in my honor as a Ranker, as a Seeker you have chosen, as a servant who's willing to offer his life for his master, I will find the Twelve Eklektos, I will bring them back, I will not let any of them die. NEVER in my sight."
His lips cracked into a grin. He reached out and patted my shoulder twice.
"I will entrust them to you, Magnus."
His image shimmered in golden spots. Until he became nothing but a dust dissolve in mist. In fact everything around me bubbled in light.
And I realized I'm already sent to the human realm. The ground beneath me cracked into what seems to be the endless streak of sky. And I'm falling.
In thousand feet down to the open clearing. There's the thick white mist covering what seems to be big rectangular grays coupled together like buffet trays.
There's the wide fields of grass, a familiar sight for farmers to grew their crops and tend poultries.
What I didn't expect, is for my body to almost smash against the hard metal spikes. I screamed, I flail my arms and missed an inch from making myself into a human pig hanging in the sharp metal rails of the gate.
I closed my eyes as I rolled in a murky pile of mud, splashing my Aegis uniform, my face and my hair in black liquid skunk.
The red cloak and mask of the Rank Elder - I tuck it in my stash pouch earlier, for safekeeping. Now I'm having doubts if what I did is the right thing. I could have wrapped myself around it, turned invisible and probably bounced in the air towards the ground. Maybe I could have missed getting unexpected bath with the mud.
While I busied myself trying to get rid of black liquid from my Aegis uniform, the bracelet on my wrist rattled. One of the gem glowed.
I remember this one. I can't forget how draining it feels when it seems to suck the life force out of me.
"Are you alright?" I whipped around, towards the unsure voice of a boy who seems to have heard my epic fall.
I blink against his bright confused eyes. But what caught my attention, is the protruding black ink on his right arm.
A circle Mark with intricate drawings outside - an exact replica of mine. Only it has the number printed on the center. A thick number FIVE.
The first Eklektos I've encountered in coming to the human realm.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
phoenixhyperion
phoenixhyperion Hello, just a quick dump info. This chapter marks the end of Magnus POV. The next one - and probably the most POV I will use in this story is Lance. But doncha worry, it's not the end of Magnus yet. He'll always pop around.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
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